Recently, there has been really strange and unexpected comebacks of older and sometimes forgotten franchises. I was browsing on Facebook and something caught my eye like a sore thumb: FLCL. I kept seeing FLCL on Facebook and didn't think much of it, until I saw it so much to the point that I had to click on the link. And to my shock, a ghost from the past had reemerged from my childhood and slapped me across the face. There was going to be new material for FLCL.
FLCL was a nostalgic series for me growing up as I remember watching it back in elementary school and rewatching as I got older. The older I got, the more I understood what the series represents, and to this day, FLCL is something to always remember as I start to reminisce my younger and more carefree days.
But besides all those sentimental emotions of mine, FLCL is coming back with 12 more episodes. 12. That's big. A series back in 2001 is having a sequel, after 15 years of just being satisfied with the ending, but at the same time yearning for more FLCL. Toonami and Production I.G. will be producing the next 2 seasons, and the show will be airing around late 2017 or early 2018. I was a little surprised about Toonami, but I don't really care. I am just glad FLCL is back.
10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Prison School
An edgy and raunchy anime, Prison School is not what it seems. This is not your typical ecchi anime.
Here are 10 reasons why you should watch Prison School.
1. Fan Service
Personally, I'm not a fan of fan service, but for those of you that love it, Prison School is the definition of fan service.
2. This is truly a man's show
If you are a heterosexual male, Prison School is the epitome of a man's dreams and fantasies.
3. Gakuto
He is the definition of a true bro. But besides that, Gakuto is the most amusing character in the show. He's the most eccentric character of the cast. His obsession of the 3 Kingdoms is comical to the point that his entire manner of speech is influenced by it. Every time he has a chance to talk by himself, the anime staff humorously plays a Chinese theme.
4. It's outrageous
Truly outrageous. No but really, Prison School presents itself a crazy situation with crazier ones.
5. Comedy
Unlike other anime that heavily use fan service, Prison School actually utilizes its fan service for the plot and the comedy.
6. Facial Expressions
The extreme facial expressions in this show are hilarious.
7. Voice acting
The energetic voices for the love of tits and asses is great.
8. The girls are crazy
All the girls are crazy in their own ways. If you want to see men dominated by the female species, this is the anime for you.
9. The chairman
The way the anime staff perfectly enacts the chairman's eccentric behaviors and speech pattern is.....great!
10. It's actually good
I admit, I had very low expectations for this series because of the amount of fan service, but this anime is very good. It will always keep you laughing and its extremely unpredictable to the point that it seems like you should always just expect the unexpected, and that really is the reason why Prison School is so interesting to watch.
Prison School is definitely worth a watch in its full-HD Blu-Ray goodness. You can actually buy the entire season onAmazon!
Prison School Season 1 Blu-Ray
10 Reasons Why You Should Watch One Punch Man
With all the hype around One Punch Man, why haven't you started watching it yet?
Here are 10 reasons why you should watch One Punch Man.
1. The Art
The character designs are so good.
2. The Animation
The animation looks crazy good to the point where you'll mistake it for a high budget animation. Particularly, fight scenes involving Genos look really fluid and exciting.
3. The Passion
Despite having a small budget, the passion and spirit of the anime staff is evident. They even admitted it themselves that what drives this anime's quality is not the money, but rather the staff giving their 110 percent.
4. The Action
Despite One Punch Man being comedy oriented, the action is so energetic and exciting. There isn't any anime series that I can think of in the recent years with blood pumping action sequences that can match up One Punch Man, with the possible exception of Hunter x Hunter.
5. The Comedy
One Punch Man is a comedy and a really funny one at that. The fact that the One Punch Man is a bizarre universe with eccentric heroes and villains gives a unique hilarity. The classic gag of One Punch Man is when Saitama easily beats an enemy that seems impossible to beat for others.
6. The varied cast of characters
I don't how, but One Punch Man seems to pull out a bunch of random characters out its glorious ass. Each of the many characters have their own unique abilities and design.
7. Not your usual hero anime
One Punch Man is not your typical hero story. In retrospect, One Punch Man actually has some deep philosophical undertones despite its silly story.
8. The voice actors of the villains
Hearing the crazy voices of these crazy villains just makes you laugh. You can tell that the voice actors are enjoying voicing the villains.
9. Easy Appeal
One Punch Man has an easy appeal for newcomers. From hype to fan service, One Punch Man is easy to recommend to someone.
10. Each episode is worth a watch
The anime is budgeted for 12 episodes. You won't require a lot of time commitment to watch these. In fact, each episode is thorough and very satisfying to watch. I find myself even re-watching episodes just because they're so great.
With some of the best animation in recent years, One Punch Man is best enjoyed in the highest quality on your couch. You can check out the Blu-Ray on Amazon here!
Bakuman follows the story of high school student Moritaka Mashiro, a talented artist who does not know what he wants to do with his future. One day, Mashiro draws a picture of Miho Azuki, a girl he is secretly fond of, during class but forgets the notebook at school. He comes back to find that his classmate Akito Takagi is waiting for him with his notebook. Takagi tries to convince Mashiro to become a mangaka, a manga artist, with him, leading to Mashiro's disagreement. Mashiro goes home and thinks about his mangaka uncle, who had only one successful series before he died in obscurity. Mashiro is interrupted by a phone call from Takagi, who says that he is going to tell Azuki that Mashiro likes her. Mashiro runs down to Azuki's house to find Takagi waiting for him. Once Azuki comes out to meet them, Takagi tells her that he and Mashiro are aiming to be mangaka. Mashiro then learns that she wants to be a seiyuu, a voice actor, and has shown promise in the field. Mashiro, once again thinking about his uncle, accidentally proposes to Azuki who accepts. However, she will only marry him after they achieve their dreams. In addition, they cannot see each other until then.
After reading the manga and watching the anime, I've scoured the internet out of curiosity on what other people thought about Bakuman. For some reason, most of the negative reviews that I've read are pretty biased and misinformed, so here are a couple of things that need to be cleared up for your expectations:
This is a slice-of-life shounen anime, so expect a slow paced story that's light hearted.
Don't expect a dark story, read a seinen if you're looking for the most realistic realism.
Don't read or watch Bakuman if you don't like the slice-of-life genre.
There are 3 seasons in the anime cover most of the manga, so don't judge the entire story by watching only 1 season.
Most people who end up reading or watching Bakuman are aware of the fact that the people behind the global phenomenon of Death Note are also behind Bakuman. Takeshi Obata and Tsugumi Ohba are the writer and artist duo who are the masterminds responsible for Death Note, so people expect great things from Bakuman.
You know you've seen or read this.
Now be aware that Bakuman is a stark contrast compared to Death Note. While Death Note is dark, dreary and suspenseful, Bakuman is a light-hearted, sweet story about the life of 2 young mangakas.
Yeah wut.
Normally I wouldn't want to watch a slice-of-life anime because I tend to watch animes that have some kind of out-of-the-ordinary element like aliens, demons, samurais, ninjas, etc., but I've already read the manga and it was a great read. Bakuman also opened up my perspectives on the life of mangakas as well; thus I was able to understand why some mangas drag (*cough cough* Naruto and Bleach), why some good mangas get cancelled (Anedoki and D-Grayman), and why shounen mangas are styled the way that they are. Bakuman obviously parallels some of the personal experiences of Obata and Ohba with Death Note references and how the Ashirogi Mutou mangaka duo consists of an artist and writer.
Ordinarily I wouldn't mention too many characters because some characters spoil the plot, but Bakuman is a slice-of-life; thus it should have an exception because the entire plot completely focuses on character development and character relationships. The entire cast of characters is the best thing about Bakuman because you won't see this many well-developed and well-likable characters in a shounen anime. There are also different groups of characters in the story, so I'll break them down as Ashirogi Mutou, Other Mangakas, the Editors, and the Girlfriends. The only characters that I'm going to mention have a significant impact on the show and are the driving force of the show, except I'm not going to mention characters that spoil the story just by describing them. I also mixed around the first and last names around based on what name they're called the most.
Ashirogi Mutou [Main Characters Duo]
Moritaka Mashiro
Mashiro Moritakais the artist of the Ashirogi Mutou duo of who, the story primarily focuses on. He's your typical shounen protagonist: brash, hard-working, determined to make his dream come true, and in fact will piss you off from time-to-time because of his stubbornness to see the bigger picture like Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan and Shinj Ikari from Neon Evangelion Genesis, except that his character isn't dark at all (don't expect murderous or suicidal thoughts from him because he's a pretty happy-go-lucky character). Even as the years pass by, Mashiro behaves like a middle schooler when it comes to love. His unrealistic and innocent romance with Azuki Miho will annoy most people, but to me, it's a charm that Bakuman has because every young guy fantasizes about their own perfect romances. Even I wish that I could have a love relationship that was innocent as Mashiro's. Mashiro is also the less interesting part of the duo and cast of characters, despite the majority of the story focused on him. I like to think of it as Fullmetal Alchemist whereEdward Elric is an okay main character, but he is outshined by the supporting characters who are better characters than him with less screen time.
Takagi Akito
Takagi Akitois the writer of the Ashirogi Mutou duo and plays the part as a secondary main character. Unlike Mashiro, Takagi is a braniac when it comes to school work and writing stories. He is the jelly of the peanut butter and jelly; Mashiro is the base of the story, while Takagi compensates for his shortcomings. The livelier character, Takagi is the one who took the initiative of becoming a mangaka team with Mashiro by reinvigorating Mashiro's passion for manga and starting out Mashiro's couple relationship with Azuki. It feels like Takagi should be the primary main character of the story because he has more character than Mashiro and he's the go to person when someone wants to talk to Ashirogi Mutou. He also has more developed relationships with the other characters compared to Mashiro.
The Girlfriends
Azuki Miho
Azuki Mihois Mashiro's lover who shares the same dream as him. They're really similar to each other when it comes to innocence and shyness, except Azuki is a little more straight-forward in what she wants. She doesn't have as much screen time as Kaya, but her character is as important to the story as Mashiro is. Her character isn't as developed as the other characters due to the lack of her screen time, but she is likable in the sense that her will is unwavering (compared to Mashiro and girls in general), she has a very humble personality, and she's very hard working.
Kaya Miyoshi
Kaya Miyoshi is Takagi's lover who is a ditzy, athletic, tomboyish girl who has no real aspirations, but holy shit. This character is hilarious. Most of the time when Kaya is around, I couldn't help but laugh because she is the definition of comedic relief with her violent behavior and funny facial expressions. Even though Takagi and Kaya are the couple, it always seems like she's the 3rd wheel in Takagi and Mashiro's bromance. Heavily underrated and unappreciated, Kaya is one of the most important character in Bakuman as she is Takagi's motivation and is the glue that keeps together Ashirogi Mutou and Mashiro and Azuki's relationship. She even came up with the name Ashirogi Mutou. She's a very lovable character who also has a nice character development and becomes more mature as the series goes on.
Other Mangakas
Niizuma Eiji
Eiji Niizumais a highly eccentric manga prodigy who is Ashirogi Mutou's number 1 rival. This guy is always entertaining to watch, and his voice actor does a great job capturing his eccentric nature really well. It always feels like the anime staff had a blast animating Niizuma with his exaggerated sounds and expressions.
Kazuya Hiramaru
Hiramaru Kazuyais the least motivated character in the story, but not in a bad way. He's like everyone we know: he doesn't want to work, but rather enjoy his life. Another character who is eccentric like Niizuma, you can also expect great over-the-top voice acting from his voice actor. Hiramaru along with Niizuma are two of the most hilarious characters from Bakuman, and my two of my favorite characters to be honest.
Fukuda Shinta
Fukuda Shinta is an outspoken, brash character who is the leader of the mangaka characters. I feel like Fukuda is more suited to be a main character rather than just a supporting character because he has the traits of leadership, bravery, compassion, and so on. At first he might seem to be just a typical douche, but later on you realize that he's just blunt with his words. Good character, I just wish that he had more screen time.
Yuriko Aoki
Aoki Yuriko is one of the stubborn female mangakas. She goes through significant character development and is a very likable character. Her and Kaya go through the most character development in the story. I'd like to say more because I really like this character, but anything more to say about her will spoil the story.
The Editors
Hattori Akira
Hattori Akirais the skilled editor who is Ashirogi Mutou's guidance and mentor throughout the story. Despite his silly design, he's a very competent person and resembles Ryuk from Death Note. He also seems like your every day sort of guy. Don't get me wrong, he's a good character and very respectable and all, but if he didn't receive the amount of screen time that he has and play a really important role in the series, he'd be significantly overshadowed by the more dynamic and extreme characters of Bakuman because he is like your every day sort of person. This is most likely due to him being based on a real editor at Shonen Jump.
Hisashi Sasaki
Sasaki Hisashiis the serious editor-in-chief at Shonen Jump (or Jack in the anime). The writer of Bakuman did a really great job in creating a very serious and relatable character with Sasaki. The anime does this very well too. You really get the vibe that you don't want to screw around with him or disappoint him. He's a very well done, relatable character that actually gives the vibe of an actual boss. This is mostly likely because Sasaki is based on a real person, the editor-in-chief of Shonen Jump, just like how Hattori was based on a real editor.
Yoshida Koji
Yoshida Kojiis the reason why Hiramaru is so damn entertaining. This guy isn't even very significant to the plot, but he deserves a special mention. He's a first class psychopath who is very charismatic and always has schematics that keep Hiramaru in line for his own personal gain which have really hilarious effects. All the editors shown in the anime try their best for the sake of their mangakas, but he's the exception; he only does thing for personal gain. Another special note to mention is that his voice actor is Takehito Koyasu. Takehito Koyasu really really knows how to play charismatic psychopaths really well like Dio Brando from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Takasugi Shinsuke from Gintama (note on the emphasis of really). Because of Takehito Koyasu, Yoshida is the best voice acted character, even among Niizuma and Hiramaru.
The animation is very well done. The colors are great. The comedic animations are gold. While I was watching this, I could tell that the anime was well-budgeted because I never really noticed any obvious animation errors. There is a scene where Takagi asks Kaya to beat him up (but I couldn't find any videos or pictures of it unfortunately) and the fighting animation resembled a high budget action anime scene from Hajime no Ippo or Naruto. There was only one scene like that as far as I can remember though. This is a slice-of-life anime, so don't expect flashy action scenes. But because this is a slice-of-life anime, most of the scenes are drawn realistically. The best parts of the animation was when they exaggerated character expressions and broke away from reality, which created some highly entertaining scenes, mostly with Kaya (I keep going on with Kaya, but she's the best character in the series).
Kaya occasionally physically beating Takagi.
Hiramaru celebrating from not having to work.
The animation staff also did a great job in recapturing certain moments in the manga just to add more to the comedy.
Classic manga styled animation.
And like I said, the colors are great because they're vibrant and pleasant to look at. The animation staff usually made scenes more vibrant with pivotal or exciting moments in the story.
The usual animation for scenes like this.
There is subtle fan service throughout the anime (which is surprising because the over-arching plot is an innocent romance), usually with Kaya's breasts
This is the only scene with obvious fan service in the anime.
or Aoki's breasts (which I don't remember being so big in the manga, and they make them noticeably larger as the anime goes on strangely). This should be a plus to those who enjoy fan service, but also to those who hate fan service because it's usually so subtle and extremely rare.
Another really awesome part of this anime was that unlike the manga, the anime really fleshed out the manga works of the mangakas and sometimes with animated openings. For example: when I first watched the anime, this was the very first scene and I was really confused because thought I was watching the wrong anime.
It really does looks like a legit anime opening lol.
My only real complaint with the animation was that in the first season, I felt that the animation staff hadn't really solidified the character designs. For example: Azuki had an awkward design in the first season of the anime.
First Season
Third Season
But this problem was fixed as the anime went on and the staff had more experience drawing the characters. It could also be due to the design improvements from the mangaka as the manga went on.
The music was good. There isn't much that I could say about it because it's your typical slice-of-life anime music, so don't expect anything crazy good like orchestral music over intense fight scenes. This anime is nowhere near sad or depressing, so there isn't any sad music either.
The plot is simple and straightforward: Bakuman is the story of two mangakas living the life of mangakas and their eventual goal is for Mashiro and Azuki to marry once they accomplish their dreams. This is also a slice-of-life comedy story, so the plot is entirely character development and character relationships. Since there is mostly comedy in the story, there is never anything sad. There are some dark underlying realistic tones with certain characters, but I haven't mentioned them because they would spoil the plot, and even then they still don't drastically effect the tone of the story; they only add tension momentarily. I also felt that the anime was slightly rushed and I wanted a little more from the original story (there are certain characters and an entire arc completely cut out). What I really did like was that they added a little more to the ending than what the manga had.
A great cast of characters, great character development, great character relationships, great animation, and a great experience overall. If you like the slice-of-life genre, you'll especially like this and I highly recommend that you watch this. The story was very enjoyable and you get to learn more about the manga and anime industry. Aside from certain parts of the manga cut out from the anime and awkward character designs of the first season, I still enjoyed this anime as it was faithful to the majority of the manga.
The second JJBA series takes place in the 1930s, and follows the misadventures of Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan Joestar, as he fights vampires and ancient super beings with some help from a cybernetically-enhanced Nazi and an Italian man he has a lot in common with.
Preface
Alright so I admit, the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Phantom Blood, made me fidget throughout most of the anime except towards the last segment of it. I mean, it's pretty understandable for Hirohiko Araki's earliest works, but Battle Tendency is guaranteed to keep you glued to your seat (or bed). David Production did an excellent job in adapting the first 2 parts of the series, even with a low budget, but what made the first part less enjoyable than the second was solely because of the source material (the manga) they had to work with. Battle Tendency is crazy, and in a good way, and it also started the flamboyant pose trend.
You never see poses like these anymore.
What more reason do you need to watch Battle Tendency? The opening itself is what sums up the show; Battle Tendency is flamboyant, crazy, and very entertaining.
Because of the low budget David Production had for Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, I am not going to criticize anything caused by the tight budget as it's amazing what they did for a series that hadn't seen an anime adaptation in 2 decades. What do I mean flaws caused by the tight budget? Well in the video that I've shown, the animation quality isn't the best; the animation is a little rigid if you know what I mean. It's all very minor problems that require you to have a trained eye in order to spot these technical flaws, but even thenyou'll forget about them because this show is crazy entertaining.
Characters
Joseph Joestar
Joseph Joestar is a brash, rowdy trickster who hates egotistical people, but ironically is egotistical himself. He might seem stupid, but it's all a part of his plan in deceiving his opponents. Joseph is a tactical genius, which is one of the main reasons why this show is so entertaining. The complete polar opposite of his gentleman grandfather, Jonathan Joestar, this guy is wild, rude, and will always insult his opponents. This guy is my personal favorite JoJo because he's such a crazy character; everything he does is nothing you'd expect to happen. Just watching this guy is outrageously hilarious, especially his secret move.
Even Speedwagon is here.
Speedwagon is an uncle-like figure to Joseph and is respected by him, which is rare because Joseph rarely respects anyone. The man of many memes, this guy is what started the Speedwagon trend (a character is screaming out on the side about the crazy thing that's happening at the moment) and the Speedwagon Foundation. Highly lovable character because even Speedwagon agrees.
Shizaaaaa!
Caesar Zepelli is the pompous playboy who is charismatic and charming. This guy is die-hard prideful in his Italian heritage and Zepelli lineage. He is way more reserved than his fighting partner, Joseph. Saying anything more about him is a spoiler and I don't want to spoil anything about Caesar because he's a great and memorable character.
Note: You guys might wonder why I haven't wrote much about the other characters, well it's because I don't want to spoil anything and Joseph Joestar is basically the star of the show.
Animation
Despite the low budget, David Production is able to make use of what they have. The animation is colorful throughout and resembles the art style of the manga very well.
All these colors lol.
I also really like how they change the color scheme during scenes to highlight specific moments. It's a style that David Production frequently uses in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series and I think that it's an excellent idea as it looks great.
Yup.
What got me into the entire JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series was basically this video that sums up the colorful animation style of David Production:
The moment that I saw this video, I quickly decided to watch the series.
The most beautifully animated scene is towards the end, and trust me, David Production did not skimp out on that scene at all, but I won't spoil anything because it's a Goddamn beautiful scene.
Music
Like I said about David Production and their low budget, they really know how to optimize their low budget. Most of the music that you'll hear is an intense electronic music (a lot of dubstep as well), which pretty much characterizes how energetic the show is. Here's an example a track that I'm talking about, minus the vocals.
Only during the most important or emotional scenes will they use a very beautiful operatic song or a triumphant orchestral fanfare. You know how sometimes when you're reading a tragic scene in a manga and your eyes are dryer than California, but when you watch it animated with music, a rain never stops from your eyes. The most beautiful and tragic scene of the show utilizes the most beautiful song in the soundtrack, but you should hear it for yourself when that scene happens.
Voice Acting
Now normally I wouldn't write about the voice acting in a review because people have preferences in what language they want to hear their anime in, regardless of quality. But because there was no English dub at the time of this review and a phenomenal performance from the cast, I just had to mention something about the voice acting. The voice acting is gold. You will not hear anything of this caliber in most animes out there, except for Gintama and Dragon Ball Z (Japanese dub). There is so much energy within the voices that you feel pumped up for certain scenes. Usually poor English pronunciation is cringe-worthy and sounds unprofessional, but the voice actors create magic with broken English because the energy in the voice acting is invigorating. You'll notice this in the Stardust Crusaders' anime especially. Tomokazu Sugita's voice performance perfectly captures the personality of Joseph Joestar and makes the character even more enjoyable.
Plot
The plot is a crazy thrill ride. A continuation from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part I: Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency features Jonathan Joestar's grandson, Joseph Joestar. The first fight scene that you'll witness is Joseph beating up corrupt cops in New York in order to defend a thief that just robbed him. The moment when you see Joseph demonstrate his Hamon is when you realize that this show is going to be damn good. Joseph Joestar is the show as he brings so much energy to the table because of his unorthodox battle tactics that are highly entertaining and unpredictable. This show consists of mostly action. The action scenes are great because of the unpredictable twists that come along with Joseph's calculating fighting style. So don't expect a mind-boggling plot with layers of complexities; the plot straightforwardly progresses as the mysteries of the Stone Mask are uncovered. Expect the unexpected when it comes to plot twists though. There isn't really much to criticize about the plot except for the lack of character development with 2 supporting characters, Messina and Loggins, due to a timeskip (but blame that on the source material, the manga). Any unanswered questions is resolved at the conclusion of the story. The last scene basically foreshadows Stardust Crusaders, and you're going to want to watch Stardust Crusaders after watching Battle Tendency.
Conclusion
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part II: Battle Tendency is a crazy, bizarre, flamboyant, and exciting anime that will keep you on your toes with unpredictable plot twists and fight scenes. Despite the low budget that David Production had with this anime, the technical flaws are greatly overshadowed by how great this anime is. The animation, music, and voice acting adds to the exciting and energetic tone to the anime. The ending is satisfying and you'll want to move on to the next part in the series. Overall, this anime is fantastic and I highly recommend it. If you like battle anime, what are you waiting for? You're missing out if you're not watching Battle Tendency.
