Blog Archives

Bleach (2004)

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Posted on January 27, 2008 by Deni

Last week, a manga buddy recently indoctrinated into the joys of anime asked me: “Hey, is Bleach any good? I’m thinking of buying it.”

Oh, I immediately enthused, it’s frigging awesome. Definitely don’t get it.

It’s the little ways in which we try to help our friends, isn’t it?

Because Bleach is awesome, and approaching one hundred and thirty or so episodes in Japan without any sign of stopping, it’s almost too watchable. Sure, that’s not so much in … (read more)

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School Rumble (2004)

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Posted on January 27, 2008 by Tom

Never again will I watch something on the title alone. When I put my hand up to review this title I was thinking “oh joy another beat ’em up show that will slowly atrophy my brain with each punch and round house kick”. I wish it had been a beat ’em up show; instead I got lumped with this ‘romantic comedy’. I now long for what in comparison is the cerebral brilliance that is Baki The Grappler. However I … (read more)

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Fate/stay Night (2005)

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Posted on January 27, 2008 by Deni

I feel I’m going to be unfairly harsh in my opinion of Fate/stay Night; or, more to the point, I want to be harsh, and it may or may not be fair of me. This series appears to be another of those formula fight shows, where the main character discovers — after an episode or two spent showing us how much of a nice guy/pushover he is — that he is actually destined for bigger and better things. Cue … (read more)

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Burst City (1982)

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Posted on January 26, 2008 by Greg

Burst City, to me, is not only the name of a film, but also a fairly accurate description of my mind after being confronted by two hours of Ishii Sogo punk rock mayhem. After all, what can synapses do, when faced with such an assault on the senses, but explode? It’s the sensible thing to do.

This is a film that has a reputation for being an important stepping stone in the development of Japanese cinema. It is widely … (read more)

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Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad (2004)

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Posted on January 14, 2008 by Andy

Beck begins the compelling story of a boy who discovers who he is through music. A teenage boy meets an amazing guitar player and together they form the band Beck. Follow the band’s ever-challenging road to fame, as told through the eyes of the impressionable boy.

As much as I am prepared to dive off the nearest stage in appreciation of Madman releasing the single finest anime of the year, that above synopsis must have been written by a … (read more)

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Invisible Waves (2005)

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Posted on December 16, 2007 by James

The second collaboration between Pen-ek Ratanaruang, cinematographer Chris Doyle, script writer Prabda Yoon and actor Tadanobu Asano after Last Life in the Universe is in my opinion an even better work, regardless of its technical faults, jarring changes in plot direction and stilted performances.

Simply as an extremely raw mood piece with astonishingly drawn out sequences devoid of elaborate fantasy, Invisible Waves was for me thoroughly captivating. When I think of it now, some months after viewing it for the … (read more)

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Aachi and Ssipak (2006)

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Posted on December 16, 2007 by Tom

When I first heard the premise for Aachi and Ssipak, I though it was going to be one of those films that revolve mainly around toilet humour and go to extreme moments of crudeness. But I was pleasantly surprised that for the greater whole this isn’t the case. A&S actually is rarely about the goings on behind that cubicle door and is more concerned about the end result: the “Juicybars”.

In the alternate future proposed in the film, energy … (read more)

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Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (2006)

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Posted on December 16, 2007 by Justin

I’m not really an anime fanatic, certainly not when compared to some of the Heroic team — I’ve seen a fair few of the major feature releases over the years, and the occasional series, but none of the series has ever really grabbed and held my attention. That is, until I saw Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. I watched both series, enthalled, in three or four sittings. Then I watched them again. It’s superb work, tailor-made for … (read more)

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