Shelf Analysis
by Bamboo Dong, By now, some of you are wondering, who is this person that keeps writing this column? S/he hardly ever signs his/her name on the bottom, and we can't tell who it is that keeps blabbing to us his/her opinions every w/eek. Well, I was born in a village just outside of Marseilles, where I was picked up by the Russian circus and forced to tour with them around the countries of Eastern Europe until I was fourteen, when I stowed away on a German meat-packing ship to the eastern isle of New York. And thus my life in America begins. Okay, maybe not, but who I am hardly matters. In all honesty, I lived in Colorado all my life until the issions Office of Brown University made a fatal error and threw me into their herd. I'm a female who enjoys anime, candlelight dinners, and long walks on our beautiful Colorado beaches (in Southwestern lingo, we call it “foolishly climbing up random roadside mountains and ending up trekking for hours along a muddy riverbank with cactus thorns nestled comfortably in your hands.”) I trekked my way onto ANN circa 1999, deciding to go by the name of Bandai Entertainment 125 min. 1/? $29.98 01/21/2003
how cool and refreshing Funimation Productions 123 min. 2/4 $39.95 01/21/2003
I love Fruits Basket. I really, really do. The story rests mainly on the relationships that form between the characters, and shoves sweet, moralistic tidbits here and there. It's definitely one of those cute and warming shows that will brighten up anyone's day. In this volume, viewers get introduced to Momiji and Hatori, two more of the Sohma family. With the ever increasing number of characters, it's surprising how the relationships between each and every one can remain so important and strongly personal. Fruits Basket really falls into a class of its own. I've never seen a series whose entire plot revolves around characterization before, and this series is definitely one of the best.
Star Blazers: Bolar Wars Vol. #1
Voyager 120 min. 1/? $29.95 01/21/2003
The third season of Star Blazers (Yamato) is finally on DVD. This is a good thing. A 1979 classic of Yamato proportions, Star Blazers is one of those series that everyone has at least heard of. If you like space epics, then it's time to go back in time to that age when Japan was pumping out some of its best. Sure, it's been out on dubbed VHS for quite some time now, but hey, DVD! That's perhaps a lousy reason to either buy it, or re-buy it, but it works for me. In any case, if you haven't seen Star Blazers, check out the first two seasons. You might end up loving it, and when that happens, hurrah! It's time for the third season.
Video Rental Shelf
ADV Films 75 min. 4/4 $29.98 01/21/2003
In the last volume of the series, there's actually a plot! That aspect is so new and exciting to me that it must be worth watching! As it turns out, it is. For the first time, the story line is actually somewhat solid, and the characters serve a purpose other than Megaman Vol. #01: A Hero Is Born
ADV Films 286 min. 1/? $29.98 01/21/2003
I'm not quite sure what to make of this series. On the one hand, it's video game based, with crappy animation at times, and gee whiz, the plot's pretty drawn out and boring. On the other hand, it's Megaman, and if you like Megaman, then you know what I mean. I have one thing to say, though. Twelve episodes, two discs, thirty bucks. That's so mind-blowing I don't know what to say. So if you think you might get a kick out of watching Megaman when he's not in 32 bit, try this series out for size. It definitely doesn't come at a high risk.
Ronin Warriors Vol. #10
Bandai Entertainment 75 min. 10/10 $24.98 01/21/2003
Last volume of Ronin Warriors. I must say, it's the best DVD of the series. The ending features some heroic deeds, and some emotion here and there, and hey, the last DVD makes the entire series worth it. If you liked Ronin Warriors when it was on TV, and want a taste of those days back, here's your chance. And if you're new to the scene, at least give it a rental. It won't benefit you much, but it won't set you back too far either.
Z TV Box Set 4: Garlic Jr. Box
Funimation Productions $29.95 01/21/2003
Try as I might, I don't like The Right Stuf International, Inc 60 min. 2/2 $24.95 01/21/2003
Pure shonen in the strictest sense of the word. At the end of the Hellsing Vol. #4 Pioneer Animation 100 min. 4/4 $29.98 01/21/2003
Hellsing Vol. #4 (W/Figure) Pioneer Animation 100 min. 4/4 $44.98 01/21/2003
Honestly, this show is crap after episode eight. The first few episodes were interesting, with the whole vampire that hunts other vampires genre, and the chick that gets turned into a vampire deal. Action, drama, intrigue… And then episode eight or so hits, and the entire series turns out to be the sorriest piece of animation and story line ever. For some reason, the animation quality goes down, the plot… sucks, and there are so many holes in the story it's not even funny. The random introduction of Incognito just really killed the show. And the way they dealt with the ending also sucks. Take my advice, people, just watch the first two DVDs, and pretend the second half of the series never existed. You'll be so much happier that way.
Yū Yū Hakusho Vol. #09: Deathmatch
Yū Yū Hakusho Vol. #10: The Evil Dr. Ichigaki
Funimation Productions 62 min. 9/10/? $24.95 01/21/2003
You know for a fact that Funimation is going to release a box set after the next set of episodes is done. I'm sure you can wait until then. If you like the series, just wait for that. If you haven't seen the series, wait until your friend gets the box set and then watch that. If you're one of those people that only a buy a few DVDs from each series, once again, steal the set from some one else, and then figure out which DVDs you want to buy. Or read the back of the box.
Medabots Vol. #07
ADV Films 125 min. 7/? $19.98 01/23/2003
Me not being a kid, I can't see the appeal of this show. The plot is too drawn out and annoyingly fake for me, and I just can't seem to sit down to watch this show. Kids seem to like it, so if you have kids, maybe they'll like this great little dubbed disc. Then again, with all the kids' anime on TV right now, I'm sure you can find a better one for them to watch.
And this concludes this week's Shelf Life. Next week, you'll see even more cool stuff to add to your shelves. I the good old days when we hardly ever had weekly releases. Yeesh, we're spoiled. Anyway, have fun, don't spend too much money, and try not to have too much excitement at school or work. I know it'll be tough for you, but please, think of the children.
-Bamboo “SakechanBD” Dong
how cool and refreshing Funimation Productions 123 min. 2/4 $39.95 01/21/2003
I love Fruits Basket. I really, really do. The story rests mainly on the relationships that form between the characters, and shoves sweet, moralistic tidbits here and there. It's definitely one of those cute and warming shows that will brighten up anyone's day. In this volume, viewers get introduced to Momiji and Hatori, two more of the Sohma family. With the ever increasing number of characters, it's surprising how the relationships between each and every one can remain so important and strongly personal. Fruits Basket really falls into a class of its own. I've never seen a series whose entire plot revolves around characterization before, and this series is definitely one of the best.
Star Blazers: Bolar Wars Vol. #1
Voyager 120 min. 1/? $29.95 01/21/2003
The third season of Star Blazers (Yamato) is finally on DVD. This is a good thing. A 1979 classic of Yamato proportions, Star Blazers is one of those series that everyone has at least heard of. If you like space epics, then it's time to go back in time to that age when Japan was pumping out some of its best. Sure, it's been out on dubbed VHS for quite some time now, but hey, DVD! That's perhaps a lousy reason to either buy it, or re-buy it, but it works for me. In any case, if you haven't seen Star Blazers, check out the first two seasons. You might end up loving it, and when that happens, hurrah! It's time for the third season.
Video Rental Shelf
ADV Films 75 min. 4/4 $29.98 01/21/2003
In the last volume of the series, there's actually a plot! That aspect is so new and exciting to me that it must be worth watching! As it turns out, it is. For the first time, the story line is actually somewhat solid, and the characters serve a purpose other than Megaman Vol. #01: A Hero Is Born
ADV Films 286 min. 1/? $29.98 01/21/2003
I'm not quite sure what to make of this series. On the one hand, it's video game based, with crappy animation at times, and gee whiz, the plot's pretty drawn out and boring. On the other hand, it's Megaman, and if you like Megaman, then you know what I mean. I have one thing to say, though. Twelve episodes, two discs, thirty bucks. That's so mind-blowing I don't know what to say. So if you think you might get a kick out of watching Megaman when he's not in 32 bit, try this series out for size. It definitely doesn't come at a high risk.
Ronin Warriors Vol. #10
Bandai Entertainment 75 min. 10/10 $24.98 01/21/2003
Last volume of Ronin Warriors. I must say, it's the best DVD of the series. The ending features some heroic deeds, and some emotion here and there, and hey, the last DVD makes the entire series worth it. If you liked Ronin Warriors when it was on TV, and want a taste of those days back, here's your chance. And if you're new to the scene, at least give it a rental. It won't benefit you much, but it won't set you back too far either.
Z TV Box Set 4: Garlic Jr. Box
Funimation Productions $29.95 01/21/2003
Try as I might, I don't like The Right Stuf International, Inc 60 min. 2/2 $24.95 01/21/2003
Pure shonen in the strictest sense of the word. At the end of the Hellsing Vol. #4 Pioneer Animation 100 min. 4/4 $29.98 01/21/2003
Hellsing Vol. #4 (W/Figure) Pioneer Animation 100 min. 4/4 $44.98 01/21/2003
Honestly, this show is crap after episode eight. The first few episodes were interesting, with the whole vampire that hunts other vampires genre, and the chick that gets turned into a vampire deal. Action, drama, intrigue… And then episode eight or so hits, and the entire series turns out to be the sorriest piece of animation and story line ever. For some reason, the animation quality goes down, the plot… sucks, and there are so many holes in the story it's not even funny. The random introduction of Incognito just really killed the show. And the way they dealt with the ending also sucks. Take my advice, people, just watch the first two DVDs, and pretend the second half of the series never existed. You'll be so much happier that way.
Yū Yū Hakusho Vol. #09: Deathmatch
Yū Yū Hakusho Vol. #10: The Evil Dr. Ichigaki
Funimation Productions 62 min. 9/10/? $24.95 01/21/2003
You know for a fact that Funimation is going to release a box set after the next set of episodes is done. I'm sure you can wait until then. If you like the series, just wait for that. If you haven't seen the series, wait until your friend gets the box set and then watch that. If you're one of those people that only a buy a few DVDs from each series, once again, steal the set from some one else, and then figure out which DVDs you want to buy. Or read the back of the box.
Medabots Vol. #07
ADV Films 125 min. 7/? $19.98 01/23/2003
Me not being a kid, I can't see the appeal of this show. The plot is too drawn out and annoyingly fake for me, and I just can't seem to sit down to watch this show. Kids seem to like it, so if you have kids, maybe they'll like this great little dubbed disc. Then again, with all the kids' anime on TV right now, I'm sure you can find a better one for them to watch.
And this concludes this week's Shelf Life. Next week, you'll see even more cool stuff to add to your shelves. I the good old days when we hardly ever had weekly releases. Yeesh, we're spoiled. Anyway, have fun, don't spend too much money, and try not to have too much excitement at school or work. I know it'll be tough for you, but please, think of the children.
-Bamboo “SakechanBD” Dong
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