The Cockpit

The Cockpit is a 3 part OVA mini-series centred around the conflict of World War 2. The first two episodes have pilots as the protagonists, while the third episode is focused around a former motorcycle racer turner soldier.

Each of the three episodes portrays personal sadness that is faced by each character as they struggle between doing what they believe is right and what their duty as a soldier is.Death is a very common theme throughout whether it is experienced by the protagonists or characters close to them in their respective episodes.

The animation, art work, and colour depth were phenomenal in this series. While it does display and older style of artwork, the retro feel really helps with setting the tone for how painful war is and widespread its effects are. The character design was also very interesting, utilizing a combination of comical and serious character designs within the same show. It almost gives you a feeling of Macross meets Crayon Shin-Chan.

The musical score was well developed throughout as well, setting the right tone for each of the scenes. Even the ending theme really helped to close each of the stories and illustrate the loss that war creates on people.

Overall, I would highly recommend this OVA. While I am not a big World War 2 enthusiast, this was truly an entertaining show. Between the excellent character design, outstanding musical score, and cohesive themes throughout, this show delivers on many fronts.

Kai Doh Maru

Kai Doh Maru is a 45 minute set in the Heien Period, Japan. A young girl is saved from death by Raiko Minamoto who later trains her as a soldier in order to protect the capital of Kyoto from her childhood friend turned evil.

While this OVA was only 45 minutes, it certainly felt a lot longer while watching. After finishing, I had to check around online to see just what was happening with the story in this one. The entire film is made up of short scenes which start and end with no lead in, trail out, or climax. A few times I thought my computer had lagged because of the poor scene endings. Keeping track of the characters and their relationships to one another and the story was a whole other issue. There were a number of characters that appeared throughout the film with what felt like no rhyme or reason for their involvement in progressing the plot.

Because of the way that scenes were started and ended, the animation style was at many times choppy and very rigid while watching. To touch on a positive element with the visuals, the artwork was quick good. I thoroughly enjoyed the character designs and concepts for creating the background scenes. The colours were very matte and had a high brightness and low contrast to them. This is something that I suspect will be a love or hate thing with viewers. Personally it was refreshing to see something different, but I would tire of the dull colour if it were to carry on through a full series or even a 2 hour film.

Thinking back to the music, I don't recall if there was any. The entire film from my recollection was entire dialogue. Sine this was what stood out in the audio department, the dubbing was not stellar to say the least. The dialogue and animation were out of sync which again led me to the through that my computer was lagging while watching this.

Overall, I wouldn't provide too much of a recommendation for this film. While the art is great to look at, following the sequence of events is so difficult that it becomes frustrating to watch for the most part. For those who want to try something a little different in terms of how the message of their anime is delivered, then this is worth checking out for the experience.

Peach Girl

The story is about a high school girl named Momo, she has tan skin and hair bleached by the sun. Due to her physical appearance people believe her to be a flirty girl. She has only one friend in school named Sae, who is actually not her friend at all. Sae copies Momo and spreads rumors about her; she even tries to get the boy that Momo likes. The two guys in the show are Toji and Kairi. Momo has liked Toji since middle school and Kairi is in love with Momo after she saved his life.

Peach Girl was recommended to me because it’s a shojo anime and it doesn’t have any sci-fi elements. It’s about a regular girl and her life, even though her life has a whole lot more drama than most. From the start to the end this anime has nothing but drama and teenage angst going on. If you love shows like One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl, you’d most likely enjoy Peach Girl. There’s a love triangle, a backstabbing best friend, and enough drama for day time soap.

The big downfall for me was the art style and animation. The art style of the series was not one I like; I like the art style of manga artist like Watase Yuu, Kubo Tite, and Hino Matsuri. The animation is rather low budget and could’ve used more work. The movements are jerky at times and the characters have this plastic look to them throughout the series. The dub is also an issue, it sometimes doesn’t synchronize with the mouth movements and a few voices are just horrible matches to the characters look and mannerisms.

Overall I found Peach Girl to have some charm, even with poor animation. It’s only for those who can handle a ton of drama and a female lead who cries way too often. The series is heavy on the romance and heartbreak so with no action or sci-fi element to the show it’s only for those who enjoy shojo/slice-of-life/romantic type of anime. If you aren’t into any of those this series isn’t for you.

Advance Guardian Heroes

Advance Guardian Heroes is a GameBoy Advance (GBA) port of the Sega Saturn classic Guardian Heroes. As a side-scrolling beat em' up title the premise is pretty simple, defeat as many enemies as you can from the beginning to the end of the level, advance the next level, and repeat. For the most part, this game is a pretty decent way to pass the time. Having played the original on Sega Saturn, the GBA port doesn't quite live up to the original's standards, but is still a great game nonetheless.

The graphics are about what you would expect from a GBA game, sprite based with somewhat pixelated edges. Not nearly as smooth as the lines on the Sega Saturn. With the small screen of the GBA, it can be a little challenging to play when you get dog-piled with enemies. The colours tend to blend into each other and enemies can appear to be allies. From a replay standpoint, the only real replay incentive is that you can unlock virtually every character in the game to replay through the levels, right down to the simple peons that appear in waves throughout the levels.

Overall, as a title to kill some time, Advance Guardian Heroes is a decent score. If you are able to find a copy on the cheap this is definitely one to add to your collection. Fans who appreciate game history and remakes of classic titles will be drawn to this title.

Samurai Warriors Chronicles

With all of the Warriors games released on handhelds, there has yet to be one that actually plays as well as a console version. That is until Samurai Warriors Chronicles on Nintendo 3DS. The basic premise of the game still remains in that you button mash your way through hoards of enemies all while trying to achieve the victory objective outlined at the beginning of the level (usually killing a commanding general).

There are a couple of interesting twists to this game that combine elements of the main series warriors games, Empires versions, and some new twists that could only be available on a touchscreen platform. Unlike the earlier versions of Samurai Warriors and even Dynasty Warriors released on the PSP, there is no more choosing points from a map and fighting small pockets of enemies returning to the map and repeating the process. Players can now roam the entire map freely just as the console versions of the games. The main characters of the game are nameless male and female warriors who progress through the feudal period of Japan unveiling the stories of the historical figures that the series is so noted for. After players complete levels, they can return and use the main characters from the Samurai Warriors 3 game in Nintendo Wii.

A new element that has been added into this game is the ability to bring 3 additional generals into battle with you and change mid-level by using the touchscreen. This feature adds a level of complexity to the game as some stages require that you keep certain party members alive (including your main character) even though they tend to rush into dangerous situations with low health.

The graphics on this game are stunning and much better than you would typically expect to see on a Nintendo handheld. Compared to systems like the PSP and Vita, Nintendo handhelds have tended to present grainier and jagged images, making image quality rich games such as this much less appealing. While I was sceptical, I am glad to see that I was wrong and the image quality delivered. The soundtrack for this title was exactly like any other Samurai or Dynasty Warriors game.

Overall, this game is well worth checking out for those who have a Nintendo 3DS. The same great enjoyment from the console platforms is replicated in this release of Samurai Warriors.

Metal Torrent

Metal Torrent is a space shooter that is available on the Nintendo eShop. This title is DSi Ware that can be played on either the Nintendo DSi or 3DS handheld platforms. The gameplay for this title is relatively straightforward. Players have an option between two different spacecraft, one with a spreader gun and the other with a more powerful concentrated firing range. The premise of the game is weave and dodge your way through 8 stages all while trying to shoot down as many enemy ships as possible.  The controls are very limited in that you move with the d-pad (or joystick on 3DS) while shooting your main weapon with B or X and special weapon with A or Y.

This game is a quick play, lasting around 15 minutes, with little challenge. Considering that enemy fire very rarely hits you while piloting, it almost feels like a free play mode. Compared to other rival plane shooters such as Raiden Fighters or Sonic Wings, this title isn't a great challenge. While it is entertaining and an interesting way to pass some time, this won't be a title that you rush home for. This title can be purchased using coins from Club Nintendo until the end of April, more or less making it free.

Mazinkaiser

 

For those who are fans of the Mazinger franchise, or Go Nagai's work, Mazinkaiser is en entertaining and easy to watch 7 episode mini-series. The plot of this series is centred around Kouji Kabuto, the pilot of Mazinger Z, and his battle to defeat the evil Dr. Hell. After an intense battle with Dr. Hell's iron machines, Kouji is thrown from Mazinger Z and missing in action. Baron Ashura modifies Mazinger Z and adds it to their forces, leaving Tetsuya to defend the Photon Lab with Great Mazinger all by himself. During the fight Kouji makes a miraculous return in a new Mazinger called Mazinkaiser, which turns out to be the ultimate Mazinger developed by his grandfather Dr. Kabuto. After Great Mazinger is put out of commission for the remainder of the series, it is up to Kouji to track down and defeat Dr. Hell and his army of ghost iron machines.

There were some great elements in this show, one of my favourite being the art work. The character design was very much reminiscent of Getter Robo Armageddon and New Getter Robo. Characters such as Kouji and Tetsuya had a very raw look to them but also at times comical. With the animation style being so close to the newer Getter Robo series, there were many instances where I would mistake Kouji Kabuto for Ryoma Nagare. The concepts for the giant robots in the series were unique as would be expected from a Go Nagai work.

The soundtrack for this series was quite good. The music really set the tone for the show, and since there were a lot of action scenes, the music was full of energy which made the show very entertaining to watch. In my opinion where the music had the strongest presence was the return of Great Mazinger during the final battle. As a viewer this was something you knew was going to happen, I was just glad to see that they really used the music to build up the bravado for the entrance.

Overall, this was a great series to watch. While it was short at only 7 episodes, the story was full of action and quite easy to follow. Having still not watched all of the series in the Mazinger franchise I was a little wary about picking up a newer series before watching the predecessors. Having said that, you can safely pick up this series having little to no knowledge of the originals. In fact, if you haven' watched the predecessor series, this may peak your interest to take a look at them.

Oh! Edo Rocket

Oh! Edo Rocket is a comical series taking part during the feudal era in Japan. The lord of the land has decided to outlaw any and all forms of entertainment, putting street performers, theaters, and sports arenas out of work. Seikichi Tamaya is a teenage fireworks maker. He is always trying to find ways of making bigger and better fireworks for all of the people in Edo to watch. One day, a young girl name Sora asks Seikichi is he can build a firework that will fly to the moon. With the appearance of Sora, her odd request, and a mysterious string of deaths following sightings of two unknown monsters, the stories of all of these very "unique" characters begin coming together.

While highly entertaining this series was a little slow to get through. This was mostly due to the very odd comic structure in the story. Each episode helped to further tell the story, but lacked a strong gripping element that made you want to keep watching the next episode. There is a great deal of humor that is directed to an older audience.

The artwork in the shows design was very appealing to watch. There is great use of color and detail. The artists also used some very unique design elements when creating characters, with some looking like your typical depiction of a person while others looked like something out of My Neighbors the Yamadas.

Character development is interested in that everyone seems to have their secrets. Much of the character development is tied around the style of humor used throughout the show, which in my opinion ended up restricting the ability for the characters to develop to their potential.

The music in the series was average. The soundtrack is worth checking out but nothing to write home about. I wasn't a huge fan of the intro theme, however, it wasn't terrible (just not really my style).

Overall this series is worth watching if you are in the market for something with some comical flare and adult humor.