Posts Tagged ‘shonen jump’

120-PAGE PREVIEW OF NARUTO MANGA VOLUME 45 ONLINE FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY ON SHONENJUMP.COM

Leading Monthly Manga Anthology In North America Offers
7 Chapters From NARUTO Volume 45 For Free With Special Password Available Only In May Issue

March 31, 2009 – VIZ Media announced today SHONEN JUMP magazine has a special treat for readers—an invitation to read a free preview of the upcoming NARUTO manga Volume 45 (rated ‘T’ For Teens)—online at www.shonenjump.com, for a limited time only. These chapters will not run in the magazine and will not be available in graphic novel form until July 2009.

The 120-page preview will be available online beginning today through May 5th exclusively at www.shonenjump.com. A preview link appears on the homepage. Visitors must type in the password that appears on page 20 of the May issue of SHONEN JUMP to access the chapters.

NARUTO is one of the hottest series from Japan and continues to be one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga and animated properties. Back in February, VIZ Media unveiled an accelerated publishing schedule for upcoming editions of the best-selling NARUTO manga series. Between February and April 2009, 11 volumes have been scheduled for publication, moving the series from Volume 34 (February 2009) to Volume 44 (April 2009) before returning to a quarterly release schedule beginning with Volume 45 (July 2009).

NARUTO depicts the adventures of a young boy named Naruto Uzumaki who trains to become a ninja, and through his exciting adventures, the young ninja learns the importance of friendship, teamwork, loyalty, hard work, creativity, ingenuity, and right versus wrong. Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens, and more than 85 million copies to date have been printed. The manga series has captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. More information on NARUTO is available at www.naruto.com.

In NARUTO Volume 45, Sasuke and Naruto find that their powers are ever increasing. Sasuke can now use the Mangekyo Sharingan in multiple ways, and Naruto may have become even more powerful than his fallen sensei Jiraiya! But is anyone powerful enough to stop the ultimate attack as the Pains of the Akatsuki launch their deadly strike against Naruto’s home village?

NARUTO animated episodes are also currently available for free on NARUTO.com and through a variety of web-based, video streaming outlets that have partnered with VIZ Media, including HULU and JOOST. More information on NARUTO is available at www.naruto.com.

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF SPECIAL BLEACH POSTERZINE  

Unique Edition Features 11 Full-Color Posters Inspired By Smash Hit Animated And Manga Series And Features 2 Original Creations Made Exclusively For This Release     

San Francisco, CA, November 10, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced the upcoming release of a special BLEACH Posterzine, which features 11 massive full-color posters inspired by the smash hit manga and animated series (rated ‘T’ for Teens) created by Tite Kubo.  

Available exclusively through participating newsstands nationwide beginning December 2nd, the Posterzine carries an MSRP of $9.99 and includes two original creations made especially for this unique release. Each poster in the collection folds out to 16” x 22” and depicts the heroic Soul Reaper Ichigo and his friends as well as villains rendered in beautiful detail. This special publication will also include 2 free BLEACH sticker sheets and an iTunes gift card valid for a free download of episode 59 of the popular BLEACH animated series and access to an interview with the creator of BLEACH Tite Kubo (iTunes gift card valid in the United States only).  

BLEACH follows the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, a fifteen-year old student with the ability to see ghosts. His fate takes an extraordinary turn when he meets Rukia Kuchiki, a Soul Reaper who shows up at Ichigo’s house on the trail of a Hollow, a malevolent lost soul.  Drawn to Ichigo’s high level of spiritual energy, the Hollow attacks Ichigo and his family, and Rukia steps in to help but is injured and unable to fight.  As a last resort, Rukia decides to transfer part of her Soul Reaper powers to Ichigo. Ichigo, now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and Rukia join together to face the challenges that lie ahead. 

Christopher Boily, VIZ Media Sr. Director, Magazine Sales, Brand & Product Marketing, says of the release, “Building upon the incredible momentum and excitement which surrounded the first ever North American appearance of creator Tite Kubo at San Diego Comic-Con, we’re ecstatic to release this special collectable BLEACH Posterzine, which features two amazing images created exclusively for this publication by Studio Pierrot, which animates and produces the massively popular animated series. We look forward to fans visiting their local newsstand to pick up this special release!” 

BLEACH is a tremendously successful multimedia property internationally. The manga has been licensed to more than a dozen countries, and over 50 million copies have been printed in Japan alone. In North America it is among the most popular titles in SHONEN JUMP magazine reaching close to 2 million fans each month, the manga graphic novels have been a sales hit and the popular animated series is viewed weekly by millions in the United States and Canada. This success has further spawned an array of related video games, apparel, action figures, trading cards and other merchandise. 

More information on BLEACH is available at www.bleach.viz.com.  

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com. 

 

VIZ MEDIA PREVIEWS SPECIAL VIDEO-GAME ISSUES OF SHONEN JUMP AND SHOJO BEAT MAGAZINES; SHOJO BEAT PRESENTS OFFICIAL GUIDE TO HIT MANGA VAMPIRE KNIGHT 

Exciting December Issues Highlight Hot New Video Game Titles And Trends Of 2008 And Will Offer Holiday Sweepstakes To

Win Free Wii Game Platforms; December SB Contains Extensive Coverage Of Super-Popular Shojo Series ‘Vampire Knight’  

San Francisco, CA, October 28, 2008 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced special December issues of its magazines, SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, highlighting a variety of the latest video game titles and trends. Each magazine will also feature a holiday sweepstakes for a Nintendo Wii video game system. In addition, SHOJO BEAT includes a special supplement, the official guide to the hit shojo (girls) manga series VAMPIRE KNIGHT (rated T+ for older teens). The December issues of SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT go on sale nationwide on November 4th and 18th respectively. 

There is a strong inter-relationship between manga, anime and video gaming, as one genre often influences the others; millions of manga and anime fans across North America are also avid gamers. The Wii sweepstakes invites readers to submit an entry by mail or email explaining which Wii game they are most excited to play and why. Entries will be put into a random drawing, and one winner will be selected from each set of magazine submissions.  Details on the sweepstakes are outlined in each of the December 2008 issues and readers can enter by mail or via the magazine websites www.shonenjump.com and www.shojobeat.com. 

The December issue of SHONEN JUMP will include a special extended “Games We Love” section that announces the magazine’s first-ever game awards for 2008. The section will also look back at some of the biggest video game news and events that shaped the year, giving an overview of the state of PC gaming, the rise of the iPhone as a new gaming platform, the popularity of downloadable games, and the competition among the newest game consoles, including the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. The extended section will also have reviews of current video games. The issue is also filled with of the latest information on the hit SHONEN JUMP Naruto games from Namco Bandai, Tomy and Ubisoft. 

SHOJO BEAT will similarly cover an array of the best and most anticipated new game titles for the 2008 holiday season hand picked for girl gamers in every genre from music to action adventure and RPG’s, including Wii Music and Mirror’s Edge. SHOJO BEAT also names its “Top 7 Video Game Heroines,” recognizing the growing strength and appeal of female game characters.  

As a very special bonus, the issue will further highlight video games in the burgeoning vampire entertainment genre with coverage of hot new vampire-themed titles such as Castlevania from Konami and the new Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Sacrifice game from 505 games. Those vampire-game stories tie in with the magazine’s inclusion of the Official Guide to VAMPIRE KNIGHT, the best-selling shojo manga series, and SHOJO BEAT’s most popular serialized title. This special 11-page section will include a detailed timeline of key storylines, a two-page chart of VAMPIRE KNIGHT’S complex cast of characters, expert answers to reader questions, a look at the new VAMPIRE KNIGHT anime in Japan, and much more. 

“We’re thrilled that we could fill the December issue with special coverage of VAMPIRE KNIGHT and video games, two subjects that our readers are truly passionate about,” says Narasu Rebbapragada, Senior Editor, SHOJO BEAT. “We designed ‘The Official Guide to VAMPIRE KNIGHT’ to appeal to both die-hard fans and new readers of this truly addictive shojo manga series. And for our video game coverage, we wanted to recognize the wide-ranging interests of our readers, who are truly enjoying the connection between manga, anime, and video games. And what better way to reward them by giving away a Nintendo Wii?” 

Together SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT reach approximately 2 million readers each month and nearly all readers play/own video games. Given the fact that SHOJO BEAT readership is 96% female, this number is even more impressive as it is the only publication where one can find such a high composition of female video game players. SHONEN JUMP readership numbers for video gaming also rival those of the most popular game magazines. 

More information on SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT magazines is available at: www.shonenjump.com and www.shojobeat.com.  

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including magazines such as SHONEN JUMP and SHOJO BEAT, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and web site at www.VIZ.com. 

 

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Bleach Vol. 7 Released By: Viz Media Released: 11/27/07 Reviewed: 7/23/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

Moving into the battle stage of this story as Ichigo and his friends enters enemy territory.

The Story

Ichigo and his friends have all managed to enter the headquarters of the Soul Reapers. Getting in was the easy part though as upon entry, they accidently get split into four groups. In one corner, Ichigo and Ranji are stuck together. In another corner its Orihime and Oryu and finally Chad and Yoruichi are stuck be themselves. To make things worse, all of them have been targeted by the now alerted Soul Reapers.

Ichigo, Ganju, Orihime and Uryo will all have some very tough battles to face on this volume. And they still have to find a way to regroup and rescue Rukia.

Good and the Bad

As with any long running series, there is a tendency to start dipping into routine. Before the conclusion of the first story arc, the stories had started to fall into the tendency to have a lot going on without a lot actually happening. This story arc had this playing against it from the start and while it hasn’t quite managed to shake it, the four episodes on this volume do a good job of trying.

In these four episodes, the group is split up and the audience get to see something entirely different. While most of these characters we’ve already seen fight before, Ganju as the new addition to the team creates some automatic interest from the audience to see what he can really do. Better than this however is the fact that the team has been split up into entirely new teams. This is the first time that audience members will get to see Uryo and Orihime really team up to fight together against a common enemy. This is really the first time in general that we’ve seen Orihime really step in and truly fight beyond a few defensive moves. The set up and storytelling here is really well done.

Ichigo has the biggest fight of the volume when he faces off against another Soul Reaper. The fight scenes in this volume are much more graphic than they have been over the last few episodes. Bleach continues to do something unique with its fights though. The staff really didn’t show a ton of graphic blood. The blood was shown but the artwork changed to maximize the story line aspect of the defeats rather than the blood with many of the more violent scenes being changed to black and white manga style artwork. Just a really simple touch that emphasizes the plot device.

Music

Episode 26 is the first to have the second opening theme and animation as well as the third ending theme and animation. The new opening theme is titled ‘D-technolife’ and is ballad with a bit of a rock edge to it. The lyrics fit well with the new animation showing Ichigo and his team fighting against the army of Soul Reapers. In the new ending theme, another soft ballad titled ‘Houkiboshi’ is placed in. This theme plays over an interesting background animation featuring all or most of the Soul Reapers that are going to be showing up over the next few episodes. One thing that proves to be kind of an extra treat for fans is how this particular animation changes ever so slightly during the first few seconds on each episode.

Dub vs. Sub

The dub and sub casts continue to provide great performances on either end. Joining the cast on this volume were quite a few new voices for the party’s opponents. Perhaps the most surprising addition to the cast is Vic Mignogna as Ichigo’s opponent on this volume, Ikaku. Vic turns in a very gritty performance on this volume and you can really feel the lust for battle in the voice that Vic gives out.

Extras

Production art and clean animations.

Overall

A lot of things are going on in this volume but not much actually happens. The characters are in a brand new situation and the audience is getting to see brand new reactions from them. Now the audience is seeing what the characters would do in a brand new life threatening situation while we work our way towards the next big opponent. The action on this volume is strong but to be honest, I’m much more interested in seeing what is going to happen on the next volume with Uryo and Orihime. In other words, I enjoyed this volume but I didn’t feel like I gained a lot of ground in terms of the story. Recommended for fans.

Final Grade: B-

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Bleach Vol. 6 Released By: Viz Media Released: 9/25/07 Reviewed: 6/22/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

Once again, this volume proves that this series is its characters.

The Story

The brand new story arc officially gets into full swing on this volume. Led by Yoruichi, Ichigo and his team made up of Uryo, Chad and Orihime enter the Soul Society in order to save Rukia from execution. Upon arriving they will have to face a couple of obstacles to even enter the inner circle that holds Rukia including a giant Soul Reaper named Jidanbo and a gang leader named Ganju.

In the end, all of their plans will instead rely on one person, a woman named Kukaku Shiba while Rukia is now down to just a few days remaining and others inside the Soul Society are whispering about conspiracy.

Good and the Bad

As with previous volumes, this volume proves again that the characters are what makes this series special. Throughout these four episodes, established characters will get to show new sides to themselves and new characters will provide just the right amount of levity to keep the episodes moving.

If there’s one thing that this series has really managed to do well in the last few volumes its keeping a steady stream of new and one off characters introduced into the series to keep things from going stale. With the action and dialogue relying heavily on clichés to get by, these new characters really help this volume out and keep things strong.

While Ganju was obviously entered to work as the set up to all of Kukaku’s or Ichigo’s one liners and abuse jokes, Kukaku feels like more than a simple two dimensional character. While her role in these episodes is small, her dialogue indicates a deeper person beyond the comedic exterior that will be interesting to see develop when she is brought back into the series later. Be sure to remember her.

Speaking of remembering characters, the staff really does something cool on this volume by bringing back Yuichi, the little boy trapped inside Chad’s parakeet from early in the series. I had honestly completely forgotten about Yuichi until he reappeared in this volume. Brought back for just the one episode, this was a great way to tie in earlier events to the present in order to develop Chad. So many things audiences are constantly forced to deal with new characters that have absolutely relevance to the story and have the sole purpose of developing an established character. It’s really nice to see that this series didn’t fall into the same old routine of ignoring the past in order to foreshadow the future.

The dialogue and action in this volume unfortunately remain weak. The jokes are quite constant throughout this volume but all of them fall into the same verbal or deadpan visual comedy that we’ve come to expect from this series. The one bad thing about this story arc is that Rukia has been completely removed from the front line which means the writers have to insert other characters into the ‘straight man’ role to Ichigo’s punch lines. This doesn’t always work but so far this volume has managed to fill in the gaps adequately.

Seeing established characters get to open up a bit more really does a lot of things for this volume. In particular, Chad and Orihime are both going to get some great screen time on this volume. Chad gets his scene with Yuichi early in the volume which shows a new side to him that audiences are going to feel for. Orihime finally gets to bust out a little and show what she can do in battle situations which bring out completely new sides to her. I’m still not sold on the fairies that hide in her hair clips though. Stupid fairies.

Music

The music on this volume remains consistent with no drops in quality. None of the music on this volume particularly stood out. I actually can’t even really pull any scenes out of my head to use as an example right now.

Dub vs. Sub

Both tracks are strong picks on this volume with Stephanie Sheh once again turning in a great performance as Orihime. Orihime has been starting to grow a little stale over the last couple of volumes with very little interesting happening to her. That makes the character busting out a little more on this volume that much more fun and Stephanie Sheh does a great job with the role during these episodes.

Extras

Production art and clean animation.

Overall

If it weren’t for the great characters and solid comedy that is delivered in each volume, this series would definitely fall into the ‘just another shonen’ category. Twenty four episodes in though, I’m still finding myself interested in these characters and what happens to them next. I can’t imagine that anyone who has watched this far into the series hasn’t been sold on it yet but I know some people who weren’t wild about the first story arc so if the series lost you early, this is another great chance to get back into it with minimal information to play catch up on.

Final Grade: A-

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Bleach Vol. 5 Released By: Viz Media Released: 9/7/07 Reviewed: 5/28/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

Four episodes that take us into the heart of a new story arc and the Soul Society.

The Story

In these four episodes, the story arc introduced on the previous volume is taken to new heights. The Soul Society has finally caught up to Rukia. Renji has been sent to terminate her. When Ichigo enters himself into the fight he quickly finds himself outmatched and is eventually outdueled by Rukia’s older brother, left with no spiritual energy and barely surviving. Saved by Urahara, Ichigo learns that Rukia has been taken to the Soul Society where she is awaiting a death sentence. A team is gathered and a plan is formed: Ichigo and his team mates will all enter training to learn how to use their powers or in Ichigo’s case, regain his powers or die painfully trying. Then, go rescue Rukia.

Good and the Bad

The animation through this volume remained strong with the battle scenes once again looking very well put together. The animation was very fluid and paced itself well. The only questionable animation on the volume is during our first look into the soul society. With all the build up that this setting has gotten over the last 15 or so episodes, the staff really had created quite a standard for themselves to present something spectacular. I understand the traditional Japanese décor of the scenes but it seems like this series really settled for not taking the opportunity to really make the soul Society Stand out instead of being so understated and common.

Beyond the animation though and much more importantly, the story that the series tells on this volume is just a great new arc. As we get into the ‘training sequence’ for the hero the story had to do something pretty special to avoid becoming predictable. While certain things are just a given during this volume, the staff really do a great job in these episodes of keeping things fresh. Even if you see something coming on this volume, these episodes do a great job of making sure that even though you’ll know what’s coming it won’t happen quite like you expect it to.

The character development in this volume was really well done due to how focused it was on this volume. While not a lot of development happens with Rukia, there are still a few pivotal scenes that will certainly shed brand new light onto Rukia, particularly her relationship with Ichigo. Urahara also gets quite a bit of development with his assistants getting development by proxy. This is the character that I’ve wanted to know so much more about. There is little to be known here which is a shame but what is revealed will have the audience really interested in learning more.

Music

As with most volumes of this series thus far, the music during these episodes tend to be very hit or miss. A perfect hit example: The solo violin music during the entrance to the soul society was very well performed. I really liked the simple melody. A perfect miss example: The funk themes in this series do not appear to be disappearing anytime in the near future. They drive me nuts personally but since the staff has pretty much married the concept, it’s here to stay. We should probably just learn to cope with this.

Dub vs. Sub

Both tracks remained consistently good on this volume. I was particularly impressed with Michael Lindsay as Urahara. He really pulled out some great dialogue on this volume that was delivered with a perfect laid back style while his training scenes were very intense. Both the Japanese and English tracks provided very enjoyable viewing with no major issues on either end.

Extras

I realize that it would be way too costly to put extras on every single one of the… let’s say dozens of DVDs that Viz will releasing over the course of this series but come on, can’t we get some? Production art and clean animations are nice… but something? Anything?

Overall

Continuing to be a very fun story arc, this volume moves us into very interesting places and settings. With a very solid lead in completed, this story arc is going to be very interesting to watch as Ichigo and his team move into the next phase. Fun to watch this volume keeps the series moving in the right direction.

Final Grade: A-

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Bleach Vol. 4 Released By: Viz Media Released: 5/29/07 Reviewed: 5/17/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

One story ends and another begins and thus the cycle begins again.

The Story

While the first half will close a story, the second half will open a new one. In the first two episodes, the duel has continued on between Ishida and Ichigo. Hollows are coming in like crazy and it’s becoming overwhelming for both of them. Caught in the mix at school though is Orihime and Tetsuki who are attacked by a hollow who can control people. It’s during this battle though that Orihime discovers something special about herself. The duel will rage onward through the second episode until the two will be forced to go against something that almost no one ever seen in person.

A new story arc begins in episode 15. Rukia realizes that she’s being watched by the soul society and decides to run away in order to protect Ichigo. Hunted down though, Rukia is cornered until Ichigo comes in to make the save. Meanwhile, Urahara receives a warning from his best friend.

Good and the Bad

It has been a foregone conclusion for a very long time that Orihime was going to be revealed as having special powers. It was going to happen and there couldn’t have been many audience members who were truly surprised by it. I have to question the power though. Mentioning what the power is will really ruin the scene for people and so that’s not going to happen but if you do happen to watch this volume, check it out and then join me in a “Wow… really? That’s what you came up with?”

The pacing of the story climax during the first half of the volume was very well done. While the writing tended to wander onto the cliché side every once in awhile, the series manages to retain its individuality by not forgetting what makes it so great in the first place. The comedy segments during the final battle were really well placed. They did a great job of keeping the pacing from getting too fast or too slow.

The writing in the climatic battle is also some of the better writing for a fight scene I’ve seen recently. While the comedy ends up giving out for a very simplistic finale, the scene remains strong due to those well placed segments.

Urahara is the character to watch on this volume. Even though there are only a few scenes with his presence in them, his scenes were always very interesting to watch. With so many episodes ahead of us, it would make sense to assume that he will be developed at some point but that point could certainly get here faster.

Music

The big climax to the battle had some music that was really quite well done for the most part. I wasn’t really ecstatic about the R&B theme that played during the early portions but the final climatic moment had a great soundtrack playing over it. Episode 14 has a new ED theme titled ‘Thank you’. It’s a soft rap ballad. Not particularly good or bad. It just kind of stood out as average.

Ironically though, I think one of the finest audio moments of this volume was the one that didn’t involve any at all. During one of the final scenes of the volume, a tense confrontation will take place and during this scene, the staff chose not to play any sort of background music. This seems almost as though it’s completely irrelevant but the way the silence allows the words to be punctuated during that scene, just a very cool move.

Dub vs. Sub

Stephanie Sheh turns in a great performance on this volume during her battle against a hollow. It was a scene a long time coming and Sheh absolutely nails this scene. Also very strong on this volume was Michael Lindsay as Urahara.

Extras

The usual clean animations and artwork.

Overall

Picking up exactly where it left off, this volume gives the audience absolutely no time to rest between stories. While a couple of the smaller side stories such as Kon attempting to run away ended up just being silly filler, the rest of this volume has great action and a great sequence of events to carry us into what has started as a very interesting new story.

Final Grade: B+

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Buso Renkin Box Set 1 Released By: Viz Media Released: 4/29/08 Reviewed: 5/10/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

Don’t think of it as lacking in innovation, think of it as having tons of what you already know and love about the shonen genre.

The Story

In this modern world, people are killed secretly by creatures called homunculus. Homunculus were created many years ago through the power of alchemy but hidden away from the world. They are small robotic embryos that attach themselves to humans and devour the host’s brain and body until they are eventually able to take over the host body and eat other humans to survive. The ones who fight and kill them are alchemist warriors who have the other great discovery of alchemy, Buso Renkin, to fight with.

The first thirteen episodes of the first season are included in this set. The hero of this anime is Kazuki Muto who after wandering to the haunted factory behind his school is killed by a homunculus while attempting to save the life of a girl he sees there, Tokiko Tsumura. Tokiko is an alchemist warrior fighting in Kazuki’s town and intrigued by his act of bravery, gives him a kakugane which gives him a new life and the ability to wield a Buso Renkin, a powerful weapon powered by its owner’s will to survive and the powers of alchemy.

Unable to turn away from his new found power and desire to protect the world from the homunculus, Kazuki teams up with Tokiko to face off against the mysterious Papillion Masked Creator who is creating these monsters.

Good and the Bad

The first thing that anyone who picks up this package has to notice is the wonderful job that Viz Media did with the packing of this release. Normally packaging isn’t really factored into my reviews but the case for this set is very well put together with separate pages within the case for each disc. I did find that the special postcards that were included with the set tended to slide around which sometimes made it hard to close the case or keep the postcards in the case. If you plan on removing the postcards from the case for various display purposes, this won’t be an issue.

Getting into the anime itself, this anime almost lost me from the start with a very over the top bit of dialogue that forced me to roll my eyes. Getting past this initial hurdle, audiences are going to very quickly enter a world where over the top and shonen clichés are the norm. All of them are there for the audience: A clueless hero entering a world he knew nothing about, a desire to protect the innocent, new super fighting powers (with or without props, they’re both there), names for the attacks and weapons, the adorable female character and the tough female character. The only thing missing was a snarky female character though Tokiko certainly has some great snarky moments.

Breaking down those elements though, the audience is going to find that all of the representations are well presented. Mahiro is a very cute representation for the ‘little sister’ role and remains a very strong source of comedy and emotion throughout the thirteen episode set. Tokiko is also an excellent example of the tough warrior maiden character that every shonen series needs.

The story and writing in this series is exactly what you would expect with very few surprises being thrown at the audience. Despite its liberal use of clichés, the writing in this series remained strong throughout managing to pull me in with its action and its ability to connect to the audience on an emotional level early in the series driving them towards wanting to see more. The series does hit a very poor speed bump with its comedy though.

All of the comedy is basically visual gags with a few clever situational gags thrown in. This ended up being really disappointing since the writers rarely even attempted to use more clever forms of humor despite having characters that could support it easily. Captain Bravo alone could have managed at least a couple of scenes on his own with more clever dialogue but is just never given the opportunity. There were a few example of clever writing though. Kazuki was really written well as a rookie fighter and hearing the villains cut off his big hero speeches was a unique twist that made me chuckle a few times.

Over the course of thirteen episodes, audiences are taken through two connecting story arcs. While any description of the second story arc will lead to spoilers of the first, it can be said that the first story arc has an absolutely terrible ending and the second story arc almost falls into the same pit of early over the top writing that does a very strong job of pushing its audience away.

The second story arc suffers from its own set of problems really though. The introduction of new characters in the second story arc makes it episodic very quickly. The staff does a great job with combating this issue though by keeping the storyline strong throughout the episodes to tie them together firmly and keep the series moving at a very good pace.

The animation is very strong in this series. While the CG animation of the series was very noticeable, the battle scenes were very well animated and choreographed. While the weapons of the series tended to be a little impractical, they were innovative. This innovation in the weapons led to some very exciting battles worth watching. It is a little surprising to me how violent and bloody this series is though. While it is obvious that there is going to be violence and blood just due to its genre, it still managed to surprise me as an audience member the various ways that people were being killed.

Music

Most of the music that stood out in this series was very nice Jazz melodies that melted well into the background. In particular fans should pay attention to the soft jazz theme during the episode five mountain scenes. Also very enjoyable was the Jazz themes that played during Mahiro’s Buso Renkin seminars. The battle scene music really came across well when I rewatched this series with surround sound. The strong orchestra music really played well with the scene and the strong brass really captured that shonen fighting spirit that heroes keep going on and on about.

Throughout the set the audio quality remains consistently strong with no detectable drops in quality.

Dub vs. Sub

Going back and forth between the English and Japanese casts, I just could not get behind Tara Platt’s performance of Tokiko. The difference between the performance from Platt and the performance of Ryoka Yuzuki in the Japanese cast felt like they were almost night and day in terms of inflection and emotion. While I could certainly hear the different intonations that Yuzuki delivered in her role, Platt delivers a performance that is flat and even throughout. She rarely changes her vocal tones and is always speaking in a very serious tone. While this makes complete sense for the character, it also makes the character very boring and hard to cheer for. Eventually I got used to the character and the flat tones but it did take awhile.

Karen Straussman as Mahiro, however, was very nice. The performance here was very nicely done though it’s so sugary sweet I can see it getting on the nerves of some members of the audience and sending someone into diabetic shock at some point. Another big plus for the dub cast was Spike Spencer in the role of Chono/Papillon. I can’t think of an adjective to describe the performance without offending one subset of the population or another so let’s just say… a foppish cream puff?

For this set, the edge in terms of performance really has to go to the Japanese cast.

Extras

There aren’t a lot of extras included with this set but the ones that are included are enjoyable for all members of the audience. All three discs have a commentary track on them with the first one hosted by Steve Staley (Kazuki) and Tara Platt (Tokiko). On the second disc is a commentary that I believe is hosted by Steve Staley and Spike Spencer. I say ‘think’ because the actors never actually introduce themselves on the commentary which left me having to figure out who was talking based on what they were saying about the characters. This commentary was the best of the three though as the actors (whomever they are) were really hilarious as they riffed on the anime and cracked jokes about the characters. The third disc commentary is with the ADR director and script adapter, Rene Veilleux and Donald Roman Lopez.

Also included on the third disc is a behind the scenes feature taking fans into the animation process of the series. While they don’t show anything particularly new that fans who have watched other extras of this nature haven’t seen before, it’s still worth checking out.

Overall

Despite a small effort on its own part to change my mind, this is an enjoyable release. While this is not the series that you would ever show to someone as a great example of the shonen genre, those who enjoy their anime filled with action and monsters and new powers are going to find little to be disappointed with here. As long as you take it at face value and don’t think about it too much, this is a nice set for an anime fan to kill a weekend with and with any luck, Viz will announce a release date for the last thirteen episodes soon.

Final Grade: 85% – B

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Bleach Vol. 3 Released By: Viz Media Released: 3/27/07 Reviewed: 5/2/08 Related Reviews Rated: 13+

More clever dialogue and hollow slaying action gets the audience pumped up for what has the makings of a tense new story arc.

The Story

When we last left off this series, Ichigo was chasing after a hollow in order to save his two sisters from its grasp. When he gets there, he realizes that the hollow he is facing is the same one that killed his mother six years earlier. In the second episode, a very popular television show which “investigates” spiritual hot spots around Japan with its flamboyant host is filming an episode live from an abandoned hospital in Ichigo’s town. After the host of the show causes a hollow to appear, Ichigo must bail him out.

A new character and story arc is introduced in the third episode of the volume. He has the top grades in Ichigo’s class at school, is entirely aware of Ichigo’s ability to see spirits and possesses the ability to detect hollows and kill them himself. His name is Uryu Ishida and he is a Quincy… a group that considers soul reapers their enemies due to the mercy they show to Hollows by sending them to the Soul Society. When Ichigo is challenged to a duel though, he can’t back down. The rules for the duel are simple: Uryu will spread hollow bait all throughout the town and the winner of the duel will be whichever one of them kills more hollows in 24 hours.

Good and the Bad

Since the beginning this series has made such extraordinary efforts to keep things fun and original. This was why it was so hard for me to listen to some of the early dialogue in this volume. I tried not to be bothered by it but some of Rukia’s dialogue just reeks of cliché. It comes with the territory of the genre but this series has done so many great things with its writing so far and even later in the volume has some very clever writing.

The characters are what continue to make this series so fun to watch. Rukia continues to be my favorite character for many reasons not the least of which is her snark. I love how she’s being developed by the series so far. It certainly felt like the staff behind this series knew that they were going to have time to draw out the character development and so all of the characters are being revealed very slowly. While this would normally be a fairly large complaint, it works for this series because of how strong the impact is whenever something new is revealed.

Even the supporting characters are having their development done in a very slow but strong manner. Chad and Orihime see the most development of the supporting cast in this volume and both of them really start to show some new sides that audiences are not going to be able to resist getting into.

The writing in this volume wasn’t perfect but it never is. The comedy was over the top and hilarious as always. The constant shift to backgrounds that reinvent the amazingly crude and basic colorful static background and Rukia’s crude drawings continue to be very fun running gags.

With its story, Bleach is doing a great job of keeping a steady flow of small story arcs continually moving the audience through the overall plot. While eventually the audience is going to start screaming for a steady villain to root against, for now the stories provide an excellent tool to propel this series forward.

The animation in this volume kept its usual level of quality. What caught me off guard however was the final episode of the volume. Opening with a very tense standoff, the artwork during the few minutes of the episode shift to a very dark style of animation that was different from earlier dramatic scenes. While it was completely unexpected, looking back I can definitely see how it added to the tension of the scene.

Music

The piano/violin background music during Ichigo’s first battle of the volume was very nice. It also really worked well with the Orihime scene. The background music past that tended to be low key with no tracks standing out as particularly wonderful or special. The audio quality of the volume remained strong throughout the volume with no drops or distortion.

Dub vs. Sub

Both the dub and sub tracks were excellent listening and I didn’t have a clear favorite on which one I preferred. I did find that the second episode that featured the television show taping had comedy that really played out better in the original Japanese. On the other hand, the first episode of the volume really played well in English with Johnny Yong Bosch turning in a great performance as Ichigo and Michelle Ruff turning in another great performance as Rukia.

Extras

Fairly slim on the extras with a production art gallery, manga preview and clean animation all that was included.

Overall

Bleach continues to be an incredibly strong series. With solid action, mostly clever writing and dialogue to go along with characters that continually show why they are earning their fan base. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, it’s more than worth checking out.

Final Grade: 88% – B

	Bleach Released By: Viz Media Box Set 1 From Amazon Box Set 2 From Amazon Box Set 1 From Right Stuf Box Set 2 From Right Stuf Vol. 1 Vol. 2 Vol. 3 Vol. 4 Vol. 5 Vol. 6 Vol. 7