Strike Witches Review

Strike Witches Review

Girls armed with artillery, rocket shoes and wearing no shorts or pants but only their panties, you betcha! If you want, action, adventure and a whole lot of shenanigans of fanservice and fun, then this anime will hit you right in the spot!

In a land of war and a time of chaos the destiny of a young girl rests upon her shoulders, her name is Yoshika Miyafuji a girl who has trouble with events in her ordinary life trying to help others but it all changes when a young feminine commander recruits her because of her unique powers to heal severe wounds on others that have fallen to near death. Now Yoshika joins a special force called the “Strike Witches” to fight a foe deadly to man, known as the Neuroids as well as find out more about her father’s creation and try to fit in with others to become the best Witch to protect others precious to others.

Now let’s get to the important part: the originality and concept of the anime series on how it was made. The concept follows the time of WW2 in 1944 which shows the impact of its originality  through the aircraft and warships where it mixes with action scenes to fight the Neuroids to achieve peace to the land they live in to the fun times the characters have that involves a lot of fun and intense fanservice in the anime series. The character concept and design is done with high quality and the concept follows the character’s unique arc and their past on how it impacts on the later episodes. Each represents a unique WW2 reference for each pilot. The mix with magic and sci-fi as well as some history works well in this anime, and may engage others to watch the series for the anime as well as learn a few elements to the WW2 history. The character’s animal features show a lighter side to battling enemies with magic and guns show a fun element and exciting scenes of the battle to make it interesting and engaging to the viewers through its stunning visuals and unique CG graphics of the Neuroid mecha.

The elements and themes show a strong impact in the series that can go straight through your heart such as losing someone you love through death, the bonds of family and friendship that can never be severed and of course, the strong heart and will to never giving up. At first, it starts off fun and enjoyment of a slice of life, to the serious changes of how the characters react to dangerous situations that place their lives and fates in danger with an intense cliffhanger to make viewers get out of their seat with excitement to see what will happen next. However for the dedicated anime collector or viewer, you will enjoy the high fanservice from the baths to the battlefields of seeing the characters wearing no pants but only their panties. It may be a turn off for some but it will be a full turn on for any collector (including me) who wants an exciting anime with comedy, action, and some fanservice to keep them coming back for more instead of a typical anime with no cliffhanger, action or any elements of what an exciting anime should be.

The soundtrack shows a strong impact on the action scenes as well as the strong, passionate opening song to the episode to introduce the characters and the battles as well as their roles to a sweet and cheerful ending song as the icing on the cake to sweeten the end of the episode. The dramatic and melancholic scenes show an impact on the character’s pasts and their pain they have experienced in their life.

The dub casts will include some recognisable actresses such as Cherami Leigh (Shuffle!, The Sacred Blacksmith) with her energetic, cheerful character as Yoshika and Anastasia Munoz (The Sacred Blacksmith) who commands as the tough but caring character, Mina-Dietlinde Wilcke. There are a lot of other recognisable actresses such as Caitlin Glass (Shuffle!) and Stephanie Sheh (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya) in the series but I’ll leave the rest to find out for yourself!  

The extras are a neat feature featuring the commentary of Cherami Leigh (Yoshika Miyafuji) and Kate Bristol (Lynette Bishop) and ADR director Scott Sager which is a great item to explain more about the series, characters and the episodes in the series. The clean OP and ED are a must watch and enjoyable that will make you want to watch the great visuals and listen to the upbeating music as well, so if you’re watching it on a LCD TV with 5.1 Channel Audio system, turn the volume to high (but not too high) and enjoy the epicness!

Overall, Strike Witches may not suit other viewers but it will attract many viewers who enjoy action, comedy and some fanservice this is a must watch for any collector or viewer who want to take a walk on the wild side of watching an anime series! There’s more to the show than the fanservice and no pants idea but you will enjoy the action and battles as well as learn a few history items that you won’t need to learn from a giant history book ever again!

Dub: A+ (great dub roles that are familiar and suit the characters role in the series!)

Sub: Coming Soon!

Soundtrack: A (Shows a strong impact on the OP and ED to the important scenes and action scenes)

Art and Visuals: A++ (Stunning. Absolutely stunning. You will enjoy the character design, the CG visuals and the quality of the art of the background and scenery of the WW2 era, no questions asked)

Overall: A+ (A- for those who are not into the fanservice)

Cherrybrook Akatsuki/CAAGSpodcast Editor’s Choice Certified by Luffy III

Viewed on the LG 106cm LCD TV Full HD 1080i and Yamaha surround sound system, 5.1 Channel system for Dub.

Strike Witches is licensed by Funimation Entertainment and distributed by Madman Entertainment.

WARNING: It is rated MA15+ and may not suit children who are underaged. But if your over 15, screw the rules, buy this anime and take chances to watch this anime!!!

Spice and Wolf Season 1 Review

The middle ages, fantasy and a wolf girl… A great mix

What happens when a businessman in the middle ages meets a naked wolf girl under the cart? How is it that the mysteries of life has impacted on the way we advance in today’s society? Well in this anime, it will all be revealed in this impressive and surprising fantasy anime!

In a land of wheat and livestock and a time of prophecies about the grand harvest, a man named Kraft Lawrence finds a naked wolf girl under the cart and is revealed to be Holo, the harvest goddess that has an untamed beast within the heart. Together, Holo and Lawrence travel through the country wild countryside to find the richness of business together along with many obstacles that get in the way from other business that try to bankrupt them which dwells in the human heart.

Spice and Wolf is based on a novel that retells the story but from another perspective through the original format of a normal novel with artwork from the writer. It was then made into a 13 episode series and then spawned into a second season featuring 13 episodes. The first season focuses on the introduction of the characters in the series and the beginning of their adventure and as the story progresses, it gets deeper into the character’s relationship throughout.

The art for the series is magnificent and represents the old times in the past where people worshipped the gods or goddesses to help with the harvest and the story is told well through its history on the olden days on the harvest and the life of a businessman with a pure view of the world we lived in way back before advanced technology was made and how we negotiate in today’s business. The character design is done very well for the main characters and the supporting characters and how they interact throughout the series that impact on their journey of the business in the old times.

The soundtrack is composed well from the teasing scenes of Holo and Lawrence to the tragic scenes that focus on the character’s painful past and pain they have endured throughout the journey. It contrasts well with the joyous times of Holo and Lawrence to the arguments and obstacles they have to face in the life of a businessman travelling with the goddess that people do not worship anymore throughout the progressing time. The opening shows the whole cast of the characters and develop a story about what happens to each one of them throughout the series and how it will affect their own fate in life. The song is sweet yet melancholic showing the character’s troubles they have and the pain they have endured in their journey. However, the ending song has a lighter side to the end of the episode showing the lighter side of the story from the scenes of Holo enjoying the sweet fruits of apples to raining sheep and silver coins!

The textless opening and ending can surely lift the mood and help you see the animation better without the opening and closing credits in the way at the beginning and ending. However, there is nothing new except on the back is an full artwork of Holo on the other side of the DVD which is a nice feature.

Overall, the series has surely shows the character’s relationship throughout the journey of a businessman travelling with the goddess can surely be a dream come true for some but can be a nightmare if you don’t like a goddess who demands for items. It follows the key themes of journey, fates of characters, prophecies of the goddess in the harvest and has an element of history in it in an anime style to keep you interested in the series. Also there is a turn on in the beginning of the encounter of Holo at the start fully in her normal form as a naked wolf girl that can guarantee you will enjoy every minute of the anime regardless of the story or surprises they have as well as the enjoyment of your favourite characters. If you enjoyed the first series, be surprised as the second season will be out soon by Madman Anime, so guys, Do not walk, but arwing fly, landmaster or run on food to your nearest JB Hi-Fi store, or any anime store to obtain this remarkable treasure that is full of surprises, laughs and some learning of history the fun way in an anime style!

Rating: 9/10 (9.5 for Holo in the beginning that is a naked wolf girl)

CAAGSpodcast Editor's Choice Award. Certified by Luffy III and SoulNinja

Tested on the LG LCD 106cm TV with Yamaha Surround Sound System 5.1 Channel

Spice and Wolf is licensed by Funimation Entertainment and distributed by Madman Entertainment

If you want to see Holo in her "true" form (fully nude) Google it!

Gameplay updates on CAAGSpodcast

For my next gameplay updates,

I have completed Momohime's story on musou mode and currently doing Kisuke's story to obtain the true ending in Muramasa the Demon Blade! So stay tuned for more videos later in the year! I'm also doing an expert mode walkthrough on the N64 classic, Lylat Wars, watch my thrills, spills and epic fails as I try to save the Lylat System from total chaos! Will I survive the hellfire of expert mode or will it crush me with bitter defeat? Watch, rate, comment and subscribe if you enjoy our videos!

Also, more Hard mode gameplays on Sengoku Basara will be done in obtaining their ultimate weapons as well as a few tutorial videos to help out other players who are new to the game!

Enjoy!

Luffy III

CAAGSpodcast's April Podcast Edition on Sengoku Basara: Anime VS the game YOU DECIDE

Enjoy our April Podcast Edition on Sengoku Basara: Anime VS the game YOU DECIDE as well as the latest in the anime, manga and gaming news delivered fresh to your computer, or MP3!

Shuffle! Collection Review

An anime that is full of surprises that has drama and a slice of life mixed into one!

How can a “cheeky” visual novel become a great anime that is full of drama and a slice of life genre mixed together followed by five sweet girls who are in love with one boy? Well, you’ll have to read on and see for yourself!

Meet Rin Tsuchimi a boy who is enjoying a rather normal life living with his childhood friend Kaede Fuyou due to family deaths on both sides. One day at school, two new classmates transfer into his class: Lisianthus (AKA Sia), heiress to the Realm of the Gods, and Nerine, heiress to the Realm of the Demons. Rin is told that he has been picked to marry either one, though it will be his choice as to whom. The story then leads to several plots for some fun slice of life to the later episodes that can be dramatic and gripping overall…

Firstly, Shuffle! is a Japanese visual novel done by Navel that is suitable for older people but was made into a near teen-friendly release that has two spinoffs in the gaming. It was then made into a manga then into an anime with 24 episodes then a spinoff called Shuffle! Memories featuring 12 episodes with recaps only except the last one as a surprise.

The character design is very impressive and is done with high quality. Each character has their own personality, likes and dislikes throughout the series. The art is drawn very well from the locations, the designs of the characters for gods and demons and the background design shows a realistic perspective of the fantasy world that looks like an ordinary world to the naked eye.

The soundtrack is composed well from the character’s themes to the emotional scenes and crucial scenes that builds up the suspense and storyline throughout the episodes. It also shows a lighter and fun side through the first episodes such as the beginning scenes, the school times and of course the summer times. The opening has a strong impact by showing the different scenes of various characters that reveals some of their past and present sides that has an impact on the overall storyline in the series. It is remarkable when you see all of your favourite main characters and supporting characters all rolled into one. The ending concludes the episode with a soft, sweet and melancholy feel of the characters standing by the bus stop throughout the seasons as time goes by… Remarkable artwork is shown with high quality and the music suits the series for a drama/slice of life genre.

The dub actors/actresses play a great role in the series such as Monica Rial (Negima!, Air, The Sacred Blacksmith) as the cheerful and playful Asa Shigure (Or Asa-Sempai), Brittney Karbowski as  the sweet yet seductive Lisianthus the daughter of the King of the Gods(Kanon 2006 series) and Cherami Leigh (The Sacred Blacksmith) as the quiet and mysterious girl from the demon world, Primula. Each actor has done an excellent act as the character in this series to enjoy hearing!

For the sub seiyuus, you may find several surprises with some familiar voices when you watch the sub twice. Yuko Goto (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Mikuru Asahina) plays well as the kind and sweet Kaede Fuyou, Sayaka Aoki (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Kyon’s sister) as Lisianthus and of course Tomakazu Sugita as Rin Tsuchimi (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Kyon’s sister). If you see the first episode of Haruhi season 1, you’ll see a reference of the Shuffle! characters… Similarly, I recommend watching it twice both in dub and sub to enjoy both the great actors, and seiyuus!

I was a bit disappointed with the extras in both collections but seeing some of the character artwork on the DVD menu screen and the textless openings and endings tends to even out the negatives overall. I wish they did more with the extras such as commentary, artwork designs and a few trivia page with the differences but what can you do…

Overall, the series starts slow through the introduction of the characters and the story at first but builds suspense and excitement overall as well as the character development and personas overall as well as show the key themes in the anime such as friendship, families, and of course love. There are mixed feelings. I heard some mediocre reviews on the anime overall but from my view it works well overall. It may not suit most anime collectors or viewers but if you’re into the drama, comedy, and slice of life anime then I would highly recommend getting this anime for your collection! Do not walk, but arwing fly to your nearest JB Hi-Fi store, or any anime store to obtain this remarkable treasure that is full of surprises, laughs and some romance with a few twists and turns!

Rating: 9.5/10

CAAGSpodcast Editor's Choice Award. Certified by Luffy III and SoulNinja

Tested on the LG LCD 106cm TV with Yamaha Surround Sound System 5.1 Channel  

Shuffle! is licensed by Funimation Entertainment and distributed by Madman Entertainment 

Mahoromatic: Something more Beautiful Review by Luffy III and SoulNinja

It has been a while since Madman has released the coolest and popular GAINAX series via licensing, Mahoromatic, the story about a boy named Suguru Misato who lives alone in a house that is like a “major mess”. Until he meets a combat android maid named Mahoro, who’s system ceases functions in 37 days unless she removes her functions as a combat android. The adventures go through how Mahoro has become Suguru’s maid within her remaining days.

Now in Mahoromatic: Something more Beautiful, new characters are introduced including the maid sent by the management, Minawa (AKA 370). Feldlance (AKA the Doc, I named him the Doc because of his resemblance from Back to the Future, more evil version), a power hungry mad scientist who has sent in 370 to spy on Mahoro to capture her to use the androids as tools and not treating them with beings with a heart. Strangely, one of the VESPER staff character design looks a bit like “Wild Dog” from the Time Crisis series but that’s from a point of view.  

For the story, in Mahoromatic: Something more Beautiful, the plot takes part after the first series after Mahoro’s battle with Ryuga, now life returns back to normal at the Misato residence. Until, Suguru finds another cyborg girl around the streets. He takes him in and names her Minawa, Mahoro’s younger sister who has a dark past with the management. The storyline is great and engaging to the viewer’s eye because of the climatic scenes in the later episodes and the memorable and dramatic scenes that will keep you coming back for more of the series! Now for the story in the summer special. The plot takes part around the lighter times before the management’s capture and betrayal to VESPER where it focuses on Minawa, Mahoro and the girl’s war against the ecchi magazines Suguru, Hamadi, and Tamaguchi enjoy. It gets a bit crazy in the plot but has a decent dose of cheekiness and fanservice for older fans.

The art and technique for the character design and scene and background design is done very well. GAINAX has turned a series that has been produced early around 2001-2003. They also used clips from the past episodes from the first series to show a chain of memories sequence of the warm hearted moments important in the series. A remarkable job Hiroyuki Yamaga has done for the art in the Mahoromatic series and the specials! Also, there are a few references used in the series, see if you can guess them when you’re watching them!

The music is “crafted” well and suit different scenes within the series that would engage the viewer to see what is going to happen next. The opening is short and sweet and puts in the emotional parts as well show the theme of love and true identity to begin the episode overall and the closing is cheerful and passionate as well as strange due to Minawa’s opinion of being herself… My recommendation to all Mahoro fans, DO NOT fast forward the opening and ending of anime series! Enjoy the singing and get into the rhythm of the song overall! Let loose (but not too loose).

For the extras on disc 3, the art gallery is full of character designs and rough sketches done for the series and how the staff has put them all together to form this series overall! However, when checking out the Easter Egg Gallery, unfortunately, there is no sexy art gallery in this release!!! Bit disappointing to see that it was a trick to pull off collectors and viewers in finding out this mystery as it’s impossible to find this extra overall. However, the clean opening and ending gives you a full animatic of the OP and ED to enjoy as well as the song sung! My favourite was the OP because of the innocence of the characters, the warm feeling you get when you see Suguru and his maids as a family and the excitement of the other characters.

Overall, it was good to see Madman to finally license the long awaited second series of Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful and Summer Special for all the collectors and viewers! However, I recommend watching the first series before you begin watching the series and be sure to be at least 15 years or older to watch the series, my viewers and readers (recommended 18 or more)

The Good:

-Catchy Opening and Ending songs.

-Interesting storyline and characters (Including Minawa)

-Major improvement from the first series!

-Great and memorable scenes in episodes, good balance of action and comedy (First episode,

-Art and technique is done well in this series! (High credit)

-Good taste of some fanservice sections… lol

-Lots of action and surprises awaiting every episode that will leave you looking out for more.

-Music fits in with important and critical scenes well.

-Shows many themes of love and true identity.

The Bad:

-Bit repetitive of the “sorry” mood by Minawa

-Not much bad items

-Typo with the Easter Egg gallery in the extras as there in no sexy art gallery.

Storyline

-Dub: 9

-Sub:

Art and technique: 9

Music: 10

Extras: 8

Overall rating:  9/10

Cherrybrook Anime And Gaming Society Editor’s choice

WARNING: The following series is rated MA 15+ it contains, strong sexual scenes, animated nudity and some violence.  

Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful is Licensed by TBS Animation and distributed by Madman Entertainment

Air TV and Summer Special Review by Luffy III

AIR (TV) Collection Review

Genre: Drama, comedy, slice of life

Dubbed Cast: Monica Rial (Negima series, Full Metal Panic Series), Luci Christian (Negima Series, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, Full Metal Panic), Vic Mignogna (Full Metal Alchemist), Stephanie Wittels (Clannad), Kira Vincent Davis (Azumanga Daioh).

Themes: Journeys, Fate, Love, family relationships, destiny, sacrifice.

OFLC Rating: PG for mild violence, themes and language and a bit of mild nudity

The terms, “Moe” stand for a female’s character persona to be attached to and one’s longing for such. E.g. human desires of the heart. It also stands for the cuteness of the female protagonist from their long hair, sweet and innocent attitude and of course, their cute eyes. The Air (TV) Collection has shown a strong view of the theme of “Moe” as well as illustrating its storyline overall through its animation, soundtrack and the crucial scenes. It was based on a PC game in Japan but was remade to ensure that its suitable for the proper viewers and collectors.

Meet Yukito Kunisaki, a boy who has a unique power of controlling a puppet without any strings from his mother’s unique powers. He journeys all around in search for the “Girl in the Sky” for whom he wants to meet for a long time. He travels to a quiet, and small seaside town and he meets a girl named, Misuzu Kamio, a cute yet lonely girl who has a sweet innocence of a child who eventually warms up to. However, throughout the quiet town, he meet other people such as Haruko, a woman who has a tough time caring for Misuzu because of her unknown condition and the distance within the family, Kano, with her pet, Potato playing around (with a dark past), and Minagi, with a tragic and sad memory.

The plot and subplots can be full of surprises and mystery, several scenes that can send a chill down your spine, and some dramatic scenes that can make you cry. It even shows us how it all happened within the past and how the mystery of the “Girl in The Sky” has begun! And of course, there are a few twists that will make you crawl out of your seat and clench with fear on what is going to happen next! For a short series, Air manages to deliver the strong meaning of love, family relationships, journeys and of course destiny throughout the whole series. The soundtrack consists of soft orchestrated music and soft piano techniques of the songs that match the dramatic and emotional scenes.

The Opening is fresh, vibrant and shows a lighter side of life instead of the tragic and dramatic scenes foreshadowed in the later episodes. The ending is calm and sweet and reveals that the essence of the “winged beings” or our loved ones that have passed away are “watching over us” and shows that “They will always be by our side”. It symbolizes the strength of courage and love as well as bringing hope to others in need of help. Thus, shows that love can survive within one another and when you are with a family.

The art overall is outstanding. Including the character design for the series. It shows the different feelings expressed when you first catch a glimpse of it such as the festivities to being by the ocean side. It is beautiful. For example: Misuzu (my favourite), she is cute, innocent and can be clumsy yet she is the sweetest characters in anime. Seeing all the pain and suffering she has to endure can be nostalgic to someone who needs help has been given a bad start. Monica Rial plays a great role with her superb acting as well as her expression of her emotions and feelings within the storyline. The dubbed casting is superb. Memorable ones you will hear within the series.

What I love about the anime is the innocence of the characters, the different personalities the characters in the series have, and the different obstacles they have to overcome. Within every episode, there is a certain theme or moral shown such as every moment is precious, the love of a parent for their child, friendship, and caring for one another regardless of who they really are. There are a lot of important themes within the series but I’ll let you find out for yourself!

The only thing negative about it is that there is no Episode 13 shown and should be given to give us a recap on what happened overall to ensure that we understand what is going on. It won’t really affect the overall score and such…

Overall, AIR is a remarkable series that truly shown a strong view of the theme of “Moe” as well as illustrating its storyline overall through its animation, soundtrack and the dramatic scenes. It also engages the audience to see the personal relationships for the characters and their own personal fears and conflicts they have to deal with. It has a balance of happy moments and sad moments that will make you cry (happened a few times with me but it’s natural for a collector). It is an anime series that is remarkable in its quality of art, story and the music. A must see.

Pros: Strong storyline, engaging plot, well designed artwork and background, great voice actors, and the summer special to top it all!

Cons: Prepare to cry a lot at some of the last episodes!

Rating: 10/10

Air Summer Special Review

For those in curiosity on what happened to Ryuya, Kanna and Uraha during the search for Kanna’s mother, it is a lighter tale within the feudal period of Japan 1000 years ago and is a subplot from the Air series. It fills in the missing piece of the puzzle of episode 8 and 9 on what happened as well as the pasts of the characters. It also shows the personal relationships between them throughout their journey such as Kanna’s attempt to juggle beanbags, the argument between Ryuya and Kanna and their love/hate relationship between them.

It is a major focus on their personal relationships, the action and some teasing scenes that will make you laugh. Also it is a neat installment for the Air series but it is recommended to see the main series before moving onto the OVA. So if you are looking for what really happened during their journey as well as a relief from the intense storyline and need of a good laugh, then this OVA is perfect for you to seal the deal of this great series as well as revive you from the tears of sorrow from the last episodes of the series.

Rating: 10/10

Air is Licensed by Funimation Entertainment and distributed by Madman Entertainment