New anime from MVM for April/May 2009

Desert Punk: Vol 2

LABEL: MVM
RUNNING TIME: 140 minutes approx
RATING: 15
VIDEO FORMAT: 4:3
AUDIO FORMAT: English 5.1, Japanese 2.0
SUBTITLES: English
DVD REGION: 2
AVAILABLE: 6 April 2009

If you are a regular SCI-FI LONDON reader then you may remember my reaction to the first volume of Desert Punk. I think unfavourable is an appropriate word. Considering that, I have been tasked with reviewing Volume 2, but I am a man who likes to give second chances. So, some good news for any fans out there! Volume 2 is an improvement. Bad news? Boob jokes.

These four episodes actually link in together more than before, featuring some sort of story arc. However, it is slightly random, so there is little meaningful effect. You’d have to be some sort of head-case to watch this for the plotline. You may watch it for the interesting atmosphere, though. It varies, although there is the constant ‘50s mood to the settings and characters, the tone of the series leaps from action to supernatural to even comic, to the degree of Family Guy.

If only its tone had incorporated more of the latter! There are some great jokes, witty one-liners that continuously roll in and knock you off your feet. Not to say I was laughing hysterically, but I was pretty impressed by the sharpness. Even the series’ notorious boob jokes did come to some sort of use, as Desert Punk’s libido comes to his aid in a climax of sorts….

Sadly, Desert Punk had some rather lame jokes too. It tries to be too random at points, such as when they cross the desert, and a somber song plays in the background… it drags on far too much! I want the witty-one liners to be thrown at me as if it was Family Guy!

Sometimes it feels more like Battle Vixens with its crude adolescent humour. While sometimes it feels rather Western-styled, occasionally we see some things that are far too inappropriate for our screens. I cringe a little when Desert Punk has a young girl following him, whom he is sort-of grooming because he knows she’ll look attractive like her well-endowed mother, or actually whenever the girl sees his rather vigorous libido in action. Please, stop! Us Brits like to keep our children and sexual jokes as separate entities.

Desert Punk could be big. It could be Japan’s greatest animated comedy, knocking Excel Saga off its podium. However to become truly great, as a Westerner, I feel it needs some of the frantic and constant pace that Family Guy has, with developed jokes, not ones flogged like a dead horse. There are the foundations for greatness here, sadly, it remains mediocre.

Video: Strong visuals, with flair on occasion, however it doesn’t really flaunt itself as it could due to the desert location.

Audio: What can I say? The voice-overs fit the characters perfectly. Watching it dubbed and subtitled are both viable options, however I would watch it subbed to get the most of the comedy that you can, especially when dubbed Kasuna is an irritating little brat…

Extras: Not bad. It has textless opening/closing credits, alongside the usual trailers. Most interestingly are the campaign caravans, where a man dressed as Desert Punk visits and gets reception from various magazines, and a peek into the studio, where we see the actors answering questions and playing…Monopoly? Two short curiosities, especially for anime fans who hear about magazines such as Famitsu and Newtype!

Desert Punk: Vol 2 is available from Amazon, Play and other major retailers. Our review of Volume one can be found here.

Reviewer: Lee Millington

The Slayers Next: Vol.1

Running time: 150 mins approx
Classification : 12
Distributor:MVM
Region: R2 PAL
Video: 4:3
Audio: Japanese 2.0, English 2.0.
Subtitles: English.
Release Date: 11th May 2009
RRP: £15.99

Overview:
The Slayers are back again and they’re still roaming the land punishing bandits, defeating evil sorcerers, looting anything that isn’t nailed down and eating pretty much anything they can get their hands on.

When the kingdom of Zoana decides to pick a fight with it’s neighbours, the nearby kingdom of Saillune sends Princess Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune to try to talk them down with some good old-fashioned diplomacy. Unfortunately for Zoana, Amelia’s good friend Lina Inverse (who’s also an incredibly potent and short tempered sorceress) is also in town and her idea of diplomacy involves blowing up everything in sight with extremely powerful magic and asking questions later.

In order to assist their human/demon/golem hybrid friend Zelgadis Greywords in his quest to turn himself back into a full human by obtaining the Clare Bible, Lina and her group travel to Atlas City. There they somehow become separated onto opposing sides of a power struggle involving the local Magic Association. Loyalty to your travelling companions may be one thing but the prospect of a huge reward for kicking their behinds is just too much for Lina to resist.

Episode list:
1. The Sudden Pinch! The Terror of the Monstrous Zoamelgustar!
2. The Roguish Priest! His Name is Xellos!
3. A Wonderful Business! Being a Bodyguard isn’t Easy!
4. An Ancient Pledge! One Who Seeks Immortality!
5. Staying Behind For the Sake of Love!
6. You Can’t Escape! The Return of the Obsessive Martina!

Comments:
MVM are certainly pushing out these Slayers releases in quick succession. The entire of season one was released on four discs over the course of four months and it looks like they’re going to do the same with season two, also known as Slayers Next. One can only hope that they’re going to do the same with season three, Slayers Try, as this will finally bring us in line with the US where they’ve had all three series out on R1 DVD for a number of years. Season two is pretty much a straight continuation of season one but not only brings over all our favourite characters but also introduces some new faces such as the “Trickster Priest” Xellos and Lina’s newest nemesis Martina Zoana Mel Navratilova, both of whom will play rather important roles later in the Slayers mythos. The art style and production values are also brought over from the previous season with slight improvements (and a slight bit more “bounce” in the chest dept) which as I’ve said before, may look slightly dated by modern standards is still much better than most other shows of the same vintage. All in all, while this show is undeniably old, it’s also undeniably fun and it’s easy to see why it’s still retains it’s popularity after all these years. The characters are interesting and engaging, the humour’s both cheesy and entertaining and the basic “band of misfits kick arse across a medieval swords-and-sorcery world” premise is almost timeless. Like many other older series such as Outlaw Star and Tenchi Muyo, this show is part of the reason for many an anime fan becoming hooked in the first place.

Video:
Seeing as this anime originally came out in Japan in spring 1996, this show’s held up remarkably well. While the lines aren’t as sharp and the colours not as vibrant as the majority of the 21st century anime series we’ve seen over the last few years, there’s been no noticeable image degradation over the years. As with the Volume 1 release of the first Slayers series earlier this year, this disc contains an impressive six full episodes, which is noticeably more than the three or four episodes per disc that we usually get.

Audio/Dub/Subtitles:
As was the case with the first Slayers series, the dub for this series is excellent. In fact I’d even go so far as to say it rivals the original Japanese version in terms of quality and I’d have no trouble recommending either version. A couple of the voice actors have been changed since the start of the first season. Luckily while the marvellous Lisa Ortiz is still handling the spunky and unpredictable Lina Inverse, straight man and comic foil Zelgadis Greywords is now been handled by fan favorite Crispin Freeman who is probably best known for his stellar work as Alucard from Hellsing.

Extras:
Production art & sketch galleries, trailers for Daphne in the Brilliant Blue and Black Lagoon.

The Slayers Next: Vol.1 is available from Amazon, Play, MVM’s online shop and other major retailers from 11th May. Our review of Volume one of The Slayers first season can be found here.

Reviewer: Penfold

Solty Rei: Vol 2

LABEL: MVM
RUNNING TIME: 150 minutes approx
RATING: 12
VIDEO FORMAT: 16:9
AUDIO FORMAT: English 5.1, Japanese 2.0
SUBTITLES: English
DVD REGION: 2
AVAILABLE: 11th May 2009

Those who regularly visit Sci-Fi London will notice that recently I’ve developed a strained relationship with the famed animation studio Gonzo. I adore much of Gonzo’s work, such as Witchblade and Speed Grapher, and they have notably produced critically acclaimed work such as Afro Samurai. Yet recently one show has put a blotch on their copybook – the puerile Desert Punk. Why am I telling you all this? Because Solty Rei is the opposite of Desert Punk, being as it is innocent and good-natured, and most of all, as I stated in my review of Volume 1, good quality! My greatest worry, when coming to Volume 2, was that the quality could dip, and maybe Gonzo would disappoint me again.

I wouldn’t say that Gonzo have disappointed me this time. In fact, I’m getting a bigger dose of what I got in Volume 1. I’m not adverse to slice-of-life; the genre is comforting, warm and snugly – like an old blanket.

That isn’t exactly what you want from a show, mind. After a while it will get dull however Solty Rei manages to avoid that by leaping in to some excellent, however brief, action sequences.

What has definitely been advanced in this Volume is that there is a little more depth to characters such as Rose, who certainly has her moment in the spotlight and manages to become more than an irritating spoilt brat.

So far so good. Alongside some nice character development and a relaxing atmosphere, we have Gonzo’s typically lovely animation! Sadly, though, things are not perfect. Perhaps the Japanese love a show that meanders. I do too – to a limit. I feel that before you know it the entire series of Solty Rei will be over and any potential depth will have been squandered for slice-of-life.

Let alone at some dreadful attempts at emotion. There is just too much of a mix of genres, I don’t know whether it’s going to go full-on crazy with the action, turn into a murder mystery or just drag along as a futuristic, rather placated, version of Eastenders. I just wish one thing would be nailed at a time, because, for example, irresponsibly placed rock music can really kill tension. Sometimes it just feels embarrassing.

I’m sorry Gonzo. You’re not a total disappointment. However, in trying to make what seems like a more light-hearted Speed Grapher, you’ve just dumped that series’ characters into an unfocused melting pot of genres. If you want to see an animated series that manages to do this well, then watch Bleach, or Naruto….sadly, the times are moving on and Gonzo seems to be a tad confused about how to make the leap into the future.

Video: Crisp, high-quality animation as is the Gonzo standard.

Audio: Good quality dubs for English and Japanese, though Kasha is getting irritating particularly on the English Dub. Due to the current storyline we don’t get much out of Roy apart from the occasional grunt.

Extras: Only the expected; textless opening/closing and trailers.

Solty Rei: Vol 2 is available from Amazon, Play and other major retailers from 11th May. Our review of Volume one can be found here.

Reviewer: Lee Millington