Mayoiga: The Lost Village Episode #12 Review (Finale)

They're being rejected by themselves, not anyone else, and that's what terrifies them the most.

What They Say:

A shady bus tour of young men and women are headed to an elusive village called Nanakimura. A destination where people can partake in a utopian existence, free of the world's obstacles... or so goes the rumor. Heading deep into the mountains, the bus is carrying 30 different individuals, each harboring their own expectations and troubled hearts. What they had arrived to was an uninhabited village with lingering, faint scents of life. It was falling apart. Just what is the secret of Nanakimura?

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

With a super-sized version of Hayato's grandmother looming on the horizon, our time with Mayoiga is finally coming to a close. That being said, there are still several villagers out there with some loose ends that need to be straightened out. But, before that, the more important thing is dealing with mega-grandma, who Hayato has apparently learned to control. Riding on the back of his Nanaki, Hayato is able to grab hold of Mitsumune and Masaki as he spills his true feelings (Which we already know from several episodes ago) about how he has no purpose if he has no one to protect. Once again, Mitsumune speaks out against this, seeing as doing so is the only way to make him feel like he's changed. As soon as the argument starts shifting in Mitsumune's favor, Koharun shows up and sparks the debate of, "What if he's lying to you?" which sends Hayato into panic as he falls off the Nanaki.

As the Nanaki chases after Hayato, Mitsumune grabs him and starts running away accompanied by Masaki and leaving Koharun on the sidelines. But wait, what's this? Mitsumune dropped his walkie-talkie. (Gasp). Once Kamisama starts coming in on the handy-dandy portable communication device, Koharun picks it up and -- Surprise! Kamisama is actually her father and the main reason she ventured to Nanakimura in the first place. After a quick heart to heart with her dad, Koharun throws the walkie-talkie away and is left to question whether or not she wants to continue deviating from her father's outlook on this whole quagmire.

Shortly after the scene brings us back to Mitsumune and friends, Hayato decides that it is time for him to face his Nanaki. As mega-grandma soars through the tunnel at the speed of a bullet train, Hayato stands strong and is...eaten by her. Don't worry, though, it's the good kind of being eaten -- the kind that forced both him and his grandmother to disappear as they are sent back to the real world. Following the vanishing of Hayato, Reiji finally decides to show his face in front of Masaki. Being one of the only Nanakis everyone can actually see, Reiji breaks the news to Masaki that he is not real. As it turns out, Masaki created an imaginary friend when she was younger to cope with her loneliness -- that friend being Reiji. It is then revealed (After a long-winded, emotional discussion) that she always knew he wasn't real, but she wanted to try being with him anyway. This is the reason she came to Nanakimura in the first place. Of course, she winds up accepting this and instead decides to use Mitsumune as her friend in times of need from now on. Good job, Mitsumune, you finally got her.

Meanwhile, things at the camp are a little...different. So far, we've only seen people who wish to deal with their fears and move on in an attempt to get back to the real world. But, after being told by Reiji what Nanakimura actually is, some of the villagers decide that they would be better off not dealing with their problems and staying in the fake reality they've been tossed into. As the group separates into those who can deal with their problems and those who can't, the underlying theme of the series becomes apparent -- and it's essentially what we've all been expecting.

The main point that Mayoiga is trying to convey is that different people have different ways of coping with things. Almost everyone out there has something from their past that they'd rather forget. And, just as it happened in the show, not everyone is necessarily able to progress past that. There are going to be people in life that bottle up their problems and become consumed by them. At the same time, though, there are going to be people strong enough to take these regrets and turn them into something that betters them as a person. It's the cycle of life. Nanakimura is an alternate universe that enables people to see their fears firsthand and decide whether or not they can deal with them. The fact that some villagers were left behind and couldn't deal with said fears is enough to make Mayoiga a good, realistic anime with an important message. The last episode does feel a little rushed (As I assumed it would be) but I don't think that really takes away from what we can learn from the series as a whole.

In Summary:

Mayoiga: The Lost Village can be pretty messy at times but it has a lot of heart. Even with all the questionably bad parts of the show, I was never particularly uninterested. With a character roster of over thirty unique villagers (With a good portion of them having detailed backstories), it's easy to latch onto one that you can really connect with. Whether it be the girl with the imaginary friend, the abused child, or the kid who was bullied in school, there's something in here for almost everyone who grew up imperfectly. The sense of mystery in this series is equal parts confusing, suspenseful, and all around hilarious at times. But even though Mayoiga may not have been necessarily attempting to have some of its monsters appear a little...self-parodic, the end result winds up being one I'm not disappointed with. Save this one for a rainy day when you have no idea what else to put on. If you can get past the clumsiness of some of the plot (And even the episode quality at some parts), you might just have an unexpectedly good time.

Episode Grade: B-

Series Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

L DK Vol. #2 Manga Review

I wonder if it'll be a long battle for me too...

Creative Staff:

Art/Story: Ayu Watanabe

Translator: Christine Dashiell

Lettering: Sara Linsley

Editing: Ajani Oloye

What They Say:

Aoi appears to finally be coming to terms with her feelings for Shusei. But before she can come to a conclusion, she witnesses a shocking scene between Shusei and a beautiful woman. However, it turns out that Shusei is not the only one who’s popular with the opposite sex, as a younger rival enters the fray and vies for Aoi’s attention. One boy is enough of a headache, but what will Aoi do with two gorgeous boys as love interests?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

After a nearly six-month long break following the dreadful first volume of L DK, I decided that it was about time to revisit the series in hopes that the second volume wouldn't fall into the same pit of "Wtf?" as the first one. I was wrong. The second edition of this sloppy mess of a shoujo series gone wrong is just as painstakingly dreadful as the first, highlighting important childhood themes like chauvinism, dominatrism, and falling in love with someone because honestly they're just too gosh darn attractive.

When we last left off, Aoi and Shusei had moved in together (After only knowing each other for like three days) because Shusei's apartment was destroyed and that's what normal people that just met each other do. After one thing leads to another, some random mystery girl shows up and latches on to Shusei, leaving Aoi suspended in disbelief until the next volume when this happens:

You can tell how serious things are getting by the face Aoi is making.

Of course, Aoi is accepting of this because she is no stranger to familial relations, living alone in some random Japanese suburb, and then goes on to explain how she and Shusei are only together for the time being because of the condition his apartment has fallen into. Just kidding. What Aoi really decides to do is tell Shusei's sister that the two are actually dating because in all honesty she just wants this woman out of the picture in case Shusei is a total siscon or whatever. Onee-chan isn't letting her off the hook that easy, though. Instead of accepting the gravity of the situation and leaving the two "lovers" to their own devices, Shusei's sister decides to tell the two that they essentially need to get it on in front of her in order to get her to leave. What.

This manga is rated "13+" so there is no actual copulation that is EVER going to occur, but that doesn't stop Shusei from trying because he is such a manly man. After about six failed attempts at molestation, Aoi finally decides that things are going too far and that she must pull the plug, exposing the real truth to Shusei's sister (Honestly, I don't even remember if this girl had a name). Following a quick "I told you so" from Onee-chan, she leaves anyway because the plot needs to advance and we only have enough room for one more main character this volume.

Oh yeah, and then there's a basketball tournament or something. This chapter doesn't really matter because it just gives Watanabe the chance to draw Shusei and Aoi alone and without their shirts on.

Some time later (Not really sure how much), Aoi is walking home in the rain when she comes across another hot dude sitting on the steps of the school. He immediately confesses his love to her because this is a shoujo manga and Aoi is suddenly thrust into a world where she must choose between two super-hunks with personalities that ultimately stem back to just how hot they are -- just this one is into bestiality or something like that. I don't know man, he keeps asking Aoi if he can be her pet or whatever. It's weird, bro.

The next major plot point (Pfft) comes when Aoi and Shusei take a trip to the zoo after someone gives them tickets (Becuase the zoo is a place that you buy tickets to in advance). After spilling the beans about the random hot guy who confessed to her, said random hot guy immediately shows up because he is also a stalker. Either that or he went to the zoo all by himself which would be very sad. Good news, guys! He and Shusei actually know each other! The three teens make their way over to a petting zoo with only dogs and we learn the valuable lesson that dogs also love really hot dudes. After several decently drawn Pomeranians, Hot Guy #2 (His name is Shouta, by the way) leaks the secret about why Shusei is so aloof and mysterious as Watanabe tries to get you to sympathize with a borderline rapist. Shusei was apparently dumped by some girl named Satsuki who then went on to marry his brother (Who I hope had more of a personality).

After this secret gets out, Shusei's apartment is finally fit to be lived in again and he promptly moves out. And...Shouta forces Aoi to let him live there instead because it isn't fair if she only lets one creep have a shot at some 13+ action. But instead of trying to literally force himself on Aoi like Shusei did, he dresses up like a dog and makes her breakfast because that is how you win a woman's heart. Then, in a completely unprecedented turn of events, he goes on to sleep in the closet because Watanabe really wants you to see how kind and affectionate this guy is. I mean, who cares if he's trying to mentally force Aoi into falling in love with him as long as he doesn't actually touch her, right?

Aoi finally wins a tough inner-struggle and decides that she would rather be molested by some guy with zero personality and good looks than even talk to a guy in a dog costume and she walks over to Shusei's apartment and bashes a chair through his wall, forcing him to move in with her again. It is then revealed that Shusei is totally over Satsuki and he's been working overtime in order to buy Aoi some cheap-looking necklace that he uses as an excuse to pass out on top of her, proving that it is okay to make physical advances on a girl as long as you buy her something nice.

In Summary:

This is probably the worst thing I've ever read. In a totally non-preachy way, this manga shows young girls that they are nothing more than objects to be used and abused by dudes who try and make themselves appear more human by having real feelings and slightly believable pasts. As if that wasn't enough, Watanabe attempts to persuade the reader to believe that Aoi has a choice in the entire scenario when, in all actuality, she's choosing between two versions of the same exact dude based on nothing more than how hot she thinks they are. It's not even just the content that's horrid, it's everything. Even the text gets cut off on various pages -- not like it matters considering the vast majority of it is just Aoi being toyed with in totally platonic, not-at-all sexual ways. I was being nice when I gave the first volume of L DK a C-, but I don't know if I will be able to sleep at night if I give this anything other than what I'm about to.

Content Grade: F

Art Grade: C-

Packaging Grade: C

Text/Translation Grade: D+

Age Rating: 13+

Released By: Kodansha Comics

Release Date: December 15, 2015

MSRP: $10.99

Parasyte Collection 1 Blu-Ray Review

When I took over this human's brain, I received a directive. It said, Devour this species.

What They Say:

It's the ultimate nightmare. One minute Shinichi Izumi is a normal teenager asleep in his bed. The next he's been infected with a deadly parasitic organism determined to devour his brain and turn his body into the planet Earth's new apex predator.

But Shinichi partially foils the attack and, instead of being consumed, finds that the creature known as Migi has taken the place of his right hand. Now forced to share the same body, the two must become unwilling allies. Migi isn't the only one of his kind, and unless human and parasyte work together, they'll both be killed as abominations. Prepare yourself for a horrifying new world where the survival of the fittest and the survival of the human race are no longer the same thing. Monsters lurk behind every corner and every face as the human race becomes prey in Parasyte ~ the maxim!

Contains episodes 1-12.

The Review:

Audio:

The first collection of Parayste: The Maxim boasts an English dub of the series brought to you in DTS-HD Master 5.1 as well as the original Japanese dub in DTS-HD Master 2.0. Both the English and Japanese dubs come in crystal clear and equalized at all points throughout the series. There is no clipping, overmodulation, or anything of that sort. Even when jumping to the opening and ending portions of the episodes, the audio remains equalized so you don't have to keep adjusting your volume every three seconds. Also, I just want to note that the OST of this series is phenomenal.

Video:

As expected, the video quality of this Blu-Ray home release is defined in 1080p HD with a default aspect ratio of 16x9. The video, which is uncensored on the Blu-Ray release, comes in smooth at all points throughout the series. Character outlining is well-defined and everything just looks flat out beautiful all-around. The show's art style is reminiscent of older series from when Sci-Fi reigned supreme in the anime world but don't let that fool you. It still has a modern day twist for all of those who are afraid to look back to a time when anime was less "anime."

Packaging:

Do you like blood? I hope so. If you don't, I honestly don't know why you'd even bother watching this. The artwork on the case of Parasyte Collection 1 puts one of the first "Parasytes" against a backdrop of Shinichi's school with blood splattered...well, pretty much everywhere. The color scheme is dark and hopeless, congruent to how the series feels overall. As if that wasn't enough blood, the back of the case has even more carnage for you to enjoy. In fact, the summary of the series is literally inside a puddle of blood with the words "Kill. Eat. Repeat." displayed above it alongside several thumbnails from the series. No humans were harmed in the making of this Blu-ray collection.

Menu:

The menu for this collection loops the opening (Or the ending on Disc 2) of the series above a list of the episode titles that Migi appears next to when highlighted. The opening is clear on the menu, almost exactly the way it is in the episodes themselves. Thanks to Migi, episode highlighting is easily visible and puts no strain on your eyes whatsoever. One thing to note, though, is that this might get annoying if you become too lazy to turn off your TV and just leave the menu looping while you look for something else to do. I don't know if I can rate menu screens like that, but I feel like that's a good 50% of my relation to them. Either way, it's definitely a step up from Sentai's regular edition DVD releases and a pleasure to look at.

Special Features:

The first Blu-ray collection of Parasyte is a bit lacking in terms of special features, containing only the clean opening/ending songs as well as four aptly-chosen trailers for other Sentai releases (Akame Ga Kill, Vampire Hunter D, Brynhildr In The Darkness, and Black Bullet). There is nothing else to report on that aspect.

Content:

(Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

What does it mean to be human? Is it our DNA that sets us apart from the other creatures that inhabit the earth? From a scientific standpoint, the answer to that question would be "yes". However, we are not scientists, so we must answer that question in a different manner. For as long as we can remember, humans have been the champions of survival, conquering all obstacles in our path due to the sheer amount of knowledge that we're able to possess. But what if humans were no longer the champions? What if some other species showed up one day with the likeness of human beings and treated us as their prey? Would it be us that really deserve to survive -- or would it be the newer, more perfect human race? That is the common question brought up in the world of Parasyte: The Maxim.

Based on the 1989 manga by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Parasyte whisks viewers away to a world where a parasitic alien race is attempting to attach itself to and consume the life-force of human hosts. These parasites, however, are just acting on basic instinct. With that being said, it is no surprise that our main character (Shinichi Izumi) in Parasyte becomes infected by one right at the very start of the show. Shinichi, however, notices the parasite as it burrows into his arm and cuts off any path that said parasite has to make it to the brain. The result of this lies in the parasite (Who we will come to know as Migi) controlling his right arm instead of his entire body.

Initially, Shinichi and Migi wind up resenting each other. Shinichi blames Migi and the other parasytes for ruining not only his life but the lives of everyone else around. Migi, on the other hand, sees Shinichi as an extremely weak human -- which in turn leads to him seeing himself as weak for not being able to properly infect him. Regardless, Migi needs to rely on Shinichi for sustenance in order to keep himself alive, while Shinichi must rely on Migi to protect him from other parasytes who want to eat him and steal his brains or something. Either way, the two wind up slowly forming a bond based on nothing but codependency at first. However, that bond transitions into something bigger as they continue to learn more and more about each other.

The main plot in Parasyte continuously advances depending on who and what close to Shinichi is being affected by the parasytes. No matter who he comes in contact with, terrible things wind up happening to them. This leads to Shinichi becoming sort of aloof and somber as he distances himself from everyone he was close to. Sometimes that distancing is a direct choice of his, sometimes it's not. SPOILER TIME: Early on in the series, Shinichi's mother is infected and taken over by a parasyte. This is ultimately what sends him spiraling down a road of uncertainty as he struggles to grasp the gravity of his new life. No matter how far he winds up going down that road, he still remains haunted by memories of his mother that go on to affect the way he treats...well, everyone. He winds up distancing himself from his girlfriend (Even though I guess she isn't his girlfriend right away? Their relationship is dumb) and his friends. This is one of the key factors in growing his relationship with Migi -- the one thing he can't separate himself from.

As their bond strengthens, so does Shinichi. He learns to control his body in new, superhuman ways as the parasyte continues to fuse with his blood. This leads to him becoming a super masculine hunk that honestly just becomes even more annoyingly strong as the series progresses. I don't like this guy, I really don't. I'm not sure if you're supposed to or not, but he just seemed like an overly static, boring character that only developed because he was literally forced to. Migi, on the other hand, is fantastic. Even though he's just this weird alien hand thing, everything he says is packed with so much philosophy that he essentially becomes the voice of the author, constantly illustrating and spelling out each and every theme for the viewer. The most beautiful part of Parasyte is how quotable some of the exchanges between the parasytes and the humans are. They make you question right and wrong. In that aspect, the show is phenomenal.

Some of the scenarios Shinichi is tossed into wind up being just as hard-hitting as the dialogue itself. Another thing Parasyte does well is developing the characters surrounding Shinichi before grabbing them and saying, "Hey, remember how you were starting to like this person? Yeah, well, they're dead now. Sorry." Parayste goes through that cycle over and over again as things start becoming larger and larger not only thematically, but scale-wise. The mindsets of the parasytes begin changing -- they figure out how to become more human; they start banding together. Just as the problem begins to spiral even more out of control, the first collection ends and we're all left sitting here thinking, "Ugh, now what?"

In Summary:

Parasyte is a good show. It has its problems -- most things do, but the good parts are really, really good. Like I've said before, the themes and the dialogue turn a show that would be otherwise pretty nifty into a show that you actually have to sit down and watch. Parasyte has become an essential for all types of anime fans since its airing in 2014. Thankfully, we have 24 episodes of it instead of just 12 -- which is absolutely needed considering just how much happens within that timeframe. Fans of sci-fi, gore, horror, psychological, drama, and action -- do yourself a favor and check this out. It's a loyal adaptation of an old series that has been essentially beckoning to be adapted for decades now.

Features:

English DTS-HD Master 5.1 Audio, Japanese DTS-HD Master 2.0 Audio, English/English SDH subtitles, clean opening/ending songs, Sentai Filmworks trailers.

Content Grade: B+

Audio Grade: A

Video Grade: A

Packaging Grade: A-

Menu Grade: B+

Extras Grade: C

Released By: Sentai Filmworks

Release Date: April 5, 2016

MSRP: $69.98

Running Time: 300 Minutes

Video Encoding: 1080p High Defition

Aspect Ratio: 16x9

Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story Vol. #2 Manga Review

We are...the four champions of Rubrum!

Creative Staff:

Art: Takatoshi Shiozawa

Supervision/Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura

Story: Hiroki Chiba

Translation: Alethea and Athena Nibley

Lettering: Lys Blakeslee

What They Say:

From the ashes of tragedy rises unbridled strength. Those four, wrought by suffering and burdened with despair, will overcome insurmountable odds to become known as the Four Champions of Rubrum.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Following the near-complete slaughter of their classmates during a test of courage, the four remaining cadets from Class Two are honored by Akademia for their ability to survive in worst-case-scenario circumstances. Having the utmost faith in these newly proclaimed "Four Champions of Rubrum," the commanding officers of Akademia send the cadets out on a mission to calm things down in Concordia (Which, just to remind you, was the country ultimately responsible for the death of the rest of Class Two). Still being stricken with grief and blaming herself for the massacre, Miwa elects to remain behind for the time being as Kurasame and Guren set out to calm things down on their own. Kotetsu, not wanting Miwa to carry this burden alone, stays back with her and attempts to help her cope.

After being approached by the commanding officer of Class One, Takatsugu, Miwa is given a sort of wake-up call. Takatsugu essentially tells her that even if the death of her classmates is her fault, just sitting back and doing nothing isn't going to save anyone. Miwa immediately takes this to heart considering the circumstances of their new mission. Not wanting to delay any longer, Miwa gets over her burden and sets out to provide backup with Kotetsu.

Meanwhile, Kurasame and Guren wind up coming across a rather interesting Concordian duo -- a feeble old lady and her pet Tonberry. This old lady (Who is also the first person the cadets come across in Concordia) provides a fantastic first impression as she invites them into her house and gives them a brief rundown on the current conditions of her village. As it turns out, the monsters in the area have begun to run rampant, berserking through the forest without any sense of control. However, this woman's congeniality is what ultimately caused things to turn sour from this point on. 

Kurasame and Guren, not wanting to delay any longer, set out to the main village where they were initially designated to. After warmly being greeted by the mayor of the town as well as the local innkeeper, the two don't suspect a thing. However, this time around, the congeniality is a farce. The mayor and innkeeper lure Guren and Kurasame into a trap, separating them before attacking. Immediately after Kurasame sprints off to "Rescue the innkeeper's daughter," Guren is subdued and thought to be dead. Kurasame, on the other hand, gets locked in a battle with a young, Concordian (Or so we believe) girl who we find out was actually rejected from Akademia. Fueled by her rage and the desire to prove herself, this girl (Yumemi) unleashes a barrage of magical attacks backed by advanced close-quarters combat. Considering that Concordians are typically incapable of using magic, Kurasame is caught by surprise and immediately falls into the losing half of the battle. However, just as things are about to end for him, Miwa shows up and is able to fend off Yumemi's attacks.

Back at the inn, Kotetsu isn't going to be tricked as easily as Guren. Within just seconds of his arrival, he spots that something is a bit "off" about the way he's being treated. After quickly calling their bluff and accusing them of using magic, the mayor and innkeeper begin a second wave of attacks against Kotetsu. Just as the fight begins, Guren breaks through the wall, surprising the fake Concordians in not being dead. From this point on, the volume becomes a grand-scale battle between the four champions of Rubrum and the rogue magic-users taking residence in the Concordian village.

The cadets are ultimately able to repel the Concordians and break their control over the monsters in the area, completing their mission and returning peace to the village. After returning, time skips forward about two years to the point where the champions have grown quite popular around Rubrum. Their latest mission, guard duty at a royal party, ends up with them killing an assassin set out to kill the princess. One thing leads to another and said princess winds up being guarded by Kurasame and Miwa as the two set out to escort her to safety. The volume comes to a close after the princess is separated from Kurasame and kidnapped by a wandering [Concordian] soldier.

In Summary:

Even though I'd classify volume two as a step back from the first volume, there's still enough action and exposition to carry this one through to the next. The addition of the old lady and the Tonberry furthers my faith in The Ice Reaper's ability to weave dramatic storytelling highlighted by tragic plot points. The action is a little hard to follow at points, but it's nothing that makes the series unreadable. All in all, I'm excited to read the next volume and am looking forward to our characters as they progress down an extremely dangerous path.

Content Grade: B-

Art Grade: B

Packaging Grade: B-

Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 16+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: November 3, 2015

MSRP: $12.99

Shirobako Collection 1 Anime DVD Review

It's easy to have a dream. The hard part is making that dream a reality.

What They Say:

After making an animated film together in high school, Aoi and her friends Shizuka, Ema, Misa, and Midori made a promise to each other: to all get jobs in the anime industry and someday work together again.

Two years later, Aoi is learning that working as a production assistant at a small animation studio is far more demanding than she ever imagined, and Shizuka's aspiring career as a voice actor involves more time waiting tables than recording.

Meanwhile, Ema's slowly making a name for herself as a key animator, Misa's moved from 2D to 3D and now works in computer graphics, and screenwriting hopeful Midori is lagging furthest behind, still looking for her first big break. But are they ready to give up on their dreams just yet? No way! Because while anime may come from inspiration, in the end, it's the ones who're willing to put in the perspiration that make their dreams real in Shirobako!

Contains Episodes 1-12

The Review:

Audio:

Sentai's home-release of Shirobako is [unsurprisingly] brought to us containing only the Japanese dub. This isn't a huge surprise, though, considering it might have been a little stressful to cast over 50 roles had they elected to dub the series. Regardless, the original audio quality remains fantastic. Shirobako features over 60 minutes of original background music as well as several original full-length songs. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and does not clip or peak at any point throughout the series. 

Video:

The video specs for this DVD release restrict graphics to the quality of 480i with a basic aspect ratio of 16x9. Of course, not much else is to be expected from DVDs at this point in their lifespan. Despite the video definition, Shirobako still manages to utilize its extremely clean art style in order to keep the series looking beautiful. There are no frame skips, cuts, or jumps at any point in the series. One more thing to note is that the extremely varied color palette is only slightly diluted from video quality. But once again, that's only due to the fact that you can't really get much more out of a standard definition DVD release.

Packaging:

Honestly, I love the artwork on the first collection's DVD case. The well-polished graphic displays Aoi and company amongst a blue and white gradient background with the bubble-letter logo displayed in the bottom left corner. The standard release [obviously] comes shrink wrapped and without a slip cover. The back of the case is riddled with thumbnails and an inspirational quote (Which I have posted at the top of the article) all wrapped up with another graphic consuming the top half of the cover. Below that is a brief synopsis of the first half of the series.

Menu:

The menu screen for the first Shirobako collection goes a step or two beyond typical Sentai Filmworks releases. Of course, they managed to keep in their standard "Titles on left side, graphic on right side" layout. But the menu for Shirobako winds up looking a bit more polished and tidied up with its extensive color scheme and original Aoi Miyamori character design amidst the show's logo. Clicking on the special features option brings up another original character design for Shizuka (Also known as best girl) against a polka dotted backdrop.

Special Features:

The standard release of Shirobako is lacking in special features, containing only the clean opening/endings songs as well as four trailers for other Sentai releases (La Corda D'oro - Blue Sky, Hanayamata, Locodol, and Tamako Market). There is nothing else to report in that aspect.

Content:

(Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

I think it's common knowledge that two of the most important things in the world are doughnuts and anime. But if you combine those two things with well-written comedy, a plethora of memorable characters, and an extremely realistic story, you receive something so great that it literally revives an entire genre of animation that has been becoming less and less creative as years go by. This mixture can be referred to as Shirobako, which can also go by the name of Watch This Show Because It Is Probably The Best Thing Ever. I'm not kidding. There's so much packed within the confines of this slice-of-work/comedy/drama that literally anyone can take something out of it. Whether it be laughs, anime industry know-how, or even tears, we can all benefit from Shirobako in some way or another.

Following the lives of five girls and their respective ventures into the anime industry (But focusing mainly on one girl - Aoi Miyamori), Shirobako gives us a glimpse into the many different aspects that go into creating anime. Miyamori, being unsure of exactly what she wants to do as far as making anime goes, falls into the position of a production assistant tasked with basically making sure things get done on time. But apart from being a peek into the life of a production assistant, Shirobako is a tale of realizing your dreams and figuring out your place in not only the workplace but the world as a whole. Of course, there are obstacles along the way, there always are, but Shirobako shows how different people in different situations cope with said obstacles in order to make the most of not only their job but their life as a whole. This culminates in a story that is not only a blast to watch but a one that actually provides important life lessons that go on to parallel literally everyone who has ever worked anywhere.

It becomes clear early on that Miyamori is really struggling to live a happy lifestyle. Even though she appears to be bubbly and over-energetic to all of her coworkers, something seems wrong. Miyamori sees all of her friends working toward their dreams in specific sects of the anime industry while she, on the other hand, can't seem to figure out what to do next. Yeah, she's exactly where she's always wanted to be, but what now? It's actually a rather interesting scenario when you think about it -- being right in the middle of your favorite thing in the world and still feeling empty inside. With this in mind, Shirobako begins deviating from a day-to-day detailing of anime-craft and becomes a journey of self-discovery for Miyamori as well as the rest of her friends.

The first half of this series focuses on Musashino Animation's newest project, Exodus -- which details three magical girls that fight crime or something like that. The plot of Exodus isn't important. What is important, however, is all of the difficulty that stems from the creation of this series. Each episode starts becoming more and more rushed and the key animators and even the director himself start drawing blanks. The person who winds up feeling the brunt of all this is Miyamori. Her role as a production assistant has her communicating with each part of Musashino -- which of course leads to things like conflicting explanations, stubborn animators, financial troubles, and the oh-so-common dimwitted employee. As the series goes on, these problems just become more and more heavy, morphing into a giant ball of materialized stress that goes on to consume Miyamori and everyone around her. This really causes a change in the way people look at making anime. A lot of people out there, even fans of the craft, see people who work in the anime industry as people who basically get paid to sit around and have fun. When, in all actuality, the industry is one of the fastest-paced out there in terms of film and television.

As if just watching Miyamori trying to get by wasn't entertaining enough, we also get to experience the inner and outer struggles of her friends. And while I won't go over the lives of each one, I will note that the portions of the story that center around Shizuka are more of a wake-up call than anything else the show has to offer. Shizuka is the girl from the group who, at a young age, seemed to be the most promising and talented one. The thing is, she's also the girl who elected to become a voice actress. Considering the popularity of anime in Japan, the voice acting industry is one of the biggest, most competitive job markets out there. Even though Shizuka seems phenomenal to the viewer, the mass amount of other actors surrounding her forces her into a depressing and seemingly hopeless way of living. Almost every time we see her alone, it leads us to believe that she's absolutely miserable. She feels useless. The more important thing is, haven't all of us felt like that at times in our lives? Shizuka's story is, in my opinion, the most realistic representation of trying to succeed in today's world. She shows that sometimes working hard just isn't enough.

In Summary:

It's hard to explain just how important Shirobako really is. Thematically, the series is a monster. There are so many aspects of Shirobako for viewers to relate to that going through a single episode without thinking, "I understand how you feel" becomes virtually impossible. At the same time, the amount of care put into the series in terms of ensuring quality is just as apparent as the message it possesses. The characters are unique and realistic, the art is some of the cleanest I've seen in years, and the music boosts emotional tensity almost tenfold when the need arises. Honestly, Shirobako is one of my all-time favorite series and I feel like no matter what I say, I won't do it any justice. The one thing I can promise you, though, is that you will learn something from watching it. Do yourself a favor and check this out. It's a real diamond in the rough.

Features:

Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 Audio, English subtitles, clean opening/ending songs, Sentai Filmworks trailers.

Content Grade: A+

Audio Grade: B+

Video Grade: B+

Packaging Grade: B+

Menu Grade: A-

Extras Grade: C

Released By: Sentai Filmworks

Release Date: February 9, 2016

MSRP: $49.98

Running Time: 300 Minutes

Video Encoding: 480i Anamorphic

Aspect Ratio: 16x9

Mayoiga: The Lost Village Episode #11 Review

He hugged me, a fake, and welcomed me back.

What They Say:

A shady bus tour of young men and women are headed to an elusive village called Nanakimura. A destination where people can partake in a utopian existence, free of the world's obstacles... or so goes the rumor. Heading deep into the mountains, the bus is carrying 30 different individuals, each harboring their own expectations and troubled hearts. What they had arrived to was an uninhabited village with lingering, faint scents of life. It was falling apart. Just what is the secret of Nanakimura?

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

In my past several reviews of this series, I have comedically picked apart various aspects of Mayoiga and made light of them, often turning things that would look fine on paper into jokes, leaving behind any shred of sentiment they may have. However, this penultimate installment to the series deviates from its self-parodying tendencies and, instead, becomes something one step closer to beautiful. We're all aware by now that the bus driver blames himself for the death of his daughter, Misato. The first portion of this episode builds upon that, with him fumbling across a firefly-infested field on the way to Misato -- who's just...standing there. Upon reaching her, the bus driver does not embrace her, but instead falls to his knees and pleads for forgiveness, only to be greeted by the lifeless abyss that has consumed the light within her eyes. He knows by now that this is not his real daughter, but that she is a reality that he must face. And as he accepts this, Misato accepts him.

The scene cuts away from the heartwrenching father-daughter moment as we meet back up with Valkana and the others. With half of the villagers falling into an apathetic slump, Valkana and the few others who still possess some sort of emotions start to catch on to the fact that something weird is happening. Amidst the growing chaos, Hyouketsu No Judgeness and Jack show back up and rain down a barrage of flaming arrows at the rest of the villagers. After their brief onslaught, they reveal exactly what they're doing there. Before they can reveal the identity of their boss (Koharun), the scene cuts away again -- this time back to Hayato. Still torn up over Mitsumune's decision to abandon him, Hayato begins to wander aimlessly around Nanakimura in search of him. Instead of finding Mitsumune, however, he winds up running into Koharun. After bombarding him with cryptic dialogue for a few minutes, Koharun announces that Nanaki is growing. Of course, just as she says this, Hayato's Nananki (His grandmother) emerges from the forest larger than ever before.

Finally, the episode cuts to Mitsumune and Yottsun on their way back to Nanakimura. Just when things begin to look bleak, the bus driver makes his second appearance of the day as he speeds onto the scene. Once the doors to the bus open, the driver is seen unconscious behind the wheel, albeit not for long. He wakes up as soon as Mitsumune and Yottsun enter and immediately turns his attention to Misato, who is now seated at the back of the bus. However, this time around, Mitsumune and Yottsun can see her. Misato walks up to the front of the bus and praises her father for being able to face his fears. As the bus driver is reluctantly about to bid his daughter goodbye, she declares that she won't be leaving, but that she will become one with him in order to always be by his side. She then vanishes, but not before providing some extremely valuable information to the three men on the bus -- Reiji is actually Masaki's Nanaki. As the level of mystery reaches a new high, the episode comes to an end.

In Summary:

Just to cut to the chase, this is the best episode of Mayoiga so far. In fact, it's really the only one that peaks over the "average" mark. The amount of care that was put into the storytelling of episode lies not only in the story itself but the artwork's reflection of that importance as well. The scene when the bus driver approaches the ghost his daughter has become is not only hauntingly depressing but melancholically hopeful. I think I might be repeating myself in saying this, but it was beautiful. The background music winds up boosting the intensity of this moment as well as it meshes with the dialogue and artwork, culminating in an unexpectedly dramatic penultimate episode to the series.

Grade: A

Streamed By: Crunchyroll 

Mayoiga: The Lost Village Episode #10 Review

If you lose your Nanaki, you lose yourself.

What They Say:

A shady bus tour of young men and women are headed to an elusive village called Nanakimura. A destination where people can partake in a utopian existence, free of the world's obstacles... or so goes the rumor. Heading deep into the mountains, the bus is carrying 30 different individuals, each harboring their own expectations and troubled hearts. What they had arrived to was an uninhabited village with lingering, faint scents of life. It was falling apart. Just what is the secret of Nanakimura?

The Review:
Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

I was right -- the mystery man was Reiji. I mean, I'm sure that I'm not the only one that thought that...but I can still flaunt it in my critique, right? Anyway, things get a tad weirder in this week's episode. Hell, I still can't even figure out if half of what happened actually even happened. Nonetheless, we've got a decent amount of ground to cover.

First and foremost, Mitsumune wakes up (Or does he?...) in an abandoned hospital-looking thing with his father next to him. Mitsumune's father, who is visibly shaken up by the reunion with his son, goes on to detail what happened while Mitsumune was away. Apparently, his mother put his disappearance on her, stating that she, "...killed another one". Papa-Mitsu then goes on to tell his son that they were so close to making her normal again and that they wanted him to come back home. This scene is actually one of the most powerful ones in the series so far. There's a shot where Mitsu's father is scratching off the names of his children on their house's nameplate and it's almost heartbreaking. Almost. The upsetting part is, from this point on, the episode begins to fall flat.

Out of nowhere, Yottsun shows back up (Or does he?). As if that wasn't weird enough, we learn that Yottsun is now friends with God. And by God, I mean a guy that he calls God -- his real name is Kamiyama or something. As it turns out, Kamiyama is a professor/theologist that has been studying Nanakimura for years now. After doing research on the psychological scars of various people from different backgrounds, Kamiyama took it upon himself to visit the village as well. In turn, this lead to him meeting the Nanaki (Which is the confirmed manifestation of psychological scars) and ultimately getting sent back to reality after he loses it. The thing is, ever since he lost the Nanaki, he has started aging rapidly. That part still doesn't really make sense to me.

Meanwhile, the best-girls and Nanko begin questioning Reiji after he brings them all to his house. This is, in fact, Masaki's Reiji -- though he doesn't particularly feel this way. According to him, Masaki has always had a thing for him but he honestly just doesn't care. In fact, he doesn't really seem to care about anything. Reiji states that he was living with several others...but that they just randomly vanished along the way. After a long argument that results in Maimai losing her temper and hating men again, Reiji takes the girls to a cliff that overlooks Nanakimura where he suspiciously states, "It's changing shapes." Dude, what? Oh, we also get to see Lion's past for thirty seconds. She looks cute in a dress. That's all I got from it.

Finally, we are re-introduced to Jack as Eyepatch-man shows back up at a mysterious shack in the middle of the night. After the two punch each other in the face for messing up their duties, their boss shows up. Aaaaaand it's Koharun...Greaaaaaat.

In Summary: 

Despite episode #10's well-written start, the episode loses steam as it drags on and winds up being a jumbled mess. Too much information is thrown at viewers in too many ways and it ultimately shapes a sporadic and unintimate viewing experience. While it was nice seeing things that may or may not have actually happened in Mitsumune's household after his disappearance, things like the thirty seconds of Lion's backstory and a rushed science lesson from a rapidly aging man wind up being...just dumb, really. The Reiji thing was predictable -- the Koharun thing was predictable. Essentially, Mayoiga has a lot of work to do if it wants to craft an ending fitting for the rest of its relatively solid outing.

Grade: C-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll