Reviews - by Ian - May 16, 2010 - 12:33 UTC - 1 Comment
Several hundred years into the future Metro City, a land filled with riches and intelligence, decided it was time to break free from the rest of the world. A world that had become so full of pollution that the dwellers of Metro City simply couldn’t cope with it anymore, so they affixed rockets to the belly of Mt Sufion and took to the skies. A number of years later the father of modern robotics, Dr Bill Tenma, is working on a new range of robots to help the prosperous, tidy and what appears to be somewhat green Metro City continue to be a great land when his equally brilliant son, Toby follows him into his laboratory.
What happens next is every parent’s worst nightmare; Toby is killed violently by a robot with an unstable core. Grief does strange things to people and Bill opted to recreate his son rather than cope with the passing of his only child. He does this by creating the most lifelike and advanced robot ever made. To make his son even more real, Bill takes a hair from the only item of Toby’s that wasn’t vaporised – his hat – and clones his memories and uploads them into his latest bit of kit.
Any fantasy and sci-fi fan can tell you that clones, even clones that are robots, aren’t the same as the original person and if only someone had told Bill this – as before long he realises that he can’t stand Toby. Toby overhears this and manages to fly away from his father after a slight row and then is found by the President of Metro City. The President is after Toby due to his power source, the rare blue core and he thinks it will help him secure re-election. Toby is blasted by the President’s goons and he falls out of the sky and lands on the Earth’s surface. Before long he is taken in by the locals under the new name of Astro and has to deal with the complex situation of everyone thinking he’s human when he isn’t. Of course, it doesn’t take long for his secret to become known and then as it becomes known he has to battle to save not just Metro City but the entire world.
Of course, Astro Boy isn’t a direct and faithful manga-to-film transition, more of a reimagining of some of the key points from Tezuka’s 1952 work. Yet, due to this, the film manages to charm and play with what was current nearly sixty years ago and make the storyline fit into the modern day with relative ease. As this is a child’s film, the storyline is somewhat simplistic; however, the character development throughout the film is easily viewable. From Bill learning how to cope with his child’s death, to his abandonment of his reborn child to accepting him again towards the end of the film, it’s clear that the producers of Astro Boy are intent on drawing as many emotions out of its audience as possible. All of the primary characters have depth, from Toby/Astro to Astrid and the majority of the other characters in between; there are backstories to be told for each of the characters which are merely hinted at in the most meagre of ways. To a child these subtleties are well hidden, but to the adult watcher it gives the film more depth and creates a much more enjoyable viewing experience.
Naturally there are characters that are good and those that are evil and due to the way the characters are portrayed it’s very easy to get behind the protagonists and enjoy hating characters that really do deserve it. The President it one such character and although it’s very tongue in cheek, it could easily be referenced to the recent elections in the UK, where politicians will do anything that they can to remain in power. Astro Boy also opens up questions about humanity itself – is a robot with a human mind a human or a robot? This sort of question isn’t something that a viewer would expect from a shallow, Japanese action, kids film. Fortunately at no point is Astro Boy a shallow film, it touches on many elements of daily life, from fitting in with your peers to discrimination and back again. These themes are masterfully dealt with and a child will see very little of this and what they do see will be considered normal to them. It’s from an adult’s eye where this film truly comes to life.
Astro Boy is also a joy to watch, it’s CGI animation suits it down to the ground, with smooth animation and crisp corners there’s none of the “cheap” animation that’s often seen in budget shows. As the film is entirely CGI, apart from a few opening credits, the film falls straight into the Finding Nemo and Wall-E bracket of animation style, except slightly more generic. This would be fine for a standard Nickelodeon film; however, Astro Boy has more of a storyline and much more potential, therefore the inoffensive style is trying too hard to remove itself from its Japanese routes and thus removing part of the soul of the film. Fortunately the great voice acting cast manages to add a lot of soul back to the film. From the likes of Nicholas Cage, Matt Lucas and Kristen Bell, the acting is first class with no overdone moments or poignant moments that fall flat. To put it very simply, Astro Boy is a perfect family film and executed brilliantly.
» Final Score
8
Astro Boy is masterfully executed, with a great storyline, brilliant voice acting and a passable, inoffensive animation style for the mass market consumer. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable film and a great one for all of the family; however, purists will be immediately turned off due to the lack of cohesion to the original Tezuka work.
Reviews - by Ian - May 4, 2010 - 15:54 UTC - Be first to Comment!
It’s some time in the future, not too far out, but just far enough for subtle differences to exist; the world has suffered a huge trauma. It would appear that some form of new warfare or some hideous “act of god” has destroyed a large part of Japan. As a result there are a large number of people who are now refugees and naturally there are some new law enforcement agencies around to try and ensure that everyone is “safe”. Of course, these agencies don’t really know what they are doing and in the opening episode of Witchblade, this new agency tries to separate a loving mother from her doting daughter.
Yes, that’s right, the daughter has to dote on the mother as she has no memory of anything prior to the incident that shook the world and wiped her of her memory. She just appeared as a lone survivor in the rubble with a baby in her arms. It doesn’t take long to find out why she was the lone survivor in a disaster that killed all else – she’s more than just a human. Masane Amaha is a Witchblade, which is a form of weapon that changes the very character and power of a human being and transforms them into the perfect weapon. With her daughter, Ryoko, she runs from the law in the first few episodes before she is discovered by Reiji Takayama of Douji Group Industries where she is employed to fight malfunctioned Witchblades.
During all of this a relationship starts to blossom between Masane and a photographer who helps save Ryoko in the earlier episodes of the seires. There’s a lot of death from the word go and some of the deaths in the middle episodes are very poignant as the characters are somewhat believable and it’s easy to connect with them. Then there’s the huge twist mid-way through which reveals something that is only hinted to a few times early on in the series. This clears the path for an emotional rollercoaster for the lead characters and creates just a small bit of tension.
None of this plotline is earth shattering, in fact, in many respects its little more than standard anime fare. With the end of the world just happened, or in this case, an end of a very localised world, law enforcement agencies that are either evil or just corrupt and a lone protagonist who has to save the world. Yes, Witchblade ticks all of the boxes that makes it nothing special. Then there’s the plentiful fanservice. Although tame in comparison to Daphne in the Brilliant Blue, where the lead characters wear next to nothing and then in battle wear even less, there’s still enough of it to keep any young male salivating. Fortunately Witchblade does not take itself too seriously and makes fun out of the lead characters impossibly large breasts when she’s in her “human” form. When she’s battling as the Witchblade, well, there’s jiggling a-plenty as the “enemy” Witchblades also have impossibly large boobs and tiny wastes.
Yet, what makes Witchblade stand out from the crowd are the characters. Yes, aside from the somewhat clichéd plot at times and the amount of fanservice that shouldn’t interest anyone over the age of 16, the characters are what really make this show worthwhile. There’s a fair amount of character development from the entire cast, not just the main three or four but the supporting cast members seem to evolve by the end of the series. The relationship between Mother and Daughter, between man and woman become apparent and watching relationships blossom and die, amongst copious amounts of death, destruction and sci-fi action puts Witchblade above a mere average anime.
The animation is very good on Witchblade, with characters moving at the same time, clear and distinct colours and with the odd nod to some cyberpunk and Bubblegum Crisis references here and there. The backgrounds are all distinct and at no point does the show feel like it’s recycling different backdrops to save money. The characters themselves are all very distinct and clear, even though a lot of the characters wear few clothes and have huge breasts; it’s easy to distinguish one from the other. The supporting cast for the most part look good and individual as well. The dubbing is a little off, with the Ryoko’s voice feeling off compared to the Japanese cast, but that’s by-the-by as the acting from each cast member is of a good quality and there’s only a few lines of dialogue that sound awkward.
» Final Score
7
Witchblade is a solid show that’s clearly had a lot of love and affection thrown at it; however, it’s let down by the need to over fanservice the characters and by a somewhat clichéd plot. A touch more originality here and there and a sprinkling of maturity rather than aiming at the teenage boy market would really set this show apart from other’s in it’s genre.
Reviews - by Ian - May 3, 2010 - 11:39 UTC - Be first to Comment!
“The opening of the first few episodes gives a brief but detailed description of what is happening in a fictional world, where alien life forms known as the Genjyu have taken over control of the world and people have been living in fear of these creatures since the late 1940s. Rather than being intelligent life forms, the Genjyu are no more than parasites, spreading across the world at an incredible rate and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. To try and battle these creatures, all modern forms of warfare have been employed and it would appear that not even a nuclear bomb is able to disperse the creatures and prevent full invasion. As such the use of these powerful weapons has left the planet poisoned with radiation. Yet the aliens continue to live on whilst the human race struggles to live ordinary lives alongside them”.
Continuing from Gunparade March Volume 1.
By the end of the first volume the story seems pretty much explained and the characters are somewhat developed. The first episode of the second volumes opens with a very light hearted beginning with the main characters creating and organising a puppet show for some of the younger students at their school. Considering that these older students are meant to be training to destroy the Genjyu in super, high powered, monster fighting robot machines to put on a puppet show is a gentle touch to show some humour. This is also a nice twist away from the generic alight fighting animes in the market that don’t contain so much as a giggle; however, this first episode is not without its bloodshed.
Within the first episode a few more Genjyu are introduced, bigger and more dangerous than before. This danger becomes even more apparent when one of the best student fighters is taken down by one of the Genjyu and has toxins enter their body through an open wound. This leads to some gruesome scenes and by this point the character’s relationships are developed and their concern is projected very well. By the end of the first episode, several students have died which truly impacts where this anime is prepared to go. Unlike a lot of anime, Gunparade March is not afraid to actually kill off some characters.
In the following episode, life tries to resume as normal, but student’s deaths are still on everyone mind which makes for a very depressing episode and rightly so. In this second episode, another new Genjyu is introduced which emphasises that just because lives have already been lost, doesn’t mean to say that these foul beasts rest. It reminds viewers that the war is still on going and it is seemingly never ending. This new Genjyu is also referred to as ‘The Brain’ and it soon becomes clear that other Genjyu are it’s spawn and if The Brain is destroyed it can no longer produce new Genjyu.
As to be expected with any new breed of anything, the new breed is tougher and not as easy to destroy especially as this one can multiply. The students find themselves having to withdraw temporarily thus making things a little more interesting, leaving the viewer eager to know what the next move is going to be and just how will it pan out.
The animation quality hasn’t improved at all since the first volume and although it’s not bad, it’s just standard. The same can be said for the voice acting for the English cast, just a little bland and forgettable. However, credit must go to the storyline which is fast moving and glides swiftly between more relaxed, humorous scenes to serious fighting scenes. Most viewers are likely to have worked out by the end of the first volume whether this anime is something that they would want to continue with and the second volume really does just carry on from where it left off.
» Final Score
6
It’s good and so far that’s all it is. It hits all the right buttons with regards to the viewers who enjoy weapons, aliens, blood shed, comedy and the occasional adult humour. The only thing that really lets this anime down, again, is the voice acting. They are often over-the-top, exaggerated, forced and feel as though the actors themselves lack experience. The anime itself might have received a 7 if the voice acting wasn’t embarrassingly bad.
Reviews - by Arctic Zora - April 4, 2010 - 22:27 UTC - 1 Comment
Tamagotchi the Movie, published in 2007 was produced by Susan Deming, directed by Dan Kuenster and written by Kuenster, Deming and David Lewman and inspired by the much loved digital pet in an egg shaped key-ring, the Tamagotchi. The adorable little pet was first released to the world in 1996 and people of all ages, from children to parents and everyone in between seemed to own one. This addictive, pixelated pet enabled the owner to nurture, play and even clean up after their digital pet, with the upside of less bad smells and the only exercise the user would get would be with their thumbs.
Owing to the gadget’s success, in 2007 Tamagotchi the Movie was released in Japan and was every bit as adorable as the virtual pet was itself. The storyline begins with a young girl, Tanpopo who is confused and indecisive about becoming a big sister for the first time. She sports her very own Tamagotchi key-ring and is seen playing with it before she gets a phone call from her mother asking her to take a bag to her. Unbeknown to Tanpopo and the rest of the population of Earth, thousands of miles away, across the sea stars, another planet exists known as Tamagotchi World. Housing hundreds of little Tamagotchi’s who are all living their own little lives and it’s at this point the remaining characters are introduced. The key character, Mametchi who is a sprightly, young Tamagotchi keen to become an inventor like his father, but who also shares Tampopo’s confusing emotions of becoming an older sibling.
In what appears to be a freak accident, Mametchi transports Tanpopo from Earth to Tamagotchi World whilst conducting a new experiment. Unrealistically, Tanpopo rather than being distraught at being caught up in a whole new world, is more than happy to find herself on a strange planet; where every item, bush and building has a face and even Black Holes, one of the universe’s most feared entities, is made to look adorable. This becomes even clearer when she finds she can spend each day playing with the digital creatures she has come to love back on Earth and not suffer any implications as she will be able to travel back in time. So the work and adventures begin to try and help her return home and for her and Mametchi to realise that being an older sibling is nothing to be scared of.
The characters are all well thought out and with enough emotion and problems for young children to relate to. Tanpopo is faced with the realisation that a lot of children her age are forced to come to terms with, not just sharing their parents attention but also that they now have to be the grown-up one with someone who will be looking up to them. This beautiful message is conveyed brilliantly and reassures a lot of viewers with some very conflicting emotions, which by extension will make a viewer enjoy the movie that bit more. Pretty deep for a film inspired by a digital pet, right? Not to worry, the rest of it is complete fun and nonsense! The characters are adorable, colourful and funny.
Something the viewer may find surprising is the fantastic quality in the animation! It’s smooth, clean and crisp, with multiple characters moving at the same time. Not what one would expect from Tamagotachi the Movie. There are plenty of big named animes out there that aren’t as privileged to have this same standard of animation. A little over the top for what is a pretty standard storyline? Not at all. If such an incident was to occur such as being transported to a world run by cute little pets, living in cute little homes where even the sun lives its life exploring different hot springs, then this is what you’d want to see! Everything in this movie is overflowing with colour, sparkles and glowing rays of light. Tamagotchi the Movie looks so good it actually looks edible!
The voice actors are perfectly synchronised with the Movie. Not that this would be difficult to achieve, anyone willing to accept a few gulps of helium could do the job.
» Final Score
7
Tamagotchi the Movie is perfect for all ages, from the glint in the dad’s eye and upwards. The storyline is simple, filled with heart-warming messages, which are woven into a colourful, smoothly animated film that everyone should see at least once in their life.
Reviews - by Ian - April 4, 2010 - 22:15 UTC - Be first to Comment!
The world is a filthy, evil place. Harbouring people with no morals, love or sense of decency, it’s time for things to change. Unluckily for the criminals of the world, the Shinigami Ryuk has accidentally dropped his Notebook onto Earth from the Death World and a teenage Light has managed to pick it up and he is about to cleanse the world.
Death Note is already well known to almost all of the anime community, despite only making across to the UK in 2009; it’s been widely followed, admired and discussed about for many years. Something that not many anime can achieve, it’s so widespread that there have been a number of “copycat” incidents in the media where people have actually penned their own “Death Notes” books with people they hate – naturally this has led to the mass media trying to use Death Note as some sort of scapegoat for society’s wider problems.
Death Note focuses primarily on the lead character, Light who is a teenage prodigy with a strong sense of morality and what the world should be like. Due to this intelligence he easily believes that he could play at being God, a task that is given to him in the first episode as he finds a notebook with instructions. These instructions are very sinister, write someone’s name in the notebook and that person will die. As with most decent people, he dismisses it as something that’s disgusting but is also tempted to use this tool. He decides that he’s going to test it on someone who deserves to die – a most wanted criminal.
To his surprise it works, and to further this level of shock he is met with a Shinigami (Death God in Japan) called Ryuk who explains how to use the Death Note, mostly because he wants to see what’s going on and as he’s got an affinity with apples.
It doesn’t take long for the police to realise that someone is killing off criminals around the world and brings in someone to try and help – L. L is a criminal’s worst nightmare, with a sickly look about him and an almost Sherlock Holmes power to deduct everything from the word go and play the game at the same time he’s easily the hero of the series.
The plot itself moves around at a very quick pace, with plenty of subplots running concurrently and with an expanded but brilliantly placed cast Death Note manages to capture the viewer’s interest in the first episode. Rather than the series peaking at the start and the end it manages to keep the suspense running throughout the entire series – not an easy feat. Especially as this is a 37 episode series that’s essentially a murder-mystery show. At no point do the cast seem mechanical, forced or unbelievable. Even the characters that are seemingly perfect, such as Light or L are fallible and these fallacies are shown in the most catastrophic ways – something that would often occur to people who are “better” than everyone else.
Of course, to keep the plot moving along there are a few twists and turns that are expected a little and towards the middle of the series it becomes hard to picture how the show will continue with its momentum. It’s at this point a coup de grâce is delivered to one of the key characters and the entire show’s dynamic changes and some of the other characters start to “slip” a little, it’s at this point the viewer is able to start predicting the end of the show; however unsuccessful they may be at it.
Death Note manages to toy with the audience throughout the entire show, with promises of scenes that do not occur but make the viewer beg for more of what was delivered instead. At no point does the show let the viewer take a back seat and simply guide them through the world, it’s shock after shock with blows to the gut that leave the audience gasping.
The characters are well designed, with all of the “other-worldly” creatures designed in a way to show that it’s clear that they are the same specie, but each are unique as humans are. The humans in Death Note also all look different – another rarity from the anime world. The support cast are all designed well and the actual colouration of the scenes and the characters is done brilliantly. A keen eyed viewer will be able to spot that the colours change throughout the show, with the backgrounds darker and lighter at different points to accurately reflect the situation at hand.
The casting of the voice actors of the Japanese cast is perfect, there is emotion and depth in the acting, and the English voice cast attempt to match this but miss but a smidgen but the English dub is still a great dub and well worth watching.
» Final Score
9
Death Note has clearly has many influences: it’s part horror, part tragedy and part detective drama. With the lead character being a super smart, super athletic teenager with maniacal tendencies, it’s easy to dismiss Death Note as its plot is weird and its lead character is boring. However, this would be a grave mistake. Death Note is easily one of the best anime to be released in the 2000s.
Reviews - by Ian - March 28, 2010 - 16:10 UTC - 2 Comments
Even three lustrums ago Production I.G was a forced to be reckoned with. It takes a long period of time to become recognised and at this point Production I.G were nearly a decade old. It was during the fateful year of 1995 that Production I.G released a new film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, based on the hit manga by Masamune Shirow – Ghost in the Shell.
Over the years Ghost in the Shell has managed to achieve the legendary status that is normally only granted to films from Studio Ghibli. The popularity of Ghost in the Shell in the past fifteen years is such that a sequel was released nearly a decade later, Ghost in the Shell Innocence, although not a direct and before that the anime series – Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. To further prove the popularity of this show, Ghost in the Shell 2.0 was released in 2008. GitS 2.0 is a re-release of the original GitS film, but it has been entirely reproduced, from the digital scenes right through to the voice acting and soundtrack.
It’s some years into the future, in a world that looks essentially the same as our own today. The major countries in the world still exist, political turmoil still exists and the corporate and public backstabbing that occurs through all companies and governments have intensified due to the revelation of new technologies. In these government agencies, there are an increasing number of people who used to be human and are now part cyborg with only parts of their humanity remaining – mainly their consciousness, which is referred to as the Ghost.
Two of Japan’s top agencies although to the public appear to be working together, are actually bitter enemies and only keep the façade up to ensure that the status quo is maintained and all out warfare doesn’t occur. However, they are equally as suspicious as secretive as each other and this is seen from the very first scene in the movie. Our heroine, or even anti-heroine as many would argue, is on a stakeout mission where she has to kill one of the contacts of Section 6, which she manages to do with ruthless efficiency.
It doesn’t take long for some of Section 6’s plans to go a bit astray and Section 9, the section where our heroine works, finds out and sends out the team to find out why Section 6 have access to robotic technology that they have no need for. Whilst they investigate Section 6, some truly incredible information falls into their possession around Ghosts and Ghosts evolving from nothing – something that was once thought of as impossible as part human part android people.
Unfortunately Ghost in the Shell 2.0 does not wrap everything up nicely, there’s a huge cliffhanger and this leaves a lot open to interpretation. Naturally this leaves the viewer desperate for more – a sign of a truly great film.
The characters are all clear and distinct, with plenty of questions raised on the morality of creating people and interfering in the human body and there’s loads of character development from the two main “androids”, something which a lot of anime manages to miss. The film itself is very grungy and has echoes of cyberpunk from the very start. However, this does not mean the film has been done on the cheap, or looks cheap, the backgrounds and characters are well drawn and the colours – although dark – are distinct and accurately reflect the mood of the film.
The voice acting of the English cast is brilliant, with all of the characters completely distinct and recognisable even when not looking at the screen, which is a very rare occurrence. The acting of the English voice cast is also top-notch with affection, sadness and melancholy being expressed with truth. The Japanese voice cast are also amazing, as is the actual soundtrack to the entire film.
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is going to be contentious for many fans, those who saw the original or the Special Edition a few years ago will notice some significant differences in the films that they are watching. 2.0 has a lot more CGI, with some scenes entirely redone and unfortunately some of the CGI scenes jar painfully with the original drawn scenes that it sits next to, it’s more than just a juxtaposition, it’s a little off-putting. However, the rest of the upgrades are perfectly done, the majority of the scenes have been improved with more distinction in the characters and with more effective colours. Between the original and the remastered version the colour palettes have changed significantly as well, there’s a lot more orange and lighter hues than the original blue and greens, this update is done very well and doesn’t jar or look out of place with modern anime – although the original colours give the film a different feel.
» Final Score
9
The original film is going to be many people’s favourite; however, for sheer quality of transfer and the gentle revisions made in most places simply lift the quality of this film’s visual up a few levels. With a great storyline that grabs the viewer and a cast that’s the best in recent times, it’s a must have for all anime fans.
Reviews - by Arctic Zora - March 27, 2010 - 18:14 UTC - Be first to Comment!
Initially a very successful twelve volume manga, Gravitation has now been adapted into an anime series that’s thirteen episodes. It’s been released as four separate volumes and now available as a single boxset. Directed by Bob Shirohata and distributed by MVM Entertainment in the UK, this anime is primarily about one young man keen to become Japan’s next successful Pop Idol in a band called Bad Luck. However, this simple plan runs into a few problems when the lead character meets another young, sexy, cool and bad tempered man who gets in the way of his plans.
Shuichi, the lead character, is a cute, ambitious young man with dreams of becoming a world renowned Pop Idol with his band: Bad Luck. Yet, in the first episode he finds himself in a bit of a rut, uninspired, struggling with his lyrics and on top of this, he’s got studio deadlines to meet. Bad Luck or good luck, whilst taking a walk with these lyrics he stumbles into a far darker, cooler and sexy young man named Eiri Yuki, who just so happens to be a famous and grumpy novelist. He sees these lyrics and has got plenty of things to say about them, and not all of his feedback is positive or seen as constructive. Despite this unfriendly start, Shuichi becomes a victim of the nasty side of Eiri and the clearly infatuated Shuichi has his emotions ripped apart by Eiri. Whilst all of this is happening, his music career isn’t exactly moving forward either. The storyline isn’t the first of its kind, but it still gets a thumbs up for originality due to its unusual love story.
There is a fairly large cast of characters, all ranging from humours to serious. A lot of the auxiliary characters are very generic and it’s mostly the main characters that have any form of character development and even that is on that slim side. Shuichi is a typical lolli-shota character, young looking, happy-go-lucky and wears his heart on his sleeve; whereas Eiri Yuki is a darker, more distant character, full of maturity and great one-liners. Their relationship could be compared in many ways to that of Hunni-chan and Mori from Ouran High School Host Club; except for the “adult” relationship between Eiri Yuki and Shuichi. The two are opposite ends of personalities yet form a confusing and unbreakable bond. Even by the third volume, Eiri Yuki’s personality is confusing. He never lets on what he is truly thinking and to make him all the more mysterious he has a hidden past that’s not revealed until later episodes, a hidden past that holds some very deep, dark secrets. The rest of the characters are completely forgettable and for a band that’s attempting to be the next big thing, the rest of Bad Luck are dull and characterless.
The quality of the voice acting cast in English isn’t too bad, the key characters have got good, somewhat-unique voices and they are easily understandable. The Japanese cast are much better in this situation, with their voices matching the characters in a better way; however, both tracks are watchable. The subtitles are also well done, the positioning is good and the majority of the “extra” bits of information, such as signs, are translated for the most part as well – something that’s being dropped from a lot of releases at the moment.
The character designs are fairly good. Each character is clear, distinct and almost glows. With plenty of costume changes, close up shots and singing there’s many chances to cost-save, but for the most part they’ve avoided this. The actual quality of the animation is just about average, with a few extended “sweeping” shots where nothing’s actually moving and it’s rare to see more than one character moving at the same time.
In reality it’s all about music, it’s about sexy men, big hair, soap opera worthy relationships, bright colours and sparkles. It’s very obvious whose attention this anime is trying to grab just by its imagery. It’s funny, filled with heart throbbing moments and the occasional adult humour.
» Final Score
6
Far from being the best anime in the world and although it can be a little slow, it’s certainly a watchable show. Gravitation is ideal for an audience that craves gorgeous men in love, music, love, teasing and something to giggle at.
Reviews - by Arctic Zora - March 22, 2010 - 20:50 UTC - Be first to Comment!
“Gunparade March” originally started out as ,a video game for Playstation. Due to its huge award winning success, it was later featured as a twelve episode anime series and also a three part manga. The anime version of Gunparade March was produced by J.C.Staff and broadcast on MBS in February 2003 and April 2003 in Japan and only recently made it’s way across to the UK. It is comparable with many other animes, such as: Gundamn Wing, Baldr Force EXE and bizarrely enough, Tenchi Muyo.
The opening of the first few episodes gives a brief but detailed description of what is happening in a fictional world, where alien life forms known as the Genjyu have taken over control of the world and people have been living in fear of these creatures since the late 1940s. Rather than being intelligent life forms, the Genjyu are no more than parasites, spreading across the world at an incredible rate and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. To try and battle these creatures, all modern forms of warfare have been employed and it would appear that not even a Nuclear bomb is able to disperse the creatures and prevent full invasion. As such the use of these powerful weapons have left the planet poisoned with radiation. Yet the aliens continue to live on whilst the human race struggles to live ordinary lives alongside them.
On first impression this anime is nothing special, it could even be described as cookie-cutter. The storyline, though interesting, would only appeal to one type of audience – the sort that love guns, machines and robots thrown in for good measure. Not to forget the Genjyu, who are huge, vicious aliens that can only be destroyed by a monster fighting-weapon-laden-robot, the Humanoid Unit AMTT-500, who incidentally looks a little like Metriod. This is all discovered in the first episode and not to mention a bit of bloodshed to seal the deal for those out there that judge an entire anime within the first twenty minutes.
However, by the second episode the story widens out a little and it can entice a much larger audience. It becomes humorous, with typical characters with similarities that can be found from across the Sci-fi genre and a few others to boot, such as a cute girl like Sasami from Tenchi Muyo. The storyline has pulled on inspiration from Tenchi Muyo with a lot of action, but with a lot of comical every day life moments thrown in. There is plenty of time to get to know the history and the lives of the characters, which the first few episodes spends a lot of time doing.
The main characters are actually young adults still in a Training school where they are taught to use the Humanoid Unit AMTT-500. These students treat the Genjyu invasion like an everyday thing, laughing and discussing more ordinary concerns such as having a boyfriends and homework. The characters seem to vary from very serious, to flirtatious, Lolashota to playful. As could be expected from teenagers, some of the subject matter isn’t always family friendly and the humour can be a little crude now and again.
The artwork is nothing out of the ordinary, with a pleasing look but the characters are all a little generic however the backgrounds and the characters themselves have enough detail. The animation quality is fairly good, although there are an awful lot of still shots of space, robots and a lot of close-ups of people talking but with little movement. The voice acting is very standard, almost forgettable on the whole and the Japanese cast isn’t much different either.
» Final Score
7
A good opening to a series, although the first episode will lead many fans away from the series who would probably end up liking later episodes in the volume.
Reviews - by Arctic Zora - March 20, 2010 - 22:06 UTC - 1 Comment
“U Don’t Know Me” is a yaoi published by Net Comics and written by the author known as Rakun. Originally published as donginji (doujinshi) in Korea, “U Don’t Know Me” is a love story where two best friends, close to brotherhood, reveal their secret desires to each other that have stemmed from childhood in a world where this is still taboo. “U Don’t Know Me” is a romantic, sexy, humorous with a pinch of violence piece of work and has a story comparable with other popular manga such as “There’s Something About Sunyool” and “Merry Family Plan”.
The two main characters, Yoojin and Seyun’s relationship blossom, as they grow older, from best friends in their childhood and become passionate lovers in their teens. Yoojin is typically tall, dark and handsome, martial arts professional and all round cool guy. Whereas Seyun, who is not only handsome, but is seen by his lover as far weaker and less cool with a hint of lolli-shota. Life is seemingly sweet until Seyun moves away with his irrational father during his childhood; however, things do not work out and years later he returns. Yoojin is still living with his parents when Seyun moves to his own place nearby. It is from here the two realise they were always more than just friends. Yoojin often too forceful and Seyun tougher then he acts, it’s a complicated relationship from the beginning and this is before the parents find out!
The quality of the artwork is decent and the actual imagery is graphic throughout the entire manga, the front cover alone is somewhat suggestive and goes much further than this giving the viewer exactly what’s hoped for. Like any good quality manga, it is easy to read. There are many double pages pretty much dedicated to the less then subtle sex scenes, picturing more passionate moments and leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. However, it’s not all seriousness as there are plenty of chibi sketches that express the storyline has taken a lighter turn and the reader is welcome to laugh. The more that one reads, the more the manga feels like an anime, which is a great sign. Darting from one box to the next ensures the entire yaoi can be enjoyed and finished well within the hour. Ideal for saucy lunch hours and bathtub reading!
“U Don’t Know Me” is a perfect read for anyone who enjoys a typical yaoi storyline. Two sexy young men sharing passionate moments that become more graphic and intense as the pages turn over. The storyline consists of a shock factor most of us born in the 80’s have long since gotten over but can’t wait to know more about. The romance coincides neatly with the heart throbbing sex scenes and the more heart breaking discussions as Yoojin and Seyun debate if what they’re doing is right.
Although very enjoyable there are some scenes that feel as though they are only put in to make up the pages. Seyun has this gangster like image around him that Yoojin does not see. In school Seyun is revered as one of the toughest school kids around and is known for loosing his temper and getting into fights. However, when with Yoojin, he is described as a ‘kitten’ and only looses his temper during heated debates of which anyone could be guilty. Thus parts of the storyline seem almost completely irrelevant which leads to impatient thoughts such as “Let’s have another sex scene or a strange twist!” However the storyline is not without it’s shocking moments that render the reader unable to put the manga down before knowing what happens next.
» Final Score
7
A little typical, occasionally irrelevant but overall it delivers the reason it was bought for in the first place.
Reviews - by Ian - March 16, 2010 - 17:10 UTC - Be first to Comment!
Thirty-eight years ago a new fad was sweeping the nation of Japan, a somewhat surprising fad considering the origin. Pandas. Yes, China had generously donated a panda to a Japanese zoo in an attempt to increase their political and social ties and in the process the Japanese population went into a frenzy. Then Panda! Go, Panda! arrived and sent them all into overdrive.
Panda! Go Panda! is an early work of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, which predates Studio Ghibli and the pairs more famous works by many years. However, the early signs of the pair’s creativity and artistic style is very dominant throughout the film itself.
Calling this production a film is a bit of a stretch though, it’s more like a collection of extended episodes from an anime sewn together with a common theme – pandas. Not that this is a bad thing though. In the original release there were a few follow up episodes; these have all been threaded into one extended DVD with three episodes.
From the off it’s clear to see that this is not only early anime, but is also early Miyazaki work. The character designs, while distinct, lack the finesse of more recent films; however, his style has clearly been developed from this early work. This is clear to see from the resemblance between Ponyo and Mimiko for example. The pair’s work has also become famous for paying an incredible amount of attention to the scenery and being surrounded by nature, this style and theme is apparent throughout all of Panda! Go, Panda! as one is able to tell simply from the name of the feature.
The basic premise of the story is that a little girl- Mimiko has been left on her own to tend to a home whilst her Grandma goes away in Tokyo. Mimiko is a very young girl, so immediately the thought of someone of that age being left alone does strike a chord of disbelief; however, Mimiko is a very capable young girl who manages to see her Grandma off and goes home to find she’s got intruders in the house. Before she can really comprehend what’s happened, there’s a baby Panda in her home who she decides to care for with the passion of a Mother.
Mimiko is still of school age and decides to take Panpan to school with her, which understandably causes a riot as they don’t believe Panpan to be a Panda but another creature that needs attacking. Mimiko manages to secure Panpan and takes him back home only to be met by a giant Panda, Papa Panda. Mimiko takes this all in her stride and decides that they will become a larger-than-life family with a human “mother” and two Panda’s for relatives. The rest of the stories continue in a similar vein, and it’s clear that this story is a precursor to the more internationally famous Pippi Longstockings and Totoro.
Panda, Go Panda! is available in both English and Japanese. The English dub is well done, considering it’s got no Disney backing unlike the majority of Ghibli works, although Papa Panda does have a very strange, almost Jamaican imitation style voice. The subtitles are well placed and the overall quality of Panda, Go Panda! is top-notch. Considering this title is older than the majority of the people who will be watching it and as it’s clearly a “cash-cow” to try and grab some cash from a passing fad the actual animation quality and transfer to DVD is brilliant.
» Final Score
8
Panda, Go Panda is an amazing piece of work, for fans of Ghibli who want to see what the lead directors were up to before the creation of the Studio this DVD is a must and as it’s been out for a while now it’s going to be cheap to pick up. For people looking to try and emulate the “Spirited Away” experience, it’d be best to look elsewhere.
Reviews - by Ian - January 12, 2010 - 11:13 UTC - 4 Comments
Ouran High School Host Club is a school for the rich, famous and beautiful and in the case of Haruhi Fujioka a scholarship student who is unfortunate enough to break a several million yen vase and end up being forced to work as a man in a Host Club. This is not a hard-hitting exposé of the life of cross-dressing hosts, but a lighter than life comedy about an unfortunate girl who stumbles across more than fortunate boys.
Part 1 of this acclaimed anime series left us on a high, Haruhi had just been through a vision roughly based around Alice in Wonderland where she was being tried for various crimes before she realised that she was in a dream. We catch up with the unlikely group of people back at school and the school newspaper is suffering from a decline in readership and need the Host Club to help them get back on their feet.
The next twelve episodes of Ouran High School Host Club mange to continue with the high quality that was experienced throughout Part 1, with fun being poked at class, gender and many facts of life for “normal people” as well as expanding into areas of emotion and divide whilst maintaining the easy going flow of the show. There is hints of a complicated storyline being developed by the latter episodes of Part 1 and Part 2 only go to expand upon that. Whereas many animes attempt to have multiple plots running at the same time end up being a mess of random episodes tied together, Host Club effectively manage these plots and subplots throughout the entire series. There are some references that only the “otaku” culture may understand, such as growing mushrooms in a dark corner, but for the most part the universal humour that was seen in Part 1 has translated through to the remainder of the show.
Granted Host Club is entirely unbelievable in almost every aspect – super rich kids essentially enslaving a poor person at a school where apparently no work is done and teachers allow half naked boys running around empty music rooms. But the character development is strong, for the entire cast, not just the two lead characters. This is a rare occurrence in any form of media, let alone anime. Based on the first volume of this series it would be easy to believe the characters to only be 2.5 dimensional, a bit flat with a tiny bit of history. This volume really fleshes the characters out from the twin’s insecurity, Kyoa’s inferiority complex, Honey and Mori’s extensive history to Tamaki’s less than pleasant relatives. These issues are also all dealt with, but in a manner that leaves other issues open for the characters to inhabit and dwell in, of course this is a comedy show and all issues are dealt with in amusing ways. Fake feuds, exaggerated worry and various other techniques are used to keep the viewers attention but keep the emotional undertones in full view.
To maintain this level of detail the script needs to be next to perfect and fortunately the same high quality writing has managed to be marinated throughout the entire series. This has led to no filler episodes and even fewer duds. As this is only a 26 episode series with nothing on the horizons for a Series 2 the writing and plot has had to be very tight and this attention to detail shines through.
The animation quality also remains very high, with every character being bright, distinct and easily recognisable. There are a few scenes where characters are doing fiddly jobs and the animation is smooth – the temptation to simply have music playing the background whilst there’s a freeze-frame on the character has fortunately been ignored.
In terms of voice acting, the Japanese cast is best; however, the US voice actors have done a superb job at getting much of the maniacal laughter and emotion across. All of the characters match their voices and it’s all performed very well – just unfortunately they’re not as good as their Japanese counterparts.
In terms of extras, well last time I managed to get a copy of the US disc and there were some amazing specials that didn’t fly across to the UK release which is a huge shame. Those extras really made the DVD super special. Unfortunately the extras again have been missed off of the second volume for the most part. Maybe next time eh?
» Final Score
10/10
With a gentle storyline that helps the character’s development and engages with the viewer, Host Club manages to achieve what many anime attempt and miss: an engaging, personal experience.
Reviews - by Ian - January 10, 2010 - 22:44 UTC - Be first to Comment!
In a world surrounded by heat, sand and hate, one man stands alone. His wish is simply to be the best, the very best at what he does; which is anything – so long as it pays well enough. Desert Punk is a missionary, but not in the religious sense and in the post apocalyptic world he inhabits just trying to meet ends and survive is a daily challenge. With his new apprentice Kosuna in tow he’s starting to try and mend his battered reputation.
Various people sent his once perfect reputation into ruins, but in his mind the lead perpetrator of his downfall was Junko. With her ample assets and her ability to manipulate she’s managed to appear back on the scene with another job for Kanta. However, for the briefest of moment’s he’d learnt his lesson, until the figure for the job came into conversation. Within a few seconds he was on hand with his apprentice to help Junko help the richest man in the desert find some more hidden treasure.
This storyline manages to run across two episodes and is crucial to the storyline of Desert Punk, not only does it confirm that the world was once somewhat habitable but it also confirms that there was some form of huge disaster. Additionally it also manages to show that there are people who still want this new world, which is less than ideal, to have the same mistakes repeated – war. Of course there is double-dealing throughout these episodes and they only go to highlight the lengths that some people will go to survive. If this were a more serious anime it would be easy to discuss the morality of humanity; however the “right” thing is done and next episode puts Desert Punk back on crass humour track.
In the next episode involves the Desert Punk decides that Junko’s initial betrayal was far too much and manages to capture her and put her in an adult “Big Brother” style house. She wakes up to find that she has next to no clothes on, but is in an ample sized, but completely secure, apartment of sorts. The one thing she doesn’t know for certain, but suspects, is that Kanta is not only behind this but is actually watching her. Before long the episode takes a somewhat expected twist but leaves the viewer wanting more at the very end.
With kidnapping, implied masturbation and sexual scenes throughout the episode is so close to the verge of hentai it’s embarrassing this episode manages to take the show to an entirely new level. Of course, there is a degree of humour involved and Junko certainly gets her “just deserts” on Kanta but the actual content is more than simply risqué.
Kanta is left battered, in a physical sense and his reputation as well. After not really succeeding with Junko’s job, or with Junko everyone thinks that he’s a bit of a joke and money’s tight. A job appears to rescue a rich little girl from some kidnappers – he thinks this is a perfect job. Unfortunately Kanta and Kosuna don’t realise that this little girl is beyond demanding and arrogantly stupid. The kidnappers are far more advanced than he expected and the little girl doesn’t take too kindly to being rescued by an inept team or kidnapped either.
Throughout the episode Kanta is abused by this little girl and is pushed to his limits by her behaviour and the kidnappers. This episode is easily the most forgettable on the disc as it’s very bland. “Nasty rich girl wants to be rescued but doesn’t want to do anything” has been used in anime and in films from all over the world and it does very little to inspire enjoyment from a viewer. Not only that but the episode is easily the darkest in terms of palette and strange compression artefacts appear far too frequently. Fortunately the majority of the episodes are relatively free of these and the episode being so dark only highlights these further.
Not forgetting the extras, this time around there are some noteworthy extras to speak of, although for the most part they are irrelevant to the disc they are being placed on. A 19 minute feature called The Survival Game Course Part 1 which sees Misa Kikoden and Yamaken heading to a shop with Kanta not far behind to get some equipment for survival games and a short animated manga side-story that shows Sunabozu story with Japanese text and subtitles below. It’s only five minutes and lacking in content. But it’s great that we see some decent extras for once.
» Final Score
8/10
After a very poor outing from the second volume, Desert Punk has managed to not only redeem itself but lace itself in crude and dirty humour that is only suited for certain tastes.
Reviews - by Ian - October 13, 2009 - 21:02 UTC - Be first to Comment!
In the post apocalyptic wastelands that remain after a huge disaster on the planet Earth, most of the population has been wiped out. With only the few people who remain living in deserts and ruins trying to forge out a new life with what little they have, it doesn’t take long before people try and make money in and way that they can. Although greenery might be a thing of the past, the ruthless thrill of money making is a strong as ever.
We find our anti-hero after a series of unfortunate events in Volume 1 trying to restore his battered reputation. Desert Punk was once the very best missionary that money could buy, but unfortunately for him a number of bad jobs has left that once shining reputation in tatters. To try and get some cash together to try and repay his lost jobs, Desert Punk takes on an easy job – looking after villagers. This episode is a vague and frankly somewhat poor attempt at a parody of The Magnificent Seven and the Seven Samurai rolled into one. Although this would’ve been better if it had not tried to pay homage to these over done stories.
Fortunately the successive episodes take the rest of this volume to better places. Kanta is forced to take on an apprentice, although he would rather of had an older women with plenty of cleavage for him to admire. His apprentice is actually the apprentice of the sniper who tried to kill him in an earlier episode. Fortunately for this apprentice, she is a clever being and blackmails Kanta into accepting her by what she’ll look like when she grows up. Of course this superficial attitude is not something that a parent may want to promote to their children, but in all fairness a good parent wouldn’t be letting their young children watch this type of show.
Desert Punk then kicks the humour up a gear with the next episode. Kanta and his lovely apprentice Taiko are tasked with trying to clear a cursed rock from a prominent businessman’s land. This rock has claimed the life of many-a-missionary in the past and to reclaim his once amazing reputation Kanta is determined that he will be the one to rid this businessman of this irritating cursed rock. Throughout this episode Kanta has vision of what he would love to happen and also a couple of nightmares as well. These crude dreams are well placed and are in direct contrast to the horror that Taiko is experiencing from her rational mindset.
Desert Punk Volume 2 is certainly a release of two halves. The first half of this DVD is a step away from what one might expect from the action packed first volume. Of course, the second volume of any anime is a hard one, just like that second novel is often scrutinised far more harshly than the first. However, in this case the first two episodes really do take Desert Punk in a direction that’s not necessarily where the second half was taking it.
The voice acting remains as consistent in English and it does in Japanese and although there are a few generic moments from some of the supporting cast, the main cast do a great job in English and they match the Japanese voice cast brilliantly. The animation remains as smooth and consistent as before and the washed out colours are no longer present. One big qualm is with sound quality though, be prepared to turn the volume button right up as it’s a very quiet release.
The first half of this DVD was droll, with the entire Seven Samurai plot; it makes the show feel tired and old. Of course the Seven Samurai legend is amazing, but it’s been done to death and with a basic premise (world destruction after an implied nuclear war) that’s also clichéd and overused the actual content of the show needs to be not only well above average, but delivered brilliantly to merely be passable. This is something the first two episodes do not do under any circumstance.
Fortunately the latter two episodes turn the entire DVD around and take Desert Punk back in the direction that is expected from Gonzo. They are action packed, humour inserted and appropriate and often random moments and a script quality that’s not paying homage or taking overused plots and working them into something nearly new. If it had not been for these two episodes, many would not continue with this series.
» Final Score
6
From what was a great first volume, the second volume of Desert Punk is unfortunately a bit of a let down. The last two episodes are very good, but do not make up for the first two mediocre episodes.
Reviews - by Ian - September 30, 2009 - 21:14 UTC - 2 Comments
Every day we wake up, go to work or to school, have a busy day, go home, eat some food and go to bed. The world is a peaceful and enjoyable place, although it can be a little on the dull side. This was the life of Sakaki Yuuji until one day on his way to school he witnesses the world suddenly freeze around him. Everywhere he turns people are engulfed in blue flames, and it soon becomes apparent that there’s another world besides his own that’s in a constant battle. Just as Yuuji is about to suffer the same blue frozen fate as the rest of the people around him, a red haired youth appears calling herself Flame Haze. Unfortunately for Yuuji she’s incredibly blunt and lets him know that he’s dead and he is now Torch. Rather than sulking or becoming distressed Yuuji accepts this fact and Flame Haze becomes Shana, his friend and their whole new world begins.
The first episode sets the scene for what would be a very typical anime, with a bland lead character, a random character who comes to shake everything up and turns out to be incredibly arrogant and a world that needs saving. Nothing new and certainly not worth even switching the DVD player on for. Fortunately the second episode starts to move the plot forward a bit and throughout this episode the character develop and the show becomes a bit more than the standard “normal boy meets not so normal girl”.
From the second episode onward the show starts to take a different twist, as it soon becomes clear that Shana, although an arrogant character, is one with clear moral guidelines and is prepared to upset others to get what she wants. Although throughout the entire series she is very bratty and will demand her own way when it’s not always the best course of action. Yuuji follows at first the usual male lead role, he does deviate a fair bit from this clichéd personality, which makes him more likeable and bearable as a character.
Although a lot of the character’s personalities are a little overused, the plot fortunately takes a different course of action in comparison to the majority of the shows in its class. Unlike Naruto or Bleach the plot isn’t just one fight and adventure directly followed by another, there is character development and whereas characters in shows of it’s class seem to simply change in one sitting, characters in Shana change over time. Not forgetting the very open ended ending.
Although the characters themselves are trying to deviate from the norm, the animation style hasn’t changed a bit from any other generic anime that’s out on the market at the moment. The character designs themselves, although unique to this show, still follow the same basic trends as the rest of the genre and a lot of the supporting cast are hard to distinguish without being named by the other characters. The animation itself is of a good quality, with smooth movements and distinct characters from the background. The colours are vibrant and look good, although not outstanding.
The voice acting is of a good standard as well, the Japanese actors have clearly put effort into their vocal and on the whole each voice suits the characters very well. The same can be said for the English cast, although some of the voices do sound a little typical but overall it’s of a solid standard. Just like the music, likeable and enjoyable.
» Final Score
7/10
Shakugan no Shana deviates a little from the other titles in this genre and is much better than a lot of the alternatives around. For early teenage viewer this is a perfect title.
Reviews - by Ian - July 27, 2009 - 09:00 UTC - Be first to Comment!
In a world where people are harmed, murdered, mugged and probably pillaged on a daily basis it’s one of the modern moral dilemmas what to do. Is it safe to stop and try and help the poor soul, just to end up going to prison or being sued because of the criminals “human rights” or does walking on by sound like the best option. Either way it’s highly unlikely that anything really, really bad would happen.
Unlike poor Shibuya, the protagonist in Kyo Kain MAOH! He was casually riding his bike one day when he saw someone being mugged, someone he knew, and felt morally obliged to go and help him. Unfortunately the other person did a runner and left Shibuya to face the wrath of the two muggers/bullies who were attacking him. After only offering them a pitiful 2,000 yen they decided that a good, old-fashioned “bog-washing” was in order.
Much to Shibuya’s surprise he found himself not just in the pan of a woman’s toilet, but being sucked into this chasm and after a flashback, suddenly in some new world. After a lot of confusion, and assumptions that the poor lad had fallen into a cosplaying European theme park he quickly learnt that he was not just average Shibuya. Shibuya was actually royalty from another dimension. If that’s not enough for him to comprehend, he was also a demon and was now faced with the difficult challenge of killing all humans and burning their land to a crisp in this new and strange world.
However it would appear that not all in Shibuya’s new kingdom agree with killing all of the humans, regardless of how scared some of the children may be of them. Shibuya himself has trouble coming to terms with this statement as well; after all, it is genocide. Yet the manga is not serious enough for the moral issue of genocide and just glosses over the issue for the most part.
It’s clear that this manga is meant to be humorous and it takes itself very lightly as the protagonist falling into their new kingdom via a toilet is certainly a way of keeping the atmosphere of the manga light. Although it does have an element of internal conflict, magic, training and various other themes that are expected in a fantasy manga.
Fortunately all of the characters in Kyo Kain MAOH! are very distinct, with a character design that is brilliant. Although following all industry conventions each of the characters are easily distinguished, especially as they are well drawn and attempt to go for the semi-realistic route that a lot of manga has been doing recently. Additionally the characters often find themselves in situations that they have never known before, especially the lead character. This could easily be mishandled making the characters spew over used clichés and other painful expressions; luckily, these do not occur at any point.
» Final Score
7
Kyo Kain MAOH! is an interesting opening to a series that is going to be dealing with various issues from the word go. Falling through into the world through at toilet sets the light tone throughout the entire manga, although it touches on issues that are much darker. With magic, strength, battles and humour, Kyo Kain MAOH! ticks many of the boxes that people want in a manga.
What happens next is every parent’s worst nightmare; Toby is killed violently by a robot with an unstable core. Grief does strange things to people and Bill opted to recreate his son rather than cope with the passing of his only child. He does this by creating the most lifelike and advanced robot ever made. To make his son even more real, Bill takes a hair from the only item of Toby’s that wasn’t vaporised – his hat – and clones his memories and uploads them into his latest bit of kit.
