Anime Review Roundup

It was another bumper week for anime reviews last week, and I kicked things off early with Slayers Try: Volume 1. Yup, another series of Slayers comes to the UK, hot on the heels of Slayers Next, and this time, the pint-sized sorceress and her cohorts have been unleashed on the wider world. They've set sail for distant shores, seeking new adventures and new foreign cuisines (mostly the cuisines), but this time they have a Dragon Priestess urging them to save the world, as well as a vengeful Monster who is planning something apocalyptic. Sounds like zany RPG mayhem as usual. Click on my review to see if that is the case.















It was the back catalogue that beckoned to me next, as I took a look at Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi: The Complete Collection. Studio GAINAX tackle Sliders, and create something totally madcap, bizarre and relentless. Twelve-year-old friends Sasshi and Arumi get sucked into a series of parallel worlds when a mystical object atop Arumi's family restaurant breaks. It's just the excuse the animators needed to come up with a series of parodies and tongue-in-cheek homage, that are jam packed with references, in-jokes, and winks to the audience. It's a good thing that there is an AD Vidnotes extra to point them all out for you. Point and click.















The previous volume turned out to be a dramatic kick in the teeth, so I was simultaneously dreading and anticipating Solty Rei: Volume 4. Would our heroes reconcile? Would the truth behind the Blast Fall be revealed, would the machinations at the RUC be uncovered? Are you kidding? There are still two volumes to go after this one. But events continue to spiral in a dark and ominous direction. Gonzo have a tendency to focus on the bright and pretty animation to the exclusion of the narrative. See if they've resisted the temptation this time by reading my review.
















It was Stuart's turn next, as he took in the Black Lagoon: Second Barrage Collection. If an eighties action movie could be turned into an anime, this is it, and the Second Barrage features the further adventures of the modern day South Sea Pirates who operate under the Black Lagoon moniker. Sex, violence, swearing, big guns, bigger gunfights, explosions, all that's missing is Arnuhld. But 'Two Hands' Revy more than makes up for him, with a two-fisted shooting style that earns her nickname, a venal, greedy mercenary streak, and an ability to revel under the most extreme of circumstances. Except that her cohort, white collar worker turned pirate Rokuro 'Rock' Okajima always manages to rub her the wrong way with that pesky conscience of his. I loved this series when it was released in single volumes last year, and now Stuart has the chance to fall in love with the second collection, which boasts my favourite cover of all time.












Finally, David turned his attention to the Blu-ray release of Shigurui: Death Frenzy. I had a look at the DVD release of this series earlier, and was impressed by the awesome visual impact, the deliberate pacing, and the measured character study. It's an almost Shakespearean tale of vengeance and hatred that spans over several years at the end of Warring States period. It's the search for power that drives two swordsmen to each other's throats, and the lust for that power perverts and twists them both in shocking ways. I had one or two reservations about the story's inconclusive nature, but see how the Blu-ray presents that stunning animation in David's review, and how the site's resident horror-meister takes to that gruesome and bloody storyline.













ADV released Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi as singles years ago, but the complete series collection was only released earlier this year. Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage Collection was released by MVM a couple of weeks ago. MVM will also release Slayers Try: Volume 1, and Solty Rei: Volume 4 on the 7th of September. Manga Entertainment release the Blu-ray collection of Shigurui: Death Frenzy today.