Anime Review Roundup

The biggie, the one that we've all been waiting for, and I got to see it before most everyone else courtesy of the wonder that is the review disc. Contain your jealousy for a minute while I link to my review of Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone - 2 disc Collector's Edition. Hideaki Anno went back and started again from scratch. Not content with making the most influential anime series of the last twenty years, and not to mention the most controversial ending(s) of all time, probably, he decided to do it all again, and tell the Neon Genesis Evangelion story in four theatrical features. Now the first feature comes to the UK, re-imagining the first quarter of the television series, but in high quality widescreen animation, making the epic truly look epic this time around. See if this is just another pointless remake, or if this will be the start of a million new love affairs, as anime fans the world over are wowed by the Evangelion phenomenon.

The biggie: Part 2. We're not just content with letting you have one review of the Evangelion movie at Reviewer Towers. We've got a second opinion as well, only this time it's in high definition as David Beckett pores over the Blu-ray of Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone. I've seen the original series and knew what to expect, and could offer a little compare and contrast. If however you have never seen Evangelion before, have somehow missed the whole pop culture zeitgeist moment, then David's review is for you, as he too approached the movie fresh and without preconceptions. He'll let you know if you need prior knowledge or if the film works as a stand-alone project.

The anime reviews come to an end with my next trip to the world of the cute dog-eared girls in Utawarerumono: Volume 3. If there is one thing this series has made clear to me, it's that stories can certainly zip by at a breakneck pace, and the way that Utawarerumono grows and develops, the show at the end of a volume bears little resemblance to how it looked at the start. It certainly makes viewing fun, but reviewing is a little more challenging. See if I could keep up with another instalment of war, politics, sorcery and masked amnesiacs by clicking on the review.

Manga Entertainment release four flavours of Evangelion 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone today. The single disc DVD and Blu-rays are on general release, while the two disc collector's editions are HMV exclusives. Utawarerumono: Volume 3 was released in the US back in 2007, and in the UK in 2008.