It’s more of an animation review roundup this week, as the only anime I watched for review was One Piece Collection 26. You can read my excuse as to why I’ve fallen behind with One Piece in the review, but the reality is that I’m at a point in the One Piece story that the shine has worn off. It’s that thing with long-running shonen action shows that it seems like the creators are just going on momentum, stretching things out to keep the fanbase drip-fed with new content, while actual story development occurs at a glacial pace. It’s not a problem for fans, but for cynical reviewers who have seen this approach to anime far too often, it can begin to grate. Click on the review to hear me whinge.
Or you could click on this review and hear me rave about Spider-man Across the Spider-verse. Marvel have been a little hit and miss of late, but one strand of the franchise they have got right have been the Spider-man movies, peaking in the most recent Spider-man No Way Home multiverse movie. But even that doesn’t compare to the Spider-verse animated features from Sony, of which Across the Spider-verse is the second. This is next level multi-versing, as the very fabric of reality is threatened, and Spider-people from multiple universes have to work together to protect it.
The only thing that disappointed me about Star Trek Lower Decks Season 3 was Peanut Hamper. If that makes sense to you, you’ve probably already got this, but if you haven’t, then Lower Decks is that animated Star Trek show that infuses the final frontier with 60 years worth of fan love, and a perfect level of humour. It knows just when to pile on those references, while the stories remain strong enough to feel just like Star Trek should. And the Star Trek alums are lining up to make animated appearances on this show.
This Week I’ve Been Mostly Rewatching...
Read or Die: The OVA. Have ever had a show or a movie, that you don’t want to watch, because you fear that if you watch it too much, you’ll become a little jaded through overexposure, and it will lose that brilliance that drew you to it to begin with? Read or Die: The OVA (and the TV series spin-off) is that title for me. I can’t understate just how much I love this anime. It’s a show where the nerdy bibliophile is the hero. It’s a far-fetched spy thriller where it’s the British Library that keeps the world safe, and the heroine can manipulate paper to form whatever she needs in a crisis situation; god-tier level origami. She’d much rather spend her time reading, but she has to be ready to spring into action whenever the Library calls. And with a secret organisation of genetically engineered clones of historical figures, plotting to reshape the world in their own image, she’ll be working overtime!
Great visuals, breathtaking imagination, and a music score to the Bond movie that never was, Read or Die: The OVA offers three episodes of perfection. Ten years ago, I would have been sceptical, but where the entertainment industry is right now, when it comes to comic book adaptations, and the quality of special effects work, I’m surprised Netflix or the like haven’t optioned the Read or Die universe already for a live action remake. Manga Entertainment (remember them?) released Read or Die the OVA on DVD back in 2003. Here’s my review. There might be a few copies still out there, especially second hand. Would you believe that in the US, Aniplex briefly released this and the R.O.D. The TV series on Blu-ray? Good luck finding that!
Funimation UK as they were known then released One Piece Collection 26 on DVD back in May 2022. Sony released Spider-man Across the Spider-verse on 4k UHD, Blu-ray and DVD on September 11th. You’ll have to import the CBS release of Star Trek Lower Decks on Blu-ray, which was released on the 25th of April in the US. In the UK, Paramount released the show on DVD only on 31st July.
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