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News Report Archive - March/April 2011 |  |
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News Report Archive - March/April 2011 | |
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Well, loyal friends, I have some bad news...according to my doctor, in his own words, my knee's a mess. As such, I am needing to see an orthopedic specialist and then will have surgery to correct all the bad things done to my knee in the accident. Don't know how long this process will take, but it will likely be 12 weeks or more before I'm back on my feet in any normal sort of way. While I'm watching anime in some spare moments -- I've watched the second Garden Of Sinners movie, the opening of Durarara!!, and the first third of Moribito -- my church work and home life come first. So while I will still write up reviews, consider this fair warning that I may not update again for a while. Not my choice, but I would rather get things done right and then be able to review anime into the foreseeable future. If you're a fan of the site, I'd love to hear from you -- feel free to write me at the address in the left-hand "new reviews" column. Thanks and God bless...hope to return to you all soon with more reviews in hand.
We're a little over two weeks out from surgery, and while my leg is still immobilized, I've gotten over the huge sinus infection I picked up in the hospital and am back to writing reviews. I don't know if I'll be able to keep updating once physical therapy starts, but for now, I'm here!
I'm returning with some words on the second part of the Garden Of Sinners cycle named A Study In Murder Part 1. You might remember that I wasn't terribly impressed with the first film in the series, though it wasn't bad either. The second entry is considerably better, matching the impressive visuals with a creepy, engaging plot you can actually follow this time around. Though I think it may still be overrated, I can at least see what its fans appreciate.
Creativity in anime is becoming more and more rare. As I chat online with friends who've been watching for many a season, it becomes clear most of us feel that many shows simply don't compare to the material that inspired us to become fans in the first place. This week, I get the chance to review a program that reminds me of the uniqueness that appealed to me about anime many moons again. Aniplex recently sent me their dub of the first five episodes of Durarara!!, and I was hooked. While I was surprised they didn't send their full release package, it doesn't really matter...once you get started with this one, you're going to want to find the rest. (Indeed I would have had not my injury made it easier to watch stuff on Tivo and DVD rather than the computer.) Read on to find out why I think you'll find Durarara!!, at least in its opening episodes, a winner.
Have you ever seen a show you admired more than loved? That was the case for me with this week's programming, the 26-episode Moribito: Guardian Of The Spirit. This otherworldly feudal tale has strong animation, a good story, and it almost never falls into anime cliches or pandering. But can it make the A grade? Take a read and find out.