AnimEigo had a panel at the Anime Weekend Atlanta convention this weekend. Robert Woodhead made a post on Twitter a few days before Saturday that suggested that there would be an announcement made regarding Riding Bean, and he then confirmed at the panel that there will be a Riding BeanKickstarter project launching later this year. He also announced that there will be a Kickstarter campaign for AD Police in early 2016.
AIC produced the Riding Bean OVA in 1989. The Kickstarter project was initially intended to begin in the past summer. AnimEigo previously released AD Police on DVD in North America over a decade ago. It has not yet been revealed whether or not the Kickstarter project is for a remastered Blu-ray release.
Right Stuf recently revealed that Viz Media informed them that the Death Note Omega Edition Blu-ray Release has been delayed from its initial release date of December 1, 2015, to March 1, 2016. The same goes for the regular edition Blu-ray release of the 37-episode anime series.
The regular edition will feature all 37 episodes of Death Note on Blu-ray with Japanese, English, French, Spanish and Portuguese audio and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The Omega Edition will feature the same and also the two Re-Light films with Japanese, English and French audio and English and French subtitles. Physical bonuses to come with the Omega Edition include an artbook and a premium metallic chipboard box.
The Omega Edition can be pre-ordered from Right Stuf here. It has a suggested retail price of $69.99 USD. The regular edition can be pre-ordered from Right Stuf here. It has a suggested retail price of $54.97 USD. Retailer prices may vary for both editions.
Ponycan USA has announced their plans to release the 2015 anime series Rokka -Braves of the Six Flowers on home video in North America. Collector’s Edition 1 will be released on December 10, 2015, with Collector’s Editions 2 and 3 to follow on February 10, 2016, and April 10, 2016, respectively. Pre-orders for Collector’s Edition 1 will be available from October 10, 2015 from Right Stuf. Ponycan provided a synopsis of the series:
Legend says, when the Demon God awakens from the deepest of darkness, the Goddess of Fate will summon Six Braves and grant them with the power to save the world. Adlet, who claims to be the strongest man in the world, is chosen as one of the “Braves of the Six Flowers,” and sets out on a battle to prevent the resurrection of the Demon God. However, it turns out that there are Seven Braves who gathered at the promised land…
The Seven Braves notice there must be one enemy among themselves, and feelings of suspicion toward each other spreads throughout the group, with Adlet being the one who gets suspected first and foremost.
Thus begins an overwhelming fantasy adventure that brings upon mystery after mystery!
The Japanese cast list is as follows (character/actor):
Adlet – Soma Saito
Nachetanya – Yoko Hikasa
Flamie – Aoi Yuki
Hans – Kenichi Suzumura
Maura – Rina Satoh
Chamot – Ai Kakuma
Goldov – Koki Uchiyama
The staff list is as follows:
Original Story – Ishio Yamagata (Shueisha/DashX)
Original Illustrator – Miyagi
Director – Takeo Takahashi
Script/Screenplay – Tatsuhiko Urahata
Assistant Director – Hijiri Sanpei
Prop Design – Yoshinori Iwanaga
Monster Design – Tatsuya Fukushima
Color Design – Hitomi Sano
Art Design – Hiroshi Kato
Art Director – Hirotsugu Kakoi
Director of Photography – Hiroshi Inoue
Music – Michiru Oshima
Sound Director – Yoshikazu Iwanami
Animation Production – Passione
The full details of Collector’s Edition 1 and the following releases will be revealed in the near future.
The third Girls Make Games summer camp will be held in Sydney from January 11th to 22nd and in Melbourne from January 18th to 28th. It’s an ideal opportunity for girls learn the basics of game design, art, and programming from professional game developers. At the end of the camp, girls will show off their indie creations at the Demo Day.
There are two programs, one designed for girls 8-11 and one for girls 12-15. Camps run every day from 10 am to 4pm, with early drop off and late pick up options available for busy parents. Tuition cost is $1,300 AUD, though financial aid for up to 100% of the price is available on an as needed basis.
LearnDistrict is running the summer camps an are looking for volunteers from the industry to provide their expertise and people to donate to the financial aid fund. More information is available at the Girls Make Games website.
NBA 2K16 is now available, and a launch trailer by 2K Games has released, showing players exactly what they should expect from the much loved franchise that is going to feature a full narrative this time around.
While the trailer doesn’t show much Frequency Vibrations, it does show the teams and general fun of the game of basketball as well as a few players hamming it up – with a good dose of slow-motion shots and general graphical displays that fans are sure to enjoy. Check out everything below and you can pick up your copy of 2K16 where games are sold.
Although Stella Glow is a strategy RPG, one of the core mechanics of the game happens to be the extremely rare skill known as Song Magic. Possessed by only five people, all of whom are Witches, the songs they sing have powerful consequences, capable of turning the tide of the battle by buffing allies, damaging enemies, or even changing the nature of the battlefield.
Atlus USA has released a new trailer focusing on Song Magic and you can check it out below where it shows that in Stella Glow players will first need to fill a Song Stone gauge that can then allow one of your allied witches to begin singing one of their songs, with time spent in Free Time with the Witches unlocking additional songs by growing closer to them and diving into their Spirit World in a manner very similar to a separate franchise.
Sentai Filmworks has announced the complete cast list for their English dub of Black Bullet. The cast list is as follows (character/actor):
Rentaro Satomi – Chris Patton
Enju Aihara – Luci Christian
Kisara Tendo – Christina Kelly
Tina Sprout – Caitlynn French
Seitenshi – Carli Mosier
Sumire Muroto – Joann Bonasso
Kagetane Hiruko – Jay Hickman
Tamaki Katagiri – Adam Gibbs
Yuzuki Katagiri – Brittany Karbowski
Shoma Nagisawa – Mike Yager
Midori Fuse – Cynthia Martinez
Nagamasa Gado – George Manley
Shogen Ikuma – Andrew Love
Kohina Hiruko – Krystal LaPorte
Miori Shiba – Margaret McDonald
Kikunojo Tendo – John Swasey
Sogen Saitake – Ty Mahany
Kazumitsu Tendo – Houston Hayes
Hidehiko Gado – Clint Bickham
Matsuzaki – Christopher Ayres
Sentai Filmworks provided a synopsis of the series:
The Gastrea virus spreads like wildfire, causing each infected host to rapidly mutate, gaining new powers and abilities with every stage of development, even while they continue to attack, kill, and infect multiple new hosts. Unable to fight a pandemic enemy that turns defenders into adversaries, the shocked remnants of the human race are forced to retreat into cities surrounded by giant monoliths made of Varanium, one of the few materials that can stop the Gastrea.
Now mankind’s last hope lies in the Cursed Children: young girls infected with the virus who have managed to retain a hold on their humanity. Paired with a partner, they alone have the strength to take on a Gastrea in one-on-one combat. But the very thing that gives them power is a ticking time bomb, so even as they protect humanity, they are also feared and shunned. Are they girls? Monsters? Or mankind’s ultimate salvation?
The DVD and Blu-ray editions of the series can be pre-ordered here. Both editions will be released on October 27, 2015. They have a suggested retail price of $59.98 USD and $69.98 USD respectively. On-disc extras will include the textless opening animation and the textless ending animation. The first two discs of both editions will contain four episodes while the third disc will have five episodes on it.
If you were hoping to play Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance in European regions on October 9th then you will be disappointed to hear that “due to unforeseen circumstances” NIS America will now be releasing the title one week later on October 16th. The delay also affects the Bunny Seraphina and Weapon Starter Set DLC, which will be free only in Europe, to the same date of October 16th but thankfully they still will remain free for one month after release.
For now, those who can’t wait to try the game can still access Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance‘s demo on the PlayStation Store where their save data will be carried over to the full game.
After missing its initial release date of September 18th, Comcept announced that Mighty No. 9 would be released in Q1 2016 and now Deep Silver has announced that the game will be released on February 9, 2016 in North America and on February 12th for everyone else.
Mighty No. 9‘s release will feature a retail and digital version for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U versions of the game while the title will be available digitally on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Linux, and Mac. The previously announced PS Vita and 3DS releases will be coming at a yet to be determined date as digital exclusives.
Overview After rescuing the license, Sentai Filmworks has done a great job bringing The Familiar of Zero to anime fans in the West and now here we are. Going into the final season brings with it a sense of completion but also sadness due to the fact that this is indeed the end of the story due to the passing of the series’ creator, Noboru Yamaguchi. With a set end in sight, does The Familiar of Zero: F manage to find itself a satisfying conclusion?
Story After surviving many hardships and putting a temporary end to the threat in Gallia and rescuing Tabitha at the end of Rondo of Princesses, Saito and Louise seem to have found a temporary respite from all of the dangers that seem to always surround them. Or at least they would hope so but unfortunately this time of peace is interrupted as Louise, Saito, and Tiffania are invited to the nation of Romalia by order of Queen Henrietta.
Upon arriving, they learn that not only is the leader of Romalia a Void mage just like Louise, but that Tiffania and their past enemy, the king of Gallia and Tabitha’s uncle Joseph is also gifted with the special power. He states that the reason for their summoning is that all Void mages must assemble in order to save the world. However with the antagonistic Joseph seeing this as an opportunity, it isn’t long before Louise finds herself targeted, though this issue ends up wrapping up rather early in the series.
That is far from Louise’s only reason to be concerned however as Saito’s actions over the last season as well as an early situation with Tiffania that may mark Saito as her familiar as well means that most of the core female cast has started to grow romantically attached to him. With Siesta assigned as Saito’s personal maid after becoming a chevalier, Tabitha seeking to protect him and showing happiness in small gestures, Tiffania who sees him as a love interest after he becomes her familiar as well, and even Henrietta beginning to make advances, the harem antics reach an all-time high near the middle of the final season.
I must say, despite the amount of humor that is still spread throughout the season and the plentiful fan-service, the various harem antics do show just how much the cast has managed to grow as individuals over the course of four seasons. Previously Tabitha was merely a background character but over viewers have seen her status jump immensely to the point of rivaling Henrietta, while Henrietta herself, who may have only seen Saito as a passing fancy and always followed her advisers, commits fully to making her own choices and tries to begin a relationship with him.
It also speaks volumes to the strength of the bond between Saito and Louise, since no matter how many times their relationship appears to be tested in The Familiar of Zero: F, they always manage to make up despite Louise almost always being the one to overreact, although Saito does have some dalliances thanks to a mini-arc involving Tiffania and a race of desert elves. This bond creates a number of shining moments throughout this final season, with the battle between Saito’s group and Joseph serving as a proper closing to those who would target the Void users and Saito’s determination to protect Louise.
However nowhere is the romantic element driven home the most than near the end of The Familiar of Zero: F. The line of having to save the world wasn’t fluff, as an ancient dragon awakens with the potential to destroy everything in the world. In many ways, this development does feel a bit forced. It does a proper job of forcing any potential arguments amongst nations to an end as they all begin to work together to try and put a stop to this creature but the nature of the has never been mentioned prior to its awakening.
As such, the rise of such a dangerous creature is not only incredibly awkward feeling, but also rather obviously placed in a way to force the series to a conclusion in as much of a rush as possible, as necessary as it had to be due to the author’s passing. That being said, due to the ancient dragon’s incredible power, only Void mages have any chance of slowing down the creature and potentially destroy it. The problem is… doing so would also place Saito in incredible danger and many lives do end up being lost in the battle against the creature.
This creates a final few episodes that bring out the best in Saito and Louise’s relationship, though the way it is handled does feel a bit wonky from Saito’s side of things. While there always have been ups and downs, the sacrifices that each attempts to make for the other shows just how much they care for one another at the end, even if it means never seeing each other again. Thankfully, The Familiar of Zero: F manages to deliver something that is incredibly rare in anime nowadays, especially in series that have run on for four seasons such as this, it wraps up with a strong satisfying ending for the couple.
Visuals While Rondo of Princesses managed to look better than its counterparts with an extra year of evolving animation techniques, The Familiar of Zero: F came out a solid four years after the third season. As such it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when I say that this season has held up incredibly well in its transition to Blu-ray. The colorful world is as vibrant as ever while the characters appear far more detailed than before.
The world itself also has been given a breath of fresh air as numerous new environments are visited with fresh, impressively detailed looking, background art ranging from an interesting looking desert oasis to flaming towns and lava fields. Animation remains fairly impressive as well, though there are some dips in quality and shortcuts used to make some of the less important battles look incredibly bad. As far as the fan-service element is concerned, the series is still filled with an abundance of it though once again it never really pushes past the classic feeling the series gives off.
Audio The voice track for The Familiar of Zero: F retains the original Japanese voice cast, as one would expect given the series’ consistency for four seasons. The voice actors and actresses have all managed to fit their characters roles perfectly despite the down time between seasons though a few of the newer side characters do sound rather basic.
As for this season’s soundtrack, it is sadly forgettable with almost every piece of background music feeling substandard or barely adding to the actual footage, even during combat sequences. Thankfully the opening theme “I’ll Be There for You” by Ichiko is perhaps one of the best the series has had so far while the final ending theme “Kiss Shite Agenai” by Rie Kugimiya is incredibly cute sounding and paired with fitting animation.
Extras This release of The Familiar of Zero: F on Blu-ray is rather bare-bones as far as bonus content is concerned as the release only comes with a clean version of the opening and ending theme as well as trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases.
Overall Due to the nature that The Familiar of Zero: F’s ending had to come about, it could easily have fallen apart in many ways or failed to deliver on an ending that would satisfy fans. Though the road towards the finale does come with more than a few rushed storylines and convenient apocalyptic monsters fans will find that the series knows how to end itself in a big way and that the conclusion of the series is as satisfying as one can find for the loving couple.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
