The English voice cast for Girls und Panzer was announced today by Sentai Filmworks. The anime is currently set to be released in North America on December 3rd and the extensive list of voice actresses, which include both veterans and fresh voices, can be found below:
Just a quick note, the following news is 18+. Now that that is out of the way Project-H Books has announced that they have picked up two new hentai manga licenses for release in North America. Fans of Yamatogawa will be pleased to hear that they have acquired both Aqua Bless and Witchcraft.
Currently both manga do not have a release date and at the moment Project-H Books does not know whether or not these will be released in the West in their uncensored format. Aqua Bless was one of Yamatogawa’s first hentai collections which features ten short stories while Witchcraft tells the story of a man who becomes a tool for a fortuneteller trying to test out her powers of hypnosis only for things to escalate very quickly.
Now this was a lovely little episode, putting the rift between Akari’s connection to the Sea and her new relationship in the spotlight. It seems like Hikari is becoming a more likeable character with each episode, while it turns out Chisaki is a much less perfect, more three dimensional person following her troubled emotions in the last episode.
It seems like Akari has resigned to ending her relationship with Itaru, letting go of her chance to join a family that has lost their mother once before. Partly because she feels responsible for letting down her village, but mainly because she can’t bear to see Miuna hate her for trying to replace her mother. The two used to get along so well, but after declaring her intentions to marry Itaru the little girl ostracised her. While Akari’s father is letting her make her own decision, Uroko-sama is reservedly adamant that the Sea People should not leave the village. Why? Well, we just don’t know yet. I think it’s a bigger deal than simply tradition.
Chisaki is struggling with her feelings for Hikari. On the one hand she hates herself for liking him and knows that nothing good will come of it, on the other she needs to tell someone. That someone ends up being the most unlikely person, Tsumugu, who she meets on the way to school. But blurting out your feelings in public doesn’t guarantee privacy, as Manaka happened to be right near Tsumugu.
Now’s a good time to break it down. We have Manaka who now knows Chisaki likes Hikari, as does Kaname who seems to know everything. Manaka on the other hand has a crush on Tsumugu but is closer to Hikari regardless. Hikari is loyal to Manaka as her best friend, and it’s likely those feelings can run deeper if need be. At this point, I don’t have any idea how this is going to turn out. Maybe those of you with experience can foresee this better? Unfortunately, Chisaki implores Manaka to forget what she heard, sweeping the problem under the rug without taking care of it. You know that’s not the right move, Chisaki!
After Akari breaks up with Itaru, Miuna runs away. Akari makes a panicked phonecall to her brother, Hikari and here is one of the coolest lines of the show so far. He basically tells her to quit acting all grown up like their deceased mum, and to go and be Miuna’s new mother instead. When the friends eventually find Miuna, who doesn’t want to go back, Akari meets Itaru again and reiterates her love for him. Despite admitting how she acts like a kid who wants everyone she loves, she can’t bear to give them up. This pretty much settles it, Akari can start packing her bags!
The last part of the episode is my favourite in the series so far, some quality bonding time between Hikari and Miuna. It’s a beautiful moment between what could possibly be future siblings-in-law. As Miuna remembers her mother who was from the Sea Village, she throws herself into the sea out of desperation, lamenting why she can’t swim like her. Those born between two types of people will not retain the ability to live underwater, after all. As the two hold each other, bobbing in the ocean, we find out Miuna rejecting Akari was simply defensive behaviour because she didn’t want to lose someone like her mother again.
The episode concludes with Akari bawling her eyes out as she makes up with Miuna, who seems much more matured. Out of the episodes so far, this one has reason to bring out the tissue box the most. I just love how such a simple show ends with so much impact, every time. Just look at that tear drop, that’s deep. Once again, I can’t wait to see where Nagi no Asukara ends up!
It has been seen revealed by Microsoft that Ryse: Son of Rome will feature a season pass when it launches alongside the Xbox One on November 22nd. Unlike the season pass for Dead Rising 3, this one will be more moderately priced at $20 and will give gamers access to all four of the upcoming expansions.
These four DLC packs will include fourteen multiplayer maps, a new gameplay mode, six player skins, new level events and the ability to access some new weapons and armor. These packs will be released individually but it is worth noting that those who do pick up the season pass for Ryse will net themselves an exclusive sword and shield.
Chris Lilley has created classic television comedies (We Can Be Heroes, Summer Heights High, Angry Boys), filled with memorable characters, but by far one of the most memorable has been of the year 12 private school girl; Ja’mie King. Ja’mie was originally introduced in Summer Heights High, where she was a transfer student from one of the local private schools. Well now Ja’mie is back in her natural habitat of Hillford Girls Grammar will stop at nothing to climb her way to the top of the popularity ladder, dissing all enemies and pashing all hot boys in her path.
Ja’mie: Private School Girl follows Ja’mie in her last year of school, including all the twists, turns and tribulations that many of us went through. Things like finding a partner, and planning a Schoolies trip are all covered here, with Lilley’s signature satiric comedy stylings.
Ja’Mie: Private School Girl is available from November 28th on DVD for the RRP of $29.99, from ABC TV (the Australian one, not the American ABC) so it would make that perfect holiday gift for any Chris Lilley fan, or anyone who went to school with someone like Ja’mie.
On November 14, Paramount Pictures‘ Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa will hit cinemas nationwide. The film has been entertaining Americans for almost a fortnight, debuting at #1 on its release weekend at the box office with a $32 million take.
After sharing with you the behind the scenes featurettes on both the ‘Broken Ride’ and ‘Estate Sale’ gags just days ago, we now have another, this time focusing on the ‘Penguin’ incident. I say incident because there almost was one, if it weren’t for Irving Zisman’s (Johnny Knoxville) old age. Check it out directly below. And also, embedded at the bottom of this article, you will find an entirely new clip from the ‘Wedding’. As I said last time, Billy – and Jackson Nicholl who plays him – is an evil kid… if your grandpa falls over and potentially breaks a hip, you don’t just stand there and eat wedding cake!
As far as crazy episodes go, this one would have to be one of the craziest. Episode 5, 100% Fake, begins with the start of the fight between Aoki and Imae which began at the very end of the last episode, I say “begins” because the last episode showed nothing of the fight except for the combatants entering the ring. The way I do these Anime Impressions every week is very much like a “play-by-play” recap for the episode and considering Hajime No Ippo is an Anime about boxing I believe it fits quite well, this week though I’m going to stray from that path because I feel as though this episode is forcing me to, even if just a little bit.
Episode 5 plays out almost like a game…not a match, a game. Remember that Aoki and Imae are two totally different fighters each occupying their own end of the spectrum so you can see why this battle is both odd and exciting. Imae being the champion and the orthodox fighter almost automatically takes the lead, Aoki goes in to brawl but Imae is having none of that and continuously has him back off with a few swift, left-hand jabs, very normal and very simple yet effective in a fight of this kind. The Hajime No Ippo-style humour kicks in with Aoki ducking, dodging and scrambling around the ring in an attempt to both start his own fighting rhythm and to hook Imae in, once again, he’s having none of it and Aoki is cut down again.
This is where it gets even more interesting. The first fight of the series had Ippo defend his title against a man that swore he had a way to destroy the “Dempsey Roll” which happens to be Ippo’s signature and most deadly technique, within this fight we have Imae swearing that, through his study of Aoki’s style, he can destroy the “Frog Punch” which happens to be Aoki’s more favoured technique. It seems to follow the same match layout and I’m lead to believe that it wasn’t just a happy coincidence, Aoki wants to rise to the level of Ippo and Takamura, what better way to do it than to prove that you can do exactly what they did. Defeat the man who has trained strictly to defeat you, it’s simple, it’s symbolical, it’s a Hajime No Ippo staple and it works.
Aoki tries for the “Frog Punch” and, like what Imae boasted about, it is quickly denied and Aoki is sent to the canvas mat, this happens a couple times throughout the match alongside general Aoki beatdowns both physically and, what seems to be, mentally but I want you to remember the title of the episode, it’s called “100% Fake” for a reason. Through playing dead and playing weak, Aoki closes the gap between him and his opponent, not literally but metaphorically, this was his plan from the start and it proves to the audience that, despite the look of this man’s fighting style, he is truly a boxing genius. Aoki is a fantastic fighter that plays dumb, he makes his opponents loose their cool and he strikes them down.
I mentioned this above; I’m not going to take you through the play-by-play, what I am going to do is tell you how the episode ends because this was truly the highlight of the episode. Imae is worn out yet Aoki, being the trickster he is, is perfectly fine and recovering stamina by the second which is fantastic because up until this point he made the audience believe that he was on the verge of another loss. Imae can barely stand in a fighting pose as Aoki springs real close, he goes in for a massive hit, Imae’s shock sets in and then…nothing…Aoki steps back and both are frozen where they stand, Aoki slowly looks to his right, he looks to be in shock and both Imae and the audience follow, who the hell takes their eyes off of their opponent?
It isn’t shown but Aoki, during the glance away from the fight, crouches and springs into a “Frog Punch”, an attack that broke Imae both physically and mentally. What’s worse is that Aoki manages to get him again with the same tactic, it seems like Imae has been broken BUT the fight didn’t end in this episode, I’m guessing that the next episode will have this battle come to a close and, I have to say; Hajime No Ippo is so good at leaving you on a cliffhanger, it’s just enough information to be able to speculate on, I love it! Check out more Hajime No Ippo – Rising Impressions HERE.
Ever since Rooney was being beaten around the school yard as an acne ridden teenager and Gary Linker achieved the highest accolade of his career when Walkers released Salt and Lineker crisps, I have had a secret love affair with management simulation games. Nowadays though I am always plagued by a slightly pessimistic optimism. Much like any yearly franchise there is always the worry that year on year despite a few new features and fixes it will just be the same game as before. Call of Duty suffers from this problem, FIFA is much the same, but will this fall prey to the same issues?
Being a game that is at least 90% text based, it is hard to come up with new ways to revolutionise gameplay. Generally, the most notable changes are simple UI fixes, and slight alterations to how you implement tactics and issue player instructions. Occasionally though we see features crop up that make the game feel a lot more like real life and in the end that is the main goal of any simulation, be it flight or football. Sports Interactive have certainly not been quiet about just how many shiny new things they have thrown at FM 2014, going as far as to announce a new feature every day for a week in August over Twitter. But have they really made a difference on a franchise that I believe is quickly turning stale?
Gameplay
How Sports Interactive manage to make a game that faces you with more stats than the London Stock Exchange entertaining is beyond me. However, they have made it simpler than ever before to deal with these stats and even things like on-the-fly tactical changes have been made easier with the addition of boxes that appear during matches, letting you know how players are doing and other pieces of valuable advice. This has never been more useful considering how the AI has been improved to the point where the opposing manager will change his tactics to counteract your line-up. Just one of several new elements of the game that makes you feel like you’re really on the touchline.
Before any of that match day action though comes the planning and here is where you will spend countless hours. FM 2014 has been given a tactical overhaul and the depth with which you can go into setting up player roles is really quite staggering. You can instruct players to play deep, run with the ball whenever they get the chance, play through balls to split open the opposition’s defence or a dizzying amount of other options. In the hours that I have sunk into this game so far I haven’t even begun to touch upon the sheer level of depth with which you can control your team. I wouldn’t ever like to say that there is too much detail, but for someone like myself who follows football, but isn’t the next Alex Ferguson by any stretch of the imagination, it can be a bit daunting.
When you bring it back to basics though Football Manager 2014 is still at its core a soul-consumingly addictive game. If Candy Crush were a football sim, and not crap, it would be this game. If crack cocaine were made into a football sim it wouldn’t even be able to scratch upon to the amount of rehab you’ll need after exposing yourself to this game. Unless you suck like me and can’t hold down a manager position for longer than a season to save your life, you will be entranced by Football Manager 2014 and that is the strength of this franchise. I could spend all day picking at the fine details regarding graphics and statistical overload, but at its core this game represents infinite replayability and endless fun.
Visuals
Above all else the most noticeable feature is the new UI which is an absolute pleasure to look at. While I hesitate to compare it to the new iOS, that is what it reminds me of. Everything is flatter and the transitions between screens are smooth and fluid, much more visually pleasing than the clunky, bulgy interfaces of old. There is also a whole new emphasis on letting you know information in ways that are simple and easy to understand through the use of pie charts, percentages and graphs. It may come as overwhelming when you see just how much is available to you and most of it you probably won’t even think twice about, but it just being there really gives you a sense of immersion.
What I was less impressed by were the “improvements to the 3D match engine”. I can appreciate the new camera angles, even if they are a bit disorientating at times, but in this day and age I should not be seeing my keeper posing like someone just told him it was Hammer time and then holding that position as he levitates back about 5 meters into his net. I don’t know when Chelsea enlisted the help of MC Hammer in goal, nor do I know when he learned to break the bonds of gravity, but clearly Sports Interactive got the idea from somewhere… In all seriousness though, the 3D engine needs some work. The player models move a lot more like actual people than before, but the poor animations in places ruin the experience very quickly.
Overall
At the end of the day, Football Manager 2014 still only does what you expect of it, but it is a solid and hugely entertaining game. If you own a PS Vita to take it on the go, run Linux, or it has been a couple of years since you last played a Football Manager game then it might be worth picking up, but if you’re like me and are waiting for something new to really revamp the series then FM 2014 is not for you. It has come a long way in trying to make the game feel realistic and you can tell that Sports Interactive are beginning to address a lot of the issues that previous iterations had, but it is only really beginning to gain steam and avoid stagnation. In a couple of years I expect big things from the Football Manager franchise, but for now the game is like Arsenal… Still good and packing a lot of promise, but they won’t be winning any trophies any time soon.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
It is extremely unfortunate for Noucome that of all seasons it had to be released in this one. While one may have thought initially that in amongst a heavily action orientated lineup, this show would blossom it has actually ended up being thoroughly swept under the rug while people’s eyes are glued to the madness that is Kill la Kill and the equally funny second season of Infinite Stratos. What do you do to draw people’s gaze towards your show? Not this episode, I’ll tell you that much…
I fear that this anime is going to fall prey to it’s own choice of structure. Undoubtedly, Noucome is a hilarious anime with some seriously funny characters. I don’t think I’d go as far as to say that they are well written for the most part, but when I’m watching something like this I don’t expect the works of Shakespeare. However, that is the problem. This episode decided to focus mainly around setting up plot for the next few episodes and as a result it suffered. You can only take yourself so seriously and put on the pretence of having plot for so long without burning out the episode as a whole when you have been so heavily joke and dialogue focused until now. Saying that though, I have no doubt that this episode was entirely necessary and the prospect of a competition involving the team of the reject five already has my laugh box aquiver. I can’t wait to meet the masked 4th member of their squad if for no other reason than just to see what it is that makes him weirder than the bunch of freaks we’ve met so far.
As you would expect, this episode was just as full of hi-jinx as ever, but at points I did feel like some of it was drawing a bit too heavily from generics. That was until Kanade was chased around the school and pretty much molested by a horde of lovestruck men after god managed to trick him once again. What was even funnier about that was when they showed what would have happened in the event that he picked the other of the “two good options” and it looked like paradise at first before it showed him laying in a hospital bed on anaesthetic! Somehow, being hunted down and molested by a harem of massive, muscle-bound men actually ended up being the better option which both shocks and confuses me.
Going back to the generic point though, I did feel like that was a problem this episode. Until now the sheer madness of the show’s premise has kept it from needing to imitate other similar anime. Sure, it parodied them like last week when he couldn’t see Konagi’s panties because of all of the random, unexplained sunbeams, but it hadn’t stooped to imitation. Chocolat turning up at school and all the guys loving her to the point where they want to harvest the main character’s organs when they hear that he touched her when she was sleeping? Where have I heard that before? Try Lala and Momo from To LOVE-Ru. Take away the bit about the night-molestation and it can be applied to pretty much every alien character ever, from Fear in C³ to Haru from Tsuritama. I’m sure that they could have come up with a more elaborate way of bringing Chocolat into the classroom setting than that, but I suppose if that’s the worst crime that Noucome commits then we should be pretty happy.
I am intrigued to see how the relationship between Kanade and Chocolat develops from here on in which is unusual for me. As was probably made quite obvious by my automatic love of Yukihira, I naturally gravitate towards more dry or tsundere characters. Chocolat falls into the category of the girl who is the obvious pairing choice who will end up loving him unconditionally with barely any work required on Kanade’s part. That is fine, but it doesn’t make for an overly interesting romantic sub-plot. What peaked my interest though was the fact that the show actually raised a good point, “why are you letting someone like that live with you?” Just because she fell into his arms doesn’t mean he has to keep her, especially when she eats him out of house and home. I would like for that point to be addressed in a later episode since it is always something that I wondered about these alien characters who always seem to be nothing but a nuisance until the conclusion.
Unfortunately, this was probably the worst episode of Noucome so far with the only big laughs coming when the harem of men chased Kanade and when Yukihira came up with the priceless idea of “Find Gluebert” genuinely putting me in stitches. Yukihira once again coming to save the day with her amazing sense of humour. Next week the competition should begin and I can only imagine that will be gloriously funny. Until then.
For more reviews of this season’s best and worst anime head over to our Anime Impressions page and check them out!
Overview Samurai with amazing strength and agility wielding odd weaponry, ninjas capable of using the elements to deal with their foes, and power hungry daimyos have become a staple of the anime industry as numerous series have been produced glorifying the Sengoku Era or touching upon various moments of Japan’s history with fantastical elements. The latest anime to make its way to North America following this trend happens to be Brave 10, but does it have enough action and a good enough story to set it apart from the rest?
Story While many ninja train diligently and eventually enter into the service of a lord, Saizo Kirigakure has seen what happens to ninjas that swear allegiance and sacrifice themselves to protect their lord, they are often tossed aside and quickly forgotten about. Because of this Saizo wanders through Japan without a master, fighting anyone who gets in his way and generally doing as he pleases, leaving him with a rather vicious reputation.
However one day when he is traveling through the forest a beautiful shrine priestess stumbles across his path. Her name is Isanami and she is being chased by a number of assassins. After dispatching these pesky enemies, Saizo learns that Isanami’s shrine was completely wiped out, leaving her the only survivor. After becoming indebted Isanami thanks to some food, Saizo agrees to escort her to the man who can potentially help her, Yukimura Sanada.
After tricking him into his service, Yukimura enlists both Isanami and Saizo as members of a special force he is putting together, which will give him a “Brave” for every finger on his hand. These Braves consist of fighters with special abilities and upon joining the group, Yukimura has already gathered nearly everyone that he needs.
Despite Yukimura’s defenses, the forces still hunting Isanami are eager to recapture her and take advantage of a mysterious power that she is capable of unleashing when under duress. With Saizo working under a lord for the first time in a long time and having to work with others, can he protect Isanami from the enemies closing in upon them and their dark intentions all while dealing with the manipulations of other daimyos?
If Brave 10 was given a twenty four episode run, it probably could have reached a much higher pinnacle than it ever was able to with this limited season. I say this because despite building up a setting that mixes historical figures and fantastical elements in a fresh way, it manages to barely deliver on anything except a bunch of great looking fights.
For most of this twelve episode season Brave 10 plays as a fight of the week style anime where Saizo, often with the help of another fighter, faces off against a new enemy and more often than not this enemy is then added to the group to try and reach that number ten. This runs on so long that some of the characters introduced near the end of the series are barely given any screen time nor any reason as to why the viewers should really care about the fights they are in, outside of good vs evil.
This is an issue of course, but it is a bigger issue when you factor in the fact that there are numerous elements that could build up to major developments could have happened if the character gathering hadn’t been so drawn out. Characters such as Date Masamune seem like big players and even make a handful of power moves, but ultimately fizzles off in favor of providing a rushed ending.
He joins a number of throwaway developments of power moves amongst the Warring States daimyos that simply seem like padding thanks to the fact that they never end up going anywhere. This padding could easily have been replaced with actual character development to give viewers a reason to care about the various characters in the series. While a few characters do manage to see some development, such as Saizo and Isanami’s relationship with one another, a bloodthirsty androgynous warrior named Kamanosuke, and Anastasia, another member of the Brave 10, are the only characters viewers are given any reason to care a little about.
Visuals If there is one thing that Brave 10 excels at it is creating some great looking fight sequences. Through fluid animation and some spectacular effects, the powers wielded by the various fighters in Brave 10 look great when these ninjas are attempting to kill one another. Every exchange, whether it is between a sword user and a fighter with a chain sickle or ninjas using various techniques against one another to take each other down remains impressive looking throughout the battle.
This is helped by the fact that the characters designs are nicely detailed and actually show wear and tear during battle, including a fair amount of blood for even superficial injuries to show how damaged the characters have become in each fight. Thanks to some nicely detailed backgrounds and a vivid color palette the fight sequences and even the outside of combat animation is pretty nicely done with little drop in quality.
Audio It is worth noting that Brave 10 does not come with an English dub as the only voice track provided is the original Japanese one, but that works in this anime’s favor. It helps add some authenticity to some of the events occurring considering many of the characters in the series have historical Japanese counterparts. Of course, it also helps that the Japanese cast handles their characters expertly.
As for the soundtrack, the series sports a nice set of background tracks which work well for the intense fighting scenes but fall a bit short during slow spots in the series. The opening theme and ending theme songs fit well with the tone of the series as well.
Extras Brave 10: Premium Edition comes with a number of basic on-disc bonuses as well as the oversized chipboard slip cover and hardcover art book that NIS America is known for with their anime releases. The on-disc bonuses are run of the mill as clean opening and ending themes, Japanese commercials and trailers for the anime, and trailers for other NIS America releases populate the bonus section of the disc.
As for the physical bonuses, the slip cover features some nice artwork on both the front and the back as it focuses on a number of the members of the Brave 10 as well as Masamune and Hanzo, though the lack of Isanami on either side is an odd decision. As for the art book, it features summaries of each episode of this release, followed by artwork and character descriptions for all of the important characters in the series which is then followed by three poems from the series. Additional information is given for Saizo as explanations of his various fighting techniques follow his character description.
Overall While Brave 10 may have some amazing looking fight scenes with great looking animation and a variety of techniques on display, it’s overarching storyline falls flat on delivery. There has to be a reason for viewers to care about what is happening at any given moment outside of the basic motivations of the forces. To be fair, Brave 10 does manage to be a bit entertaining thanks to its fight scenes and the few running gags it manages to develop, it never becomes anything more than that.
Capsule Computers review guidelines can be found here.
Just a quick note, the following news is 18+. Now that that is out of the way 
