In movies, Studio Ghibli’s From Up on Poppy Hill brings us another Hayao Miyazaki presentation, directed by Goro Miyazaki. It is based on the 1980s Manga of the same name, and like the majority of Studio Ghibli films, it is family friendly. So family friendly in fact they are usually distributed in the US by Disney, although this time they went with GKids. Now You See Me is almost genre, bordering on the fantasy side of life, but you need to bring your brain to this one and pay attention if you want to really understand what is going on. And the winner this week in the Silly Concepts with Bad Production Values category is Sharknado.
The top selection in TV this week is Haven: The Complete 3rd Season as far as I am concerned. The story line just keeps getting more interesting each season, and Audry’s life (whoever she actually is) just keeps getting more twisted. As usual, the timing is impeccable, bringing it out just in time for you to re-watch it before season 4 starts on September 13th. The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fourth Season finally makes it into senior year, with Elena and company looking for the Vampire Cure. And here I always thought that was a stake through the heart; the new season starts October 3rd. Revolution: The Complete First Season is also out this week, and it also got a second season.
In Anime, I already mentioned From Up On Poppy Hill, but the next quality choice is We Without Wings: Season One has two gangs, a girl with a uniform fetish, a lot of random humor and fan service, and an alternate universe with a medieval civilization for our protagonists to deal with. AKB0048: Season 1 has the classic J-Pop Idol Band defending music in all the planets of the galaxy from anti-music forces. One Piece releases season 5 part 2, bringing us episodes 276 through 287.