In Divine Gate Adapters are folks with powers over their realms of Air, Water, Earth and Fire, each realm existing on a different plane of existence and each accessible to the others through a mundane gate. The Living, Heavens, and Underworld become connected to each realm after a Divine Gate is opened, adding another set of layers to the situation, and whoever opens a Divine Gate can change the universe as they desire, including changes in the past and future. Adapters use Drivers to control their powers and keep them from going into meltdown, but they don’t always (or often) work. I have been enjoying this one a lot this new season, and can’t wait to see more.
I couldn’t find many genre Movies or TV shows this week, but there is The Driftless Area, a ghost story in which Anton Yelchin is once more getting closure for the dead, but I saw no indication that he had the name Odd Thomas this time. Stella, played by Zooey Deschanel, saves his life so he can avenge her murder. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Tom Drury.
In Anime, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis has all 12 episodes of a story where a charming rogue, a clueless demon, a disgraced knight, and a tiny zombie are the only ones who can save the world, if they can find a way to work together long enough to pull it off. Even though it was made in 2014, a lot of the footage looks like old school Anime from the 1980s. Space Brothers: Collection 8 brings episodes 88 through 99 of that series, completing the story. One Piece: Season 7 Voyage 6 has episodes 446 through 456 of a story line that shows no indications of every reaching a conclusion. Garo The Animation: Season One Part One has the first dozen episodes of the magical knights vs the evil usurper story.
Kamisama Kiss: Season 2 brings back Nanami the Land Goddess, who is finally getting the hang of the world of gods, demons, and spirits, but maybe not fast enough to save her piece of the world. Earl and Fairy is a romantic fantasy adventure in which a fairy doctor and a count are looking for a magic sword. This one was on TV back in 2008 in Japan, but I have found no indication it was previously released in North America.
Local Connect has a 2nd Mini Album out now called 7RAILS, and the first song here is the first track on that album, Gold. Their first mini-album came out in June of 2015, one of the songs on it was the closing theme for the Anime My Love Story, Where to Find Happiness. The second song here is also from their first release, called Cosmic Loop.
In Movies we get IP Man 3, which completes the story of the man who became a legend in the Martial Arts community for much more than training Bruce Lee. Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is a documentary you have to see if you appreciate comedy, covering them from the 70s through the 90s. The animated feature film Norm of the North is also being released on disc this week.
In Anime, ALDNOAH.ZERO: Set 4 brings the conclusion of the war between terrestrial humanity and the VERS, and sets the stage for mankind’s next venture to the stars. It is a smart series which doesn’t mind breaking some standard Anime tropes. Black Butler: Book of Circus is season 3 of the adventures of the demonic Butler and the woman he serves. This time they go undercover in a Circus to learn what is happening to the children who disappear when it comes to town. Finally Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories brings season 1 and 2 together in a single boxed set, with all 3 seasons currently streaming.
Season 2 of the Asterisk War is now streaming, with the competition at the Festas heating up. Combat as spectacle, pitting the schools against each other, with the prize going to the last team standing. Our protagonists are facing ever deadlier opponents with each new round, and already within the first few episodes we are introduced to a new school and the mastermind behind them. This one has new episodes each Saturday morning; tomorrow morning we will get episode 3.
TV has Heroes Reborn: The Complete Event Series, and I was thrilled to discover it has 13 episodes. Somehow my DVR only captured the first 12, when I got to the end of my binge watching session I thought they left it like that to try to get the fans to pressure NBC to do another season. It turns out it does have an actual ending, and I am going to get to see it after all. Movies has the DC direct to video animated Justice League vs. Teen Titans; I am afraid I am not a fan of the animation style, it is reminiscent of bad Saturday morning cartoons from the 70s and 80s. Someone is also releasing all of the Alien and Alien vs Predator movies in a single bundle; if you don’t already have them, now is your chance to get the entire collection at once.
In Anime, Gugure! Kokkuri-san is about a doll girl who summons a Kokkuri-san, or fox ghost, by accident. He decides to haunt her and cook for her, because all she eats are cup noodles, and he can’t stand it. Maken-Ki! 2 is the second season of this school for magical combat, done as comedy with a large helping of fan service. While it isn’t genre, Tonari no Seki-kun: Complete Collection are short, fun little episodes about the Master of Killing Time. Each day he sits at his desk in school and creates complex diversions to entertain himself, driving the girl at the next desk out of her mind from the distraction. While he never manages to get caught, her reactions pull plenty of attention from the teacher. It is pretty amazing how they manage to fit so much tension and humor into a show only 7 minutes long per episode.