Two weeks into the new Anime season, and I already have a few favorites, with Izetta: The Last Witch topping the list. It is the early days of WWII Europe in a parallel timeline, with Germany blitzing over the surrounding countries one after another, and the Austrian princess trying desperately to make it to England to sign a mutual defense treaty. The twist is, this universe had a race of magic users, and the lone survivor is a childhood friend of the Princess, and not a fan of the government of those who inflicted that genocide. The first episode grabbed me within the first 5 minutes, the second was better than the first, and while that is no promise that it will keep delivering at that level I like what they have done so far. The Simulcast is on Saturdays at 11:45am EDT, I will be checking it out each weekend. Sadly, the legitimate trailer I found for it is way too short to give you a feel for what they are doing, so you should just go watch the first episode.
RWBY Volume 4 premieres October 22nd, with the reconstituted Team Ruby up to their necks in monster mayhem and the original team members scattered across the land. Volume 3 ended in a serious cliffhanger, with a lot of mental, physical, and emotional trauma, and unresolved plot threads out the wazoo. It seems like I have been waiting forever for the next season to get here, I can’t wait to see how they resolve it. The production company is Rooster Teeth, who’s previous titles include Red vs. Blue, and the animation software they are working in is Poser.
I loved the UK version of Dirk Gently back in 2012, and now it looks like we have another winning version. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency comes to BBC America beginning Saturday the 22nd of this month, and it looks hysterical. The cast includes Elijah Wood, who brings the quirkiness to his character that a show based on a Douglas Adams book needs. In case you were not already aware, here are a few trailers to give you the general idea.
Movies bring X-Men: Apocalypse home, which I am excited about because I haven’t seen it yet. It is probably the only Marvel movie of the last few decades I didn’t get to see on the big screen, and I am determined not to let that happen again any time soon. I likewise missed Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV in the theaters, with the difference that I have no intention of watching it at home either. The low key and intelligent Into The Forest is a post-apocalyptic tale with heart, and no zombie hoards or maniacs with muscle cars and chain saws anywhere to be seen. Probably the less said about The Purge: Election Year the better, but I do have to mention the quirky Swiss Army Man also comes out this week.
How many of you saw the 3D version of It Came From Outer Space when it hit the big screen in 1953? It was only the 6th movie ever made with a stereo soundtrack, and that too has been restored in the new Blu Ray 3D release coming out this week. They also fixed a number of problems with the vertical being out of alignment between the two film tracks, and corrected several scenes where the 3D was reversed (the stuff in the back of the scene appeared closer to the audience than the stuff in the foreground). Since they remastered it from the original duel film strips, they were able to convert it from its original red/green anaglyph format to the modern Blu Ray 3D format, so you will have none of the lose of brightness that format induced by virtue of limiting your visual input to just 2 parts of the spectrum.
Anime starts with a live action film this time, Attack on Titan Movie: Part 1, for those who missed it because its theatrical run was so limited. Gundam Reconguista in G takes place after the war torn Universal Century has ended, but the new century’s peace and prosperity hides some serious problems. Re-Kan! is a bout a new girl in school who hangs out with Ghosts, and pretty soon one of her classmates is seeing them too. Naruto Shippūden uncut box 28 brings more Ninja goodness home.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: Complete Collection is the first time both seasons can be found in a single box set. Strike Witches The Movie is also out on disc for the first time this week, which completes that series, with seasons 1 and 2 already being out in a S.A.V.E. edition. Blood-C: The Complete Series and Blood-C: The Last Dark are both coming out in S.A.V.E. editions as well.
The fantasy/adventure Warcraft comes home this week for those who enjoyed it as much as I did. I can’t really speak for Cell, having missed it in the theaters, but it was based on the excellent Steven King book of the same name, so I have my hopes for it.
Anime has Chaika – The Coffin Princess Avenging Battle, which is a well done sword and sorcery warfare story. Maria the Virgin Witch is also about medieval magical warfare and how to stop it, with more adult themes. Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign has humanity on the edge of extinction, three guesses from what threat. The complete collection is a bit pricey, I will wait for a S.A.V.E. edition. The Labyrinth of Grisaia/Eden of Grisaia are two OVA series of about 5 episodes each that expand the story told in the original 13 episode anime series The Fruit of Grisaia. Mikagura School Suite: The Complete Series is another Magical Girls Combat School, this one oriented for the Yuri audience. The second half of Plastic Memories also becomes available this week, but I will wait for all 13 episodes to come out in a single box set before picking it up.
The only Western genre title I could find this week was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, a franchise I generally like better in comic/manga form. But I haven’t seen this one yet, I am hoping they finally live up to the promise of their original format.
Anime has Asterisk War Volume 1 which is sadly only the first half of season one of this series. I will be waiting until they release at least a full season, and preferably two, to a single box set before I pick it up. But it is an excellent story you should be watching online while waiting for a real release. Den-noh Coil 2 is the second season about the hidden secrets in the digitally augmented world beyond their VR headsets. With one of their number dead and virtual creatures that act as if they are alive, they only have so much time to unlock the mysteries surrounding them. Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen has the Jun’s from two separate universes getting together to explore how having/not having the combat dolls in their lives changed how it all worked out. Finally, One Piece – Season 8 Voyage 3 brings episodes 481 through 492 of pirate goodness home.