No info available on Ishida Akira, this seems to be his only work. He is not to be confused with the prolific VA of the same name.

About the Manga

Volume one was awesome, volume two is mind blowing.

The cover art for this volume is rather freaky in a way, but also freaking awesome. That said I wish the title had been smaller and moved out the way to show off the cover to it’s best.

The art for this series is growing on me, and I’m moving from ‘like’ to love. However I still find it hard not to find similarities between several other mangaka. Though as the volume progresses that happens less and less as I got drawn into the story.

Something that I didn’t notice before however does irk me a little, and that’s the lack of real scenery. Almost all of the panels are up close in the face sort of thing, with only a few scenery panels. That’s a bit disappointing since I felt we could have seen some great fights taking place in some great scenery, but it just looks sparse.

I like the character designs and the accompanying personalities, and the events that happen between the demon trio was really surprising and went really well. Though I have to admit the ending part of that was pretty generic.

As with the previous volume the real life saviour of this one is the story. All I can say is WOW what a story. I’m eager to see just how Nanami progresses, especially since she show signs of being a focal point for all her demon ancestors.

The sad part of the story though is that it follows the generic, girl inherits uber powers and everyone wants her. I would have liked to see a more unique take on the story, but its still a good story.

The progression this volume is pretty good as well, as we see Nanami grow some more and gain partial control over some of her powers.

We also get given some more tantalising hints about Nanami’s parentage, which I have to admit really did irritate me, since it was dropped as a big sledge hammer, then nothing else in the volume mentions it. I would have liked to have had some more information, though  suppose Ishida does it to keep the interest.

I really like the story, but wish we had some better idea about who the different sides are, since so far we have very little to go on. Though in all honesty, I like a bit of mystery as well

Once again Yen Press did a good job with this volume. A good smooth translation that flows really well. Good choice of fonts and excellent editing, and best of all no guttering.

The extras this volume consist of concept art of the demon trio, though part of me thinks we’d have been better off with out them.

After re-reading both volumes one and two I’m unlikely to add it to my Essential Read list. While I do like the series, it lacks something to make me say it’s Essential. It is however a series well worth getting if you want something to fill the time.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

Darren Shan is an Irish author who has written both adult and young adult novels, as well as scripts for both TV and radio.

No info on Arai Takahiro drop me a line if you have any.

About the Manga

Another awesome volume that really got me into the story all the more. Though I have to admit I don’t like time slips.

I really got into the art for this volume. Partly I think because I’ve become used to the odd style, but also because it fits so perfectly.

I like the cover design this time, it has a good feel to it and sets the stage well for the volume.

As with the previous volumes the art really does get better as it goes. The scenery is really awesome at times. My feelings on the art lacking at times really have gone a full circle, and I can’t see this series doing as well drawn any other way.

I really liked the wolves in this volume, and while it’s true they weren’t around for long, they looked awesome.

This volume introduces a lot of new characters, and I found I really liked the character designs for them. One of these that’s come in is Arra Sails, and I really like her, though she looks like a guy.

The next main one is Kurda Shalt, one of the new vampire princes. His design is also really well drawn, but has a creepy atmosphere to it. It made me consider him as a hidden bad guy, though this came at odds with some of his later actions. It’ll be interesting to see how that will play out.

Story wise it starts off a bit wrong for me. We get a huge time slip, and while the explanation is great, I’d of preferred to have seen some of the events in the slip. especially since it is a long one.

However from there it gets better and better, and is predominantly about Darren’s journey to Vampire Mountain. While it focuses on the actual physical journey, we also get to see some character development with Darren and Lefty.

I really liked the way the journey played out, with equal amounts of fun, discovery, and danger.

When we finally get to the journey’s end we start a new one, mostly character development, as we get introduced to some of Darren’s more, bizarre behaviour. While these are explained at the time, I also found myself wondering if the little event at the beginning of the volume plays any part in his behaviour.

I also found I still love how he can be so naive at times and jumps into trouble head first without really considering the bigger picture to well. In this volume that little flaw of his plays a huge role IMO, as it shows that while he has changed and grown a great deal, at heart he’s still the kid he was when he was turned.

Yen Press do their usual awesome job with this release. A good translation that flows really well, good choice of fonts coupled with excellent editing. Best of all no guttering worth mentioning.

While I’ll admit I’m highly unlikely to ever read the books again, or see the movie, the manga is without a doubt an excellent read that’s worth buying, and more than deserves it’s place on my essential read list.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

This is Miwa Shirow’s first real release, though he did work on a collaboration work with Kusanagi Darai. The Dog’s series however is his first solo release.

About the Manga

This was another series that took me by surprise for several reasons. Firstly, it’s a Viz release that doesn’t actually suck big time, and secondly they opted to resize it to a manhwa sized volume, rather than the usual manga size.

This series has several other elements that others don’t as well. Firstly the covers are high gloss, and volume zero was silver embossed. It looks pretty awesome IMO. The other bit is a change from Viz’s usual releases, with some rather awesome looking full colour pages.

The art does take some getting used to however, I wasn’t all that impressed initially. And while it has grown on me over the volumes it still feels a bit off at times. This has a bad effect at times, usually in fight scenes, where it can feel a bit cluttered and lack lustre.

However it’s also true that at other times the art really works well, and I have to give him credit for the settings he’s drawn.

Unfortunately I can’t say the art gets “better” rather it’s a case of you get used to it, and then it grows on you. Though I have to say I love Nill, she’s just so damned cute!! Her design hardly changes through out and she gives the series some much needed light.

Naoto is another who makes this series so enjoyable, I loved learning about her past, she has that spark that makes a great character.

Badou unfortunately is the opposite. Everything about him I hate, from the way he’s drawn to the developments, to his personality. The concept behind the character I like though, and I feel he could have been a great character if only he’d had some more work done on him.

Heine was another I wasn’t keen on, but as I read through the volumes I found myself warming to him. While I don’t like his character designs to much, especially the way the designs change bit by bit, I do like his personality and developments. I was also loving the hints to his past we get.

While I’ll admit the art overall does fit the story, I doubt I’ll ever really like it.

Viz really surprised me with this series. Their shonen line up is pretty crappy due to their rewrites, however this time I honestly don’t have any issues with it. While the cynical part of me is saying it’s been rewritten, but truthfully I don’t see it. The translation this time is smooth and free flowing and while it’s not as good as say Yen Press’ it’s not a bad release.

The editing is also pretty good with easy to read fonts and no major guttering. In all honesty this is one of the best releases I’ve ever seen from Viz.

That said, while I enjoyed it, I wont be adding it to my Essential Read list till I’ve read the last few volumes. In the past to many short series have failed at the end, so I want to see how it looks when I’ve finished the last three volumes. For now, I’ll say it’s a series worth picking up if you have some spare cash.

However one thing to note, due to the graphic content this series carries a Mature and Explicit Content rating. Though I’ve seen worse, and think Viz are just playing it on the safe side.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

Couldn’t find anything on YoungBin Kim or Hyun You sorry

About the Manga

Laon took me by surprise in a big way. I first saw it as a preview in an issue of Yen Plus and my initial thoughts were “naff”. However the volume really took me by surprise by it’s changes and developments, and I now find I wish this was in Yen Plus proper so I don’t have to wait for the next volume.

The cover design is definitely unique, and while I find it has grown on me some I wasn’t to keen on it originally. Partly I think because of the colouring used, it makes the art look worse than it really is.

The art of the volume is pretty inconsistent, ranging from crap to okay. What’s really weird is tends to change from page to page which makes it very annoying, not to mention unsatisfying to look at.

That said I did like the colour pages at the beginning, I thought they set up the volume with a great atmosphere which gets better as the volume goes on. Also those pages meant that the next few pages, which were sample pages, make a lot more sense.

For me though, while the art is a bit of an issue, it’s not as a big a one as it would have been. Mainly because the story and developments in the volume are amazing.

Laon is a really fun lead character and through out the volume I found I was growing more and more attached to her. The way she acts was funny, and the darkness she shows occasionally, compared with her cute and childish side, really makes for an excellent combo.

I do hope we get to see more of the first character we were introduced to as well, Yu-Jin was a really interesting and likeable character. My initial reaction was a throw away character, the usual spoiled brat with a chip on her shoulder, but as the story progressed I really warmed up to her. While she does have the usual elements, I liked how she was and was sad to see her and Laon part.

The new partners we get for Laon, so far at least, haven’t really grabbed me. Tae-Ha really doesn’t feel right for me, I think part of it is the way he’s been drawn. Everything about him screams criminal, and then when he kidnaps Laon and finds out she’s a girl, well, he looks all the more like a pedo.

The other characters all have their own issues as well. Gyu-Jin is probably the designed out of the lot, but his personality is so flat and weak you forget about him as soon as you leave the panel. Young-Shin wasn’t in long enough to leave any sort of impact, but he feels like the generic womaniser, and finally Sung-In, who is definitely the best drawn character in the entire volume. That’s pretty much all there is to say about her, since she wasn’t around for much.

As usual Yen Press did an excellent job with this release, a nice smooth translation with nothing feeling out of place. The choice of fonts for the editing was well done as well, I especially liked Laon’s angry fonts. We also get a load of translators notes at the end, which are needed since as always Yen opt to leave the localizations alone.

Overall I found I loved this volume, yes it has it flaws, and it’s characters aren’t the best. However Laon, so far, is able to carry the series on her own. Though I am hoping that the other characters grow over the next volume or two. Though, as it stands now, I have no qualms about adding it to my essential read list.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA 

Synopsis

Throughout the passage of time and the shifts in backgrounds, a particular war continues to leave its mark on history, extending its influence into the modern world. There are two major groups involved in the ensuring war. The first group consists of monsters known as Chiropterans who can change their appearances into that of human beings. They are actually immortals who feed on the blood of the living. The second group is an organization known as the "Red Shield", formed to track down these monsters and exterminate them. Otonashi Saya is a high-school girl who lives a peaceful life with her family. The only problem is, she has no recollections of her life beyond that of the past year. However, her happy life will be destroyed by an event that will lead her to her destined fate.

Review (Overview)

From the light novel and manga, Blood+ is a 50 episode masterpiece produce by the team of Production I.G and Aniplex. The story basically entails a high school girl named Saya Otonashi who has lost memories and lives a peaceful life with her family until one night, she assaulted by a vampire-like creature called a “Chiropteran.” After learning that her blood is the only that can defeat them, she embarks on a journey alongside the Red Shield organization with the same mission in order to defeat these creatures and in the process to help Saya regain her memories.

To set the bar straight, you don’t have to have any knowledge of the film, Blood: The Last Vampire to see Blood+, but it does make several allusions to the plot, but doesn’t take anything way. Aside from the film, the anime plot is highly conductive with many odd and surprising twist and turns and fluid storytelling that help moves the plot along; while evolving it to something far better than what it began with. The characters are also a great asset, either with a role in Saya’s past such as Hagi; her Chevalier or Protector (Knight in French), George Miyagusuku; her surrogate father and war veteran, and David; key member of Red Shield or her future such as Kai Miyagusuku her adopted elder brother and cast of other various characters that helps shape Saya’s destiny.

In the grand scheme of things, the structure make it’s shift toward a uncommon, but all the same pattern of blah….blah, another anime with a high schooler fighting some evil force, but makes self apparent to the goal of becoming something much more without trying to hype itself into something it isn’t. Although as standard as it is, it rather exceptional in style and approach which makes it’s watchable and enjoyable, but all the same something different.

If you are familiar with Tsubasa Chronicles and Ghost In the Shell then the animation will mirror exactly that and is pretty unmistakable for anything else since I.G and Aniplex usually keeps in their realm of style and animation sequences; usually know for cute protagonist and rough looking antagonist figures composed with beautiful artwork as always. It’s not a visual stunner, but gets the job done. The voice actors for both the Japanese and English are well done and you probably heard them before as well in other anime pieces; so not many newbie’s taking center stage, but experienced and talent individuals. Aside from the voice actors; Blood+ boost a very nice and original music that derives itself from classical and symphonic themes that go over well with the scenes and makes itself useful to any situation. No much to say, but it works for me.

On a personal note, I really enjoyed the Blood+, yet at the end of the journey it just feels like another series completed and a closed resolution, but at the same time no need in trying to make it progress and try to revive an already finished story. The direction in which the story was aimed met its accomplishments pretty much like a basic story of good vs evil, good wins, and the hero either rest or goes on another journey type deal, but feels like it ignores the rules and makes it own ending. In other words, it’s nice story with feel of accomplishment, but after you watch once, you are probably done and recommend it to your friends.

Conclusion

There are many anime like Blood+ in the universe, but the same time: none like it. Similar maybe to its design and execution story wise, but not the same due to the story aim itself and execution premise. It is truly an anime that is recommended, but again: probably after seeing it once you will probably be done and move on from it.

• Pros: Nice storyline, likeable characters, standard plot with many interesting twist and turns. Straight to the point. Recommend to watch.
• Cons: Little replay value, feels standard in design too other anime (but not boring or momentous.)

Score: 95/100

You can Purchase Blood+ From…

Amazon.com USA

Amazon.com UK

…or wherever DVD’s are sold.

Masamune Shirow had created several other titles before GitS which made him famous. Several of the earlier series then gained their own fame, thought GitS remains the most famous, and most well known.

About the Manga

While I liked this volume was a great read, and a good addition to the GitS universe, or rather a good base from which the universe expanded; I’m not a huge fan of it.

My first real introduction to the GitS universe was the two series, which made me a huge fan. Sure I’d seen the movies as a kid, but hadn’t really watched them if you get my meaning.

However if you haven’t read the manga before nothing can prepare you for this, especially if you’re coming from the anime series first.

The manga, while the same as the anime, is also completely different. The main differences is the personalities and interactions of the cast. Which I’m not sure I liked. Batou is still after the Major, but the banter we see in the anime has spread around and lost a lot of it’s unique feel.

Aramaki and the Majors banter is taken to far and it lacks the depth and feelings of the anime.

These changes aren’t bad per say, and if you read the manga in it’s own right without trying to compare it to the anime, then it is a good a read, though it does have a rather huge pitfall.

I hate the art, actually hate isn’t strong enough, I’d go as far as to say I despise the art. It reminds me to much of crappy old western comics, and at times it’s the very worst.

Shirow is a great plot creator, developing the world, cityscapes etc etc, but I don’t like how he draws. He does have his moments, but I found even his colour panels to be lacking a lot of the time.

The story saves the series from falling onto my junk pile list, but I think my love of the anime also has a part in that as well.

The story doesn’t flow as well as it should, or could flow, and at times feels a bit jerky. However the story has a unique feel and flows well enough to allow the reader to enjoy the story.

However given when it was created, I don’t suppose it’s that bad, it just feels like it could have been so much more than it was, and that makes it a bit sad really.

I’ve no idea what the hell Kodansha are thinking, firstly this volume, like Akira, is huge. I found this damned annoying especially when you compare it with the size of the original Dark Horse release.

Then once again, it’s basically a carbon copy of the Dark Horse release, even to having their introduction at the front. I hate this TBH and wonder why they couldn’t have put the effort into doing their own. It feels to much like they let Dark Horse do all the work while they reap all the gains.

I was also rather disappointed to again find that this was flipped and reads left to right.

While I enjoyed this title a little, I can’t recommend it for several reasons. The main one being though if you want it go buy the Dark Horse release. It’s a better size and exactly the same, not to mention cheaper.

Kodansha need to learn how to release stuff to the western market fast or they’ll end up losing loads of money and going under. Hopefully the first of their own true releases will be better, but I’m not holding my breath.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

Not a lot of information on Tamaki Nozomu, she has done several other works, the most notable being Femme Kabuki.

About the Manga

What can I say, other than this is one of the best manga I’ve read. Though it has some rather questionable content, but that makes all the more awesome.

This series has some really amazing art to it, and the covers are a prime example of it. Admittedly though the art is not perfect through out the volumes, and on a few occasions Nozomu does struggle to get the feel of certain scenes.

However I felt these few bits were easily over come by how strong her art was at other times.

What I especially liked from early on was the minor details, such as backdrops and settings, which all have a lot of work and time spent on them. This is especially so in volume one, and then again in volume five.

However where this series is truly exception is in the character designs and personalities. Especially those of Hime and and Akira.

This is also where the first questionable content comes in, when we’re first introduced to Hime she’s resembles a very young child, which wouldn’t be an issue, except for the fact she’s frequently almost fully nude. We frequently see her topless and in a thong set set of panties, which while I feel works well with the story, a lot of people may find a bit to much.

The relationship she builds with Akira over the five volumes is really well done. Nozomu has worked a really astounding relationship between the lead characters. One aspect I liked was the fact that the love relationships are set in stone really early, so it doesn’t get in the way of the story.

But the way the story unfolds, and we get to see the depth of that relationship is another aspect that really makes this series stand out. Watching Hime and Akira fumble through their relationship makes a novel change. From finding their friendship again, to the issues they have to face.

The end of volume four and volume five are really amazing as we get to see Hime at her true best. The hate that infuses this volume, and the love that is clearly shown left me wanting volume six right away.

It is worth noting however that the series not only has the loli aspect in the form of Hime, but also has a shota aspect, which while not overt, is pretty clear. Which again some will not like. Yet I liked this aspect as well, and liked the way the story revolving this aspect came out.

Akira is an excellent lead character and a perfect match to Hime. He’s got a bit of an attitude problem, but he’s not the usual idiot, or belligerent hero. Rather he’s a strong character with a harsh past that does make him a bit brusque, and not really into frivolity. I liked that this also part of the story and is brought out slowly, but not to slowly.

The story is currently at five volumes, and we’re still barely getting going, as we’ve been getting a lot of character development and set up. It’s only now at the due date for volume six that we’re getting to the real story.

As I’ve always said about Seven Seas, they do put out high quality releases. The covers are high gloss and high quality, the pages are a good quality and with very minimal guttering. The translation is amazing, and I especially loved that we have the honorific’s, and especially the ‘Hime’ title.

I was also impressed that they left in a lot of regionalisation and just added translation notes at the end.

The 4koma at the end of every volume are really funny, and I found them a nice release, and interesting change from the main volume.

Overall I highly recommend this series, it’s definitely well worth buying.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

The writers and creators are De Filippis, and Weir, a husband and wife team who are more famous for their work with Marvel and DC Comics. As was several independent comics, and plot lines used in various cartoons. Destiny’s Hand is their second attempt at an OEL, the first being Amazing Agent Luna, which was released at Seven Seas launch. They have a website which is moderately updated.

The art was done by Melvin Calingo but I couldn’t find anything beyond his working for a filipino magazine called Comics Clash.

About the Manga

This was the second OWL ordered by mistake, and while it lacks the feel of Hollow Fields, was still an excellent read.

The art wasn’t quite right for me. While its no where near as bad as I’ve come to expect in most OEL’s I did notice that several times faces just looked wrong.

However I will say that while it’s got a decidedly western feel to the art, it looks pretty awesome at times.

The character designs are well drawn for the most part, and while there were a couple I didn’t like they were of characters not really of much import, so it worked out okay.

Olivia is just awesome, no other way to describer her. When we’re first introduced to her I was impressed with how strongly developed she was, the character design only had subtle changes over the course of the volume to account for the change in age, and station.

The other characters were the same, though as I said occasionally the art for the faces was pretty bad, and they looked a bit squished. However those were only a few occurrences and didn’t hinder it really. They just stand out because of how well the rest is drawn.

The story was what was a bit of a let down for me. While it’s not a bad story, it practically screams Pirates of the Caribbean and Cut Throat Island. While they may have gotten their inspiration from these movies, I do wish they had gone for more variance, rather than just mixing the two stories together.

As I said though, it’s not a bad story, and once you get past the blatant rip offs in the story, it’s actually a fun read. The story flows fairly well and fluidly, though a bit fast. However the speed was to be expected since it’s only three volumes, and covers a rather short period of time.

I would like to have seen another volume dealing with the events after the end of volume three, which ends a bit to abruptly.

Unlike Hollow Fields there are no extras in this series, and I think that’s a shame since concept art and stuff would have been great.

Overall, I liked this volume, though it has it’s flaws. Also it doesn’t quite make my Essential Read list. The reason being I find it lacks re-readability, as In on my second and third read through I found it less interesting and exciting. When I did my fourth read through I found myself easily distracted and gave up half way through. However it is worth reading at least once I would say, and think if you have some spare cash to get it.

Also do not buy the individual volumes, since for some reason SSE decided not to release volume three, and chose to abandon it after volume two, then release it as a full omnibus edition. So only buy the Omnibus Edition or you’ll just be wasting money.

A bad move IMO, and a bit of a slap in the face for fans who bought the first two volumes individually.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

Madeleine Rosca has only published the three volume Hollow Fields so far, but has already reached international acclaim by being awarded Japan’s International Manga Award, and being mentioned in Wired’s History of Manga in America.

About the Manga

This is the first of two volumes ordered by mistake, that have frankly blown me away.

I’ve made no bones about my hate of OEL’s, since almost every one of them I’ve read had been badly written and even worse drawn. This series, in many ways, is even better than Nightschool, the only other OEL that I sing praises about from dusk till dawn hehe.

Firstly, I noticed it has something I usually hate about OEL’s, it’s right to left, a japanese clone. However in this case it simply adds to the excellent art and leads to it being very similar to original manga.

In fact I have no complaints on any level. Madeleine’s skill at drawing is amazing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen any first time release that was done so well.

The cover for this series is awesome, though sadly it doesn’t really look so good on the small scale above.

While some of the characters have a slightly western feel to them, the truth is stick another name on here (a japanese name) and you’d swear it’s a manga. Right from the outset we have some awesome character designs, especially the lead Lucy Snow. Who looks so damned cute, despite missing a nose hehe. that said, if I was to pick one thing wrong with the series it’s that almost all of the characters are missing noses hehe.

As we progress through we get to see some really well drawn characters, and I have to admit that there are none I liked. I really loved Stinch who frankly has me in fits of laughter when he’s around.

The art gets better and better, and more intricate as the volume goes on. I was really surprised that through-out all three volumes there was nothing that I felt was drawn badly.I was even surprised by how well the supporting characters were drawn.

I was really impressed with the character personalities though. Usually, in most OEL’s I’ve read, these have been flat and frankly crap. However Madeleine  succeeds in bringing all of her characters to life in interesting, and well developed ways. They also mix very well together, balancing each other, with none over-powering the others. I thought this was an exceptional bit of writing skill on Madeleine’s part.

I have to admit that my usual complaint in series this short also doesn’t come into play, as in it being to short. While I’m not going to pretend I wouldn’t have liked more volumes, this is a rare gem in that three volumes was enough for her to tell the story properly and completely. What surprised me is that while the story does flow extremely fast, it doesn’t feel rushed. Rather the pace feels right.

Some of the relationships that build up over the course of the volume are really well conceived. I loved the relationship between Simon and Lucy, though it’s not until the later part of the volume that we really get to see it in play.

The ending, Is a bit generic, which while you can see it coming a mile away isn’t to bad. I would have loved to have a more unique and original ending, but I also feel that sometimes the old ending can be just as good, and this is one of them.

For me it all boiled down to Madeleine’s amazing art and story telling.

As I said at the beginning this is the first of two miss-orders, as in they weren’t the titles I’d wanted to order. The reason being it’s released by Seven Seas. Who as you know I have had a bit of a love hate relationship with. I love their releases, which are generally of a high standard, but hate how they treat their fans, and not to mention the fact they lied about me. So, while I wasn’t out and out boycotting them, I usually had other things taking priority over their releases.

However, even as a mistake purchase, I have to say that Seven Seas did an amazing job with this title. No translation or editing necessary since it’s an OEL, but I do like the omnibus’ quality. No major guttering issues, and the few that were around could be overlooked easily. Loads, and I do mean loads of extras, including concept art, 4koma, and about characters and author pages.

All told I was really impressed with this release, and have no issues with adding it onto my Essential Read list, in fact it more than earns it’s place there.

Where to Buy

• Brits: Play.com or Amazon UK
• Yanks: Borders or Amazon US
• Canadians: Chapters or Amazon CA

Synopsis

After losing his sister five years ago, Satsuki Kakeru led a vacant life, only able to return to his normal days with help from his childhood friend Minase Yuka and other friends at school.

Suddenly one day, the sky turns red and the moon turns black. Everyone besides Kakeru and Yuka disappears and monsters start roaming the streets. All that they were able to do was just to run away and hide. After a while, the world returns to normal. But just when they thought everything was a dream, the Red Night occurs again. Kakeru and Yuka manage to find four more humans who are involved in this mysterious phenomenon: Kusakabe Misuzu, a red-haired onmyouji swordswoman, Tachibana Kukuri, a strange mute girl who looks like Kakeru’s deceased sister, Hirohara Yukiko, a lively young girl who reverts to the personality of a cold killer when her glasses are removed, and Tajima Takahisa, a young pyrokineticist.

They get together and try to survive, but six shadows suddenly appear in front of them…

REVIEW

Trapped within the Red Night, six high schools attempt to survive against all odds against six malicious shadows, the main premise of 11eyes. This twelve episodic anime produced by Dogakobo,Inc is an shining example of how good a visual novel , hentai game can turn out to be a good anime series. Very loosely based on the visual novel, as stated chronicles the highschool students to survive and band together against the six sinister shadows that are after their lives.

On the surface, it is very easy to misjudge the storyline as a Persona series copy if you are familiar with it, but on the contrary, the anime has a very deep plot and story that goes far beyond the original premise and redefines the plots good and evil concept. Near the end however, it starts to follows a meandering and low resolution despite the good dénouement. The characters however, work in unison to give the story movement than it initial has, so the lack of explanation is rolled out through the story so it doesn’t take long for the story to really move and keeps the viewer locked in their seats. The number of twist and various plot devices that contribute to the characters are overall dynamic, but for some reason, quite a few of the main characters remain static, which is a small disappointment, but nothing significant.

The artwork is pretty much lively and aesthetic for most viewers, so it’s another promising device. Although as promising as the art is, the battle scenes were a bit stale and dry, which needed some spicing up, but, were alright compared with other visual novel pieces of it’s genre. However, the musical selections of the series provides a pretty nice backing and is a nicely composed set of dark themes mixed with some old school Japanese influence rhythm and tempo from old school type of instruments and also modern ones as well that fully convey the scences. The opening “Arrival of Tears” is performed by Ayane and ending by Arisel entitled “Kegare Naki Yumi,” which are two lovely pieces that fully fit the series. If you haven’t I highly can’t recommend the soundtrack pieces enough along with the original pieces as well to grab a hold of. They are truly breath taking.

Personally, the series is very nicely done and enjoyable for awhile, that is until the approaching ending which is a letdown to say the least. I have played the Visual Novel, but only gotten half way through the story which more or less is a better way to enjoy the series, but I hope to revisit it once my Japanese recognition improves.

However, the anime series 11eyes definitely has room to branch out from the collection of material it has and would be a joy to see, but not really needed. I won’t highly recommend the series, but I do suggest you watch for something different and semi-enjoyable.

Score: 78/100

Pros
-Excellent Storyline.
-Good execution and movement.
-Aesthetically pleasing artwork.
-Dynamic situations that give way to dynamic plot devices
-Plenty of room for extra ovas and other material.

Cons
-Static characterization for the impressive elements
- Great artwork wasted on half-assed action sequences
-Disappointing end (well…to me at least)