Based on a visual novel, Clannad follows the life of Tomoya Okazaki, a high school student slacker, as he helps his friends with their varying problems and situations.

After an accident sometime prior to the series start, Tomoya is unable to play in the basketball club anymore and having a poor relationship with his father ends up rather distant from school activities and spends a lot of his time slacking off from his studies and hanging out with his equally delinquent friend, Youhei Sunohara.

Tomoya soon meets Nagisa Furukawa an unassuming girl who is currently repeating her school year having spent much of the previous one out ill, leaving her largely alone as all her friends have moved on. Whilst very timid she tells Tomoya that she wants to join the Drama Club, but they soon discover that the club is currently on hiatus due to having no members. Tomoya decides to help her out in trying to get the club going again.

This arc stretches across all the episodes in this collection, but fades into the background as we follow Tomoya helping out other people and new friends he’s made whilst assisting others. The main girl we see him helping here is Fuko Ibuki, a student several years his junior who he discovers carving wooden starfish. Her wish is to make one for everyone in the school so that she can give them as gifts doubling as invitations to her sisters wedding. Both Tomoya and Nagisa dedicate themselves to helping her with the varying assistance of Tomoya’s other friends and Nagisa’s family. We soon learn however that things are not quite as they appear and that there’s something very strange about Fuku. This leads to a really sweet and emotional story.

The remaining cast of characters covers the spectrum of stereotypes from the ‘quiet super genius girl’, ‘really tough girl’, ‘blatant crush on the main character girl’ to ‘unnecessarily annoying parents’ and ‘letch best friend’. The good thing though is that they are all fun and memorable characters, with the exception of Nagisa’s father who’s simply painful to watch. You’re also likely to discover yourself actually caring about the characters without necessarily realising just how that happened.

The series so far has surprised me with just how emotional it can be. The first couple of episodes are a bit on the weak side but the series quickly builds up its story pace and expertly and deftly tugs on viewers heartstrings with some genuinely heart-breaking scenes and juxtaposing those scenes against moments of triumph for the different characters that will have viewers beaming from ear to ear. As this is only Part 1, obviously not everything set up get’s resolved here, but it gives a nice idea of where some things will go in the rest of the series.

The animation is good and solid, but nothing overly special which is to be expected from a high school drama anime as there’s nothing really flashy to animate. The dub cast are all good with David Matranga helming the cast well as Tomoya and Hilary Haag’s excellent turn as Fuku Ibuki.

On a rather disappointing note, there are no extras in this Part 1 release at all. I can only hope that the second part is crammed with them. On a mild technical issue note, the DVD returns to the menu after each episode so you can’t seamlessly skip from episode to episode with your ‘next chapter’ button – only a minor annoyance, but a strange setup nonetheless.

Clannad is highschool drama done brilliantly. You’ll find yourself loving the characters and genuinely getting drawn into their compelling stories and relationships. A well recommended watch.

Ratings
Story
Emotional and touching if a little slow to get going.
Animation
Good and consistent
Audio
A fine dub with David Matranga holding things together and a particularly nice performance from Hilary Haag as Fuko.
Extras
Disappointingly nothing whatsoever.
Overall
A remarkably endearing and recommended series.

This week we have the highly anticipated DVD/Blu-ray combi release of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex  - Solid State Society. This is the only part of the Stand Alone Complex series to be getting a Blu-ray release in the UK for the time being. If you want to be in for a chance to win yourself a copy of Solid State Society the head on over to our competition and answer the extremely easy question. Also don’t forget to check out our review of the Blu-ray version.

Fairy Tail Part 2 also comes out this week continuing the great start to this new series. Check out our review today.

If you fancy trying something different this week then you might want to consider Yatterman that is being released on DVD and Blu-ray. Yatterman is the 2009 Japanese live action adaptation of the original 1977 anime series and directed by Takashi Miike (Audition, Happiness For The Katakuris, Crows Zero) and is packed full of the exciting action scenes and colourful visuals that the anime is famous for.

It has been nearly two years since the release of the last Bleach movie, The Diamond Dust Rebellion. This month we have the all the Bleach movies being re-released on Blu-ray as well as the third movie. Is the third movie a welcome addition to the Bleach saga let’s take a look.

The first thing you’ll notice as soon as the film begins is just how nice it looks and sounds, especially on the Blu-ray version that we are reviewing. The world of Bleach has never looked so clean and sharp before, the colours are bold and true and black is black, perhaps more attention has been paid to the use of black and shadow in this film than usual, this could well be because of its title after all but it definitely feels as though the overall animation quality is far superior than anything produced in the series or previous films.

One thing to point out about the animation is that despite it being a fairly modern film there does not seem to be much use of CG effects in scenes, personally I feel that it looks much better for it. Also the character designs feel different from usual, they are a little rougher around the edges and their form seems different from the series norm because of this it seems to represent the character designs of the manga more than usual.

Despite the lack of CG effects that does not mean that there is not a lot of action, instead the action is fast paced and more frenetic than usual and this is possibly what the film does best. There are at least a dozen fight scenes, many of which are between characters that have fought it out in the series only now they look sleek and beautiful however because of the set up of the story (that I’ll get on to in a moment) none of them feel as memorable as they should.

The story on offer here is possibly best described as being the good and the bad of Bleach rolled into one. From the opening scenes of the film you get the impression that this is going to be a darker, more visceral and mature story than the usual offerings and throughout the first half of the film things remain pretty true to these expectations. Without spoiling anything the story does a great job of building up all the requirements to leading you to believe you are going to witness something special and unique only to have all thrown back at you in the second half of the film.

By the time you pass the halfway point of the film you can feel your expectations slipping away as what could have been a deep story with surprising twists and emotional power slips into the realm of mediocrity. Toward the end of the film, more about three quarters of the way into it, the story development virtually grinds to a halt and the finale begins. The final part of the film feels very rushed and a lot of opportunities to do something creative with the story seems to have sacrificed to get as big a battles in as possible. If you are familiar with the series then you might expect this but this time around it feels like too big a compromise after the first part of the film had so much potential.

As you might expect from such a long running franchise as this the voice acting is exactly what you have come to expect, especially when most of the cast are regulars. Of course it goes without saying that Johnny Yong Bosch demonstrates why no one else can every perform Ichigo as well as he does, with there being plenty of opportunity to perform a wide range of expressions in this film. The film also boasts an impressive soundtrack featuring many of the Soul Reapers motifs, also the sound effects are superb, not something that is usually worthy of paying attention to but they really stand out on the Blu-ray version of the film at least.

While it is good that all the Bleach films are coming to Blu-ray for the first time it is very sad to see that there are no bonus features on the disc and by none I mean none, not even the usual host of trailers. Of course if that is the price of having these films on Blu-ray then it is probably a worthy one.

A little bit like the lack of bonus features some fans might feel a little short changed by the story on offer here but in all it is still a unique story for the franchise and a welcome addition, while the series will probably never adopt such am ambitious arts style it is still memorable for many of the right reasons.

Ratings
Story
The story has the potential to be something great but falters on the final hurdle. It's still a pretty unique story for the franchise though.
Animation
By far the best looking Bleach to date with beautiful animation and a distinctive look.
Audio
The dub is a pretty standard fare. There is a fantastic soundtrack on offer as well as an overall impressive audio experience.
Extras
Most disappointed by the absence on any bonus content.
Overall
Visually powerful but lacking in content Fade to Black is a welcome addition to the Bleach saga.

To celebrate 21st May UK Blu-Ray (Double Play) release of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society OVA (Manga Entertainment) we are offering one winner the chance to win a copy of Ghost In The Shell on Blu-Ray (Double Play edition).

The stunning Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society OVA boasts an extraordinary storyline that will delight and astonish fans in equal measure. Written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the thematically and visually breathtaking Ghost In The Shell is surely not one to be missed. Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society OVA (Manga Entertainment) is released on 21st May 2012.

To win yourself a copy of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex-Solid State Society all you have to do is answer a seriously easy question and fill in the form below.

T’s & C’s

• This competition will be open until the end of 31st May 2012 (GMT).
• The winner will be contacted by email after the competition closing date.
• Prizes are only available to winners with a UK address.
• Entrants must be over 15 years of age.

There have been an unusually large amount of release details revealed in recent days considering we are on the run up to the MCM Expo from the three top anime distributors in the UK, this only leaves us wondering what announcements will be revealed at the expo.

Firstly it has been confirmed that Kaze will be releasing Planzet, a spectacular looking fifty minute CG film featuring lots big guns and even bigger mechs. The film has been passed by the BBFC uncut with a 12 certificate. If your a fan of giant robots then this is certainly worth getting excited about. It is still unclear if the UK release will follow the French release and include Negadon: The Monster from Mars that was created by the same director.

Manga Entertainment have announced that their release of Princess Jellyfish will be getting a UK release, however not only is this being limited to a DVD only release but it will also be strictly limited edition in nature. The limited box set will include an exclusive Jellyfish plush toy, the box set is due for release on 3rd September.

Also MVM  has reacquired the dark sci-fi adventure series Ergo Proxy and it will be re-released on 6th August, the series had originally been released by MVM in 2007 but had been deleted from their catalogue for a while. MVM has also confirmed that the .Hack/Quantum OVA series will be released on DVD 9th July. MVM has also launched a new twitter feed for fans to keep up to date with them.

On a final note Manga Entertainment have released new trailers for three of their upcoming released, Angel Beats!, Hetalia Axis Powers, Paint It, White! and Spice and Wolf Season 1.

It’s been a few months since we had our last Deal Of The Day so here’s a new bargain that you should not miss the chance to get.

Origin – Spirits Of The Past has to be one of the most attractive anime films in the last decade. The film was produced by Studio Gonzo and released in 2006. To accompany the amazing visuals the film also has a stunning and very memorable soundtrack by Taku Iwasaki (Gurren Lagann, Soul Eater, Black Butler) and Kokia (Gunslinger Girl Il Teatrino, Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom).

Synopsis

The rebirth of the future from the ashes of the past… It has been 300 years since mankind s interference with the environment left Earth in ruins. Now, the remnants of humanity are divided as never before. The crumbling remains of vast cities stand in tenuous coexistence with the encroaching forest, and humans live on both sides of this brewing conflict. Young Agito, the son of an aging hero, inadvertently sets in motion a series of catastrophic events when he wanders into a forbidden zone of the forest. He stumbles across a cryogenic stasis tube containing Toola, a girl who has a vital mission entrusted to her from the past… It is an unsteady peace in an unnatural time. Only by searching their souls and examining the past will Agito and Toola understand the origin of all things and unite mankind with the forest.

The Solid State Society film picks up about 2 years after the end of the 2^nd GIG of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series. We find Togusa leading up a field team, Batou becoming somewhat picky about the ops he goes on and the Major long resigned from and out of contact with Public Security Section 9. Whilst this might not be quite the future you’d have hoped for for Section 9 (an intelligence department and anti-crime unit) after the series, it does make sense, even if the explanations given for the changes are a little on the ropey side.

The film begins with Section 9 trying to apprehend the son of an exiled dictator from the Siak Republic, who after a brief stand-off, commits suicide after mumbling about a ‘Puppeteer’. It is soon seen that a number of other Siak agents have been committing suicide (apparently under influence of the shadowy Puppeteer) and that they are planning a micromachine virus attack as retribution.

The team come across a group of abducted children who they at first take to be tied into this plot as carriers, however it is soon discovered that their abductions might be part of something far more sinister and far wider than any of them could have imagined.

Solid State Society has some really interesting ideas running through it but suffers from a really slow first half and general lack of action. The series certainly had its wordy episodes, and that worked fine in the context of a series, but when a film spends most of its run time with everyone just standing around talking in different locations and very little substance happening, it gets boring fast.

There are however two major action sequences and both are executed brilliantly with the fluid and dynamic action that were hallmarks of the series. It’s just a pity that there aren’t more of them.

There’s implied development for the characters that will only be appreciated if you’ve seen the series, otherwise everyone will seem a bit flat. If you have seen the series then there’s some interest to be taken from how the characters have developed in the 2 years since 2^nd GIG, especially in regards to Togusa taking on more responsibility and the general enlargement of Section 9 with a slew of new rookies and a nice explanation from Chief Aramaki as to why the changes were necessary. The treatment of the Major however isn’t done as well, it feels confusing and her motivations aren’t at all clear.

The Blu Ray is nice with crisp sound and a fine dub with the series cast reprising their roles. The animation is a definite step up from the series, but isn’t anything overly spectacular. The colour palate is generally darker and more drab, but that actually helps to give a proper ‘film’ feel to the proceedings rather than it just appearing as a feature length episode. Anyone coming in cold will be able to follow the events of the film, but anyone who’s actually seen the series will have a much fuller experience. First timers are likely to have some issue with terminology and character relationships though, as the film essentially presumes you’re already aware of the setting context and the characters.

Quite a nice selection of extras can be found on the disc. There’s several trailers and interviews along with some design featurettes along with the usual sets of trailers for the film and for others. Fans of the series will certainly be pleased to find a mini OVA starring the ever popular Tachikoma think tanks.

The film has a lot going for it in terms of story, the mystery surrounding the nature of the Solid State Society is actually very interesting and there are some fascinating ideas and concepts thrown up, however the pace and plotting of the film don’t do the underlying story justice. It’s sadly one of those films that is better the more you think about it in hindsight, as experiencing the slow drip feed of the initial plot is quite frustrating. SSS feels too long during the slow build and too short during the frenetic action and breakneck (and not entirely satisfactory) plot exposition at the end.

Fans of the series whilst possibly disappointed in the lack of decent amounts of action, will definitely find a number of things here to really enjoy, but newcomers, not armed with the whole series cannon to explain the setting and concepts of the Ghost in the Shell world, are going to find it something of a confusing watch.

Ratings
Story
An interesting tale, but told too slowly.
Animation
Good quality and a step up from the series.
Audio
A fine dub, but no standouts.
Extras
Trailers, interviews an OVA and some featurettes
Overall
Intriguing premise, but a little too slow in the first half.

This week we have a single volume release in the form of Bleach Series 8 Part 2 from Manga Entertainment.

Synopsis

As Ichigo and his friends battle their way through the Arrancar stronghold, Chad is overcome by Espada Number Five Nnoitora – and the drop in his Spiritual Pressure is felt throughout Las Noches. Elsewhere, Uryu and Renji struggle against Szayelaporro, who has sealed away most of their abilities, and Orihime and Nel watch in horror as a Hollowfied Ichigo faces off against the exultant Grimmjow. You can read our review of this volume of Bleach here.

The fairly slow release schedule from many of the anime distributors looks as though it will be coming to an end very soon. The next several weeks have got plenty of new titles lined up from Manga, Kaze, MVM and Studio Canal.

Manga Entertainment have released a new trailer for the upcoming DVD and Bl-ray release of Roujin Z.

Roujin Z tells the story of an old man who becomes part of an experiment to create a robotic bed that can aid and maintain in infirm. The film has some big names involved in its production including script and mechanical designs by Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira, Freedom, Perfect Blue) and art design by the late Satoshi Kon (Millennium Actress, Paprika, Paranoia Agent).

The film was originally released in 1991 and hit UK cinemas back in 1994 and was followed by a VHS released in the same year by Manga Entertainment. This release is by Kaze UK and distributed by Manga Entertainment.

Last time we left Natsu, Lucy, Gray and company we’d just got started on a really promising plot arc, and the series was showing signs that it was picking up strongly.  Fortunately, volume 2 doesn’t disappoint. With the Galuna Island arc really getting into its stride it splits off into multiple plotlines and does a  great job of delving into Gray’s background, his rivalry with the self-proclaimed ‘Cold Emperor’ Lyon and their history with their missing master Ur. These are without a doubt the best episodes the show has produced so far – exciting, clever and surprisingly emotional, with a flashback to Gray’s childhood providing the highlight with an excellent and surprisingly moving tale of childhood naiveté. The arc even ends strongly, with a highly effective twist ending and a postscript episode which is a little unnecessary but contains its own clever twist and an intriguing hint at a longer term plot happening behind the scenes.

As good as the Galuna arc is, the last four episodes of the set are even better as the Phantom Lord saga kicks off an all out magical war between Fairy Tail and a rival guild. With the characters and world firmly established the show is finally able to step on the throttle a bit and we see some fantastic, epic scale action as Fairy Tail battles for its very survival against overwhelming odds and monstrous enemies. It’s a thrilling taste of the possibilities the show’s universe offers and what’s even more encouraging is that it doesn’t come at the expense of character moments. Indeed, we see some of the best insights we’ve seen so far, with previously minor character Elfman getting some real depth and emotional torque with his own flashback episode. Meanwhile, there’s an important revelation about the previously dippy Lucy that reveals she’s considerably more than she first appears.  Although the set once again ends in the middle of the arc, it’s a much more acceptable break this time, an epic cliffhanger that really whets your appetite for whatever is next.

It’s when it’s locked into these compelling story arcs that the show is at its strongest. Outside of these however, it shows a worrying tendency to fall back into mediocrity. A number of scattered filler episodes exhibit all of the worst habits of shōnen anime – reckless padding, poor fights and an over reliance on goofy, unfunny comedy to carry the day. Particularly disappointing is that the very first episode of this set is one of these, potentially a real turn-off for the casual fan.  A by-the-numbers body swap episode is the other major offender, although a flashback episode to Happy’s birth bucks this trend with a surprisingly sweet story of a younger Natsu.  Elsewhere, animation still continues to disappoint, with many scenes painfully devoid of motion, while even the fights are just that bit less fluid and dynamic than you’d hope for.  Music is similarly unremarkable, although the slight celtic flavour of a few of the tracks remains pleasingly different.

The English dub continues to impress, particularly Newton Pittman as Gray, who really gets some dramatic work to sink his teeth into this time round. Cherami Leigh is still a little bit screechy as Lucy, but this remains a fine dub and the recommended option for those new to the show.  The dub cast also contribute to entertaining and informative commentaries on episodes 15 and 19 that make up the bulk of the extra content on this two disc set, alongside clean openings and closings. I’ll again express my disappointment at the lack of a blu-ray option, though that’s hardly going to change.

Fairy Tail volume 2 begins to deliver on the ample promise that volume 1 held with a deeper, more emotionally resonant look at the characters and battles which are smarter and higher stakes. Mediocre production values continue to hold it back from true greatness, but with the added weight and depth that these arcs bring to the world its on the right track.  I’m looking forward to seeing these stories and characters grow further and face new challenges. Aye!

Ratings
Overall
A promising step forward for the series, showing it can add depth and emotion to the action and adventure it already boasted. Bad animation continues to be a problem, but it's still an excellent way to spend your time