Years ago, manga artist/writer Rumiko Takahashi, creator of some of the most popular series on both sides of the Pacific (including the legendary Ranma 1/2), created her most ambitious work. It was the culmination of all her talents for comedy, romance, action and horror, a feudal fairy tale following the story of a girl thrown back in time, teaming with a half-demon boy on a journey to reassemble a magic jewel. That manga (and eventual anime TV series) was Inuyasha, and became possibly Takahashi’s greatest work. Due to catching up with the manga, the TV series had to end prematurely. Now, we finally get the conclusion in Inuyasha The Final Act. Is it worth it?

I feel the need to note that what I’m reviewing is the second DVD set, consisting of episodes 14 to 26 of this series. At this point in the series, the villainous Naraku has the nearly completed Shikon Jewel. Inuyasha, Kagome and their allies, the little fox demon Shippou, lecherous monk Miroku and experienced demon hunter Sango are racing against him, and others, to find the remaining shards. All the plot lines from the entire saga reach their conclusion point as the final conflict comes, and everyone will face their greatest challenge.

Which is all well and good, assuming that like me, you know who any of these people are, what the Shikon Jewel is, and what is actually going on already. Honestly, that’s probably the only major flaw in this series. If you’re not already a fan of Inuyasha, this is probably not the way to get into the franchise. Still, I have to stress that the quality of the series is really good. The animation is great, mixing both hand-drawn animation with computer animated effects, the music is great, and the voice work in both languages is really well done. And I have to add, the final episode may be one of my favorite final episodes in anime ever.

Features-wise, it’s rather slim pickings, with only an original Japanese trailer and cast credits in English.

Inuyasha the Final Act DVD set 2 doesn’t have much in extras, and is not for people new to the series. What it has going for it is a quality series, that has such a great conclusion, and a satisfying finish to a beloved series. It’s definitely one that fans shouldn’t miss.

One of the things that often happen with popular anime, particularly of the shonen (boys) action variety is that they end up with lots of movies. These are usually not considered canon, and often have a self-contained story that has no bearing on the series’ main plot. The wildly popular Naruto franchise already had 3 movies before becoming Naruto Shippuden, and this is the second movie of that series… so technically it’s movie 5, but also movie 2. Anyway, let’s dig in and see how it goes.

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As some of you may already know, I’m something of a fan of the anime Bleach. And here we have the latest movie for the franchise, Hell Verse. Is it a good entry to the saga, or a dud?

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Tenchi Muyo is one of the best anime to come out of the 90′s, and to this day fans still love the franchise. It’s no surprise that demand would lead to a movie, but the fact that three came about is still amazing to this day. With the recent release of the Blu-Ray collection, do the films still stand up alongside the series? Read the full story

One of the great classics of anime among western fans is the sci-fi comedy Tenchi Muyo. This is one of the first anime I ever really got into when I was an early teen. And after decades, the original OVA (Original Video Animation) series is being re-released on Blu-Ray. Does this classic hold up? Read the full story

Years ago, I reviewed the original Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage. I enjoyed it, despite its faults, because it was the best game based on one of my favorite anime. Does the Koei sequel improve upon the original, or fall flat?

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They’ve probably been the biggest source of Batman’s newfound popularity with the non-geeky crowd, and there’s a lot going on those films. So in this final article of Batman Month, let’s talk about those themes, the ideas at work behind them, and the comics that inspired the stories. Keep in mind, this is not a review, and there will be spoilers everywhere. You are warned.

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People tend to forget the name. Often, it works to simply say he was just a random guy with a gun, looking to score some cash when he shot a young boy’s parents. It’s easy to associate him with the symbol of crime and how the only real deterrent against it is vigilance. But he had a name: Joe Chill. And he was the man who indirectly created Batman.

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Back in the 90′s, as Sega’s Saturn was competing with Sony’s Playstation and Nintendo’s N64, it was rather shocking that there was no major Sonic game exclusive to the system. I mean, the closest we got were Sonic Jam (a combination of re-released Sonic 1 through Knuckles and digital museum celebrating Sonic) and Sonic R (a racer). However, Sonic Team came out with one of the most beloved games of the system, Nights into Dreams, a 2.5D side-scrolling flight game where you traveled through dream worlds and fought nightmares. And now Sega’s re-released it. Has it stood the test of time? Read the full story

Yup, it’s time again for another animation retrospective, and since it’s Batman Month, let’s do Batman’s modern animation history.

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