\nMany times throughout history, seemingly unlikely partners have combined to yield great results. Peanut butter and chocolate. Shaquille O''Neal and Kobe Bryant. m-flo and Studio 4°C. And now, with The Dark Goodbye, we see a genre mashup that few would have seen coming: detective noir and Lovecraftian horror. Fans of cult and retro things are surely familiar with both genres, but rarely will they have seen a story that brings out both at once. This is one such story, and while it''s an ambitious one, it also reveals a creative team still trying to come to grips with both ideas. Let''s face it: coming up with a good detective mystery is hard. Coming up with good horror is hard. Pile the challenges on top of each other, and the standards become impossibly high. But even those who miss the big jackpot can still count some minor successes along the way.\n\n
\nOne such success is the series'' grim, nervous mood, which starts right from the first chapter and never lets up—Mason begins his investigation at a holistic doctor''s office, lined wall-to-wall with gruesome specimens, and it just gets creepier from there. The world-building in this story is where the genre remix works best: think of the seediest, grayest, most hard-boiled metropolis you can imagine ... and now fill it with haunted mansions, reanimated corpses, and slimy creatures from beyond the animal kingdom. Although this world doesn''t deliver any truly disturbing moments—the nebulous art keeps it from getting too graphic—there are still enough creepy-crawly concepts for a good dose of the goosebumps.\n\n
\nDespite such a solid foundation, however, the actual plot and characters are a huge disappointment. The grim mood is so effective that it overpowers everything else and prevents the story from expanding. Instead of going on a winding investigative trail, Mason finds himself doing the same things over and over: discovering creepy places, battling gruesome monsters and villains, and muttering first-person monologues so gloomy that you just want happy shiny ponies to come fluttering in and cheer the guy up already. What''s more, these investigations lead to a piecemeal plotline loaded with genre gimmicks—beautiful mysterious women, scheming gangsters, mad doctors, a Cthulhu ripoff—and none of it makes much sense. This volume comes to some sort of ending, but the way it gets there is hopelessly vague, and may the Great Old Ones have mercy on anyone who tries to explain the story in their own words.\n\n
\nDynamic, angular layouts and a rapid page-turning pace are the strongest earmarks of traditional manga in this work, but the artistic style is an entity unto itself, and one that suits the story very well. Character designs draw their influence from horror toons past and present, with the ugliest ones being the most interesting, and the chaotic, debris-laden backgrounds perfectly capture the feel of this grim city. If a frame of reference were absolutely necessary, think of it as a grayscale collision of Michel Gagne''s grotesquerie and Jhonen Vasquez''s manic linework, except not really resembling either of those artists. Pencil lines, squiggles, and minor mistakes are left in rather than polished and smoothed out—a basic artistic choice that''s essential to the overall mood. The biggest mistake, however, is the insistence on toning and grayscaling everything—while it makes for some very rich, striking effects, it also creates a dullness throughout the whole book. With so few pure blacks and pure whites, there''s nothing for the eye to rest on, and the visual "rhythm" is lost. Instead it''s just a big mass of gray ... for 170 pages.\n\n
\nThe noir influence is strongest in the dialogue, where Mason tries his damnedest to sound hard-boiled—and that''s all he is, a wannabe trying to pass himself off as a hard-boiled detective. More often than not, Mason''s lines end up being strings of verbiage and metaphor that sound depressing but don''t really mean anything. "A visit to Gatemouth was like swimming in the low end of the gene cesspool," for example. Look, people are paying $10 for this book, so what''s with the dime-store dialogue? Character-to-character interaction is filled with the same kind of vagueness, where everyone deals in abstractions and tough-guy talk without ever advancing the story. No wonder the plot is such a mess. Meanwhile, the sound effects are typical comic-book fare that only show occasional flashes of creativity, like when the buzzing of flies fills a whole page. Apparently, anything involving text just isn''t worth the effort that was put into the world-building and artwork.\n\n
\nIn this experiment of noir and horror, success and failure seem to cancel each other out. For everything that The Dark Goodbye does right—the mood, the setting, the art—it does something else wrong—the plot, the characters, the dialogue. In the end, this first volume rides on a strong idea that just doesn''t have the execution to back it up. That''s just how hard it is to meet the standards of two challenging genres. Urban mystery and monstrous mythology could still have a chance to succeed, though, and only the next volume will tell if this series gets any better.', '--- \ngrade_story: D\ngrade_overall_dub: ""\ngrade_music: ""\ngrade_art: B\ngrade_overall: C\ngrade_overall_sub: ""\ngrade_animation: ""\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57691, 17458, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'In this experiment of noir and horror, success and failure seem to cancel each other out. For everything that The Dark Goodbye does right—the mood, the setting, the art—it does something else wrong—the plot, the characters, the dialogue.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57687, 17458, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'An intriguing setting filled with mobsters and monsters, drawn in a moody yet dynamic style.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57685, 17458, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'The Dark Goodbye\nGN 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57689, 17458, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57688, 17458, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Max "Mutt" Mason is a private detective living in the seedy city of Los Allende. When a beautiful and mysterious stranger asks him to help locate her missing twin sister, he agrees to take on the case—but soon falls into a web of conspiracies and horrors even stranger than he can imagine. As Mason tries to figure out the real truth, he will be chased by a man made of flies, get attacked by a sea monster, and discover ancient myths from before the dawn of humanity. Somehow, this kind of stuff was never in his job description.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57684, 17458, 'title', 'en-US', 'The Dark Goodbye GN 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57912, 17527, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Three months in between releases, some artistic quality control issues.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57908, 17527, 'content', 'en-US', 'The above synopsis does not even come close to describing all that that happens in this volume, partly because of some genuinely surprising twists the story takes but mostly because there''s just too much going on through these five episodes to describe everything without giving a lengthy dissertation. So much happens that each episode feels longer than it actually is (and at more than 25 minutes per episode, they are already a little longer than the norm for broadcast animation), yet the pacing never feels rushed. Even with all its plot development and sci-fi goings-on, the storytelling still somehow finds time to delve into character development and lots of explanatory exposition and throw in great action scenes, too. Most series could not accomplish all that this one does in half again the same length of time. wai. But Jin-Roh is better.\n\nThe most amazing things about the series – and this volume in particular – are the successful melding of dramatically different story elements and nonreliance on traditional anime elements. Its children actually behave like children should instead of the normal goofy animated take on their behavior (and note that I did not say “anime” for a reason), and from that comes the volume''s few light-hearted moments. While allowing the kids to express themselves, it also delves into explanations of some of the fundamentals of the extremely complex theoretical world of quantum mechanics and how it relates to the dimension-hopping themes of the series; a point of particular relevance to the plot is the notion that mere observation of an event can have an effect on the event, which in this case is extended to mean that Haruka can make alternate realities actually happen just by using the Dragon Torque to see them – a scary notion. This isn''t your normal sci-fi technobabble, as all of what Uchida explains in episode 11 and elsewhere is based on actual philosophy and science. By extension, this means that the entirety of the series and its dimension-hopping mechanics is, in fact, based on actual philosophy and science rather than just the fantastic musings of its creator. As a nice touch, the visuals accompanying Uchida''s explanation in episode 11 include a sly reference to the famous Schrödinger''s cat thought experiment, which will probably fly over the head of all but the best-educated viewers. Despite much of the cast being kids, this is definitely not kiddie fare.\n\nAs with previous volumes, this one further explores some of the underlying psychological elements. What does it say about a person who''s jealous of an older alternate-dimension version of himself? The writing also continues to delve into the “what is reality and what is an illusion” mode of thinking, and while most people wish at some point that they could revisit the past and look for ways to have seen events play out differently, Haruka actually subconsciously has the power to do that. But is she old enough to understand and appreciate it?\n\nComing up more prominently in this volume than the previous ones is the creepy side of the story. We have all seen horror and/or supernatural stories about phones that are supposed to be disconnected and nonfunctional suddenly ringing, allowing the listener to communicate with people from different times and places than should be physically possible, but the gimmick gets used quite effectively here. Most series also could not pull off having a CG-created alien which looks thoroughly ridiculous (think of a giant seahorse with a hand on a tentacle) and yet also still carries an aura of menace, but this one does. The reappearance of Noein, whose role in the scheme of things and connection to Shangri-la (and also what Shangri-la is) is finally made somewhat clear, adds the final bit of edginess.\n\nThe highlight of the visuals is unquestionably the boldly stylish action scenes, which use distorted graphics and a pulse-pounding musical backing to give a strong sense of the kind of frenetic movement one would expect to see in fights like this. The lowlights are a few thoroughly unappealing adult character designs and irregularities in visual quality. The series retains its unique look while continuing to heavily employ CG artistry in its aliens and perspective-shifting shots of buildings. Background art, as before, meticulously recreates the real-world settings used for the series, and the animation supports the series well, whether dealing with the action scenes, more fantastical visual effects, or the exaggerated reactions of some characters.\n\nAs with previous volumes, the musical score normally works quite effectively but can get a bit too heavy and overly melodramatic in key scenes. The opener and closer remain unchanged. The styles of delivery for the English cast may not always match up perfectly to those of the original Japanese cast, but one would have to get quite picky to find fault with the accuracy of the casting relevant to the characters; Melissa Fahn and Yuri Lowenthal are especially good choices for Haruka and Yuu, respectively. No fault can be found with the quality of the performances, either, beyond possibly Ai. (And she has few lines in this block of episodes anyway.) The English script also sticks relatively close to the original.\n\nIncluded with these five episodes is part 3 of the location-scouting documentary seen in previous volumes, an image gallery of screen shots, and a “NOEIN: Storyboard to Screen” feature, which takes clips from all three volumes and breaks them down into one-after-another comparisons with their components parts; a nice inclusion for those interested in the animation process. As with previous volumes, this one also has an Easter Egg, which can be accessed by selecting the “Noein Volume 3” circle on the main menu. It provides a collection of humorous alternate dialogue outtakes, many of which are actually quite funny but most of which are definitely not PG-rated in content. Set-up options include Spanish as well as English subtitles. This volume also comes with a very economical list price (MSRP of only $19.99), making it a great bargain.\n\nManga Entertainment, a company which never shies from licensing and distributing thought-provoking sci-fi series, has done an excellent job with this one, too, with one exception: the three freakin'' month wait in between volumes. Hopefully this is not a sign of the future. Otherwise this volume has a lot to recommend it: intense, stylish action, involving storytelling, complex explanations, and surprising plot twists. If the first two volumes didn''t convince you that this is one of the best of recent sci-fi anime series, this volume should.', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nThe above synopsis does not even come close to describing all that that happens in this volume, partly because of some genuinely surprising twists the story takes but mostly because there''s just too much going on through these five episodes to describe everything without giving a lengthy dissertation. So much happens that each episode feels longer than it actually is (and at more than 25 minutes per episode, they are already a little longer than the norm for broadcast animation), yet the pacing never feels rushed. Even with all its plot development and sci-fi goings-on, the storytelling still somehow finds time to delve into character development and lots of explanatory exposition and throw in great action scenes, too. Most series could not accomplish all that this one does in half again the same length of time.\n\n
\nThe most amazing things about the series – and this volume in particular – are the successful melding of dramatically different story elements and nonreliance on traditional anime elements. Its children actually behave like children should instead of the normal goofy animated take on their behavior (and note that I did not say “anime” for a reason), and from that comes the volume''s few light-hearted moments. While allowing the kids to express themselves, it also delves into explanations of some of the fundamentals of the extremely complex theoretical world of quantum mechanics and how it relates to the dimension-hopping themes of the series; a point of particular relevance to the plot is the notion that mere observation of an event can have an effect on the event, which in this case is extended to mean that Haruka can make alternate realities actually happen just by using the Dragon Torque to see them – a scary notion. This isn''t your normal sci-fi technobabble, as all of what Uchida explains in episode 11 and elsewhere is based on actual philosophy and science. By extension, this means that the entirety of the series and its dimension-hopping mechanics is, in fact, based on actual philosophy and science rather than just the fantastic musings of its creator. As a nice touch, the visuals accompanying Uchida''s explanation in episode 11 include a sly reference to the famous Schrödinger''s cat thought experiment, which will probably fly over the head of all but the best-educated viewers. Despite much of the cast being kids, this is definitely not kiddie fare.\n\n
\nAs with previous volumes, this one further explores some of the underlying psychological elements. What does it say about a person who''s jealous of an older alternate-dimension version of himself? The writing also continues to delve into the “what is reality and what is an illusion” mode of thinking, and while most people wish at some point that they could revisit the past and look for ways to have seen events play out differently, Haruka actually subconsciously has the power to do that. But is she old enough to understand and appreciate it?\n\n
\nComing up more prominently in this volume than the previous ones is the creepy side of the story. We have all seen horror and/or supernatural stories about phones that are supposed to be disconnected and nonfunctional suddenly ringing, allowing the listener to communicate with people from different times and places than should be physically possible, but the gimmick gets used quite effectively here. Most series also could not pull off having a CG-created alien which looks thoroughly ridiculous (think of a giant seahorse with a hand on a tentacle) and yet also still carries an aura of menace, but this one does. The reappearance of Noein, whose role in the scheme of things and connection to Shangri-la (and also what Shangri-la is) is finally made somewhat clear, adds the final bit of edginess.\n\n
\nThe highlight of the visuals is unquestionably the boldly stylish action scenes, which use distorted graphics and a pulse-pounding musical backing to give a strong sense of the kind of frenetic movement one would expect to see in fights like this. The lowlights are a few thoroughly unappealing adult character designs and irregularities in visual quality. The series retains its unique look while continuing to heavily employ CG artistry in its aliens and perspective-shifting shots of buildings. Background art, as before, meticulously recreates the real-world settings used for the series, and the animation supports the series well, whether dealing with the action scenes, more fantastical visual effects, or the exaggerated reactions of some characters.\n\n
\nAs with previous volumes, the musical score normally works quite effectively but can get a bit too heavy and overly melodramatic in key scenes. The opener and closer remain unchanged. The styles of delivery for the English cast may not always match up perfectly to those of the original Japanese cast, but one would have to get quite picky to find fault with the accuracy of the casting relevant to the characters; Melissa Fahn and Yuri Lowenthal are especially good choices for Haruka and Yuu, respectively. No fault can be found with the quality of the performances, either, beyond possibly Ai. (And she has few lines in this block of episodes anyway.) The English script also sticks relatively close to the original.\n\n
\nIncluded with these five episodes is part 3 of the location-scouting documentary seen in previous volumes, an image gallery of screen shots, and a “Noein: Storyboard to Screen” feature, which takes clips from all three volumes and breaks them down into one-after-another comparisons with their components parts; a nice inclusion for those interested in the animation process. As with previous volumes, this one also has an Easter Egg, which can be accessed by selecting the “Noein Volume 3” circle on the main menu. It provides a collection of humorous alternate dialogue outtakes, many of which are actually quite funny but most of which are definitely not PG-rated in content. Set-up options include Spanish as well as English subtitles. This volume also comes with a very economical list price (MSRP of only $19.99), making it a great bargain.\n\n
\nManga Entertainment, a company which never shies from licensing and distributing thought-provoking sci-fi series, has done an excellent job with this one, too, with one exception: the three freakin'' month wait in between volumes. Hopefully this is not a sign of the future. Otherwise this volume has a lot to recommend it: intense, stylish action, involving storytelling, complex explanations, and surprising plot twists. If the first two volumes didn''t convince you that this is one of the best of recent sci-fi anime series, this volume should.', '--- \ngrade_story: A\ngrade_overall_dub: A-\ngrade_music: B+\ngrade_art: B+\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: A-\ngrade_animation: A-\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57913, 17527, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'Intense, stylish action, involving storytelling, and complex explanations are the order of the day in a block of episodes rife with surprising plot twists. If the first two volumes didn''t convince you that this is one of the best of recent sci-fi anime series, this volume should.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57909, 17527, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Dense writing capably brings together diverse elements, spectacular action scenes.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57907, 17527, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Noein\nDVD 3', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57911, 17527, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57910, 17527, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'In addition to securing the Dragon Torque, the Dragon Knights must now deal with renegade Karasu, who has resolved to do everything in his power to protect Haruka, even if that means battling an old friend to the death. Wild card Atori must also be dealt with, but another even more dire threat looms in the background: the mysterious masked being who calls itself Noein, and the menacing aliens of Shangri-La who seem to be working with/for Noein. Through it all Haruka struggles to learn more about the power of the Dragon Torque she possesses and the ability it gives her to perceive and cross over to other dimensions, an ability which may have more frighteningly powerful potential than she ever imagined.\n\nMeanwhile Kyoji Kooriyama and Kyoko Uchida delve into the explanations of quantum mechanics as they relate to alternate dimensions and decide to hunt down a particular scientist to discuss their concerns over a potentially very dangerous project dealing with that subject, a man who also happens to be Haruka''s father. And Yu struggles to deal with his jealousy over his older self''s apparently tight relationship with Haruka.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57906, 17527, 'title', 'en-US', 'Noein DVD 3', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57943, 17536, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'On paper, and translated from another language, it loses the immediacy and spark of the original phenomenon.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57939, 17536, 'content', 'en-US', 'Aside from going online and actually reading the logs, the Train Man novel is as close as you''re going to get to experiencing the ups and downs of this modern-day romance. No cutesy-fancy cartoon character drawings, no TV and movie actors, just text and ASCII art and the giddy sensation of having stumbled upon—to use the parlance—an "epic thread." From a storytelling perspective, it may seem more of a romantic vignette than anything epic, but as a reflection of the Internet age, it says a lot about the people of that place and time. It does lose something in the translation from colloquial online Japanese to colloquial online English, and the deadness of paper can''t match the real-time vibrancy of the Net, but the essence remains: a man who dared to change himself, and in doing so, also changed the lives of those around him.\n\nNow, hearing about some up-to-the-minute online love story might trigger thoughts of a postmodern, avant-garde tale stretching the limits of technology and the imagination, but that''s just not true. Behind the contemporary façade of Train Man is a surprisingly traditional story, one where the underdog guy proves himself worthy of the unattainable girl. Despite the modern twist, this is hardly a gripping or innovative plot, and even someone who''s only heard of the premise can tell how it ends. What is fresh about the novel, however, is its format; seeing the story told through online messages creates a unique rhythm that can''t be achieved through prose, and for those who spend most of their leisure time on the computer, this kind of reading may even be more natural than prose.\n\nThe novel''s unique format also excels in one other field: bringing out the characters in depth. In the TV series, the film, and various manga versions, Train and Hermes are ultimately "other people"—the reader or viewer is watching another couple get together. But in this book, one can get into Train''s head, understanding his personality as he pours out his heart through his posts. By the end, he''s clearly not the same man he once was, and his growth follows a more flowing arc than in other retellings of the story. Seen from a first-person viewpoint, it''s a true character transformation, not just a superficial geek makeover. Sure, he gets fashionable clothes and a haircut and all, but the most important part is seeing Train gain self-confidence and friendship.\n\nThe virtual support group in the story also shines in this format—who would have thought that hundreds of "Anonymous" characters could be so much fun, with their over-the-top expressions, military metaphors and wacky ASCII art? One particularly telling moment is when someone discovers the infamous Subservient Chicken website, and the banter ("Have you tried telling it to kill itself?") continues for a couple of pages before Train finally stops by. It''s a cute snapshot of the random nature of Internet chatter, and one that works best in a text medium. This little episode, among many others, captures the bristling energy of people coming together in a virtual world—an energy that propels the book for 400 pages.\n\nAs an old-media representation of a new-media phenomenon, however, the novel still has its failings. Printed text can only go so far in capturing the feel of online interaction, despite 2ch being highly text-driven—you can''t just click on a link in the story, for example, and the tactile sensation of scrolling down a thread is replaced by the more sedate act of page-turning. More importantly, the real-time effect is all but gone: there''s no sense of "this is actually happening," because the events are now long past and crystallized on paper; instead it''s more like "well, in hindsight, things that you hear on the Internet may or may not be true." Reading a novel doesn''t have the immediacy of stumbling upon an epic thread on the Web, yet it''s a closer approximation than a screenplay or comic that inevitably forces the story into third-person.\n\nThe other pitfall of this PC-to-paper conversion is the clunky translation: Japanese Internet users have a unique language, and English-speaking Internet users have a unique language, and rarely the twain shall meet. There are plenty of colloquialisms that don''t have a direct dictionary correspondence, and that''s understandable. But here''s the killer: the translation is written in British English! For some reason, the translation was handled by Del Rey''s UK branch, and then ported over. Just because it''s in "English," however, doesn''t mean it''s the English understood by the reader market. With so much slang used in the story, there really should have been an American rewrite before being sold in the States. Instead, what we get is a jarring account of Japanese people typing in stilted (well, to an American) English with expressions like "car park," "ah yeah," "supa," and prices listed in pounds (£). Incidentally, did you know that "anorak" is the British word for "otaku"?\n\nDespite this cross-cultural gaffe, and the inherent differences between a printed page and a computer screen, the Train Man novel is still a worthy interpretation of this modern folktale. While other retellings celebrate otaku culture or pure love or whatever it is you can put into visual format, this one celebrates personal triumph, using the written word to chart a young man''s journey from self-deprecation to self-confidence. More than that, it also celebrates the Internet at its best, when people behind a screen forget about putdowns and flamewars for a second and reach out to help a stranger. So get ready to laugh and gasp and cheer along with Train and friends. Pretend you''ve got a mouse and keyboard, and it''s almost like being there.', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nAside from going online and actually reading the logs, the Train Man novel is as close as you''re going to get to experiencing the ups and downs of this modern-day romance. No cutesy-fancy cartoon character drawings, no TV and movie actors, just text and ASCII art and the giddy sensation of having stumbled upon—to use the parlance—an "epic thread." From a storytelling perspective, it may seem more of a romantic vignette than anything epic, but as a reflection of the Internet age, it says a lot about the people of that place and time. It does lose something in the translation from colloquial online Japanese to colloquial online English, and the deadness of paper can''t match the real-time vibrancy of the Net, but the essence remains: a man who dared to change himself, and in doing so, also changed the lives of those around him.\n\n
\nNow, hearing about some up-to-the-minute online love story might trigger thoughts of a postmodern, avant-garde tale stretching the limits of technology and the imagination, but that''s just not true. Behind the contemporary façade of Train Man is a surprisingly traditional story, one where the underdog guy proves himself worthy of the unattainable girl. Despite the modern twist, this is hardly a gripping or innovative plot, and even someone who''s only heard of the premise can tell how it ends. What is fresh about the novel, however, is its format; seeing the story told through online messages creates a unique rhythm that can''t be achieved through prose, and for those who spend most of their leisure time on the computer, this kind of reading may even be more natural than prose.\n\n
\nThe novel''s unique format also excels in one other field: bringing out the characters in depth. In the TV series, the film, and various manga versions, Train and Hermes are ultimately "other people"—the reader or viewer is watching another couple get together. But in this book, one can get into Train''s head, understanding his personality as he pours out his heart through his posts. By the end, he''s clearly not the same man he once was, and his growth follows a more flowing arc than in other retellings of the story. Seen from a first-person viewpoint, it''s a true character transformation, not just a superficial geek makeover. Sure, he gets fashionable clothes and a haircut and all, but the most important part is seeing Train gain self-confidence and friendship.\n\n
\nThe virtual support group in the story also shines in this format—who would have thought that hundreds of "Anonymous" characters could be so much fun, with their over-the-top expressions, military metaphors and wacky ASCII art? One particularly telling moment is when someone discovers the infamous Subservient Chicken website, and the banter ("Have you tried telling it to kill itself?") continues for a couple of pages before Train finally stops by. It''s a cute snapshot of the random nature of Internet chatter, and one that works best in a text medium. This little episode, among many others, captures the bristling energy of people coming together in a virtual world—an energy that propels the book for 400 pages.\n\n
\nAs an old-media representation of a new-media phenomenon, however, the novel still has its failings. Printed text can only go so far in capturing the feel of online interaction, despite 2ch being highly text-driven—you can''t just click on a link in the story, for example, and the tactile sensation of scrolling down a thread is replaced by the more sedate act of page-turning. More importantly, the real-time effect is all but gone: there''s no sense of "this is actually happening," because the events are now long past and crystallized on paper; instead it''s more like "well, in hindsight, things that you hear on the Internet may or may not be true." Reading a novel doesn''t have the immediacy of stumbling upon an epic thread on the Web, yet it''s a closer approximation than a screenplay or comic that inevitably forces the story into third-person.\n\n
\nThe other pitfall of this PC-to-paper conversion is the clunky translation: Japanese Internet users have a unique language, and English-speaking Internet users have a unique language, and rarely the twain shall meet. There are plenty of colloquialisms that don''t have a direct dictionary correspondence, and that''s understandable. But here''s the killer: the translation is written in British English! For some reason, the translation was handled by Del Rey''s UK branch, and then ported over. Just because it''s in "English," however, doesn''t mean it''s the English understood by the reader market. With so much slang used in the story, there really should have been an American rewrite before being sold in the States. Instead, what we get is a jarring account of Japanese people typing in stilted (well, to an American) English with expressions like "car park," "ah yeah," "supa," and prices listed in pounds (£). Incidentally, did you know that "anorak" is the British word for "otaku"?\n\n
\nDespite this cross-cultural gaffe, and the inherent differences between a printed page and a computer screen, the Train Man novel is still a worthy interpretation of this modern folktale. While other retellings celebrate otaku culture or pure love or whatever it is you can put into visual format, this one celebrates personal triumph, using the written word to chart a young man''s journey from self-deprecation to self-confidence. More than that, it also celebrates the Internet at its best, when people behind a screen forget about putdowns and flamewars for a second and reach out to help a stranger. So get ready to laugh and gasp and cheer along with Train and friends. Pretend you''ve got a mouse and keyboard, and it''s almost like being there.', '--- \ngrade_story: ""\ngrade_overall_dub: ""\ngrade_music: ""\ngrade_art: ""\ngrade_overall: B-\ngrade_overall_sub: ""\ngrade_animation: ""\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57944, 17536, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', '... as close as you''re going to get to experiencing the ups and downs of this modern-day romance. Pretend you''ve got a mouse and keyboard, and it''s almost like being there.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57940, 17536, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'A character-driven love story as engrossing and entertaining as any "epic thread" on the Internet.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57938, 17536, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Train Man\nThe Novel', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57942, 17536, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57941, 17536, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'When a self-confessed geek saves a young woman from being harassed by a drunk on the commuter train, little does he know that he''s about to turn his life around. He relates his story to the people he knows best—anonymous users on the 2ch online bulletin board—and mentions that she sent him a set of teacups as a thank-you gift. But they''re not just any teacups—they''re the high-priced Hermes brand, and anyone who can afford those means business! Suddenly "Train Man" finds himself courting "Miss Hermes" and stepping beyond the world he knows: picking out nice clothes, going on dates, eating fine food. With an entire online community cheering him on, can this perennial loser win the heart of a high-class woman?', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (57937, 17536, 'title', 'en-US', 'Train Man: the Novel', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58039, 17568, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Climatic battle feels a bit rushed.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58035, 17568, 'content', 'en-US', 'This volume features Sousuke hanging out with a Kaname look-a-like hooker.\n\nIf you''re a fan of the Full Metal Panic franchise and that doesn''t get you to see this volume, I don''t know what will.\n\nSeriously, though, the meltdown by Sousuke that marked the end of the previous volume becomes the focus of this volume as an uncharacteristically directionless Sousuke wanders around the near-deserted Hong Kong trying to sort out where his priorities do (and should) lie. This is not Sousuke as you have seen him at any previous point in any FMP series, as the incident with the prostitute attests. During this time he finally encounters the mysterious Sensei of the twins, and his identity should surprise no one who is a long-time FMP fan. Although the Sensei has a lot of interesting things to say about Sousuke and basic plot elements underlying both the original series and Second Raid, the reaction he gets from Sousuke truly justifies sitting through the comparatively slow-paced episodes 11 and 12. While not necessarily out of character, it is nonetheless a bit shocking.\n\nThat leaves only the final regular episode to wrap everything up, and as a result, the climatic mecha battles feels rushed, overly easy, and unimpressive compared to the steady and careful development of the series. Kaname finally shows up in grand fashion, and the manic behavior of Gates again proves to be a highlight, but more interesting is Sousuke''s behavior afterwards. The story is not over when the battle is won.\n\nThe extra-length bonus episode, by comparison, marks a return to the humorous, free-wheeling style seen in the Fumoffu? episodes. It not only provides the volume with its requisite quota of fan service (Tessa has never looked better!) but reveals highly amusing insight into some important cast members; we get to find out who is a closet otaku, for instance. The cost of the volume is almost worth it for this episode alone.\n\nAs ever for the franchise, the sharp, vibrant artistry (even when showing darker-hued scenes) and solid animation provide for a pleasing visual experience. Lamba driver special effects in the climatic battle scenes are suitably impressive, and the animation adds in some neat tricks if one watches carefully with them. The OVA episode in particular shines in the exaggerated reactions of crew members, Tessa''s luxuriously pretty look with her hair down, and a few amusing details that can pass so quickly they can easily be missed if one is not especially alert.\n\nThe musical score is at its best in the sillier scenes in the bonus episode, while it disappears for long tracks in episode 11 and 12; such scenes do not require music to set the mood however, so it was a good choice. In places where it is present the soundtrack relies on standard franchise themes, and the opener and closer remain unchanged. The English dub provides no letdown from previous volumes, with the highlight this time being Gates'' dialogue involving the twins in the last episode. All the English actors once again prove capable of delivering on the more emotional content, as well as having a bit of fun in the OVA. The English script through these episodes is somewhat flexible but never strays too far.\n\nIn addition to the bonus OVA episode, the on-disc Extras include Japanese audio commentary for all three episodes, the last two parts of the Hon Kong Location Scouting documentary, and textless songs. The interior cover sports bonus artwork, while the booklet this time includes profiles and an art gallery for some key characters and equipment and two pages of Story Files. It also, unfortunately, includes the return of the hard-to-read print seen in volume 2.\n\nWhile the last regular episode does ultimately bring the series to a proper ending, it also leaves some nagging questions unanswered, such as the exact nature of Kaname''s Whispered ability. At the time of this writing no word has come about possible further animation for the franchise, but the final episode does leave the window open for that possibility. If this is to be the last animated FMP content, though, then it certainly could have done much worse. This volume may not be as strong in its writing as the previous two, but it is a respectable close-out for the series.', 'semantic', 'rebuild', '
\nThis volume features Sousuke hanging out with a KANAME look-a-like hooker.\n\n
\nIf you''re a fan of the Full Metal Panic franchise and that doesn''t get you to see this volume, I don''t know what will.\n\n
\nSeriously, though, the meltdown by Sousuke that marked the end of the previous volume becomes the focus of this volume as an uncharacteristically directionless Sousuke wanders around the near-deserted Hong Kong trying to sort out where his priorities do (and should) lie. This is not Sousuke as you have seen him at any previous point in any FMP series, as the incident with the prostitute attests. During this time he finally encounters the mysterious Sensei of the twins, and his identity should surprise no one who is a long-time FMP fan. Although the Sensei has a lot of interesting things to say about Sousuke and basic plot elements underlying both the original series and Second Raid, the reaction he gets from Sousuke truly justifies sitting through the comparatively slow-paced episodes 11 and 12. While not necessarily out of character, it is nonetheless a bit shocking.\n\n
\nThat leaves only the final regular episode to wrap everything up, and as a result, the climatic mecha battles feels rushed, overly easy, and unimpressive compared to the steady and careful development of the series. KANAME finally shows up in grand fashion, and the manic behavior of Gates again proves to be a highlight, but more interesting is Sousuke''s behavior afterwards. The story is not over when the battle is won.\n\n
\nThe extra-length bonus episode, by comparison, marks a return to the humorous, free-wheeling style seen in the Fumoffu? episodes. It not only provides the volume with its requisite quota of fan service (Tessa has never looked better!) but reveals highly amusing insight into some important cast members; we get to find out who is a closet otaku, for instance. The cost of the volume is almost worth it for this episode alone.\n\n
\nAs ever for the franchise, the sharp, vibrant artistry (even when showing darker-hued scenes) and solid animation provide for a pleasing visual experience. Lamba driver special effects in the climatic battle scenes are suitably impressive, and the animation adds in some neat tricks if one watches carefully with them. The OVA episode in particular shines in the exaggerated reactions of crew members, Tessa''s luxuriously pretty look with her hair down, and a few amusing details that can pass so quickly they can easily be missed if one is not especially alert.\n\n
\nThe musical score is at its best in the sillier scenes in the bonus episode, while it disappears for long tracks in episode 12 and 13; such scenes do not require music to set the mood however, so it was a was choice. In places where it is present the soundtrack relies on standard franchise themes, and the opener and closer remain unchanged. The English dub provides no letdown from previous volumes, with the highlight this time being Gates'' dialogue involving the twins in the last episode. All the English actors once again prove capable of delivering on the more emotional content, as well as having a bit of fun in the OVA. The English script through these episodes is somewhat flexible but never strays too far.\n\n
\nIn addition to the bonus OVA episode, the on-disc Extras include Japanese audio commentary for all three episodes, the last two parts of the Hon Kong Location Scouting documentary, and textless songs. The interior cover sports bonus artwork, while the included booklet this time includes profiles and an art gallery for some key characters and equipment and two pages of Story Files. It also, unfortunately, includes the return of the hard-to-read print seen in volume 2.\n\n
\nWhile the last regular episode does ultimately bring the series to a proper ending, it also leaves some nagging questions unanswered, such as the exact nature of KANAME''s Whispered ability. At the time of this writing no word has come about possible further animation for the franchise, but the final episode does leave the window open for that possibility. If this is to be the last animated FMP content, though, then it certainly could have done much worse. This volume may not be as strong in its writing as the previous two, but it is a respectable close-out for the series.', '--- \ngrade_story: B+\ngrade_overall_dub: B+\ngrade_music: B+\ngrade_art: A-\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: B+\ngrade_animation: A-\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58040, 17568, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'The Hong Kong story arc comes to a conclusion, and a great bonus episode offers a return to more humorous content. Although some nagging questions are left unanswered and the climax feels rushed, this volume does offer a proper ending.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58036, 17568, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Bonus OVA episode.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58034, 17568, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid\nDVD 4', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58038, 17568, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58037, 17568, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'As his Mithral companions search out Hong Kong for the rampaging Venom, Sousuke wanders its vacated streets in a daze, the stress of his responsibilities, troubles, and conflicting priorities finally having gotten too much for him. A chance encounter with a working girl helps him sort some things out, and a cryptic message which leads him to meet an old adversary answers further questions but does not ease his troubled mind. With Yu Fang still wreaking havoc and Gates and his strike force also coming into the picture, the AS battle situation in the city has become harrowing indeed. To save everyone and stop the bad guys, Sousuke must come to terms with himself and find his motivation, and Kaname is just the girl to help him do it.\n\nIn the bonus OVA episode “A Relatively Leisurely Day in the Life of a Fleet Captain,” Tessa encounters the eccentricities of some of her key crew members while trying to piece together just what all happened to her the night before after an unintentional bout of drinking leaves her memory hazy.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58033, 17568, 'title', 'en-US', 'Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid DVD 4', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58283, 17651, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Still has to mop up some of the dull, lower-level matches before getting to the good stuff.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58279, 17651, 'content', 'en-US', 'So far we''ve all been laughing along with each volume of Yakitate!! Japan, enjoying the series'' antics as it simultaneously pokes fun at and pays homage to the time-honored shounen tournament genre. But as with every story of a young boy living out his dreams, things have to get serious eventually, and this volume takes a turn towards the darker side of Japan''s specialty-bread industry. Already we know that the original founder of Pantasia left the store''s various branches to his daughters—but that plot point finally comes into full bloom here when a true villain shows up. As always, the young competitors are all fired up and ready for battle, but take note: behind the wacky, hyperactive exterior lies a tense family rivalry, ready to take the story in a new direction.\n\nBefore going in new directions, though, it''s important to pick up where you left off—and this one starts out by finishing Azuma''s duel with Koala (somehow, a guy with a koala head is always funny). This, along with Kawachi''s crab-bread endeavor, is the last of the generic, run-of-the-mill, knock-out-a-secondary-character matchups—and it''s just as well, because that formula was getting pretty stale. The turning point comes when the boys go with Tsukino to visit her mother''s grave, and at last we see just how much bad blood lies between Tsukino and Yukino. It makes the next round of the tournament that much more dramatic, especially with Yukino''s underhanded methods, and the main characters are more than ready to step up to the challenge. Between Kawachi''s do-or-die spirit and Azuma''s unpredictable genius, this is easily as riveting as any fight series ever. Ninjas? Souls? Who needs those when you''ve got bread?\n\nWhat also sets Yakitate!! Japan apart from other series is that, even as it switches into chest-thumping, tear-jerking, I''m-not-gonna-lose mode, it still maintains that inimitable sense of humor. Even when Kawachi or Azuma''s livelihood is on the line, there''s always time for a wacky judge''s reaction, or maybe a sharp remark from Matsushiro, the afro-headed manager. As always, the jokes come in many forms—visual, verbal, or otherwise—from the sexually deviant behavior of Kawachi''s quarterfinal opponent, to the judge''s amusingly trite, English-impaired recollection of a romance abroad. Best of all, there''s another bonus chapter of "Takitate!! Go-han" in this volume, because if competitive breadmaking wasn''t already funny enough, well, there''s always the culinary possibilities of rice.\n\nThe humor and energy of the series continues to come alive thanks to a detailed, dynamic art style. Unfortunately, Hashiguchi is so good at drawing facial overreactions that the more dramatic scenes, like Kawachi''s crisis in the semifinals, leave the reader torn between whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand, it truly shows his depth of character; on the other hand, it''s a parody of every "I won''t give up!" scene ever. Aside from that, however, the series'' visual flair is a prime example of how to do a great action comic, even if baking doesn''t fall under the traditional concept of action. Clean lines and rectangular paneling make the story easy to follow, even at a rapid pace, while striking close-ups and camera angles keep things lively. Memorable character design is another key to the series'' fun factor—not everybody is gifted with the Matsushiro''s flamboyant afro, but they all have a distinctive look, from Azuma''s headband to Suwabara''s stoic glare.\n\nTranslation wonks can sit back and relax a bit with this volume—there''s only one pun to be found, and it''s in the bonus chapter anyway. The rest of the dialogue is colorful and energetic, just like the characters, and it avoids the cheesy awkwardness that often comes with a tournament series. Meanwhile, the Japanese sound effects are replaced entirely by English sounds, but the variety of fonts and creative positioning help to integrate it smoothly with the art. Add in the sharp print quality and this volume is worthy of the $10 price tag, even though it lacks the color-page bonus of the previous one.\n\nIf Yakitate!! Japan seemed too wild and pointless at first, then the dramatic turn of this volume is sure to change your frame of mind. And if you already liked the series in the first place, then this should help to reinforce that enthusiasm, as serious character conflict is mixed in with rapid-fire comedy for a highly addictive recipe. Laugh at the crazy judges, cheer on Azuma''s ingenuity, and tremble as Yukino coldly sets up our heroes for failure. Clearly, the discipline of breadmaking isn''t just art or science—it''s a battle as well, and one that will keep readers hooked on this series for many more pages to come.', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nSo far we''ve all been laughing along with each volume of Yakitate!! Japan, enjoying the series'' antics as it simultaneously pokes fun at and pays homage to the time-honored shounen tournament genre. But as with every story of a young boy living out his dreams, things have to get serious eventually, and this volume takes a turn towards the darker side of Japan''s specialty-bread industry. Already we know that the original founder of Pantasia left the store''s various branches to his daughters—but that plot point finally comes into full bloom here when a true villain shows up. As always, the young competitors are all fired up and ready for battle, but take note: behind the wacky, hyperactive exterior lies a tense family rivalry, ready to take the story in a new direction.\n\n
\nBefore going in new directions, though, it''s important to pick up where you left off—and this one starts out by finishing Azuma''s duel with Koala (somehow, a guy with a koala head is always funny). This, along with Kawachi''s crab-bread endeavor, is the last of the generic, run-of-the-mill, knock-out-a-secondary-character matchups—and it''s just as well, because that formula was getting pretty stale. The turning point comes when the boys go with Tsukino to visit her mother''s grave, and at last we see just how much bad blood lies between Tsukino and Yukino. It makes the next round of the tournament that much more dramatic, especially with Yukino''s underhanded methods, and the main characters are more than ready to step up to the challenge. Between Kawachi''s do-or-die spirit and Azuma''s unpredictable genius, this is easily as riveting as any fight series ever. Ninjas? Souls? Who needs those when you''ve got bread?\n\n
\nWhat also sets Yakitate!! Japan apart from other series is that, even as it switches into chest-thumping, tear-jerking, I''m-not-gonna-lose mode, it still maintains that inimitable sense of humor. Even when Kawachi or Azuma''s livelihood is on the line, there''s always time for a wacky judge''s reaction, or maybe a sharp remark from Matsushiro, the afro-headed manager. As always, the jokes come in many forms—visual, verbal, or otherwise—from the sexually deviant behavior of Kawachi''s quarterfinal opponent, to the judge''s amusingly trite, English-impaired recollection of a romance abroad. Best of all, there''s another bonus chapter of "Takitate!! Go-han" in this volume, because if competitive breadmaking wasn''t already funny enough, well, there''s always the culinary possibilities of rice.\n\n
\nThe humor and energy of the series continues to come alive thanks to a detailed, dynamic art style. Unfortunately, Hashiguchi is so good at drawing facial overreactions that the more dramatic scenes, like Kawachi''s crisis in the semifinals, leave the reader torn between whether to laugh or cry. On the one hand, it truly shows his depth of character; on the other hand, it''s a parody of every "I won''t give up!" scene ever. Aside from that, however, the series'' visual flair is a prime example of how to do a great action comic, even if baking doesn''t fall under the traditional concept of action. Clean lines and rectangular paneling make the story easy to follow, even at a rapid pace, while striking close-ups and camera angles keep things lively. Memorable character design is another key to the series'' fun factor—not everybody is gifted with the Matsushiro''s flamboyant afro, but they all have a distinctive look, from Azuma''s headband to Suwabara''s stoic glare.\n\n
\nTranslation wonks can sit back and relax a bit with this volume—there''s only one pun to be found, and it''s in the bonus chapter anyway. The rest of the dialogue is colorful and energetic, just like the characters, and it avoids the cheesy awkwardness that often comes with a tournament series. Meanwhile, the Japanese sound effects are replaced entirely by English sounds, but the variety of fonts and creative positioning help to integrate it smoothly with the art. Add in the sharp print quality and this volume is worthy of the $10 price tag, even though it lacks the color-page bonus of the previous one.\n\n
\nIf Yakitate!! Japan seemed too wild and pointless at first, then the dramatic turn of this volume is sure to change your frame of mind. And if you already liked the series in the first place, then this should help to reinforce that enthusiasm, as serious character conflict is mixed in with rapid-fire comedy for a highly addictive recipe. Laugh at the crazy judges, cheer on Azuma''s ingenuity, and tremble as Yukino coldly sets up our heroes for failure. Clearly, the discipline of breadmaking isn''t just art or science—it''s a battle as well, and one that will keep readers hooked on this series for many more pages to come.', '--- \ngrade_story: A-\ngrade_overall_dub: ""\ngrade_music: ""\ngrade_art: A-\ngrade_overall: A-\ngrade_overall_sub: ""\ngrade_animation: ""\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58284, 17651, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'So far we''ve all been laughing along with each volume of Yakitate!! Japan ... but this volume takes a turn towards the darker side of Japan''s specialty-bread industry.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58280, 17651, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Big laughs as always and big drama as the story takes a serious turn in the tournament.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58278, 17651, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Yakitate!! Japan\nGN 5', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58282, 17651, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58281, 17651, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Japan''s best young bakers are fighting it out in the Pantasia Rookie Tournament, and now they''re down to the final eight. Kazuma Azuma of Pantasia''s South Tokyo branch faces off against the mysterious masked Koala, pushing his skills and creativity to the limit to create an animal-themed bread. Meanwhile, Azuma''s partner Kawachi breezes through this round, but lurking in the wings is an opponent bent on destruction. Kawachi''s next challenger is a Harvard-trained chemist backed by Yukino, the ruthless older sister of South Tokyo shop owner Tsukino, and she will stop at nothing—even cheating—to bring down Azuma and Kawachi!', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58277, 17651, 'title', 'en-US', 'Yakitate!! Japan GN 5', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58408, 17692, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'The scariest thing in the show is the main character''s taste in hair dye.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58404, 17692, 'content', 'en-US', 'With it''s Satanic references, pointy-toothed gut-munchers and baby-faced body-possessing maggots, Tokko falls firmly under the banner of horror, which of course begs comparisons to other recent anime bloodbaths like Gantz and Elfen Lied, minus the ripe camp of the former, the character depth of the latter, and the eye-popping visuals of both.\n\nOf course, enough blood is spilled in the first batch of episodes alone to fertilize the Sahara, making this a safe bet for anyone looking to satisfy a jones for flying body-parts. But dismembered bodies do not a good horror make. It is absolutely essential that the audience actually care what happens to the heroes, and on that front Tokko is less than entirely successful. The prickly, complicated relationship between the too-close Shindo siblings is definitely the highlight, especially once Rokujo is added to the mix. The scenes involving the much cuter (and more disposable) Saya are quite tense, but Shindo''s bland presence at the center of it all makes it hard to care overall. Rokujo hasn''t been given a chance to do much more than strike poses and reduce baddies to butcher-shop scraps, which is cause for concern given that this volume comprises more than one-third of the show''s entire length. The rest of the cast is perfunctory at best and disposable at worst.\n\nWhich leaves Tokko as splatter horror without the "who will survive" train-wreck appeal that is the main draw of such outings. It fills the gap with pseudo-Christian mythology, conspiracies, secret organizations, and enemies of unknown origin, purpose, and identity. It''s a combination that has yielded absorbing results in the past (there was a giant robot show that did that once...), but here it grows tiresome rather quickly. Plot convolutions are fun, but they simply can''t support a show without some help from the characters.\n\nBut what about the violence you ask? Good question. Practically any shortcoming of plot and character can be forgiven if there''s a bounty of aesthetically pleasing violence, and Tokko has its moments of gory beauty. The initial appearance of Rokujo, her sword trailing blood through a cloud of airborne anatomy, is one such instance. But the remainder of the time the creators seem to be under the impression that scattering disembodied limbs and puddles of ochre willy-nilly across the landscape is the height of horror aesthetics. The occasionally off-model character designs compound the problem. They retain Tohru Fujisawa''s (GTO) distinctive touch, but look so young (in face, fashion, and body proportion) that they resemble teenagers playing adults in a high-school play. Animation is adequate when it needs to be (with an emphasis on the action scenes), but badly neglects the basic movements of the cast, making simple acts like walking and putting on clothes look almost embarrassingly awkward. Backgrounds are one of the few artistic highlights, and possess enough detail and depth to make the characters look flat and plain in comparison.\n\nThe music is dominated by jittery techno that does a fair job of raising tension when it has to but is otherwise entirely unremarkable. It certainly isn''t a total earsore, but it will definitely please some more than others. The opening is a solid techno tune (in nearly indecipherable English) that is impressively choreographed with the visuals. The ending is a similar, but less memorable number.\n\nThe dub is thoroughly competent for the most part, professionally acted and reasonably faithful to the original. There are some attempts to spice things up with stark vulgarities (can someone tell me what a blue f--- looks like?) and inventive phrasing. While occasionally irksome, it''s never crippling. Oddly enough the dub retains the original Japanese abbreviation used to refer to Division 2 (“Tokko”) while the subtitles translate it as SpecSec. And was it really necessary to keep repeating the unwieldy phrase “scattered body part murder” when there are streamlined terms like “dismemberment killing” readily available? Hire an English major or two, folks. Shindo is a little weaker than the rest of the cast, but that''s more a reflection of his character as a whole than any quality of his English performance.\n\nThere is also a Spanish version that I am entirely unqualified to comment on, though I did appreciate the irony of watching a Japanese show dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles on.\n\nA clean opening and closing, and a gallery that consists of stills from the series are all standard, but this volume also includes an eight minute discussion of the show by the three female leads of the Japanese version, and a DVD-ROM screen saver.\n\nTokko''s audience will likely be split between those who turn their superego''s volume down and let their id run around going "cool, blood!" and those who find themselves asking questions like “how can all that blood stay red after it''s been on the wall for five years?” and “what is the utility of tight leather pants and Superbra cleavage in fighting demons?”', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nWith it''s Satanic references, pointy-toothed gut-munchers and baby-faced body-possessing maggots, Tokko falls firmly under the banner of horror, which of course begs comparisons to other recent anime bloodbaths like Gantz and Elfen Lied, minus the ripe camp of the former, the character depth of the latter, and the eye-popping visuals of both.\n\n
\nOf course, enough blood is spilled in the first batch of episodes alone to fertilize the Sahara, making this a safe bet for anyone looking to satisfy a jones for flying body-parts. But dismembered bodies do not a good horror make. It is absolutely essential that the audience actually care what happens to the heroes, and on that front Tokko is less than entirely successful. The prickly, complicated relationship between the too-close Shindo siblings is definitely the highlight, especially once Rokujo is added to the mix. The scenes involving the much cuter (and more disposable) Saya are quite tense, but Shindo''s bland presence at the center of it all makes it hard to care overall. Rokujo hasn''t been given a chance to do much more than strike poses and reduce baddies to butcher-shop scraps, which is cause for concern given that this volume comprises more than one-third of the show''s entire length. The rest of the cast is perfunctory at best and disposable at worst.\n\n
\nWhich leaves Tokko as splatter horror without the "who will survive" train-wreck appeal that is the main draw of such outings. It fills the gap with pseudo-Christian mythology, conspiracies, secret organizations, and enemies of unknown origin, purpose, and identity. It''s a combination that has yielded absorbing results in the past (there was a giant robot show that did that once...), but here it grows tiresome rather quickly. Plot convolutions are fun, but they simply can''t support a show without some help from the characters.\n\n
\nBut what about the violence you ask? Good question. Practically any shortcoming of plot and character can be forgiven if there''s a bounty of aesthetically pleasing violence, and Tokko has its moments of gory beauty. The initial appearance of Rokujo, her sword trailing blood through a cloud of airborne anatomy, is one such instance. But the remainder of the time the creators seem to be under the impression that scattering disembodied limbs and puddles of ochre willy-nilly across the landscape is the height of horror aesthetics. The occasionally off-model character designs compound the problem. They retain Tohru Fujisawa''s (GTO) distinctive touch, but look so young (in face, fashion, and body proportion) that they resemble teenagers playing adults in a high-school play. Animation is adequate when it needs to be (with an emphasis on the action scenes), but badly neglects the basic movements of the cast, making simple acts like walking and putting on clothes look almost embarrassingly awkward. Backgrounds are one of the few artistic highlights, and possess enough detail and depth to make the characters look flat and plain in comparison.\n\n
\nThe music is dominated by jittery techno that does a fair job of raising tension when it has to but is otherwise entirely unremarkable. It certainly isn''t a total earsore, but it will definitely please some more than others. The opening is a solid techno tune (in nearly indecipherable English) that is impressively choreographed with the visuals. The ending is a similar, but less memorable number.\n\n
\nThe dub is thoroughly competent for the most part, professionally acted and reasonably faithful to the original. There are some attempts to spice things up with stark vulgarities (can someone tell me what a blue f--- looks like?) and inventive phrasing. While occasionally irksome, it''s never crippling. Oddly enough the dub retains the original Japanese abbreviation used to refer to Division 2 (“Tokko”) while the subtitles translate it as SpecSec. And was it really necessary to keep repeating the unwieldy phrase “scattered body part murder” when there are streamlined terms like “dismemberment killing” readily available? Hire an English major or two, folks. Shindo is a little weaker than the rest of the cast, but that''s more a reflection of his character as a whole than any quality of his English performance.\n\n
\nThere is also a Spanish version that I am entirely unqualified to comment on, though I did appreciate the irony of watching a Japanese show dubbed in Spanish with English subtitles on.\n\n
\nA clean opening and closing, and a gallery that consists of stills from the series are all standard, but this volume also includes an eight minute discussion of the show by the three female leads of the Japanese version, and a DVD-ROM screen saver.\n\n
\nTokko''s audience will likely be split between those who turn their superego''s volume down and let their id run around going "cool, blood!" and those who find themselves asking questions like “how can all that blood stay red after it''s been on the wall for five years?” and “what is the utility of tight leather pants and Superbra cleavage in fighting demons?”', '--- \ngrade_story: B-\ngrade_overall_dub: C+\ngrade_music: C+\ngrade_art: B\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: C+\ngrade_animation: C\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58409, 17692, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'Enough blood is spilled in this first batch of episodes alone to fertilize the Sahara, making this a safe bet for anyone looking to satisfy a jones for flying body-parts. They are likely the only people to be completely satisfied.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58405, 17692, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'The subtly creepy relationship between Shindo and Saya.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58403, 17692, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Tokko\nDVD 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58407, 17692, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58406, 17692, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Ranmaru Shindo, along with his feisty, devoted little sister Saya, survived a brutal murder spree that left 97 percent of their apartment-complex neighbors dead, including their own parents. Shindo is plagued with nightmares in which a sword-wielding topless woman dispatches his night-terror pursuers with extreme prejudice. Recently inducted into the investigation unit of the police department, he is determined to use his new position to track down his parents'' killers. His resolve is only reinforced when he meets Sakura Rokujo, a member of the super-mysterious Division 2 of the investigation unit and the spitting image of his blood-spilling dream-babe, in the midst of a vicious firefight with what to all appearances is a gang of murderous super-fast zombies. Of course, not all is as it seems (is it ever?): Shindo and Rokujo have a deeper connection than he realizes, medieval alchemists and demons feature heavily in his new life, and he may have more in common with those zombie nasties than he''d ever want to admit.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58402, 17692, 'title', 'en-US', 'Tokko DVD 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58426, 17697, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Shirou still won''t win any popularity contests; story arc is virtually Archer-less.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58422, 17697, 'content', 'en-US', 'It was partway through the second volume when it became clear that it was time to stop waiting for Shirou to spontaneously sprout a personality and begin focusing on the far more interesting Saber, Archer, and Rin. And they were more than enough to keep the story afloat. Heck, Saber alone is worth the price of admission. So it''s ironic (and strangely appropriate given the show''s stubbornly unhurried pace) that the abandoned hope is fulfilled immediately thereafter in this third volume.\n\nThe supporting cast of one-note stereotypes and their tiresome antics have always been one of the show''s great drawbacks, so it''s a relief that the cast has been stripped to its core players for this stage of the story. Saber and Shirou take center stage, almost to the exclusion of all other characters, as the trust and understanding between them grows. Narrowing the cast has downsides of course; Rin only gets token screen time, while Archer is woefully neglected. But Illya is thankfully showing the first signs that she''s more than yet another giggling little-girl villain, and Fuji-nee''s only substantial appearance is a gut-punch flashback during Shinji and Shirou''s confrontation that precipitates an unprecedented reaction from Shirou. The confrontation between Shirou and Shinji demonstrates just how far Shirou has come in reconciling his desire to protect people with the necessities of battle, as well as the satisfying results of his training with Saber and Rin. He says and does some rather shocking things, which boots his rear another notch or two up the Interest-o-Meter.\n\nRider and Saber''s battles also provide the show with its first decisive Servant clash, and the results are positively exhilarating, cementing Saber''s status as one of the coolest heroines to come down the anime turnpike in quite some time. The stripped-down focus of these episodes also pushes the pacing of the show firmly over the line dividing "sluggish" from "deliberate," while Shiro''s acclimatization to the necessities of combat and his relationship with Saber leave one, for the first time, feeling optimistic about the various possibilities for future drama.\n\nThe series'' focus on atmosphere hasn''t abated in the least. The settings—Shirou''s lonely, sprawling mansion, a dead forest of skeletonized trees, the eventide hallways of the school—are as evocative as ever, and as always the entire show takes place either in ghostly moonlight or the golden opulence of sunrise and sunset. For every mildly unsightly shortcut taken, there''s a moment of breathtaking animation prowess to balance it out, particularly during the swift, dynamic Servant battles. A retreating dolly down the blood-red school hall as Shinji calls out to Rider is a standout, and the moment in which Saber finally unsheathes her sword is spectacular in the truest cinematic sense. The common budget-preserving tricks of focusing on incidental scenery while events occur off-screen, and mouth-obscuring off-center compositions actually boost the show''s overall atmosphere. The Servants are still stunning in their elaborate battle dress—exotic, exciting and beautiful, regardless of sex or narrative importance. Archer is still the most attractive of all, making his sadly truncated role in this volume all the more painful, while Saber''s seamless color scheme, beautiful, smoothly functional armor design, and fierce yet feminine strength pushes her beyond merely appealing to something approaching iconic.\n\nKenji Kawai shows his experience here; everything from the portentous chiming of the ominous main theme, to the full-bodied action score and use of quietly insinuating wordless vocals is carefully tuned to support every aspect of the series. The music is so perfectly suited to the visuals that it doesn''t even matter that the score is virtually continuous, with nary a moment of silence.\n\nThe quality of the dub hasn''t changed much since the first volume, which means that it will still satisfy the majority of dub fans, but will convert no one. It retains terms like sempai and Fuji-nee, rarely strays further from the subtitles than lip-flaps require, and is sufficiently well-acted. Shirou''s intensity during battle comes across well, even if he''s a little weak-sounding the remainder of the time.\n\nThere''re only two extras on this disc. The Music CM''s are actually little music videos for the TV-Sized intro and outro themes, while Rider''s Diary is an English-only (strangely, all the on-screen text is in Japanese) account of Rider''s private impressions of her Master, and is absolutely priceless.\n\nThis volume packs in three spectacular battles, multiple instances of incremental character development, and enough pure atmosphere to patch a hole in the ozone, all without once betraying the series'' coldly deliberate pacing. The only thing it has to do now is keep it up. Oh, and give us more Archer.', 'semantic', 'cached', '
\nIt was partway through the second volume when it became clear that it was time to stop waiting for Shirou to spontaneously sprout a personality and begin focusing on the far more interesting Saber, Archer, and Rin''. And they were more than enough to keep the story afloat. Heck, Saber alone is worth the price of admission. So it''s ironic (and strangely appropriate given the show''s stubbornly unhurried pace) that the abandoned hope is fulfilled immediately thereafter in this third volume.\n\n
\nThe supporting cast of one-note stereotypes and their tiresome antics have always been one of the show''s great drawbacks, so it''s a relief that the cast has been stripped to its core players for this stage of the story. Saber and Shirou take center stage, almost to the exclusion of all other characters, as the trust and understanding between them grows. Narrowing the cast has downsides of course; Rin'' only gets token screen time, while Archer is woefully neglected. But Illya is thankfully showing the first signs that she''s more than yet another giggling little-girl villain, and Fuji-nee''s only substantial appearance is a gut-punch flashback during Shinji and Shirou''s confrontation that precipitates an unprecedented reaction from Shirou. The confrontation between Shirou and Shinji demonstrates just how far Shirou has come in reconciling his desire to protect people with the necessities of battle, as well as the satisfying results of his training with Saber and Rin''. He says and does some rather shocking things, which boots his rear another notch or two up the Interest-o-Meter.\n\n
\nRider and Saber''s battles also provide the show with its first decisive Servant clash, and the results are positively exhilarating, cementing Saber''s status as one of the coolest heroines to come down the anime turnpike in quite some time. The stripped-down focus of these episodes also pushes the pacing of the show firmly over the line dividing "sluggish" from "deliberate," while Shiro''s acclimatization to the necessities of combat and his relationship with Saber leave one, for the first time, feeling optimistic about the various possibilities for future drama.\n\n
\nThe series'' focus on atmosphere hasn''t abated in the least. The settings—Shirou''s lonely, sprawling mansion, a dead forest of skeletonized trees, the eventide hallways of the school—are as evocative as ever, and as always the entire show takes place either in ghostly moonlight or the golden opulence of sunrise and sunset. For every mildly unsightly shortcut taken, there''s a moment of breathtaking animation prowess to balance it out, particularly during the swift, dynamic Servant battles. A retreating dolly down the blood-red school hall as Shinji calls out to Rider is a standout, and the moment in which Saber finally unsheathes her sword is spectacular in the truest cinematic sense. The common budget-preserving tricks of focusing on incidental scenery while events occur off-screen, and mouth-obscuring off-center compositions actually boost the show''s overall atmosphere. The Servants are still stunning in their elaborate battle dress—exotic, exciting and beautiful, regardless of sex or narrative importance. Archer is still the most attractive of all, making his sadly truncated role in this volume all the more painful, while Saber''s seamless color scheme, beautiful, smoothly functional armor design, and fierce yet feminine strength pushes her beyond merely appealing to something approaching iconic.\n\n
\nKenji Kawai shows his experience here; everything from the portentous chiming of the ominous main theme, to the full-bodied action score and use of quietly insinuating wordless vocals is carefully tuned to support every aspect of the series. The music is so perfectly suited to the visuals that it doesn''t even matter that the score is virtually continuous, with nary a moment of silence.\n\n
\nThe quality of the dub hasn''t changed much since the first volume, which means that it will still satisfy the majority of dub fans, but will convert no one. It retains terms like sempai and Fuji-nee, rarely strays further from the subtitles than lip-flaps require, and is sufficiently well-acted. Shirou''s intensity during battle comes across well, even if he''s a little weak-sounding the remainder of the time.\n\n
\nThere''re only two extras on this disc. The Music CM''s are actually little music videos for the TV-Sized intro and outro themes, while Rider''s Diary is an English-only (strangely, all the on-screen text is in Japanese) account of Rider''s private impressions of her Master, and is absolutely priceless.\n\n
\nThis volume packs in three spectacular battles, multiple instances of incremental character development, and enough pure atmosphere to patch a hole in the ozone, all without once betraying the series'' coldly deliberate pacing. The only thing it has to do now is keep it up. Oh, and give us more Archer.', '--- \ngrade_story: B\ngrade_overall_dub: B+\ngrade_music: A-\ngrade_art: A-\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: B+\ngrade_animation: B+\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58427, 17697, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'This volume packs in three spectacular battles, multiple instances of incremental character development, and enough pure atmosphere to patch a hole in the ozone, all without once betraying the series'' coldly deliberate pacing.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58423, 17697, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Shirou gains strength as a hero; weak supporting cast is blessedly MIA; Saber is as overpoweringly cool as ever.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58421, 17697, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Fate/stay night\nDVD 3 - Master & Servant', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58425, 17697, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58424, 17697, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Saber strikes off on her own briefly in order to face off with Assassin, who guards the steps to the town temple, and Shirou is less than pleased. The clash of wills leads both to a deeper understanding of the other, solidifying their tentative partnership. In order to prepare him for his role, Rin and Saber begin to train him in the realities of magical and physical battle. Shirou has a brief but puzzling encounter with Illya, Berserker''s Master, while Rin coldly rejects the advances of Rider''s Master, Shinji, who—in an attempt to prove himself—begins a series of increasingly intense confrontations with Shirou and Saber.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58420, 17697, 'title', 'en-US', 'Fate/stay night DVD 3', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58434, 17698, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Crucial error in dub, less than stellar artistry and technical merits.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58430, 17698, 'content', 'en-US', 'Those who have followed Kodocha so far keep coming back because it has proven to be one of the most reliable anime series over the course of its run to date. In each volume you can expect a lot of laughs, a fair amount of good drama, past characters and situations popping back up again, and the occasional bombshell. Volume 12 is another great example of that. The double-barreled blast it drops on the viewers in episodes 47 and 48 is so typical of what the series has shown before: one part viewers are likely to see coming, while the other part is more of a shock (although astute viewers who remember previous volumes well may figure it out a couple of minutes in advance), but neither lacks in the solemn impact they have on the story.\n\nTime has proven that Takeshi Gojo is the best new addition to the cast since its earliest episodes. He gets some nice dramatic moments, but his poor-taste humor, play-along attitude, and spry spirit make him an ideal complement to Sana''s dense hyperactivity. Watching the two of them together in lighter moments is pure fun, and they fit well in more serious times, too. As neat as the Sana-Akito relationship has been, her connection to Takeshi has a spark to it that she and Akito have never managed. That he gets nearly as much screen time through these four episodes as Sana, and that both of the bombshells directly involve him, is a sign of the status he has gained.\n\nFor all the considerable comedic value the series has, its ongoing story continuity is what really sets it apart from other series of its ilk. While some events may eventually be set aside, rarely does an episode ever feel like filler or a stand-alone, because even the more innocuous events become integral parts of the ongoing story. As these episodes prove once again, details from 20+ episodes in the past regularly have a habit of resurfacing to affect current events, so you cannot forget anything if you want to fully keep up. So important are past developments in this volume that here is not a good jumping-on point for someone new to the series; knowledge of what Akito did to Mami in the past, who Sana''s birth mother is and what her circumstances are, and the indirect consequences of Sana''s previous bout of Valentine''s Day chocolate distribution are all needed to fully understand and appreciate this one.\n\nNothing much can be said about the artistry, animation, and soundtrack that has not been said before. The artistry is still a bit rough and flat by recent standards but is sufficient for what the content is doing; the emotional scenes are particularly well-handed. The series will never be an example of quality technical merits but, again, gets by, and the soundtrack is just more of the same. The one notable difference is the way the Next Episode preview for episode 49 is handled, but its dramatically different tone is consistent with what happens at the end of episode 48 and what is projected to happen in episode 49.\n\nThe English dub does its normal great job, with one exception. The English script has always been more of an adaptation than a true translation, which usually works out fine, but in two scenes in episodes 47 and 48 a crucial time factor is inconsistent between the dub and subs, and given the context the dub is clearly wrong. Normally this would not be a big deal, but in this case the inexplicable changes obfuscate the importance of a critical plot detail. Dub fans should turn on the subtitles on at least during the second half of episode 47 and the first part of episode 48 to catch these details they may otherwise hear wrong.\n\nAs has been the habit with more recent Kodocha releases, Extras are not present beyond company previews.\n\nIf you are enough of a fan of Kodocha to follow the series this far, then volume 12 will offer you a lot to like, as good humor, quality dramatic content, and key story developments highlight another satisfying volume. At the time of this writing FUNimation has not confirmed that the series beyond the end of the second season (volume 13/ep 52) will be picked up, so get out there and buy your copy to help convince them that more needs to be licensed!', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nThose who have followed Kodocha so far keep coming back because it has proven to be one of the most reliable anime series over the course of its run to date. In each volume you can expect a lot of laughs, a fair amount of good drama, past characters and situations popping back up again, and the occasional bombshell. Volume 12 is another great example of that. The double-barreled blast it drops on the viewers in episodes 47 and 48 is so typical of what the series has shown before: one part viewers are likely to see coming, while the other part is more of a shock (although astute viewers who remember previous volumes well may figure it out a couple of minutes in advance), but neither lacks in the solemn impact they have on the story.\n\n
\nTime has proven that Takeshi Gojo is the best new addition to the cast since its earliest episodes. He gets some nice dramatic moments, but his poor-taste humor, play-along attitude, and spry spirit make him an ideal complement to Sana''s dense hyperactivity. Watching the two of them together in lighter moments is pure fun, and they fit well in more serious times, too. As neat as the Sana-Akito relationship has been, her connection to Takeshi has a spark to it that she and Akito have never managed. That he gets nearly as much screen time through these four episodes as Sana, and that both of the bombshells directly involve him, is a sign of the status he has gained.\n\n
\nFor all the considerable comedic value the series has, its ongoing story continuity is what really sets it apart from other series of its ilk. While some events may eventually be set aside, rarely does an episode ever feel like filler or a stand-alone, because even the more innocuous events become integral parts of the ongoing story. As these episodes prove once again, details from 20+ episodes in the past regularly have a habit of resurfacing to affect current events, so you cannot forget anything if you want to fully keep up. So important are past developments in this volume that here is not a good jumping-on point for someone new to the series; knowledge of what Akito did to Mami in the past, who Sana''s birth mother is and what her circumstances are, and the indirect consequences of Sana''s previous bout of Valentine''s Day chocolate distribution are all needed to fully understand and appreciate this one.\n\n
\nNothing much can be said about the artistry, animation, and soundtrack that has not been said before. The artistry is still a bit rough and flat by recent standards but is sufficient for what the content is doing; the emotional scenes are particularly well-handed. The series will never be an example of quality technical merits but, again, gets by, and the soundtrack is just more of the same. The one notable difference is the way the Next Episode preview for episode 49 is handled, but its dramatically different tone is consistent with what happens at the end of episode 48 and what is projected to happen in episode 49.\n\n
\nThe English dub does its normal great job, with one exception. The English script has always been more of an adaptation than a true translation, which usually works out fine, but in two scenes in episodes 47 and 48 a crucial time factor is inconsistent between the dub and subs, and given the context the dub is clearly wrong. Normally this would not be a big deal, but in this case the inexplicable changes obfuscate the importance of a critical plot detail. Dub fans should turn on the subtitles on at least during the second half of episode 47 and the first part of episode 48 to catch these details they may otherwise hear wrong.\n\n
\nAs has been the habit with more recent Kodocha releases, Extras are not present beyond company previews.\n\n
\nIf you are enough of a fan of Kodocha to follow the series this far, then volume 12 will offer you a lot to like, as good humor, quality dramatic content, and key story developments highlight another satisfying volume. At the time of this writing FUNimation has not confirmed that the series beyond the end of the second season (volume 13/ep 52) will be picked up, so get out there and buy your copy to help convince them that more needs to be licensed!', '--- \ngrade_story: B+\ngrade_overall_dub: B\ngrade_music: B\ngrade_art: C+\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: B\ngrade_animation: C+\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58435, 17698, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'If you have followed the series this far then these four episodes will offer you a lot to like, as good humor, quality dramatic content, and key plot developments highlight another satisfying volume.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58431, 17698, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Humor, plot developments, good voice acting.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58429, 17698, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Kodocha\nDVD 12 - Akito''s Rival', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58433, 17698, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58432, 17698, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Valentine''s Day has arrived, but this year Sana only has chocolate for one person: her co-actor/new “boyfriend” Takeshi Gojo. But why hasn''t he shown up for the taping of the show, and what from his past could be getting in the way? Later, Sana''s first essay about her life has been released, and it''s a big hit. The one problem: she neglected to even mention Mami, one of her best friends. Though she had her reasons, Sana finds herself uncharacteristically reluctant to face the disappointed Mami and explain. When the apartment she and her mother had been living in gets demolished before their new house is finished, Sana finds a placed to stay temporarily with Takeshi, must to the consternation of her friends and manager Rei. Trouble looms as the slimy paparazzi returns, and this time he has fresh dirt on Takeshi''s past, a revelation which could change everything.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58428, 17698, 'title', 'en-US', 'Kodocha DVD 12', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58629, 17772, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'Somewhat lacking in freshness and overall plot.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58625, 17772, 'content', 'en-US', 'Before the opening theme on its first episode finishes, Black Lagoon has boldly announced that it ain''t no cutesy kiddie fare. Japanese vocalist Mell belts out English lyrics like “They make me violate them no matter who they are” and throws in the occasional profanity against a rapid, pounding beat which sets the tempo for one hell of a hard-rocking opener. Full of energy and attitude, it''s a song worthy of inclusion in any hard rock/metal fan''s music collection. It also perfectly sets the tone for a tale which blends classic fish-out-of-water elements with a “girls with guns” motif and the traditional “hard-core troubleshooters trying to make ends meet” set-up and sets it to a metal-heavy musical score. It may not be the most original of endeavors, but to find a series of this ilk so thoroughly defined by the tone and tempo of its music one would have to go back to Cowboy Bebop.\n\nBut where Bebop used a laid-back style regularly punctuated by intense action, casual philosophizing, and the occasional quirky or poignant moment, Black Lagoon strives for pure ''tude. Nowhere is this more clearly embodied then in Revy, a curvaceous, tattooed lady clad in cut-off shorts who is the team''s resident wacko weapons specialist. Crass, confident, sexy hotheads like Revy pop up regularly in anime aimed at young adults because their cockiness and brazen behavior stand diametrically opposite the traditional Japanese ideal for a young woman, which makes them both interesting and exciting. What separates Revy slightly from sisters like Bebop''s Faye Valentine, Mezzo''s Mikura, or Miami Gun''s Yao is her facial expressions, especially the gleeful, crazed smile she sports when she truly lets loose or her perturbed look on the first volume''s front cover. Hints that she may be the product of a very broken past (but how else could such a persona actually develop?) are dropped but not pursued much in this volume.\n\nRevy''s foil is Rokuro “Rock” Okajima, who does have his moments as he adjusts to his radically different new lifestyle but mostly undergoes the same kind of thrown-into-the-fire learning curve Yuji did in Blue Gender. Will Revy be his Marlene? Much too soon to tell, although the style seems too blunt to allow it. Of the other principle cast members, laid-back Benny does not make much of an impression, while Dutch serves the role of the commanding but not intolerant leader and the pretty but heavily-scarred Balalaika is convincing as the seemingly-cultured but equally brutal Russian Mafioso type who regularly employs Black Lagoon.\n\nWhile the writing certainly gives its characters plenty of snappy dialogue and interesting things to do, it is not especially deep, compelling, or ground-breaking, nor has it yet shown any signs of an overarching plot. Thus it falls to the action elements to carry the series. They clearly aspire to emulate the works of John Woo, but despite their flashiness there is something slightly lacking about them; freshness, perhaps. Anime action has already gone to such extremes that it takes something truly spectacular to blow a viewer away anymore, and while the first four episodes do try very hard, the only scene that comes close to doing that is the climax of the boat/gunship confrontation in episode 2. Other action scenes still pack enough juice to quench the thirst of most action junkies, however.\n\nAlthough the opener includes some interesting shots, such as its highly-detailed looks at hand guns and shell casings, the first true sign that you''re in for a visual treat comes just a few seconds into the first episode, when Rock stares down the barrels of Revy and Dutch''s guns. We get to see the scene from Rock''s perspective, which makes an effective first impression. Throughout the rest of the first four episodes the viewer is treated to painstakingly detailed equipment and weaponry, quality background art, and appealing character designs. Revy is obviously supposed to be the chief eye candy, with Rock clearly intended to be the conservative visual counterpoint, but all of the main cast members look great. Totally absent is any hint of cutesiness, and while the inherent sexiness of Revy and some of the settings is on display, it isn''t overtly stressed. The only true fan service to be found here involves the weapons and the intense, graphic violence. CG effects are used sparingly and unobtrusively beyond the closer, and the animation supports everything quite well. This is one good-looking series.\n\nThe spectacular opener has already been mentioned, while the closer sounds more somber and sedate until a dramatic tempo change near its end, which segues into the Next Episode previews. The rock and metal-heavy soundtrack in between complements the action and scenery quite well.\n\nThe English Dub, produced by Ocean Productions for Genon, sparkles. Maryke Hendriske, who was probably previously best-known for the much tamer role of Lunamaria in Gundam SEED Destiny, will certainly get much more attention for this one, as she nails the temperament and attitude of her hard-spoken character at least as good as, if not better than, the original seiyuu. Dean Redman, in his debut anime performance, makes Dutch sound convincingly like a big, deep-voiced American black man, which corrects arguably the biggest flaw in the original Japanese dub (seiyuu Tsutomu Isobe, by comparison, just makes him sound like your typical deep-voiced Japanese man), while veteran Brad Swaile (Gundam''s Amuro Ray, among many others) succeeds at making Rock sound wimpy and frustrated but with sparks of brilliance. Other roles are, at worst, cast and performed as good as the originals. For as smooth as the deliveries are, the English script sticks impressively close to the original, only adding in the occasional filler line or extra profanity – and a lot of harsh language already carries over directly from the Japanese. The opener is sung entirely in English, even in the Japanese language track.\n\nThe regular version of the first volume contains only on-disk company previews and a great insert picture of a smoking (literally) Revy holding one of her guns, although it does offer both 2.0 and 5.1 English language tracks. The Limited Collector''s Edition includes a bonus disc which contains the other Extras, among them a music video for the opener, a behind-the-scenes documentary on the English production, clean opener and closer, and promo videos. What truly makes the LCE version worth the extra price is the art-adorned steel storage case which comes with it (shrink-wrapped to the DVD case), which is set up to hold all three main disks for the series plus the bonus disk in a case only slightly thicker than a normal DVD case.\n\nGeneon has such high hopes for this series that they have already licensed the follow-up second season, which is due to be released in November. It has all the elements it needs to be a big hit – sexy heroine, loads of coarse language and graphic violence, great visuals, and a kickin'' musical score – but some concerns have been raised about whether or not it can find a suitable audience since it is a distinct step outside of the normal anime style and closer in spirit to an American action serial. Such concerns are overstated, however, because any older action junkie who gives this one a chance should eat it up.', 'semantic', 'refresh', '
\nBefore the opening theme on its first episode finishes, Black Lagoon has boldly announced that it ain''t no cutesy kiddie fare. Japanese vocalist MELL belts out English lyrics like “They make me violate them no matter who they are” and throws in the occasional profanity against a rapid, pounding beat which sets the tempo for one hell of a hard-rocking opener. Full of energy and attitude, it''s a song worthy of inclusion in any hard rock/metal fan''s music collection. It also perfectly sets the tone for a tale which blends classic fish-out-of-water elements with a “girls with guns” motif and the traditional “hard-core troubleshooters trying to make ends meet” set-up and sets it to a metal-heavy musical score. It may not be the most original of endeavors, but to find a series of this ilk so thoroughly defined by the tone and tempo of its music one would have to go back to Cowboy Bebop.\n\n
\nBut where Bebop used a laid-back style regularly punctuated by intense action, casual philosophizing, and the occasional quirky or poignant moment, Black Lagoon strives for pure ''tude. Nowhere is this more clearly embodied then in Revy, a curvaceous, tattooed lady clad in cut-off shorts who is the team''s resident wacko weapons specialist. Crass, confident, sexy hotheads like Revy pop up regularly in anime aimed at young adults because their cockiness and brazen behavior stand diametrically opposite the traditional Japanese ideal for a young woman, which makes them both interesting and exciting. What separates Revy slightly from sisters like Bebop''s Faye Valentine, Mezzo''s Mikura, or Miami Gun''s Yao is her facial expressions, especially the gleeful, crazed smile she sports when she truly lets loose or her perturbed look on the first volume''s front cover. Hints that she may be the product of a very broken past (but how else could such a persona actually develop?) are dropped but not pursued much in this volume.\n\n
\nRevy''s foil is Rokuro “Rock” Okajima, who does have his moments as he adjusts to his radically different new lifestyle but mostly undergoes the same kind of thrown-into-the-fire learning curve Yuji did in Blue Gender. Will Revy be his Marlene? Much too soon to tell, although the style seems too blunt to allow it. Of the other principle cast members, laid-back Benny does not make much of an impression, while Dutch serves the role of the commanding but not intolerant leader and the pretty but heavily-scarred Balalaika is convincing as the seemingly-cultured but equally brutal Russian Mafioso type who regularly employs Black Lagoon.\n\n
\nWhile the writing certainly gives its characters plenty of snappy dialogue and interesting things to do, it is not especially deep, compelling, or ground-breaking, nor has it yet shown any signs of an overarching plot. Thus it falls to the action elements to carry the series. They clearly aspire to emulate the works of John Woo, but despite their flashiness there is something slightly lacking about them; freshness, perhaps. Anime action has already gone to such extremes that it takes something truly spectacular to blow a viewer away anymore, and while the first four episodes do try very hard, the only scene that comes close to doing that is the climax of the boat/gunship confrontation in episode 2. Other action scenes still pack enough juice to quench the thirst of most action junkies, however.\n\n
\nAlthough the opener includes some interesting shots, such as its highly-detailed looks at hand guns and shell casings, the first true sign that you''re in for a visual treat comes just a few seconds into the first episode, when Rock stares down the barrels of Revy and Dutch''s guns. We get to see the scene from Rock''s perspective, which makes an effective first impression. Throughout the rest of the first four episodes the viewer is treated to painstakingly detailed equipment and weaponry, quality background art, and appealing character designs. Revy is obviously supposed to be the chief eye candy, with Rock clearly intended to be the conservative visual counterpoint, but all of the main cast members look great. Totally absent is any hint of cutesiness, and while the inherent sexiness of Revy and some of the settings is on display, it isn''t overtly stressed. The only true fan service to be found here involves the weapons and the intense, graphic violence. CG effects are used sparingly and unobtrusively beyond the closer, and the animation supports everything quite well. This is one good-looking series.\n\n
\nThe spectacular opener has already been mentioned, while the closer sounds more somber and sedate until a dramatic tempo change near its end, which segues into the Next Episode previews. The rock and metal-heavy soundtrack in between complements the action and scenery quite well.\n\n
\nThe English Dub, produced by Ocean Productions for Genon, sparkles. Maryke Hendriske, who was probably previously best-known for the much tamer role of Lunamaria in Gundam Seed Destiny, will certainly get much more attention for this one, as she nails the temperament and attitude of her hard-spoken character at least as good as, if not better than, the original seiyuu. Dean Redman, in his debut anime performance, makes Dutch sound convincingly like a big, deep-voiced American black man, which corrects arguably the biggest flaw in the original Japanese dub (seiyuu Tsutomu Isobe, by comparison, just makes him sound like your typical deep-voiced Japanese man), while veteran Brad Swaile (Gundam''s Amuro Ray, among many others) succeeds at making Rock sound wimpy and frustrated but with sparks of brilliance. Other roles are, at worst, cast and performed as good as the originals. For as smooth as the deliveries are, the English script sticks impressively close to the original, only adding in the occasional filler line or extra profanity – and a lot of harsh language already carries over directly from the Japanese. The opener is sung entirely in English, even in the Japanese language track.\n\n
\nThe regular version of the first volume contains only on-disk company previews and a great insert picture of a smoking (literally) Revy holding one of her guns, although it does offer both 2.0 and 5.1 English language tracks. The Limited Collector''s Edition includes a bonus disc which contains the other Extras, among them a music video for the opener, a behind-the-scenes documentary on the English production, clean opener and closer, and promo videos. What truly makes the LCE version worth the extra price is the art-adorned steel storage case which comes with it (shrink-wrapped to the DVD case), which is set up to hold all three main disks for the series plus the bonus disk in a case only slightly thicker than a normal DVD case.\n\n
\nGeneon has such high hopes for this series that they have already licensed the follow-up second season, which is due to be released in November. It has all the elements it needs to be a big hit – sexy heroine, loads of coarse language and graphic violence, great visuals, and a kickin'' musical score – but some concerns have been raised about whether or not it can find a suitable audience since it is a distinct step outside of the normal anime style and closer in spirit to an American action serial. Such concerns are overstated, however, because any older action junkie who gives this one a chance should eat it up.', '--- \ngrade_story: B\ngrade_overall_dub: A-\ngrade_music: A-\ngrade_art: A-\ngrade_overall: ""\ngrade_overall_sub: B+\ngrade_animation: A-\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58630, 17772, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'Oriented towards mature audiences, this tale of mercenary life in SE Asia, and the Japanese business drone who gets drawn into it, has all the elements it needs to be a big hit – sexy heroine, loads of coarse language, graphic violence, great visuals, and a kickin'' musical score.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58626, 17772, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Awesome opener, great English dub and visuals.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58624, 17772, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Black Lagoon\nDVD 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58628, 17772, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58627, 17772, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'Young Japanese business drone Rokuro Okajima was given a simple but important task by his company: carry a critical CD on a business trip to SE Asia. His mundane, metropolitan world gets turned upside down when a team of modern-day pirates called Black Lagoon not only steal the disk but kidnap him for ransom as well. When his employer decides that preventing the disk from falling into the wrong hands is more important than saving him, Rokuro finds himself thrown into the harrowing world of Black Lagoon, a world utterly unlike the one he knew before. He ultimately joins leader Dutch, mechanic Benny, and the spitfire combat specialist “Two-Hand” Revy as a permanent crew member while helping out on assorted missions and incidents of peril, including dealing with enemy gunships and gunboats and investigating the wreck of a sunken Nazi submarine that a group of Neo-Nazis also seeks.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58623, 17772, 'title', 'en-US', 'Black Lagoon DVD 1', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58850, 17843, 'bad_points', 'en-US', 'This late in the Naruto game, what''s the difference between “shadow clone” and “doppelganger?” Inquiring minds want to know.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58846, 17843, 'content', 'en-US', 'Battles, battles, more battles, and the longest tree-hopping chase scene in anime history. In the mist of ninjas jumping tree to tree is the ultimate battle of good and evil: the third Hokage versus Orochimaru, does the student surpass the teacher? Sound off the dramatic drums and trumpets because, “This is the song that doesn''t end, yes it goes on and on my friends…” Find a comfortable chair and grab a drink: the fight between Leaf, Sand, and Sound is going to take a while.\n\nThere is always a point in a shonen manga where two powerhouses must come together, stare each other down, and beat each other senseless via punches, kicks, or in Naruto''s case: jutsus. This clash of titans can take anywhere from five to ten [insert ridiculously large number here] pages of manga, depending on how long it takes to talk, yell, talk some more, and attack. Hokage frowns at Orochimaru. Orochimaru smirks. Hokage attacks. Orochimaru counters. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.\n\nNot to say that the fight isn''t cool, because it is. The tricks that the Hokage and Orochimaru use against each other get better and better with each turn of the page. But like all shonen series, seeing the same two people fight for long periods of time makes the eyes grow weary. The chuunin exams had the advantage of changing fighters and showing two, maybe three matches per volume. But the battle between the Hokage and Orochimaru promises to take several volumes. No matter how spectacular a fight is, if all 192 pages are solely dedicated to two characters “fighting the good fight” with the fight continuing into another 192 pages, and another, and another… readers will lose interest. Kishimoto must''ve been aware of this, because there are plenty of sub-plots to focus on in-between the fists of fury. From the mad dash to catch Sasuke to the Leaf villagers protecting themselves from attack, there is plenty to look forward to in this volume.\n\nThe most important thing this volume offers is the full explanation of Orochimaru''s plan. Behold! The biggest villain of all Naruto villains! Then again, there isn''t much to compare Orochimaru to since the only other “evil” threat in Naruto was Haku and Zabuza. Ah, the good old days when there were no bad guys, but simply morally ambiguous characters. Rest assured, Orochimaru is definitely evil, and he isn''t going to have a tragic story anytime soon. Finally, the series has its truly evil character.\n\nBesides getting the bad guy of all bad guys, this volume finally shows the third Hokage in action. It''s about time the old man has gotten a chance to shine. As the leader of the village fans expect greatness, but before this point the third Hokage has: (1) gotten a nosebleed over Naruto''s “sexy-no-jutsu,” (2) gazed into a crystal ball, and (3) given missions and instructions to the other characters. It''s nice to see that the Hokage can actually fight and defend the village. Though, to be fair, most anime men of that ripe old age of “old geezer” would faint at the site of a girl who is only covered by conveniently placed clouds.\n\nUnfortunately, reading all of the action does mean reading through Viz''s translations. It''s difficult to go from watching the anime to reading the manga when the anime, for example, says, “shadow clone,” and the manga says, “doppelganger.” Same company, different translations, why? The first couple of volumes, sure, it''s forgivable. But… fourteen? Fourteen volumes of doppelgangers? There is nothing wrong with the word “doppelgangers,” of course, but it''s distracting to read when one is use to hearing “shadow clone.” Their translations are also inconsistent, one page would have characters saying, “Hokage,” while another page would have characters saying, “lord.” This happens quite a few times in the manga. Viz, however, does keep the attacks in Japanese then translates them into English (Kage Bushin no Jutsu: Art of the Doppelganger), something they weren''t doing in the very beginning of the series. Viz also gets bonus points for the quick release of this volume when the previous volume said that volume fourteen wouldn''t be available until June.\n\nIn the mist of all of the action is something else to read in-between the fists: the personal life of Masashi Kishimoto. After each chapter is a small snippet of Kishimoto''s life, even going so far as to end it on a “dramatic cliffhanger” for the next volume. As always, there is the paragraph long preview to the next volume with some “Shonen Jump” advertisements until the last page.\n\nIn the middle of the massive battles, dramatic chase scenes, and in-dept character flashbacks here is the take home message of volume 14: (1) snakes are evil, (2) tree-hopping is troublesome, and (3) old men are more than just perverts, they can defend their village just like all great anime heroes.', 'semantic', 'cached', '
\nBattles, battles, more battles, and the longest tree-hopping chase scene in anime history. In the mist of ninjas jumping tree to tree is the ultimate battle of good and evil: the third Hokage versus Orochimaru, does the student surpass the teacher? Sound off the dramatic drums and trumpets because, “This is the song that doesn''t end, yes it goes on and on my friends…” Find a comfortable chair and grab a drink: the fight between Leaf, Sand, and Sound is going to take a while.\n\n
\nThere is always a point in a shonen manga where two powerhouses must come together, stare each other down, and beat each other senseless via punches, kicks, or in Naruto''s case: jutsus. This clash of titans can take anywhere from five to ten [insert ridiculously large number here] pages of manga, depending on how long it takes to talk, yell, talk some more, and attack. Hokage frowns at Orochimaru. Orochimaru smirks. Hokage attacks. Orochimaru counters. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.\n\n
\nNot to say that the fight isn''t cool, because it is. The tricks that the Hokage and Orochimaru use against each other get better and better with each turn of the page. But like all shonen series, seeing the same two people fight for long periods of time makes the eyes grow weary. The chuunin exams had the advantage of changing fighters and showing two, maybe three matches per volume. But the battle between the Hokage and Orochimaru promises to take several volumes. No matter how spectacular a fight is, if all 192 pages are solely dedicated to two characters “fighting the good fight” with the fight continuing into another 192 pages, and another, and another… readers will lose interest. Kishimoto must''ve been aware of this, because there are plenty of sub-plots to focus on in-between the fists of fury. From the mad dash to catch Sasuke to the Leaf villagers protecting themselves from attack, there is plenty to look forward to in this volume.\n\n
\nThe most important thing this volume offers is the full explanation of Orochimaru''s plan. Behold! The biggest villain of all Naruto villains! Then again, there isn''t much to compare Orochimaru to since the only other “evil” threat in Naruto was Haku and Zabuza. Ah, the good old days when there were no bad guys, but simply morally ambiguous characters. Rest assured, Orochimaru is definitely evil, and he isn''t going to have a tragic story anytime soon. Finally, the series has its truly evil character.\n\n
\nBesides getting the bad guy of all bad guys, this volume finally shows the third Hokage in action. It''s about time the old man has gotten a chance to shine. As the leader of the village fans expect greatness, but before this point the third Hokage has: (1) gotten a nosebleed over Naruto''s “sexy-no-jutsu,” (2) gazed into a crystal ball, and (3) given missions and instructions to the other characters. It''s nice to see that the Hokage can actually fight and defend the village. Though, to be fair, most anime men of that ripe old age of “old geezer” would faint at the site of a girl who is only covered by conveniently placed clouds.\n\n
\nUnfortunately, reading all of the action does mean reading through Viz''s translations. It''s difficult to go from watching the anime to reading the manga when the anime, for example, says, “shadow clone,” and the manga says, “doppelganger.” Same company, different translations, why? The first couple of volumes, sure, it''s forgivable. But… fourteen? Fourteen volumes of doppelgangers? There is nothing wrong with the word “doppelgangers,” of course, but it''s distracting to read when one is use to hearing “shadow clone.” Their translations are also inconsistent, one page would have characters saying, “Hokage,” while another page would have characters saying, “lord.” This happens quite a few times in the manga. Viz, however, does keep the attacks in Japanese then translates them into English (Kage Bushin no Jutsu: Art of the Doppelganger), something they weren''t doing in the very beginning of the series. Viz also gets bonus points for the quick release of this volume when the previous volume said that volume fourteen wouldn''t be available until June.\n\n
\nIn the mist of all of the action is something else to read in-between the fists: the personal life of Masashi Kishimoto. After each chapter is a small snippet of Kishimoto''s life, even going so far as to end it on a “dramatic cliffhanger” for the next volume. As always, there is the paragraph long preview to the next volume with some “shonen Jump” advertisements until the last page.\n\n
\nIn the middle of the massive battles, dramatic chase scenes, and in-dept character flashbacks here is the take home message of volume 14: (1) snakes are evil, (2) tree-hopping is troublesome, and (3) old men are more than just perverts, they can defend their village just like all great anime heroes.', '--- \ngrade_story: B\ngrade_overall_dub: ""\ngrade_music: ""\ngrade_art: B\ngrade_overall: B\ngrade_overall_sub: ""\ngrade_animation: ""\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58851, 17843, 'frontpage_intro', 'en-US', 'It''s nice to see that the Hokage can actually fight and defend the village. Though, to be fair, most anime men of that ripe old age of “old geezer” would faint at the site of a girl who is only covered by conveniently placed clouds.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58847, 17843, 'good_points', 'en-US', 'Nice fight scenes with a healthy dose of plot mixed in.', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58842, 17843, 'long_title', 'en-US', 'Naruto\nGN 14', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58849, 17843, 'objectionable_content', 'en-US', '', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58848, 17843, 'synopsis', 'en-US', 'The battle between the Hokage and Orochimaru grows more intense by the second. During the battle, Orochimaru finally reveals his plans to the Hokage. Knowing the severity of Orochimaru''s plans, how far will the Hokage go to defend the village he loves? While the fight is going on Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru have a top priority mission to track down Sasuke and the Sand ninja. It''s not going to be easy with nine high ranking ninja chasing after them, especially when one of the young genin will have to stay behind to hold them off. Who is going to take such a risk when the result only seems to be death?', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '--- \ndescription_instead_of_synopsis: "false"\n', 0); INSERT INTO `bug_texts` VALUES (58841, 17843, 'title', 'en-US', 'Naruto GN 14', 'semantic', 'unused', '', '0', 0);