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FUNimation is the first episode of their Spring 2013 anime free to stream online. Check it out.

I have been taking a break from doing Spring 2013 previews, but that does not mean I was just sitting around doing nothing! Here is my review for Viz Media’s latest release, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Blu-Ray Set 1.

Synopsis:
Rikuo Nura is an average middle school student by day and yokai by night. He’s not just any yokai – he is the grandson of Nurarihyon, the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan! Rikuo wants to live a normal life. However, his grandfather wants him to succeed as the rightful heir. When an inter-clan conflict threatens the stability within their organization, Rikuo must decide whether he will live his life as a human or accept his yokai heritage.

Review:
My first impression on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan was back in summer 2011, when I did my Watcher preview on the Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital. At that moment, my thought on it was the show was pretty good, and now that I am watching the first season, my initial impression was accurate; Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is definitely worthy of your time and money.

The plot begins with Rikuo Nura, a descendent of the Nura yokai clan. Growing up and being raised as a human, his desire to lead the family business was none. But as the story develops further, certain strife happens and he realizes that the only way to protect his friends and loved ones, he had no other choice but to accept the role as the third heir to the clan.

As with all of these stories that revolve around heirs, not everyone is onboard with the current Supreme Commander’s decision, and because of this, Gyuki, one of the top lieutenants of the Nura clan decide to take matters into his own hands to ensure that the clan does not lose its greatness to some youngin’ whose heart is not even focused on leading the yokai. Since the scenes with Gyuki are the first scenes you will see, I did not spoil much really.

Anyways, back at school, to make things more amusing, Rikuo was automatically made a member of his friends’ yokai discovery club. The mission of the club is to go around town and look for the supernatural. As a result of this club, the members often run into trouble, which leads Rikuo to have to transform to save their behinds. The club plays a large role into Rikuo’s final decision as to whether he will want to lead the Nura clan or not, due to his friends constantly getting wrapped up in his business, being held as hostages. In order to put an end to the yokai turmoil, he finally decided to accept his role as the third heir, so that he can lead the yokai to coexist with humans and fight off those who look to disturb the balance.

The story in Nura, moved smoothly, and is not complicated for viewers to understand. There are no complex issues that one must ponder about. I do enjoy that aspect of the anime. The character transition from Rikuo to Night Rikuo is quite odd though. Rikuo accepted his yokai side fairly graciously, even though he was keen on being a human and while he claims he has no recollection of the events that occur when Night Rikuo is activated, as the show progresses, he is aware of what he is doing while transformed.

The Breakdown:
As I watched Nura, I realized how it captures the viewer. The animation is fluid and great, the blu-ray 1080i high definition definitely helps in that department. The characters are likeable, heck as a person whom has trouble remembering character names; I was able to recall each of their names, an amazing feat for me in my book. Nura has an attractive plot; I was certainly entertained throughout the first disc set and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has to offer!

VIZ Media partners with Sentai Filmworks to unleash a frightening new world of the living dead as it premieres the zombie action of HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD on Neon Alley this Friday, April 19th. Episode 1 (English dubbed) of the high-octane anime action series will debut in High Definition at 10PM EST / 7PM PST, replaying at 2AM EST / 11PM PST, and will air again throughout the week. New episodes will premiere every Friday. Check the Neon Alley program guide or NeonAlley.com for more information and additional airtimes. (more…)

Finally Saturday has arrived, after a busy work week, here are my views on Mushibugyo, Red Data Girl, Devil Survivor 2, Majestic Prince and Yuyushiki.

After a cold Winter season of anime, the weather outlook for anime is looking better with the Spring 2013 season. To start it off, I previewed Karneval, Hataraku Maou-sama, Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge, and Shingeki no Kyojin.

Karneval:

Karneval is an adaptation from a manga by Touya Mikanagi. If you did not know anything about the show going in, the first minute or two of the anime might confuse you into thinking it was some yaoi flick. The anime’s protagonist is Nai. From what he tells us, he and a character named Karoku have been living together for as long as he can remember. One day, Karoku ventures out and never returns. That is when Nai decided to go look for Karoku. From what he remembers, he saw a trail of blood on a beach that lead to the bracelet that Karoku wore.

Fast forward and Nai ends up chained up to a bed with some woman on top of him, at the same time in another room a thief named Gareki was stealing from the mansion. As if it was fate, Gareki drops down to the room Nai was being held captive and from there they make their escape, not without a little hardship of course.

After a few scenes they end up in a hijacked train and gets involved with a group called Circus. Circus is a highly trained defense organization that serves the government and helps deal with crimes and criminals. The people in the group use the same bracelet that Nai has, known as a Circus ID. After the episode with Circus, Gareki and Nai go on their ways together, of course, now they have some watchful eyes on them on their journey.

This anime started slow, but once the pace picked up and we got to see some action, the show was fairly entertaining. There seems to be a lot of mystery behind Nai, Circus and Gareki, which is intriguing and made me want to watch more. There is something dark brewing and I cannot wait to see how it turns out. I can do without yaoi elements though.

Hataraku Maou-sama:

This anime is another one of those the Hero versus the Demon Lord kind of shows… or is it? After some rather serious looking battle scenes and narration; the Hero drives out the Demon Lord from his land, and is transported to present time Tokyo, Japan along with his subordinate Alsiel. With limited magic powers left, they must now act out the lives of humans with the goal of dominating this world, as well as taking back the world they came from. I was totally not expecting the twist, but it felt refreshing, since it was only a week ago I was still watching Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (an anime about hero and demon lord).

Anyways, Sadao Mao (demon lord) works part time at a fast food chain to make ends meet for now, while Alsiel researches how to regain their magic powers and return to their world. At first, Mao does not look very pleased that he has to do what the lowly humans do, but as time passes he is enthralled in his work; striving to be the best so that he can earn more money, and promotion. On one rainy day as he bikes to work, he sees a girl running in the rain with no umbrella. He offers his umbrella to the girl without thinking much of it. It is until after his shift that he finds out that the girl he gave his umbrella to, was none other than the Hero he was fighting in their original world.

So far with what I have seen, I like this anime. There is comedy and some wackiness involved. I want to see how Emi Yusa and Sadao Mao will get along, now that they are in a foreign world. And while Mao resembled an evil demon lord back in his world, he seems like a hard working laid back individual in the present world. The show feels a like “Working” but with added elements. I will stay on the bandwagon for this anime as it does have potential to be something good.

Dansai Bunri no Crime Edge:

This title is pretty much accurate in what it truly is. It is a crime to have put me up with watching this bored out of my mind, sleep inducing, guy with a hair fetish anime. The show starts out with Kiri Haimura, a boy whom has a fetish with wanting to cut other people’s hair. One day he gets off the wrong bus stop and catches a glimpse of the girl (Iwai Mushanokoji ) who people claimed to be a ghost with long hair.

There is something odd about this show. Kiri just stalks the girl, and innately walks toward her and compliments her hair. He swoons over her hair with that hentai look and this girl does not see that this is one creepy guy? She lets him touch her hair and smell it, putting it all up in his nose? Comon, what kind of ridiculous concept of a show is this? As I was watching this show, I cannot help but think anything other than creep, stalker, hentai and whatever other term that relates to those I mentioned.

This show also resembled “Itsuka Tenma no Kuro Usagi” in that the heroine of the show ends up constantly being the target of the Killing Goods owners and now Kiri is the person that will protect her and put an end to the curse, which is fitting, because it was his meeting with her that started the murder game to kill the “Hair Queen.” I honestly cannot recommend anyone be put through this torture, but then again, there are those out there who like this kind of stuff, you know, the people who liked Nazo no Kanojo X, the anime with the guy with the saliva fetish… yeah, no thanks.

Shingeki no Kyojin:

Attack on Titan began as a manga by Hajime Isayama, and the story is about a world where humans lived inside a society that is walled and separated from the beings that are called titans. These titans are a large human looking species with an appetite for humans and a never ending smirk on their faces. Not much has been disclosed as to why the titans do what they do, but the anime just gets off the floor running.

We are immediately put into the fears of the people’s faces when they saw their only sense of security broken and hopelessness was spread. A large titan appeared out of nowhere and is looking over the fifty meters wall the humans have built. After showing this griping scene, we are immediately flashbacked to our main characters Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman a few days earlier. Mikasa is the foster sister of Eren and looks after him, keeping him out of trouble. Eren is impulsive and dreams of exploring outside of the walls, he wanted to join the recon unit of the town, just so he can contribute and fight the titans.

After developing the story a bit we connect back to present time, when the sixty meters titan showed up. He destroys the wall and the town is flooded with titans eating and destroying as they go. When Eren and Mikasa are running away, Eren goes back to his house and finds his mother pinned down by the collapsed house. With a titan moving towards them, Hannes a solder, honors Eren’s mother’s request to take the kids and run. As if Eren does not already have a reason to hate the titans, he witnesses one killing and eating his mother. The episode closes and I just wanted more of it. The show certainly plays to a viewer’s emotions and the intrigue of what and who are these titans and how are the humans going to deal with their little problem… it is going to be a fun ride. Also with Production I.G in the mix, I have even more confidence in this show.

Mushibugyo:

Mushibugyo is not an anime for those who have entomophobia, the fear of bugs. In a world where samurais still exist, Tsukishima Jinbee travels to Edo in place of his father to join the Insect Magistrate. You see, along with samurais, this world has a big insect problem. No really, the insects are big in size and prey on civilians. For a long time, civilians lived their lives with no help for when the insects attack, but when the government decided to listen to civilian concerns with a suggestion box, the Mushibugyo was formed to combat the bugs.

Being a complete country boy, Jinbee meets Haru, a voluptuous and kind hearted girl who helped him find his way. When an insect attack happens, Jinbee runs to assist, but after the scenes, Haru ends up being kidnapped and soon to be devoured. When Jinbee finds the location where the spider hid Haru, he busts in and tries his save her. It is there, where he discovers what being in the Mushibugyo is all about, as the Mushibugyo members help do some pest control.

This show has a little bit of everything. Samurais check, girl with big boobs check, sword fighting check, comedy check and a plot that was somewhat interesting check. Overall, I feel this show will be worth the time for anyone looking for an anime that is not so serious and contains sword fighting.

Red Data Girl:

I had hard time getting started writing about Red Data Girl. This anime was slow and uninteresting. It felt like I have seen this kind of plot before. Girl grows up, has some special powers then gets protection from some boy who does not want to deal with her. Our heroine Izumiko Suzuhara grew up in a shrine. Her life has been pretty much sheltered. Other than attending school, she does not do much else. On top of that, Izumiko has an issue; she tends to break electronic devices that she comes into contact with and when she tried to do her own work with a school computer one day, the whole school’s power goes out.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere her guardian Yukimasa Sagara helicopters to the school and escorts her away. In the scenes after that, Yukimasa reintroduces Izumiko to Miyuki Sagara, his son. By the end of the episode, Miyuki transfers to Izumiko’s school to begin his duties as her bodyguard.

I cannot put myself through watching this show any longer. It was not entertaining and the pace was torrid. The characters are frustrating. Izumiko wants to change her personality, but all she could muster up was to cut her hair. Miyuki has a hate for Izumiko ever since she was a little girl. It is quite annoying that a kid continued to hold that hate towards someone even after many years. So far, there is no reason provided as to why Miyuki dislikes Izumiko; seeing how he did not even know that Izumiko was the priestess that he was born to protect… so having his own life taken away from him could not be the reason. Whatever the reason, I do not care to find out.

Devil Survivor 2:

What if a website existed where once you register someone in it you will be notified… when it happens that is, by an email with a link to a video and the video’s content is that of that person’s final moments? Kind of creepy and that is basis of Devil Survivor 2. As a fan of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise and Atlus, this anime got off the right foot with me from the start.

If you have not played the game, the story begins with our protagonist Hibiki Kuze and his friend Daichi Shijima. Discussing about the latest fad after their mock exams, Daichi introduces Hibiki to Nicaea, a website that notifies its users the moment someone that they registered dies with an email along with a video. As they wait on the train station, they receive an alert and proceeded to watch it. The victims that were in the video were none other than themselves. By the time they realized that the setting of the video was exactly the same as where they were situated, it was too late. After their “death” they were prompted by Nicaea, whether they wanted to die, or get another chance. Once they made the choice to get another chance, an app was downloaded to their phones and allowed them to summon avatars to fight for them.

If you have played the game, there probably would not be any surprises for you in the anime. Just as Persona 4 the animation did not stray from the game’s plot, I doubt Devil Survivor 2 will. As a viewer who has not played the game, I liked what I saw thus far. The avatars and the intrigue of what and who started Nicaea were good, although the avatars from the Shin Megami Tensei franchise really do not change much. Overall, I was entertained, and if it runs like the game, which has received great ratings, it should be fairly successful as an anime as well.

Ginga Kikotai Majestic Prince:

No way! A mecha anime? What a rare sight these days! Yes, Ginga Kikotai Majestic Prince is an anime that involves space and giant robots and while it did not blow my socks off immediately, I am excited to see what this show has to offer to this genre. The plot starts with an academy training children to pilot fighting robots for when the time is needed, they will be called upon. Our main character Izuru Hitachi is part of Team Rabbit, also known as the Zannen 5, due to their lack of success working as a team in the practice simulations.

When the alien group called Wulgaru attacked the Undina Base, out of nowhere and a surprise to everyone, Team Rabbit was summoned to counterattack and distract the Wulgaru while the people on the base escaped. Just when the mission was going smoothly things had to happen to derail it. When Izuru notices that there are still civilians that have not been evacuated, he decides to stand firm and fight, disregarding orders.

Majestic Prince looks like a decent piece, but I feel reserved in praising it or recommending it more. Usually with these kinds of light themed mecha shows, it is ecchi humor and/or harem based. With what I have seen, Majestic Prince seems straight forward, good versus evil with some team drama in-between. The story better support the show well, otherwise it will turn out to be just another one of those average mecha anime that had potential, but never realized it.

Yuyushiki:

An anime about high school girls and slice of life; if that is not enough to turn me away, I do not know what else will, oh yeah, comedy that is not funny. Yuyushiki was adapted from the manga by Komata Mikami and revolves around three girls that are just starting out in high school: Yuzuko Nonohara, Yui Ichii, and Yukari Hinata. Their first day of high school involves walking around the town shops and joining the Data Processing Club that has no members.

At the end of the show, I did not know what I had just watched. The girls were having conversations on the things they were searching for on the internet. Yuyushiki tried to be Nichijou, but fails miserably. How can anyone commit the time to watch something so boring, especially when there are better anime out there? Mystery.

More to come…