Two of the year's most anticipated Japanese films, Goro Miyazaki's From Up On Poppy Hill and Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children, won't be released theatrically or on disc in the US until 2013. But there were plenty of interesting, exciting and imaginative works available for American viewers in 2012.
Here are some of the year's highlights:
1. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos Movie (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (2012) ASIN# B0071LEJTO
Unlike The Conqueror of Shambala, which transported Edward to Weimar-era Munich. The Sacred Star of Milos is set in the familiar Fullmetal universe, at the border between Amestris and its western neighbor, Creta. Ed and Al learn that the sought-after Sacred Star is not a celestial body, but a "sanguine star:" an enormous Philosopher's Stone that would enable the wielder to control a vast, subterranean river of lava. Director Kazuya Murata and his crew build a story that feels appropriate for the characters but never impinges on the main Fullmetal Alchemist continuity.
2. Steins;Gate: Complete Series, Part One (Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combo) B008O69T18
The offbeat sci-fi adventure Steins;Gate has a rambunctious energy that recalls The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. College student and self-proclaimed "mad scientist" Rintaro Okabe is convinced that agents from the physics research center SERN are pursuing him. A jerry-rigged contraption involving an old microwave, a cell phone and a large-screen TV enables the members of Okabi's secret lab to send messages back in time that alter the present. Okabe may be the savior who can prevent a future dystopia, but messages from SERN warn that he knows too much. Like Okabe's friends, the viewer never knows what's going to happen next.
3. Shiki: Part 1 (Limited Edition Blu-ray / DVD Combo) ASIN# B007BMIGRO Shiki: Part 2 (Blu-ray / DVD Combo) ASIN# B007BMIG6U
At a time when vampires have become ubiquitous in popular culture, Shiki stands out for its unsettling tension and suspense. When a foreign family moves to an enormous chateau at the edge of the remote town of Sotobamura, fussy Megumi and other locals begin dying of a mysterious disease. Dr. Ozaki, who runs the local clinic, and sullen teen-ager Natsuno suspect the deaths are linked to okiagari, undead creatures who stalk the night. Shiki is genuinely disquieting; like a volume of Edgar Allan Poe, it's not an entertainment to enjoy alone late at night.
4. [C] – Control – The Money & Soul of Possibility: The Complete Series (Limited Edition Blu-ray/DVD Combination) AISN# B008MSNY7I
Like Eden of the East, [C] – Control reflects contemporary social concerns in a way no Western animated series has. Economics student Kimimaro Yoga wants a job that will enable him to support a wife and child, an increasingly remote goal in Japan–and America. In the alternate world of the Financial District, he becomes an Entré—one of the Enterpreneurs who wager their futures for a cash stake they can increase endlessly. But if they go broke, careers, possessions, even family members vanish from the real world. The flamboyant visuals in the Financial District evoke everything from Yellow Submarine to the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.
5. Naruto Shippuden Set 11 (2012) B007NPXP5C
Sasuke and his older brother Itachi finally square off in a battle the story has been building toward for years. Director Hayao Date and his crew employ dramatic fire and lightning effects to make the duel between the Uchiha brothers as exciting as it should be, and voice actors Yuri Lowenthal (Sasuke) and Crispin Freeman (Itachi) bring an effective sense of shattered affection to the dialogue.
6. Fairy Tail, Part 2 (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) ASIN# B005NQ5LR8
As the comedy-adventure Fairy Tail continues, the viewer learns more about the pasts of the knockabout characters. Natsu, Gray, and Lucy try to remove the curse vexing the inhabitants of Galuna Island, but they're in over their heads. The real fun of Fairy Tail remains its mixture of slapstick comedy and magical battles. Fire wizard Natsu is in his element, whether quarreling with Gray or taking out a magical super-cannon, and his enthusiasm is contagious.
7. Persona 4: Collection 1 [Blu-ray] (2012) ASIN# B008DL4MSO
When his parents go abroad, Yu Narukami moves to the flyspeck town of Inaba, expecting a boring year at Yasogami High. Yu discovers he and his friends can pass through TV screens into an alternate world that seems tied to a series of murders. Everyone who enters the weirdly colored realm beyond the screen has to confront his hidden desires to receive a magical card to summon their personas, powerful creatures who battle the resident demons. Persona 4 is a rarity: A series based on a computer game that can be enjoyed by people who've never played the game.
8. Towanoquon Complete Collection [Blu-ray] ASIN# B007K7IC7Y
Towanoquon consists of six short films that were released theatrically in Japan in 2011. In the not-too-distant-future, certain children are born with psychic powers. These "Attractors" are hunted by Custos, a sinister paramilitary organization. The idealistic Quon fights to keep the Attractors out of their clutches. The set-up of kids with exceptional powers pitted against a murderous cabal has been used in any number of anime series, but the filmmakers make it feel fresh and exciting. Sadly, director Umanosuke Iida (1961-2010) died as he was completing the series, and animation is the poorer for his passing.
9. InuYasha the Final Act Set 1 (2012) B005SH647S
The Final Act picks up where Rumiko Takahahashi's “feudal fairy tale” InuYasha ended in 2004, and the filmmakers assume the audience is familiar with the story. InuYasha and Sesshoumaru strengthen their swords as Naruka faces a revolt among his servants and acquires more of the Shikkon Jewel fragments. Richard Ian Cox repeats his role as InuYasha, but many of the cast members are new, and arguments will certainly rage over the merits of the new actors vs. the original ones. Director Yasunao Aoki is drawing together the narrative threads that will bring the tale to a conclusion after almost 10 years.
10. Fractale—The Complete Series (Limited Edition (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) ASIN B007V9EAH2
In the sci-fi adventure series Fractale (2011), humans have been injected with nano-machines, linking them to a global network that provides everything they need. But the aging Fractale system is failing; its satellites crash and some people can no longer contact it. Teen-age Clain is only vaguely aware of these problems until the fugitive Phryne appears. Clain is an appealing hero, and the viewer shares his amazement when he visits Xanadu, a city where Fractale enable its inhabitants to create anything they can imagine, a vision as unsettling as it is garish.
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood: The Sacred Star of Milos Movie
Steins;Gate: Complete Series, Part One
Shiki: Part 1
No comments:
Post a Comment