 | Mysterious Girlfriend X: Complete Collection – Review Jun 6th 2013, 00:04 
It sounds like the name of some cheap sci-fi skin flick, but Mysterious Girlfriend X is actually a new anime based off a manga that came out in 2006 and is still in circulation. Mysterious Girlfriend X is simply an endearing story of your first true love. It has everything, humor, awesome characters and badassery. This show is about this boy named Tsubaki and this girl named Urabe and the relationship they form. Tsubaki is a schoolboy and when he sees the new student Urabe, he is enchanted by her. Urabe is a peculiar girl, though. Almost alien. Of course, Tsubaki doesn’t realize this at first. One day when he wakes her up after school she stares him in the face and he realizes that he must have her. But what will he do? She walks out of the classroom and Tsubaki is left all alone with the drool that Urabe had left on her desk. What he does next is quite cringe-inducing and creepy, but kind of sweet, too. He takes his finger and swabs it in her drool. Yup, you read that right. Then he sticks his drool-covered finger in his mouth and sucks on it. You read that right, too. Sucking saliva is the most ridiculous thing in this series. What does it say about our society that we’re more squeamish about seeing the exchange of bodily fluids then seeing someone being killed by a knife or a gun. I guess we have gotten more used to seeing blood then spit. Another thing I should mention is that not just anyone reacts to Urabe’s drool in such a fashion. That means there truly is something special about Tsubaki’s relationship with Urabe and the drool they share. The drool serves a purpose. Besides, the show never explains itself, I know the manga is still ongoing, but when making a show that is one season, I expect a conclusion. Yes, it is one of those shows, where I think the goal is simply to form a relationship, yet the relationship just does not work. And it pretends that some actions that do not happen, happened, and they were wonderful. 
There is more to it than merely tasting her drool; when he does so he gets an insight into her emotional state and it turns out she can tell how he feels by tasting his saliva. Over the course of the series they grow closer and a relationship develops. Inevitably one or two obstacles arise but it is obvious that they belong to each other. The strength of the series is largely down to Urabe’s character; as the title suggests there is something distinctly mysterious about her; it helps that Ayako Yoshitani did such a great job voicing her… at least her voice sounded great even if I had to rely on subtitles to understand what she was saying. While Tsubaki isn’t quite such an interesting character he makes a good protagonist; besides he isn’t meant to be the mysterious one; she is. I was surprised just how much I enjoyed this series; it may not be full of action or hilarious moments but the characters are fun to watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N98rClJiBF4 On top of that, I can not recall the last time I've seen an animated program with this level of atmosphere. From the half lit bedrooms, to the sunset drenched path the duo take on their ways home, and even the mildly dead feeling school. So yes, I might have opened this review being harsh but weirdness doesn’t really bother me and once you look past it there is so much to love here. Despite all the weirdness that surrounds their bond you really root for things to work between them and for their relationship to grow. Granted I know the droll thing can make some people not want to watch this anime at all, but is it really that odd compared to series that have aliens with superpowers that shoot beams, or giant robots fighting intergalactic wars? If you can get past the droll theme, you’re in for one of the most unusual and great series out there.
 | | I'm Flash! – Review Jun 6th 2013, 00:02
Directed by past Creative Spotlight interviewee, director Toshiaki Toyoda, carved out a very distinct niche for himself with his first trio of narrative features. Pornostar, Blue Spring and Nine Souls. Following up hard and fast on his disturbing masterpiece, Monsters Club, director Toshiaki Toyoda's I'm Flash! doesn't quite have the depth or resonance of his previous effort. In fact it's pretty much a mess despite some moments of bravura filmmaking. Part gangster story, part send up of charismatic spiritual charlatans and part junket to take an all-star cast to vacation in Okinawa, it starts well enough with a beautifully choreographed car crash deus ex machina that obliquely sets the ball in motion for a pampered tele-spiritualist, Rui (Tatsuya Fujiwara) to hire a trio of bodyguards (Ryuhei Matsuda, Kento Nagayama, Shigetu Nakano) to protect him from further scandal. As the back-story unfolds and the simplistic pyschobably tale progresses under more and more baroque plot twists, the entire endeavor spins into a stasis of undeveloped ideas and pointless connections, albeit in a beautiful beach setting. Word up was that Toyoda had been working for years on what would be his genre film masterpiece with I'm Flash. I’m Flash is an empty and meaningless film with shallow and uninteresting characters with no personality. The story is boring, the content is very clear, the film is simply lifeless. We never see any of the members of the sect, the only thing we see is three family members who earn good money on this nonsense. I’m Flash is more of an art film than an entertainment film. But to call this an art film with the thin content is insulting enough for real art films, and one should first make partly an art film, one should at least know what the hell you’re doing! He needed a little less flash and a little more substance. 
Toyoda has had some crisis of his own since then, legal issues pushing the director into a sort of self imposed exile. Since his return to the big screen Toyoda’s work has been decidedly more introspective, even melancholic when compared to his early pieces but it looks like he’s getting back to his early form. Toyoda, in this work makes use of the music that really leaves a mark right from the start and that fits really well, especially in the action scenes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjkHqocXjZ8 Without giving too much of the story, it should at least be said that the final, both for the straddling progression accompanied by a music striking that make a narrative converge three floors, as well as for the use of slow motion during the shooting. Especially for the beautiful images of sea quilted from the speech on the death of the protagonist and the girl alone is worth watching the movie. Fans of Toyoda’s recent work will probably be able to dig for some enjoyment here. However, I ultimately walked away unimpressed.
 | | New 'The Purge' App Tests Your Survival Skills! Jun 5th 2013, 15:23 
The Purge follows one family over the course of a single night… From sundown to sunrise, for 12 hours, all crime is legal. Four people will be tested to see how far they will go to protect themselves when the danger of the outside world invades their home. The Purge Blog App: -Test your survival instincts with the Would You Survive the Night? Quiz. Are you ready for the Purge? Take the quiz to find out! One lucky Five Dollar Shake reader will win an exclusive The Purge prize pack which includes a t-shirt and mask. Perfect Perfect to #SurviveTheNight! 
The question is… Would You #SurviveTheNight? Take the quiz to find out! Warn your friends The Purge is coming! Then post your results from the Would You Survive the Night? QUIZ into the Comments section. If you have any issues with the widget or would like to enter by email, please contact us via the CONTACT PAGE of this website. One winner will be chosen and contacted by email on June 14, 2013. | | Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent – Review Jun 5th 2013, 00:04
The anime adaptation of Berserk was absolutely amazing, so I was understandably excited when I heard of the movies coming out. I enjoyed Part I, the animation was astounding and the sound effects were great. Part II has those same qualities, but I found that the “feel” of the manga and anime were lost, as extended sex scenes were given priority over important plot points. Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent is the final chapter in studio 4°C’s series of films, finishing the story of the swordsman Guts and the Band of the Hawk. In short, I loved the movie. The music is great. The story is well told. The visual is amazing. It will please old-school fans. Continuing from where the last movie leaves off, Guts leaves the Band of the Hawk and Griffith is captured. It is now a year later and Guts has returned to save Griffith who is now only beyond a mere shell of his former glory self. Anyway, I say this has been the best movie of the trilogy so far. In context to story, the beginning is very rushed and some scenes are taken out from the original manga and some are properly rearranged. But it doesn’t really hurt the flow for the story in relation to the movie. Sure, there’s some irksome stuff here, such as the useless and non-canonical backstory to Skull Knight and their trademark awful 3D animation. All of which is forgiven when you finally see the Eclipse re-imagined. The action is very violent and lives up to its bad ass title. There will be plenty of blood and gore. 
Coming in at a running time of 120 minutes, Descent is the longest of the Golden Age Arc films. I say what defines the art and animation is how it sets the atmosphere and brings you into the emotions. You feel Griffith’s fragility. Even though you don’t see him unmasked, the detail to the art on whatever you see of his face is enough to give you an idea of what he would look like if unmasked. You see the hesitation of Guts on whether or not he should leave the Hawks again. You feel Casca’s frustrations. I feel that the raw emotions bring a sense of substance in conjunction to its hard ‘R’ rating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KYjHixstmo For a fan, it’s awesome stuff. I’m still disappointed that they didn’t cover some of the insane events before Griffith’s rescue from the manga. In retrospect it’s not much more than a movie adaptation of the ’97 anime with a deeply inferior soundtrack. Speaking of which, it’s weird how Shiro Sagisu, composer of the magnificent Rebuild of Evangelion soundtrack, managed to make something as uninspired as this. The closest thing to a spoiler I can give is that after the ending credits, there is a post credits scene which isn’t much for some people, but after that is over, there is a message in clear English that says “This is only the beginning” meaning we will get new Berserk movies. It also does a great job of setting up the following events of Berserk, unlike the abrupt ending of the anime.
Let these movies continue. Watch it if you have the chance. And wait for after the credits. Boom, trilogy completed!
 | | Godzilla: The Series – Review Jun 5th 2013, 00:02 
The animated series that served as a direct sequel to the 1998 American film, fixes all the major problems the movie had. It beefs up Godzilla finally bringing home the "next mutation" plot from the movie full circle. In fact I think the filmmakers had even intended the baby Godzilla to all be fire breathing giants, but lackluster critical reception killed the movie series before it could continue. The series also picks a better tone and generally sticks with it making the stories feel more congruent. The series follows the Humanitarian Environmental (or Ecological, in “Area 51″) Analysis Team (H.E.A.T.), a research team led by Dr. Nick Tatopoulos (voiced by Ian Ziering) as they battle giant monsters which frequently appear. Godzilla, the only hatchling of its species to survive in the movie, imprints on Nick and becomes the chief weapon summoned against the other monsters encountered by the human characters. There are aliens giant creatures straight out of any 'B' movie, fights, and Godzilla is awesome. The series is everything the movie should have been. The characters are much more interesting in the show versus their movie counterparts and many of the lackluster characters from the movie are expanded out. Well Audrey is still terrible but luckily she isn't in all the episodes. Series also introduces two new characters not from the movie: Monique Dupre, a French secret agent assigned by Philippe Roache to keep an eye on Godzilla and H.E.A.T she is probably my favorite character even though I don't know why Roache couldn't have just been in the series because they fill the same role. Randy Hernandez voiced by Rino Ramano is also a new addition who specializes in computer hacking. Godzilla himself is everything we wanted in the movie but didn't get, he fights other monsters almost never runs away, breaths atomic breathe, and generally saves H.E.A.T.s butt all the time. The villain monsters are fantastic my favorite is this giant red garbage looking thing that grows to a huge size and eats have of New York. It's straight out of a 'B' movie. Another time Had Godzilla squaring off against a giant Robot Yeti which had several quick references to King Kong Escapes. 
There is a great deal of development that Saturday morning cartoons are not generally known for. Even though most of the episodes are self-resolving there is an underlying story brewing that of course deals with an impeding alien invasion (that is foreshadowed early in season one). I like that the episodes will challenge the characters and put them in situations where they need to learn and we get to see them apply the skills they learned in future episodes. Team members even leave occasionally leaving for a few episodes at a time. The show mixes seriousness with silly in a near perfect blend. There are running jokes throughout the series mostly involving their computer equipment always being crushed and Randy trying to date Dupree these feel familiar after a while and it's funny to see them pop up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02yrjQU5hP4 The episodes are all pretty good with a few real stand outs for those who hated the original movie you will be happy to know they resurrected that monster as a cyborg and killed her off in the same episode. I remember running downstairs every Saturday morning wrestling the remote form my sister and hitting the cartoon circuit. I really liked this cartoon growing up and as an adult looking back on it holds up better then some. The voice acting is hit and miss the Nick seems bored and lackluster, and there is one scientist whose constant " I have a cold" voice is really annoying but Randy is voiced by the Spider-Man from my youth so I can get behind it for the most part. I like this show I think it fixed all the problems of the movie and it kept my interest until the end.
 | | Creative Spotlight: Episode #232 – Cappadonna of Wu-Tang Clan Jun 4th 2013, 00:04 
Cappadonna is a legend in the hip-hop game. Wu-Tang is known for their collection of albums just as much as their solo efforts and staying vigilant in his support of The Clan, he has been featured on over 25 releases including classics from Raekwon, Method Man and Ghostface. His latest effort is a double CD entitled ‘Earth, Wind and Fyre’ which he is on tour to promote, before dropping the sequel to his classic album ‘The Pillage’, entitled ‘The Pillage 2′. We sit down and talk with Cappadonna and discuss the Wu, his creative process, the chambers of Shaolin, and more. Read below for the full Q&A… What is the biggest evolution of sounds and lyrics one would recognize listening to your new album Earth Wynd Fyre, versus The Pillage, your debut album? Cappadonna: The biggest evolution is how what we say in accordance to what the universe says and reacts to us. The Earth, Wind and Fyre is the dissertation to man, women and child. I’m still relevant to see the continuation of rap’s new generation of the reality of evolution. just showing you of where I came from. The 20th anniversary of the Wu is coming and you stated work is already being put in. Is the energy since 8 Diagrams been a bit more positive in the recording process? Is everyone a bit nostalgic approaching the second decade? Cappadonna: It’s still a building process. Every project requires good architects, and each architect has to have its own set of rules, tools and jewels in order to build a project. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRhdMt-0jxg GZA for example has a very complicated flow, but in turn you have the capabilities of being very detailed in your rhymes but choose to keep a more simplistic flow. What reason do you have for keeping such a unique style that is easier to digest? Cappadonna: I just want to create something that babies can understand. So i’ve been considering myself as the narrator and after the mind fucking is finished, I break it down to the lowest compound; to a language we all understand. For the new Wu Album you stated that RZA might give you a topic on a particular song to write a rhyme too. Hip-hop was a lot more creative back in the heyday in terms of coming up with gimmicks. Does concept rap restrict you at all as a artist and songwriter? Cappadonna: Nah, we just try not to deal with too many gimmicks. That’s the difference in what we do and what puppet masters do. On the flipside, Earth, Wynd, and Fyre saw you just being able to be you in the studio. How important is it to reach out to lesser-known producers on your album? Is it to allow you to remind yourself what it was like to record an album when you first got into the game? Cappadonna: I just like reaching back [to] those who find favor in me. If you had to pick: Shogun Assassin, Five Deadly Venoms, or 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Which would you pick as the best kung fu flick? Cappadonna: 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUFMwcD2IgI Pillage 2 is also coming. You are definite a busy guy. Specifically speaking, what kind of tracks are you wanting on this particular project? Cappadonna: Soulful, hard underground tracks, and up tempo. Do you see any project replacing The Pillage as your favorite personal project? Why is it that most debut albums are so hard to top? Cappadonna: Because you never get a second chance at a first impression. The first impression is the best impression…it sets the ground work. The Pillage is my favorite personal project. Now that Snoop Dogg has embraced Snoop Lion, can we expect any transformation from yourself in terms of including a more reggae vibe in some of your records now that it appears to be more mainstream among rap? Cappadonna: Anything is possible! As music evolves, so do I. Lastly, what are your feelings about doing acting roles? Any chance we'll see you flexing acting chops in a film? Cappadonna: Oh you gonna get this werk!! Coming Soon P2 (Pillage 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRcytXa4hVc His double CD is available in stores NOW! Get the latest info on tours, music and more by following his cookie crumb trail below: https://twitter.com/REALCAPPADONNA
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cappadonna/6834907404
http://www.youtube.com/artist/cappadonna | | Dirty Hearts – Review Jun 4th 2013, 00:02 
In 1945, Japan surrendered to the United States and the Second World War was over. Right? Wrong. For eighty percent of the Japanese community in Brazil, Japan had won the war and defeat was nothing more than American propaganda. The few immigrants that accepted the truth were persecuted. Some were hunted down and assassinated – by their own countrymen – causing the start of a new, private war. Dirty Hearts is a thriller and love story told by the wife of one of the fanatics dedicated to preach Japanese victory. Little by little, she watches her husband, a hard-working immigrant, become an assassin and their love story fade away. The acting is really up to par, it never falls in the clichés and it doesn’t really have down time. The lives of that small community are all shattered and scattered and it feels like an heavy weight that we watch coming closer and closer. The first assassination target is a man named Aoki, one of the few people who can help the two groups to even attempt to communicate. Col. Watanabe, an officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, equates communication with collaboration. Aoki is a traitor, therefore he must die. There's an early scene in which a Brazilian soldier breaks up a Japanese gathering (assembly was forbidden), insults the people there, pushes some of them around and wipes his boots with the Japanese flag.Bad behavior and worthy of punishment, sure, but Watanabe convinces his followers that the man should be beheaded (!!!) for the disrespect shown to the flag. Watanabe has incredible power over the community! 
Without being a perfect movie, Dirty Hearts has strength and competence sufficient to engage the public and carry forward the reflection that comes with Vicente Amorim offering on the excesses of nationalism. Anyway, I knew that there was a big Japanese community in Brazil but I did not know about the events related in the movie. Brazilian director Vicente Amorim, who is here in Montreal with Tsuyoshi Ihara to introduce the film, said he had not known about them either, and only learned about them through a novel, also called Coraçoes Sujos, by Fernando Morais. A man in the audience said that one could draw parallels with McCarthyism in the U.S., which is certainly true. You could probably spend many hours, possibly days, making other, equally valid comparisons. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nO6SlKOicg The filming can be erratic at times but it’s a minor point and doesn’t do much harm to the movie itself, which overall stands pretty solid on its feet. If one believes there are things to be learnt from History then this movie definitely teaches you something. I likedt he inside look at a community in face of a traumatic change. The dilemmas that all the characters have to deal with. The symbolic of some shots, for example the use of cotton. The main actress not uttering a word but telling us so much nonetheless. I disliked the use of the blurry effect, it was overused and it seemed to have no real purpose. The ending seemed a little convenient, it doesn’t take much out of the overall movie at all, but it left me this impression.
 | | Appleseed XIII – Review Jun 3rd 2013, 00:02 
First it's important to note that this anime has an important manga background which could be useful for those of you who have a hard time understanding or taking interest in this anime. For the others, reading the manga isn't necessary (even if a truly recommend you to read it : it's really awesome). In any case: this anime is better than the two movies. It’s not like it already is deeper than the best parts of the 2004 movie, but this anime is more focused on the relationship between Deunan and Buriarios than the two movies combined. I truly think that for an anime to be interesting, it is necessary to have these kind of info on the main characters. Appleseed XIII is a 2011 Japanese CGI anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s science fiction manga series Appleseed. Composed of 13 episodes, the series retold the exploits of ES.W.A.T. member Deunan and her cyborg partner Briareos. The characters draw a lot of attention to their mouths, which are impressively lip-synced, but that’s also a major source of distraction since the rest of the facial animation is flat and emotionally dead. Additionally, the lack of motion blur makes character movement seem jerky and unnatural. This may also be the result of a lower frame rate during character driven scenes, since the movement in the action scenes fares much better. The landmates look great, but there’s not as much mecha as you would expect from the series. There’s not as much socio-political intrigue, either, but that might be due to the condensed script. The action scenes aren’t particularly exciting or memorable, which is a shame, and the whole thing feels like an experimental film. What’s most striking is the visual style, which abandons the cel-shaded look of the previous two films in favor of a more stylized video game aesthetic. The character designs are very close to Shirow’s original designs, and the animation rendering employs an interesting hand-drawn watercolor texture. Briareos looks absolutely stunning, like a drawing come to life. 
Unfortunately, Deunan and the other human characters don’t look so great, and I can’t even tell you why. There’s just something a bit unsettling about them, and Deunan in particular looks overly plastic and waxy. It’s almost as if virtual idol Yuki Terai were in the starring role. The color palette is also heavy on the pastel side, which doesn’t really fit the environment or the story. Masamune Shirow's Appleseed manga is a good story as are most Shirow stories (Ghost in the Shell, Dominion Tank Police, Ghosthound, etc) but for some reason the anime adaptations always seem to fall short. The original OVA series aside, it always seems to end up as one big CGI action explosion fests, almost completely ignoring that at the core of it all, Appleseed is essentially one big romance story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ho-vLKLsiao Here's the thing with Appleseed XIII. I had hoped to gather several key points (good or bad) and go over them. What ended up happening was that I found one good point, one bad point, and a plethora of things that seemed…weird. The action scenes aren’t particularly exciting or memorable, which is a shame, and the whole thing feels like an experimental film. This may be the future of anime, but I don’t think it’s ready for prime time yet. The special features are pretty awesome as well, just like the series itself. There are two audio track for two episodes. Episode #7 features Mike McFarland, Ian Sinclair and Monica Rial, which is a complete blast to listen to and adds a lot to the episode itself. The second is with Episode #12, which features Colleen Clinkenbeard and David Matrenga, also very informative and a must listen for fans. Thumbs in the middle.
 | | Creative Spotlight: Episode #231 – Siyu Chen May 31st 2013, 00:04 
If you are a fan of art and browse the internet for more than 10 minutes a day, chances are you will run into Siyu Chen’s work. Working as an illustrator, Siyu was born and grew up in China and went to Tsinghua University in Beijing studying graphic design. Afterwards, Siyu went to New York to attend MFA illustration at The School of Visual Arts. Quite impressive if you ask us. A perfect candidate for the Creative Spotlight, Siyu makes illustrations for books, magazines and newspapers and draws with brush and ink and colors digitally. Read below for the full Q&A… What was the biggest culture shock studying in both the United States and China? Siyu: I studied graphic design for 6 years in China. But I realized, actually, I could draw much better than design, and I had much more passion to work as an illustrator. So I came to New York, studying MFA illustration at School of Visual Arts. I felt I was lucky, because at that time, there wasn't such a major as MFA Illustration in China. The study was completely new to me. I was very impressed by my teachers. From them, I saw a true respect to arts and artists, which encouraged me to decide to work as an illustrator for my whole life. Working with both traditional and digital methods, what kind of advantage does this give you as an artist? Siyu: I draw with brush and ink and I color with photoshop. Sometimes I would try watercolor, oil paint, or color pencil, but I always go back to my favorite style: brush, sumi ink and photoshop. Coloring with computer gives me more freedom to choose color, and helps me work more efficient. 
In turn, how do you achieve balance when combining mediums in a piece? What is the desired look you are going for? Siyu: Perhaps, it's because I have no interest to draw "normal stuff", I always try to mix some elements of dreams in my drawings. I wish my drawings could be full of strange things and funny, like "Through the looking glass", the story from Lewis Carroll. I also try to tell stories with my drawings. A special story, a special drawing, that's my goal. Give us an overview of the activities you do regularly to keep up with marketing yourself? Siyu: I can't say I'm good at marketing. This is always difficult to me. I sent promo piece to art directors, I put my work on Curioos and Artflakes, and recently I just build my blog. What prompted you to move to Germany? Siyu: My husband works in Germany, I moved to Germany to get married. 
How has Europe influenced you thus far as an artist? Siyu: I've been here for two years, the quiet environment and regular, slow pace give me more time to think, what I really want to draw? The biggest influence to me is religion. I became a Christian after I came to Germany. Now I would love to draw something for heart, rather than something only for eyes. What are some of your favorite Asian films or anime? Siyu: I love Miyazaki Hayao's film. I watched all of his films. I particularly like "Sen and Chihiro’s Spirited Away" and "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind". How has the illustration field changed since you entered it, aside from there being more technologies to create illustrations? What do you think the climate of freelance illustration is like? Siyu: I've been in this filed for 2 years, but I still feel I'm new. The market is changing and illustration could invade into many other creative areas: games, webs, toys, housing stuff etc. I check the illustration web, and I see more and more talented artists coming. It's competitive and also very excited. Though working as an illustrator is not easy these days, there are so many young artists willing to enter. 
What upcoming projects do you have in store for 2013? Siyu: I write and illustrate a children's book, it will be published in China this year. The story is about a fishbowl cat taking adventures. I posted two pages of this book on my blog for a brief look. Any advice for illustrators looking to break into this field? Siyu: Read more books, watch more films, collect information from your daily life and keep imagining, you will find the inspiration from everywhere. 
Want to stay up to date on all of Siyu’s artistic adventures? Follow the cookie crumb trail below: http://siyuart.blogspot.de/
http://www.siyuart.com
http://www.juxtapoz.com/current/illustrations-by-siyu-chen
http://www.curioos.com/siyuart | | Freezing [Complete Series] – Review May 31st 2013, 00:02
Freezing presents a throwback to a simpler time when boobs, blood and action lead the way. Directed by the talented Takashi Watanbe (Boogiepop Phantom) and based on the pulp manga of the same name, Freezing is easily one of the most divisive titles on Manga's 2012 roster. On the one hand, a series taking the well-worn tropes of the traditional Ecchi Action series is certainly a welcome change from the assembly line of doe-eyed school girls. On the other hand though, one cannot help to question if the Anime landscape has changed since the days when Fist of The North Star ruled the screen. Set in the distant future, Freezing charts the invasion of Earth by the deadly Nova an anthropomorphic extraterrestrial race set to wipe out human kind. The only things stopping them are the Pandora's, a Spartan-like race of warriors that are as deadly as they are beautiful. Amongst the Pandora's, there is rumour of one who is feared by all. She is known as the Untouchable Queen, a warrior of Amazonian proportions that will lead the charge in earth's defense. The Untouchable Queen better known as Bridgette L. Satellizer is aloof, calm and collected. She is already a trained killer in her prime, but beneath her icy cold demeanor lies a chequered past. In steps the unassuming Kazuya Aoi, a Limiter by trade, his role involves working in tandem with The Untouchable Queen and disabling the Extraterrestrial Nova defense systems. 
Over the course of the series audiences bear witness to Kazuya and Bridgette's relationship both on and off the job. Viewers expecting a forlorn tale of romance however should be cautioned. Freezing is a series that delights in a display of bare flesh, underwear and teeny-tiny skirts. On its most basic level the show is beyond exploitative portraying women as nothing more than sexual objects. It's an age old debate that has provided an undercurrent of discussion throughout many an anime's lifespan (see also: Witchblade and High School of The Dead). 
In a way though, the argument is a moot point. Freezing doesn't set out to reinvent the wheel, it has no claims to be any more than it is; and honestly if audience's expectations are lowered, there is certainly still enjoyment to be found in the series. The animation is silky smooth providing some stand out action sequences. The costumes whilst incredibly impractical on the battlefield will surely send Cosplayers imaginations abuzz, and overall the sheer campiness of the whole thing does take the sting out of the blatant misogyny. Praise should also be given to an otherwise sterling performance on the part of the voice cast; their ability to make a frankly lackluster script engaging should be celebrated. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7oaEnglbdI Sure criticisms can be levied against the often abrasive use of nudity, but one can't help but think that underneath all of the flesh exists an engaging series. It might be difficult to recommend to everyone but Freezing is an assured effort and an excellent time capsule to the Anime days of old.
 |  DEVIL SURVIVOR 2 THE ANIMATION - Episode 10 - Friday of Farewells Jun 6th 2013, 18:05 
Mizar, the sixth Septentrion, will soon manifest in Tokyo -- but Yamato has already plotted its course, and devised plan of attack. To defeat Mizar, JP's will summon a powerful demon named Lugh; unfortunately, controlling it will mean trapping it in a human vessel that is bound to be destroyed. That vessel turns out to be Io, and when the others learn of the fate that will befall her, Hibiki will launch a desperate effort to save her from certain doom.
 |  Photo Kano - Episode 9 - A Letter of Challenge for Love Jun 6th 2013, 17:00 
Nonoka has two goals at the moment. The first is the master the rise ball. The second, and quite possibly more difficult of the two, is to win Kazuya's heart! Since she's not really his type, it's going to take quite a bit of work!
 |  Majestic Prince - Episode 10 - The Hunter and the Hunted Jun 6th 2013, 15:00 
Team Rabbits gets to learn who the Wulgaru are and where they come from. But in doing so, they will also learn more about themselves and the rest of the human race. Does Izuru have what it takes to lead his team through these trying times?
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