X’amed Lost Memories Review

Story:
Takehara was just going to school, as always, when his entire town came under attack from the followers of Hiruko who are ever locked in combat with the reigning military powers. Getting injured and infected in the battle zone, Takehara becomes one of the X’amed, those that follow Hiruko to their death. But they are no ordinary followers. They are far from human and Takehara must come to terms with this new side of himself as he struggles to survive.

Violence:
The violence levels are probably the worse aspect of this show. The infection and transformation of Takehara is pretty graphic. Nothing beyond Fullmetal Alchemist standards, but still nothing for younger viewers. There are also ripped off hands, limps, gun shot wounds, etc. This isn’t a show for the squeamish.

Language:
The regular kind of language here. A few b-words flung around in the heat of battle, but nothing every word or anything.

Nudity:
Nothing much to report here. Besides some jokes and such, there isn’t much fanservice in this show. Although, there are a few shots where a chick’s underwear can be seen during an action shot. It isn’t intentional though and it’s often too fast to easily notice, as in Rideback.

Theology/Mythology:
The oddest part about this show is its weird angle on those followers of Hiruko. It works much like a religion. However, as is common in anime, there’s no real explanation or decorum involved.

Personal Impression:
This series is rather tense, which is probably a good thing. After all, it doesn’t take long before you find yourself truly worried for the characters, giving the fight scenes more meaning. And it’s also a rather sad story in all, with no real happy ending in sight for any of the characters. So it makes for an exciting journey, unlike some of the shows today that leave a rather dull taste behind.
The characters themselves are pretty well done overall. Takehara suffers greatly with his condition, especially mentally, and the series takes a great deal of time exploring his end of the tale. There’s also a lot of political intrigue for those that enjoy that kind of thing. However, the ending is not a very good one, ye be warned.
The animation is well done, especially the action sequences. The music is decent and the story is, of course, layered and complex. If you don’t mind a bad ending now and again, this series is a great one to experience. Just don’t expect a sunny ending, or even an expected one.

Personal Rating: Young adult

Episodes: 26
Languages: Sub and dub
Official rating: TV14
Genre(s): Action, fantasy
Website: NA
Legal streaming: Anime Network
Screen shots:

Extra: Where are all the fandoms going?

Time for me to remember just how ancient I am. Go ahead and raise your hand if you know what a forum is? Hm, not bad. Ok, raise your hand if you remember geocities fansites. Ooooh and I’m way old. It’s alright though. I should have seen that coming.

For those of you a bit younger in your anime years, the otaku community (as least the English speaking one) has been through more than a few transformations. Back when Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z, Zoids and Gundam Wing reigned supreme (and Toonami played anime), fans created their own websites for their favorite shows and, if they were savvy enough, hosted forums for them. Sites like fanfiction.net were just being born and YouTube was yet to be a thing. Suffice to say, social networking was not even close to what we have today.

Today, companies like FUNimation can tweet to thousands of fans about posting a new show or releasing a new set. Series can be viewed online, legally and for free. And fans can blog (and re-blog) one another’s nerdy posts instantaneously via Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms. Not to mention that all the video sites connect right back to the other sites, making sure you can tell everyone and their mother what you’re watching at any moment (should you wish to). It’s a great time to be a fan.

Of course, seasoned fans like me still miss the older platforms at times. After all, creating a site took a lot more time than posting on Tumblr. And when fans went so far, they really pulled out all the stops. Some of the best artwork, research and Japanese updates came from those old fansites that have long since been abandoned. It takes far more digging to find a good cash of information and well done fan articles these days.
Not that all older systems are abandoned, mind. A few fandoms are still clinging to older platforms. We Rangers are still rockin’ the old forum and chatroom combo, though we have “upgraded” to utilize Facebook too. Still, it can’t be denied that social networking has changed the anime community. It’s far more instant and seems to stay still as little as possible. As soon as a new show comes out, the last show is often forgotten, leaving more than a few anime companies running in circles to please impatient fans who are always looking for the next show.

What about you, though? Do you still use older platforms to rave about your favorite shows? Or are you completely dedicated to the newer systems?

Streaming Pick of the Month: Nanaka 6/17

Need a nice break from all the serious and bloody shows going down recently? Well here’s a nice, pastel rich, soothing after-Easter show about a girl who thinks she’s still six years old and wants to be a magical girl! And the poor guys, her dad and bad boy Nenji, who have to keep her mental change a secret. Gotta feel sorry for the blokes. It’s not easy to hide a six year in a seventeen year old body when she’s running around the high school yard pretending to fight monsters (read the full review).

All 13 episodes can be seen legally (for free!) on Anime Network. Click here to start watching!

Nanaka 6/17 Review

Story:
Nanaka is a high school student who couldn’t be more serious about her studies if she tried. And not only is she serious, but she holds her classmates, specifically her childhood friend Nenji, to the same standard. But when she falls down some stairs on a rainy day, all her hard earned work is gone (along with her attitude) and replaced with the mind of a six year old. Attempting to keep her living a normal life, Nenji and her father work together to keep the change a secret from everyone.

Violence:
Aside from some slapstick stuff, the violence in this show is pretty none existent. Falling down stairs is probably the most graphic and there’s not a drop of blood involved.

Language:
This show is pretty tame in this department as well. Nenji probably has the worst mouth, but he does pretty well at keeping it tame after Nanaka’s “incident.” There’s at least one instance of a creep mouthing off with the “illegitimate son” word. But it doesn’t become an every episode thing, thank goodness. Mainly just a few c-aps, d-mns and such. Even so, why this show is officially rated PG is anyone’s guess. The only reason this show got bumped up from 10+ to YA in my book was the language. A shame really.

Nudity:
None existent. There’s a magical girl transformation sequence at one point, but I’m pretty sure Sailor Moon has more “revealing” scenes.

Theology/Mythology:
Besides a girl being told her mother “wouldn’t be happy in heaven” seeing her crying, there’s nothing really to put in this section either.

Personal Impression:
Cute and short. That’s pretty much this show in a nutshell. It does have a serious angle. Near the end, Nanaka has to face some serious issues with her own personality and her feelings. But overall this show stays light and fun. The art and such is pretty old by today’s standards, but it matches the cute feel of the show well. And it is worth noting that the issue of over-dedication to her studies is one which plagues many teenagers in Japan. The Land of the Rising Sun puts a lot of pressure on students, connecting academic success to overall success in life.This often becomes such an issue of stress, that many lose sight of why they wanted to do well in the first place. Many often lose their dreams along the way as well, their lives becoming filled with nothing but grades and losing its flavor. Now I’m not going to say this show is attempting to tackle such a serious issue head-on. But I do think they wished to bring it to light. Even if only for the sake of general discussion. And it does so in such a way that a few laughs can be had too.
Overall, this show is a wonderful break from the more violent and inappropriate shows of today. It does tackle a few serious issues, but it is not overwhelmed by them. If you’d like a bit of light hearted and clean fun with a hint of serious plot, give this show a try. Just don’t expect deep plot and intrigue. What you see is pretty much what you get.

Personal Rating: Young adult

Episodes: 13
Languages: Dub
Official rating: PG
Genre(s): Slice of life, comedy, drama
Website: http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Nanaka-6/17/Watch
Legal streaming: Anime Network
Screen shots: