23 Jul 2012
2 CommentsWolverine Anime Review – The Marvel Anime Series
The Wolverine anime is the second series in the Marvel Anime lineup that started with Iron Man and continues with the X-Men.
About the Wolverine Anime
Anybody familiar with Wolverine’s legacy from the comic books will recognize the Wolverine anime borrows heavily from the early storyline involving Logan and his Japanese girlfriend, Mariko. It even uses one of the main plots of that story and many of its characters, including Mariko’s father Shingen, and the assassin Yukio.
The story follows Wolverine on a mission to rescue his girlfriend Mariko from the clutches of her father’s and her soon-to-be husband. In fact, the story is pretty straightforward. While many things happen along the way, Wolverine never veers from his original goal to find and rescue Mariko.
The Dialogue
I don’t think the voice acting was as good as it was in Iron Man. Maybe choosing Milo Ventimiglia as the voice of Logan was the wrong idea. If you didn’t know, Milo is the guy that played Peter Petrelli in the Heroes television series. I did not have a problem with anybody’s voice but his. This is one anime that I probably should have watched in its original Japanese with subtitles.
The Writing
As previously stated, the story is straightforward. There isn’t much mystery or too many plot turns to distract you from the main story. This is in direct contrast to the Iron Man anime, which had many different things happening in the background.
The Wolverine anime is a lot like the titular character himself: frank, direct and straight to the point. The story takes a little while to start in earnest though. It’s not until the characters get into Madripoor several episodes in that it becomes truly entertaining. That’s not good in a 12-episode series. However, once you get to the meaty part, it’s all action from then on out.
The Animation
The animation is top-notch. But you should expect that from Madhouse. Everything flows smoothly, which makes the action sequences fun to watch. This series is much more violent than Iron Man was. There is blood, lots of it. Oddly, even though there is blood, it doesn’t always show. There might be a scene where Wolverine slices several people with his claws and the blood flies out. Later on, a person might get a life-ending slice from a katana…and no blood. It’s odd and very noticeable.
Also, as an aside, Wolverine gets his ass handed to him…constantly. Just so you know. Also, if you care about the animation or music in the opening and ending credits, prepare for utter disappointment.
The Verdict
It’s slow to start, but once it does, it is everything you would want from a Wolverine yarn. Borrowing elements from the actual Mariko storyline was a good idea, but I’m not sure if the execution was all that it could be. I was not overly impressed by it, but I was willing to stick around until the end.
I think many people can skip this and not be disappointed. As an anime, it’s subpar. As an adaptation of the comic book character, it’s serviceable. It’s something to watch to pass the time, but there is nothing particularly classic about it. Still, at 12 episodes, it’s quick and comes with a beginning, middle and satisfying end. Well, it was satisfying to me, it may severely upset many of you.
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You can get the Wolverine Anime DVDs from Amazon
You can also get the Wolverine Anime from Amazon as digital downloads
It’s also available as digital downloads on iTunes
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22 Aug 2012
0 CommentsX-Men Anime Review – The Marvel Anime Series
X-Men is the third in the Marvel Anime lineup, and possibly the most entertaining. Apparently, the creators put more time, effort and thought into the X-Men anime than they did with the previous two.
Much like the Wolverine anime that preceded it, the X-Men anime borrows heavily from the source material, but flips it. For instance, any longtime fan of the comic book will recognize a few elements of the Legion storyline and a few more things to pick up on. The choice of villains was interesting as well. They went with the little-known U-Men and the more well-known Inner Circle.
The anime features an X-Men lineup consisting of Cyclops, Storm, Beast, Wolverine and later, Emma Frost and Armor. The storyline starts with Jean Grey’s fiery death as the Phoenix. The individual teammates coming to grips with it sets the tone for the rest of the series. Honestly, if you don’t know anything about the X-Men, you can have a little trouble understanding the motivations of the characters.
The Dialogue
The dialogue is good…very good. I watched the English dub with the subtitles turned on from the original Japanese. It’s odd how much of the story changes between the two. In fact, I find the English dub to be far superior in the way it tells the story. The story is much clearer in the dub. Although, there were a few instances where you would wonder why they chose a particular phrase over another.
On a side note, the voice and overall character of the Wolverine in this series is much better than the Wolverine from the actual Wolverine anime. This is the Wolverine we know, and it makes you wonder what happened between the two series. Even a special feature segment on the DVD mentions the fact the two seem different from each other.
The Writing
The story is good. In the 12 episodes, there are four or five different plot threads that all come together. I won’t get into it all as there is a lot going on from beginning to end. The writers managed to tie it all together smoothly without a hitch. There was a small hiccup near the end that I did not like, but overall, Warren Ellis and the storyboarders did a hell of a job with the writing.
As this is an action anime, the creators managed to fit a lot of action between the exposition. There is a very good balance but also a lot of repetition. Some of the story elements and explanations repeat just a little too often.
The Animation
The animation is damn good. The characters look great, the action sequences are phenomenal. The crew at Madhouse did an excellent job of adding the Japanese look to familiar characters without making it overt and in your face. It leads to what I think is a unique look for the X-Men. That’s all there is to it, it’s just good.
The Verdict
Of all the Marvel Anime, this one is arguably the best. The extra effort put into the creation of this series is noticeable and a joy to watch. The storytelling works, the animation is superb, and you can tell that much care went into this show.
One of the few downsides was a sequence near the end of the series that I found to be a bit superfluous. It involves cameos from other characters of the X-Men universe. Either they should have devoted a whole episode to the scenario or left it out completely.
However, that aside, if you don’t watch any of the other Marvel Anime series, then you should definitely check out the X-Men.
Where to Get the X-Men Anime
Get the X-Men Anime DVDs from Amazon
Get the X-Men Anime as digital downloads
X-Men Anime on Itunes
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