Tuesday, November 1, 2005

Anime reviews

Strong franchises soldier on

By Eric Henrickson / The Detroit News

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"Scrapped Princess: Spells and Circumstances" vol. 4 (Bandai) - When last we checked in with Pacifica Cassul, she was being hunted by the church of Mauser, which was trying to kill her so she can't bring about the destruction of the world on her 16th birthday, which is coming up soon. How is a 15-year-old gonna do that? Who knows, but it's an ancient prophecy, and few people are willing to take the chance and let the Scrapped Princess live.

At the end of vol. 3, though, and in the first episodes on this disc (four total), we find out the true meaning of the prophecy, who the god Mauser really is and why caves have been containing dead technology and familiar-looking ruins, and we get a hint at why the visual manifestation of magic in this world reminds you of a circuit board. It's a dramatic turn of events not totally unexpected but very well done and in a way that's a bit different from the norm.

All this info comes from the Beast Princess, Senes, youngest daughter and black sheep of the Giat kingdom's family. She is in possession of ancient technology that actually works, and she's taking Pacifica and Pacifica's adoptive sibling/protectors Shannon and Raquel home to the country of Leinwan. Under the mental influence of Mauser's minions, the king is convinced Senes' ship is there to invade and orders it and the Scrapped Princess destroyed. It wouldn't be much of a series if the plan worked, though, but Pacifica's family is separated in the turmoil, and she loses her memory.

Just when you think another twist isn't possible, this series throws in another one, keeping viewers on their toes. It would be nice, though, if Raquel could get a bit of the spotlight. Pacifica and Shannon have both shown their mettle, but Raquel has yet to really show her stuff. If she's as powerful a mage as her brother is a fighter, she has great potential that has mostly gone untapped so far.

"Scrapped Princess" is a series that's cruising along quite nicely. With two volumes left to go, it should be able to tell its story without feeling rushed at the end, which happens all too often. Appealing characters, good voice work and nice animation combine to make "Scrapped" a keeper. GRADE: B+

http://scrappedprincess.bandai-ent.com/ (unfortunately, not updated since first volume)

"Street Fighter Alpha: Generations" (Manga Entertainment) - This has been a big year for the popular "Street Fighter" franchise. With a host of new action figures, trading cards and games, it only makes sense the anime aspect should be expanded, too.

So for all you "Street Fighter" fans out there, here's "Generations," a prequel to "Street Fighter Alpha." And as prequels often do, it presents an origin story. In this case, it's the origin of Gouki, archenemy to main good guy Ryu. You also find the seeds to how Ryu was tied to Gouki.

It's a quickie - only 45 minutes, so don't expect any great, profound revelations. Everything is laid out in a flashback to when Gouki was ultimately consumed by the dark Hadou power. Then it comes back to the present, with Ryu visiting the old dojo of his beloved dead mentor, Gouken. There, he finds a wacky old man with amazing fighting skills who winds up taking Ryu in as an apprentice.

"Street Fighter" mainstays Sakura and Ken pop in, too, just in time for Ryu to confront Gouki, who's been haunting his dreams for years.

With some great fight choreography, a decent amount of story and above-average animation, "Generations" is more than one would expect from a franchise that's been so drawn out. Credit first-time director Ikuo Kuwana, who has other experience on films and series such as "Steam Boy" and "Neon Genesis Evangelion."

If you've never seen a "Street Fighter" anime, this isn't likely to make you run out and find the plethora of titles available, but you may still find it enjoyable on its own merits. If you are already a fan, this is an essential addition to the collection. GRADE: C+ (for nonfans), B+ (for fans)

www.streetfighteralpha.com

In the news

* The "Japanese Popular Culture: From Anime to Zatoichi" event from MSU's Asian Studies Center starts this week. Ian Condry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology gives the free presentation "Real Japanese Hip-Hop: From Gangsta to Samurai" Wednesday at the MSU Management Education Center, 811 W. Square Lake Road in Troy. Events continue every Wednesday this month (except the night before Thanksgiving) and include a movie double feature on Nov. 12. For more information, visit http://www.isp.msu.edu/asianstudies/fall05events/Japanese%20Pop%20Culture.pdf.

You can reach Eric Henrickson at (313) 222-2799 or ehenrickson@detnews.com. Anime reviews appear weekly in the Online Entertainment section. Read more anime reviews