Best Anime: 2009

Tayuya Manga Poster

Best Tayuya Wallpaper

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Tayuya Will Be Action Wallpaper

Tayuya From Naruto Movie

Kingdom Hearts 358-2 Days Impression

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the Nintendo DS is the latest chapter in the long running Kingdom Hearts franchise. The series that meshes original Square Enix characters, long established characters and the Disney universe may seem like an odd mix but it works so well. In the beginning of Kingdom Hearts II gamers took on the role of Roxas, a member of the mysterious Organization XIII. This latest chapter fills in the gaps of Roxas stories as it takes gamers on a journey through the roughly first year of Roxas time with Organization XIII. So how does a game, born on the PS2 with a chapter on the Game Boy stack up in all the important categories? Let’s take a look since fans are already getting ready for the PSP’s Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep.

Gameplay – It’s an action-RPG, meaning gamers run around slashing with their keyblade, shooting off magic attacks while gaining experience and leveling up both health and magic abilities to name just two of many areas. There is an interesting and new slotting system for weapons, new to the franchise that is. This is another level of RPG management needed and works quite well as the proper combinations are needed to beat certain enemies and hacking/slashing is no way to finish this game. There is the main story but also a series of side missions to undertake, well worth it for the experience, another very RPG element. If gamers have friends then the multiplayer will really shine as the KH lock-on, weapon and magic system is really fun with more than one player.

Graphics – Looking not too far off from the PS2 entries, not bad for the DS. The animated scenes are beautiful and even in-game cut scenes look good using the game engine graphics. The DS may not be a graphical powerhouse but it can do cartoon, anime style very well and KH is evidence of that.

Sound – From the opening theme everything feels so familiar with is an excellent thing as fans will recognize the beautiful songs and themes, even if they are recycled. Like much of the game it’s sound and music is well done but it’s been done. Not a ton of voice work either but that’s to be expected on the smaller DS cart, which is a shame, the franchise really shines with its excellent voice work. For a DS title this is one of the best soundtracks out there.

Design – One of the problems with a franchise like Kingdom Hearts is 1) all the Disney characters design is already set, 2) the main characters in Organization XIII are already set and 3) the environments are 90% set. There are a few areas that are new, exclusive to Roxas story but most of the game is filled with settings and levels gamers have visited at least three times already. This being said it’s still so much fun to play through these settings as they feel like visiting an old friend.

Miscellaneous – Gotta be the story folks. Kingdom Hearts weaves the same magic as Disney’s best movies. The story and characters capture an audience, spin them into a web of loss, love and betrayal and finish them off with addictive music that pulls at the heart strings and will stick with gamers for years to come. Yes, Kingdom Hearts is that magical and the telling of Roxas story fits in like that cousin who seems like a brother. The recap of Kingdom Heart I, II and Chain of Memories brings noobs up to speed nicely and while the tutorial can be annoying it does not detract form getting into the background of Organization XIII, Roxas and the 14th member.

Overall, all there is to say is what took so long? The first two games hit the PS2 with Chain of Memories, originally on GBA, also hitting the system. This is the first true next-gen era title and yes it’s on a handheld but don’t complain. All the elements that made this franchise rock are present and at the end of this game gamers will want more, a next-gen release in the franchise. Birth By Sleep should be solid but in the meantime how about a PS3 Kingdom Hearts treatment as God of War received? That would be sweet!

Naruto Sleeping Wallpaper

Naruto Sleeping Anime Wallpaper

Naruto Sleeping

Naruto & Sakura Sleeping Together

Naruto & Sasuke Sleeping Wallpaper

Tenten Picture

Tenten Wallpaper From Naruto Movie

Tenten Manga Picture

Tenten Image

Tenten & Naji Anime Wallpaper

Tenten Picture

Naruto Sand Siblings Image

Naruto Sand Siblings Best Wallpaper

Naruto Sand Siblings Anime Picture

Naruto Sand Siblings Manga Wallpaper

Naruto Sand Siblings Image

Gamabunta Wallpaper

Gamabunta Best Anime Wallpaper

Gamabunta & Yondaime Picture

Gamabunta Wallpaper

Kurenai Yuhi Anime Picture

Kurenai Yuhi Poster

Kurenai Yuhi Best Wallpaper

Kurenai Yuhi From Naruto Movie

Kurenai Yuhi Anime Picture

Yakushi Kabuto Wallpaper

Yakushi Kabuto Gallery

Yakushi Kabuto Anime Picture

Yakushi Kabuto Wallpaper

Naruto Kyuubi Wallpaper

Naruto Kyuubi Best Wallpaper

Naruto Kyuubi Chibi Picture

Best Naruto Kyuubi Anime Wallpaper

Naruto Kyuubi from Naruto Movie

Naruto Kyuubi Wallpaper

Naruto Kyuubi Image

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka vol. 1 Impression

Poor Mont Blanc; a hero he was now just the victim of … well that’s the fun in reading volume 1 of Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka from Viz. This story feels old-school in its art but its story is original and surpasses so many of it’s counterparts it’s a great read for the ‘educated’ manga fan. Don’t believe me, guess you ain’t being educated.

Nobody believed the news but it’s indeed true. Mont Blanc is dead. The robotic hero is said to have died in a freak accident but in truth he was murdered, but who could take out one of the most powerful beings on the planet? Enter detective Gesicht as he investigates not only Mont Blanc but also the death of Bernard Lanke, a human seemingly killed by a robot, something that is near impossible. As Gesicht gets further into his investigation his life is also put at risk and the mystery deepens. If a robot killer at work, a killer robot or a modified human? Seems Mont Blanc is one of seven very special robots and each is being hunted and destroyed for unknown reasons including a former war robot serving as a butler in the north. The clues are few and cryptic including what seems to be horns placed on the deceased robots and it’s up to Gesicht to figure out what is going on.

The story and art laid out by the creative team of Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka is just a pleasure to read. There is something so simple, sublime and nostalgic about the art in Pluto. It reminds of a time before cookie cutter anime and manga characters when the genre was still in its infancy. The character designs seem fit more for black and white than full color and it works so well. The stories tone and pacing is deep as this society is not all ponies and candy. It can be dirty, grimy and plain bad from the death of a robot cop to the sad tale of a war robot turned butler to a distraught composer. It’s also brutal, a fact that should not be list in it being robots that are killed. The best part, the mystery. Who is doing this, whipping out only the most advanced robots and seemingly doing it with easy and secrecy? It’s been a while since a story hits on so many right notes but that’s exactly what Pluto does and I for one cannot wait to see how this story plays out.

Mitarashi Anko Anime Wallpaper

Mitarashi Anko From Naruto Movie

Mitarashi Anko Best Picture

Mitarashi Anko

Mitarashi Anko Manga Poster

Bleach the Movie 2: The DiamondDust Rebellion Impression

The DiamondDust Rebellion, the second Bleach movie from Viz does something very rare in the realm of anime movies, especially ones based on long running series. It shows that there is depth, great depth to the larger cast of characters, in this case Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya. As great a character as Ichigo is when the second movie in your series makes you more a bit player it says a lot about the world you inhabit. Props to Tite Kubo on this one; Why? Let’s take a look at the story, minimal spoilers to count the ways.

The Ouin, a Royal Family treasure, is stolen as it’s transported from one secret location to another. Of the various Soul Reapers guarding the transport it’s Squad Ten Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya who is first to respond to these strange attackers. As he’s wounded by this new foe Hitsugaya makes the decision to abandon his post and pursue the new foe for reasons only he knows. As the dust settles the executive order is given to capture Hitsugaya at any cost, even Squad Ten is confined to quarters in his absence. The wounded captain finds his way into Karakura Town and is discovered and cared for by Ichigo only to flee Ichigo at zanpakuto point. As Ichigo pursues he’s attacked by two female foes, one of fire power the other electric and is promptly knocked out. Hitsugaya has some ghost, one in particular, from his past, before he was a captain, and as he works to deal with this ghost he is branded a traitor, is hunted by his allies with the order to execute him while trying to correct a mistake that’s haunted him for years. As this ghost, the long since dead Sojiro Kusaka, unleashes the power of the Ouin it will take the full power of the Soul Society, all Thirteen Court Guards and one very Hollowfied Ichigo to give Hitsugaya his opportunity, one years in the making and tied to his zanpakuto Hyorinmaru. The sins of the past can be corrected it seems.

Wow, quite a summary and it is not as full of spoilers as you’d think. The animation is great, top notch which is quite the norm for movies based on long running anime series. It looks great on an HD screen with fantastic sound and voice acting that is excellent in both English and Japanese, quite a feat. The story is fantastic, yes fantastic and it has almost nothing to do with Ichigo and his cast of earth bound buddies. Ichigo himself is more support to Hitsugaya and while his attacks are quite badass, further ahead of the anime on DVD right now, it’s the youngest captain who takes center stage. The first Bleach movie felt empty with new characters and action that felt forced. While watching this movie, one that’s focus is on a secondary character in the anime, viewers can feel the weight, the burden which Toshiro bears. His past, the choices made by the council seem evil and the confrontation at the end feels just right as its friend vs. friend in a fight that needs to happen. Seeing every other member of the Soul Society in action is a pleasure also, it’s just a really well done movie that hits on all the right marks from story to action, drama to character development, and there’s no Kon (as he points out in the book with the movie).

Listen, if you are a Bleach fan this movie rocks and you must, MUST see it. For the casual anime fan the story is easy to follow and is enjoyable even without the background on characters and attacks. In the end it’s a tale of friends from long ago set on a path neither expected and it’s all a treat for us to watch.

Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution III Impression

Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution III on Wii

Wii owning Naruto fans rejoice! The latest title for Wii, Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution III is on store shelves and it offers up some solid fighting game action. Dating back to the GameCube, the Clash of Ninja titles on Nintendo’s properties have always looked great on the hardware and as the Naruto story matures and progress so does the gameplay. What can gamers expect from the latest offering, lets take a look …

Gameplay – It’s a fighting game that can be controlled with any Wii control configuration, so no real need for motion controls, unless gamers want to do hand-sign attacks, which require the remote but don’t limit gameplay if other options are picked. The story mode takes gamers into the first story arc of Shippuden with the retrieval of Gaara, vs. mode is just that, 1:1 battles while other modes have gamers trying to survive foe after foe or doing Time Attack. Pretty standard with one exception; the addition of Wi-Fi battles. The Wii does an adequate job Wi-Fi gameplay and while Naruto does have some lag it’s an overall fun experience with up to 4-players.

Graphics – Outside of a first party Nintendo title CoNR3 is really one of the better looking third party titles on the Wii. This could be due to the long running roots of the franchise on Nintendo’s hardware, refining the look and feel. The settings look really good and there is only some, a little bit, of that last gen feel to the graphics but overall it does feel like gamers are playing the anime. The best Naruto on the Wii by far.

Sound – Like the previous entries the background music is pulled from or inspired by the anime and does a nice job of matching the action. The voice work, limited, is spot on as the series voice cast lends their talents as with most Naruto titles on any system.

Design – As with prior Clash titles this offering pulls levels and design right from the anime and manga and adds a little flavor from multi-leveled levels to that familiar character or building in the background. Since it’s a fighting game there is no need for the larger levels and design seen in other Naruto titles. CoNR3 also has all the prerequisite updated looks for characters, over 35, closer to 40 total, but there is not much to do with a title based on such a popular license whose look and feel is set.

Miscellaneous – It’s Naruto … not too much more to add here. This latest title is more of the same from the previous offerings with updated levels, characters and of course new Wi-Fi, but otherwise there is no miscellaneous to mention.

Overall, Clash of Ninja Revolution III is the only Naruto franchise on the Wii but it’s no slacker. The fighting action is solid and the graphics great for the system. Dragon Ball Z left a lasting mark on the last generation of systems for its excellent fighting game mechanics and the Clash series of Naruto games on Wii are quickly doing the same now. For gamers looking for a good fighting game this is a rock solid purchase and/or rental and for Naruto fans, this is all you get on the Wii and thankfully it’s a good gaming adventure … even if you know the story already.