Kingbeast's Lair

-== What is it? ==-

Mushi-Shi is an anime TV series marketed by FUNimation. Mushi-Shi originally aired from October 2005 through June 2006. Hiroshi Nagahama is the director on the TV series. Voice actor Travis Willingham does the acting for the main character in Mushi-Shi (aka Ginko).

The series focuses on the travels of a Mushi Master known as Ginko. Mushi are ethereal spirits that are in touch with the primal forces of nature and the essence of life. Most people cannot see Mushi at all. Ginko can see Mushi and even attracts them if he stays in one place for too long. Since Mushi can be dangerous Ginko is often on the move. His uses his considerable Mushi knowledge to help people deal with Mushi that they may be encountering. Mushi-Shi is set in ancient Japan. The exact time period is not defined.

Mushi-Shi is a hard anime to classify. I think I would classify it as a drama with horror elements. The episodes are primarily episodic in nature. There is really no overarching plot in the series. Some of the memorable side characters make appearances more than once in the series but even this is kept to a dull roar. Ginko is the only character that shows up in every episode.

There is no nudity in Mushi-Shi and very little violence. Any violence in the series is performed off screen or with shadows. There are some adult themes but even these are scarce. Mushi-Shi is rated “14+” at RightStuf.com and I think that rating is actually a bit high.

I purchased the standard edition Viridian Collection version of the DVD set. Mushi-Shi is comprised of 26 episodes that cover roughly 625 minutes of content.

-== What I Like ==-

The stories are the star of Mushi-Shi. They are well paced with nice twists at just the right moments. Each episode shows an extreme attention to detail. Characters and subplots will venture into and out of an episode at precisely the correct times.

The animation in the series is fantastic. Character animations in Mushi-Shi are exquisite. Clothing is detailed yet not overstated. The field of expressions shown by the characters is kept simple. It really works for the series. As Mushi are creature of life a lot of care is taken with background, weather, and shadows. The backgrounds in the series are lush and really draw you into the world. More than once I paused the DVD on a shot of the environment. Shadows in Mushi-Shi are intricate and reflect a lot of depth. As some episodes have a horror theme there can be a lot of dark scenes. This is some top notch animation.

The music in Mushi-Shi really adds a lot of depth. The opening credit piece is lilting and haunting with a vocal feel that reminded me of Tori Amos. The end credit music different for every episode! This allows the director to convey emotion that really sticks in your mind well after viewing. The effect makes one ponder what was just watched.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

The biggest drawback to the collection are the extras. There are only extras on last DVD in the set. Here is a list of the extras in Mushi-Shi with some comments.

• Commentary On Last Episode – Instead of a commentary on the last episode this is really an interview with Travis Willingham. Although mildly interesting the commentators do not talk about the episode at all really. It is a poor implementation in my opinion. I would much rather have had them conduct a live interview for 20 minutes instead of calling it a commentary.
• Manga Page – The original artwork and manga pages are fine.
• Studio Tour – The Mushi-Shi studio tour was VERY strange. None of the employees are smiling. For some reason they are all very serious and stoic. Another strange thing is that their animation studio was in an old house that looked like a cave. I actually felt sorry for workers after watching this extra.
• Director Interview – The interview with Hiroshi Nagahama is also kinds of bizarre. The director explains that the world of Mushi-Shi is the highlight of many stories. He goes on to talk about the music. During the entire interview he never smiles! He also speaks in very soft tones. I actually felt that this interview made me NOT want to watch the show.

The extras are the only reason Mushi-Shi is not getting 10 out of 10 paws. Believe it or not I might have liked the series even more is there were NO extras at all! 🙁

-== Summary ==-

Repeat some buzz words that define this series for me. Serene. Exquisite. Touching. Enchanting. These are not common when describing media of any kind let alone anime. If you are looking for stories to feed your id then look no farther than Mushi-Shi. I cannot recommend this series enough.

You can get if for $17.93 at Amazon at this URL. RightStuf has it for sale at this URL for $17.99.

I give it 8 out of 10 paws.

-== What is it? ==-

Samurai Jack Season 2 collects episodes XIV through XXVI of the iconic animated series. In case you have been living under a rock, Samurai Jack is an animated series about a Japanese samurai who travels to various places where a demonic entity known as Aku holds power. This series of episodes initially aired from March 1, 2002 to October 11, 2002. These were produced by the Genndy Tartakovsky. Samurai Jack was a landmark series for Genndy that won four Emmy Awards. Phil LaMarr does the voice acting for Jack and Mako does the voice acting for Aku.

There is essentially no nudity in the series and very little sexual references at all. There is violence but it is directed primarily at robots, monsters, and serious bad guys. Samurai Jack is not rated at RightStuf.com but I would probably give it a “13+”.

I purchased the standard edition version of the Samurai Jack Season 2 DVD boxed set. Each episode of the series is 22 minutes in length. There are a few extras in the package that will be discussed below.

-== What I Like ==-

The stories in Samurai Jack are really what makes it an iconic show. Some stories have tons of action and other are more serene. Either way they are heartfelt and often full of surprises.

Season 2 contains some of the most memorable episodes of the run. Here is a list of the episodes the I would individually rate at 9 or 10 out of 10 paws! 😀

• XIV – Jack meets a race of creatures who can jump really great. After the creatures teaches Jack how to jump he teaches them how to defend themselves.
• XVII – In this episode the Scotsman enlists the aid of Samurai Jack to rescue his wife. This might be my all time favorite episode of Samurai Jack. It is so funny that often I have to stop the DVD player to guffaw. One of the extras in the boxed set involves the episode producer pitching the episode with the team. It is hilariously funny and well worth watching. A wonderful extra.
• XVIII – Jack encounters a village killed by mysterious robots. The entire event is an elaborate trap for the samurai. Lots of great plot twists involving Extor, a scientist.
• XIX – Jack enters a village that reminds him of his hometown. There is a joyous childhood romp through a wheat field that is followed up by a scene where Jack watches a warrior at a bridge that inspires him to be a samurai. The warrior on the bridge is a direct reference to Lone Wolf And Cub. It ends with Jack receiving words of wisdom.
• XX – In this episode Jack meets three monks climbing a mountain who tell him about a great reward at the summit. After a difficult ascent Jack is rewarded with renewed faith. A wonderful tale.
• XXII – Fierce lion warrior hunters are approached by Aku to hunt Jack. This episode is filled with tons of great cat and mouse action. The lions are expertly voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
• XXV – Jack comes across Spartans defending a mountain pass ala 300. Awesome fight scene with Jack against the King.
• XXVI – Frantic episode of Jack against a gang of bikers after hurting his feet. Silly but really well done.

Unlike many of the products I review this DVD boxed set has some wonderful extras. There is an episode pitch for XVII (see above for details), as well as a commentary on XXV, and a very funny bio of Genndy. The bio really surprised my with the humor and details. Well worth watching.

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

Even though Season 2 has some of the best episodes in the entire run it does have a couple of losers. Episode XV has three smaller vignettes with a two-headed snakes and fairies. The story with the two-headed snake is not new and quite a let down. The other episode that I did not particularly like is XXIV. This episode is a tribute to Alice In Wonderland. It goes so far to have Jack lose his clothes and end up with an outfit that resembles Alice’s. Unlike episode XXVI this one is silly in a not so good way.

-== Summary ==-

Samurai Jack Season 2 captures arguably the best season of an award winning series then throws in some stellar extras. Avid Jack fans should pick up this set. People who have not seen Samurai Jack should rush over to Amazon and buy it for only $8. My gosh that is low. This is a fantastic show that should not be missed.

You can get it on Amazon.com at this URL for a PARLTRY $7.97!!! Jeez loueez! 😀

I give the collection 9 out of 10 paws.

-== What is it? ==-

Black Panther is a animated series from Marvel Animation in partnership with BET. The series retells a story originally presented in the graphic novel Who Is The Black Panther but adds in the presence of Ororo Monroe (aka Storm) as a love interest. This graphic novel was penned by Reginald Hudlin and drawn by John Romita Jr. The animated series was released in DVD format in October 2011. Black Panther initially aired in Australia in January 2010. It was directed by Mark Brooks. Reginald Hudlin was a producer at BET and oversaw the entire production of the series.

There is no nudity in the Black Panther series but there is some violence. Bloodshed is well controlled and for the most part takes place off camera. The series is not rated but if I were to add a rating myself it would be “PG-13”.

I purchased the standard edition version of the DVD. There are a total of 6 episodes that are each 22 minutes long.

-== What I Like ==-

The story in the Black Panther series is not that thrilling but it moves at a good pace and each episode has a nice cliffhanger ending. It starts with T’Challa (the current day Panther) taking over for the previous ruler during a rite of combat. During this period side characters are introduced. The story continues to detail an attack by a rival nation that is being subtly backed by the fearful Americans. There are some good moments like a flashback where Captain America meets an earlier incarnation of the Panther but overall the story arc is just not that engaging. Also there are times in the Black Panther series where the story feels “preachy”. Another drawback is that the series only ran for 6 episodes. Don’t expect a lot of story depth in a run that small.

By far the best thing about the Black Panther series is the voice acting. I need to rattle off some of the cast so you realize how jam packed this thing is with talent. Djimon Hounsou plays T’Challa, Kerry Washington plays Princess Shuri, Alfre Woodard plays Dondi Reese and the Queen Mother, and Jill Scott plays Storm. This strong cast puts on a stellar performance. Their talent really makes it worth watching. (As a side note, if you have not seen Jill Scott in The First Ladies Detective Agency go out and find a copy so you can check it out. It is a touching and thoughtful mystery series.)

Normally the music in an animated series does not get my attention but in Black Panther it is very nicely done. It was composed by Stephen James Taylor. The opening song is catchy and exciting. During the series the music is really used to good effect. In the extras there is also an extended music video that is very cool. (One interesting side note is that Taylor made up his own language for Wakandan that he used in the music. The language was based on a modern day Bantu dialect with alterations by Taylor.)

-== What I Don’t Like ==-

The artwork of the animated series really tries to mimic that of John Romita Jr’s printed panels. If you are like me your first reaction is likely to be, “John Romita Jr ROCKS! That is awesome news!” The problem is that in trying to replicate the John Romita Jr style the animators went with a rigid animation approach. It almost reminded of the REALLY old Marvel series where the characters didn’t really animate but were instead comprised of static cells that floated across the screen. (The current term for products like this is “motion comic”.) The result is that the characters in the Black Panther series move in a stiff fashion that was distracting for me. Some of the scenes looked fine but many of the scene showing the Panther move across the scene looked clumsy. The Panther is cat grace at its best…not rigid and clumsy.

Besides the music video mentioned earlier the extras include a trailer and a short look at the Black Panther series by Reginald Hudlin. The short video is light and fun but overall the extras are limited.

-== Summary ==-

Most people who know me know that I am a HUGE Black Panther fan. I even got a wrist watch made with Black Panther on the face! 😀 As you can imagine I had a lot of expectations for this series. Unfortunately many of my high expectations were not met. The story is fine, the voice talent is exceptional, and the music is great but it does not make up for the animation style. Another saving grace that I have not yet mentioned is the price. You can get copies on Amazon for a paltry $8.49. If you are into superheroes or the Black Panther specifically and you can accept that this is more of a motion comic and less of animated series I recommend it.

You can get a copy of the Black Panther from Amazon at this URL for the low cost of $8.49.

I give it 7 out of 10 paws.