STACK Template

44 / 64

DVD&BD
K irito-kun is back! Dust off your
NerveGear, sharpen your long sword
and load up some clips because
Sword Art Online: Season 2 – Part 1 hits
shelves this month. But things have changed
since the events of SAO, most notably the
weapon set. Kirito enters a new MMO but this
time it’s to uncover a series of real-life deaths
within SAO’s successor, Gun Gale Online.
If you had the ability to persuade any human
to do your bidding, what would you do with
that power? Take over the world of course! And
that’s just what Kate Hoshimiya does in World
Conquest Zvezda Plot. I guess that’s how she
managed to persuade those around her that her
costume of choice was acceptable attire for a
young lady of her age.
Set in the world of Gamindustri,
Hyperdimension Neptunia features monster-
battling gaming consoles which take the
form of sexy, fairy-like warriors. But if
Neptune and her fellow Goddesses of
Lastation, Leanbox and Lowee wish
to defeat killer eggplants,
the Goddess of Piracy, and
an evil CPU, they’ll have to
evolve into even stronger
and sexier models of
themselves. Go home,
anime. You’re drunk!
An oldie but a
goodie, Angelic Layer
by legendary manga
cooperative CLAMP hits shelves in a 7-disc
pack. Set in the same world as fellow CLAMP
title and fan favourite Chobits, Angelic Layer
sees seventh grader Misaki take up the mantle
of Deus and create her own pint-sized Angel to
compete in a fighting tournament called Angelic
Layer.
I love sports! Okay, maybe not so much.
But I love watching sports-related anime, and
August is shaping up to be a great workout.
Haikyuu!! Part 1 spikes its way onto shelves.
Based on the red hot manga of the same name,
Haikyuu!! pits rookie volleyball player Shouyou
against the King of the Court, Tobio Kageyama,
with grit, guts and determination galore.
The Ping Pong Series Collection is probably
the most beautiful, ugly and surreal sports
anime you’ll ever see. From the director of
Tatami Galaxy and the creator of Tekkonkinkreet
comes a battle between two men which is
about more than just table tennis. This
is about pride, passion, superheroes
and philosophy.
Pop idols are big business in Japan,
so imagine what happens when an
idol swaps her microphone for a
German suplex! Wanna Be the
Strongest in the World – Series
Collection is the perfect storm
of action and tongue in cheek
comedy, with a hint of fan
service. Oh who am I kidding;
it’s all about fan service.
ANIME ROUND-UP Sports
Anime
Probably the greatest thing about a
good sports anime is seeing that the
dedication it takes to be a truly great,
natural talent will only get you so far.
It’s inspiring, particularly since the
closest thing to sports that I partake in
is an anime marathon.
5 Haikyuu!! This series is not only easy
on the eyes, but also does a great job of
injecting humour into what can at times be a
stodgy genre.
4 Kuroko’s Basket I’ll admit that I have
a soft spot for basketball but this series
offers so much more, with ankle-breaking
sequences that would make Lebron blush.
3 Eyeshield 21 Okay, so it’s not AFL, NRL or
soccer, but it is one of the most inspiring
and hilarious series on this list.
2 Hajime no Ippo This is to anime what
Rocky is to cinema. This series will
have you feeling like a brawler in no time,
but a word to the wise: it takes more than 75
episodes of anime to whip into shape.
1 Ping Pong The real tragedy of this series
is that the animation style may scare some
off. At its core, this surreal, action-packed
series is about friendship and much much more.
Well worth looking past what isn’t ‘traditional’
anime styling.
Sword Art Online: Season 2 - Part 1
visit
44 SEPTEMBER 2015