STACK 132 October Issue

58 / 120

EXTRAS
A ny month with a Studio Ghibli release
is a good month in my book and this
month sees the release of the
delightful When Marnie Was There on both
DVD and beautiful Blu Ray. While it might lack
in literal magic, this wonderfully earnest film
tackles self-doubt and emotional healing
head-on, carrying with it the weight of
potentially being Ghibli’s final feature film. I’m
not crying, I just have something in my eye...
Hozuki, the namesake of the Hozuki’s
Coolheadedness Series Collection, is more
or less the 2IC to Enma, the lord of Hell.
Considering his position as the anti-Saint Peter,
Hozuki is not so much a vicious arch-demon,
but more so a bureaucrat who is just trying
to get his job done. Like any bureaucrat, he’s
bound by systems and policies which hamper
his ability to perform his duties, so why not just
bend the rules? It is hell, after all.
In a twist of the usually Freaky Friday
scenario, The Hentai Prince and the Stony
Cat Series Collection tells the story of Koto
and Tsukiko, both of whom track down a
mysterious statue which is said to remove an
individual’s undesirable personality trait. The
only problem is that there seems to be an
almost alchemical part to the story wherein the
statue demands equivalent exchange.
This series, Blast of Tempest Complete
Collection, is almost impossible to describe
purely because of how ambitious it is.
Thematically Shakespearean elements are
lifted and used in both period plot pieces and
disembodied moments in time and space. As
with Shakespeare, you can expect tragedy to
envelop this story with characters who are well
fleshed out as well as wonderful animation by
BONES.
In a complete change of pace, Haikyuu!!
Part 2 hits the shelves and kicks off just after
the fledgling team's first real practice game
against Nekoma High School. Full of vim and
vigour, the boys are ready to take on the world,
or at least other high school kids in the inter-
school tournament. This continues to be one of
the best sports anime around!
Collecting episodes 176-187, Fairy Tail
Collection 16 takes things to another
level. Just when you thought that the
Grand Magic Games couldn’t get any
more epic, a threat of even greater
concern faces the Fairy Tail
guild. Keep your eyes
peeled for what just may
be the most awesome 1
on 1 battle of the series
thus far; Erza vs Kagure.
ANIME ROUND-UP
One of my favourite styles of anime is
the ‘slice of life’ genre, particularly
when it gets crazy enough that the
term ‘slice of life’ loses all meaning.
Here are a couple of stand out titles
which are nothing short of fantastic.
Nichijou – My Ordinary Life is
honestly one of the craziest series
out there. While nichijou ( )
translates to ‘everyday’ there is
nothing normal about this series
which sees action movie stylings
used to highlight the true value of
one's favourite lunch box inclusion,
while the school Principal wrestles a
deer. An actual. Deer.
K-On! isn’t quite as wacky as
Nichijou, but those lovable members
of Houkago Tea Time are pretty
quirky in their own right and their
on-screen, and on-stage, chemistry
is undeniable. The animation (by
Kyoto Animation, the same studio as
Nichijou) and music in this series are
an obvious standout but what really
ties it all together is the relationship
between the girls.
Azumanga Daioh, another series
filled with lovable weirdos, breaks
the mould when it comes to
onscreen antics with an injection
of absurdity into what should be
a rather straight laced scene. The
characters themselves may all be
oddballs, but the setting itself
is a regular old Japanese
school.
When Marnie Was There
visit
058 OCTOBER 2015
Nichijou - My
Ordinary Life
Slice of
Life
Must
Watch
Blast of Tempest Complete Collection