Arpeggio of Blue Steel Anime series Review

Arpeggio of Blue Steel is a Science Fiction Anime about human AI relations.  The AI's in question started out as aggressors known as the Fog which take the form of navy ships, and have blockaded mankind from the seas.  This series has a twist that I like in that the AI's begin crafting human forms to better understand the people they face.

The thing I don't like about this series is that even though the main character a human named Gunzou manages to connect with and change several AI's from weapons to people the question of what they are, where they come from and what they should be doing that is asked throughout the series remains unanswered.  I  really hope that there is a follow up season which answers some of that.

The story of this anime is that one day the Fleet of Fog showed up and began destroying mankind's oceangoing capabilities.  They took the form of Warships, but were based on a nanotechnology that nobody on earth has.  They have both shields, and ultra advanced weaponry and human weapons cannot really hurt them.  At the beginning of the show the humans have managed to "Capture" one fog vessel but cannot even scratch its hull or access its systems.  This all changes when Gunzou touches the submarine.  Systems suddenly come online, and soon a strange girl appears to him and tells him she is the mental model of his ship, which is the I-401 that he was taken to see recently.  The series then skips ahead to a time where I-401 has been running a lone offensive against the Fog.  Throughout the show various AI's with mental models go up against I-401, and Gunzou, and when they end up losing they determine that they must learn more about humans to be better weapons.  This provides an opportunity for Gunzou to build on this curiosity and make them realize that they are people not just machines and that they have free will.  The series uses a mission to smuggle advanced technology capable of taking down fog ships as a plot device to move these encounters forward.  In the end Gunzou and I-401 are able to deliver the advanced weaponry prototype to the united states where it can be manufactured.  More importantly in the process he has freed several AI's from being bound from the program known as the Admirality code.  Some of them even leave the Fog to join his force the Blue Steel.

The series explores some interesting ideas about what it means to be intelligent, and what it means to be human.  This is interspersed by some visually stunning Naval battles between Gunzou's forces and the Fog, and some land battles with Mental Models.  All In all this series should appeal to both the science fiction action crowd and the people who want a series that makes them think.

This series is available as a stream at www.Crunchyroll.com.

Good Luck Girl Anime Series Review

Good luck girl is a hilarious comedy about a spoiled girl who has an overwhelming overabundance of good fortune, and the misfortune god who is sent to restore balance.  Through the series the girl with the good fortune slowly learns to trust people and become a better person.  The whole series is a good illustration of the yin-yang concept of balance because Ichiko ( the mortal with outrageous fortune energy) and Momoji (the misfortune god) have the same amount of opposing energies.

I really like this series, but as with many anime's there are a lot of dirty jokes, and quite a bit of sexual tension.  This comprises a lot of the comedy, and while it is tame for its type it may offend some people which is a shame because it is a good story.

As I said the plot is about the conflict between Ichiko and Momoji and Ichiko's personal growth because of it.  At the beginning of the series Ichiko is not easy to sympathize with.  She seems to be extremely spoiled by everything always going her way, and she feels she is better than everyone else.  It quickly becomes clear however that everything is not as it seems.  While really bad things can't happen to her, she is very isolated and not well liked by any of the people around her unless they are worshiping her.  About the time she realizes that she is lonely Momoji shows up and throws her life into an uproar, which turns out to be just what she needs.  Since their energies are on par with each other Momoji must try to either trick Ichiko out of her fortune, bargain with her for it, or get her to distribute it voluntarily.  They fight throughout the series, and have some awesome battles, but they come to be friends by the end even if Ichiko will not admit it.  Through their interaction Ichiko becomes a good person, and makes lots of friends.

This anime is supernatural in nature so would probably be enjoyed by people who like fantasy and paranormal stories.  It is not really the best show for young kids because there are a lot of dirty jokes and sexual humor, but it is fairly tame compared to some anime I have seen.

This series can be purchased at www.amazon.com on disk or as a stream.

Review of www.CrunchyRoll.com

This website is an excellent resource for an anime fan.  They post news about anime and manga, and provide a streaming service for anime.  The site does have a premium membership available, which lets you skip adds and see simulcast episodes of anime and other content sooner, but just going to the site without signing up gives you access to many anime series, and access to current seasons delayed by a week.

The site also provides several streaming apps including one for the Kindle Fire, Android Devices, IOS, Xbox 360, and the Roku Streaming player.  The apps I have used work pretty well and there are fewer advertisements than hulu plus.  The ads typically run once before the show.  This makes for a much more enjoyable viewing experience particularly for older series you may be running through.  If you buy a subscription you don't even have to deal with the modest adds there are, unlike hulu plus where you buy a subscription and still watch the same ads over and over.

The site has a lot of content, but is not comprehensive.  For example shows funimation has picked up do not seem to remain here.  I personally have not bought a subscription but still frequent the site, and the app( on Roku and Android) to get my anime fix.

The only annoyance I have with the site is that often descriptions of the shows and episodes seem lacking.  Either they are not there or are often bad.  They did used to have some bandwidth issues, but seem to have fixed them.

All the content on this site is subtitled not dubbed so that may be a deal breaker for some light fans, but if you like subbed anime I would give this site a visit.

Strike The Blood Anime Review

Strike the blood is a currently running anime that I picked up last night.  It is currently being simulcast from Japan.  There are only 4 episodes out yet but so far it is a very good series.  The male lead character, Akatsuki Kojo, appears to be a normal high school guy (as normal as they get in anime) but he has also become an incredibly powerful vampire.  The female lead, Yukina Himeragi, has been sent to observe him and told to kill him if he becomes dangerous.  This anime is set on an artificial island built by japan to be the home of the various supernatural creatures that are endangered in the world.

The show starts with whispered rumors of the "Fourth Primogenitor" being on the island.  Shortly you find out that this powerful being is just a high school boy, who doesn't even know how to control the power he has.  His observer, Yukina Himeragi, is very good at fighting, but not so good at anything else.  she has been training to fight vampires and monsters her whole life and is a curious mixture of naive and deadly.  In the episodes so far he struggles with just what he should do with his new-found power, and she struggles with her feelings for him, and becoming a more complete person.  So far they seem to be good for each other.  Oh yeah there are some awesome supernatural fight scenes as well.

The overarching plot seems to be the two main characters growing into their power while trying to save their home from supernatural threats.  This is definitely for a more mature audience and does not have kids in mind.  Minor characters die, and the main character is horribly injured at times.  The violence is extreme in some cases.  I would recommend this show for adults and teenagers, but not children.

 This Anime can be found at www.crunchyroll.com.

Fairy Tail Anime

     Anyone who likes fantasy and action should like this series because it has plenty of both plus a healthy dose of comedy.  Despite this the characters are quite deep, and the comedy hides the fact that every character has major trauma in their past.  The basic setup of this show follows the members of the magic guild Fairy Tail as they take jobs, help people, and blow up or otherwise destroy various things and places.  Guild jobs are used as a plot device to move the main story forward, and over time you come to realize that the guild is a family for most of its members.  The show is lighthearted enough, and clean enough (besides some language) that I think any age group could enjoy it, but it would be better suited to older kids and adults.  If you have young children you may want to supervise them since there is quite a bit of violence.  There are also some adult topics such as slavery, cults, and family drama that will probably go right over young kids heads, but you may want to be prepared to explain.

  This Anime can be found streaming at Hulu, and Funimation (Subscription may be required for the full series) and can be bought at Amazon.com