In Chinese mythology Shenlong (or Shen-lung; translating to spirit dragon) is the master of storms and bringer of rain. He has significance equal to that of the celestial dragon Tianlong. By VampirePrincess007 / Natalia on Deviant Art. I first encountered Shenlong by watching Dragon Ball. It’s that image of a huge, spiralling green dragon that […]
Nirvana: A review of Fairy Tail part 5
Part 5 of Fairy Tail means episodes 49 to 60. It’s an important section of the Fairy Tail mythos too. In the previous 50 or so episodes we’ve met Natsu, Lucy and then the Fairy Tail guild. We’ve gone on missions with Erza and Gray, encountered the Tower of Heaven and really serious Guild politics. […]
Blade & Soul: Trailer and character art
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rfkHyU-i0c Blade & Soul is a Korean MMORPG and it is popular enough to be getting the anime treatment. Gonzo are handling the project with Hiroshi Takeuchi (Bodacious Space Pirates) and Hiroshi Hamasaki (Steins;Gate) directing. This is not an anime that goes into battle sensible female armour. It’s inspired, in part, by the four benevolent […]
A blast from the past: Naruto Shippuden movie 4 – The Lost Tower
The Lost Tower starts well. We don’t have some of the momentum issues that Naruto sometimes suffers from. It’s combat from the outset and it is designed to grab your attention. The start of the movie sees Yamato leading a mission to capture a puppet master called Mukade. Naruto, Sai and Sakura are with him. […]
Irregular Reconnaissance: Anime #6
What’s worth watching? What’s best giving a miss? If you’re making your way through any anime series then please leave your suggestions in the comments below. In the meantime; here’s a catch up on the latest batch of anime I’ve been watching. Consider these status reports or micro reviews. Strike the Blood Episode 9 Strike […]
3 Magi – The Labyrinth of Magic characters from 3 deviant artists
This week Magi: The Labryinth of Magic hit the shelves in the UK. There are three main characters in the popular anime; a young man fresh out of seclusion called Aladdin, Alibaba whom he meets on early on and who wishes to explore the dungeon of Amon and its treasures, and the freed slave Morgiana. […]
Irregular Reconnaissance: Anime #5
There’s a batch of micro-reviews and status updates on a range of series in Irregular Reconnaissance: Anime. The column acts as a way to measure what’s grabbing my time and attention and what’s falling out of favour. What’s the point? There’s a lot of anime to watch and sometimes a nudge yes or a nudge […]
Spectacular scenery and sneaky sky pirates: A Last Exile review
There’s no doubt that Last Exile is stunning. The only doubt I have, as I start to form notes for this review, is how to describe it. There’s quirky sky machines that look awfully mechanical but let’s not use steampunk – there’s no steam, after all. Skypunk? Art nouveau sky pirates? That might work. Let’s […]
Knights of Sidonia trailers
Humans fled Earth a thousand years ago after it was destroyed by the shapeshifting giant monsters called Gauna. It’s not known what happened to the massive spaceships the last of mankind took too as they lost contact with one another and were chased by the Gauna. Sidonia is one such craft. It’s protected by large […]
Meet the new Fairy Tail
I’m still watching through Fairy Tail. It’s manages to be quite catchy despite being a little cheesy. We know there’s a big announcement for the show coming up, don’t know what it is but do know it’ll appear on the official site next week. In the mean time designer Shinji Takeuchi has been releasing sketches […]