Bunshinsaba

Age Rating: 15+
Company: It's probably a bootleg ;)
Genre: Korean Horror
Running Time: Approx 120 mins
Region: 0



After watching a few Asian horror films or more importantly, of the Korean variety, you can usually see the cliches or the plot unfolding before your very eyes! Most likely, 30 minutes before it actually happens!

So I picked up Bunshinsaba (aka Ouija Board) hoping for something a little bit different!

What I got was a cliche filled, Over the top, unbelievable 'horror'.



The story starts off normally enough - Eun-Joo a teacher from the city goes to the country and starts to teach at the all-girl's school there. She encounters a strange girl named Yu-Jin who is seen as weird because she is from the city also but not only that, has a reputation - as she can contact the spirit world.

Rather predictably, Yu-Jin puts a curse on the classmates bullying her and they begin to drop off like flies by killing themselves. But I have to admit, the suicides in this film are original compared to the others I have seen in horror.
The victim puts a plastic bag soaked with petrol on their head, then takes a lighter..well you know what happens! They run around, laughably like headless chickens.. or maybe because the acting was laughable!
The whole school is then in an uproar, because the same thing happened in the past. Teacher Eun-Joo begins to see a dead girl from the past and Yu-Jin is possessed by an evil spirit! (tm) Fun!

Then the plot starts to go downhill, not that it wasn't brilliant in the first place! We find out that teacher and pupil are both possessed by the Mother/Daughter combo of revenge seeking spirits! (Two possessions at once, wow!) who were killed by picket and spade-wielding country bumpkins wearing bags over their heads! In they end, they both burn for being 'witches', it took me right back to the middle ages instead of the 1970's.

There are numerous plot holes that get left unexplained at the end. By that time, I didn't really care - the film dragged out in parts though in others, I felt was actually good.

So all in all, Bunshinsaba is a bit of a mixed bag!
The horror in itself was predictable and I didn't jump once, because I could see it coming. It has the usual long black-haired scary girls ala Ring style!
If you are expecting a quality, thought-provoking horror film like A Tale Of Two Sisters then you'll end up being disappointed, as Bunshinsaba has more in common with the 'High School Girl Horror Series' such as Whispering Corridors.
However for mindless and strangely enjoyable average horror, then Bunshinsaba is recommended!

Pros
+ OTT Plot
+ Eun-Joo actress was in Whispering Corridors!
+ Good special effects

Cons
- Predictable
- Not scary enough!
- BIG plot holes

Overall Rating: 6.5/10



Now to put a plastic bag over my head... ;)

Arrival #04 - Disgaea & Pot Noodle Horn

It's an English Bank Holiday today and that means.. no lovely mail going through the letterbox! *gasp*
I don't know why the rest of the UK have to suffer as well but, here is what I got over the weekend! ;)

Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness (PS2) [Nippon-Ichi S-RPG]



I already have this game, but decided to get the US version as the person selling it was only wanting £5 for it. Bargain! Although the manual is a bit tatty!
Unfortunately the US version is superior to the UK version due to:

+ 60Hz (No borders)
+ English AND Japanese Voiceovers
+ Extra Songs
+ It's on a DVD and not on the Blue-backed CD

I think it's practically the same with all the other Nippon Ichi titles published here in the UK by KOEI, as Sony Europe doesn't like the Japanese voice overs included for some strange reason! Even .hack got the Japanese included and although I listen to the dubs more, it's nice to be able to select!
We shall see with Makai Kingdom's release in October, but I wouldn't hold my breath for the Japanese included. ;)

The other item I got was the infamous Pot Noodle Horn, which you won if you got the lucky insert in a Pot Noodle! So after texting the ultra secret passcode and confirming your address they posted it off.
Well I was waiting more than 31 whole days for the horn when it arrived in a cheapo jiffy bag! Charming!
The PN Horn is made out of thick plastic, that is cheaply painted and requires that you don't take an asthma attack while blowing into it!
Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera to take pictures and I'm too lazy to plug in my webcam so you can make do with the bizarre leaflet that came with it!
Click on picture for full-size - because this one is thumbnailed.

Enjoy!

Arrival #03 - Musashi & Various Manga

Sorry for the delay in updating! Manged to get a few things in the post, especially my 3 mangas that took over a month and a half to arrive!

Samurai Legend Musashi (PS2) [Kingdom Hearts Type-Game?]



*Gasp* It's a Sqeenix title! (Or should I cleverly tack on a Taito title since they just aquired the company?) Lol.. Square-Enix-Taito Inc. Holdings etc etc? Well we shall see in the few coming weeks. Maybe it will still be Square-Enix, but anyway onto this game!

Samurai Legend Musashi is a sequel based off the PS1 namely titled Brave Fencer Musashi. Now people on the good ol' gamefaqs.com boards say that the PS1 game, is infact the better one. Perhaps they are right, but I haven't played it myself! I don't tend to trust gamefaqs gamers quite so much as 9/10 tend to hype up the good but not OMG game that is Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant.
We shall see ;)

Ray Volumes 1 & 2 (Manga) [Black Jack rip off with Miyu elements!]



Nothing much to say about this manga series but.. buy, buy it now! Great story, nice art, etc. You know you want it!
Each chapter is like an anime episode but in manga form, obviously about a girl named Ray who has X-Ray type vision. She is a doctor of skill and does 'live' surgery on the side for extreme amounts of cash.
Reminded me of some Vampire Princess Miyu stories because the ailments of some people cannot be medically explained and is more paranormal than normal.
Recommended read!

Juline Volume 5 (Manga) [Shoujo Martial Arts]



Made by the creator of Vampire Princess Miyu comes this action-packed manga! Or.. so it says! I still need to get the first volume as I already have the rest of the series. It's something to look foward to I suppose!

And finally - great news for us Shenmue fans!
Shenmue 3 is apperently going to get released on the next gen consoles complete with the original two games! Sounds a bit too good to be true, but here's a picture of Joy the biker chick from Shenmue 2, to celebrate! ;)

Arrival #02 - Hoshigami & SVC Chaos

It's been a few days since I last posted, sorry about that! Been extremely lazy as per usual. I got two new games to add to my vast collection of the weekend! w00t!

Hoshigami: Ruining Blue Earth (PS1) [Strategy-RPG]



Another PS1 game that never got released in the UK! Arn't we all appalled? Thankfully the situation is slightly better now with RPGs released in the UK - but still, those Americans don't realise how lucky they are!
Hoshigami is a S-RPG made by Atlus and as we all know - any Atlus RPGs are considered automatically uncommon and even rare. Bought this for £20 off eBay, and it arrived the next day in great condition!
It seems to be a love or hate game considering the different ranges of reviews, hopefully it won't be the latter!

SVC Chaos: SNK VS Capcom (Xbox) [Old Skool Beat-em-Up]



There is never enough Street Fighters or King Of Fighters around!
Much like Capcom VS SNK this is the Neo Geo version made by SNK instead of Capcom this time - so expect old graphics but great sprites. Kyo Kusanagi from KOF and Ryu from SF grace the front cover drawn by SNK's Falcoon! I think it's quite eye-catching!
So what about the characters?
There is your old roster favourites such as Mai Shiranui, Terry Bogard, Iori Yagami, Kasumi Todoh and on the SF side - Ryu, Ken , Chun-Li ,Dhalsim, Sagat and M.Bison. But also, there is characters that I would never touch even if I was desperate - such as Hugo from SF3 and Earthquake from Samurai Shodown series.. plus WTF is Mars People??
This is turning out to be a mini review here, so I'll stop!
Good game for budget price!! :D

Seraphim Call: Part 2

Age Rating: 7+ (!!!)
Company: Media Blasters
Genre: 'Futuristic Drama'
Running Time: Approx 300 minutes
Region 1

Finally got around to doing the second half of this review! Blame my laziness lol. ;)

The second DVD of Seraphim Call seems to have upped in the quality of animation and you wonder why they didn't make it look so good in the earlier episodes! Oh well! But the question is: Are the episodes just as good as the animation improvement?

Episode 7 - Saeno Hiiragi - "The Paradox That Is Me"


Carrying on from the twincest in the previous two episodes, they want to test and confuse your mind even further! (No VR devices included this time!). A teacher named Miss Hiiragi, remembers her old professor who gave her the inspiration to study in mathematics. She finds a book (Entitled Pi) which he gave to her and all the memories come flooding back. This book has a beginning but no ending and so she takes a journey uncovering the secrets behind it - and why the professor 'wasted' all his time trying to turn a circle into a square - when it's not possible.
Sound confusing?
Well certainly, it does have interesting theories - the logic behind equations that are 'life'.I felt it was really a bit slow and logical but still enjoyable.
Overall, it was not a bad episode..but not the best either!

Rating: 6.5/10

Episode 8 - Ayaka Rindoh - "Acropolis International Rescue Team"


After that mind numbing induced episode, thankfully this one is anything but intelligent. No - this one seems to be the most 'filler' out of them all! It's like a parody of Thunderbirds, starring a rich brat named Ayaka.
She wants daddy to buy her the latest toy out on the streets, but it's way too expensive.Instead us lucky viewers get a glimpse of her hobby - saving the world with her slaves.. I mean daddy's servants! Cue Thunderbirds type music as they all roll into their machines trying to stop the evil robbers from taking over the Acropolis!
And well.. that's about it!
You could easily skip this episode and not miss a thing ;)

Rating: 5/10

Episode 9 - Kasumi Kurenai - "The Legend Of A Girl"


They say: if you nearly drown in a low level fountain, whilst trying to scramble up that 500 yen coin and trying to see if it's made in 2008 PLUS all in it's full moon glory - you will get your wish for love.
Or so the OTT legend that is Kasumi Kurenai!
It's the latest rage in the Acropolis and every girl wants to be just like Kasumi, who's legend is as great as the so-called rumours say. There is one firm believer called Lulu, who is a schoolgirl reporter filling in everyone on this legend. She doesn't realise however, that the cameraman (well woman) filming her is Kasumi.
Lulu gets so worked up, that no one on the filming crew believes the legend so in order to prove herself (and everyone else) she goes on a motorbike and goes off the edge quite literally - because Kasumi did so herself! Drama ensues!
Do we believe that following someone famous will make our empty lives better? To become as good as she, as strong as she, until obsession becomes reality?
This is a very good episode and is a sore sight better than the last.
Kasumi just makes it worth watching anyway. ;)

Rating: 8.5/10

Episode 10 - Kurumi Matsumoto - "Real Blue"


My personal favourite episode from this disk! It plays out with lots of irony ;)
Kurumi is an aspiring mangaka (manga artist) who goes under a pseudo-name with her in-the-making manga titled 'True Blue'.
True Blue is something which Rumiko Takahashi would probably make up and to me, the manga is nothing special. However I do like the pictures and how the story unfolds! She's under pressure to produce the goods for her editor so in a cruel twist of fate, her life suddenly mirrors her manga! Her father's best friend, leaves her family to care for a boy who is so cold towards her.. unlike the main character of her manga who is caring and the total opposite. Poor Kurumi gets mixed up with her feelings, real-life is supposed to go just like her manga! Personally, I loved the 'twist' in her story ;)
The end of the episode wraps up nicely with a moment of self-reflection and knowing that she can go on! Gripping stuff!

Rating: 9/10

Episode 11 - Urara Tachibana - "The Inner World Of Me"


Another trademark Seraphim Call episode aka - just plain weird!
Urara's father died and eversince she's been visiting her favourite place - with mr. door (yes a door), who protects her and shields her from any harm. Urara has never really gotten over her father's death and there's a boy she likes, but she never does anything about it. When she visits her special place.. her father talks to her in his green glowy form.
Yay for father complexes!
In the end she has to accept that he won't be coming back.How is she connected?Urara's father built the Acropolis especially for her so she feels she needs to protect it.This episode is just foced on Urara so anyone she talks to, you can't see. It's like one huge monologue! I priase SC for trying out something different from the norm!
Not a bad episode at all!

Rating: 7.5/10

Episode 12 - "Sacred Night Of The Seraphim"


At last the final episode which brings all the girls together! It's pretty opened ended and some bizarre choice of words are exchanged. I won't spoil it, you'll have to watch this episode for yourself! ;)

Pros
+ Some Original Themes
+ Nicely done backgrounds
+ Twincest!

Cons
- Animation leaves alot to be desired sometimes
- Some episodes are better than others
- Twincest!

Overall: 7.5/10

Definitely an anime to watch for something just a little bit different!

Seraphim Call: Part 1

Age Rating: 7+ (!!!)
Company: Media Blasters
Genre: 'Futuristic Drama'
Running Time: Approx 300 minutes
Region 1




Eleven girls, eleven stories to tell - but twelve episodes!*gasp*
I'm going to review the first six in this post and the other six in the next post I make. Each episode is completely different (apart from 2) with a different girl and 'feel' to it. However some episodes are better than others so I'll rate each one as I go along! Out of 10 of course! ;)

Having no expectations of what this anime was about certainly helped - hype is never a good thing when your going to end up disappointed - but thankfully I was pleasantly surprised!

Seraphim Call is set in the year 2010 and is about eleven girls and their dreams/wishes. We get to see a little bit into their lives and how they overcome their trials and tribulations. The final episode is where it gets put together, but we'll leave that for later!
Roll on episode 1!

Episode 1 - Yukina Kurimoto - "Sleeping Beauty Panic"


Now you notice the first thing about Seraphim Call is how old it looks - forgive me for saying but rather being made in 1999 it looks more like 1989! Once you get over that fact it doesn't seem so bad!
The opening episode is fairly enjoyable about a girl named Yukina who is a genuis with all things mechanical. However she has an Achille's heel and that is her extreme reactions to men. She faints at the sight of them - and no not because they are drop dead gorgeous. (Which they arn't!) ;)
Yukina must overcome her fears as there is a big bomb that needs dismantiling (sounds a bit wrong I know!) and she needs to work with men. I think it was aiming for a humorous outlook to her condition which really never gets resolved unfortunately! It's also a bit slow to get into but certainly is not the worst episode. The music ranges from quite good to sleazy sounding! lol and that goes for all twelve episodes! But the music is very nice to the background silence.

Rating: 6.5/10

Episode 2 - Tanpopo Teramoto - "Margarine Crisis"

Oh here we go, a lolicon episode to feed your fetish! I'm joking but by the end of the episode, it's quite clear what was going on.
This tale revolves around Tanpopo and her stuffed toys which she thinks is real. I liked the perspective as it's from her new stuffed toy's point of view which she affectionately calls 'Margarine'. We see a little bit into her daily life and what school will be like in the year 2010 (apparently all done by a virtual classrom!) and what her views are about dreams and hopes.
Her best friend Chihiro comes over to her house later and is a bit more realistic and slightly jealous as she has a crush on Tanpopo's brother - and then we see the usual best friend tiff and how widely their views are different. It was an interesting episode and made me want to watch the next one albeit the slightly disturbing ending. ;)

Rating: 8/10

Episode 3 - Chinami Ohse - "The Taste Of Cake"


Probably the most realistic out of the bunch! This tale is about Chinami who dreams to become the greatest Chef around but not only that, she has to cope with her parents being divorced as well. It's more of a slow personal growth episode as we learn about the sides to her family and how we think helping could also hinder. The bittersweet ending was a nice touch hence the title of the episode! A cake is sweet but can also turn out bad and bitter.. but in the end we enjoy all aspects of it. However due to to the slow pacing made this episode a bit boring for me :x

Rating: 5/10

Episode 4 - Hatsumi Kusunoki - "Flying Angel"


One of the best episodes overall which deals with self-identity and femininty! Hatsumi is a bit of a Tomboy who is slightly boyish in nature and would never see herself in a bikini until one day an artist spots her and will do anything for her to model for a painting!She isn't so sure until the artist sneakily wins a competition and persuades her to go nude to accept herself for what she really is. Generally heartwarming and funny - this episode stood out from the rest so far and not just because the artist character is voiced by Masako Katsuki (Sailor Neptune) either! Infact her character was so Michiru like.. it felt like an episode from Sailor Moon! Very Recommended ;)

Rating: 9/10

Episode 5 - Shion Murasame - "To My Sister In My Dreams"


This is the start of the strange and wonderful in Seraphim Call. Episode 5 & 6 are basically the same in storyline except with slight subtle differences.
Shion and Sakura are very close twin sisters and one day a mysterious love letter arrives. Shion is the more assertive twin and Sakura is the less dominant but 'nicer' one. But there is a twist as they don't know who this letter was addressed to - ensues the doubting of each sister and the donning of a virtual reality helmet no less! This VR device allows Shion to travel into the body of her twin sister and then the confusion begins as the realities merge - the viewer begins to realise these arn't ordinary twins. Their infatuation with each other borderlines twincest.
Roll on Episode 6!

Rating: See next episode

Episode 6 - Sakura Murasame - "To My Sister Within Love"


By the end of this episode you may be feeling a bit of deja-vu..well actually alot but honestly - I felt that these two episodes need re-watching anyway! It's that confusing! Now another question is: How did this anime manage to get a 7+ rating slapped on? I know it's all drama but twin sisters kissing in a romantic way and not just a sisterly way really raise the eyebrows! My dear mini goth Hotarus really steal the crown for most WTF episode! Episode 7 comes close though! The feel of episodes 5 & 6 was like Maria-sama ga Miteru with their polite speech and a hint of Kannaduki no Miko ChikanexHimeko relationship! These girls only have each other and my suspicion is that one of them burned the name of the letter to save their relationship from the evil man that was going to tear them apart!
Yes Shion and Sakura are a couple in my opinion, although my real twin sister and I would never go that far! lol. Maybe the ending contradicts this.. but it's basically showing that a bit of both of them wanted to go out with this person and if they were one - that's what could have happened!
Anyway - Really loved these two episodes and that brings us to the end of disk 1.

Rating: 9/10

Disk 2 episode review coming soon - to this blog near you!

The BBD

There was once a girl named Aihara Makoto a.k.a 'Judo Babe' who was looking to be come the Rumble Roses Champion. She had to face alot of tough opponments and eventually overcame her wrestling idol Reiko Hinomoto! Finally - she was about to get the damn money but her best friend the 'Nomad' Aigle cruelly stole away the money and her pride!

All was lost

Nobody liked poor Judo Babe anymore and thus the darkside tainted her very soul.

Or maybe she just didn't want to be loser anymore, nobody really knows for sure.

Either way, she was reborn as 'THE BLACK BELT DEMON!'

She'll send you to your grave in her sexy black geisha outfit!

Once your in Judo, there is no turning back...

Arrival #01 - Rumble Roses & Spy Fiction

Rumble Roses (PS2) [All Female Wrestling]



Got another two games today, courtesy of eBay! It was a two game auction and I only wanted it for Rumble Roses to be honest ;) Only costed £6 each and they are barely even played. Bargain!

Rumble Roses is a game that even puts Dead Or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball to shame due to it's blatant fanservice! I don't usually go for wrestling but I'll make an exception. ;)
You control one of ten wrestling females who wants to win the Rumble Roses tournament for their own reasons. The plot is daft and OTT but that's what makes it so fun and hilarious!

So far have completed it with Dixie Clements (Texan Cowgirl) and her alter ego Sgt. Clements (ROFL). One thing I like is the character designs, each one is different and vibrant - surely to cater to every fetish methinks!

Spy Fiction (PS2) [MGS 2 Rip Off?]



I have no idea what this game is about but after looking at gamefaqs.com - it seems to be an averagey Metal Gear Solid Rip-off or so I read!
Oh well! Back to Rumble Roses ;)

Back To Posting!

It's been a few months since my last posting on here - already! Let's just say I'm now going to
hopefully) post up more often! ;)
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana (PS2) [RPG]



Somehow, it managed to evade the customs at Mount Pleasant (I hope!) as the eBay seller did not have the courtesy to mark it down to below £17! Marked the game as $45 (£28)! I'm worried a customs letter demanding money will come through the letterbox anyday now. Anyway, onto the description of the game!

Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is a RPG only released in the good ol' US so far - published by NIS America (Nippon Ichi) and developed by Gust. You play as a boy named Klein and you make stuff with your alchemy skillz ala Dark Chronicle. I haven't actually played the game itself yet, but of course once I complete the game - you can be sure I'll be doing a review! ;)

SaGa Frontier (PS1) [RPG]



Yes, another poorly scanned picture and another US only RPG! I think it was released just after FFVII so I'm expecting 'poorish' graphics lol. You can pick from 7 different characters which have their own completely different stories. Apparently, one of the characters plots is shoujo-ai in nature so I'll be playing that one first. w00t!
I bought this game off eBay for £10 and was decribed as being 'Mint', however the disc itself was as used as a second hand bike! I can't complain though - the game is 'uncommon' so I'm happy that I now have it. We'll see how that shoujo-ai subtexty plot goes!