Back in 2007, BONES Studio delivered something entirely different from the titles it had become known for.Sword of the Strangerfollowed on the heels of features likeEscaflowne,Cowboy Bebop: The Movie,RahXephon: Pluralitis Concentio, andFullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa. Rather than be tied to an existing anime series,Sword of the Strangerwas an original story about a ronin who protects a boy and his dog from a group of ruthless bounty hunters. Featuring incredible action sequences that hold up more than a decade later, along with a host of compelling characters and a timeless story that blends the familiar and the fantastic,Sword of the Strangeris a title you might have missed but one that’s worthy of adding to your collection. And it’s available through FUNimation!
For the uninitiated, FUNimation is a U.S. company known for their dubs and domestic distribution of Japanese anime. So all of the reviews you’re about to check out are for the dub version of each anime, though some Blu-rays/DVDs have a Japanese audio option as there are some exceptions to the rule. Below, you’ll find the official synopsis for each movie and series, along with a link to pick up your own copy at FUNimation’s online store, should my review convince you. Sometimes, it’ll be an easy thing to suggest you buy it, other times, it’ll be just as easy to go in the other direction.
Check out more ofmy reviews of FUNimation’s home video selections here, likelighthearted sports anime titlesandfan service series that stop short of problematic. You might just find a favorite you overlooked or a new addition to your catalog you might have missed!
Dances with the Dragons: The Complete Series
A unique brand of magic dwells in Eridana, where two bounty hunters set up shop. Gayus is book-smart and will do whatever it takes to keep the lights on. Gigina is a phenomenal fighter who spends his free time with well-crafted chairs. Together, they’re nothing but trouble, and when political intrigue puts opposing nations on the brink of war, this dubious duo finds themselves in the thick of it.
This opener whacks you over the head with a ton of jargon, a mix of scientific terms and those from the show’s own original mythology. It’s a helluva way to introduce you to the world, but you’re mostly left feeling a combination of “What did I just hear?” and “Whatever, just start doing your thing.”
Basically, humans learned to harness dragon magic through spells known as “jushiiki”, using them to do (what else) but battle. Our two protagonists, who are at odds with each other in a good-natured way, exist purely to fight dragons and it’s not long before we see them do so. The animation is solid and the character design is lovely, though there’s not much to set it apart as anything unique early on.
Unfortunately, subpar voice acting and an uptick in fan service perviness prevent this series fromdoing anything interesting, even when the politics between dragon-people and “normal” people come into play, but boy is it boring otherwise.
Dragon Ball Super Part 7
In an effort to teach Future Zeno about martial arts, Zeno calls for an exhibition match between the 7thand 9thUniverses. Afterwards, Goku searches for the 7thUniverse’s 10 best fighters. With only 48 hours until the Tournament of Power officially begins, will he put together a strong enough team in time, or will the Z Fighters be at a major disadvantage from the get-go?!
Episodes 79 ~ 91 feature a preamble to the Tournament of Power by way of an expo for the Grand Zen-oh and other deities. A trio of fighters from Universe 9 go up against Universe 7’s Goku, Gohan, and Majin Buu. But we also get a surprise battle between Universe 11’s Top / Toppo and Goku, as well as a tease of that universe’s heavy hitter, Jiren.
Soon, Goku starts to assemble his team of fighters, including Majin Buu, Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Master Roshi, Tien, Gohan, Android 18, and Android 17; and yes, we also get to see Goku and Android 17 battle for the first time! But when Buu falls into a hibernation state, a final surprise member will have to join the team…
Though these episodes don’t quite get to the Tournament of Power, we do get to see some fantastic one-on-one skirmishes amongst friends and foes alike. Plus, we are introduced to powerful characters like Jiren, Hit, Ribrianne, Caulifla, and Kale. It’s a great setup for the battles to come!
Space Battleship Tiramisu
The Earth Union is locked in a massive galactic war. Aboard the Space BattleshipTiramisu, ace pilot Subaru Ichinose carries the fate of humanity on his shoulders. Life for Subaru is tough. But nothing relieves tension quite like launching an all-out food-based assault on his own face. Snug as a bug in a rug, Subaru soothingly unwinds in his personal mecha, “Durandal F,” as bliss overtakes him.
If you are a fan ofSpace Battleship Yamatobut always wanted a comedic take on the acclaimed series based around food, then this is the show for you! And at only 6 minutes an episode, these bite-size bits are super fun to consume.
From the first lines—“There’s nothing more important to me than my cockpit…”—you get a sense of reclusive protagonist Subaru and the tone of the series. Subaru would rather memorize nutrition labels than engage in locker room talk with his fellow pilots, but above all, he’d prefer to be in the cockpit of his mech, Durandal. The worst thing to happen to him in the first episode is a pork cutlet that ends up scattered all over the zero G cockpit. (Oh and he also has misaligned nipples that he’s ashamed of…)
Anyone who’s enjoyed giant robot mecha over the years should appreciate the sub-genre’s tropes that are skewered by this short comedy series, but it’ll likely miss the mark for anyone who’s not familiar with it. Gonzo’s animation is on point and it’s clear the team had a lot of fun with this one; audiences should, too.
Golden Kamuy: Season 1 - Limited Edition
When war veteran Sugimoto stumbles across part of a treasure map, things get deadly. The map is divided among several escaped convicts, and this battle-hardened soldier isn’t the only one who knows it.
Meiji Era 1904 – Our protagonist Saichi Sugimoto rushes headlong into the trenches during the Russo-Japanese War; he’s a war hero, but a bloody and savage one. Cut to a few years later where Sugimoto has survived and is eking out a living mining for gold. His partner tells him of a massive treasure trove of Ainu gold hidden by a mass murderer before being sent off to prison; the secret location was tattooed on bodies of the prisoners, forming a map once they’re all put together …
We learn that Saichi is searching for gold to help his fallen comrade Torichi, having made a promise to care for his wife—who’s going blind and needs transport to America for medical treatment—and their child. Saichi’s plagued by nightmares of his battles, but the arrival of an Ainu archer girl saves him, in more ways than one. The two team up from there on out and attempt to track down the legendary treasure trove, encountering all sorts of characters and conflicts along the way.
I do appreciate that the exposition gets the crux of the story across right away; this is how you start off a series. Asirpa the Ainu girl, who has her own vendetta against the killer who murdered her father and her people, has some very cool mythology associated with her, and for good reason: It’s based in fact from the history and culture of the Ainu people. The production team went so far as to employ a language consultant to ensure the pronunciations and “lessons” were accurate, adding a nice and unique touch to an already compelilng action-drama series.
So while it’s a little jarring to get the occasional narration explaining historical background and random scientific facts, it’s worthwhile information and the cultural touches from the Ainu people are fantastic, even as they’re doling out squirrel brains and explaining how ground squirrel meat is prepared. “Chitatap! Chitatap!”
The only knock I’d giveGolden Kamuyis that it slows down a bit in the middle, as most series/seasons do ,and it gets bogged down under its own increasingly complex mythology and expanding cast. It’s a great show overall, but we’re left with a cliffhanger at the end of Season 2; never fear, the story continues!
In this Limited Edition:
Extra Features:
12 “Golden Travelogue Theater” animated shorts, original Japanese commercials, Episode Two commentary, textless opening and ending songs.
Black Clover Season 1 Part 4
A relaxing vacation turns into a chilling adventure when magic snow lures the children of Nean into a deadly trap. Joining forces with Gauche, Asta will face his toughest challenge yet—trying to work with the stubborn mage! But when members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun show up, this battle could get dire. Are they prepared to fight Licht and his elite squad, the Third Eye?
Black Clover Season 1 Part 4 contains anime episodes 30-39 directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara from Studio Pierrot.
This series got off to a rough start for me, but now I look forward to seeing the journey continue and how it unfolds.
It’s still every bit as silly as it’s ever been, and this particular sequence doesn’t feature the best theme song (maybe it’ll grow on me), but thankfully it doesn’t take too long to cue up a new antagonist for Asta & Co. to take on. This time around, it’s a duo who’s kidnapping children to siphon their magic, as well as the spacetime manipulator Asta faced earlier: The powerful Eye of the Midnight Sun, and their leader, who possesses a four-leaf grimoire.
We get a surprising amount of lore here once Yami Sukehiro, the Captain of the Black Bulls, arrives to help out; props to that because they normally just move on to the next conflict. Sukehiro even uses this dire moment as a training opportunity for Asta. And things manage to ratchet up another level when three Magic Knight captains arrive to do battle against the Midnight Sun.
But while the captains’ battle should be thrilling, since we don’t really know these characters very well, it just seems kind of showy and silly; it’s only when Asta and Yami rejoin that battle that things get interesting again. We also get to reunite with the Wizard King and learn that not only are the Eye of the Midnight Sun mages causing trouble, they’re attempting to establish their own rogue nation; we also discover the purple knight is a traitor…
Overall, this arc was well done and delivered some decent lore alongside top-notch action sequences.
Sword of the Stranger (2007)
Sword of the Stranger
This classic tale from studio BONES is a hidden gem of its time!
Pursued by formidable Chinese assassins, young Kotaro and his dog run into No Name, a mysterious stranger who gets pulled into the chase. The unlikely companions form a bond over saving the dog from a poison attack, but chaos erupts when the assassins find Kotaro, and No Name must face his past before a horrible fate is met again
A rare movie from FUNimation’s Essentials offerings. This one hails from Studio BONES, who aren’t screwing around early on when it comes to showing off their action sequences and fight animation. Incredible action, astonishing fight sequences–whether in a group battle or one-on-one contest–this is a classic, compelling story of a wandering ronin running from his past and overcoming sins on a path to redemption.
There is solid stuff throughout, it just takes a little while to get going. But when it does, you’re in for a ride!
The Ancient Magus Bride: Part 2
Chise’s bond with Elias grows stronger by the day, while all around her, things take a turn for the worse. All caution is thrown to the wind when one of Lindel’s dragons is captured, and the rescue attempt puts Chise’s life in grave danger. Now, the only thing more horrifying than Joseph’s plan to use Chise, is Elias’ plan to save her.
Check outThe Ancient Magus' Bride Part One - BD/DVD Comboby clicking here!
It is wildly mystical and magical even if I don’t quite know WTF is going on. The show is full of some surprisingly quiet and introspective moments with time carved out for philosophical debates or personal pondering. That’s a nice change of pace from the usual.
But it’s such a weird story overall: There’s some progressive stuff here with following Chise through her struggles to understand and overcome limitations in the magical world, but it all falls back on Elias protecting (and ultimately marrying) her…
The most heartbreaking character isn’t necessarily Chise, with her frail nature and tragic past, but the cursed Cartaphilus, destined to live forever but also rot, decay, and feel pain from injury and illness. While Cartaphilus is set up as the antagonist here, I can’t help but feel a bit more empathy for them; maybe that’ll change in future seasons, but I’m still struggling to figure out just what’s going on and which side (if any) I’m supposed to take.Ancient Magus Brideis still worth a watch if only for its unique take on the magical and mystical.
Mikagura School Suite: The Complete Series
From studio Doga Kobo, who brought you Laughing Under the Clouds and Yuruyuri, comes a new magic school adventure! Eruna Ichinomiya has no desire to focus on what high school to pick. She’d rather spend her time chasing after pretty girls or playing dating sims. After all, when the only job you want is to watch TV all day, who cares what school you attend? But when her cousin Shigure Ninomiya shows her the pamphlet to Mikagura Academy, Eruna finds her picture-perfect reason to go to high school: the beautiful Seisa Mikagura. After a bizarre entrance exam and interview with a flying, talking cat, it’s clear that Mikagura is not a typical high school. Students are focused more on clubs, battles, and their special magical attacks instead of regular studies. And if Eruna wants to win over the cool, powerful Seisa, she’s got to join a club and hone her own special attack. But that’s easier said than done. Especially when there are so many cute girls to distract her!
The opening feels like something I’ve seen before, be itAria: The Scarlet Ammo AAor similar series, though it doesn’t help that it features lovestruck high school teen girls battling it out over … something.
Eruna is a very distracted and put-upon student who has to pick a boarding school but prefers to get lost in relationship games and daydreams instead, and that premise gets off to a rough start. It’s like “Anime Tropes: The Anime” …
It’s fine as a super-light comedy with no real stakes; it’s likeKill la Killwithout the originality orAokana:Four Rhythm Across the Blue. It’s also much better subtitled than dubbed, though mostly because the Japanese vocals capture the silliness and light-heartedness better; sometimes that doesn’t translate so well for Western audiences and voices.
However, the series doesn’t really return to the mysterious opening moments until the finale, which finds Eruna learning more about Seisa’s past and about the school itself. The journey to get there isn’t really worth it.
Sankarea: Undying Love - The Complete Series
Zombie-obsessed Furuya is making a potion to reanimate his dead cat when he meets Rea. She’s about as miserable as a girl can get, thanks to her creepy, domineering father. When the pain becomes too much, she tries to commit suicide with a sip of Furuya’s weird elixir. The potion doesn’t kill her – but it does turn her into a zombie!
Right off the bat this looks spooky and I’m here for spooky anime; there’s even a nod back to George Romero’sNight of the Living Deadand Edgar Wright’sShaun of the Dead, so, respect. However, the protagonist Chihiro Furuya takes his fascination with zombies to a relationship level, wondering what it would be like to date a zombie… (His horror memorabilia collection is commendable though.)
It kicks off with aPet Semataryspin as Chihiro tries to reanimate his recently deceased cat. That’s a fun idea, butSankareagets pervy relatively quickly (and for no real reason other than fan service) as the Chihiro learns that the local girls' school’s superintendent takes naked pictures of his daughter, Rea Sanka, every year on her birthday… okay. Add to that Chihiro’s cousin who likes to tease him, flash him, and pretty much jump his bones at any second, and the fan service starts to get in the way of the story.
However, the relationship between Chihiro and Rea is compelling; can it survive her becoming a zombie though? Once she goes all undead, the story slows down and loses some tension. It ends well enough with Chihiro looking for a way to preserve Rea’s body, but it doesn’t quite tie off that narrative knot; the OVA extra introduces new characters and complications but nothing more really comes of it…
Maria the Virgin Witch: The Complete Series
Maria the Virgin Witch
In the time of the Hundred Years’ War, a young witch known as Maria uses her magic to halt the constant fighting. Though she seeks only peace, the archangel Michael despises her magic and decrees that, should she ever lose her virginity, her powers will vanish! To ensure that Maria no longer mixes magic with warfare, Michael sends the angel Ezekiel to keep a watchful eye on the virgin witch.
The title character uses her magic—as well as her loyal succubus and incubus familiars—to try to keep local villagers safe by playing both sides of Northern France’s Hundred Years’ War in an attempt to maintain some sort of peace. However, the other witches are content to sit and watch the battles take place while Maria herself is even further removed … at least until the English cavalry threatens to run down Joseph, who not only professed his love for her but called upon her in battle. She’ll do anything to save Joseph and his fellow soldiers from certain death, even if she has to summon a dragon in full view of the mortals to do so…
There’s a pretty bizarre disconnect between the interesting historical social commentary on the bloody war itself and the constant teasing about Maria’s virginity; it’s a highly sexually charged series that’s not as fan-servicey as you might expect. There are some interesting ideas here, like religious interference or willingness of angels to overlook the struggles of men despite their faith, but that seriousness is always offset by silliness. It’s a tough balance to maintain andMaria The Virgin Witchgets better at doing so as the series moves along.
Ultimately, it’s a solid “witch hunt” anime series that leans into philosophies of religion (pagan or otherwise) and their inherent hypocrisies, as well as the futility of war. I particularly love that Maria ends up solving all of her problems by avoiding conflict, violence, and bloodshed and by forging alliances rather than strong-arming opponents, so it’s worth a watch for that twist alone.
