Well, I've now watched all of Laid-Back Camp, I've enjoyed it, and I still have no interest whatsoever in sleeping in a tent in the middle of nowhere. After all these years, I've finally found something that even a happy cast of moe anime girls can't sell me on. I'm placing the blame on real-world experience here; I've gone camping and I know I don't enjoy it. However, Girls und Panzer seems like a perfectly good idea to me. Welcome to Shelf Life.

Jump to this week's review:

Girlish Number



On Shelves This Week

Blame! BD, DVD

Viz - 106 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $24.98|$19.98

Currently cheapest at: $22.48 Right Stuf|$17.98 Right Stuf



Synopsis: With humanity pushed to the brink of extinction by a swarm of machines, a wandering man named Killy searches for the truth behind the chaos.

Extra: We have a review of this movie, which is based on the manga series of the same name. It's available streaming on Netflix.







Gintama - Season 3 Part 1 BD+DVD

Funimation - 650 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $54.98

Currently cheapest at: $35.49 Amazon



Synopsis: In an alternate history where aliens control Japan, an eccentric warrior named Gintoki runs an odd-jobs company with the help of his unusual friends.

Extra: As luck would have it, our episode reviews start with this very season. We also have a couple of feature articles to help new viewers understand the series. You can stream it on Crunchyroll and Funimation.







Great Mazinger - Complete Collection DVD

Discotek - 1250 min - Sub - MSRP $79.95

Currently cheapest at: $50.95 Amazon



Synopsis: When the legendary giant robot Mazinger Z is defeated by the Emperor of Darkness, hotheaded pilot Tetsuya Tsurugi steps up to defend the world with the new and improved Great Mazinger.

Extra: While we don't have any formal reviews of this mecha series from the mid-70s, the larger Mazinger Z franchise is covered in detail in an installment of The Mike Toole Show.







Robot Carnival BD

Discotek - 90 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.95

Currently cheapest at: $19.46 Right Stuf



Synopsis: Nine short films from nine different animators combine to create this science fiction anthology with a central theme of robots.

Extra: We have a very recent review of this new Blu-Ray release, and the film was also covered in Buried Treasure back in 2006. You'll find it streaming on Crunchyroll.







Tenjho Tenge - Complete Collection BD

Discotek - 600 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $59.99

Currently cheapest at: $38.99 Right Stuf



Synopsis: Delinquent buddies Souichiro and Bob set out to take over their new school by force, but they soon find themselves caught in a conflict between the deadly Natsume sisters and the powerful enforcers of the student council.

Extra: We have some old reviews of this series from the days of single-disc DVD releases, and it's available streaming on Crunchyroll.







The Life of Budori Gusuko BD

Sentai - 105 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.98

Currently cheapest at: $17.19 Amazon



Synopsis: After a disastrous change in the weather drives him from his hometown, Budori Gusuko travels to a city and begins studying a way to control nature.

Extra: Gabriella reviewed this movie in this very column last week. Sadly, it doesn't seem to be available from any of the usual streaming sources.







Tomorrow's Joe the Movie BD+DVD

Discotek - 152 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $29.99

Currently cheapest at: $19.49 Right Stuf



Synopsis: After growing up fighting on the streets, Joe Yabuki is given a chance to take his fighting skills into the ring as a professional boxer.

Extra: This condensed remake of the 1970 TV series seems to be reasonably well-regarded, and a previous release was reviewed here in Shelf Life back in 2010. The more recent sequel series is available on Crunchyroll.







Toriko the Movie: Secret Recipe of Gourmet God BD

Discotek - 81 min - Sub - MSRP $29.99

Currently cheapest at: $19.49 Right Stuf



Synopsis: Gourmet Hunter Toriko and his chef parter Komatsu set out to find a legendary recipe left behind by a famous hunter.

Extra: While we don't have any specific reviews for this movie, we do have a variety of reviews of the related TV series. You'll find the series streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Hulu.







Yu-Gi-Oh! Bonds Beyond Time BD

Cinedigm - 60 min - Sub+Dub - MSRP $24.99

Currently cheapest at: $17.19 Amazon



Synopsis: When a mysterious figure named Paradox travels back in time to prevent the creation of Duel Monsters, it's up to three legendary duelists to stop him.

Extra: We don't have any formal reviews for this movie, which brings together the protagonists from three separate Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Our user ratings are fairly positive, with an average of 6.5 out of 10. The three TV series are available on Hulu.





Zatch Bell - The Movies BD

Discotek - 168 min - Sub - MSRP $29.99

Currently cheapest at: $19.49 Right Stuf



Synopsis: Zatch and Kiyomaru embark on two new adventures, traveling to the demon realm and taking on a mad scientist from the future.

Extra: This set contains the two movie sequels to the Zatch Bell TV series. We have a review from an old DVD release of the TV series, but nothing for the films. You can stream the series on Crunchyroll and Hulu.







Shelf Life Reviews

Voice acting for anime is an awesome and glamorous job to have, right? Well, according to Girlish Number, maybe not so much. Here's my take on this sharp-tongued comedy.

The “anime about anime” category can be a difficult crowd to stand out in, especially since it's full of both new and old fan-favorite titles. A series really needs to bring something new to the table in order to make an impression, and in the case of Girlish Number that “something” is a wickedly snarky sense of humor. Where most shows about the industry tend to be optimistic in tone, this one takes aim at the less glamorous side of things. The frustrating, exhausting, and downright ridiculous parts of anime production are held right up the viewer's face, and by some miracle it makes for a compelling and even enjoyable experience. The heroine of this story is Chitose Karasuma, a rookie voice actress whose career has consisted of little more than a few minor parts and background roles. Despite her bad attitude and relative lack of acting talent, Chitose is cast as the main heroine in an upcoming series. She's convinced that this is her big break, but it soon becomes obvious that something's not right. The show's budget is a mess, the production is hopelessly behind schedule, the animation looks terrible, and the producers are too busy setting up promotional events to stop the train wreck they've created. With her career in jeopardy, Chitose needs to rally her fellow actresses to save the show, assuming she can find the motivation to actually do something about it. Girlish Number is based on a light novel by the same author who created My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, and it shares that title's cynical outlook and biting wit. The first half in particular takes some pretty hard shots at the anime industry, featuring producers who care more about sales than quality and voice actors who couldn't care less as long as they keep getting more work. It's not exactly uplifting stuff, but the writing has enough nuance and humor to keep the story entertaining. Rather than coming across as bitter or self-righteous, Girlish Number always feels like it's in on its own joke. Its ability to walk that line is due in part to the perspective that Chitose brings as the protagonist; she's smart enough to notice all the things going wrong around her, yet she's unwilling to even acknowledge her own flaws much less fix them. That impish overconfidence lends her a twisted kind of charisma, and she makes for a fun main character as long as you can embrace her personality. For what it's worth, she reminds me a little of Bender from Futurama, albeit in the form of a pink-haired anime girl. Of course, it helps that Chitose's voice isn't the only one we hear. The rest of the main characters have plenty of their own flaws, but their perspectives are varied enough to balance things out. This works out best for Momoka and Kazuha, a pair of veteran actresses who've been cast in the same series as Chitose. Momoka has the jaded, “that's just how it goes” mindset of someone who grew up in the voice acting business, while Kazuha rails against shallow writing and bland acting as someone with dreams of landing more prestigious roles. The two of them are essentially polar opposites, and Girlish Number uses that contrast to form an unlikely bond between them. My main gripe with the character development in this show is that there's never enough time for it; while Chitose, Momoka, and Kazuha are given room to grow, most of the other characters are compressed into effective but limited roles. Had Girlish Number been a two-cour series instead of a one-and-done affair, it might have been able to do more with its supporting cast. As the story plays out, Girlish Number's take on the anime industry becomes a little less snarky and a little more thoughtful. Individual episodes offer some insights into the little things that can derail a production or a person's career. A careless decision early in the process can leave a studio struggling to recover all season long, and a halfhearted performance at a promotional event can turn fans against you in a hurry. We also get the other side of the story at times, especially once the characters start working together to save the show. A heartfelt comment from a fan can encourage the production staff to up their game, and sometimes the fear of being forgotten can be exactly the motivation a voice actress needs. Of course, even at its most positive, Girlish Number still maintains its trademark attitude; Chitose's obligatory inspirational speech near the end of the series is warped and self-serving in all the right ways. While the story doesn't really lend itself to mind-blowing action scenes, the visuals in Girlish Number are strong in an important area: facial expressions and body language. Since the characters don't always mean exactly what they say, being able to pick up those non-verbal cues is a big deal. On a less important but still enjoyable note, those facial expressions also aid the show's comedy by providing some great reaction shots. This Blu-Ray release from Sentai Filmworks includes a trailer for the show-within-the show, along with the usual basic extras. I'm honestly surprised that there's no English dub on offer, as this seems like the kind of series that a good dub crew could really have fun with. Girlish Number is a somewhat acquired taste, especially if you prefer your anime-about-anime to have a more upbeat perspective. With that caveat out of the way, this show can be an absolute riot as long as you're willing to meet it on its own terms. It has enough wit to back up its combative tone, and it can be a surprisingly cathartic experience if you've been in the fandom long enough to have suffered through a few crappy light novel adaptations. In a medium that tends to gloss over its own bad habits, it can be refreshing to see that rose-tinted optimism get lovingly skewered from time to time.

-Paul[TOP]

That wraps things up for this week. Thanks for reading, and remember to send your anime collection photos to [email protected] if you'd like to see them featured in our Shelf Obsessed section!