Duke
11-29-2005, 10:39 PM
After the last disasterous volume of Maburaho, I didn't think it could get any worse. Fortunately, it doesn't. In fact it gets a little better.
On this disc, Kuriko goes on a date with a strange man, the girls try to dig Kazuki out of his chronic depression, Nakamaru discovers he has superior genes and takes over the school, and Rin takes on an old rival at the horse track in Kyoto.
The first episode offers few chuckles and the middle episode has several problems, but the plot moves forward a little bit, as we finally get a good ghost-to-ghost talk between Elizabeth and Kazuki. Kazuki also has a talk with some of the other girls, which lifts his spirits at last. But the real gold comes in the third episode on the disc. It offers the best plot, some really nice fights, and some genuinely funny moments. While it's not perfect, the third episode really is pretty strong by Maburaho standards, and it's now my third favorite episode in the series (after episodes 11 and 12, naturally).
But, of course, there are still problems. Despite the few chuckle-worthy jokes (such as yet another Zenigata look-alike), most of the first episode is dull and screams of pointless filler with almost nothing to do with the ongoing plot. The middle is full of dull, dialogue-heavy moments, and unfortunately, *****y Yuna is still here, though thankfully she stays away during the good episode on this disc. The third episode is only marred by a truly lame running gag involving monks, and by all the girls getting turned on at the end for no reason.
At least the episode is full of fights, which means we get the good animation. All the movements are quick and fluid, but not super-deformed or off-model. Even the quick skirmishes near the beginning were nicely animated. To get a high enough budget, that meant the other two episodes had to suffer, which was solved with a lot of talking and walking. I still wish the opening credits would change to reflect Kazuki as a ghost, but at this point it's a minor quibble. Other than that, most of the stuff remains the same as previous discs.
The audio is pretty much the same here. You know the drill: ADV's dub is decent, the Japanese dub is decent with the exception of Kazuki, and the music fits the scenes they're in decently.
The extras get changed a little bit this time, as instead of a commentary, we get an interview with Fumiko Chino, the art designer for the U.S. DVDs. This interview is a bit long, but really interesting, as Ms. Chino tells us how she got to work at ADV, how she designed the DVD cover, box, inserts, and menus, and about her dream job. It's not too often you hear from the art designers at U.S. anime companies, so this was a real treat. The newspaper insert this time talks about the class's gambling problem and gives a lesson on Black Herman, author of the book The Greatest Magician in the World and famous for faking his death during all his performances, even when he really died. After that, we have the usual stuff: DVD credits, clean opening & closing, and production art.
Things are starting to look up for Maburaho, but one good episode still doesn't help it become anything more than sub-par overall, especially since we're on volume five of seven.
Episodes on Maburaho Volume 5: Surprises and Suspicions
Episode #16: We Snooped...
Episode #17: They Decided...
Episode #18: They Set It Up... Ya See
On this disc, Kuriko goes on a date with a strange man, the girls try to dig Kazuki out of his chronic depression, Nakamaru discovers he has superior genes and takes over the school, and Rin takes on an old rival at the horse track in Kyoto.
The first episode offers few chuckles and the middle episode has several problems, but the plot moves forward a little bit, as we finally get a good ghost-to-ghost talk between Elizabeth and Kazuki. Kazuki also has a talk with some of the other girls, which lifts his spirits at last. But the real gold comes in the third episode on the disc. It offers the best plot, some really nice fights, and some genuinely funny moments. While it's not perfect, the third episode really is pretty strong by Maburaho standards, and it's now my third favorite episode in the series (after episodes 11 and 12, naturally).
But, of course, there are still problems. Despite the few chuckle-worthy jokes (such as yet another Zenigata look-alike), most of the first episode is dull and screams of pointless filler with almost nothing to do with the ongoing plot. The middle is full of dull, dialogue-heavy moments, and unfortunately, *****y Yuna is still here, though thankfully she stays away during the good episode on this disc. The third episode is only marred by a truly lame running gag involving monks, and by all the girls getting turned on at the end for no reason.
At least the episode is full of fights, which means we get the good animation. All the movements are quick and fluid, but not super-deformed or off-model. Even the quick skirmishes near the beginning were nicely animated. To get a high enough budget, that meant the other two episodes had to suffer, which was solved with a lot of talking and walking. I still wish the opening credits would change to reflect Kazuki as a ghost, but at this point it's a minor quibble. Other than that, most of the stuff remains the same as previous discs.
The audio is pretty much the same here. You know the drill: ADV's dub is decent, the Japanese dub is decent with the exception of Kazuki, and the music fits the scenes they're in decently.
The extras get changed a little bit this time, as instead of a commentary, we get an interview with Fumiko Chino, the art designer for the U.S. DVDs. This interview is a bit long, but really interesting, as Ms. Chino tells us how she got to work at ADV, how she designed the DVD cover, box, inserts, and menus, and about her dream job. It's not too often you hear from the art designers at U.S. anime companies, so this was a real treat. The newspaper insert this time talks about the class's gambling problem and gives a lesson on Black Herman, author of the book The Greatest Magician in the World and famous for faking his death during all his performances, even when he really died. After that, we have the usual stuff: DVD credits, clean opening & closing, and production art.
Things are starting to look up for Maburaho, but one good episode still doesn't help it become anything more than sub-par overall, especially since we're on volume five of seven.
Episodes on Maburaho Volume 5: Surprises and Suspicions
Episode #16: We Snooped...
Episode #17: They Decided...
Episode #18: They Set It Up... Ya See