Children of the Sea is the kind of film that is difficult to read based on the official art – the direction suggests a serious, even sombre narrative with potential lashings of social commentary and underwater adventure. At least that was my take on it at first glance. In practice it’s an entirely different – […]

Author: Mangaman
Review: Ride Your Wave (Blu-Ray)
Ride Your Wave hits the Australian market in time for our usual toasty summer, with Masaaki Yuasa promising an interesting spin on a modern anime rom com. Hinako Mukaimizu has moved to a new town by the ocean in an attempt to juggle her love of surfing while studying at university. One night her apartment […]
Review: Yu Yu Hakusho Complete Season 3 (Blu-Ray)
We’re back with Yusuke and the rest of Urameshi Team as they continue their adventures with the supernatural. The burning question remains – will Yusuke and his companions achieve the impossible and finish the Dark Tournament saga by the end of Yu Yu Hakusho Season 3? The short answer is thankfully “yes”. At the conclusion […]
Unboxing 37kg of Japanese nerd shopping!
Back in 2018 I went to Japan and it was rad. I also managed to sneak in some nerd shopping, and after having 4 boxes of stuff weighing 37kg sitting in my study for 2 years I finally unboxed it and recorded the whole ordeal, then edited it down to 14 minutes because watching the […]
Review: Cop Craft (Blu-Ray)
Cop Craft promises a return to a good old fashioned hard-boiled detective narrative with a fantasy twist. With a gritty look and MA15+ rating at the ready, let’s see where things go for a genre that gets very little attention these days in the anime scene. Cop Craft is set in an alternate universe where […]
Review: How Heavy are the Dumbbells You Lift? (Blu-Ray)
How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift? has garnered a bit of a cult following for seemingly bringing together a combination of obsessive sports anime, humour and a reasonable whack of fan service. After watching the series I’m inclined to agree, but the balance between these elements leant a little bit harder in one particular […]
Review: Ao-chan Can’t Study! Complete Series (Blu-Ray)
Ao-chan Can’t Study! Complete Series promises an interesting concept of navigating the pressures of teenage relationships from the perspective of Ao-chan, whose home life offers a unique vantage point for the series. At twelve 10-minute episodes, Ao-chan Can’t Study! Complete Series is compact with little room for filler. My initial response to this was genuine […]
Review: The Promised Neverland Complete Season 1 (Blu-Ray)
The Promised Neverland seems to have rapidly made its presence known amongst anime fans. Going in deliberately free from spoilers and trying to stay clear from broader online chatter, it was with a sense of intrigue and excitement that I dove into this fascinating release. The Promised Neverland Complete Season 1 is set in Grace […]
Review: Boogiepop and Others Complete Series (Blu-Ray)
Boogiepop and Others Complete Series is a welcome return to the delightfully inscrutable world of Boogiepop and hits over 15 years since the initial anime adaptation, Boogiepop Phantom. A lot has changed in anime over the years so let’s see how Boogiepop has adapted to where things are at in 2020. Boogiepop and Others is […]
Review: Astro Boy 40th Anniversary Collection (DVD)
Astro Boy is one of Osamu Tezuka’s most endearing and enduring stories. While the 1980 adaptation received limited airtime in the US, for Australian kids growing up in the ‘80s he was a mainstay of popular discourse (not that we’d ever use the word “discourse” as kids!). With the 40th anniversary of the original Japanese […]