Anime & Manga - Page 7

Manufacturer: Funimation

Two brothers search for a way to make their bodies whole again after an alchemy experiment goes wrong. This search pits these young alchemists against the magic-wielding military, mystic vigilantes and a group of beings created and named for the seven deadly sins. The brothers must fight for their lives and seek out the truth if they are to ever regain what they have lost.

Manufacturer: Funimation

In the shadows beneath Central, the Elrics encounter Father, the creator of the Homunculi. His face is familiar - as is the new face of Greed - but his alchemy is unlike anything the brothers have ever seen. As Father's dark plot takes shape, Ed and Al brave the frigid north to meet the top officer of the fortress Briggs: General Olivier Armstrong. With icy nerve and burning intensity, she commands the hardest soldiers in the land. When you witness her leading the warriors of Briggs in battle against the unstoppable, rampaging Sloth, you'll know - the stakes are higher than ever in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Collection 2. The tone of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood darkens as it continues. In flashback sequences, viewers learn the origins of both Hohenheim and his doppelgänger, the "father" of the Homunculi. Hohenheim was once the slave of an alchemist in Cselkcess, who created the first Homunculus. When the King of Cselkcess's attempt to achieve immortality backfired, Hohenheim became a human Philosopher's Stone and the Homunculus created a body for itself that was a duplicate of his. Decades later, Father plans to activate a transmutation circle that stretches across the entire country of Amestris, killing untold thousands of unsuspecting humans to create a gigantic Philosopher's Stone--and activate the Mannequin Army, a corps of zombies animated by the Stone's power. Director Yasuhiro Irie and his artists pull out all the stops in the appropriately dramatic and moving conclusion. The Elric brothers and their allies--Von Hohenheim, Roy Mustang, Scar, Izumi, the Armstrongs, May Chang, and Ling Yao--strive to thwart the machinations of Father and his remaining minions: Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Envy, and the zombie army. The climactic battles are as wrenching as they are spectacular, with flashy CG effects that rival Hideaki Anno's new Evangelion films. But the emotional impact overshadows the visuals, as each of the main characters must rise to face a dire challenge. Edward and Alphonse discover how much th...

Manufacturer: Sentai Filmworks Brand: Section23 Films

It sucks being dead. Sucks even more to be trapped in a surreal afterlife where you're caught between the living and the dead-where a mysterious, violent Angel is trying to pull you over to…somewhere. What do you do? Well, if you're this group of rough-and-tumble teens, you grab every weapon you can get your hands on and give Heaven hell! High-caliber action and locked-and-loaded comedy meet on a rock and roll battleground in Angel Beats!

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Brand: Batman Model: 2232560

Batman: The Animated Series Vol. 1]]> Warner Brothers' Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) remains a striking, stylized program that helped to revitalize the familiar comic book hero. Drawing on such diverse influences as Frank Miller's graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, the Fleischers' Superman cartoons of the early '40s, and contemporary Japanese animation, the filmmakers stress interesting designs and cinematography. The Caped Crusader prowls a sinister, Art Deco-styled world of tall verticals, sharp angles, silhouettes, searchlights, and grid-like shadows cast by window frames. Its visual pizzazz eclipses Filmation's pallid kidvid, The Batman/Superman Hour (CBS, 1968), which ran off and on in various incarnations through 1981. Many of the same artists worked on the Batman animated features (e.g., Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Beyond--The Movie (1999)), which display similar strengths and weaknesses. Ironically, Batman: The Animated Series looks better in stills than it does in motion. The artists fail to stylize the movements of the characters to match the dramatic settings, as Genndy Tartakovsky and his crew did in Samurai Jack. Batman uses sophisticated computers to combat the well-known villains--the Joker, the Penguin, Mr. Freeze, Catwoman--as well as some less celebrated baddies: Manbat, Clayface, The Mad Hatter. The bad guys cram a lot of plotting and scheming into each 22-minute episode, but the violence is kept to a broadcast standards minimum. The Dark Knight's First Knight easily ranks as the most interesting of the extras. Producers Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski recount the genesis of the series, and show their mini-pilot, which is more violent and more fully animated. If the complete episodes had matched the pilot, the series would have been much more exciting. (Unrated, suitable for ages 8 and older: violence, mild grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Manufacturer: Funimation Brand: Funimation Model: 704400082672

Two brothers search for a way to make their bodies whole again after an alchemy experiment goes wrong. This search pits these young alchemists against the magic-wielding military, mystic vigilantes and a group of beings created and named for the seven deadly sins. The brothers must fight for their lives and seek out the truth if they are to ever regain what they have lost. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) remains one of the best and best-loved series of the last decade, but Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is not a continuation of the characters' adventures: it's a remake that follows Hiromu Arakawa's manga more closely. The adventures began on the dreadful night when young Alphonse and Edward Elric delved into forbidden knowledge and tried to use alchemy to bring their mother back from the dead. They paid a terrible price under the principle of "equivalent exchange." Al was reduced to a disembodied soul bonded to a suit of armor; Ed lost an arm and a leg, but has been fitted with the mechanical prostheses that earn him the title Fullmetal. The brothers wander through a world that resembles late-19th-century Europe, seeking the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which they believe can restore their bodies. Although the series has been expanded to 63 episodes from the original 51, many of the subplots, including the Elric brothers' encounters with Cornello, the corrupt priest in Liore, and their training under Izumi-sensei, are abbreviated or eliminated. Instead, director Yasuhiro Irie introduces the characters from the country of Xing who didn't appear in the first series: Prince Ling Yao, who joins the Elrics, and diminutive May Chang, who befriends Scar. Ed and Al learn that the Alkahestry of Xing operates in ways Amestrian alchemy doesn't, opening the possibility of regaining their original forms without using the evil Stone. But they need Scar, Dr. Marcoh, and May Chang to decipher the research Scar's brother pursued in Ishbal, which means keeping them out of the hands of Fuhrer Bradley and the Homunculi. The darker an...

Manufacturer: Funimation Brand: FUNIMATION-UNI DIST CORP Model: 26514967

A brutal scourge stalks the land. Yoma, monsters driven by a hunger satisfied by only one quarry – Humanity. The dark breed knows but a singular foe: Claymore. Human-Yoma hybrids of extraordinary strength and cunning, the Claymores roam from skirmish to skirmish delivering salvation by the edge of a blade. Thus begins the twisting tale of Clare, one such sister of the sword driven by pain in both victory and defeat. A child silent and suffering hidden in her past, Clare’s march toward vengeance unfolds along a path marked by violence, solitude and scorn. In a land where even the predator is prey, the haunted hearts of hunter and hunted alike wear the scars of the age.

Manufacturer: Funimation Brand: Funimation Model: 28442941

The Saiyans are coming! These ruthless, intergalactic villains carved a path of destruction across the galaxy, and now they're headed for Earth! The evil Saiyan warlord Vegeta will not rest until he's seized the wish-granting powers of the Dragon Balls for himself! Goku vs. Vegeta! The battle of all battles begins now!Make room on your shelves because the Dragon Ball Z Season Sets are finally on Blu-ray! We embarked on a frame-by-frame restoration process to remove any blemishes, tape marks, and foreign bodies that might have tarnished your viewing experience. All three audio tracks have been re-mastered in the interest of noise reduction and superior sound quality. The bolder, more vibrant color of this ultimate Dragon Ball Z release closely mirrors the visual aesthetics of today's entertainment. Lastly, we undertook a precise shot-by-shot reframing of the entire series to create a modern HD widescreen presentation of this legendary fan favorite! It's time to experience Dragon Ball Z like you've never experienced it before!

Manufacturer: Funimation Brand: FUNIMATION-UNI DIST CORP Model: 28650803

When the man-eating giants called Titans first appeared, humans retreated behind massive walls. After a hundred years of safety, a colossal-sized Titan smashes through the defenses, unleashing a flood of giants and carnage in the streets. Eren Jaeger watches helplessly as one of the creatures devours his mother.He vows to kill every Titan walking the earth.Eren and his surviving friends enlist to fight against the insatiable monsters. The future looks bleak, but there s more to Eren than meets the eye: he may be humanity s last hope against extinction. From the director of Death Note and High School of the Dead comes the series Anime News Network calls an intense, visceral, and graphic thrill ride. The Titans have come to feast. Anything can happen. No one is safe.

Manufacturer: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO Color: color

For the first time ever on Blu-ray, you and your family can unlock the clues and go on a great big adventure with Disney's clever little hero. From the creators of THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG and THE LITTLE MERMAID comes the greatest little mystery in history in this 2-Disc Combo Pack. When the diabolical Professor Ratigan kidnaps London's master toymaker, the brilliant master of disguise Basil of Baker Street and his trusted sidekick Dawson try to elude the ultimate trap and foil the perfect crime. With perfect picture, perfect sound and 2 ways to watch, Disney Blu-ray proves big heroes come in small packages!|After a four-year period of story development, animation took just over one year to complete. This remarkably short production span was possible due to new efficiencies in the production process (such as video tests and computer-assisted layouts and graphics), and an increased emphasis on story development prior to the start of production.|The score was written by composer Henry Mancini, who also collaborated on two of the three featured songs. The third song, "Let Me Be Good To You," was written and performed by Melissa Manchester.|One hundred and twenty five artists were involved in making the film.|An innovative application of computer technology can be seen in the climactic scene where Basil faces Ratigan in a final confrontation inside the turning and thrashing gearworks of Big Ben. The 54 moving gears, winches, ratchets, beams, and pulleys were literally drawn by the computer and create a unique background for the characters, who had been animated in the usual way.

Manufacturer: Walt Disney Home Entertainment Brand: Buena Vista Home Video Model: 02535000

From the creators of the Academy Award(R)-winning SPIRITED AWAY (Best Animated Feature Film, 2002) comes a tale based on the screenplay from the legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki. During summer vacation, a schoolgirl named Shizuku, who longs to discover her true talents, observes an ordinary-looking cat riding by himself on the train. Intrigued, she decides to follow him. This chance encounter leads her to the mysterious Seiji, a boy who is determined to follow his dreams, and The Baron, a magical cat figurine who helps her listen to the whispers in her heart. Soon, Shizuku's exciting adventures carry her far beyond the boundaries of her imagination. Featuring extraordinary storytelling, enchanting animation, and an all-star voice cast, this 2-disc set will inspire dreams and warm hearts of all ages. ~~(c) 1995 Aoi Hiiragi/Shueisha Nibariki GNH Based on a manga by Aoi Hiiragi, the gentle coming-of-age story Whisper of the Heart (1995) was scripted and storyboarded by Hayao Miyazaki, and directed by the late Yoshifumi Kondo. Shizuku Tsukishima is an absent-minded, insecure junior high school student who reads book after book of fairy tales, helps her friends, and does most of her chores, but remains dissatisfied. When she encounters a wonderfully supercilious cat on the train, she follows him and meets Seiji Amasawa, a student in her class who hopes to become a violin maker. Seiji's commitment to his dream helps Shizuku find her voice, literally and figuratively: she realizes she wants to become a writer. A statue of a cat in the antique store of Seiji's kindly grandfather inspires her first story, "Whisper of the Heart." Shizuku and Seiji exhibit believable strengths and flaws: their warm humanity contrasts markedly with the shabby superficiality of the characters in many American animated films. The lively performances of Brittany Snow and David Gallagher transcend the geographic limits of the story to make Shizuku and Seiji the kids the viewer wishes lived next door. Miyazaki's script suggests that a sense of ...