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X [1996]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
starring: Tomokazu Seki, Ken Narita, Junko Iwao, Yukana Nogami, Adam Henderson
directed by: Rintaro

December 31, 2000
Having watched the series of X (which is amazing, but sadly hasn't been brought out on region 2), I thought I'd invest in the film version, especially as it was only £3.50 and I could have it as a treat after finishing a pretty lengthy exam.
It wasn't as rewarding as I hoped for. The characters, which I had come to know and love throughout the series, were now paper-thin and the plot was weak. Understandably with so many characters they couldn't go into all of their backstories, but, given that the film is a pale 93 mins, they could have well fleshed some of them out. The odd pacing and plot holes means the viewer is left just as bemused as Kamui is. If I hadn't seen the series, I would've been completely lost! Furthermore, the animation ... Read More:

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Akira - The Ultimate Collection [1991]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
starring: Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshô Genda, Hiroshi Ôtake
directed by: Katsuhiro Ôtomo

June 23, 2003
not just the greatest manga of all time, but possibly the greatest animated feature of all time, its pure briliance is unrivalled by any cartoon ive ever seen, i never get bored of it, and its detailed characters and storylines, revealing every detail of neo tokyo and the characters disturbing pasts are handled and drawn brilliantly, this film is amazing so go watch it!

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My Neighbours The Yamadas

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
directed by: Isao Takahata

April 10, 2006
I really enjoyed this film, it is split into small comical sections. However if you are to watch this i would recommend to watch in two parts as i found myself wishing it to finish. Nevertheless, a worthwhile addition to the studio ghibli collection.

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Naruto Unleashed - Series 3 - Complete

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
by: Naruto Unleashed

October 20, 2008
I really enjoyed this film, it is split into small comical sections. However if you are to watch this i would recommend to watch in two parts as i found myself wishing it to finish. Nevertheless, a worthwhile addition to the studio ghibli collection.

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Grave Of The Fireflies [1988]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
directed by: Isao Takahata

July 23, 2007
I recently purchased this hoping it would be like the other Ghibli films i had watched, but it wasn't. It was an absolutely heart rending film which would cause anyone to cry there heart out. This is one of the best war films and best films i have ever watched. I can't recommend this enough :D

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Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie [1994]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
directed by: Gisaburo Sugii

February 19, 2007
This version something I have been interested in seeing for over a decade, the Japanese version of this film. The first disc is the film pretty much identical to how it has always been released in the UK. The second disc is the Japanese version, fully intact, no edits, no overlays with a new 5.1 mix (and the old stereo track). The Japanese version feels like different film. The use of music is much more sparse, the intonation of the voices present the characters differently. Putting the two versions on separate discs rather than fitting the Japanese audio to the English version is definitely the best way to present this.

Now for the down side. Neither version is anamorphic wide screen; they are both 4:3 with black borders. The video quality on the English ... Read More:

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Azumanga Daioh Vol.1-6 - Complete

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
by: Azumanga Daioh

November 05, 2007
I got this partly because it gets such good reviews and partly because I thought it might appeal to my teenage children, being myself (as I thought) in no way part of the primary target demographic. Japanese schoolgirl slice-of-life drama? Meh.

What can I say? I was spot on in thinking it would appeal to my children, but also found it one of the best anime I've ever seen, myself.

It's not easy to explain just what makes this so brilliant. Offbeat character based humour ... while it's not at all like Seinfeld, there's a kinship in the way the show often makes something very funny seemingly out of thin air, and also in a surprisingly unsentimental tone ... given that a major character is an incredibly cute 10 year old child prodigy. The fact that ... Read More:

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Street Fighter [1995]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Ming-Na, Damian Chapa, Kylie Minogue
directed by: Steven E. de Souza

June 14, 2004
Filmed in the early nineties this was one of the first computer game to movie adaptations that I ever watched and it still ranks as one of the worst that I have seen. What little plot that the film has revolves around M. Bison, a South-East Asian dictator capturing some hostages and the Allied Nations mission to attempt to retrieve them. Throw in some sub-plots about revenge and con-artists, some lacklustre special effects, some awful casting and badly choreographed fights and what you get is a movie that fails to deliver for both fans of the game and general action movie fans.

There are very few redeeming features to this film but I would say that Raul Julia is one of them, giving a brilliant pantomime performance of the villainous General M. Bison but even ... Read More:

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Avatar - The Last Airbender - Book 1 - Water Vol.5

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
by: Avatar

May 26, 2008
This volume of the excellent Avatar series contains the final four episodes of the shows first season. Of the four episodes on this DVD the first is pretty much a stand alone episode that sees Aang and friends investigate reports of activity in the supposedly abandoned Northern Air Temple. What he finds there depresses and angers him but he is soon forced to put these thoughts aside in order to defend the temple from a fire nation attack. This is an okay episode and although it is really only a filler episode before the season finale, there are some suggestions of the future towards the end.

The other three episodes on this volume are really one extended story rather than distinct episodes in their own right. The first of these episodes sees the trio finally ... Read More:

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Full Metal Panic - FUMOFFU - Collection [2003]

Childrens Toy Shop > DVD > Anime
by: Full Metal Panic?

May 26, 2008
Following the events of the first Full Metal Panic series, this outing sees our main charcters return for a slightly unorthodox sequel. Instead of sticking to the same action packed style of the previous series, Fumoffu takes a less serious and more comedic tone throughout, making it seem more like a parody of a high school romance than a hard hitting mecha action anime. Hardcore fans may be put off by this, but I assure you that this series is absolutley hilarious and is just as enjoyable as its' predecessor. You just need to try and not take it too seriously.

This series is about the misadventures of war veteran Sousuke Sagara as he goes about protecting Kaname Chidori as she goes about her school life. Sagara attempts to fit in as an everyday student while Chidori ... Read More: