NB. This is a review of the 28 episode ‘season 2’ airing of the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, rather than the 14 episode season 1 version. The episodes were watched in chronological order as they were aired, and shall be reviewed as such. Any differences between that and the out of sequence season 1 edition will not be addressed in any detail. This review also includes coverage of the ‘Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya’ movie. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is an internet phenomenon. Any anime fan who surfs the web is sure to be aware of this series, and its likely that the fans who don't have also heard of it in one way or another. The series revolves around a group of high school students, who are part of the SOS Brigade, who go out looking for fun and adventure. An ordinary boy gets somehow gets caught up with a girl who can seemingly alter the universe at will and 3 other students who each monitor Haruhi with their own secret identities. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiy...

My second SRC purchase is yet another in my current Power Rangers/Super Sentai phase - the mighty ShinkenOh from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (or the Samurai Megazord from Power Rangers Samurai if you'd prefer). I'd been holding off on this figure for a while due to its pretty hefty price for what it is, but after seeing it on AmiAmi at a 60% reduction I just couldn't say no. The first thing to note about this figure is that its a non-transformable version of ShinkenOh. This is a shame, because the origami transformations would have been relatively simple for Bandai to pull off despite the figure being relatively small, and the figure would instantly win a lot more points with me. Instead, Bandai went for maximum posability with ShinkenOh and it really shows, with the mecha being able to pull off poses that its Power Rangers retrofire counterparts could only dream of. A nice little touch is that the Ryu origami also has a moveable jaw. ShinkenOh's legs also have a ...

2007-08's Power Rangers Jungle Fury is the 16th entry into the Power Rangers franchise, adapted from the Super Sentai series Juken Sentai Gekiranger. For over ten thousand years, the spirit of a pure evil known as Dai Shi has been guarded by the Pai Zhuq (the "Order of the Claw"). Three students - Jarrod, Theo, and Lily were initially picked to defend the world from evil by the Pai Zhuq, but Jarrod's arrogance leads him to be dismissed and Casey, a novice member, is chosen to take his place. When Jarrod, angry at his dismissal, tries to take the box containing Dai Shi it opens, and Dai Shi kills Master Mao and proceeds to take over Jarrod's body. The trio are sent to find their new master, who gives them the ability to become Power Rangers. They alone are the Earth's only hope to stop the army of evil animal spirits from overtaking the human world. I'd always been wary about trying Jungle Fury, not only because of its reputation as one of the weaker ...

Magic, it is a sacred power. Magic, it is an adventure into the unknown. Magic, and it is the proof of courage! 2005’s Mahou Sentai Magiranger is the 29 th entry into Toei’s Super Sentai franchise, and would later be adapted in the West as Power Rangers Mystic Force. The story follows the aftermath of a war between the magical world of Magitopia and the underground Hades Empire of Infershia. 15 years after Magitopia defeated Infershia and sealed them underground, they reawaken to exact their revenge and cause havoc on the surface world. When the 5 siblings of the Ozu family witness their mother transform into the Magician of the White (Magi Mother) in front of them, they are given magiphones to grant them the ability to turn into the legendary magicians of the five colours. When their mother is struck down in the battle against the evil dark magic knight Wolzard, the siblings are left alone to discover their new powers and defeat the forces of Infershia. The first note...

After having so much fun with the GokaiOh mini-pla , it seemed like a good idea to check out some of the other Super Sentai mecha mini-plas Bandai have done. After all, they tick all the boxes of what I've been looking for in Sentai/Power Ranger mechs - they're small, affordable, posable and transformable (plus they come with the satisfaction of building them yourself). The first to catch my eye is EngineOh from Engine Sentai Go-Onger, or the High Octane Megazord from Power Rangers RPM if you'd prefer. There is a dividing opinion on the mecha from Go-Onger, which I imagine stems a lot from the fact that they are compact, anime style cars (complete with eyes and faces) and that, in the case of EngineOh, their combination is very 'totem pole' (as in, they pile on top of each other). I am firmly in the 'love' camp with the Go-Onger mecha, who for me really stand out from the others and have a more interesting combination than "torso + 2 arms + 2 l...

Kannazuki No Miko is a 12 episode anime series based on the manga of the same name by Kaishaku (a name derived from Kaishakunin , which by no coincidence is a key theme in Kannazuki No Miko). The story concerns Himeko and Chikane, two girls who are in fact the reincarnations of the Solar and Lunar Miko (maidens). When an ancient evil they once sealed rises again, they are thrust into their destinies in these roles to defend the world against the Orochi, the eight necks of the Yamata no Orochi. The first Orochi - Sōma Ōgami, a childhood friend who's also in love with Himeko, awakens and attacks them on their shared birthday. However after a blinding flash of light brings him to his senses, he rejects his fate and vows to defend Himeko against the other Orochi. The series not only deals with the girls destiny to awaken the Ame no Murakumo and their ultimate fates, but also the yuri relationship growing between the two girls conflicting with the relationship between Himeko and Chik...