The return...

Roujin Z proves to be a masterpiece of science fiction, presenting a unique tale that not only captures its audience, but makes them question the present. The basic plot of the movie was quite interesting, as it examined the way we are heading towards looking after out elderly, especially with an aging population, but the presentation was both thrilling and hillarious. While the soundtrack was forgettable, and the visuals a little dated, though still nice, this movie features top-class plot and character development, making it essential viewing for the science fiction fan.

The Kakurenbo animated short, while visually quite beautiful, is only a short in the end. It manages to present a compelling story, but it cannot help but leave you wanting. A longer movie may have been able to explain the world or develop the characters to a more satisfactory level, but there was little time to reveal much. What was presented in the time was quite good, revealing some interesting characters and a world quite worthy of development, but everything felt like it had more room to explore. Decent viewing, but, like all good shorts, it would have been even better if it were longer.

The Ai Tenshi Densetsu Wedding Peach manga was a surprising read. At first, the series did not seem to offer anything much; just another post-Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon mahou shoujo series. However, once things got going, it developed into quite an entertaining series. The characters brought nothing new to the table, but were still enjoyable enough, but the plot gradually developed in some interesting ways. This was particularly true in the opponents the heroines faced and how they handled them, as much of this was handled in a far more interesting manner than normal. The growth in the characters was quite nice too, seeing the supporting cast develop a little different from most mahou shoujo titles (though not unusual for most other shoujo genres).

Chapters four and five of Asatte no Houkou see the main part of the story finally kick in, though things seem to be developing all too smoothly, especially when compared to the manga. Hiro accepts the changes in Karada and Shouko all to quickly and easily, and there seems to be more emphasis on Hiro possibly falling for Karada. Frankly, I am a little dissapointed with the direction it is taking at the moment, but I shall wait until the end of the first volume before I make judgement.

Episodes 25 and 26 of Watashi no Ahinaga Ojisan continued to be excellent viewing, with Judy continuing to explore just who she is. Her visit to the slums, and subsequntly discovering that a famous actor openly comes from, and still lives, in those same slums made for an interesting episode. Judy is now looking at her future, and seeking to become independant. The direction the series is taking an interesting route, though the girls that Judy is seeking to tutor look like they will become very anoying, very quickly.

Episode nine of Yes! PreCure 5 continued to be reasonable viewing. It was about time a series of this style had an episode like this, with a side-character realising that there is something strange about this particular group coming together. While there were no dramatic or overly interesting developments arrising from this, it was still quite an enjoyable episode showing that this series definitely has more promise than its predecessors.

Studio Kotobukia's Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière finally arrived, though I was a little disappointed in it. The hair is quite poor, with terrible discolouration is areas as well as very noticeable seamlines, though I have been able to display it so that none of these show. The face is also quite poor, looking absolutely nothing like Louise. Aside from this, there are no serious flaws in the figure, and it features an excellent pose. Generally, it looks quite good, but it is not up to the standard of most of the figures in my collection.