Freezing Season one

 
Title - Freezing
Language - Japanese
Genra - Ecchie, harem, Sci fi, action

Freezing is set in a future where mankind is under attack from the Nova, inter-dimensional creatures who are able to freeze everything in their path. To combat the Nova the humans have genetically engineered girls known a Pandora who have enhanced speed and healing and can use special weapons. The Pandora are teamed up with their male counterparts who are known as Limiters who have the ability to cast freezing which will canter that of the nova.

The series follows Kazuya Aoi a young Limiter and the Pandora Satellizer Bridget (the untouchable queen).

I found Freezing via recommendations, it was liked by people who liked Sekirei but I have to say that I had trouble getting into to it to begin with. Freezing has 12 episodes and is a show of 3 parts, the first episode starts with the Pandora students who are in their second year of the ‘West Genetics Academy’ having their annual tournament to see who is the strongest in the year, Satellizer Bridget is winning the tournament until Kazuya bumps into her, surprised by the similarity to his sister, a Pandora who was killed in the last battle with the Nova. The next three episodes consist of Kazuya trying to make up for his mistake and Bridget getting into fights with other students and, I found that there were no likable charters to begin with, Kazuya is you typical bumbling male lead of a Harem anime and Bridget is the typical uncaring ‘Tsundere’ with most of the other characters being equally cruel and manipulative, the only attempt at making any of the characters likable seemed to be in the some of the secondary background characters. The violence can at times be quite brutal and is in some scenes used to humiliate Bridget and, of course quite often involves at least one of the characters loosing the clothes, I’m not quite sure if breast enhancements are included in making some one a Pandora but every student at West Genetics is very well developed.

The fist few episodes do show a bit of development between Kazuya and Bridget as Kazuya decides he wants to be paired with Bridget as her Limiter but, as Bridget will not let any one touch her (although Kazuya seems to manage this most episodes) she will not allows her self to under go the baptism to normally needed to have a Limiter (It’s not really revealed what the baptism is but a Limiter normally has a meeting with their prospective Pandora in her room with no one else around). I was finding Freezing a bit hard going up two episode 4 and was tempted to stop watching but I had bought the DVD and was going to watch it till the end, that and Boobs.

The character of Bridget begins to get more likeable from Episode 5 when a new transfer student is introduced. Rana Linchen is a Pandora from Tibet who, on seeing Kazuya decides that she is destined to be paired with him making Bridget realise that she does like Kazuya and, as she can never allow herself to lose sets about trying to win him over. The scheming 3^rd year students pick up on this and try to set Rana & Bridget against each other but when Rana realises she has been used she teams up with Bridget to get back at the 3^rd years whist still trying to get Kazuya. These 4 episodes begin to make Freezing more watchable as they develop the characters and make some of them more likeable with Rana, Kazuya and Bridget becoming friends and beginning to fit in at the academy until… Episode 9, the Nova actually attack, for an invading force they have been noticeably missing from the show, being seen only in a few flashbacks but hay they are here now and there are 4 of them where as in the past they have only attacked one a time and now all of the Pandora have to team up stop them. With the Pandora fighting the Nova, who are giant male esq. aliens you would think that there would be less opportunity for the fighters to lose their clothes (I’m not even sure the Nova start with clothes or have some kind of exo skeleton) but that is soon remedied when the Nova use a new attack, they absorb the Pandora from the East genetics academy and then return them possessed to fight the West academy Pandora.

I am glad I stuck with Freezing but for any one who is going to watch it off the back of recommendations from sekirei bare in mind that it has a lot less humour, this fights can be more brutal and there is a lot more nudity. I could see why Sekirei fans would like it but I also found similarities with Divergence Eve but a lot more Ecchie.

Freezing has been left open for another season and I have heard that it is being made, after my initial doubts I think I will be giving it a watch

Rhinhart Rocks – Driven Serious – the importance of being serious

Group - Driven Serious
Album title - The Importance of being Serious
Genre - Goth, Gypsy, Darkwave










Track Listing

1) Living for the Day

2)Buddhas in the Emptiness

3) Venus Star

4) Accidental Crimes

5) World of Fear

6) Through these Eyes

7) Snowdrop

8) Dharma Streams

9) The Last Time

10) Crucifix Kiss

11) Truth will out

12) Buddhas in the Emptimess 2

The importance of being serious is the first album from Driven Serious. I have to admit that, until I was given a copy of the album I hadn't heard of them so I did not know what to expect, the album actually came to me via Mrs Rhinhart who asked me to do this review as a favor.

The first track I heard was Accidental Crimes (actually the 4^th track, a hazard of leaving my music player on random) and, as the soft vocals were joined by violin chords I was reminded of the early albums by (Aurelio) Voltaire, reassessment of songs such as demon slayer and crusade. As the album continued I was impressed by the soud and tone, swinging from Voltaire esq darkwave goth to songs reminiscent of the cure but still able to maintain their own sound.

the importance of being serious has quite a hypnotic tone keeping the keeping the listener (or at least me) entranced with soft flowing gipsy violins, good vocals and gothic melodies and I found myself wanting more when it came to an end

 

you can visit Driven Serious's web site here  for more information and listen to some tracks at sound cloud here and like their facebook here

Dredd 3D

Title - Dredd 3D
Language - English
Genra - Action, Comic Book

Based on the 2000ad comic character of Judge Dredd and set in mega city one Dredd has a very simple plot.

Judge Dredd is out on assignment with Judge Anderson, a trainee on her last trial mission when they receive a call the 3 bodies have fallen out of the sky, all of them stripped of their flesh, on investigation Dredd finds out that the killing are a warning from a the local gang leader, the victims were trying to deal drugs without her permission.  On capturing a suspect the city block they are in is locked down and a bounty is put on the heads of Judge Dredd and Anderson and they must get out of the block to find out why their suspect is so important to Ma-ma and her gang.

The fact that Dredd has a simple plot, it is really nothing more than a tower siege type movie, does not detracted anything form the film, in fact I think that it may help it.  A lot of comic book films, epically first ones spend a lot of time trying to convey the law of the book, that is the history/creation of the main character, past relationships with other characters, in-depth motivation for the villain (or a lot of time to establish that the villain is just mad) and time spent on any of the technology that exists in the universe and this can be known to detract from the rest of the film as it leaves less time for the actual story.  Dredd does not spend much time on any of this, Dredd has not met Anderson before the move starts so there is no backstory between them and Ma-Ma and her gang are just drug deals in a slum. The only information given about the tec or the city is provided quickly and simply, the first time Dredd uses his gun you see it check his fingerprints/DNA on a start-up menu and the only reason you see this is because it is relevant to a scene later in the film.

Most of the film consists of Dredd and Anderson attempting to survive in the city block whilst Ma-Ma’s gang try to kill them with (slightly) futuristic weapons and then to bring Ma-Ma to Justice and mainly consists of Dredd and Anderson dodging bullets.

I have to admit that this is the first film I have seen in 3D but it did seen to use the effect well, there are plenty of scenes where blood and glass come filing out towards you  and it is also used to give some idea of the size of the city block.

Over all a good and enjoyable film.