The time has come for yet another unboxing of one of Loot Crate’s Loot Anime boxes. This time, I am picking apart July’s crate, which bears the theme of “Action Comedy.” I had my hopes higher than normal for this one because I saw that one of my favorite series, Trigun, would be included. Joining that beloved Sc-Fi/Western anime, is KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!FLCLHigh School DxD, and One-Punch Man. Let’s take a look!

The first item is the monthly poster. The artwork by Hans Tseng looked promising, capturing an unfortunate mascot girl and cat collision. I loved Yume’s facial expression. It looks like she isn’t going to have a chance to eat her ramen. As always, the backside of the poster broke down what else could be found in the shipment. But since you are reading this article, which serves the same purpose, there is no need to spend much time on it. It should be noted that every item in this crate is marked as “exclusive.”

The big ticket item for many an anime fan was most likely the two-pack of One-Punch Man figures. If you have seen my review of the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack for the series, you would know that this was not the case for me.

However, while I genuinely do not like this series, I do respect the quality of these figures. Subscribers received one of four potential sets. As you can see, I got the set containing Lord Boros and Saitama. The little figures have a metallic paint finish and the clear plastic stand makes it appear as though they hover over the base.

In case you didn’t get the set you were hoping for or want to own all four, Loot Crate will have the figure sets available for purchase in their Vault for a limited time, starting at some point in August.

Two of the series for July, High School DxD and FLCL, were represented with art prints. I am sure this seems like a great item to some fans (most likely those with limited space) but to me, this seems a little lame. One art print would have okay, if a tad unimaginative, but two? Come on, guys.

Now we get to the Trigun item: a shirt. Yes, Loot Anime chose this series for the apparel item this month. I was so bummed. While I will admit that it is nice that the shirt features artwork by the series’ creator, Yasuhiro Nightow, it still isn’t something I see myself wearing.

The manga for this month is KonoSuba: God’s Blessings on this Wonderful World!, written by Natsume Akatsuki with art by Masahito Watari and character designs by Kurone Mishima. While the title itself is available outside of Loot Anime, subscribers are treated to an exclusive cover.

The final item is the monthly phone charm. Most of them star Yume, their purple-haired mascot girl, but this one features her kitty friend. You can spy him in the poster as well. The little fur ball is the one chowing down on Yume’s ramen. The katakana in the charm reads “Nya!!,” meaning “Meow!!” in Japanese.

If this unboxing has you interested in subscribing, you can get some money off of your first crate either by following this link or entering “Geekscape” into the promo code area upon checkout.

[This unboxing was based on a sample provided by Loot Crate. All opinions are my own.]

The anime One-Punch Man was released on DVD and Blu-Ray recently, and I was given the chance to experience the show by way of the Blu-Ray/DVD combo set. I know that the series has many, many fans, but unfortunately, I am not one of them. I can see that the show has its merits, but it just didn’t grab me. I must not be the target audience or something.

The premise of One-Punch Man is promising enough. It follows the trials of Saitama, a man who became a hero for fun. After taking on a special training regimen, he became so strong that he could defeat any foe with a single hit.

©ONE, Yusuke Murata/SHUEISHA, Hero Association HQ

The show has a wealth of fight scenes and thankfully, they are well-animated. Unfortunately, outside of those scenes, the show was moderately plain. One-Punch Man is billed as an action/comedy, but the humor just falls flat despite the majority of the show attempting to prove it can get laughs. While it might just be a case of the humor being lost in translation, plenty of the jokes are visual, so I don’t think that is it.

©ONE, Yusuke Murata/SHUEISHA, Hero Association HQ

In my opinion, the show had a case of confused identity. I think if it focused solely on the action aspect, I would have liked it a whole lot more. The constant switching between serious and comedic tones was not only jarring but also after a while, a bit annoying.

I am sorry to say that in my book, One-Punch Man gets a 1 out of 5. I understand that despite my dislike for this series, it is much beloved by fans all around the world. I don’t know what I am not seeing that others found enjoyable.

Speaking of fans, the California-based punk rock band, Guns of Eden, liked the show so much that they created a musical tribute to it. You can view it below.

[This review is based on a sample provided by VIZ Media. All opinions are my own.]

The popular action-comedy anime One-Punch Man will see its North American home release debut this Spring, courtesy of VIZ Media. The series follows the trials of Saitama, a superhero hopeful whose years of special training left him so overpowered that a single punch knocks any who oppose him flat on their behinds! Check out the trailer below to get a taste of the action (and humor).

This release will be available as a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack ($59.99), a Standard Edition Blu-Ray set ($49.99), and a Standard Edition DVD-only set ($39.99). The combo pack is a special edition that also includes an exclusive chipboard box, six OVA animated shorts (also available on the Standard Edition Blu-Ray set), six art cards, and a full-color booklet with episode summaries, character profiles, interviews with the team, and more. And of course, Blu-Ray episodes are presented in 1080p HD (DVD ones are 480p). Regardless of which set you choose, it will contain episodes 1-12 of the series, available both in original Japanese dialogue with English subtitles as well as English dialogue.

The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack is limited in edition and available for pre-order now at many retail sites as well as brick and mortar locations. But if you choose to place your order through Right Stuf, you will also receive a special, yet-to-be-revealed gift with purchase (while supplies last). The other two versions are likewise currently available for pre-order at the same places. All are scheduled to release on April 25.

[header image: ©ONE, Yusuke Murata/SHUEISHA, Hero Association HQ]

[This unboxing is based on a sample provided by Loot Crate.]

Loot Crate‘s Loot Anime subscription box line, created in partnership with Crunchyroll, is celebrating those that are more than human with September’s Crate. The theme is “Demi-Human” and looking at recent anime, there is a wealth of series to choose from. And as an added bonus, every item included is exclusive to Loot Anime.

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Here are the contents of the “Demi-Human” crate, five items total.

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Also included is a poster with themed art on side and item descriptions on the other. The poster stars Yume, the mascot of Loot Anime.

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The Loot Anime phone charm this month is a broken Yo-kai mask. It is reminiscent of Ichigo’s mask in Bleach, which is perfect because the series is also represented in this Crate.

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Next up is the first volume of One Punch Man, written by One and drawn by Yusuke Murata. While the manga itself isn’t an exclusive, the one from Loot Anime has an exclusive variant cover.

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The Bleach watch is the most impressive item in this shipment. Its quality was superb and it looks like a lot of care was put into designing it. The watch face uses the kanji for 3, 6, 9, and 12 instead of the actual numbers. Another cool detail was Ichigo’s Zangetsu sword replacing one of the watch’s hands.

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Twin Star Exorcists‘ heroes, Rokuro Enmado and Benio Adashino, are the stars of a super-soft shirt. The print reminds me of the ones from shirts sold at anime conventions in the early 2000’s.

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The final item is a standee keychain set from Tokyo Ghoul. The two characters included are Ken Kaneki and Touka Kirishima, drawn in a chibi style. The art is printed on some kind of hard plastic. Unfortunately, it is only on one-side. It is still nice and all but it would have been so much cooler if it had both front and back artwork.

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Those standees can be used to create a little diorama using the inside of the box. Unlike August’s Crate, there was no assembly recquired to bring out this box’s extra feature.

Loot Anime’s “Demi-Human” Crate is a winner in my eyes. Like last month, every item appears to be thoughtfully chosen. I was also pleased that all of the included items were some degree of an exclusive item.

If this unboxing has you interested in subscribing, you can get some money off of your first Crate either by following this link or entering “Geekscape” into the promo code area upon checkout.

Every year, one of my favorite Anime Expo events is the Anime Music Video contests. Sometimes, you’ll come across the perfect song to go with your favorite anime, but you don’t have anywhere near the amount of talent it takes to put the two together. And by you, I mean me.

Thankfully, people who do have the talent come together to make us laugh, cry and pump our fists in the air, as the best of the best are pit against each other in six different categories. Divided among action, drama, fun, dance, comedy and sentiment categories, one of the light hearted “trailers” that played in between categories won the fan vote, while a real tear jerker captured the judge’s attention.

First up, “Seven Years” by YouTube user Sakoda15 brought together the reminiscent Lukas Graham hit of the same name with the time traveling anime, Erased. The tragic nature of the series coupled with the lyrics symbolizing days gone by created a deeply emotional video that captured our attention, even if we had never heard the song or watched the show before this point. Between the two meshing so well together, the terribly sad scenes depicted, or the masterful editing, it’s easy to figure out why this was well deserved. Seeing as this was the video that I picked for my video of the show, I was thrilled to see that it won one of the two big awards by the time all the votes were counted. Watch it yourself below, and make sure to keep a box of tissues nearby.

On the more humorous side, the fans voted not for one of the main categories, but rather one of the mock trailers that combined anime with our favorite commercials and movie previews. As a match made in heaven, it’s no wonder why the One Punch Man and Deadpool mash-up produced by Otaku Lounge Productions, Deadpunch, walked away with the popular vote. The funny thing was I didn’t even know you could vote for a trailer when it came to video of the show! Not that it would’ve changed my vote, but I’ll keep it in mind for next year.

What do you think of the winners, and if you were there, which videos did you vote for? Sound off in the comments and let us know, assuming you’re emotionally stable enough to type after that first video.

We went from literally no news on the eventual English broadcast debut of One Punch Man to its premiere being right around the corner.

During Anime Expo’s Toonami panel, it was revealed that the popular anime adaptation of the Shonen Jump action / comedy series will be making its dubbed debut on July 16, two weeks after the announcement was made.

Starring Saitama, a man who decided to take up being a super hero as a hobby before becoming inexplicably strong, the show follows him as he searches for a worthy opponent to cure his boredom, since he has become powerful enough to defeat any foe with one punch. Acting as a self aware parody of typical Shonen style manga, OPM manages to ride the line between full on satire and typical action anime pretty well, especially after Genos, an android who seeks to become stronger under Saitama, fills the role of the “normal” anime hero. Or at least as close as you can get.

Elsewhere, Viz revealed the key English cast members, which you can see below:

Saitama – Max Mittelman

Genos –  Zach Aguilar

Speed O’Sound Sonic –  Erik Scott Kimerer

Mumen Rider – Robbie Daymond (The new Tuxedo Mask)

Who else will be tuning in when One Punch Man makes its English debut? What do you think of the cast? And did you remember that sale that’s going on at the local market? Let us know what you think in the comments!

Free Comic Book Day is here, and what better way to celebrate than with, well… free comics?

Every year, publishers from across the spectrum provide samples and issues of some of their most popular properties as a way to celebrate the medium, (while hoping to hook a few new readers in the process). Viz is no different, as one of the lead manga publishers in the U.S. This year, the company behind the localization of hits such as Death NoteInuYasha and Dragon Ball Z, have not one, but two samples; one featuring Pokemon, and the other focusing on One Punch Man.

The Pokemon Pocket Comics issue serves as an introduction to the newest edition of the Pokemon manga library, that skews a little more to the kids, (or the kid in us). Containing three four-panel gag comic strips alongside a variety of quizzes and Pokemon statistics, the sample hopes to test your Pokemon prowess in between laughs.

Pokemon Free Comic Book Day 2016

The Shonen Jump Free Comic Book Day 2016 Sampler on the other hand, is all about action. Each copy contains excerpts from two of Jump’s currently running series, One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia. The former stars Saitama, an unassuming man who is part of a growing super hero community. He comes off as lazy, unmotivated and kind of dense, which stems from boredom since he has become so powerful, he has yet to find an opponent that he can’t defeat in one punch. Further along the super hero spectrum, My Hero Academia is set in a world where 80% of the population has a “Quirk”, or superpowers that has led to constant battles between heroes and villains. When you’re unsure of how to use your power however, this academy is where you go to learn how to use them. Yet, what happens when you’re one of the 20% that don’t have powers?
One Punch Man Free Comic Book Day

Both samples will be available while supplies last at one of the thousands of participating locations.