Bleach Uncut Box Set: Season 4, Part 2 - The Bount Review

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(More customer reviews)Ichigo and his friends have been fighting the Bounts on and off, while trying to keep them from capturing Uryu. Bu the battle becomes a lot more intense in "Bleach Uncut Box Set: Season 4, Part 2" -- this collection brings together the last twelve episodes of the hit anime's first filler arc. It's top-heavy on the action, with loads of freaky dolls, flashy swordfights and enjoyably freaky villains... as well as fewer flashbacks.
The mysterious new dolls -- called "bitto"-- have started sucking the souls from living humans (and yes, I do love that phrase), which increases the Bounts' powers but also acts like a drug to their bodies and minds. When Kariya unleashes them on Karakura's population, Ichigo and his friends charge out to save the day, but quickly find themselves outmatched by the juiced-up Bounts and their dolls. But they have some unexpected allies -- a quartet of Soul Reaper lieutenants have arrived to help them drive back the Bounts.
While Ichigo's little gang recuperates from their fights, Yumichika has discovered the location of the Bounts' hideout, and the four Soul Reaper officers head inside. Obviously things go wrong for them, or this arc would end pretty quickly. Specifically, they run afoul of the bespectacled Ugaki, whose doll turns shadows into deadly weapons, eyeballs and giant hands. When Ichigo and Co. arrive, they are attacked by the same tactics.
In the meantime, Uryu encounters a Soul Reaper from the previous arcs -- Nemu Kurotsuchi, who has come there to give him a very special item that may provide some temporary help in his current trouble. And Ichigo has some shocking discoveries of his own when he finds and attacks the souped-up Kariya -- he learns the true origins of the Bount, and what their ultimate goal is.
While the first half of the Bount Arc was all about introducing the Bounts, the second half is all about the fighting -- our heroes are assaulted by shadow hands, flying eyeballs, dimension-swimming whales, metal spiders, malevolent flowers, ropy tentacles, and occasionally The Pizza Cutter From Hell. It all builds up gradually to a genuinely shocking climax... which is pretty obviously a lead-in for ANOTHER filler arc.
Fortunately this collection doesn't have just action. The writers also wove in some comedy ("FEEL THE POWER OF JUSTICE!" Ichigo bellows when using a magic headband, right before it slams him into a chainlink fence), some mild horror (people turning into dust), and the occasional warm'n'fuzzy moment. And with the advent of the Bounts' soul martinis, they become a LOT more impressive as villains -- now they're not just soul vampires, but crazy hopped-up junkie soul vampires.
The biggest problems: Koga's long, boring flashback about his protege (who is never mentioned again), and one character does something INSANELY contrived at the end of the arc, which is also uncharacteristically selfish, stupid and short-sighted. Even more bizarre, all the characters instantly forgive him.
And Ichigo and his amazing abs has some new problems to struggle with -- his handicapped bankai and his bloodthirsty hollow side. What's more, his devotion to his friends is illustrated when Keigo is attacked by a bitto. Uryu's feelings of helplessness reach a peak when he returns to the place where he previously trained, and we see just how strong the friendship between Rukia and Orihime is.... even if it is a bit too Saved By The Warm'n'Fuzzy Powers of Love.
The Bount arc may be over, but the story of their fight with the Soul Reapers obviously isn't. "Bleach Uncut Box Set: Season 4, Part 2" is a solid filler collection with some flaws, but plenty of slam-bang action and solid writing.

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The battle against the evil Bounts grows wider and fiercer as Ichigo and friends, reinforced by a group of Soul Reapers, try to take the fight to their hideout. But the Bounts have many tricks up their sleeves, and it looks like certain defeat for Ichigo and his comrades. Uryu, who had lost his Quincy powers, is the key to the Bount leader Kariya’s plans for revenge against the Soul Society, as well as the key to his defeat. Will Uryu be able to regain his powers in time to save his friends?

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Vampire Knight 1 Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a review of the English Dubbed version of Vampire Knight so far. As someone who has seen the entire Vampire Knight series in Japanese, I was very excited to hear that it was being dubbed in English. I have now watched the first four episodes of the English dub. Many people were worried about the choice of Vic Mignogna for the role of Zero, but in my personal opinion, Vic's performance is the strongest of the the three leads. While his voice may not be 100% perfect for Zero, his great acting skills make up for it, and he does pitch his voice to a lower register (a tone reminiscent of his performance as Ikkaku in "Bleach). Yuki's English voice is a pretty decent fit, but the acting fluctuates in skill - sometimes it is good and sometimes it is lacking. Kaname's English actor was, in my opinion, the weakest choice. His voice does not really match the character and the acting is very flat. I can only hope that he will improve as the series progresses. The supporting cast is actually pretty good. Headmaster Cross, Aido, Seiren, Kain, Yori, Ruka, and many of the other smaller characters are well-acted and enjoyable.
Overall, the series is decent. It is nice not to have to read subtitles and the English dub helped me understand certain plot points that confused me in Japanese. The leads could be stronger, but the supporting cast is quite good.

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At prestigious Cross Academy, there are two sessions of classes, the Day Class and the Night Class. As the school's Disciplinary Committee, Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu keep watch over the Day Class students, who are all infatuated with the beautiful, elite Night Class students. As Guardians, Yuki and Zero must also protect the secret of the Night Class--they are all vampires!

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