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Arcade Gamer Fubuki

Company: Central Park Media

Running Time: 140 minutes (4 episodes)

Region: 1

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, language and Adult situations)

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SUMMARY

Fubuki Sakuragasaki is poised to win a world wide video game tournament.  There is only one obstacle she must over come, the evil minions of the Gulasic Group.  The four lords of this evil organization will use every thing they can to stop Fubuki.

Well, that is if they can find a way to defeat her passion panties.

When Fubuki was a little girl, the mysterious game expert Arashi gave her a pair of super powered panties.  When the wind blows up her skirt, the soul of the universe gives her ultimate gaming ability.

Now, Fubuki must not only win the tourney, but stop the plans of the Gulasic Group before they take over the world!

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The quality is excellent.  There are no pixels or errors noted.  The colors are solid, and the motion, fluid.

AUDIO: There is very little difference between the Japanese and English 2.0 audio tracks.  It will depend on your equipment on which one sounds better.

EDITS: No edits, thank goodness.

EXTRAS: For a little known series, we have tons of extras!  On the first extras menu, we have the promotional video for the 2002 Emotion Festival, Television Spots, the CPM trailer, Art Gallery and a special "fan service" episode.

On menu two, we have tons of music videos featuring the cute Sakura Nogawa, scene to storyboard comparisons, non credit opening, Japanese voice actress interviews, and a strength training with Sakura Nogawa.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Fubuki is a send up of just about every "game anime" ever made.  Ryota Yamaguchi's script pokes fun at everything from "Bayblade" to "Tekken" and more. It's cute, funny, and stupid all at the same time.

ACTING:  The cast is entertaining, on both sides.  I do prefer the stronger voice of Veronica Taylor for Fubuki.  It's not that Sakura Nogawa is bad, it's just her high pitched, whinny voice is a little annoying.  Same thing goes for Kaori Shimzu as Kanako.  Zoe Fries has a better, sexier, voice.

Lisa Ortiz and Yuu Asakawa are evenly matched in voice acting abilities for the smarmy Chizuru.  I also have a hard time deciding who is the better actor for the hilarious Sanpeita, Jamie Mcgonnigal or Masaki Yamamoto.

FAN SERVICE: This is a fan service paradise.  From the impossibly built Honey, to the cute passion panty wearing (you herd right) Fubuki, you will feel like Sampetia, drooling over these game room divas.

There are also plenty of video game references.   Those of you who remember climbing games, Donkey Kong, and early Sega games will get a huge kick.  You will spend hours trying to guess what game a character represents.

CONCLUSION:

Arcade Gamer Fubuki is an absolute stitch!  From start to finish, I was giggling at the jokes, laughing at the physical humor, and enjoying the fan service, gula!

Arcade Gamer Fubuki is a parody of the highest order.  While it lacks the total insanity of "Excel Saga", it shares it's spirit.  Not only do they spoof video games like "Street Fighter", but other shows like "Yugioh" and "Power Rangers"! Gula!

This is an anime for the gamer geek in all of us.  I love that they cram in so many old-school video game references in these four episodes.  Games similar to Galaxian, Donkey Kong, and Dig Dug show up, along with Sega classics like Virtura Fighter and Fighting Vipers.  It does my old gamer heart proud.  Gula!

I will be honest, this isn't a brilliant anime, or a shining example of the genre.  It's just another variation of the "girl against the odds" theme we have seen before.  As I am fond of saying; "It's not the story, but the presentation that makes the difference".  In this case, it's the acting, and the in-jokes that make this anime so enjoyable.  Gula!

I was quite surprised with the amount of fan service.  Let me re-phrase that.  I was surprised that there was fanservice.  There are so many panty shots and heaving bust lines, I had a permanent nose bleed.  While Real Bout High School tried to add a little T&A, and failed, "Arcade Gamer Fubuki" does it successfully.  They even went so far as to make a special episode that is nothing but shots of girls in swimsuits, gula!

With any show, you have your favorite characters.  For some, it's the cute Fubuki, her friend Hanako, or the top heavy Honey.  For others, it may be the dimwitted Mr. Mystery or the panty obsessed Sanpeita.  In my case, it's the  groupies for the Gulasic Group.  Providing colorful commentary, they are the best peanut gallery a show could ask for.  How can you not love characters that end every sentence with gula, gula?

I am quite pleased with the quality of this release.  Truly deserving of the "Collector's Series" moniker, Arcade Gamer Fubuki not only has execelent video and sound, but a plethora of extras that few titles can match.  Like it's cousin, "Real Bout High School", the video game inspired menu design is the perfect touch for this DVD, gula!

Beyond all rational reason, I really like "Arcade Gamer Fubuki".  From it's excellent presentation to it's lovely fanservice, this is a fun way to take a break from playing "Final Fantasy X2".  Gula!

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