With the commencement of Endless Eight, the crazy volume numbers begin…

This actually came out almost a month ago, but the Royal Mails customs clearance process has a habit of adding a few weeks to the shipment time. Still, even if it had arrived in a prompt fashion, I’m not really sure I’d have much to say about it – replace Bamboo Leaf with the first two episodes of Endless Eight, and the no-credit ED with the no-credit OP, and the content on both the disks is the same as what was on the previous volume only with “Part 2” appended onto all the feature names.

But since when was a post about the Haruhi DVD release about the actual content? Never, of course – it’s all about the terrifying game of nerves as you gamble your money on that smallest of chances that you’ll get better extras than everyone else who’s buying the show. Well, not really, it’s about buying the show to watch, but that doesn’t really make much of a post at this stage in the game.

In any case, the score is now DiGiKerot 0, Kadokawa Pictures 2. CURSE YOU CHAIRMAN KADOKAWA!

Yes, once more I’m left devoid of the additional coaster or the super-rare film bookmark. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if these things actually exist, or if they are really just another part of the Epic Asshatery of Suzumiya Haruhi. I’m also wondering if I should risk ordering the next volume from another supplier, in the off-chance other retailers get a better awesome:lame LE ratio.

Still, at least the lame LE is a little better packed this time than with previous volumes. I’m not sure if it’s an attempt to get more people to buy it, something existing to remind you precisely what it is you are silly enough to be getting into buying, or merely a simple way to encapsulate the Endless Eight epic into one convenient unit, but this volume came with an artbox. An artbox just for Endless Eight – nothing more, nothing less. That’s not to mention that it’s the only Haruhi R2 artbox. The other plot-arc’s have not benefited from the same treatment.

Also shipping with it is Haruhi’s Postcard Case, which, just to confuse, has a picture of Yuki on it. It contains sixteen pouches, so it’s just big enough to hold all the postcards from both the first season and the second season release assuming you stick two in a pouch back to back. Finally, for the record, my coaster number this time around is Number 9. Like last months release, it’s unexciting.

When it comes to bringing the goods, as it were, I knew that Sgt. Frog wouldn’t disappoint, and indeed it didn’t disappoint in not disappointing – we have our first Mikan Box before we reach the halfway point of the first episode, and, indeed, there’s a second in the very same scene.

Funimations release of Sgt. Frog has been a little controversial, at least as far as the shows dub goes – it kind of eschews such silly concepts as consistent characterisation and faithfulness to the original work in order to cram some kind of joke into every single line of dialogue, be it toilet humour or an extended reference to The Dark Knight. It’s pretty tone changing.

This probably won’t do much for my nerd credentials, but it’s not like I can particularly blame them – I presume that they were trying to sell this to some TV network or other, but much of Sgt. Frog is surprisingly dry for something that’s supposed to be a comedy. About one in every ten stories (of which there are two an episode) is actually funny in the original work.

The subs are accurate, though ^^;

(Also, insert “Damn it! Car chase!” reference here).

This particular feature hasn’t seen much movement for a while, presumably as I’m failing at the part of the feature that requires me to watch some anime. Well, watching the kind of doofy anime which this feature tends to flag, at least – it’s not like I’ve not been watching anything.

If probably follows that this particular example wasn’t even spotted by me – it’s a submission from Author, so I guess I’m still failing to give the box the love it deserves. Oh dear.

I’ve not actually seen HMM myself, but I’m told that the box is “a fixture of the apartment”. I’ll take his word for it, methinks.

“But DiGi”, I hear you proclaim – or rather imagine hear you proclaim, as otherwise you’d be lurking in my house in a location unbeknownst to myself, a fact I’d find bother bizarre and terrifying – “You’ve already done Hayate!”.

“Aha!”, I exclaim in response, “I have outwitted you, for I specifically denoted that post as the second season, whereas this is for the one which WAH has dubbed The Good One! Ergo, my one Mikan-post per series rule has not been cast asunder!”.

“Still”, I continue, triumphant in a meaningless victory yet still sympathetic to my readers, “take some solstice in the fact that Bandai were actually kind enough to subtitle the boxes label!”

I imagine you thinking this is little comfort in light of this curiously composed entry.

From the first episode of Kanamemo, we have the first catch of the new season.

It’s just a shame it’s not from a better show – for something based on a four panel gag manga, it’s kind of astonishingly light on anything that’s actually funny. It was pretty boring, to be honest.

This weeks Saki was kind of boring as well, actually. Maybe I’m just not in the mood for anime today…

-update- post updated to be number 27.5, for no reason other than me accidentally using #28 on another post, and I’d rather not risk any aggregator funnies.