3/5 The Comic Party Tradition Continues
  by ONENEO (Buffalo, NY)
I've become a bit renown (for better or worse) for picking up established anime franchises late then backtracking to the beginning in effort to make sense out of the ending (which I started with). Enter Comic Party Revolution - The Complete Series from Funimation. The whole "Revolution" part of the name should have clued me in to the fact that this was a sequel to a series aptly named "Comic Party". The good news is that watching the original Comic Party isn't a requisite to enjoying Revolution, but it certainly enhances the experience. But before I get into all that, let's take a look at the cold hard facts:

Released across two discs, Comic Party Revolution The Complete Series comes packaged in a standard DVD case and consists of episodes 1-13. The show comes in at a total runtime of 325 minutes and wears an appropriate TV 14 rating due to a few clothed butt shots, a little light swearing, and typical anime silliness.

Language options are standard sub & dub with both an English dub and original Japanese soundtrack (either in stereo) & the choice of English subtitled if so inclined to turn them on.

Extras include textless opening and closing songs, and a host of fresh Funimation trailers on the second disc.

The story goes something like this: Kazuki, Mizuki and a few of their college pals aren't into just reading manga (comics), they actually self-published their own books (a process called doujinshi in Japan). Kazuki, who's own book sells moderately well, ends up coming to enjoy spending time with Aya: a shy girl he meets at a manga convention (Comic Party) who hasn't been having any success with her own book.

Sure my summary overlooks many of the side plots and small tangents that viewers will be carried along on throughout the 13-episode run, the fact is that the show is far more character oriented than it is plot-driven. In fact, while attempting to "trim off the fat" of the story to fit into a paragraph or two, I became aware of the fact that the show certainly prides itself on a lighthearted, offbeat and often humorous take on what could be an intriguing premise. In other words, Comic Party Revolution makes it a habit of not taking itself too seriously and expects its viewers to do the same.

The self-published Japanese comic book industry is definitely the type of environment I just adore as a backdrop for the lead characters but, and sadly, it is little more than a minute background element here with romantic comedy, slapstick, and sheer goofiness taking the spotlight. The episodes in which the grand plot (particularly the ones where the gang visits a magazine publishing office) are superbly done with just enough realism to spark the imagination of the viewer. However, and more often than not, prepare to witness baseball games, tennis matches, paintball tournaments and other action-laden sequences that serve as little more than tangents to fill episodes.

The humor element is present (if at times forced) in either language option. I was convinced at first that enjoying the production in the original Japanese dialog was the superior language option of the two but then discovered some of the charm only present in the English track (Yu's Brooklyn accent, the Arnold Schwarzenegger impression in the paintball episode, Eimi Ooba's near-constant mispronunciations and so on). The Japanese cast delivers the material better but the English version is laced with humor that Americans will get.

In all Comic Party Revolution picks up with the cast and gags that made the first series so successful and fans of the original will find much to like in the sequel. Those looking for increased plot development may be disappointed in the lack of evolution found here. I personally found the series laced with interesting bits and potential plot threads that are unfortunately lost to the zaniness in the foreground (there's one whole episode devoted to Eimi's efforts to keep her summer school enrollment secret as per the advice of the talking fish she consorts with on her Sega Dreamcast so that she can live her dream of one day going to the beach).

I've been told to check out a series called Genshiken for a more serious stab at the same genre and just may do so considering the hints of promise that shine through in Comic Party Revolution.