Denki-Gai...
Denki-Gai is a slice-of-life drama that follows the exploits of workers at Umanohone, a Japanese book store...
Fan service abounds as the workers discuss relationships and the intricacies of manga. There is a lot of frank dialogue, suggestive situations and some breast fondling, but, there are no naughty bits to speak of. Surprisingly, zombies do make an appearance and while there is the occasional zombie smack-down, there's not really any gore.
While there's nothing spectacular about Denki-Gai, one of the more shocking aspects of the series, is its price point -- between $70 and $90 per volume depending on your retailer of choice. While you do get lots of stuff in exchange for your hard-earned money, the general consensus among anime fans, suggests that the price may be a bit high. But, given the fact that this particular title may not have the wide appeal of a more main stream title, the publisher might not have had much choice in the matter. It should be noted that you will have to read your anime as Denki-Gai is subtitled only.
Denki-Gai is an entertaining slice-of-life drama with some comedic elements. There is some fan service, but, the fan service is not too distracting. Denki-Gai, given its subject matter and tone, is probably not suitable for the youngest anime fans among us. Denki-Gai has a nice bright appearance that I've come to expect in newer releases. Overall, I liked Denki-Gai, but, the series might not be for everyone and at over $200 for the entire series on archival media, Denki-Gai is a bit expensive. I would give Denki-Gai a 3 out of 5. Also, as a final note, each volume comes in an over-sized case.
The Denki-Gai soundtrack CD has 58 tracks and I liked 12 tracks for a total of 20.6% which works out to a rating of 2 out of 4. Meanwhile, the two Denki-Gai Song CDs have 5 and 6 tracks respectively and I liked 3 tracks on each CD for totals of 60% and 50% respectively which works out to a rating of 3 out of 4 for each of the Song CDs.
Each of the three volumes of Denki-Gai contains four episodes (for a total of twelve episodes for the series) on both Blu-Ray and DVD plus a music CD (for a total of three CDs for the series), a 24-page deluxe booklet "Umanohone Magazine" (again three booklets for the series), two collectible wall pin-up pictures illustrated by Asato Mizu (author of the original manga) (again six total for the series), and a double-sided poster illustrated by SIN-EI ANIMATION (the posters are extra large versions of the cover art). Please note that the US releases of the music CDs for the first and second volumes are missing a number of tracks as compared to the Japanese releases of those same CDs. Denki-Songs 1 and 2: the US release has 5 and 6 tracks respectively, while the Japanese release has 8 and 10 tracks respectively. The third volume contains the original soundtrack with 58 tracks and as near as I can tell, both releases have the same tracks.Volume 1
A blush-inducing, coming-of-age comedy about manga-loving book store employees! The characters are all hard-core manga fans and maniacs of some sort, and work at the comic shop "Uma no Hone." On a daily basis, they display new releases, shrink-wrap comics, shudder at their lack of feminine qualities, question their love for porn literature... and basically have fun while working hard (?). Girls and guys call each other by nicknames and some begin to develop close relationships!
Volume 2
A mysterious woman who knows about Umanohone's past has appeared! And she's got unsurpassable girly-power! However, Sensei's girly-power is awfully low, due to her doing the "same clothes everyday" thing in order to draw a manga for the Rookie of the Year award.
Later, the heat of Summer Comika sends the staff of Umanohone to an onsen, where the intricate Kantoku x Hio-tan x Tsumorin x Kameko love triangle starts unfolding. And then on top of that, Sensei accidentally sets up a date with Umio!
Volume 3
Hio-tan caught a cold!? She's off work and Kantoku, worried, shows up to take care of her. And then, Valentine's Day arrives again! Sensei ventures in super-difficult mission that no amateur should ever dare trying, not even if it's a revenge match - homemade chocolate!
Fan service abounds as the workers discuss relationships and the intricacies of manga. There is a lot of frank dialogue, suggestive situations and some breast fondling, but, there are no naughty bits to speak of. Surprisingly, zombies do make an appearance and while there is the occasional zombie smack-down, there's not really any gore.
While there's nothing spectacular about Denki-Gai, one of the more shocking aspects of the series, is its price point -- between $70 and $90 per volume depending on your retailer of choice. While you do get lots of stuff in exchange for your hard-earned money, the general consensus among anime fans, suggests that the price may be a bit high. But, given the fact that this particular title may not have the wide appeal of a more main stream title, the publisher might not have had much choice in the matter. It should be noted that you will have to read your anime as Denki-Gai is subtitled only.
Denki-Gai is an entertaining slice-of-life drama with some comedic elements. There is some fan service, but, the fan service is not too distracting. Denki-Gai, given its subject matter and tone, is probably not suitable for the youngest anime fans among us. Denki-Gai has a nice bright appearance that I've come to expect in newer releases. Overall, I liked Denki-Gai, but, the series might not be for everyone and at over $200 for the entire series on archival media, Denki-Gai is a bit expensive. I would give Denki-Gai a 3 out of 5. Also, as a final note, each volume comes in an over-sized case.The Denki-Gai soundtrack CD has 58 tracks and I liked 12 tracks for a total of 20.6% which works out to a rating of 2 out of 4. Meanwhile, the two Denki-Gai Song CDs have 5 and 6 tracks respectively and I liked 3 tracks on each CD for totals of 60% and 50% respectively which works out to a rating of 3 out of 4 for each of the Song CDs.
