Psychic School Wars (2012) - First Time on Funimation
I didn't really know what to expect. All I knew was that I saw the trailer on the Your Name Blu-ray and it looked good. So I decided to finally check it out and boy, was it worth it. Ryosuke Nakamura's Psychic School Wars proved to be far more engrossing than its IMDb score and naysayers would have you believe, the characters are likable, and I could see myself returning to it many times in the future. There's no way around this one: the animation is stunning. Every background is a literal work of art and it has some of the boldest colors I've seen. The story is also worth following—though you'll want to watch all the way through the credits to get the whole story since the real ending comes after the credits—and Nakamura and Yuko Naito give their best shot at adapting Taku Mayumura's 1973 novel of the same name for the 21st century, in the novel's seventh adaptation following four live-action series and two live-action films; for my money, they didn't do half-bad, though I must confess that I actually want to go read it now. Shusei Murai has also done an excellent musical score here that effectively captures a wide-eyed wonder during the scenes where insane magic is happening, humor when characters are bickering, and when necessary, melancholy. NYAV Post has yet again delivered an excellent English dub, as they have for such films as Your Name, A Silent Voice, Napping Princess, Mirai, Okko's Inn, Promare, and Weathering With You and such series as Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn and Gundam SEED. Graham Halstead is excellent as Kenji Seki, a 14-year-old living his life in a small town in Japan when his school up and bans cellphones right around the same time a mysterious transfer student arrives, molding him into a likable character with aplomb. Cassandra Lee Morris, who is undoubtedly the biggest name out of all the voice actors in this dub, is equally impressive as Natsuki Suzūra, Kenji's childhood friend who constantly teases him for his crush on a mutual classmate and often calls Kenji stupid in one way or another, even going so far as to dub him a "G--damn moron" in one scene; Kenji also gets beat up quite a bit at her hands, though this is actually because she has feelings for him—that he's completely oblivious to—and she's none too pleased about his—at least in her mind—wandering eyes. Morris also manages to make Natsuki likable, which is pretty impressive since it would be very easy for a character like this to be annoying and nothing more. Alyson Leigh Rosenfeld is also up to par as Kahori Harukawa, the classmate Kenji has a thing for—at least initially, who has a thing for a certain mysterious transfer student. Daniel J. Edwards is rock-solid as Ryoichi Kyogoku, a mysterious transfer student whom Kahori has a thing for, and whom Kenji quickly becomes friends with, who is actually from the future looking for middle school students who have psychic powers. Edwards gives Ryoichi a personality at least somewhat reminiscent of Kaworu Nagisa from Neon Genesis Evangelion, coming off as a bit closed off, not understanding the point of school plays and having never had a hamburger or a cellphone before, much to the surprise of his classmates. Everyone else is also solid and the dub script is completely natural. All things considered, I really enjoyed this one and I don't see why it gets such a bad rap. I'll definitely be returning to it in the future. Later, guys. I think I'm gonna go watch some My Hero Academia so that, for once, I don't have to think about all the stupid crap going on in this house all the time.
Last edited by Steve Freeling; 12-02-20 at 05:36 AM.