Doreiku: The Animation/Mitsuboshi Colors: Complete Collection/Kokkoku: Moment By Moment: Complete Collection (all 2018 Sentai Blu-rays)

Picture: C+/A/B+ Sound: B+/B+/C+ Extras: D/C/C Main Programs: B/B+/B+

Next up are the latest Anime titles, all this time of which are new productions....

We start with Doreiku: The Animation, which is one of the most graphic anime releases we've dealt with in years when it comes to sexuality, adult situations and other serious matters, so do not be surprised by its content.

SCM (Slave Control Method) is the latest underground thrill, it is a device that can force any losers in any game to become slaves. Eia and Yuuga enter the world of SCM at first for fun, but then discover it is far more deadly. But in a world where players become masters or slaves, the 'masters' play for keeps and will do anything to win. For all those who play, it seems that once you start playing ...you can never stop playing.

Yuuga and Eia team up to play in the SCM underground world. Both of them are clever and seek the thrill of the challenge more than just adding slaves to their group (like most players). Most who play usually just want more slaves, power, money or influence, never thinking about moral implications. There are absolute masters and slaves, but there are certain rules in how to use the SCM. However, there are ALSO ways to cheat, such as not clearly defining the 'rules' in the game or to be able to think outside the box/rules of the game. Things get far more complicated than just 2 players dueling against each other, Masters are able to play by proxy or in groups. But what IS the SCM device and what is it's true purpose?

This series was like a mix of No Game No Life and Deathnote, a world where everyone plays games to win, but with the seriousness of Deathnote. This anime is definitely for an older audience. The series jumps around from character to character explaining each of their stories and how they got involved. While it glosses over the facts, almost all the females in the series are either raped, tortured or abused in the series. Extras include clean opening and closing animations and trailers.

Episodes include....

Choice - Eia meets Yuuga and learns about the SCM device where people can be made into slaves after losing a game. Yuuga recruits Eia to be his 'partner' as his back up to challenge others.

Shackles - Ayaka and Seiya, a master and slave are in relationship where Ayaka forces Seiya to be her boyfriend. They meet Eia and Yuuga and are challenged to a game and they become Yuuga's slaves.

Abuse - Seiya is tricked by his ex-girlfriend Julia who enslaves him by proxy to Ryuuou. Taiju a crossdressing boy just wants to be close to Shiori, but then Zenichi shows up and forces them to fight him and forces them to become his slaves. But things don't goes as plan when Zushiohmaru the dog and Julia comes to their rescue.

Plan - Eia and Yuuga encounter Ryuuou's slaves and warns him they are planning to free the slaves. Zero is tricked by Ryuuou to become his slave and Ryuuou is revealed to be a young boy.

Bewilderment - Zero was able to defy the SCM, hinting that the SCM isn't perfect and has flaws. Chou tells of his origin story with the SCM. A mysterious crazy person begins challenging various masters. Yuuga believes he need more slaves in order to play at the next level. Eia disagrees with Yuuga's methods, but she is forced to work with him when Zushiohmaru is taken from her.

Awareness - Zuchiohmaru's backstory and the SCM creation story is revealed. Yuuga is drugged and challenged by Fujiko and he loses. But then he is freed by Eia ...and she has a plan.

Servitude - Fujiko challenges Ryuuou in a capture-the-flag game with their slaves for a winner takes all game, but Ryuuou cheats and wins.

Discovery - A star shaped SCM appears, the Judgement SCM is able to make people into slaves without dueling, it one of the original researcher who stole the SCM tech. Eia challenges a wealthy businessman to a game and wins.

Intersection - Zero is revealed to have multiple personality disorder and the SCM doesn't work on multiple personalities. Being enslaved, Zero's other personality is able to takeover.

Fall - Ryuuou's past and relationship with Julia is revealed. Ryuuou meets Eia only after he loses all his slaves.

Harvest - Setagaya reveals his plans for SCM is to use the Judgement SCM to make slaves to sell on the blackmarket. Then, it backfires when Minato knows all the all the rules of SCM and is able to subvert all it's rules and steal all his slaves.

and Explosion - Eia and Ryuuou has a plan to free everyone, it's the final showdown and winner takes all! But what happens when everyone is free?

Yui, Sat-chan and Kotoha are COLORS, 3 elementary school kids who vow to enjoy life and to protect their town from whatever threatens their fun, be it real or imaginary. Together, they find the extraordinary out of the ordinary. Along with the townspeople they help bring a little more 'color' into their lives in Mitsuboshi Colors: Complete Collection.

Yui, Sat-chan and Kotoha are better known as COLORS. They are 3 cute and energetic elementary girls and everyday they plan adventures from their headquarters (a shed in the park they have turned into their personal club house). Yui is the 'leader' and the most sensible (sadly) and does her best to keep them out of trouble. Sat-chan is the one with crazy ideas and is the one getting them into trouble (most of the time) and Kotoha is hand console video game addict. Along with Pops the general store manager (who seems able to get almost anything) and Saito the local policeman (their unspoken babysitter/'big' brother), COLORS have endless fun each day protecting their town from boredom.

This was a comical anime and in some ways reminded me of Dennis the Menace except with 3 girls, since they are cute they get away with everything. The are basically considered almost like cute town mascots and the townspeople go out of their way to help their girls and their 'adventures'. Most episodes involve them in playing with their imagination and games and causing headaches to their local policeman (I pity him). Extras include clean opening and closing animations and trailers.

Episodes include...

Colors - Watch out, here comes the COLORS.

Hide-and-Seek - The girls play hide and seek, but Sat-chan and Kotoha forget they are playing.

Do the Chu-cabu - The girls have to sell some bananas before they expire.

Summer Festival - Yui is in the parade and Sat-chan and Kotoha cheer her on.

Zoo - The girls head out to the Zoo to 'save' the elephants.

Weakness Identification Meeting - The girls try and find each other's weakness, with irksome results.

Trick or Treat - The girls have a live action zombie game roping in all those in the park to join them.

Museum - The girls go to the museum to find a new member to join them, turns out they can't take the dinosaurs home.

One-coin Sacchan - The girls make a time capsule but need to find a place to bury it.

Snowing Too Far - It snowed and the girls go searching for a missing lucky cat statue.

Hyper Hide and Seek - The girls use walkie talkies to play a super hide-and-go-seek game.

and Colors, the Town, and the People - The girls go around town filming the town and interviewing it's people.

The members of the Yukawa family have the secret ability to stop time, known as 'Stasis'. However Juri, a young woman learns of her family's secret ability when her nephew is kidnapped and her grandfather is force to use 'Stasis' to save him. But to their surprise, they discover they are not the only ones in Stasis time and their true goal was not kidnapping but to steal their ability to stop time in Kokkoku: Moment By Moment: Complete Collection.

Juri learns from her grandfather their family have a secret supernatural ability to stop time. The entire world is frozen into one moment and the world is theirs... but they are not the only ones who know about their secret ability. A mysterious cult, the Genuine Love Society wants the Master Stone which the Yukawa family has and it's secrets. But they all soon learn that being in 'Stasis' has it's rules and not as easy as it sounds. If they are not careful or break any rules they can be killed by 'Handlers' or become 'Handlers' themselves and trapped in time forever. However Sagawa the leader of the Genuine Love Society is determined to use the Stasis ability to become an immortal.

This was an interesting sci-fi anime about stopping time, however there are rules in using the time stopping ability in which all the characters are trying to figure out. The main characters are given extra special abilities to fight those who would try to steal and abuse the 'Stasis' ability. Extras include clean opening and closing animations and trailers.

Episodes include...

The First Moment - Juri and her family learn her nephew has been kidnapped, but it was all a ruse to trick them into using the Stasis ability. Just as when things to to hell, a giant Handler appears.

The Second Moment - Both Juri and the cultist learns of the existence of Handlers, mysterious beings that will kill anyone who tries to harm those who are trapped in Stasis. Juri's grandfather learns that the cultists are after the stone which their family possesses. Juri is ambushed.

The Third Moment - Juri escapes from the cultists and learns that she has the ability to force people from Stasis time. However, the cultists are ordered to find them at any cost. Both sides learn the rules of Stasis of what they can and can't do.

The Fourth Moment - Juri is tired of running decides to use her ability to fight back and beings to remember this is not her first time being in Stasis. Majima learns that Handlers are really humans who have given up their hope and humanity and trapped in Stasis as Handlers forever.

The Fifth Moment - Juri learns of Majima's past and that she is trying to free her family who was trapped in Stasis years ago and that she needs Juri's ability to save them.

The Sixth Moment - Juri decides to help Majima and save her family, they discover when she 'saves' them Majima's mother and father have already turned to corpses, however Majima's brother is still alive.

The Seventh Moment - After saving Majima's family, Majima and Sako change sides to help Juri to help stop Sagawa who reveals that he wants to use Stasis to become immortal.

The Eighth Moment - Sagawa become a Handler who is able to still retain himself and his own ego and begins killing his own followers.

The Ninth Moment - As Sagawa experiment with his new abilities. Juri and company runaway and tries to come up with a plan to stop Sagawa. Makoto learns he has the ability to command dead Handlers.

The Tenth Moment - Juri and the others fight Sagawa and exhausts his energy supply and he runs away. Juri chases after and Sagawa he reveals his past and why he wants to become an immortal.

The Eleventh Moment - Sagawa enters a protective chrysalis but Juri is able sever his threads and source of nourishment and Sagawa is reborn as a baby.

and The Twelfth Moment - Juri is able to release everyone from Stasis but herself. But after be trapped for half a year she being breaking down until she meets by chance the original founder of the Stasis and she is freed to reunite with her family.

The 1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfers vary despite being newly produced shows, with Doreiku looking poorer than expected and Colors looks great, making it a 4K candidate for a future 4K release when Sentai enters that market. All three releases have both DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) Japanese and English 2.0 Stereo lossless mixes, but the Japanese mixes are the originals and always better overall. All three have Pro Logic-like surrounds, though Kokkoku is sadly not that great sounding overall for some reason despite being a recent production.

- Ricky Chiang