Psychic School Wars

In this oddball 2012 anime feature film, charismatic teen Ryoichi is a time-traveling psychic from the future posing as a new transfer student. He actually hails from an era in which Earth's survivors are living on the Moon, and he is here for mysterious reasons. Accompanied by a familiar (a talking cat), Ryoichi soon makes the acquaintance of several kids involved in a love triangle-plus. Kenji, a graceless boy with a tendency to leave his fly open, has a big crush on the beautiful Kahori, who is captivated by handsome Ryoichi. Meanwhile, Natsuki (Mayu Watanabe) is enamored with Kenji but has too much pride to let him know other than by taunting him. The romantic entanglements at the center of the tale are periodically interrupted by Ryoichi pulling some mystical stunts (stopping time and putting on huge light shows), often while in the act of helping someone caught up in an emotional problem. Despite the wild visuals (impressive painterly scenes of sunsets and other outdoor images), Psychic School Wars feels bogged down until a story twist changes viewers' ideas about these characters and their destiny. But it's a case of too little, too late. Presented in a dual-language Blu-ray/DVD Combo set, rated TV-PG, this is an optional purchase. (T. Keogh)