"OH HELL NAW IT'S TRYING TO SELL ME PEPSI! 1/10!" - a brief overview of Williamz's premature reaction to Tiger & Bunny


Before I properly start this review, I want to clear up a few things.

Tiger & Bunny is NOT "Product Placement the Anime", as anyone who gave it a fair shot will attest to. Though the product placement is rife in the first episode (which by the way is the weakest episode of the entire show thus far), it has become a complete non-factor. I haven't heard the words "product placement" in a discussion thread since probably episode two. Why? Because it has taken a back seat to the fun and interesting plot as well as the great characters. The product placement that does remain in the show actually has a point to it, relevant to the plot of the anime. I'll touch more on this later.

Secondly, Tiger & Bunny is not about any of the following; cute fuzzy animals, giant robots, or Pepsi.


What Tiger & Bunny is about is harkening back to the Saturday morning cartoons of yesteryear through an incredibly fun mix of slight deconstruction, affectionate parody, and homage. While T&B manages to switch up enough facets of the traditional superhero genre to become a unique experience in a unique setting, it also keeps intact all that made those earlier cartoons fun and enjoyable. The plot (and yes there is plot), is somewhat typical for these kinds of shows; shadowy organizations, heroes with dark pasts, city in peril. But what makes Tiger & Bunny different from all those other shows is the commercialization of super heroes and their craft.


In the city of Sternbild where our show takes place superheroes have gone commercial. Complete with sponsors (and here is where the aforementioned product placement comes in, being used as an underscore to highlight just how much of an industry superheroes have become), as well as a game show which ranks them based on how many people they save, criminals they apprehend, etc. The heroes certainly are a far cry from say, Superman saving your cat from a tree simply because that's what he is supposed to do. Though they mean well and are all good people, they know that it's a business and if you don't play the game to win, you'll probably get left behind in the dust.


Well almost all of the heroes know that anyways.


In this vastly different take on superheroes, there is still one man who believes in the old ways. That man is Kotetsu "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi (or Tiger as I now shall call him), the last of the old guard heroes. Tiger is a hero who believes in protecting the people no matter what, because that's what heroes do. Because of this, he is obviously rather unpopular amongst the new-age thinking city and the big men in charge. Thus he is paired with the charismatic, business-minded, new and fresh hero Barnaby Brooks Jr (also known as Bunny).

Tiger and Bunny are polar opposites.

Tiger is a man who holds his beliefs dear, and is perfectly willing to be unpopular for them. He does not however, want to become so unpopular that he is unable to do the job he loves. His is a struggle of keeping up with the times, and staying true to himself. He also struggles to balance his work as a hero and his home life with his daughter Kaede (whom he loves deeply). He knows he's getting older compared to the other heroes, but doing the right thing just means so much to him, he can't let it go.

Bunny on the other hand is cold, calculating, and very much concerned with his status among the cities superheroes. He's young, handsome, beloved by the people. He's everything Tiger is not. However he lacks much of the joy Tiger has in his life, and hides a secret and painful past from the world.

Seeing Tiger's warm personality begin to thaw Bunny out, and Tiger in general gaining some respect from the city with Bunny's help is definitely one of the best parts of the show. It's the buddy-cop formula at it's finest.


The supporting cast of Tiger & Bunny is mainly comprised of the rest of the cities superheroes. The show has done a great job so far to include them in on the action, as well as shed light on their pasts and lives as heroes today. They range from the flamboyantly flaming (cough) Fire Emblem, to the genki guy Sky High, to the tomboy action girl Dragon Kid. All of them are bright, vibrant, well written characters that bring an incredible amount of fun to the show. The evil organization also has an interesting cast of baddies, reminiscent again of those Saturday morning cartoons. None of them are treated as stock, and each and every one of the supporting cast has a power, a personality, and a story.


The art is good, though there is CGI. However after the first episode, much like the product placement, it just doesn't become an issue. Unless you are determined to nitpick at this show, the fun and engaging plot and characters will trump any other annoyances you might have.


Since it's an original anime, with no manga adaptation to compare it to, I do understand people being put off by the somewhat weak start. But the general consensus of those of us who stuck with it, is that Tiger & Bunny is just pure fun. It's a throwback to those cartoons that didn't have to be deep and complex and mind blowing and edgy, and instead just focuses on being entertaining. A great lead, a great supporting cast, a great story, a great heart, a great time. That's what Tiger & Bunny is really about.


Don't write it off, let yourself enjoy it. You'll be glad you did.


Oh and Drink Pepsi~ *thumbs up*

*Fan-service aside, this anime did a great job at adapting the manga material.*

It breaks my heart to see such horrible overall ratings and reviews on this anime that, for all intents and purposes, was fairly accurate and stayed faithful to the manga if one were to ignore the anime original contents (eg. mostly fan service and one useless episode). While it is fair to say there are multiple flaws in the anime series that could have been improved on (or unnecessary contents that could have been done without), the anime as a whole has served itself quite nicely considering it is only a one-cour series. Covering nearly 60% of the available manga materials at the time the anime finished airing, there really isn’t any way for the production staffs to wrap up the story without ruining any chances for a second season. For the record, the manga material is only two measly arcs ahead of where the anime finished at the time this review was written and the actual plot did not proceed very far.

I fully understand the complexity the anime brings to the new viewers who have no background knowledge from the manga. Numerous terminologies coupled with even more numerous unfamiliar faces does prove to be quite difficult for one to digest at first. Additionally the anime added tons and tons of boobs and nipples sprinkled everywhere in the show from the dormitory room change scenes to intense battles scenes. In short, there are bound to be boobies for the unprepared! Thus this served as another excuse for viewers (even loyal manga readers) to detest and despise the show. Even I have to admit it would have been better if the staffs can use those boobies air time to produce something more constructive like elaborating on certain flashback stories or further develop some characters and their personality or background. So let this be a fair warning to all you potential viewers, only watch this show IF you can stomach the fan services and accept the fact that the story is a work in progress!! With that said, let us finally turn our attention to introducing this anime for those of us who are still interested.

Set in the near future, roughly 50 years from now, the world we know today has already been invaded by an alien race known as Nova. Normal military is powerless in the face of this new threat and thus the world can only rely on girls with special tissues implanted into their backs (called Stigmata) to fight these unknown aliens. These girls, known to the outside world as Pandora, fight in pairs with a younger boy, in order to neutralize a special effect cast by the aliens (called Freezing which freezes anything within the cast radius). Now don’t quickly jump to conclusion just yet. While this may sound like a military action genre to you, the story in actuality takes place in an academy where Pandora are being trained. Following the school life of a second year sophomore, Satellizer el Bridget, the story introduces the problems and threats of the reality very (and I mean very) slowly to the point where one may end up asking more questions than there are answers to. Thus to be fair, I would categorize the anime as ecchi, school life, romance with a fair bit of action, but nothing dramatic nor is it deep in plot (though the manga is getting there). Without a doubt, the story department is the weakest one of all as all the emphasis so far is placed on the characters interaction.

Characters. Many many lovable girls with great looks and even better body proportions, albeit with a nasty attitude. Yes! This is certainly not for the average female viewers! In fact, the anime was never meant for the female audiences as evident from the trailers and even more evident as the series progress with all the boobie attacks on the screen. With that said, the one major downside in the character department for this show is the fact that there are too many girls with not enough time to introduce them properly. It will come as no surprise that you will likely be introduced to a new character in each episode and that the old ones will be brushed aside until close to the finale. On the bright side, our main hero and heroine does have their own lengthy flashbacks and character development for us to “know them better”.

As a manga reader, seeing this series get animated with voice was wonderful. Unfortunately it was not quite to my level of expectation in a few ways. Firstly and perhaps the most obvious is the fact that the broadcast of the uncensored version is at a horrendous 4:3 aspect ratio (and please don’t bother with the censored version, you won’t understand a single thing). Though it remains a mystery as to why the opening and ending animation are in 16:9. The second disappointment, coming from a manga reader perspective, is the altered character looks which may or may not discourage some readers, but it was a disappointment nonetheless. Lastly, and this I am sure is a common sentiment among all viewers, is the miscast voice acting role for Aoi Kazuya. This voice will surely cause some damage to your eardrums. However, other than that one miscast role, it is fair to say this anime has a lot of strong seiyu in the cast. Additionally, both the opening and ending them songs are extremely catchy and are few received by fans in general.

Overall I have mixed feelings for this anime. It was a pleasant surprise when the news that Freezing manga was to be animated. While the fan service ruined some enjoyment of the show for me, I must confess that in the short one-cour time frame I am quite impressed by the production studio with the amount of manga content they were able to include in the series. Most notably the inclusion of certain subplots that really makes certain characters much more realistic and likable. Staying faithful to the original material and introducing some anime-original contents as enhancements to the overall story made me very pleased particularly with the fact that the production studio did not opt for an anime original ending. With that said, I still cannot recommend this series to those who does not enjoy watching ecchi series as this show clearly relies on boobies as its major selling point. However, if the premise of the story does intrigue you then I highly recommend giving the manga a try. Afterall Dall-Young Lim’s manga are quite well received in Korea, Japan, and even Taiwan.

Synopsis & Plot:
Gosick (stylized as GOSICK) is a story about stories. Ghost stories to be specific. The story revolves around the Dark Shinigami, Kazuya Kujo, and the Golden Fairy of the Library, Victorique and their constant involvement in solving bizarre occurances for the inspector Graviel de Blois. Throughout the story, the Dark Shinigami begins to unravel the countless mysteries that surround his newfound friend Victorique. However, with each answer several more mysteries pop up. Just who is the Victorique and what is the truth behind the story of the Golden Fairy of the Library?

Characters:
The characters in Gosick all have a little quirk to them. Beginning with Kazuya Kujo, an exchange student from Japan. He's known throughout the school as the Dark Shinigami because of his 'black eyes that swallow up the darkness'. His name came from the ghost story 'The Springtime Shinigami'. He thought that Victorique was a doll on their first meeting and that he had dreamt the entire thing until his homeroom teacher confirmed Victorique's existence as a student of the Academy. As a protagonist, he is just and believes in protecting Victorique from danger. Victorique on the other hand, reminds me of Shinku from Rozen Maiden with a combination of her and Zero no Tsukaima's Louise de la Valliere's personalities minus the physical abuse. She is sarcastic and speaks to him the way one would speak to a servant yet still blushing when he says something the typical protagonist would say. The rest of the characters are just delightfully eccentric; from the overenthusiastic homeroom teacher to Inspector de Blois and his splendidly animated YuGiOh hairstyle, there's sure to be someone for everyone to love.

Art & Graphics:
The art is done generally well. That I attribute to the time and the availability of resources to make a scene look picturesque. It's enough for you to be interested but not enough to potentially wow you. The characters are also, generally well done with my only...problem for want of a better word being with the plainness of Kujo's design. He definitely looks like the author spent the majority of the time developing our lovely loli's design over his. The most interesting design is by far Inspector de Blois and his hair. I just can't get enough of that hairstyle. I think that special mention should be made of the animation during the OP and ED sequence as they seemed to be a slightly more developed than the backgrounds themselves.

Music & Sound:
My favorite part of this is the music. BY FAR. The music was organised by Nakagawa Koutarou who did the soundtracks for other note worthy series such as Code Geass, Hayate the Combat Butler and 07 Ghost. The main roles of Kujo and Victorique are voiced by Eguchi Takuya and Yuuki Aoi respectively. The role of Kujo is Eguchi's first main role which based on reception from fans, he seems to pull of well. Yuuki on the other hand is no stranger to main roles such as Kishitani Shinra from Durarara!!, Yagyuu Jubei from the fall 2010 anime Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls and most recently as Kaname Madoka from the popular mahou shoujo anime, Puella Magi Magica Madoka. For me, the sound of this anime gets a perfect score.

Enjoyment:
I sat to watch this anime after a stressful day of up and aboutl and before I knew it, it was dark and I was 7 episodes in. I don't remember the last time I'd watched so many episodes of an anime that was not a typical shounen like One Piece without falling asleep. I had heard good things about the GOSICK novel and that the anime was just a little shy of its original's reputation but it seems to surprising me in all kinds of ways. I look forward to seeing more of Gosick in the near future.

===Animation===
Quite nice and steady animation. The character designs are a bit on the simplistic side, but they are nice to watch. Funny scenes are drawn very well, and there are quite a few of them. You will find a lot of ecchi (especially panty shots and the "top part") in this series, but not just light stuff. In my honest opinion this series does touch the border of hentai with some scenes...

===Sound===
Now this is something that raises the overall rating of the series by quite a fair margin. The opening tune is average, but the ending done by YURIA is something that makes me want to learn how to play an electric guitar. The tune is really catchy and the vocals are superb; as expect of YURIA... Another praise goes to the background music, which has especially nice piano pieces.

===Story===
An aspect on which I can't write too much about. It was poor; A girl suddenly appears and just doesn't stop harassing the main male character. I won't give any spoilers, but the storyline is explained very briefly and poorly, and the ending is rushed. Side stories kind of balance this fact, since they were fairly good, but not complex enough to reveal all aspects of the characters.

===Characters===
Since this is a shounen anime you can expect quite a few (cute) female characters, which this anime successfully delivers. Each of them is different. Some girls are normal, one is tsundere, another is very shy and then you have the weird ones as well. Oh, and we can't forget the teacher with a large chest. As you can see, this is quite a typical aspect of this kind of genre. Most of the female characters have their own side stories, with the main male character of course, which give us an inside into their life and personality, but none of them are developed enough (perhaps playing the game would help here).
Now onto the male characters; There are quite a few of them. The main male character is the most important one of course. He's a typical "good and nice" guy that you'll find in most harem animes. Now, all the remaining characters are simply ugly perverts as described by the female characters. They are there to provide entertainment, and they do it well. It all makes me sometimes wonder: "What is this main character doing in a school filled with pervs and rejects. He doesn't even fit there at all?!"

===Enjoyment===
As I mentioned before this series does contain some good comedy, even though some scenes can be questionable (and some take it too far). It was a good watch, but it's not the weak core plot that makes it good. It's the characters and situations that they get into that count. To sum all this up, rewatching the whole series just for the plot would be a waste of time, but as for the rest I wouldn't have any objections.

Based on the cult PS2 title by SEGA and Red Entertainment, this anime is an alternate retelling of that respective title which I own a copy of, and you can get it for like $5 at Game Stop. The anime tells the origin story of the main character, Brandon Heat, who is later re-named Beyond the Grave, and his best friend, Harry MacDowell. The organization of the presentation of the story feels as if it was perfectly structured as a 3-act play, each with its own unique theme and gimmick. Act 1 you can label as a story about rags to riches in which Harry and Brandon are teenage small timers just trying to survive. Act 2 is about how the duo is trying to establish themselves, and make it to the top of the mafia. And Act 3 is an epic conclusion about betrayal and redemption, which speaks for itself. But throughout the duration of the anime, the idea of family and loyalty will always be a consistent theme.

Even though it’s centered primarily around two characters, I felt a good majority of the characters had their own unique presence and contribution, and really made the themes and messages felt realistic and powerful.

What of course also stands out is Brandon’s characterization that comes across as cliché. In the original game, Brandon never speaks, and the anime is very true to this for the most part. Brandon is still quiet in nature, but with little words he says, it still gives a lot of what goes on inside his mind (of course through narration) and you truly see him start from being an innocent boy, to a contemplative man but yet still maintains his unique surface qualities of being quiet, but yet shows enough emotion to give the audience an idea of what goes on through his mind and find a way to relate to him.

And of course another feature with this whole mafia gig are the weird sci-fi elements. I felt it wasn’t really forced in a way that having sci-fi traits seemed out of place. But the nature of the sci-fi is what makes it bizarre, but yet unique and original. I don’t want to get into the details of that since I would also have to reveal spoilers, but it does add a unique kind of flavor that doesn’t turn you off from the series. The sci-fi part is properly introduced but I felt that the setting such as how far in the future it takes place which will be revealed which will conveniently make sense to make it work. Granted the anime will reveal what year in some parts it takes place in that will make it feel like it makes sense, but I think the anime should have established it from the start, and not 2/3 into it.

What also attracted me to Gungrave was the fact that Nightow Yasuhiro, the creator of Trigun, was the creator of this product as well. Obviously, some elements from Trigun are in this anime as well. Such as the design of Brandon’s guns are quite similar to Vash’s, and Brandon’s coffin gun is of course influenced by Wolfwood’s cross gun. But despite having the same creator, there are some distinguishing differences as well.

In Trigun, Nightow-sensei’s style was more kid friendly and generic, while in Gungrave, his style for the character designs are more edgy and mature which perfectly suits the nature of the story. For the most part, despite the time the anime takes place in, the architecture is quite modern. Though as the series progresses, there are vehicular designs that appropriately reflect the scientific and futuristic elements this anime has. And of course, I like how the anime approaches the aging of the characters throughout the duration of this anime, which I can’t ignore. It does it pretty effectively.

And before I get into the action, I’d like to talk about Brandon’s costume design. I must say it is pretty bizarre, but hey, in his situation by then, what the hell, huh? I think it’s still pretty cool, and really matches his artillery in a complimentary way in that sense, I guess. The action is pretty intense as well. For the most part, it’s just gun violence that does get pretty brutal, and does have some martial arts action as well that isn’t really exaggerated until things start to change into the sci-fi part. If you’ve seen Trigun, then you know what to somewhat expect, but this time, the main character will kill.

Even though I always associate Imahori Tsuneo’s name with his use of guitars, which was prevalent in Hajime no Ippo and Trigun, but hearing the way he composes this anime totally changed my opinion of his talent. The guy knows how to create an appropriate atmosphere with the elements this anime has with a sad blues and jazz kind of feel. Along with the presentation of the animation, I thought his music also brought a noir feature this anime has on all acts in this anime whether in the mafia or sci-fi moments so his presence brought an overall appropriate touch to virtually all scenes that had music.

The voice acting in the Japanese version I thought brought the noir feel to the anime as well, and utilizes most of the voice talent from the original game which was in Japanese. I tried watching the English dub, but it didn’t give me what I was feeling in the Japanese version. Personally, I feel overall the dub isn’t worth watching since there was no dub in the game to begin with to give me some expectation of how it could work. If you’re the kind of person that prefers dubs at whatever levels, I still say it’s good enough for you. But if you’re someone who prefers straight up Japanese no matter how good or bad a dub is, I felt the portrayals in Japanese were best. I felt watching it in English just didn’t have the same level of seriousness that the Japanese had and kind of felt more like a dark comedy, which I feel Gungrave isn’t. I really like how in the Japanese version, which was also done in the English version was how they did Harry’s voice throughout the duration it takes place in. In his younger years, he has a voice where he sound really easy going and sarcastic like Spike from Cowboy Bebop, but when he’s old, he’s as evil as Mori in Flame of Recca. And Brandon was appropriately played by a big favorite of mine as you all know, Seki Tomokazu, who is no stranger to playing quiet and somewhat isolated characters such as Miyata in Hajime no Ippo.

Well, all I can say is if I had to put this anime in a nut shell: try to mix Scarface, The Godfather, Versus, the Yakuza PS2 games, Skullman, Cowboy Bebop and Trigun, then you got this anime. Speaking of Versus, I can actually imagine Kitamura Ryuuhei doing a live action version of this movie, and I could imagine the leading role from that movie playing Brandon. I say anybody who likes those animes, games, or movies individually will certainly enjoy Gungrave and you don’t have to be a fan of all of them just to watch it. Heck, anime fans in general who have no experience with what I described or even the original game despite some significant changes will probably love it. As you can tell from this review, I think it tells an excellent story with characters and themes we can all relate to despite its edgy underworld setting.

Many people compare GUNxSWORD to Cowboy Bebop or Trigun. These comparisons are not true. Not true at all. I consider GUNxSWORD to be an animated Kill Bill with mecha.

I removed spoilers from my original review, so if something sounds funny. You'll know where when you read this.

Story - 9/10
On the planet of Endless Illusion, a lone man adorned in a tuxedo roams the wild and lawless frontier... Armed with a shape-shifting sword and a powerful Armor, Van's sole purpose in life is to find the mysterious clawed man. So, his story begins...

Art - 8/10
The animation, done by Studio AIC, is quite solid and fluid, its nothing very special or unique. It's pretty cookiecutter, if you will. It looks very shiny and very clean throughout.

Sound - 10/10
The soundtrack is just beautiful. The OP is an instrumental piece with a unique animation sequence I haven't seen in anime since sCRYed. I can't really descrive it, but somthing about it is just beautiful. The music is very similar to sCRYed's instrumentals and "moaning" songs, which GUNxSWORD has -- it gives off that mysterious, wierd feeling. The ending songs are plentiful. They change every now and then, but the original ending song is sung by Shuntaro Okino of Last Exile Opening fame. If you liked the Last Exile Opening, you'll like this Ending song.

Character - 9/10
They are pretty much a cookiecutter cast. They do keep it pretty interesting throughout, with revelation after revelation. You'll love some, you'll hate some. My favorite characters were Pricilla, Ray, Fasalina, Michael Garret, Carossa, Melissa and The Claw Man. Best characters of the series to me. That's mostly all of them, so I guess I did like most of them.

Enjoyment - 10/10
The most fun series I've watched this year, easily. It's just a very fun and enjoyable series. Goro Taniguchi of Code Geass fame truly makes a masterpiece -- the overall feeling of the series really gets your blood hot and going. Very andrenline-packed.

Overall, I give GUNxSWORD a 9/10 - it would've been higher if I included spoilers, but I'll let you watch and decide for yourself. Excellent script, excellent directing, cookiecutter cast, solid animation, beautiful music. Everything just clicked.

Ghost Hunt is one of those rare gems that I accidentally stumbled across, and I'm so thankful that I did.

The greatest asset of this series is the characters. Their personalities are rich and engaging, and their memorable interactions with one another is one of the greatest selling points of this series. It is one of the main aspects that makes you want to keep watching episode to episode.

Yes, the storyline is superb, and the arcs are usually kept to 3 to 4 episodes. This keeps the series watchable without frustrating the viewer, waiting for an arc or storyline to end.

This series is not scary at all, but can be quite suspenseful at times. It keeps the "creepiness" to a minimum, but at times, you still find yourself walking around the house to turn on all the lights. It's purpose is not to scare you, but to keep you glued to your screen, which it does beautifully.

For me, the humor in this series is also one of the most enjoyable aspects. There are moments when my family would literally bust out laughing, to the point of cackling. The relationship between Naru-chan and Mai, or Bou-san and Ayako will keep you in stitches.

I cannot recommend this series enough, and I'm attempting to get as many Ghost Hunt converts as I can!

Watch this series!! You will not be disappointed!

I decided to watch the series, because the scriptwriter of Ghost Hound also wrote Serial Experiments: Lain, Texhnolyze and Hellsing, all of which I am quite drawn to (especially SEL). I must say, that this anime is a great job, perfect for a 20th anniversary release.

~ s t o r y ~ 8 / 10 ~
If some of you think: 'Those cute characters and a psychological plot? No way!' I am glad to tell you, that you are wrong. At first, when I saw, that GH is of 22 episodes, I was sure, that it will be verbose and / or tedious (i'm used to 13-episode psychological animes), but I'm glad I tried watching it despite that thoughts. Of course, the plot needs a half of the first episode to take off, but once it does, it doesn't stop (actually, it's going faster and faster to the climax). The anime is a specific type of an illustrated encyclopedia: trauma, mental disorders, possession, out-of-body experiences, mind, brain, afterlife and more - every one of these is shown in a few different points of view, either scientific or spiritual. I gave it an 8, because I just expected something more. The plot is not confusing at all, I mean, there is the puzzle-mode on, but once explained, it becomes perfectly clear. At least some of the aspects...

~ a r t ~ 9 / 10 ~
I love the idea of different angles and showing the action from the characters point of wiew. The landscapes and character projects are quite nice. Some of the ghosts, retrospections or halucinations are drawn really CREEPY. And by creepy I mean, that at night when going to the bathroom you wish not to find anything like that in your room when you come back. They're so random, they give goosebumps. The thing I dislike, is what they did to OBE - but, oh well, it's just an anime, not a science book.

~ s o u n d ~ 9 / 10 ~
Not much of music, but when it's finally playing in the background, it has a feel of GITS's soundtrack. Old japanese music, just without the vocals.
IMO the opening was the worst: it really didn't suit the anime.

~ c h a r a c t e r ~ 1 0 / 1 0 ~
Characters are the metier of Ghost Hound. Nicely designed, with vivid personalities. Everyone will find a bit of himself in some of them.

~ O V E R A L L ~ 9 / 10 ~
Great series with an enjoyable plot, nice art and sound and wonderful, mysterious characters. However, I recommend this anime only for people who like psychological series - others may think of Ghost Hound as a waste of time.

Have fun ^^.

Story (8.3) - The story is about a team of 2 elements called "Get backers". Amano Ginji and Midou Ban are the members..and their job is to recover things that were lost, stolen, etc.. Amano Ginji is also know as thunder emperor, and has the abillity of generating electricity; Midou Ban has the power of the devil eye, wich can make people see dreams .
As the story goes, they meet new people with powers, some friends, others enemies..is in fact very interesting, and i liked it.
Ok, its not the most amazing story i´ve saw, but i really liked it...it has lot of action, a lot of funny moments, and thats fine to spend some time.

Art (8.0) - Art, for an anime with some years already, i think its pretty good. Much better than some ive seen that are more recent..I liked the character design, the graphics are ok, the effects i think are also good. So 8 in this aspect sound nice.

Sound (8.1) - lol, another 8..yep, in my opinion all aspects in this anime are great. Although i didnt like 1 of the op and 1 of the ed, the rest is acceptable and it gives some ambience to the action, really nice.

Character (9.7) - What can i say...i´m a suspect in here..i really liked a lot of characters from this one..Ban, ginji, akabane (my favourite), Shido, kurusu, the protectors, kakei jubei, and some more...but in my opinion i know some things of each character, and they look good..i liked it ..perfect.

Enjoyment (9.8) - Other than a 10 i would be lying...well, at start it didnt catch a lot of my attention, but as i start to proceed i got interested..it reached a point were i was counting the minutes to the time to watch the next episode, and that means in my opinion that it got my full interest, and i really enjoyed the time i spent watching it.

Overall - (9.0) i think ive said everything..for me its a good one to see, you may have a different opinion but i´m happy for the time i spent watching all the 49 episodes.

Genius Party represents 7 short animated films made by various talented anime directors of Japan. Unlike 1 minute long Anikuri, creators had 15-20 minutes this time, to fully express themselves and have an impact on spectators. Each episode is special in their own ways so I'll comment laconic on every of them.

Genius Party – What an amazing way to begin the series! Atsuko Fukushima, also known from makin op/ed of Robot Carnival served her job and made an excellent introduction episode. It's very surreal, full of symbolisms and graphic looks also a lot better than in Robot Carnival.

Shanghai Dragon – Yet again we see Shouji Kawamori from the different side. I really love his sense of humour. I enjoyed watching Project Omega in Anikuri and this parody short isn't an exception either. Yea there are lots of mechas, lots of actions but still the main attention is directed to an useless brat which saves the world. Characters really manage to shine in this 20 minutes.

Deathtic 4 – My least favourite part. There's lack of story, depth and characterization. The only thing that makes Deathtic special is 3D graphic. Shinji Kimura was working on it after all. He has done a marvellous job for Steamboy as well, which is the most expensive animated film in Japanese history.

Doorbell – Very unique. First of all I must say that the Director is Yoji Fukuyama , who isn't famous with anime at all. The atmosphere is really intense whole 15 minutes long. The design isn't as strong as the story, though I mostly enjoyed it. Anyway Doorbell is another interesting version of developing Paranoia.

Limit Cycle – Philosophy is always the strongest point of anime, that's why Limit Cycle is one of the best episode. 20 minute of monologue about life, death, religion and etc. But what mostly surprised me was the name of the Director: Hideki Futamura. In most of animes where he took part in, Hideki had a secondary role. So this was his time to shine and he definitely managed to show us his talent.

Happy Machine – Another Surreal addition to Genius Party from Masaaki Yuasa.Yea, he's the one I was looking forward to most and I must admit that Happy Machine didn't disappoint me at all and remains as my favourite short. I also understand that 15-20 minute isn't enough for a build-up + satisfying result + big impact but that's what directors should resolve and Masaaki Yuasa did stand out.

Baby Blue – Baby Blue is another high-school romance with some action elements in it. What also made it outstanding was the characters and sweet soundtrack. In a nutshell Baby Blue is a worthy appendage to Genius Party collection.

So Genius Party is a great chance to get know to some remarkable Directors and their talents. I am sure everyone will find their favourite ones. As for me I think strongest ones were definitely Happy Machine and Limit Cycle. The only thing I was a bit disappointed with was the romance shorts. Anikuri within 1 minute had much more to offer. I mean the episode from Akemi Hayashi (Gainax) exceeded my expectations. Overall the shorts itself are creative, neat and although they do vary somewhat in quality, there is so much to see in such little time that it is more than worth it.

As I'm sure almost everyone knows by now, this series is not for the faint of heart. It has buckets of Gore, a healthy dosage of nudity and a nice sprinkling of profanity to go along with it.

That being said, Gantz really does have a message underneath it's grisly facade, this is actually a much more philosophical anime then people think, most might compare it to Elfen Lied, do not be fooled. I found Elfen Lied to be way over-the-top in content but I felt that they did way to many scenes just for the hell of it. Gantz itself however manages to ensure that it keeps a message to go with the violence, when I was watching this show It seemed at many times to talk about why violence itself is generally unnecessary (I.E. Kato's initial feelings regarding the Green Onion Alien and especially the last episode arc which features a pacifist bookstore owner who in my opinion makes some fantastic points about violence)

All in all Gantz is worth checking out, The Message is very different then what the content shows you

*Powerful opening episode plus a strong ending makes Ga-Rei Zero a definite must see for action fans.*

“Will you kill someone you love because of love?”

Those who have already seen Ga-Rei Zero (GRZ) are probably sick of reading the quote above, but it is nonetheless an effective quote to advertise for GRZ. I still remember what initially caught my interest in GRZ, it was the amazing trailer. Boy, how misleading it was …

Don’t get me wrong, Ga-Rei Zero is quite fabulous indeed. The synopsis may sound generic, but the technique used to present the story that will eventually lead into Ga-Rei (manga) is what makes this gem a success in this recessional era. The excitement level of GRZ can be described by a simple parabolic function (think of the letter “U”), though the initial point stands out a lot more than the ending. This is analogous to say you drop a ball from great height and watch it fall down and slowly climb back up. But no matter how hard it tries, in the end it cannot go back to the initial height.

The plot of GRZ is extremely well thought out and well executed to say the least. Given the length of the series it is a very enthralling little show. Demon hunting may be the first thing come to mind after reading the simple summary of the anime. But what lies beneath that outer layer is the fragile little thing known as friendship and what happens to it when that treasure betrays oneself; that is the true moral of the story. Please keep in mind that GRZ is simply the prequel to the actual story in Ga-Rei (manga) thus you may find some unsatisfactory conclusion with regards to certain people or certain things.

Giant CG rolling dinosaurs on fire seem unnecessary but they served their purpose. The way some of the dramatic scenes were animated could have used a little more work. For instance it is possible to create a more nauseating scene by using a more unique camera angle/position rather than attempting to semi censor the scene with dull lifeless angles. On a more positive note, the animation quality is pretty consistent throughout the series and the characters themselves look great, especially when compared to the drawings in the manga. The battle animations are perhaps the most notable positive feature to the show. Fluid dynamic animation plus smooth scene to scene transitions also helped make GRZ one of the better animated shows of the season. It is evident that a lot of effort has been put into the show by the animation crew, even the backgrounds in each scene is very detailed.

As should be expected from an action oriented anime, the music is very outstanding. From the OP to battle BGM to ED, they all suit their theme well. The OP was nominated by fans as one of the top ten 2008 anime OP. Voicing-wise, Minori Chinhara was great playing as Kagura, and the unrecognizable voice change for the OP just makes it all the better. While there are not many superstar level seiyu (ie. award winners), it seems all characters received a suitable voice for themselves thus you will unlikely to have to clean your ears after watching each episode.

Unlike most single season anime, GRZ is not one where you should marathon through in a day. It is as if Ei Aoki (director of GRZ) just had an uncontrollable diarrhea. He literally dumps all the nasty stuff at you right from the start. You are bound to be confused after the first two episodes. Take it easy, we have all been through that stage. It will be tempting to keep on watching, but take my advice if you want to retain some sanity; stop there and think about what happened so far as things will go downhill from here.

If you don’t quite enjoy watching flying limbs or spurting blood, I suggest you stick to the TV release as they censored the “ugly” stuff in most cases. I also don’t recommend fans of Natsuki Kuga from Mai-HiME (or Natsuki Kruger in Mai Otome) to watch this as there is a certain someone here by the name of Natsuki Kasuga who also happens to be a motorbike chick with strong connection to dual wielding pistols. Though the difference here is how minor a role she plays and the cruel fate that awaits her.

One thing that I didn’t enjoy about GRZ is the sudden appearance of cheesy RPG-like weapons after episode one. Bullet shooting suitcase? Metal drill knuckle? Outrageous combat wheelchair? None of that were in the trailer! And none of those were anywhere near as exciting as the hot motorbike or the dual pistols. Now that I think about it, I feel like I got trolled by the trailer. Anyway, aside from the opening episode I wouldn’t call GRZ particular “groundbreaking”, but it is unquestionably one of the best (if not THE best) action anime for the fall season of 2008

I’m going to have to diverge my opinion from the consensus here. Though I had been a long time fan of the series, the movie was a dull, disconnected effort to recapture the quality of the former.

Story 7/10
This is where things fall apart. The general premise of the story was high quality yet the execution in relation to its source material was poor, largely because the end of the series left so many plot threads to be explained. Unfortunately, the movie spends less time attempting to address these numerous plot threads and more time creating larger questions of its own. This is fine by itself but Shambhala is inherently a continuation of the series rather than a stand-alone piece. It begins with an unanswered series of questions, brings forth a new series of questions, and in the end, doesn’t conclude in answering any of them.

Art 9/10
Beautiful and fluid as always: even more so since this is a feature length film.

Sound 8/10
Far above average. The film is lacking in truly memorable pieces in the vain of its predecessor series (Brothers, Heavenly Spirit) but it manages to capture the viewer into the world it creates. It melds well into the background and there’s little to be said otherwise. A notable exception is the movie opening, Link, which easily ranks among the best of the franchise.

Character 7/10
And this is where the story comments arrive into effect. The returning characters are handled well; the newcomers on the other hand fall victim to the films limited length. So much time is spent on the original characters that Noah and Dietlinde appear as cardboard cutouts. The villain becomes prominent towards the second half, acts in the stereotypically evil manner, espouses a tacked on, clichéd motivation for its actions, and proceeds to be literally dehumanized thereafter. Other new characters are treated in a similar manner with two sentence reasons for what motivates them.

Enjoyment 8/10
Interesting enough. If you take it as a continuation of the series, it often fails to reach a conclusion for plot threads espoused within it, while if you view it as a stand-alone work it still has some glaring problems in the character department. Still, its imaginations should manage to capture any viewer’s attention and many of its other qualities are top notch.

Conclusion 7.5/10
The overall presentation was gorgeous but the story and character flaws were often to glaring to ignore. An above average score but not that of a masterpiece.

Fullmetal Alchemist is often considered an essential viewing for any anime fan and a stepping-stone for many newcomers to the world of anime. It's received universal acclaim and if you were to ask any anime fan about Fullmetal Alchemist, chances are, he/she probably has some knowledge of this series.

*Review may contain minor spoilers, may hint at things, and will not be reviewed as an adaptation of the manga and how it compares, but as a standalone anime*

Story: 9/10

The basic basic synopsis of the story is about "The Fullmetal Alchemist" Edward Elric, and his brother, Alphonse Elric, and their quest of searching for the Philosopher's Stone in order to bring back what they've lost and fix a mistake made in the past.

From the synopsis that you might read on the back of a DVD cover or so, an anime about a quest and a siblings' search for a treasure sounds something light and fun, but in actuality, the story of Fullmetal is very dark. Right from the beginning, we're introduced to a gruesome nightmarish scene depicting what would be the major mistake Ed and Al make with Ed screaming in horror; it's almost as if the director wanted to point out "This isn't going to be some happy nakama anime about fighting, this is a dark anime about redemption, tragedy and the story of two brothers who will do whatever it takes to fix the mistake they've made." The story knows where its going and there's a good sense of direction, though the series does lose a bit of focus as it reaches its end, it still manages to finish strongly with what I think to be one of the most creative and nicely done anime-exclusive endings to an adaptation of an on-going manga. They could have just dumped it like Inuyasha, but they didn't, and actually formulated their own anime ending, which I think is commendable.

Art and Animation: 8/10

The character design is simplistic and kind of quirky, but decent. Character designs vary enough that you can clearly differentiate who is who and most of them have their own sense of individuality versus 'slap a different hairstyle on the same model' designs (ex. Gundam Seed). And having one of the main characters as a walking suit of armor is definitely a unique idea and the Homunculi are just great antagonists, design-wise.

The animation quality for the series is top-notch. The colors are vivid and characters are detailed with no shortcut taken in the animation and the fights are fluidly animated. Unless you pay extra attention, shortcomings in animation is something you won't find in this series.

Sound: 10/10

The music fits so well in conveying the emotion and feelings of the characters and scenes, and invoking the atmosphere and sense of wonder in Fullmetal, its music is what ultimately captures the spirit of the show, and brings the world of Fullmetal to life. With pieces like "Brother" "Homunculus" and "Dante", Fullmetal easily has one of the best OST's I've heard in any anime series.

Character: 8/10

For such a large cast, Fullmetal manages to characterize most of the characters to a decent extent. But the most well-developed characters are without a doubt Edward and Alphonse, and their selfless brotherly relationship. What I see Ed as, is the Shounen archetype ( Loudmouthed, hot-headed, and proud), but done right, and with more depth than any of his counterparts. Despite his quirks, and his stereotypical Shounen characteristics (Acting arrogant? Check. Hot-blooded personality? Check. Childhood romantic interest? Check.), Ed has proven to be an extremely mature character, with the resolve to do whatever it takes to protect his brother.

Besides Ed and Al, Mustang also has a very well-written background to his character and shows that, in actuality, his arrogant personality is just a facade to cover-up for his doubt in what he did in his past.

Now the main quirk I have with the cast of Fullmetal is the lack of development for the antagonists. They're such a colorful cast of characters, and yet we know little or nothing about them. Yes, we have Scar, who's pretty well characterized, but what about Lust? Greed? And Gluttony? They may be artificial beings but they should have their own history and character right? The series only manages to touch on those characters and give us a small taste of the stories of the Homunculi.

Aside from that, overall, the "good" side of the cast is pretty well-developed while the Homunculi are developed to only the minimal extent. Which is passable considering this was an adaptation of the manga when it was still in its early stages. And while I do commend the anime team that worked on Fullmetal to cook up its own original villain, I find her to be extremely uninspired, incompetent, generic and just a poorly done villain in general.

Enjoyment: 9/10

Not much to say besides the fact that Fullmetal is very enjoyable, it's one of those series that keeps your eyes glued to the screen from the start and manages to keeps you entertained through the whole ride with its revelations and twists, and ends leaving you speechless.

Overall: 9/10

Is Fullmetal Alchemist an essential viewing for every anime fan in the whole wide world? No. But is it a good stepping-stone for newcomers, or just a very enjoyable anime for anyone who wants a good equilibrium between great action and a well-written story? I say hell yes. For such a critically-acclaimed anime, it isn't anything that's overly groundbreaking nor does it escape the clutches of standard Shounen cliches. But for what it is, it's a bloody well done anime.


Too long didn't read version:

Story (A) : Well-crafted, intriguing, original and overall, very enjoyable and intelligent.

Art and Animation ( B+) : Good character designs, fantastic animation. Homunculi are interestingly designed.

Sound (A+) : Wonderful soundtrack, conveys the mood and scenery perfectly.

Character (B) : Military cast is developed nicely, Homunculi gets the short end of the stick and the main villain is disappointing.

Overall (A) : An enjoyable anime that has a colorful cast, fantastic story and great music. Would recommend.

Cheers.

STORY
8/10
Basically, Sargeant Sagara Sousuke, from the anti-terrorism organization Mithril, goes undercover to protect Chidori Kaname, a girl who holds the key to "Black Technology" and is targeted by a terrorist and mastermind criminal. The twist is that Sousuke is socially retarded and he enjoys using his military knowledge in everyday life which causes all kinds of problems and hilarious situations. This definitely was not one of the more believable shows I’ve encountered. How could one of the world’s most feared and professional military units have a 16 year old commander who tolerates abuse from her peers and subordinates? If you can get past this (I did), the storyline was pretty good.

ANIMATION
7/10
As expected from GONZO, the animation was good. The character and mecha designs weren’t the most original I’ve encountered. One good point worth mentioning was the contrasting choices of colors. The battle/war scenes were expectedly dark and brooding, whilst the naïve and cheerful school environment was vibrantly bright. It was very nice and clean, and very colorful with the variety of characters' hair colors.The unimpressove cg for the submarine was the only thing that bothered me though. Most of the animation was pretty good, but it didn't really leave a big impression on me.

MUSIC
8/10
The OP and ED were extremely pleasant songs. The ED was especially serene. Even though I didn’t listen to it in full after all 24 episodes, it definitely was near to that. The voice actors also really fit their characters. From the emotional Chidori to serious Sousuke.

CHARACTERS
9/10
This is the forte of FMP. Each and every character is distinct and very likeable. It would be hard not to find a character in this show that you would not like. Also, the chemistry between Chidori and Sousuke really drives the plot forward. My favorite characters have to be Chidori, Sousuke and Testarossa. Chidori looks like an angel but can be a tough opponent the next moment. Enter Sousuke the professional teenage soldier who has no clue how to live as a normal student. Hence he keeps seeing a terrorist in almost every person, leading him to save her many times from things harmless. It was a joy to watch their relationship develop. I can't quite put my finger on why I like Testarossa but her being there added something to both Chidori and Sousuke characters that would otherwise be missing. She is also a solid character by herself, caring for her crew and trying to do the right thing but she is clumsy to the core and I suspect a hopeless romantic.

ENJOYMENT
9/10
Great series and theres still more! Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid still awaits and it has a bundle of surprises just like this series. I couldn't stop watching this series even if my arms were cut off. Pretty grotesque but thats how fun this anime was. I loved the bipolar nature of this series. One episode a light-hearted high school comedy, the next a serious action adventure.

I would recommend this without any hesitation. A fun, enjoyable and entertaining watch.

The most prominent precursor to the ever popular Naruto, Flame of Recca is essentially, Dragon Ball, Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, and Kaze no Stigma all rolled into one package. Of course, in terms of originality, it deserves a high commendation, but that's about all the praise I can muster for this series.

The story is lethargic. It follows a very formulaic approach. The main protagonist, Recca goes through a sequence of ordeals to realize his true strength and then manages to win over enemies with his never say die attitude. Banal. Seen that a million times. But that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable.

The animation is fair, to be honest, I feel that the studio started pumping more money into Yu Yu Hakusho (which was being released at the same time), and the later episodes suffer from a marked decline in quality.

The sound is nothing spectacular, nothing memorable.

The characters are moderately well designed, but again follow cliched "five-guy-superhero-team" stereotypes. There are, of course, some deliciously sinister villains, some with more character than our 2-D heroes. But the anime doesn't really explore them.

I really can't give this a high grade. In it's time, yes it was a classic, and sparked of future work such as Naruto, but now it's a dated and overused concept and there are many more worthwhile series out there.

However, I highly recommend the manga. The anime only follows upto volume 16 of the manga series and by itself leaves many questions unanswered. The manga is complete and reflects the true worth of the series

I quite enjoyed this series. For anyone that knows me, I am usually very brutal in Reviewing anime and very specific when I praise an anime. This one rightfully deserves praise.

Story: 9
The story somewhat reminds me of .hack//SIGN because it can get confusing if you don't pay close attention and if you don't do your research. The plot in the beginning is very basic... that goes through the first couple of episodes... then you arrive to a rival: Rider. From then on, the plot gets more and more interesting, and it makes it so that you want to keep on watching. I know I was hitting myself near the last couple of certain people... I will not go on much more about that because then it would ruin the ending... speaking of which... the ending reminded me of Chrno Crusade to a point. The ending that is sort of foreshadowed does come to pass. I'm not sure if I liked or disliked the ending at this point in time. What I do recommend is re-watch the anime from beginning to end after you've gone on Wikipedia to learn more about the characters. It makes a lot of things much clearer.

Art: 8
I liked the art and the character design very much. Some of the fighting scenes, however, did not apease me very much (Archer vs. Beserker for example). Besides some of the fighting scenes, it was pretty enjoyable... and I wish the artists would have stayed with one eye style per character...

Sound: 8
The sound quality was very good. It also pleased me that the English (Dubbed) version did not change any of the background music. I enjoyed the Opennings very much, especially the second one. I did not like the first or last endings. However, I did enjoy the end song of the episode Archer vs. Beserker.

Character: Perfect 10
I really enjoyed the Character Development and the characters overall. They acted like real people, and they had those human quirks that you see in real people. Even though some characters are overexaggerated, Taiga for example, they make the anime more interesting. I especially enjoyed how some of the characters actually grew... if anyone knows what I mean. I see no overshowing flaws in the characters.

Enjoyment: Perfect 10
I truly enjoyed this anime. It was suspenceful with a lot of action while at times is was light and comical. I am in the process of re-watching the later episodes so I understand everything clearly, but I have no problem in doing so.

Overall: 9
There are few flaws that I saw, and I definitely recommend this anime to anyone who is willing to watch it.

Elfen Lied is something else. Just watching the first 10 minutes of the first episode and one can understand that this is not your typical anime. A series modeled, in many ways, after the tragedies of Shakespeare and Ancient Greece, Elfen Lied is not something that you want to enjoy a sunny day with. The seemingly grotuetist violence and nudity may put some people off of this series, but I have to say that the story would not have the same impact without it.

Story: 10 - Elfen Lied boasts one of the most intense and intriguing plot lines that I have ever experienced in anime. It must be known that the central themes to Elfen Lied are hate, anger, and inhumanity. Every darkness of the human soul is represented in this 13 episode series.

Animation: 8 - Not much to say here. The animation is very good, but nothing really stands out. I do really like the opening that shows a style adapted from the famous Austrian painter Gustav Klimt

Sound: 10 - The music really sets the tone for the series. I love the opening song "Lilium" by Kumiko Noma.

Character: 9 - Elfen Lied has the best in depth characters i've seen since Neon Genesis Evangelion. The characters are real, with both light and darkness in their souls. Unlike most anime, the distinction between good and evil is not so clear. Can Lucy/Nyu be considered a good character when she has the capacity to harm so many?

Enjoyment: 10 - This rating is the most subjective of all. I enjoyed the series, especially because I enjoy both dark and lighter anime series.

Overall: 10 - You just can't find many anime series that took the risk that Elfen Lied did. Sure you can watch Tenchi, Love Hina, or even Ranma 1/2 and get the same decently good anime over and over again. Elfen Lied, is something that just doesn't come around that often.

Many already said about its cyberpunk elements and such.

I will say that in regards of Science Fiction, plot development, execution and characterization, this anime is a True Masterpiece!

The very concept of why it all happened in the planet is a true concern some scientists have, about the methane hydrate layer and the possible consequences if it went volatile. Many power and fuel industries have already shown interest in extrating and using it to produce energy, as the tihng is really powerful...but one of its characteristics is its volaticity, and if by mistake a chain reaction was iniitated and the existing layer went into combustion...the life on the planet would be decimated. Take a look about what exist about the matter. It is intersting.

Well, thus it is based on solid science extrapolation. Then the story goes with really intellingent plot developments without loosing to pure psychological drama, as there is enough action woven in the series to satisfy any action lover without loosing the story to those action-oriented, boring plots.

It is intelligent and every episode lays another hit as to what is really happening...and in the end you finally discover everything, being presented to a really surprising truth, and a turn of events that is both pleasing and really surprising.

The nature of the Proxys is really explained, so the story is not left without a closure...but at the same time it ends in a cliffhanger, actually yelling that a sequel may be produced one day, though if that does not happen, the end is closure enough to the present story, leaving the rest for the imagination of the ones watching the series.

The whole concept was magistrally layered and the whole truth is only fully disclosed in the last episode, making the series grip you until the last minute, until the last, thrilling image, where in the last panel we have the realization that the end was possibly far from happening to that story.

About art, needless to say, it is beautiful and well done, imparting an air of dreamlike reality to the characters, which is true given the truth behind the planet and everything happening there.


Fantastic Science Fiction, artfully executed!

I just hope they really go for a sequel on this, as we surelly know after the last image we see that things were not resolved with the truth revealed, but it was just beginning, especially remembering what Vincent saw when he first left Rondeau...

Remember...there was a child there...son of an exiled...and that implied something crucial to the whole story and that was not there without a reason...

Masterpiece from beginning to the end

Elemental Gelade (also known as Erementar Gerad) is an anime about Coud Van Guiret and his journey from being a simple apprentice sky pirate one who is responsible for the outcome of the entire world. In this world, Edel Raids are special people that react to humans to give humans tremendous powers for fighting and other means. Of course, there are people who want to use these Edel Raids for an evil purpose, and then there are those who want to unlock the deeper, more mysterious power, of these Edel Raids.

Without going too much into the story, you can already imagine, or simply take a guess from what it could be from the background information I presented. The plot is by-and-large fairly predictable and offers very few plot twists. And even those few plot twists can be seen coming for a few episodes. However, the over-used story of a pre-teenager kid saving the world using special powers always has some kind of mysterious charm, and that is what prevents the plot from being unwatchable. It's a fairly decent story.

The art is drawn well. The main characters all have some kind of uniqueness to them by their appearance. However, the non-main characters all pretty much are drawn with the least amount of detail to make them different.

The soundtrack is done by Yuki Kaijura, so you know that the score is going to be at the very least, exceptional, and that is no different with Elemental Gelade. There are many tracks in which you'll want to download for your private collection or find yourself humming along with the show.

The characters themselves are also somewhat predictable. After watching Coud for the first 5 minutes, you'll get a feel of what kind of person he is and after those first 5 minutes, you won't see anything different. The only character I found to be pretty much unpredictable was Cisqua, and that's because half the time you'll probably be laughing at her antics, too busy to predict what she's going to do. She is a very enjoyable character and makes the series much more enjoyable to watch.

In the end, if you're looking for something unique, different, thought-provoking, or something of the sort, the plot and characters to Elemental Gelade will provide you with none of that. However, with the formula that the series has stuck with, it is still generally enjoyable and will have you rooting for Coud and Reverie (Ren). Also, watching the romance blossom between them is also something that is interesting too.

“Don't ask for it; go win it on your own. Do that and you'll succeed” - Adrock Thurston

This is my second time going through “Eureka Seven” so I decided to write a review for it. The first time I watched this series, I saw it dubbed on adult swim. I really enjoyed it! The English casting seemed great and I would spend Sundays just laying on the couch watching a whole lot of episodes I built up on the DVR. The second time through I went for the subbed version. Right now at this point, I liked the subbed version better. I do not remember much from the dubbed version.

Story: Renton Thurston is a 14-year-old boy who lived with his mechanic grandfather in a backwater town. Every day he dreamed of being with the mercenary "Light Finding Operation (LFO)" aircraft pilot group "Gekkostate" and riding "Trapar" particle waves-- a sport called "reffing"-- with their charismatic leader Holland, especially when faced with his father's acclaimed past or his grandfather's desire to protect him. When a young girl named Eureka riding the original LFO, the "Nirvash typeZERO", asks his grandfather for a tune-up, she inadvertently brings the attention of the military to the garage; as a result, the garage is destroyed and Renton is forced to deliver a new type of interface-- the "Amita Drive"-- to the Nirvash. After a heated fight in which the Nirvash destroys the military LFOs by unleashing an immense amount of power, Renton is invited into Gekkostate. However, he quickly realizes that behind the facade of a traveling group of mercenaries is a very bitter reality.

I personally loved the story it had a lot of moments where it kept me up until 2 in the morning because I couldn't stop watching it. So I give it a 10/10

Art:nothing bad i saw

Sound: This was probably my favorite part of the series. The soundtrack was really epic. There were many times when something epic would happen and there would be a awesome moment where to music match perfectly and would give you chills down your arm. The openings we're great too, I loved each one of them. But there was one that stood above them all: opening 4 “Sakura”. This epic ending song made the ending even more epic. It felt so well with the overall theme of the ending. I will made sure to but this one on of my mixes. 10/10

Character: This was another awesome thing about the series. There was so much character development. The Renton and Eureka you meet in episode one evolve and change that you wouldnt even believe it if you were told about episode 50. At first I thought Renton was incredibly childish and I got angry at him a lot. But, near the end he became really awesome :) The same goes with Holland, he was a jerk at first but then he became awesome. 10/10

Enjoyment: 9/10 This is one series I'll be keeping on my hard drive to watch again. It really intrigued me. It makes me with that you could Ref in real life. Wouldn't that just be awesome? Hopefully technology will make that possible one day!

Overall: 9/10 This was a really good series and recommend it to anyone. It has action, romance and epic moments. At first it will be hard to get into then once you get to know the characters and watch them evolve this series will becomes a masterpiece.

“When you think of music or movies, instead of remembering what they are about you're more likely to be reminded of the memories you have of that time and the people you knew then.” - Stoner (Eureka Seven)

Basically, Devil May Cry is about a half demon half human who takes on a job as a Demon Hunter. If you love shiny guns, motorcycles, blood and shiny swords, this may be the anime for you.

Story: (6/10)
The story isn't really bad. It has the right materials which are pretty substantial. In other words, the background of the story was great! It's very interesting; European setting, demons, Demon Hunter and so on. But then, the materials weren't used properly. So the story flow became really dull. The story development wasn't really visible. It was only until the 11th episode that the climax was drawn. And as soon as you're finally enjoying the climax, you suddenly get lost because the series has already ended. Personally, I think that the series was simply too rushed. I believe this would have been a better series if the story was more developed.

Art: (9/10)
The drawings are good. The proportions are great. But what I love most about this anime are the shiny guns, Dante's sword, some motorcycle scenes and the bloody scenes. Graphics' really good. The art complemented with the story and the atmosphere it was trying to give off.

Sound: (5/10)
Sorry to say, I did not notice the sound at all. I only heard the gunshots and the dubs. Maybe it was part of the main idea of the story. But I think that more sounds would help define the atmosphere. That aside, I did NOT enjoy the OP and ED at all.

Character: (6/10)
The characters are interesting, but they were not developed well. The same comment as the story. They good materials but were not used well. For one thing, Dante's father and mother could have been given some light, but they weren't.The other two female characters, Lady and the girl that could use thunder could have also been given some emphasis. Simply put, there were not enough interesting flashbacks for the viewers to sympathize are empathize with.

Enjoyment: (8/10)
Well, it was funny and action packed. Again, you'll really enjoy this if you love guns and blood.

Overall: (7/10)
Though the story and characters were underdeveloped, the anime's decently enjoyable.

It’s about a reserved young lad, Negishi, moving to the city of debauchery that is Tokyo and fronting a death metal band, as Krauser II, even though he would rather be at home drinking green tea and listening to laid back indie pop.

It’s tear-inducingly hilarious.

DMC's humour is similar to Cromartie High School in its lunacy, albeit more traditional in narrative-stakes, and it’s also more unrelenting and risqué with its filthy potty mouth and explicit scenarios usually involving casual public simulated rape. Rape isn’t funny, but when it involves a young man dressed like an 80's prog rock gone wrong band member who looks a bit like a tranny furiously thrusting his groin against a piece of government property in order to placate his maniacal fans, well, it’s pretty damn funny then.

DMC's cast of deranged characters, animated by the ever-brilliant Studio 4c, liven up every scene they're in, thanks to each episode's short length. There are no typical anime-style long pans or random shots of furniture or scenery wasting our time. Instead we get scenes crammed with Negishi getting mistreated, usually by DMC's violently blunt dominatrix manager, although if we're extra lucky we'll also get a scene where DMC drummer Nishida opens his mouth, or the DMC S&M mascot Pig of Capitalism frolics on stage.

One of the masterstrokes of this show, perhaps the main stroke of genius and source of such mirth, is the voice acting. Particularly the pacing. The dialogue is sublime in its breezy and hushed volume; actors regularly speak in normal conversational tones, and cut each other off with off-the-cuff remarks about nonsensical things and then scenes cut away immediately without giving anyone time to breath. The ultimate affect is hilarity, as you might see in Brit comedy skit shows and such.

Detroit Metal City's secret weapon are the maniacal fans mentioned earlier. Their commentary on the main band's hijinks are comedy gold, their crazy antics all in the name of their beloved musical heroes creates most of the show's best scenes, although having said that we shouldn’t ignore the main frontman of DMC himself, whether its Negishi or Krauser we're watching, his two identities continually spiral further and further into increasingly awkward and humiliating situations, that usually involve simulated rape and assault.

If any criticism could be thrown at DMC, it would be that the show doesn’t seriously explore the concept of losing your sense of identity when you're fronting such a ridiculous band, but then any focus on such an admittedly good topic as that would have robbed the show of precious laughs and scenes of humiliating sexual harrasment so in the end comedy wins over gravitas.

I will say this first: there are very few series that have wrung out such a wide array of emotions from me in such a way that Dennou Coil did. One of my friends even said I was cold-hearted for the way in which I didn't cry at anything she cried over. Still, Dennou Coil has made me laugh, cry, and feel downright freaked out (as in, scared, not "OMG THIS IS AMAZING" freaking out, though I do think this anime is quite amazing).

I will admit that the first half of the series is a bit ridiculous and feels very episodic. It's more of a "slice of life" anime than anything else, but I still got the sense that there was something much deeper under the surface - and I was right! Don't get me wrong, though. The first half of the series is still enjoyable, but it just doesn't feel deep enough to really draw you in or to feel unique, as if you've stumbled on a rare jewel of an anime. Still, once you get into the main plot, it's hard to get away from. The tension skyrockets and our young heroes (and antagonists?) get pulled into something they never fully expected. Even in the end, the true nature of the cyberworld and the Illegals is never 100% explained, and some interpretation is left up to the viewer as much as it is to the characters themselves.

While the show seems to be directed towards kids (especially given the ages of the characters), I found that the real storyline is actually very mature. After I finished the final episode, I had to sit and think about it for a while. There is such a mixture of themes here, including love, the complexity of friendship, the difficulty of relating to another's feelings, dealing with death and loss (ranging from the loss of a dear friend or family member to a cyber pet), the consequences of being too greedy, and chasing after your dreams and never looking away from your goal, even if the goal is ridiculous. Not all of these are very obvious, but it's all presented quite realistically and it's all there for you to think about should you want to.

For the technical stuff...
The art was in general very well done, if a bit simplistic in style. It almost reminds me of Miyazaki's art style. However, it does the trick well enough. The computer graphics are superb in creating the cyberspaces and all the technological stuff. As for sound, the ED "Sora no Kakera" has a special place in my heart - I absolutely love it. The OP is good, too, but a little lacking. The animation sequences for both of these, however, are great, especially watching Densuke walk across various scenery (and then fall at one point!) in the ED was unexpectedly charming. There is also one track featuring a violin that caught my ear and it brings about a really tense atmosphere quite nicely. The other tracks sort of faded into the background and I didn't notice them too much, which probably means they were neither good or bad.

Overall, I definitely recommend Dennou Coil. Give it a shot and get through the first half of the series, though don't skip them! They contain important tidbits of information (for example, the legend of Michiko-san/Miss Michiko) and the episodes after would be confusing without them.

Death Note is definitely one of the best anime series of all time, for it presents a deeply unique and compelling story rivaled by few. I can truly say it is one of the best, if not the best anime I've watched.

Story: The story is unique. A notebook falls from the sky, and the human who writes a name in it is capable of killing the individual pictured in his mind (I left out the details that you don't care about). This presents the viewers with a highly debatable theme based on morals and justice. Yagami Light, who obtains this power to kill, utilizes it in hopes of creating a utopia in which he is god. Criminals, and only criminals, are to be punished in hopes of a perfect society. Is this however, right? Is it right to kill individuals who have done wrong, and will do wrong again? Can they be reformed? Death Note presents the viewers with questions such as these, questions which cannot be easily answers. This series challenges the viewers morals and for that, it deserves highly.

But this debatable topic isn't the series strong point. Death Note gets a 10 in the story department, because of the way the plot unravels. With great and power and ambition, Yagami Light is forced to play a chair gripping game of cat and mouse with those who seek to detain him. The way L attempts to persecute Light is something I have never witnessed in an anime. The first 15 episodes will magically draw you closer and closer to the scene as suspense hangs over their individual methods for identifying the other. You will not be disappointed.

The flaws begin once it is apparent that there will be a second arc. This to me, seemed like an unnecessary way of drawing out the anime, although arguably a change in situation was required to break the dead lock between Light and L. Anyhow, the series being to lose some of its luster at this point, and if I were to rate both arcs separately, the first would receive a 15/10 and the second a 9/10. Anyhow, this intelligent story deserves an overall 10/10 in my books.

Characters: Light and L are the most interesting and intellectual characters I've ever seen in an anime. Although both are geniuses, they each possesses that certain something that will make you root for one of them to win the game. Light's charismatic, yet extremely demented character gives you reason to watch his conquests and failures. L's quirky, yet highly intelligent qualities does the same for him. They are both unique and likable in their own ways. Character development is also seen, particularly with Light as you witness his calm, calculating figure being to crack into a maddening and reckless mess. Obsessed and overtaken by his dream of conquest with the Death Note, he changes greatly from the beginning of the series. This change can be seen in various other characters as well, although not as notable. Anyhow, the characters are definitely interesting enough to give this a: 9/10

Sound: Yet another brilliant aspect of Death Note. I truly believe that if not for the soundtrack, the anime would not be where it is. All of those quick decisive moments with lives on the line are made intense, and the calm calculating ones even more so as the characters attempt to read each other. The opera, holy-like music also adds greatly to Light's character and goal of becoming God in his new world. The only flaw here resides in the second opening which at first, may seem disgusting to you. But as you continue to watch the series you will notice just how well it fits Light's demented mind and how everything he has achieved beings to shatter around his feet. 9.5/10 (rounded to 10)

Art/Animation: And again, amazingly done. The dark colors suit the anime perfectly, and the characters and scenery are all done amazingly well. I mean, the anime made writing with a pen look cool. The way they made it zoom across that piece of paper ... In terms of animation, the pen wins. It truly does. But seriously, there isn't much action going on here, so there wasn't much to animate. Most of the scenes consisted of the characters talking or thinking, but the scenes there were filled with action (car chase and such) was done very well. A 10/10

Overall: I was watching the series since it first started coming out, and those weeks of waiting killed me. That was how good this anime was. The suspense was amazing, and it got me thinking. Anyone who finishes this anime will be forced to wonder about what they would have done with a Death Note. Many of them will question and argue about the actions of Light. It is this talkable and complexity that makes the anime shine, in addition to its ability to carve suspense and anticipation into its viewers. I have never seen an anime as good as Death Note, and I highly recommend this anime to be watched. You may hate it (although very few seem to), but it is definitely an anime you must TRY. 10/10

Ah, the age old question; what to do when certain people suddenly begin manifesting mysterious superpowers. Darker than BLACK responds with a classic solution found in series ranging from Witch Hunter Robin to X-Men: Form secret organizations to monitor and control these people. However, despite the similar theme, this show is anything but derivative.

In the beginning of the series, the premise of the show is somewhat vague as little is known about where the powers of the contractors come from, or how they are related to the gates. As the series progresses more information is inevitably revealed, creating good plot exposition and allowing the story to move at a decent pace and keep each episode interesting. Where this series really shines however, is the characters.

Hei is portrayed brilliantly, having a rather comicbook superhero-like persona but adding a unique spin to it. His motives are not initially apparent, nor is his true relationship with the syndicate to which he belongs. Also, while contractors are known to be emotionless and purely rational, Hei somehow manages to retain his humanity, an anomaly which many of his acquaintances and opponents comment on. The true reason for this, as well as the origin of his powers remains hidden until the end of the series.

The other members of Hei's organization are similarly well portrayed, each being represented uniquely and interestingly. Huang, Yin, and Mao each have a well written back-story that is both engaging and important to the overall plot. The other characters in the story are outstanding as well, especially the antagonists. Despite the fact that the contractors are supposed to be unemotional, each character still manages to have a unique personality which often even enhanced by this fact.

If there is one weakness in this series, it is the ending, which is unfortunately rather inconclusive. I'm kind of hoping for a sequel, but this may be difficult for reasons that would be hard to disclose without revealing spoilers. The ending also has a "suddenly everything got weird" part to it that seems common in final episodes of supernatural anime, but at least it makes a lot more sense than many I've seen. If you like shows about people with supernatural powers, I think you should definitely watch this series.

On the surface, D. Gray-Man sounds like just another shonen anime with an organization of good guys with special weapons fighting evil monsters. Yeah, that's the base of it, but DGM turns into something more, something deeper than many other shonen anime series. In fact, I feel that it sneaks around seinen territory.

While the setting is standard shonen all the way, you'll find yourself surprised when watching this show. It starts off a bit slow, with many fights, small arcs (~1-4 episodes) and nothing special to it. However, it quickly picks up, and some way into season 2 or 3, DGM starts to show its qualities. The story soon blends in action, emotions and last but not least, realistic power-ups. The story is overall more deep and serious than most shonen anime, and builds up and only gets better towards the end, where it meets it demise with an unfortunate canceling, which, together with its slow start, may ruin the experience of the show for many.

The characters are without a doubt the strongest point of DGM. I mentioned earlier that DGM is sneaking about in seinen territory, and the reason for this is the characters. They don't think "You bastard! I need to suddenly get stronger so I can defeat you" and get stronger and defeat the bad guys. The characters here aren't all about brawling against the evil guys. They have emotions. Emotions which they have to face. And that's what makes it into a semi-seinen series; it's a bit more character-driven and not so much plot-driven.

The animation quality of DGM is also astounding. There's a lot of detail put into the environments, and character designs are great too. Special effects are really great, and the same can be said about lighting effects. When you consider that DGM is a bit dark and serious, the coloring is really great too; it's just as dark as it needs to be to fit in with the series.

The soundtrack is definitely the weakest point of DGM. The background music isn't especially memorable, and not really great. I hope they decide to get a new soundtrack soon so I can get something better. Also, using the same stuff for 100 episodes is a lot. OP and ED themes are okay though, and I like the more heavy style of the OP themes - it fits with the tone of the show. Voice acting and sound effects are great though.

Final thing which I should mention is that the fillers in DGM are actually good. "What fillers?" you may ask if you've watched the show. To be honest, I asked the same question when I first heard that there was a lot of filler in the show. The thought never even came close to my mind. So that's a plus.

All in all, I feel that DGM mixes shonen and seinen into something special and unique. It may not appeal to all shonen fans, but those of you who like more serious action anime will enjoy DGM even more.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)

The direction City Hunter's production took was a big one in this season, as they have changed the whole feel of the show. Mostly in the art but the music is not that 80's pop feel anymore. The anime's format is as always 1/2 episode stories about clients who have come to Ryo and Kaori for help. Even though this big change happened to the city hunter franchise you won't be disappointed (completely) and it all corrects itself in the fourth season so just endure it for 13 episode.

This masterpiece is truly one of a kind. I have no clue as to why this gem of the late 80's is barely known.

Story - 9
This anime follows the adventures of Japan's premier hired gun, Ryo Saeba. I gave the story a 9 as there is really no overarching story, or various story arcs. Instead, this series is rather episodic, with many single story episodes with a few 1-3 mini arcs spread throughout. This, however, can also be seen as a forte to this series, as this series isnt hindered by fillers, drawn out fights, repetition, or slower parts like some other series of similar lengths are. Each episode is interesting, especially the mini arcs which usually tend to be deeper in nature. Basically, almost all the episodes follow the basic formula of a beautiful female client who calls upon the help of the highly skilled Ryo Saeba. Do not worry if this sounds repetitive, as each episode definitely holds its own.

A great overall story is usually a big must for me in judging an anime, but City Hunter easily gets away with this with its engrossing episodes.

Art - 10
I give the art in this anime a 10. First of all, I am judging the art based on the time period it was made. Still, even compared to modern drawing techniques, this anime would get a 9. The art in this anime is fantastic, even by todays standards. The backgrounds are highly detailed and truly give a correct feel for the atmosphere of the settings. The drawings of Shinjuku really come to life as a bustling metropolitan area. Details are not spared in any way.

Drawings of the characters are also top-notch. There is a perfect mix of realism and cartoonism. The characters are realistically drawn, with the exception of some disproportion during the comedic moments.

Sound - 10
The soundtrack of City Hunter is a serious plus for this series. The opening and closing songs perfectly capture the late 80's feel of the series. The background musics are also fantastic and are reminiscent of an 80's/early 90's Hollywood cop movie. Fitting songs pretty much play at all the right times during the series.

Character - 10
City Hunter makes up for a lack of overall story with incredible characters. This is especially evident in none other than the main character, Ryo Saeba. Ryo Saeba is typically seen as lazy, easy-going, jovial, and perverted man despite his reputation as one of the most skilled sweepers in the world. However, underneath this appearance is an extremely complex character with an intriguing past. Furthermore, he also has a very strong sense of justice and has a strong sense of what is right and wrong. He is pretty much what many of more recent series' main characters are based on (ex - Spike from Cowboy Bebop, Onizuka from GTO, etc).

Besides Saeba is a host of other characters. There is his partner, Makimori, who is also a very complex character. There are also re-occurring characters whose relationships with Ryo become uncovered during the course of the series.

Basically, this series has very likable, three-dimensional cast that will make sure that you keep on watching.

Enjoyment- 10
The enjoyment factor for this series is immense. High quality action, loads of comedy, and engrossing characters pretty much define this series. Although City Hunter might seem like a serious, action oriented series at first, the comedy in this series is plentiful and is amongst the best i have seen in an anime.

Overall - 10
This timeless classic excels in pretty much everything and is definitely unique amongst the 1000s of animes out there. I am very glad that I didnt miss this great series about one of the greatest characters in anime

Retitled from its original Japanese name of Laputa (for being an offensive phrase, something which director Hayao Miyazaki was oblivious to at the time), Castle in the Sky is the master animator's third film, and it's one of his most beloved of all time. Initially a box office disappointment in its 1986 release, it has since been embraced by critics and audiences around the world. Inspired by Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", Castle in the Sky is a steampunk-themed action adventure tale about two young orphans -- young miner Pazu, and mysterious girl Sheeta (who wears a magic crystal around her neck) -- who team up to find the long-lost island of Laputa, which is rumored to have great riches and gems. They are aided by a band of bumbling yet sympathetic air pirates led by the feisty Dola (who at first chase them, yet turn out to be true allies) and pursued by the government headed by its villainous topmost-secret agent, Muska, who wants the power of Laputa for his own benefit.

For anyone looking for an exciting way to spend two hours, this film is an excellent choice, featuring just the right amount of humor, exploration, wonder, and mystery to keep one interested. The artwork, although not as spectacular as in some of Miyazaki's later movies, is fantastic and gorgeous enough to watch with imaginative characters and locations, incredibly exciting action scenes, and breathtaking flight sequences that will make one feel giddy. And while the characters that populate this tale are less complex than Miyazaki's other works, each has a memorable, endearing personality that stays with the viewer long after the film is over. Dola, in particular, makes for a terrific comic character, shouting orders to her dimwitted sons one moment and being protective of Sheeta the next. Muska is one of the few Miyazaki creations to ever come across as an irredeemable villain, but like Dola, he commands every scene he's in with a sinister charisma that is both alluring and chilly.

Anime fans have often compared this movie to Gainax's sci-fi adventure series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. After all, both works share similar story and character elements... not to mention that they were both created by Miyazaki himself. Where both differ is in their execution. Nadia, although charming for the most part, suffered from taking a wrong turn at its midway point, devolving into cartoonish nonsense which all but distracted from the main plot, even though it did have a strong ending. Castle in the Sky, on the other hand, remains consistently entertaining and focused for its two hour running time, and is all the better for it. While the film's epic tone is sometimes broken up by some "cartoonish" moments, like a brawl between Pazu's boss and one of Dola's sons, it's never to the point that it detracts from the film.

While purists will probably prefer to listen to the original Japanese version, I am of the opinion that there's nothing bad about watching Miyazaki's movies in English, and this is no exception. That said, there are two different dubs of this film. The first one, dubbed by an unknown company but released by Streamline several years ago, was a hastily produced, badly acted, poorly written trainwreck briefly released in 1989 but quickly disappeared afterwards. The current version, produced by Disney in 1998, features an all-star voice cast and, interestingly, a rerecorded score by the film's original composer, Joe Hisaishi with the Seattle Music Orchestra. There has been a lot of heated debates arguing over which is the better version. Personally, even after seeing the Japanese version once and having distanced myself from it enough to appreciate it on its own terms, I'm ready to offer up the following: Disney's Castle in the Sky, despite its faults, is an entertaining listen in its own right.

The leads aren't the strongest voices in the dub; James Van Der Beek's Pazu sounds significantly more mature than his character, while Anna Paquin's Sheeta speaks with an odd accent that fluctuates at times (a problem which actually works in favor of the character). That said, both do good jobs overall and provide a fairly believable chemistry throughout. It's the lively supporting cast, however, that really make this dub so much fun, particularly Cloris Leachman's Dola and Mark Hamill's Muska. Both are perfectly cast and steal every scene they're in as the cantankerous sky pirate captain and treacherous agent, respectively. If there's any reason to see this dub, it's for these two. Another reason to check out the dub is for the aforementioned rescore by Joe Hisaishi. There are some instances where filling in some critically silent scenes from the original Japanese is a bit distracting (notably the journey through the dragon-infested storm cloud), but the overall reworking is fantastic and in many ways improves on the original, particularly the scene where a robot attacks the army's fortress and the climactic moments toward the end. Here, Hisaishi displays his musical versatility and genius for matching music to visuals. (The original Japanese track is on the DVD, complete with its original, unaltered score.) The script adaptation borders on the loose side at times--there's quite a bit of extra lines and/or commentary (some of which are pricelessly funny and others somewhat overdone)--but aside from at least one debatable alteration (Sheeta's speech in the climactic showdown "the world cannot live without love" as opposed to the original "you can't survive apart from Mother Earth"), the overall characters, story, and spirit remain fairly faithful to the original. On the whole, there is little point comparing the Disney version to the original language track; each puts their own stamp on this legendary masterpiece, and I like them both.

Either way, though, you can't go wrong with Castle in the Sky. It's one of Miyazaki's all-time greatest, and I highly recommend it.

Put on your seatbelts and brace yourself, for you will be taken on a rabidly-paced and concluding journey, slaloming through plot twists and character development at a tempo that will leave you longing for a new episode at the end of each one. Save a lot of time, for this is obnoxiously addictive. This is... Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch... R2!

Did it jump the shark? Was it flawlessly executed? Could it have been improved on? Was it outright horrible? That I will not answer; such a question is for you to answer yourself. To me, it was great. It was awesome. While reluctant at first, I always ended up thinking that each change the series brought about, every little plot twist, every character development; it made the series even greater than it was. Every step that it took made it better; that is the undeniable truth for me. However, its pacing made it take too many steps in too short an amount of time, and it nearly stumbled at times. Details could be overlooked, minor events skipped, that wasn't too much of a problem. But it spent too little time on some of the major events, and in the end I'm not satisfied at all by that.

The previous season took care of the introduction of most of the main cast, which left an opportunity to extensively develop the cast during the second season. This was an opportunity that the creators took, used and drained to its full potential. With its 25 episodes, it does of course not have time to develop the entirety of Code Geass' cast, which is extremely large for its length - close to 80 named primary, secondary and tertiary characters. However, they developed the main cast extensively, did a great job with the supporting characters, and the new ones that were introduced were really cool too. Some may classify Lelouch's development as jumping the shark, but personally I felt that they did a great job, and that he is a great character; one whom I could believe in when it came to his development and actions, all the way to - and especially during - the very end.

Another aspect that Code Geass brings into perspective is love. There's a lot of loving going on between various characters, and this allowed for both drama and comedy to be played out, and it was done so in a very good fashion too. Several characters’ love stories revolve around Lelouch, most notably those of Shirley and Kallen; both who obviously like Lelouch quite a lot. This is given both comedic and dramatic effects, and eventually plays an important part in the plot.

The animation superseded the previous season's, improving on nearly all points. By now you are probably used to the CLAMP-styled character designs, and who knows, you might've even grown to like them, in spite of their lankiness. Backgrounds and sceneries are done with good detail, and were enjoyable to behold, and the same can be said about the Knightmare battles. Animated in a perfect juxtapose of fluidity and chaos, mixed with great special- and ligthing effects, the battles were enjoyable aesthetically in addition to everything else they provided the viewer with.

The soundtrack was perfect for the series, this season as well. Keeping some old ones, introducing new ones, the soundtrack was refreshed, yet it kept the same tone it had during the previous season. The background music, while nothing especially noteworthy, provided an amplifying effect to the atmosphere; be it battle, thought, love, comedy or something else. The opening and ending themes were good this season too, with the second opening theme standing out as the best one. The final episode ended nicely with an insert song that made the scenes that unfolded before my eyes make me cry - I'm a sensitive person. They did one mistake however, and that was by not ending it after that insert song; of all things they had to fire in the Ali Project ending, which completely ruined the poignancy that had been built up.

Code Geass R2 provides an highly entertaining sequel that has fallen into the hit-or-miss pit-trap, with hating on one side and loving on the other. How you will react to it, only the gods know that, so all that I can say is: watch it to the very end and see for yourself. The constant plot twists may sway your opinion up and down multifarious times. It did with me, but in the end, everything fell to place and all went well.

This is the first anime that I watched that was written by Mitsuru Adachi. I love baseball anime so I give this one a chance, I never thought that I'll love it so much~ :D Just finished re-watching it for the third time.

Story:
Honestly, i was blown away by the first episode, what a very strong start for an anime. It was all unexpected, Just the first episode and it already made me cry... The story was about the cat and dog relationship of Kou and Aoba. Adachi-sensei used his usual pattern of story, the childhood friend route. With a lot of twist , surprise event and a roller coaster of emotion that you will like. We have comedy, romance, drama, Baseball action in one place.

First, let’s discuss comedy, Adachi-sensei never missed any opportunity to crack a joke, the very important thing about delivering a joke was the Timing and that was done perfectly. He will happily use anyone or anything (old or new) as a punch line, so even its just an ordinary day you will find it funny and interesting. Next is Romance, the romance in the story isn’t rushed, you can see it develop little by little, with love triangle in every corner makes it interesting so you can enjoy the love and hate relationship of the two protagonist until the end~. Drama, when Adachi-sensei put a drama in his work it become the key point of the story, just like what happened in the first episode, it will leave an impression until the end of story. Baseball action, Maybe because Adachi-sensei have his own baseball team that he can deliver such an exciting baseball game. He knows When and how to make incredible events to happen, totally surprising, that's why I love the baseball manga the he writes.

Another key point of the story is memories~ Every now and then you'll see a flashback in the story, well I didn't find it annoying, it plays a major role in the character development of the main characters. Sometimes those memories makes me teary.Ending, I'm somewhat contented with it, all the feelings was sorted out and finished the climax of the waited battle in the baseball tournament. Somewhat because i wish he continued it until koushien XD

Character:
If u already read some of Adachi-sensei's manga you will find that all of his male protagonist has the same kind of character and i think same goes for the female. This time its Kitamura Kou, only son, cant even play catch ball till 5th grade, hard working and good at lying. The Ace Pitcher of the Seishu Academy, a typical character that you will like. Tsukishima Wakaba, same age, birthday and birthplace as Kou and love him more than anyone else. She plays a major role in the story despite of her status. Tsukishima Aoba, wakaba's little sister, who hates Kou very much and love Wakaba. If there's a word to describe her its "Tsundere". Kou's teacher about pitching. Very talented in Baseball despite of being a girl. Akaishi Osamu, position catcher, 5th batter and later the Captain of the Seishu baseball team. Like Kou he loves Wakaba too. Azuma Yuuhei, 1st base and the 4th batter and a talented one. He first appeared as an antagonist. He's emotionless when talking and only shows different emotion when playing baseball. Takigawa Akane, I'm really surprised of her appearance in the story, almost jaw dropping. The girl that moved next door and the daughter of the Soba Restaurant owner and a great painter. Her appearance takes the story to a new height.

Art:
Here's another trademark of Adachi-sensei. Imagine a classic drawing and add modern day coloring and you will get a remastered feeling. His character design is all the same, specially the ears and the hair color were black, blond and brown. Same goes for the character faces, i had read in one of his manga that even Adachi-sensei criticize his own work for having the same face design for some character. Overall, the classic animation style that used in this anime was some-what refreshing if you want to escape the modern day animation style.

Sound:
The Opening song "Summer Rain" really suits the anime, it gives the listener a tropical kind of beat, maybe because of the guitar. Good thing that they didn't replace it until the end of the series. The Ending song Koi Kogarete Mita Yume fit perfectly to the 1st quarter of the season~ that slow and sad song can easily make u cry if added in the scene specially in the 1st episode~ The 2nd one is Orange Days, a Rap song, IMO it doesn't fit the anime, its not like the song is bad or anything, just that using a song like that in an anime with a classic style of animation isnt good. The 3rd Moeru You na Koi Janai Kedo got a nice beat and slow rhythm . And the last ED song is Rehersal, one of my favorite song. The piano is great and the lyrics too.

Enjoyment:
I really enjoy Cross Game. I laugh on the jabs, cries in the sad and touchy scenes and get caught in the suspense and excitement of baseball action. that you will ask for more. Well if you Want more baseball action, read H2 and Touch.

When you first start watching the show you're greeted by a strange looking creature feasting on a dead human corpse. Unknowingly, a tall slender figure appears right behind him. He senses this new danger and turns to fight this opponent. But hidden behind this slender gorgeous figure is a sword just as tall as her. She unsheathes her massive weapon and a vicious fight ensues...

That is the backdrop of what you are going to be experiencing. Fortunately (or unfortunately), that should leave you wanting for more. This story is set in a fantasy land set in medieval times where creatures called Yoma hide within human civilization.

Many (but not all) of the normal humans fear the claymores because they are made of half of what they are afraid of: the Yoma. But they are a necessary evil since they are the only ones strong enough to combat these horrible beasts. Not many people know much about Claymores. Just as mysterious as they sound, you will know very little about the inner workings of their organization, except for a few important rules. This story surrounds one character only known as Clare and basically shows how one becomes a claymore. From human life, to selection, to training, to assignments, and then to tougher assignments... typical shonen anime right? They way they tell Claire's exploits is a pretty good idea. They pretty much Tarantino That is a great way to explain how this universe works, well I enjoy moves told in this fashion too (some folks wont). This shows how emotion plays an important role in the show how their human half creates many internal conflicts with themselves.

Theres mainly one main character and like 40 supporting characters. Unlike most anime out there that keeps EVERY character alive. This one actually does the dirty deed of killing off characters. Which i enjoy very much. Not the killing part but more of the reality of it. Friends live and die just as willingly as the enemies. And that is very refreshing in the sea of Naruto's and Bleach's. You'll actually get a good amount of face time with all the claymores they present to the viewers. You'll still remember who favorite ones are. This is one of the very few anime that i actually remember most of the characters name. Not only does each one have a unique look and attitude, but they also have specific powers that separates them from them all. Half way through the anime, im sure you will find a handful of favorite blond warriors. My personal favorites are Clare and

You cant mention anything about the artwork without talking about the character design. I think this is one of the best character designs I've ever seen in an anime. Not just because it mostly consists of beautiful slender blond haired sxytime warriors but, in the variety of how different each warrior is from each other. From hair style to warrior insignias, to even the swords they carry all have subtle details that u can easily remember or recognize. Even their "alter-ego's" are unique to each warrior. And you cant have medieval fighting giant monsters without great backdrops and this show has those in spades. As many fight scenes there are in this show, the backdrops are just awesome. From abandoned towns, to forest fights at dusk, to even fights in dark dreary caves, they're all situated in different places. Sure they sound very typical but with as many variations in the villains they fight, they all feel very fresh when watching them. The background animations like the random civilians, breaking objects, sparks, and fire embers are all here. They don't look anything impressive but they do add wonders tot he fighting. Most notably the blood... and this anime shows them by the bucket load. It never stays away from violence and thats what makes this show great. Not many current anime shows this much gratuitous violence and its very refreshing after watching a few dozen slice of life school comedies.


If there was anything to complain about the show, it would have to be the sound effects. You can tell most of the stock sound effects were from other shows and movies. Most notably would be the Star Wars laser fire sound when a Claymore "transforms." When i first heard it i was laughing so hard. On top of that other sound effects are just very normal like growling and sword clanging etc. The music is also a little on the weak side. They could have done better with some of the 'theme' songs like when clare 'gets angry' or when she 'learns a new skill' the songs appear pretty weak. But they do break out in some serious guitar riffs and rock instrumentals, which are pretty impressive compared to the other music in here. But the opening songs and closing songs are one of my favorite parts of this show. J Rock is really catchy and seems very fitting for this show throughout. Hell i have it playing in my car as we speak :)

The story was very interesting through the first 20 episodes. Representing a little shonen with Clare's development cycle. But the end sorta feels like they're selling the series a little short. At this ending i felt kind of cheated just like what i felt on the ending of Code Geass. If u want to watch a good story driven show this is a good one to watch, but be wary of Raki and the ending.

oh btw please try to watch the entire show before you go and give it 10's or whatnot. The last 4-6 episodes will disappoint i guarantee.

Code Geass is one of my favorite anime. Why? It's filled with so much action, bombastic dialogue, and has such eye-catching visuals that it tops the charts in entertainment value. This is an exciting and epic anime and it's over the top.

For some people, the plot, characters, and music alone is bad enough to make the show unwatchable. For others, the high action, flashy animation, and drama will be more than enough to make the show a favorite of all time though I like everything about Code Geass.

Story: Lelouch Lamperouge appears to be a typical high school student at Ashford Academy in the Britannian controlled Area 11 (formerly named Japan.) But he's actually a prince in the Britannian imperial family, and seventeenth in line to the throne. He develops a hatred for the emperor of Britannia and the entire imperial establishment, vowing to one day destroy them for the death of his mother and cripple of his sister. After an encounter with a mysterious young woman named C.C., Lelouch gains the power of Geass, which grants him the ability to force anyone to do what he wishes. With this ability, Lelouch becomes a mysterious figure named Zero and begins his battle against the Britannian Empire.

Code Geass have too many loose and cliff hanging ends. The end are always left unexplained, leaving the viewer with questions not only about various subplots but also about several key elements of the storyline. However, what makes up for this is the plot and character developments. Every episode is surprising and leave you eager to watch the next episode.

It seems Code Geass mainly focus on the drama, emotion, and the heart-breaking moments. Geass ends up being not so much a story with a certain plot and characters but rather a series of exciting, exaggerated but well-crafted, incredulous and definitely memorable scenes.

Characters: The characters, are so great and awesome that it's hard to stop enjoying them. There are characters that are a goody too shoe, outright intolerable that will make you want to strangle and kill them off the show. The characters are all so great that something unexpected might happen to them. There are also characters that are naive, filled with too much hate and/or love but in the end, you'll have a character you like or maybe even love. My favorite character, of course, are C.C., Kallen, and Lelouch.

Art & Animation: Another good thing about Code Geass is its high production values and colorful animation. The character designs, created by CLAMP, are great and well drawn. The animation may not be great but it is detailed, vivid, and lively. The fights aren't as smooth or fluid as it could be but it's flashy, colorful, which is very much fitting considering the nature of the series.

Sound: The voice acting also plays a role in the show's success. Characters like Zero and Suzaku may be outrageous or cliched but their voice actors fit the characters so well that they are able to sell the characters. One of my favorite voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, does a great job playing the key character of Lelouch/Zero. His performance, especially how well he change from the carefree high school student to the more sinister and manipulative rebel is vital to keeping the series enjoyable and entertaining. Fukuyama is usually playing two characters and does it absolutely convincingly. There's nothing to complain about of the music either as the background music is very good and it fits right in it. The openings for Code Geass are my favorite. It's very paced and exciting.

Enjoyment: I've seen Geass more than 5 times in a row already. (Not counting season 2) This is a nice, great anime. With the non-stop action, you'll be wanting to see which side will win and lose. For one moment you can be smiling, then crying the next. Happens to me sometimes.

Overall: Code Geass is a awesome anime that will surely gather different opinions from viewers and other reviewers other than myself. I've seen and heard a lot of people saying SUNRISE has done an awesome job and it's not because of the use of mecha, action or drama, but rather how effectively it appeals to that certain aspect of anime that is not often addressed and yet is one of the main purposes of anime: entertainment. If your main interest in anime is in the quality of the storytelling or the characters, then Geass is probably not for you. However, if you're in it to have fun or for some good laughs, then take a look at this anime. You wont be disappointed. Indeed Geass is a rare accomplishment.

Following the life of some loser otaku, Takumi Nishijou is a high school student living life in his own little world of online gaming, anime and perverse fantasies. Then one fateful day he wonders into some gruesome murder scene, changing his current life dramatically, as extreme paranoia sets in. Well that’s the introduction, in a nutshell and like most people I struggled to make sense of this absurd anime that felt like watching the Matrix on crack, whilst also watching Scanner Darkly of LSD. But we are not alone as the main character struggles to make sense of what’s going on as well and it isn’t until halfway into the series that some light is finally shed on our confused minds; with some much needed plot exposition. It’s just a shame that whatever explanations into what the series is about will go over most people’s heads and I’ll be wasting my time trying to explain it myself.

However what can be explored are the characters, as this series is full of a weird bunch. As stated before the main protagonist is some loser otaku Takumi, who’s pretty much like a more freakishly annoying version of Tatsuhiro Satou from Welcome to the NHK. What more can be said about this deluded kid, except that it’s weird how this series became a bit of a harem when all of a sudden his surrounded by bishoujo. Naming all of them would be a pain, so just think of all the character types found in your typical visual novel/eroge and give them weird psychological complexes.

At least the animation and music was great, with a credible amount of effort put in by studio Madhouse clearly evident in this area. The character designs and action moments are plain rubbish but the scenery and objects are certainly portrayed incredibly well. Also the music is pretty fascinating, since it has some eerie tunes to set a weird tone for this weird series.

Overall ChäoS;HEAd was a fairly interesting anime as it was more like a homage to a portion of the otaku world, whilst trying to give a serious story. About halfway into the series it certainly piqued my interest, with all the weird theories they were throwing about but for the most part it made little sense

Cardcaptor Sakura is a great show, though you’ll notice that it’s really classic. I don’t watch many magical girl anime so I can’t really say for sure how Cardcaptor Sakura is better or worse than other magical girl anime. The only thing I’m looking forward in this anime is the “romance” part but I guess it exceeded my expectations positively.


Story: 7/10

The story was good but neither great nor outstanding. The anime was more episodic than I thought. You can seriously see the pattern: Sakura lives her life normally, notices a card or meets one, tries to capture it, she gets a card (at least 1 in every episode). Regardless of Sakura, you’d always see Tomoyo with her camcorder, and creator of Sakura’s battle costumes; Toya, who has weird abilities, shows up in a sudden in most bad timings, and Syaoran competing his love against Sakura for Yukito’s love. It can be repetitive but if you have fun with it, I bet you wouldn’t bother its repetitiveness and remain excited (even with the fillers dragging the show) for the main plot, and if you want to really get a grasp on the romance plot, you would as well.

The first two seasons seem to focus a lot on the “capture them all” (that reminds me of Pokemon somehow, lol). Although she does capture them all, there were weird points (or hints) in the show. While hinting that there is a “someone else” in the show that’d appear in the end of Season 2, it sucks to think that Kero would keep on saying “Yue” while looking up on the sky (esp. the dark sky at night) as though he is heartbroken or “I’m going to die without you-“ issue thing.

And in the third season, you can make fillers easier than I thought. The goal is to have Sakura renew his Clow Cards and in the end, it doesn’t conflict with the first and second seasons; it rather harmonizes well. Basically, that’s it but…

… the romance part has been bothering me lately. In the end, I just wanted to know what happened to Sakura “after it happened.” Although the answer may be already obvious, I just want to see how Sakura would say after “they” meet each other again.


Art: 10/10

“Why 10?” I bet you didn’t know this was a 1998-show without looking it up in other websites, right? Well, it is. Madhouse has done outstandingly. At those times, it might be one of those shows with outstanding animation. Compared to the shows around 2003-2005, you can still notice minor details (from the OPs alone). Moreover, the art doesn’t degrade as the show goes on. (Good thing Madhouse doesn’t make half-heartedly done works.)


Sound: 8/10

I love all the OPs but I, unfortunately, like (only) the EDs. (Notice the love and like relationship I used.) The OP does have the catchy feeling and the ED does have the “catchy” feeling as well but the ED was “too” jolly for me. After all, we have different tastes but most of you out there might love it.


Character: 10/10

Apparently, what I like about this show is how “deep” CLAMP showed different relationships like the pedophilic-like relationship, boy-boy relationship, and cousin-cousin relationship, making it really is great to tell the young viewers out there, “Don’t be afraid to love someone you really love.” CLAMP didn’t even mention, even once, some “unusual” words although some were obviously already suspecting other people’s relationship. So this makes their characters unique… VERY unique.

But what excites me most is the filler character, Meilin. Sure, Meilin could “destroy” the plot of the show, make conflicts or so, but fortunately, she didn’t. Instead, she played a really great role in Shaoran x Sakura, making the story deeper and “more promising.”
I’d like to talk about the other characters (one by one, perhaps) but it’ll make this review longer.


Enjoyment: 9/10

I had fun watching the show (including the fillers) but comparing it with the manga, I can say that there were other situations the manga had cases than this series.


Overall: 9/10

Capeta is a blue-collar, work your hands to the bone sort of sports anime about racing (mostly go karts). Personally, I'm not big on racing in real life, but I found it really fun and exciting here.

Story:
It's not an unfamiliar story: a humble working class kid (Capeta) with a natural aptitude for a sport struggles to climb to the top. Toss in the additional weight of a bunch of financial difficulties with his never-die attitude and you've basically got Rocky (or Hajime no Ippo) in a go kart. It starts with Capeta in elementary school and follows him through his mid-teens. It feels a little young and simple, but there's plenty of action and drama and excitement.

I'm kind of a sucker for this sort of story so I don't know how much you should trust me, but I found the story entertaining and heartwarming. It doesn't even come close to original or unique and it's pretty repetitive (how many obstacles and disadvantages does one kid have to face?!?!), but it's loaded with fighting spirit and nail-biting races.

Art:
I'm not a huge fan of the way the characters look, but it's fine. The character designs remind me a lot of Hajime no Ippo. The action of the races and the backgrounds are done well enough and I thought the general style was really appropriate to the atmosphere of the story.

Sound:
I thought the music was good and well-used. There was something about the song they used for the end credits (and for those "special" moments ;)) that appealed to me even though I can't put my finger on what it was. I also thought that they did a good job of putting the sound on the races: when to emphasize the shouts from the crowd, when to focus on the roar of the engines, the squeal of the tires. The sound of the races really added to the overall enjoyment and emotion of the moment for me.

Unfortunately, some of the voice acting got on my nerves. There were just one or two voices that really disagreed with me (especially the younger characters) and it annoyed me enough to reduce my overall enjoyment of the scenes they were in.

Character:
I think in any story like this, you need to really be able to buy into the main character. If you don't think he's admirable, charismatic and heroic, then the whole premise of the story doesn't work. Because of that, I think they really shove what a great, amazing guy Capeta is down your throat. I wouldn't be surprised if some people found it overbearing or hard to swallow. He's a little too perfect and it feels like he's more saint than man. Luckily, I was pretty willing to accept their characterization of him.

There was a point when I started feeling like everyone in Capeta's support system were getting a little silly: has there ever been a bunch of grown men who cried together more easily or more often? And some of the minor side characters (and their episodes) felt somewhat superfluous to me. But, generally, the supporting cast does a good job of narrating Capeta's struggles and voicing the audience's feelings.

Enjoyment:
For all it's flaws, I still really enjoy watching this series. I understand it's melodramatic and generic and somewhat heavy-handed, but I still get caught up in the tension and the drama of the races and Capeta's struggles to do his best no matter what the circumstances are. I didn't take the non-racing moments of the show too seriously and just had fun watching the show.

While I don't think that this is a must-see for people, I think that people who enjoy sports animes and like stories about rising to the challenge and overcoming the odds can have a good time with Capeta. It's just wholesome, good-natured fun. ^.^

Well its a good idea for an anime since i've seen it done in American movies like 20 times (Smokin Aces and any other B-movie involving a mysterious company to fund human death matches) Unfortunately this anime isn't a very good example.

The story, standing at a whopping 3 episodes it's surprising to see how much action the managed to fit in. The side story apart from all the action is very poor at best. I couldn't tell if it was emphasizing more on seriousness or comedy. Regardless, the idea of an unlikely team to survive human death matches didn't translate so well. (Mediocre)

The characters are pretty ridiculous in my opinion. It's almost comical when the viewer tries to tell them apart. "No-eyes, one-eye, and two-eyes" is probably the best way to tell them apart. And their personalities go from 'hard-boiled, to less-boiled, to comic relief. Nothing real impressive it might have been cooler if they replaced the comic relief for a cooler type. (Decent)

The art is of average quality, think of Saiyuki as a decent reference in terms of art and animation quality. It's made in 2008, but looks like its from 2001. Lots of pointy hair and poor color quality. (Poor)

Sound is pretty non-existent. The fight scenes are just alot of thuds and thumps and swipes and such. Although the girls might like all the grunting and groaning thats in the show. And the background music is pretty forgettable. What is even worse is the rock and roll op and ed. For future reference, organs and rock music don't mix (ref: OP theme). (Poor)

Overall its an unimpressive anime but the pain watching it isn't so bad since it's so short. Maybe (thats a big MAYBE) if it was longer it could be decent. Personally I think another production studio should try this untapped style of storytelling.

Busou Renkin is a story that takes many of its elements from other anime. You'll see elements of Fullmetal Alchemist, Ruroui Kenshin, Shakugan no Shana, Fate/Stay Night, and probably a bunch more. Though Busou Renkin was developed by the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki, it is not as epic as the story of Kenshin was. However, despite some of the obvious points of this series, Busou Renkin manages to uphold fairly well and be a relatively enjoying series.

Busou Renkin means Arms Alchemy. In this story, there are homunculi that are running about the land and its up to alchemic warriors, using these Arms Alchemy devices (which spring forth a weapon based on the users personality) to vanquish the homunculi. This does sound a little bit familiar but Busou Renkin does manage to throw in its own elements and enough plot twists to keep it original. Deep down, however, its still your run of the mill "regular kid rising up out of nowhere to save the world" theme.

The animation is up to par with todays standards, but in some episodes however, you'll see it lacking. Or rather, in some places and characters. Otherwise, there isn't too much to complain of about the art.

The music and such in Busou Renkin isn't all that bad, but its also nothing spectacular. The opening theme song is pretty catchy and the music scores during battles do raise your tension a bit, but what I found missing from this particular anime was that one, catchy song, piece of music that reels you in no matter what was happening in the anime. And thus, at some points, I found myself losing concentration a different points in the show.

Nobuhiro Watsuki must have some kind of fetish with scars, because as with Kenshin, the main female protagonist here has a defining scar too (though the scar is not as important to the plotline as Kenshin's was). Anyway, back to the characters. Kazuki, the main male lead, is your typical hero who I found to be a little too perfect. Without giving too much away, you can say it was hard to go against him in battles. However, Kazuki was your only typical character. Nobuhiro Watsuki has created a plethora of unique (and some rather a little *too* unique if you ask me) characters which is a nice change of pace from the norm.

All in all, a lot of Busou Renkin is pretty cliche and obvious as to what may happen. The ending, in my taste, was a little too premature, in other words, it seemed as if it was put together forcefully to have that particular ending. The pace of the story starts off rather quickly, immersing you immediately without giving all the details, but soon starts to slow back down to a reasonable pace.

If you're looking for a series that's 26 episodes long that's rather enjoyable to watch, but nothing "eye-popping," as well as something with romance, Busou Renkin is something you definitely should check out.

Story: Any vampire fans would appreciate the story; the ever-reusable (and reused) vampire legend gets a new spin here. From the very first episode, the main character Saya is unwittingly thrown into a fight for humanity that only she can put an end to. Accompanied by her (sexy) cellist guardian who has some link to her, she sets out to rid the world of the vampire-like chiropterans plaguing the earth. Fortunately for us, the story is quite a bit more complex than that. Very soon into the series, the story becomes deeper, with many twists revealed about Saya and her dark past.

Art: From what I have seen, this has a very unique art style, especially in that all the characters actually look unique. I'm referring to many other series where the characters all look ridiculously similar since they were designed by the same person. Also, the show has a decidedly dark atmosphere which is wonderfully presented in the animation. If you are a fan of much blood, also take comfort in knowing you'll find a lot here. It is in the title, after all.

Sound: Personally I'm not a fan of any of the opening or closing themes, but the soundtrack is one of my favorites from any anime. Mark Mancina composed the score for Blood+ (turning him into an anime fan in the process) and was helped by Hans Zimmer, so it's the first anime I've seen where the music was written by someone not actually Japanese. Mancina's rich score is perfect for the show. The voice actors did wonderfully as well. Noteworthy is Kari Wahlgren as Saya (though I didn't approve of using her for Diva, too, whom she rather botched) and Crispin Freeman as Haji (for some reason, the mysterious and seemingly emotionless characters suit him).

Character: Character development is great here, thanks mostly to Saya, who must grow from the timid amnesiac she begins the show as to a strong female warrior, and it is interesting to watch how this transformation really takes a toll on her personality. The other supporting characters also help contribute to the character development, to a certain extent. After my own heart, the show's creators let the audience in on the villain's side many times, allowing us to see their plans before the other characters do. Hooray for dramatic irony and moving forward of plotlines!

Enjoyment: As I mentioned earlier, vampire fans who are sick of the "same ol’, same ol’" vampire stories will love this one. Really, the only similarity between "traditional" vampires and the ones in Blood+ are that they drink blood. Speaking of blood, if you are squeamish at the sight of cartoon blood, keep away from this for obvious reasons, as it would inhibit your enjoyment of the series tremendously. Anyone else would like Blood+ since it has a good amount of action, but doesn't deviate from the main plotline, which is surprisingly complex.

Overall: Unless you don't like really violent anime, I would recommend this to anyone who likes vampires, action, drama, romance, and a good plot. And sexy cellists.

Ever wonder what its like to be in a Kendo club? Well certainly most of us would answer "no" to that one, but after watching Bamboo Blade it just might make you more interested in this old time tradition! As this series does it very well!

Story: 7/10
Pretty straight forward for the most part, basically it starts up with a struggling Kendo instructor and his team leader trying to get others into Kendo, as their club has little to no members at present. As the story progresses they meet/get new club members and then begin a road down to the final tournament to keep the instructor from losing his job after a misunderstanding with the school principle's wife. Now while the story remains very linear in this aspect, it doesn't just strictly stick to the whole "Kendo" idea, there are some nice scenes that have the girls struggling with daily life, whether it be confronting old rivals, watching a live action movie, meeting up with long time friends, to just trying to get that one part time job to earn up for a certain anime DVD collector's set that one of them wants. These play out more as sub plots on the side though, while the girls themselves make their way up the Kendo ladder. (sorry, but there is no actual love story in this anime, with the exception of one couple that already are an item from the get go) Which brings us to the Kendo itself, the series does a pretty fair job of explaining all the strategies and ropes of the sport, and never comes off as a gimmick with the whole "Kendo" tag. The first beginning episodes are good for giving decent enough back story on most of the main characters, so you never really feel like they tossed someone in the story just for the heck of it! While this is a comedy anime to be sure, it also contains quite a bit of sincere and touching moments as well between the characters, perhaps even more so than the actual comedy bits, which can also be seen as a negative depending on your perception. The biggest draw back overall, is both its linear plot twist fee storyline and slow pacing. There were times where I just wanted them to get on with it already. Despite this being an all female cast for the most part, I did find it interesting that there was no echhi factors in this title whatsoever. Which is great for viewers out there who are tired of having the usual all female cast that are strictly there for the fan service.

There shouldn't be anything that viewers will find offensive, aside from occasional language and mild violence. (the action is all done in a professional and respected manner, and not over the top)

Artwork: 8/10
Pretty good for the most part, all characters and environments are drawn with good detail and personality. While its not the best looking series out there, it does animate it well enough to catch your attention and not come off as an over kill. I personally found some of the overall color schemes to be a bit on the bland side though, but the great and versatile character design and facial expressions make up for it quite nicely!

Soundtrack: 8/10
The music itself is good! The opening and closing themes are nice and lively, that will fill you with a sense of happiness! The background music on the other hand is pretty much this one soft violin style track, that plays during most of the series. (most of the time on the touching or heavy thought parts) Its good, just not great in the variety department as its pretty much the only real track you'll hear. Now the character's voices are awesome! From the happy and playful Kirino, to the solitary feel of Tamaki. All the voices are varied and add a distinctness to them all, and not one of them you will find annoying.

Characters: 10/10
Truly the heart of the series, Bamboo Blade has some of the best character chemistry that I have seen in a long time. All of them know how to compliment eachother well, and never come off as a cliche. For example: My favorite characters were Miyako (a heart throb that has two personalities) and Dan (a short geeky guy). They are actually a couple, Miyako simply melts whenever she sees him, but acts out more aggressively when around anyone else. Its just little touches like that which make Bamboo Blade so enjoyable! While the characters do a great job to make you laugh, please keep in mind that they don't do it over the top. (well for the most part anyway) Most of the time they'll just get this wacky look to them, and simply make you laugh with their facial expressions! They all grow very close to one another as the story progresses, and by the end you will truly feel the friendship that they all share.

Bottom Line: 9/10
Bamboo Blade is a great title, but unfortunately I can't recommend it to all viewers, especially if you like plot twists and a fast paced nonlinear storyline, as this title has none of those. But if your looking for a fun (and sometimes moving) anime with great character chemistry and amusing anecdotes. Then Bamboo Blade hits the mark just right!

The second installment of the Black Lagoon Series! If you've watched the first season and liked it, I assume you'd want more right?

Well in this second installment you'll see the crew of Black Lagoon in even more misadventures.

There's not much to expect except MORE GUNFIGHTS and MORE Revy and Rock antics! XD

The great thing about the second season is that it show's the backgrounds of the characters like Eda, Revy and Balalaika's past although it's vague. IT also shows the different sides of the characters like Revy's soft side, Balalaika's value of her comrades as well as her war freak side, Eda in action!

The focus here is more on Rock and Revy. Dutch and Benny now seem like supporting characters here.

All in all, a good second season. Watch it if you're looking for more Black Lagoon goodness! I guarantee though it may not be great storywise, but it's one hell or a ride!

First of all, to be honest with you all. I did not enjoy this series as much as i thought i would like it mainly because of the plot and how it got fairly rushed in the end.

Story - The beginning part of the story i thought was very well made, it was very dark, mysterious but not scary at all for those who dislike scary storylines. But after a while the plot just seem dull and unoriginal. Typical protagonist trying to save the world, trying to protect his friends and trying to get revenge, all these types of storylines has been overused, if Black Cat had a better storyline, i believe it would have been better.

Art - I liked the design of the characters, especially Train during the beginning of the series. So i have nothing to complain about the art category.

Sound- Not much to review about sound, but i have to admit the gunshots were pretty real. Also, the voice actors fitted the role very well, especially Eve and Sven. The OP was quite nice, fitted into the anime quite nice.. Forgot how the ED goes so i can't review that.

Character- One of the things that makes Black Cat enjoyable are the wide variety of characters. It is quite amusing watching Jenos and Rins yell at each other. So if your looking for some humorous characters, Black Cat has that for you. The one thing that i thought lacked in the character section was the sudden change of Train Heartnet. Although it says half a year has passed, I'm pretty sure people other then me wants to watch the process of him from a deadly assassin to a overly energetic young man. Another reason i suggest Black Cat was rushed.

Enjoyment- Black Cat is actually quite enjoyable if you do not care about the unoriginal storyline seeing that the characters are greatly designed and there are many great fight scenes.

Overall- Overall i would say Black Cat is a fair made anime that fails to achieve better due to the lack of storyline and how it is quite rushed. Although i say this, i still enjoyed Black Cat to it's full potential.

Story:
Even though I'm not a great vampire genre fan I liked the story of this anime. It has a nice build-up without leaving you guessing too much. The smooth development of the story and the nice cliffhangers keep you interested and because of there are only 12 episodes it's an easy to watch show. 9/10

Animation:
The animation style of Black Blood Brothers is a kind of cartoonish, but that really fits the story. This only goes for the shape of the characters, because there movements are fluent and mature. Especially the fights are done very nicely and makes you wanting more. In contrast to most vampire series, the animation of this show is pretty bright, which gives it a less serious look.
I give the animation 9/10.

Sound:
The OP is "Ashita no Kioku" by Naozumi Takahashi. It's a nice J-rock song which just rocks.
The ED is "Shinkirou" by LOVEHOLIC and is a typical J-pop ED.
I liked the way the special FX were done in this series. The sounds were very realistic, like the clashing of the swords and the gunfire. Also does the background music fit the action. Because of that you almost don't notice it. 8/10

Character:
The development of the characters is done very well in only 12 episodes. They also have many different sides. The series is pretty serious, but they managed to put in some funny remarks which makes the show not too heavy. Especially the main character Jirou has some funny one liners every now and then. 9/10

Enjoyment:
This is a short, action-packed, funny vampire series. I really loved watching this show and I hope there will be a second season. This all depends on the DVD sales, so when they are released, please buy them. Since this show only has 12 episodes you don't need to spend a fortune on just these few DVD's.
If you like an easy to follow story, action and vampires, this is definitely a show for you! I give Black Blood Brothers an overall score of 9/10. show less

First of all, it is much better than expected. The storyline was so interesting and wonderfully executed, that I even disregarded the sub par drawing style . I like the idea of a band struggling to make it big not only in Japan, but as well as in America.

Speaking of the band, the BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad was a good band (I say it's "good" because I am not a fan of rap-rock music). Earlier in the series, when Ryuusuke was talking about chemistry in a band and stuff, I did see the chemistry among the five. First you have Ryuusuke, who reeks of pure rocker, Taira, the mysterious bass player, Chiba, the crazy rapper/singer, Saku, the awesome drummer and even Koyuki, who irritates me sometimes, the wide eyed lead singer/ budding artist.

These guys make wicked music. It's definitely not typical j-rock, it actually sounds modern and americanized. A lot of the songs were in english, but there were definitely a few mistakes in grammar (These grammatical mistakes can also be found in between dialogues with Ryuusuke, Maho and all them americanized Japanese kids). The mistakes are just minor ones anyway that can be overlooked. A few of my favorites are "Hit in the USA", "My world coming down", and "Moon on the water", who are supposedly sang by the fictional band, DyBre. I also like the insert song provided by the band "The Pillows" which makes their cameo as "The Heroes", Taira's 4th band.

I mentioned that Koyuki irritated me sometimes. I just don't like the fact that he gets picked on everywhere he goes. Is there some sort of sign in his head that says "bully bait" or something? I also hated it when he cried. He is such a crybaby. I know he's a kid and all, but I never met a 14-year old boy who would cry at the drop of a hat. He did win me over during the parts when he would sing. His Japanese accent was heavy when he would sing the english songs, but he does have a considerably good voice.

In the beginning of the review I said the drawings were sub par, and that's mainly because the characters were not proportionate, but then again, all anime characters are not drawn proportionately anyway. I did like the different look, cause in a way I was getting tired of the usual way anime are drawn, as well as weird hair and eye colors. As I've said, the storyline does make up for it. Other than that, the inanimate objects are seemingly drawn well. The guitars and cars had very intricate details, and it almost looked life like. Even the electric fan earlier in the series was well designed.

The voice acting was also good. I like the fact that the american characters sounded like americans, and even the italian american guy had the accent going. I did kind of think that Eddie and Ryuusuke kind of sounded like hip hoppers more than rockers, but A for effort anyway.

It was a really good anime, and I hope there's going to be a sequel. I want to know what happens next!

Wow I can't believe there are quite some people who dislike this anime. In my opinion I agree with most that the animation for this anime is terrrific. Great coloring, effects and detail. Many has said that that's all been wasted on a cliche and uninteresting story plot. Well, I have to respectibly disagree. First, this is a sports anime, and while the plot may not be one of a kind, watching Dan and the others strive for their goals, whatever they may be, is fits perfectly with the mood of the anime. Also, the basquash scenes where to players pit against each others on their bigfoot are just phenominal! There's also some humor mixed in here and there, never too much or way over the top, but aways nice to watch. Also, add in the new songs from Elcipse (a new seiyuu band) as the opening and background music, there are scenes where it'll just take your breath away.

Overall, in my view, Basquash! is an awsome anime for those who enjoy great animation and loves sports stories mixed with a somewhat serious and funny plot, along with great music. If you fit these catagories, you have my word that you'll never be bored or disapointed while watching this anime. Everytime I finished an episode, I alwasy wish for more. My rating: 10/10

11eyes could have been a not so bad anime if the plot was executed correctly. While it wasn't the most original, the premise wasn't half-bad either. Instead we get 12 episodes of pointless fan service, mediocre character development and massive plot holes.


Story:

It was actually hard to find a story within the first half of the show. In fact, it was nothing else than bunch of kids fighting the black knight for whatever reason. You didn't know why they were transported there and why the black knights were trying to kill them. Until you get to second half, it went down hill. I could complain that the first half was confusing me more than ever since the story wasn't developing, but after the second half it was actually better to tell nothing at all. What lacks in the story is the fact that 11eyes made so many plot twists and not intelligent ones that it became embarrassing. A 12 years old could make a more interesting story than that. In the end, the story left many holes and the viewer is still as much confused, or even more, than he was at the first episode.

Art/Animation:

The art was fair to be honest. While most the characters lacked the ability to dress as something else than their school suit, they were actually distinctive. Not the best, but certainly not the worst.

The animation on the other end, was bad. What strikes me the most, is the terrible fighting choreography.While some expressions the made were plain dumb, they were at least walking correctly.

Sound:

It is very sad when the sound is actually the only point that is decent for a show. No doubt about it, the opening and the ending theme song was enjoyable. There's just a few annoying voice acting, most notably the girls cast, but the viewer can easily get over it.

Character:

Where do I begin? Beside the fact that they were mostly cardboards, retards and that the protagonist is lame, there's nothing more to say. The characters were fair at the beginning of the show. While there are few complaints, they were at least interesting. Somehow, the producer thought it would have been a good idea to add a bit(or too much) dementia in the character development. This is where everything gets embarrassing and everything goes down hill. What I hate the most is that you can't say which is more retard between Yuka and Kakeru. Yuka is a lame yandere and a dumb blonde(even is she's not blonde) and Kakeru is just lame, retard and ignorant. The three other main characters aren't better either. Yukiko is just plainly annoying, Misuzu is a slut with no soul and Takahisa is your typical hot head guy. It is funny to see a stereotyped cast, but it's even funnier to see a stereotype cast trying to act in drama situations. I find it very very very sad the best characters were actually the ones that were just there for fillers. Yes I'm talking about Saiko.

I did not enjoy this show, while it wasn't that painful, the story didn't make any sense and the characters are quite lame. Not to mention that they actually inserted fan service in scenes where it was supposed to be sad, or at least emotional. 11eyes is badly executed and is perhaps among the worst anime of 2009.

From Makoto Shinkai (Voices of a Distant Star, The Place Promised in Our Early Days) comes 5 Centimetes per Second, a movie that tells the story of two childhood friends in love, and how they try to keep their relationship going through hardships that life throws at them. Throogh three small stories, or episodes as they're called, we're told the tale of how they grow up and farther away from each other.

The movie tells of a love that's slowly torn apart because the lovers move further away, both in heart and home. It's underlying themes are beautifully incorporated into the story; about growing up, letting go of an unreachable past, and taking control of one's own life. Though they're not necessarily very obvious throughout the movie, the final scene symbolizes these themes, and what the main characters decided on in the end.

The character we follow through the movie is Takaki Tohno, and we get to see how he looks on the events that unfold as a child, a teenager and finally, and adult. We see how he develops through these stages of life, and how it all relates to his childhood friend and love, Akari Shinohara.

The emotions are protrayed in an incredibly beautiful and realistic way; how they portray the love between Akari and Takaki, how they portray the girl who has a crush on Tohno during his high school years, Kanae Sumida, and finally, how they portray their development from children to adults all makes them characters you'll place your heart with. They're characters you'll love, feel sad with, and you'll wish for them to live happily.

The animation quality is astounding, from the detail in backgrounds to the astounding ligthing effects and camera angles that help bring the mood of the scenes to a level different from mostly anything else. The only beef I have is that the characters' faces lost a bit of detail from time to time, but aside that the movie is a visual pleasure that goes beyond pretty much everything I've ever experienced.

Tenmon, who's made the soundtrack to other Shinaki films, does an astounding job on the soundtrack for the movie, with piano pieces that effectively and beautifully amplifies the mood of the movie, be it melancholy, calmness or nostalgia. However, if you don't like piano soundtracks, chances are you'll not like it, since it's mostly the piano that's used throughout the movie (I love them though, and that's what made me give it a 10).

The seiyuu also do a marvelous job of portraying the characters, their emotions and age. I've only watched the Japanese version of the movie, so I can't say anything about the quality of the English voice acting. But I'd recommend it in Japanese anyways =)

5 cm per Second is a movie that takes a story of growing up and makes it into something that cannot be described as anything less than a masterpiece, with astounding themes, storytelling, art and sound. If someone told me I could watch one movie before I died, I'd undoubtedly choose this one.

To 'Not Helpful' voters (and you 'Helpful' voters too): Feedback greatly appreciated =)

One of my all time favourites, I figured I should give it a proper review.

Story (7/10) - The plot is alright, in my opinion. It is a bit slow (there are quite a few episodes with Teito moping around feeling sorry for himself) but it is sound. It has it's funny moments, and the scenes just make you want to go "awww". There's also a few sad moments which I know I went through a few tissue boxes whilst watching.

There's not many confrontations between the 'good' side and the 'bad' side. Ayanami prefers to send his lowly minions after Teito rather then go after him himself. The few times they do confront, well you'll see for youself why I was disappointed with it.

The ending of the anime is very open-ended, there are still a lot of loose ties that have yet to be resolved, yet I'm oddly satisfied with it. We get to see a montage of the previous episodes and it serves as a reminder of how much Teito has grown and mature during the course of the anime. It is hard to put into words, but I was happy with the ending. That said, I wouldn't mind a second season.

Art (10/10) - The art has got to be the best things about this anime. It is one of the reasons I'll watch the anime over and over again. The characters are absolutely gorgeous and well drawn, as are their 'chibi' forms (I think that's what they're called? But it's when the characters are doing something funny, the art style changes a little?)

The setting, don't get me started. The setting is amazing, you don't see many religious settings in anime, but this one is centred around a church and is beautifully depicted. You won't be disappointed.

Sound (10/10) - The soundtrack is a delight to listen to. I especially like the starting theme (Aka no Kakera by Yuki Suzuki) and the ending theme (Hitomi no Kotae by Noria) and the instrumental pieces are pretty good as well, it goes hand in hand with the anime. There's also a scene where Teito sings the Raggs Requiem (Rags no Chinkonka, also by Noria) which I loved.

Character (7/10) – I love the character development for Teito! It is particulary interesting watching Teito transist from a military soldier to a bishop in training. There is a bit of BL, meaning brotherly love, not boy's love! lol. Though if you do like shounen-ai, there are some undertones of it, the cast is predominantly male after all! Seriously, there is only a minor few female roles (the sisters and Raziel (sp?)) and they don't really do much.

The cast of characters is quite interesting though, ranging from the badass perverted bishop (Frau) and other equally strange bishops, to the cheerful best friend who would do anything for the main character (Mikage), to hot-in-uniform bad guys *drool*. I personally would have loved them all the more if there was more background story to some of the more major characters though, especially the Ghosts. I was really interested in them and was disappointed when not much was revealed by the end of the anime :( It’s one of the reasons why this section lost points.

Enjoyment (9/10) – I really loved this anime, and I’ve re-watched it quite a few times without losing interest. Although the plot is quite serious, there are quite a few funny moments which were further enhanced by the chibi-fying of the characters and is quite entertaining XD If there was an emotional equivalent of a colour palette, then 07 Ghost would envoke the whole spectrum. Laugh, cry, anger, despair, hate, joy, love, acceptence. It really is an emotional rollercoaster which I love in an anime.

Overall (9/10)

I know 07 Ghost may not be for everyone, it is more of a shoujo-orientated anime after all and with a slow-moving plot that may be tedious for some. It is worth giving a try though, who knows? Maybe you will enjoy it. I managed to convince a few hesitent friends to watch it, and they really liked it in the end :) If you do finish watching the anime, then I very much recommend you go read the manga as well.

Well… yeah. Enjoy if you do try it out, and let’s hope for a second season soon.

Please note that this story is a sequel of City Hunter,so it contains spoilers!

Angel Heart tells the story of Glass Heart, a girl risen as a professional killer whose life is all about killing people. Tired of her life,she commits suicide: however, she survives thanks to a heart-transplant. The heart of Makimura Kaori,City Hunter's partner,dead in a car accident. When Glass Heart wakes up,she feels she had to go to Shinjuku,while Kaori's feeling starts to overwhelm her, pushing her to find a certain Ryo Saeba...

The starting plot is really involving. It hurts to know Kaori's dead,City Hunter isn't working anymore, and the story really looks interesting. However, it soons become a following of predictable-plot episodes,where nothing really happens. Moreover,there are some remakes of City Hunter's happening,like Kaori's sister meeting,which are now rewrited,distructing the nice feeling they had in City Hunter. It's a thing I really hated: as a sequel it should have respected the original story: maybe a shortage of ideas?

Adivce: watch just the first episodes or watch this anime if you are a great City Hunter fan