Anime Sweep

2006-12-02T01:15:00.000-05:00

Guvyer

Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor

2006-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's been a while since I've posted. Just a little while, right? Anywho, the columns are updated.

I just finished watching the first volume of the newly redone Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor. Sho Fukamachi had enough on his plate with regular high school problems and maintaining his secret crush. One day after school he meets his friend Tetsuro at the lake when there is an explosion nearby. Thrown by the blast is an odd looking object that Tetsuro believes to be some type of space ship. After fighting about what to do with it Sho accidently activates it. It then proceeds to grab him covering his entire body like putty. As he falls into the lake soldiers and a mutant monster surround Tetsuro demanding the mysterious object. Thus the Guyver rises to protect his friend and meet his new found destiny.

In shorter terms, there is the Chronos Corporation that is secretly developing bio-organic weapons. The Guyver Units being their ultimate creations; they will do anything to keep their secret. Now Sho, in possesion of a Guyver unit, is being hunted by the Corporation's minions, the Zoanoids, mutant creatures with great power. Will he run and hide? or discover the truth behind the Guyver and Chronos?

The animation is standard 2-D nothing fancy. When it comes to the dub, though, I'm not a purist, it has to be really, REALLY ear-bleeding bad for me not to at least tolerate it. But this one I found decent it has a couple of my favorite voices in it, those of Luci Christian (Kaname Chidori - Full Metal Panic!) and Chris Patton (what hasn't he been in lately? Sosuke Sagara - Full Metal Panic!) Patton plays the lead, Sho, and Christian plays Mizuki Segawa, Tetsuro's sister and Sho's love interest.

Now for some Guyver history. It was originally released as a twelve episode OVA (straight to video) based on Yoshiki Takaya's manga beginning in 1989. The U.S. then released a live action movie, Guyver, in 1991. I remember watching this on the Sci-Fi Channel a long time ago. It was kind of amusing because they were trying to pull Mark Hamill fans. He was casted in the movie, yes, but he wasn't the lead character that the promo posters kind of led one to believe. Jack Armstrong, who played the lead, looked a lot like a young Hamill and the promo poster covered half his face with the Guyver mask and shrouded the rest with shadows. It was a fun movie, though, with the same kind of effects and props you might see in Power Rangers, but darker. It was then followed up in 1994 with a sequal called Guyver: Dark Hero with David Hayter playing the lead.

Though this is rated TV M for violence, I didn't see anything gratuitous. There was plenty of action and slicing and dicing but no guts flying through the air. Maybe it gets more graphic as the series progresses? Anyway, I enjoyed it. The storyline is a simple one with Sho discovering his new found powers. But if one more weekly mutant comes charging at him yelling "I'm in a class of my own!" I will scream. If you like this series I would also recommend checking out Project Arms. Similar story in that you have a group of teens and secret organization bio-testing etc. That one has interesting swear words combinations . . . and is DEFINATELY TV M.

2006-04-14T18:54:00.000-04:00

My Neighbor Totoro

2006-03-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well I've been sick for the past week so what better time than to catch up on some anime? So comes up the recent release by Disney MY Neighbor Totoro written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Here is a whimsical tale of two young sisters, Satsuki and Mei, who move with their father to be closer to their mother who is ill and in the hospital. One day while Satsuki is at school, Mei goes exploring the property and discovers Totoro's nest in the giant tree in the nearby woods. Though the adults pretty much humor her when she describes Totoro, thinking it's just her childish imagination acting out some myths. This is just a sweet tale about these girls with how they cope with their mother's illness and dealing with day to day life.
This new two disc release by Disney features redubbing with Dakota and Elle Fanning, Tim Daly, Pat Carroll, and Frank Welker. The Fanning sisters play really well off of each other as can be seen in Behind the Microphone featurette. This set also includes An Insider's Look at the Film's Artistry, Original Japanese trailer, Clean Opening and Closing. A wanted feature not included on the Troma version is the option of Japanese with English subtitles.
This movie was much loved during it's original release as can be seen with the mascot for Studio Ghibli. Now, I can only recommend it to be loved further with this new release.

YAY!

2006-03-04T23:43:00.000-05:00

YAY for Photobucket! hee hee, I a strip going!

blah blah blah

2006-03-03T23:27:00.000-05:00

ugh it's March already! I got off my lazy butt to take a look at my blog here and noticed I got spammed on my wallpapers! grrrrr, and it wasn't like once or twice it was on pretty much EVERY wallpaper entry. ok, ok, just venting. course I deleted all of it so that made me feel better. FEEL THE POWER!! lol. Anyway, that out of the way. I'm almost done with Dragon Quest VIII on the PS2, I think. I've pulled over a 100 hours on this game. I like the story and the graphics (even though the characters resemble DBZ characters so it's in the air whether or not you like that). But right now I'm trying to level up and play around with the alchemy pot where you can differnt items, weapons, armor etc. by mixing 2/3 together. But more on that when I finish it. I'm going to go through my screencaps this week and make up some wallpapers (TSUBASA CHRONICLE!!!). so keep an eye out for them. Now I'm tired, going to bed, lol.

2006-02-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

Megatokyo vol. 1

Megatokyo

2006-02-03T22:57:00.000-05:00

Few things have inspired me to write reviews lately. This, though I felt compelled to write about. This being the webcomic Megatokyo. Story and art by Fred Gallagher along with co-creator Rodney Caston make an interesting duo.

Basically the story revolves around Piro and Largo. Piro who is a basic fanboy otaku (someone who is obsessed with anime and anime related subjects to the point of learning the language and mixing reality with fantasy [in Piro's case]. In the U.S., this word is more often taken as a compliment. In Japan though it more often used as a derogative term). Largo, on the otherhand is obsessed with shoot 'em up rpg games (Quake, Halo etc), Bioware games, beer (definately beer) and something called l33t (does anyone know what this is? Can you explain it to me?). On a whim, Piro flies off to Japan with Largo. When they finally sate their thirst in the gaming stores and figure it's time to come home they discover that they're credit cards are maxed out. Now they have no money and no place to stay in the wilds of Tokyo (luckily, Piro being the Otaku that he is, can speak and read Japanese). What little money they are able to beg (or black mail) from their friends is quickly spent on more distractions. After landing a job, a series of misunderstandings occur between Piro and the local girls while Largo is busy slaying the hordes of undead that are overwhelming the city (mixing fantasy and reality here?). Anyway these are a couple of characters that everyone knows someone who acts like one or both of them (myself included, lol).

The story also involves some delightful and inventive supporting characters. Seraphim - Piro's good-side conscience and kicking ass doing it. Dom and Ed - friends to the rescue from the States, playing on the Japanese stereotype that all Americans carry guns and are not afraid to use them. Nanasawa-san - an aspiring seiyu (voice actor/actress) starts to have a crush on Piro. Yuki-chan - a high school student who also has a seeming crush on Piro. Though Piro and Largo are the main characters, the supporting characters are developed at a good rate so they aren't faceless stick figures in the background.

Now the characters are drawn in an anime fashion with the typical big eyes and small nose and mouth. In the beginning the panels were cleaner looking because Mr. Gallagher would sketch out the panels then trace and ink them. This though took time, time he doesn't really have to spare, so in an effort to meet the deadline and appease the online readers he stopped the trace and ink portion. His artwork has improved to the point where it was unnecessary for the comic. I, personally, like the sketchy look. Now this all started as and still is a webcomic. Luckily due to it's popularity, Dark Horse comics had it compiled into three (so far) "low bandwith" editions. It's fun because when Mr. Gallagher has writer's block or is sick or is caught up with real life work, Dom takes over the show with stick figures and amusing accounts of recent events such as their visits to Cons (anime conventions, Otakon and Katsucon were mentioned) and comparing different points of view among the characters (quite amusing). Though Piro often threatens viewers with Dom's trackball stickfigures, Dom's rants and musings are entertaining.

The comic is still ongoing on their site: www.megatokyo.com there are links included to see past episodes, Mr. Gallagher's artwork and other webcomics in the works. Overall, I am enjoying Megatokyo. The characters are relatable and the artwork is good. I also feel it's an inspiration to people who have the talent and imagination to see what they can do to breakthrough into the industry.

2006-01-11T21:42:00.000-05:00

Fire Emblem for Gamecube

la la laa

2006-01-11T21:16:00.000-05:00

*sigh* been a while, sorry! I've been obsessing over Fire Emblem for the Nintendo Gamecube. The graphics are good in this and I like the characters. This isn't a typical RPG. This is more strategy based where different weapons/ magic trump each other. For example: ax trumps spear, spear trumps sword, and sword trumps ax. Wind magic trumps Light magic, light trumps fire, fire trumps wind. And then there are instances where bonus damage will occur depending on the character such as arrows taking on a flying unit (pegasus knight, wvyern knight, hawk, crow). So you won't be doing a lot of button mashing with this game. You position your unit and hit the attack comand and they do their own thing. Now there will also be different criteria to finish a battle. There is Routing where you take out all the enemy units, Defeat Boss, Arrive (at a certain spot), Seize (a certain spot) etc. Then there is a touch of Radiata Stories influence in here as well. Instead of making friends, you acquire soldiers. You can do this by either hiring them, or talking to them on the battle field or they just join up. So there is replay value in trying to get all possible fighters offered. So, basically, your character is Ike who takes over the leadership of a band of mercenaries upon his father's death. On one mission he rescues Princess Elincia and finding out her country of Crimea has been taken over by neihboring Daien, you take the job of finding her support from the other neighboring countries. And while doing so you seek revenge for your father's death and find out the true reason behind the war. Throw in mix of humanoid cats, tigers, crows, hawks, and dragons and it's a pretty addictive game, a must have for people who like strategy and a good plot.

Oh, yeah, Happy Belated New Year!

2005-12-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

Radiata Stories

2005-12-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

Hrmmmm, been a long time since I posted last, huh? Well, Happy Holidays!! I just finished playing Radiata Stories for the PS2. Quite interesting. The graphics are superb. It gives the illusion of space. For example, your character is running through the forest and his feet is kicking up leaves or trees go by in the forground with little lizards crawling up their trunks. Also the assortment of bright colors keeps your attention to the screen. The music is also very well done with each part of the city/world has it's own theme. (Throughout the story you can collect by either finding or purchasing different themes to play on your record player in your room) A third plus for the game is good voice overs. The actors really put feally into their parts and it feels like they really relate to their characters. The only downer for this game could be the lack of emphasis on the plot. Instead of developing this angle they focus more on the game play, which is to make friends and develope your battle group. There are all these different characters in the story and as you complete or solve their chores and problems they sign on so they can join your group. (One thing I haven't seen before, is that each of these "citizens" is on there own schedule. They are at different locations depending on the time of the day. So they don't reset when you leave the screen.) This being fun and all in it's own right I'd have preferred some more story development. Overall I enjoyed this game with the graphics and the affect time has on the characters. (Oh! one more thing! Your main character can kick things throughout the environment. This can reveal hidden items or start fights with the citizens.) So if you're looking for something new and have some time on your hands check this game out. Final note this is a Square Enix Game by Tri-Ace (Star Ocean: Til the End of Time)

Anime 101: Mythology 2

2005-11-14T21:53:00.000-05:00

There are many refrences to mythology in anime. One myth that frequently appears in anime in various forms is the "Four Saint Beasts" also known as the "Four Gods". These four were originally from China but made their way to Japan, where their names were changed to Suzaku, Genbu, Byakko, and Seiryyu.

This is only the tip of the ice berg for the representation that are the Saint Beasts. In anime they are often seen in animal form: a red bird (similar to a phoenix), a black tortoise (sometimes shown with a snake), a white tiger, and a blue dragon. Direction also comes into play, Suzaku for the South, Genbu for the North, Byakko for the West, and Seiryyu for the East. The directions then in turn represent the season, Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring.

These beings show up, in some form or another, in many anime series. The strongest and most obvious is Fushigi Yugi (Mysterious Play). Here we have Miaka, a typical, clutzy, always hungry, high school girl. To make things short she gets sucked into a book where she becomes the priestess of Suzaku and has to find a way out. We have the four gods, in their respective direction, and they're followers (the seven that the priestess has to gather) have constellation names.

My first encounter with these characters, though, was in the series Yu Yu Hakusho, the Beasts of Maze Castle arc. To destroy the flute that was controlling demon insects on earth, Yusuke and company have to enter Maze Castle and confront its guardians. Though they are not named in the series it is obvious by their design who they represent. Genbu is made of rock with a turtle-like shell, Byakko is a bi-pedal white tiger, Seiryyu was a guy with a blue dragon design on his clothes. Suzaku has a red outfit and an annoying parrot lackey.

In the Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuie), Tsutzuki is able to summon the Beasts to do his bidding. In the anime they pretty much attack his enemies, in the manga they are given more "air time", so to speak, where they have their own personalities and they give Tsutzuki advice.

This is just a sampling of some series that show these characters. Whenever you see these animals this is the reference they are making.

Anime 101: Mythology

2005-10-24T22:27:00.000-04:00

Within many anime series, I have noticed that there are many recurring mythological themes and characters. A series may have a connection to the actual myth or creatures/persons may show up in a series. Here is a myth that is connected to an anime series.

Susanou and Yamata - no - Orochi

Druing the beginning of the world, the god, Izanagi, and the goddess, Izanami bore many children. Three of these children were Amaterasu, Tukuyomi, and Susanou. The last to be born was Kagutuchi, who was a spirit of fire. Izanami was burned during the birth and disappeared. Izanagi had uncontrollable despair and destroyed Kagutchi. Kagutchi was later reborn as the spirit of minerals.
Izanagi then ordered Amaterasu to govern the sun, Tukuyomi to govern the moon, and Susanou to govern the sea. Susanou, though, didn't take his charge seriously. He wanted to visit his mother in the Land of Yomi (similar to the Land of the Dead or Hades, from what I gather from the story). He went to see his sister Amaterasu, she did not trust him coming to her territory since he didn't take care of his own. But after gaining her trust he was allowed in. Upon entering her territory, he became mischievous and conceited. One of his actions frightened Amaterasu to hide in a cave with a rock shutting her in. By doing this the world went black without her light. The gods and goddesses convened to think of a plan to bring her out. Finally they were able to entice her out of the cave with her own reflection and light came back to the world. As punishment, Susanou had his hair cut, his nails pulled, have his treasures confiscated and he was exiled from the land of the gods.
One day while following the course of a river he comes across a couple and their daughter crying. He asks them what is the matter. They responded that they had eight daughters and that once a year an eight headed dragon with eight tails, Yamata-no-Orochi, came once a year demanding one of them. The dragon would devour the daughter and leave until the next year, now they were down to their last daughter, Kushinada, and the dragon would be coming the next day. Susanou had a plan though and told them to prepare eight barrels of sake. The next day the couple left the sake out for Orochi and Susanou hid Kushinada. Orochi saw the sake and each of its heads drank down a barrel. Afterwards, Susanou appraoched the dragon and began to fight it. Orochi had become quite drunk from the sake but the battle continued for hours. Susanou finally became victorious after cutting down all eight heads.
After the battle, he marries Kushinada.

This myth can be connected with Blue Seed. Momiji discovers she is of the Kushinada lineage. Susanou is going to be reborn to destroy humanity and restore the earth (kinda like "X"). There are characters are fun and the story is interesting. It is a pretty decent show, but I recommend not bothering with the OVA, Blue Seed Beyond. There is no story, animation is too heavily fan serviced, and there are only three episodes. Perhaps if it was longer it would've been better but it isn't.

Anime 101.2

2005-09-27T22:52:00.000-04:00

Anime 101.2

Anime, as I have mentioned in 101, is a growing industry here in the U.S. of Japanese animation. Behind the televised, animated entertainment though there is another layer in the form of the written word. This side of the coin is Manga.

Manga can also be referred to as graphic novels. In general you have the gray-scale, illustrated panels and the word bubbles, what you typically think a comic strip would look like. But like always there is a catch. Japanese reads right to left. Some licensors/ distributors of manga do change the images to be left to right. This is done in order to preserve the work in the way that the author wanted it to be seen.

The length of a manga series does not have a general lifespan like anime does. Anime most commonly run 23-26 episodes. Then you have what I suppose could be considered a mid season filler which would run 13 episodes. Then you have the rare ones that live into the 100’s. Manga can be as short as two volumes or go as long as 20 and not show signs of slowing down.

Lately, I have been seeing a new brand of manga emerging called Cine-Manga. This is more along the lines of graphic novels. The images are in color and are actual stills from a TV show with narrative overlay. The subjects of these particular graphic novels range from classic Disney movies like Bambi and Aladdin, to live action Disney shows like Lizzie McGuire. Some anime titles included in this style are Inuyasha, Cardcaptors, and Akira. I have not read too much into this style. Since the images and story are directly from the TV. show or movie, I’d just watch it.

Some licensing companies in the U.S. are:

Tokyopop - This company has an impressive collection of titles under it’s belt.

Vampire Game - A master vampire and warrior fight to the death. During the vampire’s death throws he vows to come back to have his revenge. But what happens when the Vampire King is reincarnated as a kitten? Can he still get his revenge? romantic/comedy, fantasy/action, vampires.
PhD: Phantasy Degree - Sang wants to acquire a magical ring. But the only way to get it is to enroll in the Demon School Hades. Will she be able to get past the Vampires, Werewolves and Demons to get what she wants? fantasy/action, sarcastic humor.

Viz - This company licenses and distributes both manga and anime. They are also in league with Shogakukan Inc. and Shueisha Inc. two publishing companies in Japan.

Bleach - Ichigo can see spirits, it’s not so strange until he meets Rukia, a shinigami who hunts Hollows. But when one attacks his family, Ichigo absorbs Rukia’s power to defend them. In so doing he becomes a shinigami himself and must fight the Hollows, bring peace to spirits and protect the innocent.
Hikaru no Go - Hikaru is an average kid until he discovers a bloodstained Go board. Now set free from the Go board, Fujiwara-no-Sai becomes a part of Hikaru’s consciousness. Will Hikaru be able to keep beating Go challengers? Will Fujiwara be able to rest in peace?

Del Rey - This company has a wide selection of science fiction and fantasy novels. It was just a matter of time before manga would find it’s way here.

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE - Sakura, the princess of Clow, has lost her memories. It’s up to her childhood friend, Syaoran to gather the feathers of her memory from different worlds with some help from other notable CLAMP characters.

xxxHOLIC - Watanuki is haunted by spirits, until one day he comes upon Yuko’s shop. He accepts her offer to rid him of the spirits, until he discovers he must work for her to pay off her service. In her shop, Yuko can help anyone . . . for a price. (Holic crosses over with Tsubasa!)

2005-09-22T00:44:00.000-04:00

Cyber City: Final Collection

Cyber City

2005-09-21T20:40:00.000-04:00

This past June, my friends and I traveled to the Meadowlands Expo. Center (which is about 10 minutes outside of NYC) to attend the AnimeNext 2005 Convention. Now when you go to a convention the best times to hit the dealers room is right when they open to find all the unique, hard-to-find items and about an hour or so before they close because that's when they just hand you stuff from posters to dvds. This is how I acquired Cyber City: The Final Collection.

Cyber City is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri who is also the director of Ninja Scroll. This feature though is a series of three episodes. These episodes revolve around three convicts in a futuristic setting. These convicts (Sengoku, Benton, and Goggles) are serving life sentences when they are approached with an offer. An offer to work off their sentances by working for the police and take the "high risk" assignments. But what will keep them from running off? Explosive collars are put around their necks. If they try and take them off: Boom. If they run off: Boom. If they do not complete their tasks within the time frame given: Boom.

Each episode focuses, but not exclusively, on one of the convicts. In the first episode, "Time Bomb", Sengoku is the highlighted convict. He has to break into a building that is in lock down from terrorist activity, figure out what exactly is going on and "remedy" the situation. Not my favorite of the three but they get better. In the next episode, "The Decoy", Goggles is put up against a psychic cyborg to test it's capabilities with his life determining it's success. Last but not least in "The Vampire", there is Benton. Researchers that were working on an illegal genetic experiment are being killed. Benton needs to discover and dispatch the culprit. Question is, does he want to?

Honestly, when I started watching this it was slow going and did not really hold my attention. I watched it in english so I can't compare it to the Japanese, yet, but it seems the only way to distinguish the convicts from other people is by the number of swear words they can put in a sentance. It seemed to me most of it was unnecessary. I did however enjoy the animation style and the plotlines once they got going from their slow start. That being said and after digesting the episodes, I concluded that I enjoyed it but was glad it was a handout and not a purchase.

Some other works that Kawajiri had a hand in are: Blade of Kamui, Wicked City, Neo-Tokyo, Ninja Scroll, Ninja Scroll: the Series, X: the Series, and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

Chobits Review Rehashed

2005-09-19T23:38:00.000-04:00

A few short years ago I was introduced to anime by my brother and I have been hooked ever since. One series that had caught my eye and made its way into my collection is Chobits.

Chobits, by the four-woman artist group CLAMP, is more than it seems. The main character of this series is Hideki Motosuwa, a farm boy who didn’t quite make it into college. To get on the right path he decides to go to a prep school in the city. Here he discovers that everyone has a persocom. He was enthralled at first by these computers that look and feel like real people with the exception of their “ears”. Unfortunately for him these computers are way too expensive and he mopes all the way home. But then one night he sees an unconscious girl bound up near the garbage. He found his persocom. After discovering how to turn her on, he finds out all she can say is "Chi?" He now has to teach her about the world.

This series can be seen in different ways. At first the most obvious is the cutesy little robot that dresses in frilly dresses living with a horny, almost-in-college guy. When you hear her say her first "Chiiii?" you stop watching. But if you continue, get into it more you can start to see the levels.

Human or robot? Which is better? This is the question that is bombarded at Hideki throughout the series as Chi develops and becomes more coherent and emotional. This is exemplified through the supporting characters. They all have stories/ backgrounds that reflect this issue: Hiromu Shinbo (Hideki's helpful neighbor), Chitose Hibiya (manager of the apartment building), Minoru Kokubunji (persocom expert), Yuzuki (Minoru's custom-made persocom made to be like his deceased sister), Yumi Omura (friend and co-worker at the Japanese Pub "My Pleasure"), Takako Shimizu (prep school teacher), and Manager Ueda ( Manager of Tirol where Chi works). It is like a series of stories that support the main by how you are ushered through each stage with each couple until you get to the end where Hideki makes his decision.

The characters develop very well through this series. Chi is sweet and innocent as she explores the world and Hideki explains to the best of his ability. Hideki, (you'd think he'd bleed to death by the end with all the nosebleeds he gets) even though he likes his "magazines" and didn't make it into college, has his heart in the right place. He gives sage advice (even though he's either half asleep or half-starved when he gives it) and wants the best for everyone.

I like this series particularly its humor and the music (I have the opening theme stuck in my head now). The one thing I was not crazy over is the ending. I won't go into detail about what happens, but it could have been extended to give more airtime to the added characters. The way it was pretty much for the closure, how they handled it, to wrap things up. All in all it wasn't bad. The manga (graphic novel) is available at Amazon.com so that would probably go into further detail.

If you are interested in more of CLAMP’s work there’s X, Card Captor Sakura, and RG Veda to name a few. I am currently reading their work Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle and I am enjoying it.

2005-09-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

Anime 101:

Welcome to the world of anime! This rapidly growing industry is making it’s mark in the American market with more and more titles being licensed and released each year by companies such as Funimation, ADV, and Geneon to name the Big Three.

Remember that anime has a whole range of age groups. Just because these shows are animated does not mean that little kids should watch every anime out there. Most anime is not rated but they do have age recommendations such as13+ or 15+ etc. I would suggest parents watch and then decide whether or not to let their kids watch.

When you want to start watching this type of animation there are some things to consider. The big question is what genre do you like? Because just saying you want to watch an anime is like saying you want to watch a movie. Do you like horror? Fantasy? Romantic Comedy? Historical Fiction, even?

Next is how strong is your stomach? More often than not, since we are going up in the age group here, you are going to see varying amounts of blood etc. Also there’ll sometimes be explicit language, of course this all depends on the genre you choose to begin with.

Next consideration, remember the culture this is coming from. This is probably one of the reasons that attracted me to anime to begin with. There will be animes that show what daily life is like from going to school, to working in a shrine, to what a typical meal is like. I found the book The Anime Companion: What’s Japanese in Japanese Animation by Gilles Poitras to be quite interesting in showing these distinctions. It is set up like a dictionary A-Z with informative blurbs on topics ranging from landmarks to culture to food to people to religion just to name a few. I’d recommend this book to anyone starting to watch anime or is just plain curious about the culture.

Perhaps I should explain some terminology also. To begin with there is Shoujo and Shounen types of anime. Basically Shoujo is anime geared to a female audience. These can be the romantic comedies or the “cutesy” types of anime. Shounen on the other hand is the opposite, this type is geared toward the male audience. These are typically the more action-packed series and (more noticeably) fan service series. Now just because these animes have been declared either Shoujo or Shounen does not mean a girl should not check out a Shounen type if she wants or a boy from checking out a Shoujo series if he wants. Just revert back to the genre you would like to watch.

Some anime I would recommend are -

Fantasy: Slayers ~ Lina Inverse is a powerful sorceress, does she help fellow man with her power? She steals from the rich to give to herself!

Romantic Comedy: Fruits Basket ~ What happens to the Sohma household when Tohru Honda moves in? Would be fine, if they weren’t cursed by the spirits of the Chinese Zodiac.

Action/Fantasy: Inuyasha ~Kagome is transported to feudal Japan where she kust team up with the hot head, half demon Inuyasha to reclaim the broken shards of the Shikon Jewel.

Historical Fiction: Samurai Deeper Kyo ~ Yuya is a bounty hunter searching for her brother’s killer. What trouble has she gotten herself into when she tries to bring in Kyoshiro, a medicine peddler, who turns into Demon Eyes Kyo when trouble occurs?

Comedy: Azumanga Daioh ~ follow the exploits of a group friends as they go through high school. Their characteristics range from brainy, to clueless, athletic to lazy.

Shoujo: Pretear ~ When the Dark Princess escapes from her imprisonment, it is up to Hayate and the other Leafe Knights to find the Pretear and return balance to the world.

Shounen: Cowboy Bebop ~ Meet the crew of the Bobop. They right wrongs and bring justice to the planets . . . for the right price.

2005-09-08T22:49:00.000-04:00

Excel Saga, 1 of 6

Excel Saga

2005-09-08T20:55:00.000-04:00

Excel Saga, what to say about Excel Saga? This is absolutely crazy. Basically it parodies all the different genres of anime and pokes fun at/ pays tribute to specific anime titles. For example each episode has a different characteristic from a sci-fi parody to romantic comedy (like those popular dating sim games) to horror. All topped off with Excel who, to put mildly, has coffee instead of blood running through her veins. She is overly hyper and speaks a mile a minute. About halfway through the series the english voice actress had to drop out due to possible vocal damage from having to do Excel's voice. Excel's partner in crime is Hyatt who drops dead, literally, every five minutes or less. But never fear there is an over all, barely-there plot running throughout this constantly changing series. There is a secret organization called Across headed by Illpalazo who then has Excel, Hyatt, and a mop as minions. Their mission is to take over the world but first, as a jumping off point, they are to take over the City of F. They try doing this by implementing various nonsensicle (sp?) plans like killing manga artists or making giant robots etc. But basically the only thing that goes on is random chaos. I do admit that I like the extras on the dvd. There's ad-vid notes that when activated you watch the episodes and a menchi head pops up to point out all the references which is very handy. Menchi,on a side note, is Excel's dog that she keeps as an emergency food ration. So Menchi (which literally mean's 'minced meat') is constantly trying to escape her apartment. In the beginning the show was entertaining but as it went on the novelty wears off to where you say "eh". The music sounds like it's from a video game and the animation is a bit choppy. It pretty much rates an ok with me. I only have the first two volumes maybe if I ever hit the lottery I'll pick up the rest of it but it's not number one on my "to get" list. In the end I say if you want a good wacky comedy watch Azumanga Daioh which is a lot better than this series.

Whoa!

2005-08-22T21:55:00.000-04:00

Whoa! It's been a long time since I posted. Well call it summer laziness. Between the heat and work . . . blah, blah, blah, the usual excuses lol. Well, I have watched Project Arms the first season. It was entertaining. I watched it in English and thought the script was very amusing. I never watched watched an anime with so much cursing in it with funny variations thereof. Basically it's about these guys who are "drawn" to each other, who have had accidents in their past that needed major surgery to their limbs. Now years later they discover they have powers in the limbs that were operated on. Now there's a whole conspiracy going on, mutants are after them etc. Don't expect a mind buster of a plot, but it's fun and enteratining. If you like action and don't mind a bit of blood check it out. 'k, there's my blurb about that. Let's seeeeee, what else? I've been glued to my PS2. I played and beat Shadow Hearts. I saved it at a turning point so I beat it for the good ending and then went back for the bad ending. Honestly there is not much difference between the two. If you like/love RPG's GET THIS!! It's hard to find now. I actually found it at a Gamestop preowned and I snatched it up. Basically you're Yuri a Harmonixer, which means you have the power to fuse with monsters souls and use their powers. Every once in a while a shooting pain goes through your head and a voice tells you to do something. That's how you meet Alice and you're assigned to protecting her. Her father was just killed by a mysterious man who is now after her and her own mysterious power. You find out it's Roger Bacon who wants to use her to help Dehua (sp?) and destroy the world, etc. you meet team mates along the way who have interesting backgrounds. So you and company are out to save the world, save Yuri's soul from the demons that are eating it alive, and find out who is your true enemy. It has a good Battle mode, the soul's Yuri takes are neat to use. I highly recommend this game. Now I'm glued to the sequal game that isn't so difficult to find and I got for a good new-game price of $20. This is Shadow Hearts: Covenant. Though it's not necessary to play the first one before this, it is helpful to fully understand Yuri's background. This story line takes place about 6 months after the first. The graphics are very good in this, there are more movie cutscenes with good dubbing, better character teammates, and on the whole I'd say even better than the first. I haven't finished it yet but I'm getting towards the end. So the only thing that can dissappoint me now about it would be a lousy ending. So that's pretty much what I have been up to in the past couple of weeks, oh I am rewatching Aquarian Age, the series, cause I finally got the last 2 discs to finish the series. so far so good. If you like X you'd prolly like this one. 'k, next official review by me will be on Excel Saga. Dunno when I'll get to it, but it shouldn't be too long hopefully, until then.

2005-08-01T23:20:00.000-04:00

Descendants of Darkness Boxset

Descendants of Darkness

2005-08-01T13:43:00.000-04:00

I had first came across Descendants of Darkness or Yami no Matsuei at BAAF 2003. I was curious about it but wasn't too sure of the cover (it's Shonen-ai) at the time. So had passed on it. Later I quite regretted it but in the stores they were asking $100 and up for and that was just too much. Since BAAF I've broadened my anime preferences with Gravitation, Eerie Queerie, Fake etc. Since I was fortunatly able to go to AnimeNext this year, I was on a hunting mission and found the last boxset at the Central Park Media booth for $60. Yea! Anyway this series is about the Ministry of Death, the Summons Department. Basically everyone's death is predestined, but sometimes things happen and a person lives longer (with the help of outside forces) than they're supposed to. Agents from the Summons Department are then sent to see what's going on and to bring back the person in question. The agents are Shinigami, people who have died but had strong attatchments to the living world. After passing the tests they become agents. The story focuses on Tsuzuki Asato, a slacker, troublemaker, sweets loving agent who nobody wants to partner with. Until the Chief tells a little white lie to newcomer Hisoka Kurosaki to put these two, ummm, together. After initial misunderstandings, Tsuzuki and Hisoka work competantly together. But of course he is the character that has the mental baggage with a tortured past (but then again pretty much all the characeters have a tortured past, but Tsuzuki's special!). Now we have his partner, Hisoka Kurosaki. He's an empath which means he can feel what other people feel. So naturally, he tries to avoid people as much as possible. He basically wanted to become an agent to figure out the reasons behind his death. When he finds out Tsuzuki's not the hot shot the chief told him he was he isn't too happy. But Tsuzuki grows on him and accepts him as a partner. Dr. Muraki is the main antagonist in the series. He has odd powers for a human (explain in manga maybe?). He also seems to appear wherever Tsuzuki is, which means Muraki is after Tsuzuki (like how I wrote that out? lol) for reasons you have to watch or read to find out. Then you have the supporting characters like the Gushoshin, twin bird thingies that work in the archives and help out the agents every once in a while. Chief Konoe in charge of the Summons Department, also has a sweet tooth but not to the extent of Tsuzuki's. He also knows about Tsuzuki's past. Tatsumi is second in command of the Department and is a former Tsuzuki partner. He has the power over shadows (comes in handy sometimes). Lastly you have Watari. He's a bit flamboyant to say the least but he's fun. He creates some wacky inventions. He becomes more active along with Tatsumi in the later episodes. The anime series covers 4 arcs: Vampire's Lure, The Devil's Trill, Tarot Curse, and Demon's Reckoning. The animation is pretty, and the English dub isn't too bad with Dan Green doing Tsuzuki's voice and Liam O'Brien doing Hisoka and supporting voice of Lisa Ortiz in Vampire's Lure. I enjoyed the anime series and am currently mooching the manga from a friend. If you like the anime deffinatly read the manga you get a lot more. To describe this series it's Shonen-ai, mystery, supernatural or I like how the Anime News Network describe's it as "dark fluff". If you like this I'd recommend the Fake manga by Sanami Matoh basically the same idea except it's heavier on the Ai stuff and no supernatural stuff. Descendants of Darkness gets 8 out 10. Pretty (very) animation, interesting story, ok (but not the greatest Dan Green and Liam O'Brien holding it all the way) dub. Just wish it was longer, but that's where the manga comes in.

2005-07-21T22:06:00.000-04:00

Escaflowne, 1 of 8

Escaflowne the series

2005-07-21T21:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, haven't posted in quite a while, at least anything worthwhile. heh heh heh. Anywho I've been watching Escaflowne the series. I first heard and seen some of this series a long time ago when it was butchered for saturday morning (I recommend seeing it in all it's glory uncut). It only lasted a I think about 10 episodes if that. But I was young and I liked what I saw. A few years later, me fully ensconced in a haven of anime, see it really cheap at Media Play ($13.99 a pop) and decide to try it. I fell in love with the first disc a I resumed getting the rest of the series within a week and I'm glad I did. This is one of my favorites, I love the plot because there is so much to it. Basically, It's about Hitomi Kanzaki, an average high school girl who likes to play with tarot cards and make predictions. Until one night a mysterious light delivers a ferocious dragon and a boy doing battle. In the end of that beginning sequence the light comes and takes her and the boy to another world, his home, called Gaia. Basically if you like fantasy try this series. You have flying ships, giant robotic armor, sword fights, love triangles, politcal conspiracy. I don't want to go into too much detail because there is so much too it. If I say one thing it might spoil the rest. But I'll give you the main characters. I already mentioned Hitomi in which the story focuses. Once she arrives on Gaia, she has visions and her predictions become very accurate. Van Finail, is the boy fighting the dragon when he meets Hitomi. It turns out he is the young King of Finailia which was burned and destroyed. His mission is to avenge his people and rebuild his kingdom. He also opperates the armor Escaflowne (they call the armor a Guymelif but I'm just calling it Armor cause my spelling sucks). Allan Schizar (sp?) is a knight of Estoria and top swordsman. He meets Hitomi when she and Van are separated. When Van comes upon her and Allen he thinks he is a thief and are at odds with each other. They eventually become uneasy friends. Hitomi also developes a crush on Allen. Allen opperates the Armor Sherizad (sp?). Princess Milerna is in love with Allen and pretty much tags along on their mission to save Gaia. She riles Hitomi a bit by openly flirting with Allen. Yet again they eventually become friends. She is also the healer of the group. Myrl is a cat girl who follows Van around. They have been friends since childhood and she would do anything for him. She's playful and curious and doesn't trust Hitomi and Van alone together. Lord Folkan (sp?) working toward the renewal or destruction of Gaia? He is also searching for the lost power of Atlantis. Emperor Dornkirk, pulling the strings of the nation Zaibach. Folkan is his top henchman. He has created a machine that can change a person "luck" and he doesn't like it when the shadows of the "dragon" and the "girl from the mystic moon" draw near. Dilandow (sp?) He's, in my opinion, the psycho you love. I'm finding a lot of them lately. These crazy bloodthirsty guys that have tragic pasts that just grow on you and make cool additions to the cast. This is the spot that Dilandow fills. He's a bit crazy, a bit bloodthirsty, and quite tenacious. He has it out for Van and he opperates a red armor. These are the major characters, if I missed any others I apologize. But these characters are well developed and I enjoyed the animation style. The only complaint I have is the ending. I liked the ending of the movie better. But that's that. I highly recommend this series if you're into fantasy or just want a well rounded plot. I give it 9 out of 10.

Drawings

2005-07-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

Just added some drawings I did a couple of years ago. You can tell they're new cause I had done them on lined paper. I was really bored in this class I was taking so I started drawing in the book. It was a webpage class and all I did was surf the net for an hour and a half so I looked for pics I liked and drew them. Hope you like!

Earthian Update

2005-07-04T21:59:00.000-04:00

I have just got a brand spankin' new Anime Insider all revamped and sparkly and pretty . . . I really like this magazine lol . . . the new Gratuitous Fanservice section hee hee hee this month is Ban Midou from Get Backers and Maya Natsume from Tenjho Tenge. My only suggestion would be to make this a pull out poster guys on one side girls on the other. Anywho back to reason for this post, on page 18 they have the announcements for the new manga aquisitions. I had previously posted on the anime Earthian well here Tokyopop has announced that they will be releasing the Earthian Manga. Doesn't say when but if you are curious about the storyline after watching the anime there will be an U.S. release sometime in the future.

*Kudos to the new and improved Anime Insider magazine!*

2005-07-04T21:42:00.000-04:00

Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha: the Secret of the Cursed Mask (PS2)

2005-07-04T21:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, I finally finished Inuyasha: the Secret of the Cursed Mask for the Playstation 2. With this game you are either going to love it or you're going to hate it. If you are a die-hard Inuyasha fan you'll probably enjoy it. I liked the combination of 2-d backgrounds and scenarios with the 3-d characters. There is also total English voice-overs with the original cast from the show with subtitles. Also it's fun to "interact" with the Inuyasha gang with your especially-made-by-Rumiko-Takahashi character. All of your favorite (maybe I should add "main") characters from the show make an appearance here from Kouga to Kohaku to Sesshomaru to Rin. If you purchase this game purely for the RPG (Role Playing Game) perspective you are probably going to hate the game. The thing that made me scream and nearly chuck the controller across the room are the random battles. There are too many factors/rules that apply to the battles yet in the end seem to make little difference. Example: you'll see throughout the mazes there are purple clouds that are supposed to signify a greater chance to doing battle. Well. I run in and out of these clouds and do more battles outside of them than in. Another factor is Luck. every once in a while Myouga will pop up after you win a battle and say your fortunes have changed. These fortunes can vary from chaos to mediocre to paradise. If you get chaos (which I frequently got) be prepared to spend a good hour or so fighting your way through a maze or mansion or wherever you are, as in you are going to take root to your seat. A downer for Inuyasha fans is that whoever wrote the little scripts for the characters seemed to never have watched the show in his/her life or has a very poor imagination. I don't know, maybe it's me but I really don't see Inuyasha saying "I guess I'll go for a leisurely walk", the scripts can get very corny sounding. Now the overall story itself is decent. Basicly your character (you can either pick a girl or boy at the beginning) is drawn into the feudal era. Here of course you meet up with the Inuyasha gang, unlock your hidden powers, and go after Naraku and the mysterious Utsugi to find a way to go back home. So the story itself is fun to run through. In the end, me being a big Inuyasha fan and RPG fan enjoyed this game despite it's faults. Perhaps if future Inuyasha RPG games come out the faults can be rectified to make it even better. I give it a 6 out of 10. For me the graphics are a big plus, but the big minus are the random battles.

2005-06-21T18:52:00.000-04:00

Fllmetal Alchemist panel, left to right: Travis Willingham, Caitlin Glass, and Vic Mignogna

2005-06-21T18:49:00.000-04:00

Vic Mignogna, me and my Hatsuharu hat

2005-06-21T18:48:00.000-04:00

Caitlin Glass, me and my Hatsuharu hat

2005-06-21T18:47:00.000-04:00

inside the convention center

2005-06-21T18:46:00.000-04:00

front of the convention center

2005-06-21T18:44:00.000-04:00

left to right: Marc Diraison, Wayne Grayson, Kerry Williams, and Mike Pollock

Update

2005-06-21T16:23:00.000-04:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, been quite busy this month. First off I had a wedding to go to in West Virginia, which was quite fun. ;^P and then this past Saturday (6/18) my friends and I went to AnimeNext in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was a total BLAST!! First off the set up of the convention was convenient for con goers with panels, art gallery and autograph lines were set up before the dealers room. I've only been to one other con and that was BAAF (Big Apple Anime Fest) in 2003. At BAAF evrything was kinda squished together even though it was on multiple floors. Anyway more floor space that was put to good use. The Dealers room was fun too everything from Central Park Media to Cartoon Passion to Funimation booths. Speaking of the Funimation booth I made sure to make an origami crane (or rather tried to, my Friend Kim really just did two and I handed it to the attendant!) The purpose of the cranes, if you don't know already is to raise a demand for another season of Fruits BAsket. The cranes will be sent to Japan to show the popularity of the show. Cross your fingers! Also this year Funimation introduced the next generation of Fruits Basket hats. This year it's Shigure and Hatsuharu. I picked up the Hatsuharu one, very cool! The con also had a great batch of guests: from One Piece they had Marc Diraison (Zolo), Kerry Williams (Nami), Wayne Grayson (not sure which one he is, someone fill me in?) and Mike Pollock (the "next piece of One Piece . . " guy) very nice and entertaining group. I was really looking forward to meeting Wayne Grayson since he did the voice of Benitora from Samurai Deeper Kyo. But nothing could beat the combination of Travis Willingham, Caitlin Glass, and VIC MIGNOGA!! this group is from Fullmetal Alchemist their characters being: Roy Mustang, Winry Rockbell, and Edward Elric. They were fantastic and Hilarious! Travis and Vic kept teasing each other with the "rivalry" between their characters, especially playing off episode 13 Flame versus Fullmetal. They were great together. Also Vic had put together a short film called "Fullmetal Fantasy" where he and a few of the other voice actors cosplayed their characters for the story. It was hysterical. What really pleased me though was the film was only supposed to be 15-20 minutes with the overall "event" being half an hour. Vic and Caitlin stayed an extra half hour to answer questions and show outtakes from the film, and then after THAT they stayed about another hour signing autograph and taking pictures. heheheh Do you want to know what Vic Mignogna's license plate is? it's actually FUL MTL. He loves the show so much! But they were really great. If this opportunity ever arrises in your area I highly suggest you going to see them. Anyway that's it from me. I got a bunch of anime at the con, plus I'm finishing up Escaflowne. so hopefully I'll have another review up soon. toodles

2005-06-05T16:23:00.000-04:00

Escaflowne the Movie

2005-06-05T13:51:00.000-04:00

I really enjoyed Escaflowne the Movie. It's one of the movies that tries to squish a 26 epsiode series into an hour and a half movie. While doing this leaves the storyline a bit flat with gaps and unanswered questions at the end and little character development, the work itself is beautiful. A stunning style of animation is done with intricate detail and gorgeous colors. There are scenes of beautiful green fields with snow capped mountains in the distance along side scenes of battle next to the gigantic caravan. The first thing that caught my attention, even before the stunning animation, is the music. Yet again we here masterpieces by Yoko Kanno along side Hajime Mizoguchi. Full orchestral pieces accompany these scenes are indescribable. My favorite being the piece during the Escaflowne battle of the armors. Ok, now that my likes are done perhaps a bit of a story overview? Hitomi Kanzaki pretty much suffers from depression and near suicidal tendancies. Until one day she is "called" to Gaia. This pretty much happens within the first 10 - 15 minutes of the movie and is pretty much the confusing, "what the hell is happening?" part, but afterwards, storywise, it does get better. She appears inside the Escaflowne armor while Van is raiding the ship it's being transported on. Hitomi is now believed to be the Wing Goddess who has the power to determine Gaia's fate to either destroy or save. She also has the "power" to summon the Escaflowne. And pretty much the rest is Folken wanting to destroy his sorrow by destroying the world. Van doomed to stop his brother is quite moody and tempermental, in the beginning, wanting to stay the "loner" until Hitomi worms her way into his heart. awwwww! That's pretty much how the story goes with the focus on Van, Folken, and Hitmoi. There is very little of Allen, Dryden, Millerna, and Merle. On a sidenote, the voice acting is very well done. If you have watched Inuyasha in English, you will recognize many of these voices. Kirby Morrow - Van/ Miroku, Kelly Sheridan - Hitomi/ Sango, Paul Dobson - Folken/ Naraku, Scott Mcneil - Jajuka/ Kouga. Though the story falls a bit with not enough development, it is very appealing to the senses. In the least if you have not seen the series this will make you want to for sake of answers and more in depth story coverage. If you have already seen the series you will probably be disappointed. I enjoyed it through it's faults and would recommend it no matter where you stand with the series. But just remember that the first 10 minutes or so are going to be in there own world, let's just say she is taken to Gaia and don't worry about the "how" part of the equation. In the end 8.5 out of 10.

2005-05-30T18:50:00.000-04:00

Earthian

2005-05-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

Hrmmmm, Earthian. What to say about Earthian? Well this is old school anime first coming out in 1989. But let's start at the beginning. I got this because I was a sucker for the cover. I really do like the cover art on the dvd and it got my interested in it. The premise sounded interesting too. It's something like: Angels are sent to judge the earth. One is Kagetsuya who is the pessimistic, vengeful angel. His partner is Chihaya an optimistic, compassionate angel. While one finds out the negatives of humanity the other finds the positives. While I found that ineresting enough to get it and try it, the story really doesn't go anywhere. Perhaps because it has only four episodes? probably. The events that happen in the story, such as Chihaya being cursed with black wings or even the main plot of whether or not Humans (Earthians) are doomed or saved never comes to fruition. I do not approve of the ending cause it stops without any answers. The four episodes that are in this "collection" when watched, feel like they were picked up here and there during the series leaving one confused and wondering "where are they now? What's up with their relationship?" In the first episode Kagetsuya and Chihaya have the '60's twin beds then in the third episode they have the king size. Would like some developement here! oh well. It looked pretty and it starts out promising. But it falls flat, would have been far better if they at least made it a 13 episode series. There is apparently a manga that will be released sometime in 2005. Not really sure, but there are items under "books" and "earthian". But I don't thin I'll be picking them up. Anywho, I give it 4 out of 10, besides the faults I mentioned above it wasn't a COMPLETE waste of time and money, but in the end it should've been longer.

2005-05-23T20:49:00.000-04:00

Aquarian Age - volume 1 of 3

Aquarian Age

2005-05-23T19:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, just finished watching the first dvd of Aquarian Age, the series. I enjoyed it. The story is being drawn out more than the movie. I think I would stick to Juvenile Orion the manga when first stepping into this, but the series is doing a decent job of not totally confusing the audience. Basically the story is focusing on Kyouta who with his two friends, Shingo and Junichi, have a band that they desparately want to go pro. Kyouta in the meantime, keeps seeing flashing images of girls doing battle. So what's so special about Kyouta that the clans start fighting over him? What's up with his girlfriend Yoriko? Is she hiding something? The animation is good. I haven't seen this style before. I also like the voice actor combination. Chris Patton (seeing a lot of him these days it seems!) = Kyouta, Vic Mignogna = Shingo (he acts really crazy like a guy at a party college. Kinda funny when you compare him to Ed Elric in Full Metal Alchemist), Greg Ayres = Junichi, Monica Rial = Yoriko. So this is a great cast, the 3 guys really go well together 0:) (yeah, I have angel eyes here, hee hee hee) Anyway, The series is only 13 episodes, 3 dvds. If you more of my opinion of Aquarian Age check it out under the Aquarian Age Movie.

2005-05-22T00:17:00.000-04:00

E's Otherwise: Operation: Gald City - volume 1

E's Otherwise

2005-05-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

Here is a series that is quickly becoming one of my favorites, E's Otherwise. In the future, the world is controlled by 12 major corporations, Ashurum being the most powerful. Then there's the slum city Gald where all the underhanded things are done. From normal citizens just trying to get by in life to arms dealers and anti-corporation guerrillas. Now among the populace psychics start to appear, people who can form thought into energy and can use this energy to fly, form barriers, and shoot deadly bolts among other things. Normal people tend to not like the psychics (kind of like an X-men, mutant feeling going on). The more powerful psychics usually end up in the clutches of Ashurum or as leaders of rebel groups or just stay secretive about their powers like the rest. The psychics that end up with Ashurum form an elite force known as Aeses. Now the story focuses on psychic Kai who has always lived within the walls of the corporation, he goes on missions for Ashurum to bring in guerrillas with his teammates. After a certain incident, Kai is separated from his group and ends up living in Gald. He sees how normal people think of psychics, what they think of the corporations, and how they live in general. His eyes are open and he takes in all these new experiences.
I'm really enjoying this series, it goes from really serious episodes to side splitting hilarity (like when Kai is forced to dress like a woman against his will). I especially like Yuuki, who Kai becomes a "sidekick" to. Once he gets something in his hands he's always swinging it around like it's a toy from a microphone to a gun (not that he doesn't know how to use it, he's a dead aim), to a shaman's wand, it's just plain funny. Anywho, the plot is good, lots of action, and the characters develope at a comfortable pace, there's no mind tricks with this one (ha ha! mind tricks!) Alsoyou have some recognizable voice actors here. Chris Patton = Kai (also Sasuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic), Greg Ayers = Shen-Lon (Goku from Saiyuki, Chrno from Chrono Crusade), HilaryHaag = Asuka (Sister Rossette from Chrono Crusade, Riku from D.N.Angel), these are the most notable names but the other voice actors do a pretty good job in my opinion.
There are two dvds out with the third due June 7th according to Amazon.com. The first 2 dvds have 5 episodes apiece plus extras (previews, clean opening/closing, production sketches, Japanese promos [promos on first dvd], and voice actor profiles [profiles on second dvd].
That's about it I think. I highly recommend this one 9.5 out of 10, could've had some cleaner looking animation, but that is a minor thing. Until next time.

skipping

2005-05-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

Ok, I'm skipping a few, 'cause frankly, I don't feel like rewatching them. I'm skipping Dragon Drive volume 1. Yeah I know, I know. It's kiddy-ish and is up there with the recently released Zatch Bell (even though I enjoyed the Japanese version Konjiki no Gash Bell). Dragon is badly dubbed with poor animation. Probably only amusing to single digit youths. But I got it cause it was dragons and I like the word "chibi" (pronounced cheebee). So sue me. But the plus is that it's good for young kids, recommended 7 and up. The others I'm skipping are DBZ dvds, The World's Strongest, The Tree of Might, and the Dead Zone and also Prelude to Terror the Trunks saga. I don't know anyone who hasn't seen at least some DBZ. I remember watching the early early episodes and enjoying them but they where the butchered Cartoon Network versions. Anywho if you wan to know more about these titles just look at the summaries at Amazon.com.

2005-05-11T22:46:00.000-04:00

Appleseed, Limited Collector's Edition

Appleseed

2005-05-11T21:56:00.000-04:00

I have just purchased the Appleseed Limited Collector's Edition. First off I like the tin box it came in. It's not big and bulky like some of the other one's I have and I like the artwork on the cover. It's a 2 disc editon so on the inside the dvds are overlapping each other. They're not separated on those little wing holders are common in many 2 disc sets. I don't it so much, since this is the first one in my collection like it. My brother said he doesn't care for it 'cause it hinders you getting to the second disc and it is a higher risk of damaging the dvds. Well, that's my technical report! This is a remake of the 1988 Appleseed movie, with spectacular CG animation. The music is also some of the best pieces I've heard in a while. The music is credited to the Boom Boom Satelites and other supporting musicians. The graphics are also top notch. It's a good blend of computer and anime techniques. To the story, this is another movie you have to pay attention to. It's not a brain killer like some, but I recommend not doing two things at once while watching this, just a suggestion. It focuses on a soldier named Deunan who is tracked down and taken to Olympus, a Utopia for humanity and Bioroids. Bioroids are these superior clones that are supposed to help the survival of the huaman race. Their emotions are restricted, they don't feel love, hate, or jealousy. Also they cannot reproduce. There are these 2 conditions in order to control them, but to balance the scale there is a virus contained at the top of the Tartarus building that, when released, will cease human reproduction. Basically it's conspiracy, 'cause a lot of people do not like the bioroids. And so questions start popping up as to why Deunan keeps being attacked, why was she brought to Olympus to beging with, What's up with General Uranus, the Council, and Gaia? All interspersed between these questions are some really cool fight scenes. I give this one a 9 out 10. Could have been a bit clearer with the story/timeframe. Okay now I think I'm back on track for future anime reviews. (let's see how long this'll last! hee hee hee).

2005-05-09T23:48:00.000-04:00

Aquarian Age the Movie

2005-05-09T22:38:00.000-04:00

wow! Two posts in one day! How did I ever manage this one?! heh heh. Anyway, Aquarian Age the Movie, what first got me interested in this was the spin off manga Juvenile Orion. This is a five book manga that is very good and that I full heartedly recommend (especially for the pretty boys!) From what I can tell the manga leads up to the movie basically in that universe's history. Don't expect to see many pretty boys in the movie, pretty much it's panty shots. The movie feels like the bridge between a first season and a second season in a series, so if you haven't read the manga or read through the info booklet that comes with the movie you're going to be confused. Basically there are four factions E.G.O., Arayashiki, WIZ-DOM, and Darklore. E.G.O., which stands for Evolutional Generational Organization, is a faction of powerful psychics. Arayashiki use the elements mixed with their spiritual power to cast spells and moves that originated in the East. WIZ-DOM is a secret organization that uses the forbidden Western magic. Pretty much what we traditionally think of as witches and sorcerers. Darklore is human mixed with animal/demon faction. This is where the catgirls come from and the guys with batwings etc. There is one other part. They're not really a faction but rather ordinary person one day discover they have powers the next, and they're the Mind-Breakers. They can unlock the hidden powers in the other factions and join them together. Pretty much these factions are constantly fighting among themselves to be the most powerful faction(with the exception of the Mind Breakers), until one day the Erasors come. These angelic looking beings come to, well, erase everything, or rather anything that poses a threat to their world domination. The factions then band together to overcome these oppressors, resolving their differences at least for the moment. This is what I believe happens in the beginning, this is what is taking place during the time of the manga. The second part The Polestar Empire comes from another dimension seeking a fight with the strongest. The emperor ressurrects dead warriors (kinda like in the R.O.D. OVA except instead of scientists it's warriors) to fill his ranks. Thus the factions must yet again join to do battle against this threat. When I say the factions must join together, the story focuses on a character from each clan as they come together, this essentially forms the story. The movie takes place between these incidents, the end of the Erasers and the beginning of the Polestar. All of this anime and manga originally started as a T.C.G. (laymans terms a Trading Card Game) Luckily unlike Yugioh, the game itself never takes place in Juvenile Orion or the Movie. I have yet to watch the series, but I'm intending to acquire it once I see it at a reasonable price, but I just realized it's only three dvds so it's not too bad. Also from what I've watched/read everyone wished the manga, series, movie to be longer to add more to it but this is because it was so enjoyable. I certainly wished the manga was longer but was pleased with what it had and the ending. So in the end I recommend the movie but would advise to read Juvenile Orion first or probably the series, but since I haven't watched it yet I won't garuntee anythng about it. The movie I give an 8 out of 10. Basically I wished the movie was longer, it's only 60 minutes, but the dvd makes up for this with some interesting extras. The dubbing is pretty good boasting the English voices of Wendee Lee and Lex Lang among others. Even though there are numerous panty shots, I found there to be a pleseant amount of gore and action in it as well. Okey dokey, that's it for Aquarian Age the Movie, enjoy!

2005-05-09T14:11:00.000-04:00

Darkside Blues

2005-05-09T12:44:00.000-04:00

I had originally purchased Darkside Blues because it is by the same creator as Vampire HUnter D: Bloodlust (which is one of my top favorite anime movies). I find this movie to be a bit confusing at times with many questions left unanswered at the end. Basically the story revolves around Shinjuku, Tokyo now called Darkside. In this futuristic scenario, the Persona company owns most of world, one of the few exceptions to this is Darkside one of the most dangerous places to be yet one with the most freedom. (Since the Persona company rules as a dictatorship) There are those who retaliate against Persona, rebel terrorist groups and delinquent gangs. This story focuses on different characetrs from these groups, but never fully explaining their backgrounds. There's Mai, leader of the street gang, she's street-smart and has lightening quick reflexes. She has a brutal past that we only see glimpses of to come to our own conclusions. Then there's Celia a nurse and healer, who's family was destroyed by Persona, thus she has locked her emotions away (but not her rifle). Tatsuya is part of a rebel terrorist group who escaped the clutches of his pursuers by entering Darkside and being treated for his wounds by Celia. He is determined to make it back to his comrades to continue the fight against Persona. And then there is the mysterious man in black who drives a coach with four horses, he is a powerful psychic who comes speaking of renewal to the people of Shinjuku.
As a whole it is an interesting movie to watch as long as you pay attention, it's not one of my favorites though. The music added atmosphere to the actions but did not really move me to really notice it that much. Content wise, there is brief frontal nudity and a bit of sadistic torture in the begining. Throughout there are gun fights with some results. (course this being a futuristic tokyo, there's a spattering of mutant, psychics and 'enhanced humans' so use your imagination about the violence) If you can tolerate Vampire Hunter D (original) than you shouldn't have a problem with this one. On the plus side I love the animation style, it shows the early stylings similar to Bloodlust. The dubbing is decent since it was done in 1996. So if you're in the mood for a complicated, no straight forward answers type of anime check it out. But I can't fully recommend it. let's say I give it a 4.5 out of 10. I'm holding onto my copy because of the animation. I'm just crazy over the style. I like the scene where there is a close up of Darkside and his hair just starts to move around from an unseen wind. Anywho, that's it for Darkside Blues. I'm going to backtrack a bit back to the 'A's, I have recently purchased Aquarion Age the Movie and on May 10 Appleseed the Movie is being released. Can't wait to watch these, I've been looking forward to them!

2005-04-26T17:11:00.000-04:00

D.N.Angel Volume 1 of 7

D.N.Angel

2005-04-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a fun series, D.N.Angel. The setting is in a vast european-esque town and the main character is Daisuke Niwa who has some special D.N.A. When he has feelings of unrequited love he turns into the Phantom Thief, Dark. This kinda thing is passed through his family, so Dark has been showing up for the past 300 years. Only when he "captures his sacred maiden" (find his true love) will Dark go away. But what is a kid to do when he likes the younger twin girl, she likes Dark, and the older twin starts to like Daisuke. It's one big triangle. In the meantime, Daisuke's mother and grandfather have been training him to be a thief since he was little. While Daisuke unravels his feelings about the girls, Dark has to steal various artifacts that have supernatural powers that need to be sealed. That's pretty much the gist of the story. The animation is also well done in this anime with the use of sweeping CG graphics that add depth the town and Dark's flying. The one thing people might not care for is the rabbit-thing, With. But the good news is that it doesn't talk! otherwise it's just there for cuteness and to magically become Dark's black wings. There are also a bunch of recognizable english voice actors in this series. Hilary Haag and Luci Christian are the twins Riku and Risa, Greg Ayres as Hiwatari, Ilich Guardiola is Krad, Jason Douglas is Detective Saehara and of course Vic Mignogna as Dark. Kevin Korn does the voice of Daisuke and he does it quite well. For not recognizing his voice in any of the other anime I have, thus him being a 'No-Name' voice actor to me, he is a perfect match to voice the young Daisuke Niwa. Honestly, I didn't care too much for Hilary Haag when I first heard her but now after watching what I have again, I have changed my mind. Hilary's and Luci's voices play off each other (even though the recording is done separately!) very well so that they actually sound like they could be sisters. I only have the first two volumes but have seen the whole series. There are currently four volumes released in the U.S. witht the fifth one coming in June (according to Amazon.com) .The ending I can tell you is good, it doesn't leave questions unanswered and it completes the character developement. There are also some very good extras on dvds. There's Clean Opening and Closing Animation, Voice actor commentary (Kevin Korn and Vic Mignogna on the first dvd, Luci Christian and Hilary Haag on the second dvd), Creation of the opening theme, promos and tvspots, ADV previews, Meet Miyu Irino (on Second dvd, seiyu for Daisuke) and DNAngel Unplugged - True Light (second DVD), and also reversable covers. The story is also good for young teen viewers with the comedy and more sentimental feelings in the story. Good story, good voices, good animation, again an anime with my seal of approval with a 6.5 out of 10.
Next on the Block is Darkside Blues

2005-04-18T23:21:00.000-04:00

Cowboy Bebop: the Movie

Cowboy Bebop the Movie

2005-04-18T22:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, it took longer than I planned to watch and write a review for Cowboy Bebop the Movie. Sorry! I've been distracted watching Tenjo Tenge and playing Star Ocean: 'til the end of time. Course I played that game before but now I have the official player's book, hee hee hee! I want the good ending this time! I highly recommend this game, great graphics, voice overs, story, and fighting system. Anywho to the review! This movie was highly anticipated because of how much of a hit the series was/is. I love the tag line for this "They're here to save the planet. But not for free." Basically you have the madman Vincent who wants to destroy Mars by unleashing a biological nanomachine virus (which he of course is immune to). With such a deadly terrorist at large there goes with it an equally large bounty which catches the eyes of our bounty hunters Spike, Faye, and Jet. They each go about their own way of discovering the culprit, the virus and apprehending the criminal in typical own ways. Here we see a lot of Spike action from his hand-to-hand combat to marksmanship to an aerial dogfight. As for the English voice acting it is the same as the series. Ok Ok Ok, there's a voice actor by the name of David Lucas who is credited as the voice of Spike in the series, but then in the movie he is credited as Steven Blum. Before the movie came out I was like "sure they could be different people" but then I read somewhere that the same actors were being used for the movie because of how well they did. So that is what convinced me that they are the same person. But that's me, if anyone can prove otherwise please let me know. David Lucas/Steve Blum is one of my favorite voice actors so I'd like to know. Now as for the time frame of the movie, this is another debatable topic. It is generally believed though that it takes place between the early 20 (as in between episodes 21, 22, 23, 24 etc.) episodes. Another highpoint for the movie, is how highly detailed the animation is. From the detail on Spike's gun to the Bebop to even the backgrounds are painstakingly done. The movie also features the exquisite music by Yoko Kanno. One last thing, the dvd features featurettes, interviews with the director, Shinichiro Watanabe, the voice actors both english and Japanese and comparisons of the series to the big screen. Also the special features include character biographies, art galleries, music videos, and trailers. In the end, I give this my seal of approval, and another must have for Cowboy Bebop and Anime fans alike to collect.
Next up on the block is D.N.Angel volume 1.
Happy Watching!

Fanfiction

2005-04-12T12:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, my friend convinced me to try writing some fiction. So I did! here is the link. It's pretty cool, though. At this site, under the "42 Days" post, you have to write your story based on certain conditions that are posted. Like in challenge 4, the one I started with, it is on viewpoints. You have to write the same scene from two characters viewpoints. I wrote mine based on the Inuyasha series and the viewpoints are Inuyasha and Kouga. Well it's voting time now for this challenge! Otaku_Princess wrote one based on Fruits Basket, and Cesmith wrote one based on Saiyuki. They're all good, so take a look, and leave comments on what you liked and what you think needs improvement in the story.

http://ffnetauthors.proboards29.com/index.cgi?board=42daysvotes

2005-04-11T22:53:00.000-04:00

Cowboy Bebop: Best Sessions

2005-04-11T22:10:00.000-04:00

I had gotten Cowboy Bebop: Best Sessions cheap at Wal-Mart since the only other Bebop I have is the movie. Yet again there really isn't anything special about this edition. The series itself is great but I suggest going out and just getting it especially since there will be a soopped up Remix of the entire series coming out this summer.

*REMIX will feature a completely remixed and remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS surround sound and remastered video under the direction/supervision of Shinchiro Watanabe. REMIX will include new extras such as interviews with the US voice actors and actresses, collections of trailers, promos, the Session 0 extras (Japanese Interviews witht he staff and cast, story digest of the second half of the series, Tank music videos) and more. *
- Anime News Network

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/article.php?id=6179

I highly recommend this series as it follows the bounty hunters Spike, Jet, Faye, and (not really a bounty hunter but still there) Ed and Ein. The heavier parts of the series follows Spike with his past of being a former hitman for the syndicate is catching up with him. Faye has a bit of a dramatic past as well which I will not go into so as not to spoil it. Ed and Ein are pretty much the comedic characters of the series. Now granted I've only watched this series all the way through when it was on Cartoon Network so it has been a while, but this is a must have for any anime collector (or as in my case, at least watch all the way through once). The characters are highly developed, no fluff with their personalities, they have 'em and they stick to 'em. If anything the music itself, composed by Yoko Kanno and performed by The Seat Belts, is worth watching the series for. This anime has one of the soundtracks out there. Now I've only watched this in English dub and it is also well done considering when it came out. David Lucus and Wendee Lee being two voice actors on my "favorites list". From what I hear and from what I read of other people's opinions of the dubbing is that overall it is considered one of the best. Most, MOST, people are pleased with it. I'll watch sub or dub, with the option of dub coming first. It has to be really, REALLY bad for me not to like the dub *cough* Zenki *cough*. Anyway, put this series on your 'To Watch' list, but don't bother with the Best Sessions edition. Basically it's a two disc edition that dictates the director's top three episodes, 1. Asteroid Blues (eps. 1), 2. Ballad of Fallen Angels (eps. 5), and 3. Wild Horses (eps. 19). On disc 2 it's the Fan Favorites episodes, 1. Waltz for Venus (eps. 8), 2. Mushroom Samba (eps. 17) and 3. Hard Luck Woman (eps. 24). There aren't any extras beyond trailers and the usual audio/subtitle options and a reversible cover. No commentaries or anything whcih is a bit of a downer, but with Remix coming out expect something in those extras. Any who that's it, next post won't be as long since it will be Bebop: the Movie and will probably say the same thing, heh heh heh.

B-Day Party

2005-04-07T00:15:00.000-04:00

Yea! My friends took me out for a belated birthday party and then yummy chocolate cake and anime presents!! heres some pics I took.

2005-04-07T00:14:00.000-04:00

MANGA!!

2005-04-07T00:07:00.000-04:00

Tama from Fushigi Yugi

2005-04-06T23:57:00.000-04:00

Fayt and Cliff

2005-04-06T23:56:00.000-04:00

Fayt Leingod and CLiff Fitter from Star Ocean: 'til the end of time

2005-03-29T22:52:00.000-05:00

Chobits, Vol. 1 of 7

Chobits

2005-03-29T21:28:00.000-05:00

Here is a series by Japan's all-woman artist group CLAMP. Chobits can be seen in different ways. At first the most obvious is the cutesy little robot in the frilly dresses living with a horny, almost-in-college guy. Then you can stop right there after hearing the first "Chiiii?" But then watching more, getting into it more you can start to see the levels. Human or robot? Which is better? This is the question that is bombarded at Hideki Motosuwa throughout the series as Chi developes and becomes more coherent and emotional. This is exemplified through the surrounding characters. They all have stories/ backgrounds that reflect the issue. Hiromu Shinbo (Hideki's helpful neighbor), Chitose Hibiya (manager of the apartment building), Minoru Kokubunji (persocom expert), Yuzuki (Minoru's custom-made persocom made to be like his deceased sister), Yumi Omura (friend and co-worker at the Japanese Pub "My Pleasure"), Takako Shimizu (prep school teacher), and Manager Ueda ( Manager at Tirol where Chi works). It is like a series of stories that support the main by how you are ushered through each stage with each couple until you get to the end where Hideki makes his decision.
I did like this series. Chi is sweet and innocent as she explores the world and Hideki explains to the best of his ability. Hideki, (you'd think he'd bleed to death by the end with all the bloody noses he gets) even though he likes his "magazines" and didn't make it into college, has his heart in the right place. He gives sage advice (even though he's either half asleep or half starved when he gives it) and wants the best for everyone.
The characters develope very well through this series. The one thing, a minor detail, is the ending. I won't go into detail but it could have been extended a bit for the added characters. It was pretty much for the closure, how they handled it, to wrap things up. All in all it wasn't bad, just longer. There is manga available so that would probably go into further detail.

update

2005-03-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

Added a link to my dvd collection listing. I have a few more to add that I had gotten on my b-day, I'll do that later, though. Happy Browsing!

2005-03-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

The Cat Returns

2005-03-22T16:54:00.000-05:00

The Cat Returns is one of the newly released batch of three from Studio Ghibli (along with Porco Rosso and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind). Even though this is a Studio Ghibli film Hayao Miyazaki created the original concept while the director is Hiroyuki Morita. But you don't have to look at the credits to tell, the animation style is clearly different. But this movie is excellent. The animation shows the individuality between the directors. The music gives the atmosphere a grander feeling such as when Haru is entering the Cat King's castle. And instead of the environmental and coming of age themes this is one is believing/ having faith in yourself. Sometimes you don't feel like you belong, you have the worst luck at things and you just want to give up. This is how Haru is at the beginning of the film. She saves the Cat King's only son one day and now the whole kingdom wants to repay her (with hilarious results) finally the cats kidnap her in wanting her to marry the prince. Luckily Haru had contacted the Baron at the Cat Bureau who comes to her rescue along with Muta and Toto. This is quite an enjoyable movie, good for kids. The one thing I don't care for is how Disney is inserting their own actors into the Ghibli movies, granted they do a decent job, but if I hear Hilary Duff as a voice in a future release I'm gonna be seriously ticked.

update

2005-03-22T00:58:00.000-05:00

ok, I just added a whole bunch of wallpapers. I went through my screencaps and enlarged the ones I liked. I also did them all bigger, so hopefully it'll fit screens better. Let's see there are one's to Angel Sanctuary, Azumanga Daioh, DBZ, Cowboy Bebop, Get BAckers, Dragon Drive, Escaflowne, Fruits Basket, Galerians: Rion, Twelve Kingdoms, Inuyasha, Knight Hunters: Eternity, Saiyuki, Magic User's Club, and Tenchi. heh heh heh, That's all I've been doing all day, not that they're really technical, but I liked the pics and wanted them for my screen as well. Let me know what you think. Oh, and by the way, Happy Birthday To ME!!

update

2005-03-21T14:34:00.000-05:00

Ok, I think I'm gonna take a mini break from reviewing and make some wallpapers. I have a bunch of screencaps and pics I found that I want to play around with. The next review though will be The Cat Returns and then Chobits.

2005-03-21T14:30:00.000-05:00

The Castle of Cagliostro

2005-03-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

Heh, this movie is great! I've watched some of the Lupin III series and enjoyed it but when I tried the movies they were . . . well . . . subpar. I did enjoy Twilight of the Gemini, but I like the Lupin sereis better than the movies. Here though is the exception. The Castle of Cagliostro is the great combination of Hayao Miyazaki and Katou Kazuhiko a.k.a. Monkey Punch. Based Monkey Punch's works, Miyazaki has Lupin help the Princess Clarisse who is being forced to marry the Count Cagliostro. The reason for this marriage iiiiiiiiiis? Anyone? . . . TREASURE!! When the two goat rings are joined it forms a clue to uncovering the hidden treasure of Cagliostro. Also while investigating the catacombs under the Cagliostro castle Lupin uncovers a money forging operation. And of course the whole gang is here Zenigata, Jigen, Goemon, and Fujiko even though the film focuses more on Lupin than the other characters. What I like the most is seeing the blend of animation styles, of the traditional Kazuhiko's Lupin (for example) and Miyazaki's style of animation. I had first seen this movie at BAAF, Big Apple Anime Fest in 2003 and the whole audience would burst out laughing. For one thing that is humorous is practically every movement has it's own sound to it. Example, when Lupin is on the roof of the castle, he slips and starts running down the slope going faster and faster. When he gets to the end he jumps stretching to a split, there's this boi-oing sound. I can't explain it well, suffice it to say though that this is a must have for any anime collector.

2005-03-17T22:00:00.000-05:00

Castle in the Sky

2005-03-17T21:22:00.000-05:00

Castly in the Sky is one of my favorites by Hayao Miyazaki. It is about Sheeta, a mysterious girl who fell from the sky, and Pazu, an orphen who helps out in the mines. Sheeta has a crystal necklace that was passed down in her family that contains a mysterious power, a which the Dola Pirate Gang and the Military want and are chasing her down for. Pazu gets caught up in the middle of the chase but does not want to abandon her. Everything though is connected to the flying castle Laputa. The Pirates and the Military want the legendary treasure, Pazu wants to prove that his father was right about the castle, Sheeta wants to learn about her heritage and Col. Muska wants the world conquering power that Laputa wields. This movie was made in 1986 but the animation is very well done. I can just imagine Miyazaki having a lot of fun with this movie, he loves aviation and it shows in this movie (as well as Porco Rosso) with his creative air ship designs, beautiful backgrounds and landscapes, and the detail put into the flying castle. Each character is developed and follows their own personality, of which I like the bumbling Pirates the best (they're a riot!). I highly recommend this movie, clean animation, thorough story, and likable characters round out this one nicely.

2005-03-17T00:14:00.000-05:00

Blue Seed: Beyond

2005-03-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

ugh, I was so excited when I heard this was coming out. It was such a disappointment. It's only three episodes, that's it. Basically it takes place 2 years after the original Blue Seed and Aragami start to reappear. The T.A.C. discover that there are new man made aragami running around that were created in San Francisco. So they all troop over to the U.S. and have these monlogues about the power hungry U.S. And the American Navy representative is a sexist, rascist idiot. Now usually I take these U.S. put downs etc. with stride, but in here it really pushed my buttons. I can take the rags in R.O.D. better than this. blech. ANYWAY, They go, they talk, they get rid of the Aragami, then they troop back to Japan. In the meantime, there's a new chickie who joins the group, she also has a mitama like Kusanagi, she also has powers like Kusanagi, BUT she spontaniously bursts out of all her clothes to change, jiggling all the way. The San Francisco arc is 2 of the 3 episodes. The last episode is the girls in a hot spring with a bomb. The end kinda leaves you hanging, but not really. It's a pointless episode, that only serves to show off skin and compare bust sizes. Maybe if there was more to Beyond than the three episodes I'd get beyond my initial dislike, but I haven't seen anything. ugh, I say don't waste your money on this. If all you want is boobs though, knock yourself out, otherwise don't waste your time either on this. The only thread that's saving this is that there's Kusanagi in a speedo, but even that won't save it for long.

2005-03-16T19:30:00.000-05:00

Blue Seed: Perfect Collection

Blue Seed

2005-03-16T18:22:00.000-05:00

Ah, finally finished Blue Seed. This was the first full series I purchased. It came as a brick and was a reasonable price 30-ish. They have re-released the series as a new set. Anywho, there really isn't anything special or spectacular about this series. It's pretty generic. It was released in 1994 to give you a frame of reference. You have Momiji Fugimiya, who's a typical high school student until she discovers she has a twin sister and that she is the Kushinada, a woman who's sacrifice would put the Aragami to sleep and save Japan. Well, her sister became disposed of and so the T.A.C. (a secret agancy organized to fight the Aragami) come to get her and protect her. The Aragami are these plant/animal monsters wanting to destroy the human race. To make sure that the humans wouldn't sacrifice the Kushinada, they created Kusanagi, who was human turned into am aragami, to protect the kushinada. As time goes by a ceramic field was discovered that would bind the kushinada's power. The Aragami got their tentacles on it and are notw bent on killing momiji and now Kusanagi who has betrayed the Aragami. So basically it's a screaming girl with monsters after her. But it's enjoyable, with the love tension between Momiji and Kusanagi. There's plenty of action and even a bit of blood. There's more to the story than what I'm saying here, it's heavily into environmental themes and Japanese mythology which makes you want to go out and read up on some of the characters. The main characters are Momiji (she's a screamer, love sick, clutzy girl who's determined to do her best to save Japan), Kaede (Momiji's older twin sister who mysteriously disappeared), Kunikida (head of the T.A.C., adoptive father of Kaede and later guardian of Momiji, makes bad puns, and is dedicated to protecting the Kushinada and ridding Japan of the Aragami), Takeuchi (former police woman, and secretly in love with Kunikida), Kome (was transffered from the air force, has the ability to find out where guns and weapons of mass destruction are to add to her collection, She's loud and straightforward), Matsudaira (work a holic woman who had gotten a divorce because of her focus on her work), Sakura (phsycic who was taken to the U.S. after her mother was killed and now works for the C.I.A., She's loud and obnoxious and always wants to be the center of attention) and Kusanagi (Aragami killed his family when he was a baby and then implanted 7 blue seeds that turned him into an Aragami and was given the duty to protect the Kushinada. He's cool but as Sakura says "Kusanagi, you're cute but dense as a bag of bricks." He's quick on everything except the female mind, lol) Fun characters, interesting story, typical animation. It's a fun series but probably nothing you haven't seen somewhere else.

Update

2005-03-02T22:56:00.000-05:00

Ugh! Haven't posted in a while. SORRY! I've been spending every minute playing Xenosaga so I can start the second one. Can't wait! Eventually, though, the next review will be on Blue Seed. Once I get around to watching it again. I'm also going to make a Juvenile Orion wallpaper, once I get off my butt and get the scans done. La La Laaaaaa . . . I think that's it. I had started to watch Soul Taker until I noticed I bought the 2nd dvd instead of the first so that backlogged. Oh, Well. Now that's it. Until then.

2005-02-22T00:43:00.000-05:00

Blood, the Last Vampire

Blood the Last Vampire

2005-02-21T23:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, I dwelt on this one for a while before getting it. I like vampire themes. I read reviews on it which were pretty much down the middle. Either you loved it or you hated it kinda deal. In the end, after much deliberation I give it a thumbs up. Anywho, a little about it which isn't much. Basically you have this girl, Saya, and she hunts down these demons that survive by devouring human blood. Oh! And it takes place a day before the Vietnam War on an American airforce base in Japan. That's it. I liked it because of a couple of things one of which is the animation. It's detailed with good use of CG animation added in to give some scenes more depth and perception. I also like how the audio language goes back and forth between English and Japanese. A couple downers are 1) it's a short "movie". 40 minutes tops, I'd have to double check. The package says running time 83 minutes, well there's a making-of documentary as an extra and they added the times together so don't let it fool you. For the amount of time it is though, I thought the events/story went smoothly. It doesn't leave hanging but rather wanting more. 2) The nurse's englsih voice started to annoy me by the end. There's like a 3 second pause between the words she spoke. I just want to slap her and say "SAY IT ALREADY!!" But if your in the mood from something with a lot of action and blood, don't want to kill a lot of brain cells thinking about the plot, and don't have a lot of time to kill, check it out.

2005-02-10T00:42:00.000-05:00

Bastard!

Bastard

2005-02-09T23:27:00.000-05:00

Ok, I got this one, again, from sheer curiosity. I mean seriously "Bastard!"? Anywho, it's about Dark Schneider a powerful warlock hellbent on mayhem, destruction and world domination. He is finally sealed by the people of Meta-Rikana. Years later his generals decide to continue with the mayhem, destruction and world domination. Out of desperation the people release Dark Schneider to protect them from the generals. But he's not going to protect them cause he's a nice guy, he doesn't take well to being attacked himself by his old generals and army. And as the description on the back of the case ends "it's been a while since he had some fun . . ." Mature audiences only, bloody violence, sexual inuendos (funny!), and nudity. This is only six episodes in all and leaves you wanting more at the end. The animation style is nothing spectacular being done in 1992 and has that grainy look in the transfer. If you want a really good laugh watch this in the english dub. It's hysterical, no matter how sinister and menacing the characters try to be I always cracked up. An example is Dark Schneider, his voice is so ridiculous it sounds like the actor held his nose while he performed. The only recognizable voice actor in this "series" is David Lucas as the Ninja General guy. And the inuendos, "To release the warlock, we must break your holy seal" (they say to the virgin . . .) anyway that's close enough you get the idea. Overall, I liked the action, the story and animation is decent, I'd give this one a 4.5 out of 10

2005-01-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

Azumanga Daioh

2005-01-29T21:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, sometimes I start a filler series. Between collecting series that are still coming out I start on one that is all or mostly out already. Azumanga Daioh happened to be one. I had read good things about it but wasn't entirely convinced. Then one day, as I was gazing at the first volume, I said What the Heck! and got it. Considering it had 5 episodes, an info booklet, dvd extras and a reversible cover it wasn't bad. Aftwer watching the first episode I was hooked! If you didn't like Excel Saga you would probably like this one. It's not insanely hyperactive like Excel, more like random hilarity. Like when they're learning to swim, and Osaka wants to know why dead bodies float . . . Anywho, basically this anime is about six girls who become friends and how they progress through high school from year one to graduation. This anime is based on a comic strip so the stories are more like skits. They all interrelate in the episodes so it isn't completely random. In this anime the characters have distinct personalities. There's Chiyo-chan, the 10 year old child prodigy. Miss Sakaki who is considered the "cool" one by her classmates even though she would rather be cute than cool. There's Tomo who's the wildcat. She lives to challenge others and could probably be related to Excel by the way she acts. You can just grin and bear her but I call her a "necessary evil" not my favorite of the bunch but not the worst character in all. Yomi is Tomo's counterpart or rather she's there to keep her under control or at least try. Kagura is the sports fanatic and is on the swim team. Sometimes she gets as rowdy as Tomo but she can be easily sobered. She is also the last girl to join the group coming in as a main character in the second year. And lastly there is Osaka . . . oh, Osaka. She is the space case. By the end of the first episode you'll be chanting to yourself "get it together, get it together, get it together . . . " The dubbing isn't bad for this one either, but to get the complete laughs it is probably better to watch it subbed. I have only watched it dubbed so far though switching it subb at certain points to see the difference. The only voice I recognize is Luci Christian who plays the wacky teacher Yukari. She would have been my choice over Hillary Haag for Rosette in Chrono Crusade but maybe I have to see it more. The music for this series is also great, it has one of those theme songs that once you get it into your head you won't be able to stop humming it. Overall, I enjoyed this series (especially the psychotic cats!) and would recommend this to anyone who wants a good laugh.

2005-01-24T01:16:00.000-05:00

ArgentoSoma

2005-01-24T01:02:00.000-05:00

I recieved the first dvd as a Christmas present from my brother and was instantly addicted to it. This anime probably has one of the best story lines that I have ever seen. Pretty much to put it in extreme layman's terms it's Frankenstein versus the Aliens. The animation is subpar for being produced in 2000 in my opinion but whatever faults you or I may find, the story and the depth it goes into it's characters completely makes up for it. Basically an overview of the story is this. Aliens are being attracted to a specific point on Earth. Ryu Soma is a student who is dragged into helping with a secret project that his girlfriend is also helping with, involving taking pieces of defeated aliens and making a creature out of them, hence you have Frankenstein's monster. This creature is then callled Frank. But the building in which the project was taking place is attacked and Frank is "brought to life" through the incident. Everyone is killed with the exception of Ryu. Scarred beyond recognition, he joins the group FUNERAL, an elite anti-alien military group with the help of Mr. X. This group then acquires Frank after tracking him down. He is now able to be "controlled" by a young girl named Hattie. Another Frankenstein reference, the little girl giving the flowers to the monster. Hattie, by the way, has a striking resemblence to Ryu's dead girlfriend, so he's torn up with emotions ranging from anger to remorse everytime he sees her. Anyway, I do not want to go into too much detail to spoil everything, if your a fan of aliens, mecha, or sci-fi genres this is a must have. If you're not into these genres try it anyway I'm sure you will not be disappointed. This is a great series 25 episodes in all with an extra bonus episode on the last disc (26), it is just fascinating to watch the burden and then evolution of emotion that the main group of characters have within them as they make their decisions. You have a great cast of characters that have their own distinct personalities. Dan Simmons, was once considered the cool-headed one of the squad before Ryu joins and now acts as if he is a threat or rather he acts very suspicously of Ryu. He is now hot headed and does not want to be on the sidelines when there is a fight. Guinivere Green seems to have a level, calculating head on her shoulders. She is not quick to anger but is to action. She is the best sniper among them and she refuses to die. She says her time is not yet there. She seems to create or have an understanding with Ryu and they bond on this fact, their unspoken agreement that death will not have them until they are ready. Sue Harris is the most childish one of the group. She is outspoken and emotional. She takes care of Hattie though because of how insyc their emotions are. But she is not out of line, she is an outstanding pilot and none can match her ability in the sky. Takuto Kaneshiro/ Ryu Soma is hell bent on revenge for Maki's death. He blames Frank totally and will not be satisfied any other way until he is through. Mr. X helps him with this by getting him into FUNERAL as long as he does what Mr. X wants., if not he will be replaced permanently by a more willing person. He is very anti-social with the squad members, but even by being this way he gets to know them more and eventually begin to, at least to me, have a family or a beginnings of a new purpose. This series brings about many questions as it progresses, who is the Shakespeare spouting Mr. X, a devil or Angel to help Ryu exact his revenge on Frank? Will Hattie ever overcome her traumatic fear of gunfire? Who is the Spy among the group? Why are all the aliens intent on reaching Pilgrimage Point? What exactly are the aliens? Will Ryu ever discover who he is, his former self or current? Who is he to believe in the end? It is just hard to explain this series even after just watching it all the way through except for how in depth the characters are and how well the story flows. The ending I will not say much but let me say this, everything is answered/explained, and I find it very satisfactory. The dubbing outside of the main characters isn't the greatest, but inside there are some familiar voices the biggest of which is Crispin Freeman as Dan Simmons. Otherwise we have Beau Billingslea as Michael Hartland, Richard Cansino as Mr. X, Sandy Fox as Hattie, Lara Jill Miller as Sue Harris, Steve Staley as Ryu Soma/ Takuto Kaneshiro, and Puala Mattiloi Walker as Guinivere Green. I don't think there is a manga for this but a complete collection box set is now available for the series. Oh and if you watch the credits for the bonus episode you get a funny little conversation between Dan and Sue.
Next review will be for Azumanga Daioh, woo-hoo!

2005-01-17T19:54:00.000-05:00

Angel Sanctuary

2005-01-17T19:05:00.000-05:00

Angel Sanctuary . . . hmmmmm, lol. Yeah. Let me just state right here that I got this one out of pure curiosity, plus it was a 2 pack that came with the Harlock Saga. This anime is a three episode, one disc "series" that really pushes the limits of both sexuality and religion. Basically it's about the Organic Angel Alexial declaring war against God. That angels have lost their spirituality for vanity and power, thus her declaration. During the rebellion she exhausts her powers and as punishment her body and spirit are separated. Her body is then sealed in a crystal and her spirit is reincarnated in Setsuna. Now Setsuna, mm-hmm, has incestuous thoughts about his little sister who also thinks the same for him. Demons trying to awaken Alexial's spirit are attacking Stesuna, Alexial's newly freed twin brother (and just a tad psychotic) is attacking him to awaken Alexial. Kira, Setsuna's best friend, turns out to be Seven Blades, the sword of the Holy Spirit and is bound to Setsuna, and revels in blood. Kira has an origin story that takes place during these episodes but I won't go into that in case you are interested I don't want to spoil everything. Anyway the bottom line is, with the awakening of Alexial will ultimately lead to Setsuna's death and signal the end of the world. There is blood, cross-dressing, incest (mostly preachy love-dovey thoughts and a scene of them sleeping in bed), and varying religous ideas to put it nicely. I did enjoy the artwork and animation style, heavily detailed eyes and hair. Oh! There are some recognizable voice actors in here. Crispin Freeman who plays Rosial, the psychotic twin brother. I would swear that Wayne Grayson does Kira's voice but it's credited as Vinnie Penna, also it sounds like Veronica Taylor as Kurai but is credited as B. Simpson. If anyone can confirm this for me or prove me wrong, let me know, thanks! Also the music is good in this as well. This is suggested on the box for 16 and up for violence, brief nudity, and adult situations. So if you're open minded and want to experiment with an anime that is in a category all it's own you might want to check it out.
P.S. the manga is now available in english, haven't read it, but if you want more of a story it's there.
On a final note it might take a while for the next review. It will be on the series ArgentoSoma.

2005-01-10T23:48:00.000-05:00

Akira

2005-01-10T22:23:00.000-05:00

Just finished watching Akira. This movie is considered to be one of the classics, a must have for any collector. It had come out in 1988 to give you a time frame. My bro gave me this movie as part of my Christmas present, but I have been eyeing it for some time. I had first seen this movie a few years ago when he had gotten it and it was probably one of the first things to actually draw me to the Anime genre of entertainment. "Wow, animation that's not for kids!" Detailed animation, decent dub and dialogue, and a story that flows consistently through to the end with no gaps (at least none that I could notice). Now after watching much more anime and re-watching Akira I recognize some of the big names that took part in this movie. Wendee Lee as Kei the student rebel, Johnny Yong Bosch as Kaneda the leader of a biker gang, and Joshua Seth as Tetsuo a close friend and member of Kaneda's biker gang. Lee, Bosch, and Seth are again working together in Wolf's Rain (Lee = Jagura, Bosch = Kiba, and Seth = Hige). Anyway, Basically this movie takes place thirty-one years after an apocalyptic world war III. Biker gangs rule the streets where people are rebeling against the government. When Kaneda's group are chasing down an opposing gang Tetsuo comes across (and is nearly blown up) a strange kid. Soon the military come and take both the kid and Tetsuo away to Kaneda's shock. Kaneda hooks up with Kei and her rebel group to track down the government hospital that Tetsuo was taken to, through violent means. Tetsuo in the mean time, comes back to conciousness in the hospital to realize he has tremendous psionic powers. Now what do you think happens to a teenager, who was abandoned by his parents, raised in an orphanage, and then the brought to the streets and gangs. He was always picked on by others and Kaneda always though the had to come and rescue him. He thought of himself as weak but no more. He pretty much goes crazy, drunk on the power and the need to assert his will. After discovering Akira, the power becomes too much for him and it consumes him. The other test subjects then come and rescue Kaneda. After this it is difficult to say what exactly happens except that major damage to Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo and the test subject kids then disappear, one of the children promise though that someday when they are strong enough they will return. Over all I enjoyed this movie. I like the detailed animation and the story that flows and makes you think. 5 out of 5 stars.
Next on the block Angel Sanctuary . . .

Ahhhh! stretch

2005-01-09T01:56:00.000-05:00

Ok, I think I'm back to normal now. Course my reviewing of the next anime in my collectione has been delayed. I will be reviewing Akira within the next couple of days and I might touch up the bars some more too. they look kinda bland. I'll go anime quiz hunting and see what's out there. until then.

blogger Grrr . . .

2005-01-08T13:28:00.000-05:00

I guess Blogger likes to mess with us every once in a while. Luckily the posts weren't effective and I remembered which skin I was using. All I have to do is reset the side bars so ignore them for now. ugh, I'll probably have it done by tonight.

2005-01-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

cool hawk picture my mom took outside the window

2005-01-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

"Ah! My Goddess" - the movie, cover art

New Year, New Post

2005-01-01T16:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, It's a new year and that means I should stop being lazy and get back to reviewing my anime. I came to the conclusion that I've been neglecting some of my dvds. Buying them and then never getting around to watching them. Well that's about to change. I am now determined to go through my dvd collection alphabetically watching and then reviewing. So I'm hoping to get a review up at least once a week. So that being all said and done, the first anime in my collection to go up on the block is "Ah! My Goddess - The Movie". I bought this one a long time ago. Back when I was first getting into anime. What really attracted me to this one was cover art. I had no idea what "Ah! My Goddess" was about beyond the description on the back of the dvd. (since the OVA was already out) Anywho, everytime I went to Best Buy I'd stop and just take a look. It's very well done with one of those slipcovers holding the case together. On the cover is Belledandy in her ceremonial clothes granting a wish (or at least that's what it looks like to me). So finally I said what the heck and got it. Being new to anime at the time when I watched this for the first time, I was a tad confused with the plot. Like what exactly is the Goddess Relief Office or whatever, and what is the difference between Heaven and a computer? But as I watched it the more I enjoyed it. The plot of the movie is Celestine (voiced by David Lucus a.k.a. Steven Blum) escapes from the prison on the moon with the help of Morgan le Fey ( voiced by Lia Sargent). He plans on remaking the world without descrimination and interference from the Heavens and he plans to use Belledandy (voiced by Ruby Marlowe) as a way of hacking the central computer to start disrupting things. By useing her to do this, he also intends to free her of her Goddess duties and null out Keichi's (voiced by Tony Oliver) wish for her to stay with him. This all means in layman's terms that Belledandy get's amnesia specifically about Keichi. And so Keichi, Skuld (voiced by Sherry Lynn), and Urd (voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn) need to cure Belledandy and stop Celestine and Morgan. The animation is wonderful in this movie. Very detailed and good stylization of the characters. I particularly like Morgan's Fairy form design with the blend of human and butterfly. Her ears resemble little wings and butterfly wings coming off her back and arms are interesting placement. I also like the way her body is designed with the look of tattoos curving around her and her fingers. Another plus is the music. There are some wonderful orchestral pieces in the movie, light and airy, some quite uplifting movements. Also for the plus side there are some good extras, such as an episode from the Adventures of Mini-G, an art gallery and movie trailer. The only downside to the movie is some of the dialogue particularly from Belledandy is this goody-two-shoes preachy sound to it. After a while I just got tired of her talking. On the whole, I did enjoy this movie. I give it 2.5 stars. It's worth renting and then deciding if you would want to purchase.

yo

2004-12-09T17:40:00.000-05:00

yeah, yeah, updates, updates... Let's seeeee, I've curbed Bit torrenting since I caught up doing other things. I finally beat Tales of Symphonia. Loved it great game, acceptable ending. A little bit of replay value, not as much as Star Ocean, but still good. I like the opening and closing animation, kinda wish there was some in between though. The only thing that annoyed me a little has to deal with the either the character design or game animation, I'm not sure which. But, for example Lloyd. He's supposed to be like 16 but throughout the gameplay he looks like 10 years old. I know it's stupid, but it's an annoyance of mine. Then let's seee, I FINALLY finished my latest AMV. It's the anime Gravitation to the song "Always" by Saliva. I love Gravitation. When I first saw the first episode I wasn't impressed. I got the first episode on a preview dvd in New Type USA. But then my Anime Buddy got the first dvd and made me watch it and I loved it. The manga is excellent too. I use Windows Movie Maker to make my Amv's but I don't like it. It crashes every 2minutes or less so it takes forever for me to accomplish anything. I have to save every change I make. It can get quite frustrating. But I got it done. Oh! I picked up the new Yu Yu Hakusho: Tempting Fate, Last Exile: Sealed Move, and Azumanga Daioh: Graduation. Daioh is a good ending, great as usual. YuYu, I think I'm gonna hold off and wait for the box. I love hakusho, but I'm gonna save a little money and wait. I have yet to watch Exile. As soon as I have time I will (hopefully soon!). Well, I'm going to the movies, write more some other time.

yow-za!

2004-11-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

boy, it's been long since I posted anything, oh well. I finished Robert McGammon's Boy's Life. I love his books, I haven't been disappointed yet. It's a little hard to put into words about this particular one beyond the fact that I couldn't put it down. It's about a young boy and the magic things that happen growing up in a small town. Yeah, this doesn't sound like much but go to Amazon.com for a better description. This is a really good book. the other one I read by him is The Wolf's Hour, about a werewolf in WWII and he's called to do a mission behind enemy lines. really good. Anywho, back to the anime. I picked up the newest Knight Hunters: Eternity and Yu YU Hakusho: Tempting Fate. Haven't watched 'em yet, hopefully soon. oh, geez, BIT TORRENT!!!! NotT walked me through setting it up (there's a link to the left to his group's site and he wrote up a walk through about how to get started) and now I'm a torrent fool! basically the way I understand stand it, Bit Torrent is a person to person media sharing system. Safer and more reliable than Kazaa and those type of systems. Anywho, I've discovered this great series, Auatsuri Sakon. It's about this puppeteer, Sakon, and his "living" puppet Ukon. And throgh the series they come across murders and solve them. It kinda reminds me of Detective Conan a.k.a. Case Closed. Except for the puppet. I've seen the first six episodes and it's great. The curious thing is, at the moment, the description says that Ukon is a living puppet, but you can't tell if that's true or whether Sakon is projecting a personality that he himself wishes to express. Sakon is quite, reserved, intellgent, a character of few words. Ukon on the other hand, is loud, emotional, a bit full of himself, but laughable. So it's a mystery to be solved later on in the series. I am just about to start Bleach, which looks like another winner. A kid who teams up with Death or something. Looks good! well, back to torrenting!

Full Metal Alchemist

2004-11-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

I've seen most of this fansubbed and loved it. And finally it has been licensed in the U.S. and is going to air on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim Saturday night at midnight (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will air after it at 12:30) Here is the official website for Alchemist where they offer a couple of clips. http://www.fullmetalalchemist.com/dvd.htm From what I hear from these clips the voices don't sound too bad. and from what I read there will be minimal editing. The dvd's will be released starting in February. I think there will be a total of 13 dvd's and then 2 box sets will be released. Can't Wait! Everyone will probably find something they like about this series. You'll laugh, You'll cry, but the final word from me is that this is great stuff. (I think if you liked Trigun you'll probably like this) So three words: WATCH THIS SHOW!!

Anime Sweep

Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor

My Neighbor Totoro

YAY!

blah blah blah

Megatokyo

la la laa

Radiata Stories

Anime 101: Mythology 2

Anime 101: Mythology

Anime 101.2

Cyber City

Chobits Review Rehashed

Excel Saga

Whoa!

Descendants of Darkness

Escaflowne the series

Drawings

Earthian Update

Inuyasha: the Secret of the Cursed Mask (PS2)

Update

Escaflowne the Movie

Earthian

Aquarian Age

E's Otherwise

skipping

Appleseed

Aquarian Age the Movie

Darkside Blues

D.N.Angel

Cowboy Bebop the Movie

Fanfiction

Cowboy Bebop: Best Sessions

B-Day Party

Chobits

update

The Cat Returns

update

update

The Castle of Cagliostro

Castle in the Sky

Blue Seed: Beyond

Blue Seed

Update

Blood the Last Vampire

Bastard

Azumanga Daioh

ArgentoSoma

Angel Sanctuary

Akira

Ahhhh! *stretch*

blogger Grrr . . .

New Year, New Post

yo

yow-za!

Full Metal Alchemist

Ahhhh! stretch