Animesou.com

Synopsis
A party of three, Merrill, Genie, and Melissa can defeat anything and everything on their adventures across the world. With Merill’s powers of thievery, Genie’s warrior abilities, and Melissa’s power of prayer, they are a triad of unstoppable force. Unfortunately enough, none of them know magic, and on their latest adventure, they happen to get stuck raiding an old ruin because of a magic seal. So they go to the local town and try to hire a woman magician. Even more unfortunately, all the women in the town who are aspiring magicians are more interested in studying than going out on adventures. So they decide  to hire a maverick magician, a male known as Louie, to help them out. Little did they know the stupidity that came with him…

Review
Funny is all I can say about this show. From the director of the serious-minded fantastical series known as Record of Lodoss War, I was expecting something just as serious and epic. In the first 5 minutes I was proven entirely wrong. Rune Soldier is all about stupidity and the reactions of said stupidity. If Louie isn’t doing one dumb thing, it’s another entirely. He’s so poor at magic that instead of actually using magic he’s more intent on using his fists to pummel his enemies into submission. Dumb enough is he that he uses his wand as a baseball bat, breaking it in the process, which causes a proverbial outcry from the women of his team. This of course causes another adventure to occur in which Louie has to go find some special wood in a deadly forest to restore his magic wand which he barely knows how to use. And of course, there’s always that part with him swinging the boar. Extremely funny stuff.

The Breakdown
It’s funny, it sounds great, it’s animated well, and the stories are great episodic pieces. There’s not much to not like. But, if your like some of my friends, you may not like this by default if your one for action-only anime and do not like Japanese-centric humor. If your not like that, buy now!

Synopsis
In Feudal Japan, the Edo period brought a time of delicate peace bought with blood. Ninja Scroll: The Series chronicles the life of Jubei Kibagami as he wanders the countryside as a ninja for hire. At this time, ninja clans are everywhere. Once clan, known as the Hiruko Clan, doomed to live and die in darkness, protects a sacred treasure called the Dragon Stone. The Kimon Clan, however, bent on reviving the power of the Toyotomi, wants the Dragon Stone and the treasure it hides. Jubei is the best man for the job of protecting both the Dragon Stone and the only one who can use it – The Light Maiden.

Review
Finally the highly anticipated sequel to the original Ninja Scroll has arrived and it is taking the industry by storm. Urban Vision has done a real fine job in giving us a treat so sweet that I am now worrying about cavity. The story starts off with Rouga, a character that has the ability to change into wolf form. He holds what they called the “Dragon Stone.” His goal is to get the stone, to the Light Maiden. Of course, nothing in the Ninja Scroll world is easy. Rouga finds himself trapped by two Kimon clan members and guess who comes out of the blue. That is right, Jubei. He took out one person with just one move! The action of Ninja Scroll: The Series is really amazing. There is speed, blood and finely arranged battles, a lot of them as a matter of fact.

A few scenes later we are taken to the village that the Light Maiden resides in. She is clueless about the real world and clueless about the village that she lives in. When the Kimon clan attacked the village, all the villagers defended and protected the Light Maiden to their death. As a result, the whole village was wiped out and Jubei is there to help out. Rouga was also there to fight, but he was severely injured and said his last words to Jubei. Keeping his words to a dying man, he goes a find the ran away Light Maiden.

If I go any further I will just spoil more so I will stop with the summarization of the DVD. Everything was top notch in the four episodes that I have viewed. And with the release date not so far away, please remember to save your pennies for this!

The Breakdown
This long awaited series has certainly not disappointed me. Believe me this will really be a treat for all Ninja Scroll fans and non-Ninja Scroll fans too.

Synopsis
Youko Nakajima is a normal Japanese high-school girl. She tries to act perfect and please everyone, being the popular friend, the smart student, the teachers pet, and a good girl at home. But, for some reason, she just doesn’t seem to fit in with  the world. With red hair, which neither of her parents have, and a distant longing to be somewhere else, Youko can only make the best of what she has. But, when a mysterious long blonde haired man appears right in the middle of class, tells her that he is her protector, and she is whisked away to a far off place with two of her classmates, she is not sure what to do. And that’s just the beginning…

Review
Wow! This anime blew my mind away. I had been told to check this out by a couple of friends of mine, and me, being the skeptic, was very wary of this anime once I bought it. Then I watched the entire disc in one sitting, and realized that this is one of the best animes I’d ever seen, and I’m only five episodes in. A lot of comparisons will be made to Aura Battler Dunbine and Escaflowne, and for good reason. It does borrow elements from those, but much like Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings novels, what makes Twelve Kingdoms so good is the entire scope of this new world that’s been created. Every facet is new and different, much taken from Chinese mythology and Japanese mysticism, and it just completely sucks you in that you feel you have been spirited away to some far off land yourself. What really amazed me was the animation as well.

Done by the up and coming Studio Pierrot, the animation features very nice and dark colors that gives the show an ominous feeling but with a hint of light to everything, and it’s all very nice to look at. I have to admit I was confused by all the terminology used in the show for all the beasts and such, and the politics and underpinnings that are going on in TheTwelve Kingdoms still confuse me, but that’s to be expected when your trying to set up an entirely new world whilst introducing characters and getting to know them. All I can say is that I’m enchanted and very interested in what is happening in The Twelve Kingdoms.

The Breakdown
While the show is currently at 45 episodes,  it has stopped being made at this point, so for now I’m simply loving every bit and piece of this show. I’ve said enough as it is and I think everyone needs to see this at least once.

Synopsis
Excel Saga is quite possibly one of the most bizzare creations in the history of anime. There have been many strange animes over the years (FLCL, Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu), but Excel Saga manages to stand out as something truly unique.

Review
The story centers around Excel, a highly excitable girl who is completely loyal to the mysterious organization Across and her commander, Lord Llpalazzo. Throughout the course of the series she receives and obeys her orders to the best of her ability. Across’ goal is to take over F City as a ‘realistic’ first step towards world domination. …not that any of that matters though, since at its heart, Excel Saga is a completely random comedy which varies so greatly from episode to episode that the overall storyline is quite secondary.

Excel Saga has a tremendous sense of humor that never lets up. The jokes are endless. Each episode begins with Koshi Rikdo (Creator) giving his approval to change Excel Saga’s genre. Through this plot mechanic, Excel Saga covers almost every common anime genre in existance today. After the ending credits, Excel previews the next episode while speaking at lightning fast speeds. These previews rarely describe the next episode in detail, but are always humourous and entertaining and should not be skipped. The end credits feature a dog named Menchi singing about her lot in life while a woman in the background translates. As simple as that sounds, after having watched those credits roll 26 times, I never got sick of it, and always laughed as I watched it. That is a rarity in and of itself. Also, Excel Saga frequently parodies other anime including Fist of the North Star, Di Gi Charot, Great Teacher Onizuka and Galaxy Express 999-just to name a few. Fans of any of the parodied anime will find that much more to enjoy about Excel Saga.

Excel Saga manages to stay funny from start to finish. You will laugh, you might cry, and you will definitely be scratching your head, but above all, you will enjoy Excel Saga.

The Breakdown
Bottom line, if you like to laugh, watch Excel Saga.

Synopsis
A boy sacrifices himself before what seems to be an unbeatable monster, many levels ahead of his own. All becomes dim and gray. A sudden fear comes over him as he realizes he can no longer move his body. He cries for help. A mysterious girl in white raiment says these words: ‘You must not die.’ She revives him and bestows a powerful bracelet on his wrist. ‘If you use Data Drain you can defeat him. The only one who can save The World is you - the one to continue the legend of the dot hackers.’

Review
Hack//Dusk or officially titled Hack//Legend of Twilight’s Bracelet is a 12-episode sequel to the Dot Hack video games and the first anime series Hack//Sign. The anime is about a junior high school student, Shugo, and his younger twin sister Rena who have both won a Limited Character Campaign to play as the legendary heroes Kite and Black Rose respectively. Because their parents are divorced, they use this opportunity to spend time with each other, even if it is in a fake virtual environment.

The Breakdown
Few sequels have ever surpassed their originals. However, Hack//Legend of Twilight’s Bracelet does just that.

Synopsis
Ground Defense Force Mao-chan is set in modern Japan during a time of alien invasion. The three Japanese military forces, the Ground Force, the Air Force and the Sea Force are responsible for protecting Japan from these invaders, but there is a problem. They cannot fight back with their existing forces because the aliens are… too cute. Public support for their defensive actions would plummet if the citizens saw a bunch of heavily armed soldiers attacking the cute aliens, and that’s where the main characters come into play.

What better way to attack cute aliens than with cute soldiers? Certainly seeing an eight year old girl hitting a stuffed animal with a baton is not nearly as offensive as a soldier with a pistol. Mao-chan is the granddaughter of the general of the Defense Force. The general eagerly outfits her with the latest defensive technology, and happily shows off his cute granddaughter for all the world to see. Soon, the generals of the Air Force and Sea Force also employ their granddaughters, and so the team of Japan’s defenders has been formed. Three grade-schoolers.

Review
Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan is a very cute series with a youthful sense of humor. The main characters are as cute as can be, as are the aliens they must defend against. The episodes are quite short, only twelve minutes long, and each contain one alien falling to earth in a parachuting toy capsule only to be confronted and defeated by the three girls.

The animation is very good, as it would be expected from the makers of Love Hina, and the characters are well drawn and memorable. Their voice actors are also quite talented, though I found the three main character’s voices a bit too similar, and when they were off screen, it was hard to tell which one was talking. The piano music was also quite nice, but used way too often. Especially during the rediculously long transformation sequences in which the girls basically change their outfits. After a few episodes, that particular piano piece becomes quite annoying, not to mention the tranformation sequence itself.

The Breakdown
Looking past the minor flaws, there is a lot to enjoy about Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan, especially if you are able to get past the fact that it is a kid’s show. Those looking for another Love Hina will be sorely disapointed. There is no violence, there is no ecchi content, and everything is so sugarcoated that certain audiences will not be able to take it. It was definitely designed for the kawaii at heart, and if that describes you, don’t miss out on Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan.

Synopsis
Claus’s father was a unique nobleman, coming down to the land of Norikia, longing for the free sky. Soon after Claus’s family moved next door, he became close friends with Lavi’s father. They soon formed a vanship team of pilot and navi. From age one, Claus and Lavi spent their childhood together learning from their fathers the trade of vanship flying. However, this story ends in tragedy. The last time Lavi and Claus saw of their fathers was departing through the Grand Stream delivering a treaty of peace. The document never reacted its destination, and the war between the country of Dusis and Anatore continues to this day…

Review
Directed by Chiaki Koichi (Magic Knight Rayearth), Last Exile first aired April 6, 2003 and ended with episode 26 on September 29, 2003. Do not let the title fool you. Last Exile is not tied to any religious movement and is not a banishment of any kind (unless you count the expelling of the Guild from the world of Prestale). The Exile, the final weapon, refers to an ancient migration ship hidden in the Grand Stream. It is said that it was used by the beings that created the world. Now it is the last hope the people of Prestale have to change the world.

The Breakdown
An all-star cast of characters: Claus, Lavi, Sophia, Tatiana, Alex, Moran, Al, Alistia, Dio, and the crazy crew of mechanics.

Synopsis
Twenty-two years ago, a cataclysmic earthquake destroyed the Kanegawa region of Japan and threw the country into choas. The damagaed region was abandoned and labeled the ‘Muraji Special Economic District,’ more commonly known as the Lost Ground. After the earthquake, the Lost Ground became home to a rising number of Alter Users, those with the psychic ability to change matter and create Alters (think summons, like from Final Fantasy) with unique powers. Two percent of anyone born on the Lost Ground obtain these powers for some unknown reason. To keep the Lost Ground under control, the special police force HOLD was created. Within it is an anti-Alter unit, HOLY, which was formed to combate the renegade Native Alters in the Lost Ground.

None of this really matters to Kazuma, a Native Alter who uses his powerful alter, Shell Bullet, in his search for money and thrills. But when Kazuma runs into the oppressive HOLY, he is forced into fighting for the freedom and safety of those he cares about. Unfortunately, a powerful Alter user in HOLY’s group, Ryuho, is just to much for Kazuma to handle…

Review
And with that very long synopsis, the review! Right. Anyway, I’d been anticipating this show for quite a long time, since it had finished airing in Japan, in fact. It sounded like a new era DBZ-style show but shortened with to 26 episodes and does not spend it’s time on useless power levels and long stares. And that does hold true. So far, the show has almost no filler and is filled with stylish fights aplenty including some interesting alter powers. Kazuma is an interesting hero, trying to act tough but merely coming off as a helpful guy. It’s Ryuho who is more interesting. He has a dark, messed up past, he’s changed in the 7 years he’s been seperated from his love interest (oh, who by the way, has come back to the Lost Ground), and doesn’t really want to do anything with anybody. He’s got a big chip on his shoulder. The characters, despite what other reviews may tell you, do in fact get a good bit of character development, in these 5 episodes anyway. You learn quite a bit about each characters past and idiosyncrasies, and I have to tell you, some of these Alter users are funny.

Anyway, the story is interesting, the characters fun, and there are no useless filler episodes. Another plus is the rather nicely choreographed fights and the dialogue doesn’t grate on the nerves. Good stuff.

The Breakdown
Let’s see. The story, characters, animation, and so forth are in excellent shape. On the other hand, the music isn’t great, there are one to many characters (and some are rather bland and useless) and the story moves a bit to fast in this first volume. With that in mind, you make the choice. What do I recommend? If you have some spare cash lying around, use it to buy this and give it a try, but it’s not an absolute must-own.

Synopsis
Continuing the adventures of Daisuke Aurora and his android partner ‘J,’ volume 2 of the series has Daisuke and J fighting off Claire Leonelli’s continued attacks on their very lives as well as the duo having to go to the mysterious ‘underground’ to retrive a lost heirloom of Daisuke’s, and finally, to solve the very tragic past of a certain guitarist.

Review
The show is getting better and better. While I was enthralled with the first volume, this one is better because of the very fact that each self-contained story is more interesting and plot driven. While the show still has no overall story connecting each episode, much like the last volume, it’s much like Cowboy Bebop in its episodic style: each story isn’t really related, but each episode is so good you just want more. The same holds true for Heat Guy J. Each episode is a wonderfully visceral style of art, animation, music, and characters to create an overall package that really meshes well. At times, the show does walk a fine line of pretension, but it never falls off and stays steady to keep itself riveting and cool.

The Breakdown
Just about everything in this show is good. I’m having problems saying anything bad about this show, and I’m very jaded. Just buy this now already and stop wasting time.

Synopsis
Produced by GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and animated by Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell), FLCL takes animation to yet another level. Get ready for this shocking, funny, and right out freaky show about adolescence, expectations and alien intrigue. Naota wants to be normal. But with a talented brother leaving Japan for the US to play baseball, everyone now looks at him a bit differently. His brother’s girlfriend is acting strange and now there’s an even stranger girl hitting on him.
Literally.
With a bass guitar.
Oh, did I mention the robots that keep springing from his head?

Review
Let us take a moment and ask ourselves, “What in the hell is FLCL (Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri)?” This zany yet hilarious Anime is by far a one of a kind. Just after watching the first episode got me attached to FLCL. Where could you find someone using seaweed as fake eyebrows? Where could you find a kid with strange stuff growing from his head? and where could you find a lady bashing things (preferably people) with her guitar as she is speeding on a moped? You sure as heck cannot find it anywhere else than in FLCL. When I first heard about the title I was curious of what GAINAX was going to put on the table. So I searched around the Internet and immediately found a picture of Haruhara Haruko within a picture, picking her nose as This has got to be on my all time favorites list. Short and sweet are two adjectives that could be used to describe FLCL.

Now, I know a lot of fans would disagree with me on the short part. I assume they would have liked more. But life is not perfect, so you really cannot expect Anime to be perfect. A good example of how FLCL is not perfect is how it is distributed in the United States. Check out the strategy that was used by Synch-Point into distributing FLCL. A six episodes series, divided into three DVDs, hence creating two episodes per DVD. As if that was not bad enough, each DVD has a MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) of $29.95. Still do not think it is bad enough? Check out the release dates: Volume 1 – August 25, 2002 | Volume 2 – February 25 2003 | Volume 3 – July 22, 2003. Oh wow, thank god I had other series to watch other than FLCL during its’ release period. Heck I did not even invest in FLCL until a few months ago, after everything came out. I understand that Synch-Point is an up and coming distributing company, but dang, those are some huge gaps between releases. Most I ever encountered was a two month gap and that was for GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), which is a longer series, with more episodes in the DVD and for the most part, more entertaining than FLCL. But oh wells, good thing everything has past now, and fans could enjoy FLCL without experiencing the release gaps anymore.

The Breakdown
So there you have it, FLCL is a great piece; that is the best I could conclude this review at 4:32 in the morning.