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Synopsis
‘She’s beautiful. Powerful. Passionate. Too dangerous to exist. She is Steel Angel Kurumi-and she’s marked for termination. Her enemy? The Academy. A floating fortress of mystery and military might. Their weapons? Powerful androids as lethal as they are lovely. Can Kurumi and her friends reach her creator’s secret lab without being detected by the Academy assassins? Or will her Steel Angel siblings succeed in ripping out her Mark II Heart that makes Kurumi so dangerous?

Review
In this volume of Steel Angel Kurumi, Nakahito starts to find out what he has to do with Kurumi. During an episode where Kurumi battles on three Steel Angels by herself, Nakahito stood there helplessly and watched as his Steel Angel was being knocked around. Then he came to a point where he starts to question his usefulness. If he could ever protect Kurumi, or anybody for that matter with his own powers, just as his brother would. As he struggles with his thoughts, he finally decides to try and do something. This resulted in him getting injured, and we all know what happens when Nakahito gets hurt and Kurumi is around.

The fun of Steel Angel Kurumi goes up and down. We get a chance to see Kurumi being jealous, because of the things Saki and Nakahito did. Kurumi’s personality is really cute; therefore she gave me a few chuckles as I watched on. Saki on the other hand is still obsessed with the ’sisterly love.’ Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Because of this sisterly love, she ventured to Kyoto by herself to buy cinnamon cookies for Kurumi and wanted surprise her with it in the morning. She made it to Kyoto, but meets her little sister, Karinka (the Steel Angel blue print that Nakahito saw when he was in the basement of the mansion back in episode one).

Karinka has two angel hearts, making her comparable to Kurumi’s powers. From her body size she looks like she does not pack any power in her punch, but she easily defeats Saki and tortures her until Kurumi shows up. What I am confused about right about now is how come Karinka is able to be activated without being kissed? Hmm… It could be, because she was made by somebody else other than Dr. Ayanokouji. But that should not be… I thought the blue print of Karinka was the work of Dr Ayanokouji’s, so when she was made, it should be the same as Kurumi and Saki. Oh wells, I will try not to lose sleep over this. This question should be answered by the next volumes.

The Breakdown
How can you possibly not like a group of Steel Angels?

Synopsis
Troubles you can only dream of… Suguru’s horrible cleaning skills have his friends calling his home the ‘haunted house’, and being an orphan, he needs help! Enter Mahoro, a beautiful 19-year old that catches bullets in her fingers, claims to be an android, and who wants to be his maid! Now, his school friends are suspicious and his well-endowed teacher is going over the edge with jealousy. How will he react when he discovers that Mahoro only has 398 days to live and has chosen him for a reason?

Review
Meet Suguru Misato, a normal child with a not so normal maid and family history. His father past away when he was young, and then his mother also past away. Going through life was not easy for Suguru, although he had the left over money from his parents to use and a big house to live in. There was something missing in his life or I should say someone. Ever since his parents past away, he took care of himself. His house is in a total mess. Yes, you guessed it, the person he needs is a maid.

Now meet Mahoro, an android created by Vesper to battle the aliens who try to disturb Earth’s peace. She was relieved from her duties due to her system being shut down soon. Vesper told her of what will happen. If she is still going to battle, she will not last for more than thirty seven days, but if she retires, she will operate for another three hundred ninety eight days. Mahoro decides she will go into the Vesper Human Resources division and will live the rest of her life as someone’s maid.

What stunned me about this series is the introduction. You would not have thought it would be an anime series about maids, because we are put into a scene of Mahoro battling an alien. The fan service is pretty up there. The character that stands out is Shikijo-sensei with her large breasts. She just flaunts them and laughs at Mahoro’s. The funniest thing about her is that she is cheap. Her cheapness can take her from eating dinner at her student’s (Suguru) home to using his bathtub to bathe. The word for this is ‘freeloader’ I believe. Well the thing about Shikijo-sensei is that she makes you laugh at her actions and that is just about what Mahoromatic does. It is a very good combination of fan service and comedy, otherwise known as ecchi humor.

A question that pops into my mind is; Is Mahoro taking care of Suguru as a maid for atonement of what had happened? With all the clues given it sure seems that way. Suguru’s father was the commander of Vesper and she killed him as he commanded her to, because he was held hostage by an alien who was about to do some big damage. She was at the funeral of Commander Misato and she visits his grave every year. From all these clues, I really believe that Mahoro is Suguru’s maid to atone for the past. But whatever, this is just my prediction; let us see what happens as the series advances.

The Breakdown
Mahoromatic is a 12 episodes series, 3 DVDs at $29.98 each. There is a second season currently being aired in Japan in which we are introduced to Mahoro’s little sister Mizawa.

Synopsis
Kaoru Hanabishi just wanted to help. Aoi Sakuraba just wanted to find her first love. They never realized they were looking for each other. Ever since their arranged marriage 18 years ago, Aoi had been in love with Kaoru, but she traveled to Tokyo to meet him when she learned the marriage had been called off. While Kaoru’s impressed by Aoi’s loyalty, innocence and beauty, to accept her affection, he might have to return to the Hanabishi Clan and the emotional and physical pain he suffered during his childhood… Their self-control and their love will be put to the test when she moves in and he tries to stay a gentleman!

Review
Here in Ai Yori Aoshi (Bluer than Indigo), we are put into what seems to be a modern anime version of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. There are two families, Hanabishi and Sakuraba. Hanabishi Kaoru, who ran away from the Hanabishi family, is a college student who has supported himself ever since he left the Hanabishi. Sakuraba Aoi, is a childhood friend of Kaoru and she was arranged a marriage with Kaoru at a very young age. The arranged marriage was later cancelled, because of what had happened. Aoi, a very well mannered young lady cannot possibly forget someone who she have spent her childhood years so happily with. She even promised to herself that Kaoru will be the only person that she will love. With this state of mind, Aoi runs away from her home, the Sakuraba in hopes to find her childhood sweet heart Kaoru.

Having only a little memo with Kaoru’s address on it, Aoi arrives and she immediately notices the difference of lifestyles. As she looks for help, she gets bumped by someone and falls to the floor. Kaoru helps her up, but Aoi does not know who this person is. Being a kind person that Kaoru is, he continues to help Aoi to find the person she is looking for and he does exactly just that.

I stated above that Ai Yori Aoshi seems to be a modern anime version of Romeo and Juliet, because we have two families whose statuses are similar, and two lovers who are separated, because of their status difference in the present time of the show. I said, ‘Seems,’ because Aoi and Kaoru get to see each other, and be with each other, but they have to keep their relationship hidden or else it will cause uproar within the Sakuraba.

Kaoru is no longer a member of Hanabishi; therefore he is a person without any status. Without the status of the successor of the Hanabishi family, the Sakuraba family will not hand over their daughter to a nobody. The husband of Aoi will become the president of the Sakuraba. This is where Ai Yori Aoshi separates from Romeo and Juliet. Both families do not dislike each other. This was shown, because of the childhood memories that Aoi and Kaoru possess. If that was the case, Aoi and Kaoru would not have played with each other when they were kids.

When Ai Yori Aoshi first appeared, it was often compared to Love Hina. The first thing I noticed that was different from Love Hina is what others have been saying as well. Ai Yori Aoshi is definitely a more matured version of Love Hina. The way I see mature is how the main character is not being kicked around and have things done to him that would have normally killed anyone. That is where the maturity is at, when people hear that (Ai Yori Aoshi is a more matured version of Love Hina) they start to think it has more fan service. To me the fan service of both series are quite on the same level if not equal.

The Breakdown
Break down? I will have a break down if volume two does not come soon enough!

Synopsis
Surrounded only by his inventions, Techno doesn’t really interact with other people much. However, one day, a girl attempts to ‘break into’ his fortress. This hapless passerby, a girl named Hitomi, becomes the object of his affection. Techno decides to name her ‘Daisy,’ and begins planning to make her his, using all his skills as an inventor and scientist to win her heart.

Review
Since I began watching anime (all those years ago ^^), my friends have been saying nothing but good things about this series. So I had high expectations for it, and it actually lives up to most of them. It is actually alot
funnier than I was told. From Techno replacing his teacher with a robot that shoots lasers from her eyes to him kidnapping Hitomi for a ski trip (in Siberia, of all places), Techno’s cluelessness is just hilarious. But other than this silliness, this is just another romantic comedy. But in the midde of the series, Techno makes such huge error (which I can’t tell you..it’ll ruin the story ^^) and from then on the story truely gets interesting. However from that point it also speeds up to a breakneck pace, stuffing what could have been 10 episodes into only six. But in the end, this is really a
creative and very funny series, which has not got the attention that it so richly deserves.

The Breakdown
Wonderful, creative anime! It doesn’t go amazingly beyond the surface of the characters (other than Techno), but it is a fun diversion.

Synopsis
Hideki, or Motosuwa-kun, is a 18 year old farmer who decides one day to become a Tokyo University student. He moves to Japan’s capital in order to attend a preparatory class for the entrance exam. Upon arrival almost like a tourist, he is awed by the fact that everyone has their own Persocon: a robot, no more like an android since they resemble the human anatomy, that acts as their personal servant helping out in daily chores form carrying groceries to home cleaning. They are more like computers since each persocon has it’s own built in hard drive, and they can instantly send and receive e-mail to one another. Hideki stumbles upon what appears to be a discarded persocon lying near a dumpster and decides to bring it home. After turning it on, the first word she says is ‘Chii.’

Review
Although it’s from a different anime series, I’d like to quote from Episode 11 of To Heart because I believe it captures the philosophical questions prevalent in Chobits perfectly: Man: ‘What’s the difference between a machine and a human? Machines are made by humans, but that’s not the case with humans. But, come to think of it, living creatures are in fact creations. Coincidence, environment, and nature…What’s your opinion? About the differences between humans and machines? For one thing a machine is incapable of thinking. It can only act out the program it has been given. No matter how successful a machine is, it can never become human.

‘Hiroyuki-san: ‘Whether we are talking about pigeons or robots, if it can laugh or cry or just enjoy being with you…If it’s something like that, that’s good enough for me.’

The Breakdown
Chi is adorable. When Hideki found her she was not pre-programmed with an OS. So raising Chi correlates to raising any human child. It is cute watching Chi’s reactions to Hideki explaining the meaning of certain phrases and places. When we first meet her, she mimics Hideki’s movements. But as she becomes proficient in her vocabulary and understanding, we see her steadily become more and more human.

Synopsis
Hi there! I’m Honda Tohru. In May of this year, I lost my mother who raised me all by herself in a traffic accident. After that incident I’ve come to live secretly in a tent. It’s definitely not too comfortable, but that’s alright! Since one of my mottos is ‘Never quit under any circumstances!’

Review
‘Long, long ago, Kami-sama [God] told all the animals, ‘I invite all of you to a party tomorrow. And on no account be late.’ When the mischievous mouse heard that, he told a lie to his neighbor, the cat, that the meeting was to take place the day after tomorrow. The next day, the mouse rode on the ox’s back and arrived in front of the meeting place. After that the ox, the tiger, and so forth had a fun time there until morning except for the cat that was fooled.’

‘Why are you crying Tohru?’

‘That’s so sad! I feel so sorry for the cat! I know what I want to do, instead of a dog I want to be a cat!’

The Breakdown
26 episodes full of the ideal mix of humor and drama.

Synopsis
Junta has a problem: he’s deathly allergic to girls! All this changes when a beautiful woman arrives from the future and transforms him into the super-suave Mega-Playboy. But the transformation is unstable, and if Junta can’t unravel the time traveler’s mystery, he (and the fate of the world) will never be the same!

Review
As it was said in the synopsis, Junta Momonari has a serious issue when it comes to girls. He stutters, and pukes, making him not an idealistic partner that any girl would love. Junta’s life of puking and stuttering are kind of over as Karin Aoi travels back in time from the future to prevent the mega playboy from awakening and create the over population problem that the future is currently experiencing by shooting him with a DCM (DNA Control Medicine) bullet. Things seem to go right, until she finds out that she used the wrong DCM bullet and actually helped in awakening the mega playboy than preventing it.

Now what? Junta now has two different personalities, since his mega playboy genes still is not in full swing. When he sees a girl’s tears or situations where he feels a sense of sadness from the girl, the mega playboy comes out, then, after a while it vanishes. I did say that his puking and stuttering days were kind of over, because after his mega playboy mode goes off, he returns to the original Junta who stutters and pukes when he sees things that excite him (pornography, etc.). Karin of course tries to correct her mistake, but she also almost falls for the mega playboy Junta.

This first volume is not what I had expected. There were not much comedy or it was that I just do not have a good sense of humor. The only reason why I stayed through the seventy five minutes was, because I am a fan of series in this genre (shounen).

The Breakdown
This title certainly was not what I had expected. I thought it was going to be better. However the future to past romance theme of DNA2 is quite interesting. Let us just hope that the next volume will be better than the first.

Synopsis
Yes, the producers of the most demented anime ever produced are getting desperate, so in order to keep up the ratings, Excel and Hyatt find themselves facing new, Highly Merchandisable Characters, gimmick episodes are even SEXUAL JEOPARDY (I’ll take ‘lesbian android overtures’ for $100, Alex!) It’s all in the service of Llpalazzo and ACROSS as our favorite set of social misfits once again plunges into the breach as the plot sickens… er, thickens… in the fourth incredibly bizarre volume of Excel Saga!

Review
I cannot even count the times I have laughed in this volume of Excel Saga. In volume four, we are introduced to two… one… no two new characters; hot/mature Ropponmatsu and energetic/young Ropponmatsu. The show suddenly becomes amusing as both Ropponmatsus come back after being blown up quite a few times and of course especially hilarious when Llpalazzo sends Excel and Hyatt to America (New York City - Holla!). Whew, the English that Excel used were things that would pretty much get yourself killed in the city F.

Story… ACROSS causes some panic in City F, and that was it. Pedro on the other hand gets revived and takes ‘revenge,’ notice I quoted revenge, because it sure was some revenge he took on Gomez. I feel for the city workers. In the last episode of this volume they did not have any scene, except a scene to show that they are angry for not being in an episode again (hey its normal hehe).

Excel Saga: Doing Whatever It takes, is exactly doing whatever it takes to get me to enjoy this series even more than before. The new characters did their job and the story of Pedro continues. Actually I think Pedro’s story kind of takes over Excel Saga’s story at times.

The Breakdown
Anybody know where I can get one of those hot/mature Ropponmatsu statues? :P

Synopsis
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any stranger, Excel Excel and her associates encounter the most horrifying of all plot devices… a sub-plot! You won’t believe who’s been plotting against whom as the writers double cross the author, the director takes a new direction and the supporting cast comes back with a vengeance but absolutely no clue whatsoever! There’s Menchi-mania and Pedro-philia galore as everybody involved takes the fifth in Excel Saga Volume 5!

Review
More Excel than ever, I think I have had too much Excel in one day, but hey was entertaining so it is cool. In this volume of Excel Saga we get a summary of Pedro’s story, as we count all the NOs! and afros we also get a pretty fun episode. This episode has made me more interested in the character of Pedro. I want to watch more of Pedro’s story has he battles ‘That Man.’ Yes the dude’s name is ‘That Man,’ *laughs* the production cast must have ran out of names or something.

As things cannot get any wackier, we receive an episode of ‘Daitenzin.’ An episode that featured the city workers (Yay! They finally have more scenes.) as Power Ranger look-alikes. Their orders were strictly just to keep the city peaceful and obtain ten good deeds. I do not know if the police would like to thank them or not, because they were making their jobs more difficult.

The staff forces Koshi Rikdo to give permission for Excel Saga to be an animal anime once again. In the second animal episode of Excel Saga, there were moments that brought back an honorable friend of Menchi’s who sacrified himself and helped her in the first animal episode. On another note let us just say Excel Saga breaks all boundaries. It was awkward in the rockers episode when Key was playing a guitar in the shadow next to Excel and Hyatt’s futon between a blanket and it looked as if he was masturbating. It was just hilarious how Key was playing it. Seeing Excel’s reaction to Key’s action was also amusing. Sigh… an Excel a day makes some people’s stress go away.

The Breakdown
Reviewing Excel Saga is a hard task as there is no stable story and many things happen episode to episode. Sorry if I become repetitive.

Synopsis
One day at a restaurant with his two best friends, Suguru decides to hire a maid, which is no surprise since his home looks like a garbage heap. ‘Well, it’s not easy living alone as a junior high student.’ Suguru is only 14 after all. What he gets is more than anyone can bargain for: a cute maid who happens to be Vespar’s strongest battle type android.

Review
Pioneer’s latest breakthrough at a robot maid anime so far appears to be the greatest in this category. Unlike Hand Maid May, there is only a single maid, Mahoro, who is warmly received by the supporting characters, Suguru’s classmates, who always seem to find a reason to spend after school hours at his house. Chizu is especially delighted to sample her freshly made dishes. However, there is someone who we should say is not so enthused about Suguru’s maid. This person is Suguru’s perverted homeroom teacher, Shikijou-sensei, who develops a rivalry with Mahoro. So as not to be explicitly a school anime is the battle with a giant mecha crab at the beach in episode 4, various flashbacks to Mahoro’s soldier days, and midway through the series in episode 7, the antagonist Ryuuga, Saint’s strongest battle type android, presents himself as a quite formidable opponent. Overall, the cast is solid and entertaining.

The Breakdown
12 episodes plus a New Year’s Special (summary of the series similar to the Vandread OVAs). Both amusing and dramatic at the same time. On sale for $26.98 at RightStuf International, Inc.