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Synopsis
Despite his parents’ protests, Kazuto Tokino has taken it upon himself to run his late grandfather’s bathhouse. But with no previous management experience, Kazuto must rely on his sunny disposition to keep his new business afloat. And when the alien Princess Valkyrie destroys the bathhouse, mortally wounding Kazuto in the process, dark clouds seem poised to rain on his parade of optimism.
With a magical kiss, the princess saves Kazuto’s life, but at a grave cost to her own: transformed into an 8 year old, she is stranded on Earth, unable to fend for herself. Now, with an entire solar system out searching for her shrunken highness, Kazuto must defend the Tokino bathhouse, not only from hordes of alien invaders, but also from his new, hyper-adorable, sugary-sweet little houseguest!

Review
Cat girls galore, yay! Err… Umm… from the introduction you should have already figured out a part of the show, now here is the other. UFL Ultramaiden Valkyrie is a show featuring Kazuto Tokino and Princess Valkyrie (also known as Val). Her meeting with Kazuto was purely accidental. She crash landed into the hot springs that Kazuto runs, as a result killing him. Valkyrie then used her powers to revive him, and in the process she gave him a part of her soul at the expense of her physical appearance, which turned to that of a young little girl.

UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is another one of those shows where there is a guy, a girl who is secretly in love with him and a girl that outright shows her love for the male character, Kazuto. While this formula is used and reused, it just does not feel right for this series. Maybe it was because of Princess Valkyrie’s ability to transform into child form… but that should not be the case as Tenjho Tenge’s Maya has that ability but that show still flowed nicely. UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is more like, here is Val and when something is about to happen to Kazuto, here is Princess Valkyrie.

The characters are simple; there have not been any signs of complicated deep dark secrets or anything. The plot is a relatively straightforward deal. Seeing Val is kind of cute at times, but as with most children… they do tend to get annoying at certain periods. I am keeping a note that I have not seen much of this piece yet, for all that we know this could be a late bloomer. But as of now, UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is nothing more than a mediocre attempt at creating a good humor title. Sure, Ms. Sanada and her craziness were nice, but other than that, there was nothing present that solidifies UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie as a title that is worth much of your time or money.

The Breakdown
Certainly I am looking forward to the future volumes, there is potential in this title and hopefully it does get better.

Synopsis
Ichise is an “entertainment fighter” in the underground city of Lukuss. However, when a gang punishes Ichise by cutting his arm and leg off, his will to live overcomes the odds and attracts the attention of the ruling Organo syndicate that controls both the city and the cybernetic Texhnolyze technology which is usually reserved for the elite. Meanwhile, an outsider has come down to the city and, along with a young psychic girl, the dominos are beginning to fall in the seething unrest of the city as their paths slowly intertwine with Ichise’s. What will come of these people and what will happen in this city of no hope?

Review
Ahhh….Texhnolyze. The new anime from the staff of Serial Experiments Lain. I would like to get out of the way right now a misconception many have about Texhnolyze, even other reviewers: yoshitoshi ABe (as he prefers it spelled), the creator of Lain, NieA_7, and Haibane Renmei, merely served as character designer and artist for Texhnolyze. He had little to do with the plot and story of the show. The trademarks that NieA_7 and Haibane Renmei share are non-existent here, and you can tell that the show was more in the hands of the other staff of Lain rather than ABe. But that’s no knock on Texhnolyze, which is one of the most brilliant (and overly serious) anime I’ve ever seen. I’ve noticed that little is talked about Texholyze in online circles. Many haven’t seen it and the few who have are turned off by the first few episodes, which throws you right into the show like throwing someone into freezing cold water.

But they don’t know what they are missing. The first two episodes are an extreme version of the style prevalent in the show, which is somewhat abstract and obtuse. But this “extreme” version dissipates as the show progresses (thankfully). The first episode has at most 12 lines of dialogue, and the main character rarely, if ever, speaks throughout the entire show. The creators of Lain were attempting to create something extremely different in Texhnolyze, and in that they succeeded. Each aspect of the show is a symbol, or a representation, of something that can be applied to our own world. Texhnolyze is trying to say something about us as humans and the way we perceive ourselves in the story it tells.

The story revolves around more than just the main character, Ichise. The first half of the show is intra-gang related warfare between three groups; the Organo, those who already control the underground city of Lukuss, the Salvation Union, who don’t believe in texhnolyzing lost limbs (or at all, for that matter), and the Rakan, a reckless group of young adults fed up with how things currently work. These groups battle it out, and the second half of the show is the aftermath and repurcussions of these battles and how it’ll relate to the “surface world” and the elite “Class” group of people who control Lukuss from behind the seat of power.

As you can tell, Texhnolyze is a hard show to pin down and explain. There are a lot of different factions and characters involved, and I became completely engrossed in the story. After a second viewing, the show castly improves, since now you know everything and so the first couple of episodes make A LOT more sense. And that’s the kind of replayablility I can appreciate. The characters are for the most part cold and calculating bastards. Ichise rarely speaks, and the leaders of the gangs generally don’t either. This is a far more visual anime than it is a dialogue heavy one. I don’t want to spoil too much of the show beforehand, but the mysteries surrounding the show are extremely intriguing, from where raffia (the material that the robots parts of limbs is made from) comes from to what the “surface world” is.

The show is dank and dark and depressing, because the entirety of the show takes place underground in an artificial city. When you finally do find out about the much-hyped surface world, you’re mind will be blown away by the sheer amount of things going on, both for the story and symbolically. I was shocked and in awe at the same time. The story slowly dolls out the details, leaving you on the edge of your seat every time to find out more. That’s exactly what I want from an anime like this.

The Breakdown
Texhnolyze is highly underrated, and unfairly maligned because of its experimental style, of which is most prevalent very early on. It goes away for the most part for those who don’t like it, and the show opens up to be extremely compelling and riveting in the end run. The animation is excellent, the music pretty good, and the story downright inspiring and depressing at the same time. The show will tug on your emotions, and the ending will leave you in tears, if not a sentimental smile on your face. The show is abstract and confusing and sometimes hard to put up with, but if you can get through these few problems a great show awaits.

Synopsis
There is an old legend that speaks of a hidden paradise on Earth - a paradise only wolves can find. And while thought to have been extinct for hundreds of years, wolves still walk the Earth…hidden among mankind. Now, a group of outcast wolves set out to find Paradise: Kiba, Hige, Toboe, and Tsume. Each wolf is driven by their own personality and desires, but together they are pursued by humans seeking to quench their own thirst for power. A difficult and long journey lies ahead, with Paradise waiting to be found.

Review
You can tell from my synopsis that Wolf’s Rain is very vague in its premise. It’s most definitely unique, and in that alone I commend it, as anime these days rarely try to break the boundaries of their genre, be it a giant robot or magical girl or tournament fighting anime. I also have a bias towards loving wolves, who I find to be fascinating creatures, and to see them done in anime like this is a treat unto itself. A further plus was the fact that a majority of the Cowboy Bebop staff worked on Wolf’s Rain, chief among them scriptwriters Keiko Nobumoto and Dai Sato and musical composer Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno alone is reason enough to watch any anime, the fact that animation studio BONES (RahXephon, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) is behind the animation is just icing on the cake. I’ll also add that Wolf’s Rain (and previously Cowboy Bebop) character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto is a favorite among anime character designers for me; his penchant for adult-looking, realistically-proportioned people is a rarity, and I’m glad that he’s on board.

As you can clearly see, Wolf’s Rain has a lot going for it and a high pedigree that shows a lot of potential. And with this mix we have one of my favorite anime of all-time. It currently sits in my top 15, which is saying a lot considering the amount of anime I’ve seen. And every time I rewatch it I enjoy it more. The idea that wolves will lead the world to paradise is an interesting premise, the fact that they hide themselves among mankind by casting a spell on people is doubly intriguing (to explain: the wolf characters in the show have human forms…sort of. If you look at their footprints in the snow and their shadows on walls, they appear to be wolves. They are merely casting a spell when they want to make people perceive them as humans. This is because they are being hunted by humans because the humans fear that having the wolves bring paradise will end their current world, so killing all the wolves will stop this and save their world).

It should be noted that Wolf’s Rain is more drama and plot than action. When action does appear, it kicks copious amounts of ass, because the wolves are given superhuman abilities of jumping and speed. When they use these abilities in their human form, it looks awesome. The animation certainly helps matters: it’s crisp, fluid, and detailed, just what is expected from BONES. Yoko Kanno’s music is far removed from anything she’s done before, she defines it as “brazilian with flamenco sensibilities” and you can tell with the peppered bits of spanish instruments strewn about the various musical tracks. I personally loved the music so much I went out and bought the soundtrack, and I think this is one of her best works ever, only being surpassed by Cowboy Bebop and maybe Escaflowne: The Movie.

The story itself is a road trip show in a sense, as the four main wolves are constantly on the move from one place to the next while the search for paradise. The secondary characters (which receive excellent backgrounds in their own right) are also constantly moving, either one step ahead or behind the wolves. Since the story is heavy on religion and mysticism and tribal/pack aspects, the plot tends to be vague for the most part. You either have to buy into what they are telling you or not. You can’t make sense of it because it isn’t meant to, and this will probably be the biggest hurdle for you to get over. There is no rational explanation why wolves are the ones that lead the world to paradise, they just are. There’s no reason why wolves have the abilities they do, like casting a spell on all humans or having the abilities they do….they just do. If one can get past these things, you will be enveloped into one of the most engrossing anime I’ve ever seen.

The Breakdown
Wolf’s Rain is easily one of the best things I’ve seen, anime or not. It’s mature, takes itself moderately seriously, enjoys what its telling us, and has a couple of important things to say about the state of man in accordance with nature. It’s one hell of a ride with an extremely bittersweet ending, and the production values are off the charts. If people can attain a certain suspension of disbelief, then there is no reason, I think, that you wouldn’t enjoy this anime. Give at least the first volume a shot to see if its your thing (it has five episodes on it, which is just enough to judge whether this is for you or not).

Synopsis
The bitter-cold winter of Hokkaido meets the warmth of the human heart, as six women suffer through their own tragic love stories before fate brings them all together.
We begin with Atsuko, whose arranged marriage collapses in the face of a love triangle. Then there’s Karin, a sickly schoolgirl who develops a crush on her doctor only to have it blow up in her face. These are just two of the women chasing their own Diamond Daydreams.

Review
Diamond Daydreams is a pretty unique acquisition by ADV Films. The show is compiled of the love stories of six young ladies. There is about a story for each situation you can come up with for a woman today. Love triangles, forbidden love, arranged marriages, sick but in love, being a mistress… the list goes on. Right about now you probably would not have any interest in a show that details love relationships, and like some of you who are feeling skeptical, I felt the same. But there is some sort of freshness in this anime.

Maybe it is the name, Diamond Daydreams or Diamond Dust Drops; it caught my attention. After viewing it, it was definitely a different experience from the shoujo series that I have seen thus far. The story is all based in Hokkaido (a place I have to visit!). There is a saying that goes, when a person sees diamond dust, they will be granted happiness.

In the first story, we have Atsuko Akanegi, twenty years old. She had the potential to have a great future, but due to her father’s death, she was not able to go on with her education, and now must help out with her mother with their fish store. Even though Atsuko wanted to be like her friends, going off to college, hanging out with guys and having fun; she realizes that it is nothing but a dream. There was no way she can make enough to pay the tuition of a college when they were barely keeping the fish store open.

In comes Mr. Kurata, a musician who strives to make it in the United States. He had left his wife and daughter in the pursuit of his dream. Mr. Kurata has become a frequent customer of Atsuko’s fish store, and her interest in jazz music also created a friendship between the two of them. As the story progresses, we meet Minoru Jinguji, the arranged fiancĆ© of Atsuko. And finally story one begins to go.

In story two, we have Karin Shiraishi, whom is sick with a condition that was passed down from birth. So right from the start we see how each story will be different. Karin spends most of her two years in the hospital, writing her stories on a weblog and have in turn gathered up a fanbase who awaits her next story.

As she goes through her daily routine, a new doctor by the name of Amakasu arrives and right from the start he rubs her the wrong way. It was after this meeting that Karin began to receive emails from one of her fans. As they are exchanging emails, we learn more about Karin and the fan’s true identity.

The Breakdown
Diamond Daydreams is unusual, it is a show that revolves around drama. The story surpasses everything else. If you want a shoujo show, you cannot go wrong with this one from ADV Films.

Synopsis
‘The twentieth century gave birth to a great war. It was a full-blown war that raged between the humans and the monsters. At the end of this gruesome war, indescribable with words alone, the monsters were the ones left standing. Time passed and the dawn of a new century came. And people started to forget that melody…’

Bocca, who just discovered this identity as being a Meros warrior, abandons everything except for his skills, goes in search for The Melody of Oblivion: the only hope left in the fight against the Monsters.

Review
After being pestered by many people to watch this anime and random ‘moooo-ing’ at me during conversations, I realized two things: one, that I should have watched this earlier, and two, what the ‘moo’ was all about.

Gainax has done it again with The Melody of Oblivion attempting to bring to viewers a fresh and original (not to mention insane) anime going through leap and bounds with it’s action packed fighting and adventure setting that would make even role playing games envious. But of course, this is Gainax we are talking about so it’s common to expect girls who super charge arrows by rubbing it against their thighs and face followed by heart shaped things shooting out. Well… that’s only half the fun because things get even more crazy especially near the end. Seriously, what anime can get you teary one episode then have you ‘wtf-ing’ the episode after…*tumbleweed floats by’… exactly. Aside from the sexual innuendos and insane fan-service, The Melody of Oblivion still manages to deliver an adventure greatly worth watching.

The plot for The Melody of Oblivion is Bocca who leaves on a journey in search for The Melody of Oblivion after he discovers his identity as a Meros warriors ( a person with a born tattoo that can charge arrows to make them explode if rubbed against). Here are a few things to note to make things more clear. Monsters have already won the war against humans. There is now a Monster Union Agency of some sort which is almost like a social controlling mechanism along with a Monster Union Agent, chosen by ‘Monster-sama’ to rule a certain area. Every three or four episodes, a new arc begins as Bocca continues his travels in search of The Melody of Oblivion while fighting against new and unique Monster Agents. Though the ending of the anime does leave a few questions unanswered like what the **** is up with the girls and the moo-ing song, I was pleased with how it ended and the double irony involved (considering this is Gainax we are talking about).

For characters, I want to talk about everyone but it is apparent the focus is on Bocca and his relationship with Sayoko. In case it wasn’t brought up, Sayoko is a runaway girl who stumbled upon Bocca in search for Kurofune, another Meros warrior who saved her life in the past. As the anime progressed, I noticed two very interesting conflicts in both Bocca and Sayoko. For Bocca, he is a Meros warrior and does not want to involve Sayoko in his own fight. Of course Bocca likes Sayoko and he saved her life many times showing that he wants to protect her. However, Bocca is a warrior and it conflicts with his feelings for Sayoko. Sayoko is traveling with Bocca only to find Kurofune because she is certain he is the one for her. Here, her feelings for Kurofune conflicts with her feelings that are developing for Bocca. Near the end, we see enormous character developments within both Bocca and Sayoko that gives meaning to the title and over all meaning to the name ‘The Melody of Oblivion’

As far as the animation goes, I thought it was original and nicely done. To start, the coloring of the sky, clouds, mountains, trees, and everything that served as a background had a pastel look which I really enjoyed. The consistency with colors, especially the color red, was plain and simple yet effective almost like what you would see in Dick Tracy or Sin City giving a surreal feeling in some of the scenes. But while I do appreciate the originality of the animation as a whole, there were some scenes where I didn’t know whether I should feel sorry or laugh at someone who got hit with an enemy attack because of how silly and absurd it is. I mean… a person in a giant pig robot with the ability to use little piglet robots as a slingshot while screaming ‘ Viva viva viva viva viva viva viva..’?…uhhh… I prefer to stay sane thank you.

While I usually skip the opening theme songs of most anime I’ve seen, the opening and especially ending of The Melody of Oblivion was just too attractive to resist. But even though I thought the ending theme was more pleasant to the ears, both are considered equally good. However, the OST of The Melody of Oblivion is surprisingly good and contributes greatly to the anime as a whole.

If you love fan-service, adventure, great ending and interesting characters. STOP! This is it.

The Breakdown
Yet another great 25 episodes.

Synopsis
Takemoto is a second year college student living in a run down apartment with a few other college students. What lies ahead for Takemoto and the people around him as they try and discover their identities being this far already in life?

Review
Ok, I know my synopsis doesn’t really say much. But to be honest, I don’t know what else to say. Honey and Clover introduces people to none else than college life of a few people and their daily life. It sounds extremely simple in description yet indescribably complex regarding character motivations and the struggles each have with themselves and with the people around him.

College is a time of hardships, tough decisions, and conflicting emotions. However, it is also a time of independency, discovery of oneself, friendship, and hope. But what does what I say have anything to do with Honey and Clover? Everything. Before I even finished watching Honey and Clover, I knew this was something special. The way each character enters into the anime and the delicate feelings carefully weaved between each person showed me how much emphasis is placed on character developments.

For one, I found that the characters are more easy to understand and relate to as the anime progresses. Not only do we see the characters open up more and more but we can understand their motives. In order to better understand any character in an anime, manga, book, movie, and anything else, it is not only important to see what someone feels for someone else on the outside but also what that person feels on the inside, what he does not show superficially. This is exactly what we see in Honey and Clover. A careful blend of change in point of view between first person to third person omniscient allows the viewer to gain great insight to each character. For example, the complicated relationship between Mayama, Yamada, and Rika can be difficult to understand by the viewers if Mayama did not open himself up to a first person point of view and Rika’s feelings can not be understood consequently. In addition to all of this, the characters emotions seems real and reasonable. What I mean by that no one seems to be a drama queen. This isn’t like Saikano where the whole goal of the anime is to get you feeling sorry for someone through extreme fabricated events. The emotions we see in Honey and Clover seem authentic. And what we see are not sudden but developed and changed through time, shaped by the people associated with that specific person. It is truly unique to witness characters such as the ones in this anime.

While the plot and theme of Honey and Clover seems confusing and weak in the beginning with only a spinning bike wheel to go on, a question is posed by Takemoto, one of the first characters to be introduced. What is interesting, however, is how constantly this spinning wheel is brought up and even stopping spinning at times, never allowing it to leave the back of the mind of the audience. It is a reminder that whatever the theme is, it is constantly being strengthened and surprisingly enough, by non other than the characters. And even though the theme is not revealed until later near the end by Takemoto, it does not mean it has remained stoic throughout the anime. For example, we see how Morita leaves for his secret jobs but still always return to Takemoto and his gang. And even though he is able to graduate, he continues to remain a student at the art college. Why else would he do that? Now, think about Takemoto near the end and what he does. Doesn’t it resemble what Morita does in a way? So therefore whether you were aware of the development of the theme, it is constantly happening and being strengthened by the characters.

In addition to strengthening the theme of Honey and Clover, I feel that the animation of the background and scenario somehow seem more brilliant and alive with the descriptions by the characters. Yamada outside in the dark during winter describing the sharp coldness of the air, Mayama on the tour boat describing the sun set made me feel like I was almost there with them, feeling the same coldness and seeing the same sunset that they were able to see. From the animation of the Urban life to the vast fields of Japan, the animation does not fail short of being masterful. And though I have heard that character drawings could have been better, I also feel that there is nothing wrong with any of the character animation and outfits. Thumbs up for me.

For the music, what we hear goes beyond just the opening theme Dramatic and the ending theme Waltz (then later Mistake). Throughout the anime, we hear numerous great songs by various artists, some of which include Tamagawa and Hachimitsu by Spitz. So the OST is definitely something to check out.

If you are looking for something inspiring, go watch Honey and Clover. And if you are looking for something in life and haven’t found it, keep searching, because the answer won’t come to you.

The Breakdown
24 episodes to Honey and Clover. And if you aren’t satisfied with just the Anime, there is always the Manga that goes beyond.

Synopsis
Sagi, the creator of a famous dog plushy is suddenly attacked one night on her way back home by an unknown person. That person was later described by her to be a boy on roller blades carrying a bent baseball bat. All of a sudden, cases of being attack by this shonen bat pops up all around Japan as days passes. Who is this mysterious boy with the bat? Why is he attacking all these people so randomly?

Review
After watching 6 episodes of Fafner and god knows how many episodes of Princess Tutu, I needed a change. Turns out that Paranoia Agent was exactly what I was looking for.

So what makes this anime so unique you ask? Well, other than trying to bring the audience examples of farce and satire, Paranoia Agent also brings with it an analysis of the conditions of people in Japan and how a simple incident evolved into an idea that personified itself into something much more.

Who exactly is this bat boy that has been terrorizing the people around Japan? What started as an isolated incident with Sagi turned into national news as the number of victims claimed by this bat boy grows exponentially. I want to go into the plot of this anime but I feel like it is necessary for me to analyze a few things and clear some stuff up ( some of which I can’t even explain)

In the beginning, a number of people are introduced to the audience, most of them with some kind of personal problem. We have Yuiichi who gets his reputation ruined because of bat boy. Also, we have Hamuri is a personal tutor of Yuiichi who struggles everyday with her MPD (mutiple personality disorder). These people and many more were victims to boy bat. But the question is why are these people targeted? As explained later on, boy bat is only fabricated. He is nothing more than an idea summoned by the human mind: escapism.

The plot and the theme is a little difficult to explain but I’ll try. But keep in mind, you have to look at the whole picture in trying to understand this. What I love most about this anime is how well reality is blended in with the fiction surrounding the boy bat. For up until the middle of the anime, the viewers are tricked into thinking that he is some petty hit and run person attacking random people. But just when you think boy bat is caught and questions are resolved, more questions are brought up as the culprit himself is killed by …the boy bat? But how is that possible? I mean, he attacked Ushiyama and a police with his bat right? Now, this is where it really got me interested. The person caught, himself, is incorporating his imaginary world with reality. He thinks his bat is a holy sword and he is only attacking demons or something and denies his involvement with the other people attacked by the boy bat.

As explained later on, boy bat seeks out those who are pushed to the edge. He attacks people as a favor and provides them with a feeling of vindication of whatever is happening with their life. The second half of the anime delivers nothing less than interpretations. We witness people who suffer from their own struggles in life and how they are brutally attacked by this boy bat unwanted. He is nothing more than an idea/feeling. But somehow, he is uncontrollable. One episode I want to mention is the episode where three people over the internet meet up to find ways to commit suicide. This bizarre yet comical episode is a great example of farce. Maybe I’m crazy, but I believe this episode is an attempt to show human folly and making seem acceptable. I mean, look at how reserved the people in that episode was. Other episodes satire the problems with Japanese society and how people seek relief from their everyday life. The ending… well.. I don’t want to spoil it but it ties many things together. But I do want to comment that a few things were thrown together just to end it. Nevertheless, nothing short of being great.

Surprisingly, the characters were really well developed. In only 13 episodes, it is amazing what Paranoia Agent tries to do. I think there were more number of characters resolution than the number of episodes. But what’s important is how each character contributes to the theme of the anime. In a sense, the characters develops as the story develops. And while it seems at first none of the characters have anything to do with each other, many of these characters are linked directly and indirectly like Hamuri and Yuiichi. Pieces of a puzzle don’t look like anything but put them together and you get a picture. I feel like I’m watching Boogiepop Phantom again.

The animation is also unique. The colors stress more on making the characters realistic much like what you would see in Perfect Blue or Tokyo Godfathers. I especially like this type of animation and the environment these colors present to the viewers. In addition to the animation, the music was also well done. The opening theme is incredibly addicting to listen to. And knowing the person that I am, I usually skip the opening theme. Other than that, sorry to say I don’t remember much of the music in the anime itself.

One last thing I want to point out is the opening theme which I took great interest in. Here is what it says

‘Ah, The lost children are a spectacular mushroom cloud in the sky…
Ah, The lost children are comrades to the little birds that have infiltrated these lands…’

In addition, if you look at one of the animation scenes of the opening, you see a mushroom cloud in the background. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the anime but it’s something to notice.

I have to get me a Mamori…>__>..

The Breakdown
13 episodes to top off a wall-o-text I typed. Enjoy it!

Synopsis
On her first visit to one of the refugee areas, the Prime Minister receives a bouquet of flowers with a death threat in it. Section 9 is called in to provide round-the-clock security for her as they work to catch the would-be assassin. As they do their legwork, more and more links to the mysterious ‘Individual Eleven’ are uncovered.

Meanwhile, Togusa is trying to unravel the reason for a man’s suspicious death, and it leads him into the bowels of Tokyo and a government cover-up. Then, Section 9 is ordered to transport some dangerous plutonium out of one of the refugee districts, and the creepy Gohda is once again given command of the operation.

When it’s all over, the Major and the rest of Section 9 try to figure out exactly how all of these things are linked together. These strange happenings can’t all be coincidence.

Review
Eureka. Finally, I have figured out the way Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG flows. Every episode that is available is a building block to create one whole gigantic bang. No wonder I felt strange when watching this show right after every episode’s end. In volume two, the show continues right where if left off in volume one… boring. But slowly, it gathers itself up as the plot is revealed right before your eyes… or part of it. The unique thing was how during the dialogues, the characters would cite various events that had happened earlier, which as a result, led me to my overall understanding of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG and refreshes the viewers’ minds of earlier events, that would otherwise be forgotten.

I was pretty down on volume one of this series as it was pretty disappointing. But volume two was an improvement over it. It was more action and less blabbering. Kind of like let the action do the talking instead of the characters being stationary and conversing on the issues at hand. In this volume, it surrounds a grouped called the ‘Individual Eleven.’ As a member of the group carries out an assassination attempt on the prime minister, Section 9 is put in charge of her safety. As that episode comes to an end, we begin with another episode that just kind of continues going on with the overall story, but taking on another mission, which will act as a stepping stone to bring the viewers closer to the true message that 2nd Gig is trying to deliver.

By the time I was done with this volume, I thought it was an enjoyable volume. It was not out of the world by any stretch of the imagination, but it was adequate in a sense that it brings what it has to, to the table and manages to stay interesting and intriguing throughout.

The Breakdown
I wonder why Gohda does not fix his face up :). Anyways, this was a good volume, but my expectations are a bit higher for a title like Ghost in the Shell :/. Maybe it is just me? Hmm…

Synopsis
2009. Ten years of furious conflict and frenzied construction have turned an alien wreck into a human triumph: the colossal space battleship Macross. On the day of the ship’s launch, the world waits with bated breath to witness mankind’s next giant leap. Hovering above the planet, though, the Zentradi, a merciless warrior race, seek to advance their agenda of destruction and conquest. When long-dormant systems aboard the Macross suddenly fire upon the alien fleet, the ship meant to preserve humanity may become its undoing. A war of attrition erupts, taking mankind across the solar system and beyond in a fight to justify its existence!

Review
A classic. Macross was one of the anime shows that pioneered the anime industry that we have today. Let us get down and dirty. From the get go, the theme song sounded liked it was not suitable for the show, but after an episode in, that theme song begins to evolve into something you would look forward to… especially that background music of the song. It makes you say, ‘Ohh… man here we go! YEAH!’ The animation we have here certainly is not top of the line in this era; it is not Macross Zero by any means, but damn it, I was so impressed of how everything moved. It might be old school, but if you watch this show, you would not believe your eyes. Yep, it is that amazing.

On to the plot. Again, top notch, nothing to complain about. I was immediately dragged in by Hikaru Ichijo’s little prank moment that he had in the air show that was going on to celebrate the launching of the Macross. The transition from calm breeze and peace, to missile flying, buildings crumbling and mechas exploding was just smooth and cool. Some of the action even makes you wonder why recent anime cannot achieve what this has. I was awestruck by the level of detail this series contained; in the story line, the characters and the way they interacted with each other, along with the show’s ability to insert a few practical fun moments at the same time to further enhance the entertainment factor for the viewers.

As mentioned previously, the air show gathering prompted the launch of the long in rebuilding progress, Macross battleship. When all things seemed to go on as planned, suddenly the Macross activates its own self defense system and launched a beam of energy powerful enough to reach space and splash a few alien battleships. When that occurred, the aliens were now interested in what the Macross was about, and of course, the invasion begins! With Ichijo strapped into a Valkyrie for testing purposes, he is forced to take off and follow his sempai, Focker, into the battlefields. That is how the plot begins and by the volume’s end, you will be glad that you finally get a chance to view this epic piece.

The Breakdown
Why are not all, if not most, anime can be like this? You know, less being amazed at the details, but more at comprehending what the situation is at hand. I would rather watch a show with a great plot than to watch something where everything seems like a page long run-on sentence. Macross right here, is not about showing off the details, at least, it is not in this time era, instead it bolsters a superb story and makes everything else work together with the story. This is why Macross Vol. 1: Upon the Shoulders of Giants gets my money and so will the rest of the series.

Synopsis
For a hapless young cadet, boot camp is no picnic, and Misaki is as hapless as they get. With the help of friends Luxandra, Kiri, and Suzanna, however, she advances in her training. Pretty normal, right? Wrong. Luxandra should be dead. Suzanna should be discharged. Misaki herself should have vanished in the exodus from the Watcher’s Nest outpost. And the mysterious life form known as the Ghoul still keeps popping up.

It’s up to Lieutenant Commander Ertiana and the rest of the survivors from Watcher’s Nest to find out why everything on Earth is back to normal… when everything else in the universe is anything but.

Review
I have always been a fan of Misaki-chan since her Divergence Eve days. Now we are into the chronicles; Misaki Chronicles to be exact. What is new? What is there to be expected? Well, first off, this series takes place before the original Divergence Eve and second, it has a lighter atmosphere; from the theme songs to seeing Misaki in her sexy uniform for her part time job. Speaking about the ecchi, I am now beginning to believe that ADV Films should have included a ‘Jiggle Counter’ for this show, just like they did for Burn-Up W. I mean, yeah, there are a lot of jiggles. Picture Misaki wearing a tank top braless running laps. There got that image? Okay, moving on…

In this series, we are going to discover why Misaki joined Watcher’s Nest. From the indications so far, it is due to her father and her strong desire to want to learn why her father was so intent on leaving his family for space and why her mom would always wait for him with a smile on her face every time he left. That is something that is only touched upon for a bit in the volume. Right after she graduated from military training, we are fast forwarded to a mission, and this is the point where everything just begins to break down; not in a good way. Suddenly we are shown Misaki’s childhood form. That certainly does not sound strange, until you bring in the current Misaki into the mix. Yes, I am talking about two Misakis. What is more weird is that the show moves a bit too fast, skipping some scenes that might help the viewers in their overall comprehension.

That is most likely the negative of this show so far. I just could not make a good connection with the graduation, the mission, and then Lyar doing time travels hunting down ghouls. But we do get a chance to see mature Misaki in a kimono (^_^)'’. From the future to the past… past past, ninja era past. I mean, I feel so awkward, I know the ghouls exist, but what do ninjas have to do with the whole big picture? What does little Misaki have to do with the series other than to freak people out at times? These questions should be answered in the later episodes, but Misaki Chronicles right now is a great piece if you like jiggles and a show filled with the necessity to think things through in order to make the most sense out of it.

The Breakdown
I only had three advanced episodes at hand, and I felt at the end of the third episode, something was finally beginning to brew… that was when the volume came to an end, for me :(.