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Synopsis
The story of Romeo and Juliet is well known, a man and woman who fell in love from a time distant. But in those days their love was forbidden. Fate was against them as both ended their lives in suicide. Yuusuke and Midori, a similar couple, promised that they would be reborn again, reunite with each other, get married, and live happily ever after. Can one’s destiny truly be changed?

Review
Green Green (or Guri Guri for short) is based off of the first out of the total three PC dating simulation H-games developed by Groover and released in October 2001. The high school Kanenone translates to Sound of Bell. Yuusuke is able to date the five girls: Midori, Chigusa-sensei, Futaba, Wakaba, and Sanae. Why did the developers decide to name the game/series Green Green in the first place? The main heroine Midori means green in Japanese and she does have green eyes. The girl’s school uniforms feature a green skirt and tie. The color green is associated with nature, leaves, scenery, and lushness. In english, green also describes youth, immaturity, and inexperience. These themes are apparent as the boys attempt to cast off their bonds and become adults during this monthly encounter with the girls.

The CORRECT Japanese website can be found at http://www.ponycanyon.co.jp/greengreen/ (ANN never got around to updating the page location). There you’ll find episode summaries coupled with screenshots, character profiles, cast list, DVD and CD covers, and other links.

The Breakdown
Just for fun, the real life Kanenone girls!

Synopsis
Poisoned by toxic waste, a young woman begins to deform… or transform. Black Jack operates and discovers that she might be evolving fishlike properties. Is his patient transforming into a mermaid?

Review
Short and sweet, that is what Black Jack has been through out. The synopsis of the DVD just shows exactly what this title is; No essay long bullcrap, just watch and appreciate. And appreciate I will. In this volume, a city is infected with a disease due to the pollution of the water by greedy corporations that only care about the money and not of the safety of the public. Black Jack comes in to help a group of doctors after being asked to join in the discussions and become a member of the group with a focus of finding an end to the disease that has aroused due to the pollution of the water.

In this city, haunted by a love story between a mermaid and a human, comes a mysterious girl whom has no parents, relatives and worst of all, no recollection of her past. So how does Black Jack continue to help her? Her inability to obtain a medical card to treat her disease was because she cannot provide the people with the information required to get one. And so, out of kindness, Black Jack treats the girl even though he is not going to get paid for it.

In this volume of Black Jack, the ending seems kind of awkward in that it feels like the door is left wide open. There really is not a closing to the chapter and it just ended like there was nothing more to it. Strange, but still enjoyable as Black Jack continues to lure viewers into his mysterious medical world!

The Breakdown
I am running out of things to say about Black Jack in a hurry laugh out loud ahahaha.

Synopsis
Seiji ‘Mad Dog’ Sawamura is the ultimate high-school punk. With his upper-strong, invincible right hand, he can punch through cement walls and lay waste to entire street gangs. But street cred comes with a high price - every girl in school is absolutely terrified of him! Just when he thinks he is doomed to forever date imaginary girlfriends, Seiji’s right hand becomes an actual girl! Midori Kasugano wished she could be by Seiji’s side… but ended up somehow attached to his wrist. Seiji’s fighting days may be over, but his girl-trouble days are about to begin!!

Review
Ever wonder what it would be like if your right hand suddenly became a cute living doll sized girl? That is the problem our friend Seiji is having here. The man who everyone fears because of his ‘delinquent’ ways, and the man who has been rejected by twenty girls in his life, now has his own girl problems to deal with; a girl who loves him… but the problem is, she is his right hand. Before you go thinking some ecchi things, Midori is really a girl :P.

Midori Days volume one is very entertaining. But at times it makes you think, is it supposed to be this smooth? It is like there is nothing stopping Midori from doing what she is. Usually in anime like these, a character with the characteristics of Midori usually misses her family after a while and whatnot, but what we have here, is a one time thing. Midori’s family was only shown in one episode and that was it. Nothing was touched on them any further, although I would be surprised if it continued that way onto volume two or three.

I like Midori Days, it caught my attention from the start with Seiji’s fighting capabilities and then his personality, which is similar to a lot of other anime that features a main character who knows how to fight, but at the same time is not a punk about it. I guess it all comes back down to Midori, whom is the engine that makes everything run. Her carefree attitude is so adorable. I wonder why she could not do the same thing to Seiji when she was human. Man I want to see more of it already! And the only bad thing is that I cannot complain, because there are five episodes with a run time of one hundred twenty five minutes in this volume! Sigh…

The things that this show possesses are great. The comedy here is well done, and it is just about what you can expect from any other shounen title. The plot currently is all happy-go-lucky, but I am pretty confident that it will take on a more serious route later on. Media Blasters deserve a lot of props for bringing fans a series that will most certainly be on my top tens’ list. High five Anime Works!

The Breakdown
This anime piece we have here has about everything you would expect from a title of its genre. Its unique approach is amusing and just lovely.

Synopsis
Twelve powerful corporations run the entire planet. And the most powerful company – Ashurum – will do anything they can to maintain control. To subject the renegade city of Gald, they will infiltrate a cadre of enemy guerillas. When one of their prized psychic agents goes missing, no cost is too high to return him to their dark fold – whether that means sending in a cyborg assassin, reprogramming one of his friends, or enlisting two newer, even more powerful psychics into company. Enter a world where every though wields terrifying energy – and where any life can be viciously wasted in the pursuit of power.

Review
In this volume of E’s Otherwise I sense that the story has really gone down in pace. Volume two contained mostly of side episodes and took its focus away from the main theme. While it was alright that E’s Otherwise did that, but it should somehow give a little bit of the main stuff to the viewers to keep them up to date. I would rather it give me a small dose of information towards the true story rather than tossing me a load to learn later on in an episode or two.

Okay, let us take our vision away from what I have stated above and look at this volume by itself and not collectively. Volume two does not show E’s Otherwise’s best, but it manages to stay entertaining; Kind of like just grinding it out for the viewers. If you have not seen volume one, you probably would not have even known that it was a more serious anime than it displays. What we have here is like a regular drama anime. It is up until the last episode of this volume that the outlook begins to change.

The anticipation built up for the next volume is crazy high as Shin Lu has finally awoken from her little coma in this volume. I hope she meets Kai again and beat some sense into him. His optimistic ways of looking at situations regarding to Ashurum annoys me like crazy. Argh.

The Breakdown
I have this special fondness towards E’s Otherwise, so no matter what I will be looking forward to volume three!

Synopsis
In the 21st century, the evil organization Galactor has its sights set on global conquest. Their use of tyrannical terrorism and high-tech mayhem has the world in the clutches of fear! The only thing standing in the way of complete global dominance is the International Science Organization (ISO) and its chief scientist, Professor Kozaburou Nambu. Dr. Nambu’s primary weapon in the fight for freedom is his top secret experiment: the five kids who make up the Science Ninja Team. Bird, go!

Review
Let us go back, back, waaaay back to a time period in which the anime titled Gatchaman was the best thing to happen in anime. This show somehow delivers an old school feeling that refreshes your mind. And guess what? The English track is not bad at all! It is probably the best that I have heard in a while. I guess English dubs always work for old anime, because they do not look much different from American cartoons.

The animation of Gatchaman compared to the anime today is like night and day, but that is of course, expected due to the time period in which it was created. ADV Films does a nice job in getting Alex Ross (known for his works on DC and Marvel Comics) to do the DVD covers for this release. Man it is awesome how they look, I’m salivating over it. Even though Gatchaman might be old, but it is an anime that deserves respect for its accomplishments built up over the years. Everyone has seen or heard it; hence it was a piece that helped get anime out there.

This series is very cool. I loved the fact that each episode connects to each other like the next link on a chain. It creates an atmosphere so that you do not get lost out in La La land or whatever. The action of Gatchaman can be funny at times, because of the strange things they do, but hey, if that is what people digged back in the day, then it is fine with me; I certainly got a few good chuckles over it.

Gatchaman is a classic no matter how you look at it. It was nice to have an opportunity to appreciate this uncut version of this anime. For the Gatchaman fans, this is a must have. For the casual fans, this is a you should check it out title, not a you shall check it out title.

The Breakdown
Gatchaman is a nice break from all the typical modern day anime. As I have mentioned earlier. Gatchaman is a great refreshing experience and a great show overall.

Synopsis
As Kato struggles to maintain control, Kishimoto realizes that with her new body comes a new hope. Unfortunately, before she can act on those options, the second game begins! As a new group of players is initiated into the world of the sphere, the survivors of the first game are confronted with an entirely different breed of opponent… one that’s smarter, more aggressive and more organized… and that’s before the real game even starts! The series that shocked Japan continues in the fourth electrifying volume of GANTZ.

Review
Man, like Magic Johnson’s promo for TNT, I miss the dead bodies, and in these two episodes (seven and eight)… they do not help to satisfy that desire. We continue off discovering what Kishimoto will do now that she cannot go home, not to mention, we also find out her reason behind her attempt at suicide. Kato’s life is revealed a bit more and he sure does have it tough. An abusive aunt heh, that just makes you want to punch her in the face! Kato, of course, cannot do much about it as he is living dependently under his aunt’s roof. But what he could do is heheh, take the anger out on somebody else…

This volume is similar to volume three, where it is mostly story development, which is cool, because it is still early in the series. But I will not forgive this series if I have to go cold turkey any further! :). As this volume builds up for volume five, the players for the next game are beginning to gather, and, that means finally dead bodies will fly! Yeah baby!

The Breakdown
Gantz progress is slow, due to the fact that it is being release two episodes per volume. This discussion would not have been brought up if it was released differently. At any rate, Gantz is still entertaining and I will always pick to buy it, before buying food for myself :P.

Synopsis
No, that’s not a skin-tight pink costume — it’s her skin! She’s Kekko Kamen, the dynamic denuded damsel who fights injustice in the altogether. Her mission? To expose rampant classroom corruption at the Big Toenail of Satan’s Spartan Institute of Higher Education — all while repeatedly rescuing everyone’s favorite victim, the beautiful (and often naked) Mayumi Takahashi, from the Institute’s terrifying torture chamber!
Will our skin-clad crusader be able to straddle the line between indecent exposure and her desire to win decent treatment for the school’s succulent student bodies?

Review
Kekko Kamen is such an absurd anime, but it manages to stay fun with all the weirdness that it contains. A heroine who wears nothing but a mask, a pair of boots and gloves, and does strange maneuvers to defeat her opponents… you just cannot beat that. Go Nagai (creator of Cutey Honey) has a rather unique mind to have thought of doing something like this. I do not know how many times I chuckled through this anime. It was certainly a good strange anime.

Mayumi Takahashi is a regular high school student, but her luck really is not all that great. The school is constantly finding ways to torture her whether it is a Nazi S & M queen, a Hercules look-a-like dude, a beautiful punishment android or a perverted photographing samurai. But through all her hardships, Kekko Kamen always comes and saves the day. Although the principal and the teacher does not know whether to categorize Kekko Kamen’s beatings, pain or pleasure :/.

Kekko Kamen is a whack job of an anime and it flows quite well with anime fans these days. A suggestion I have for you though is… do not watch this when a child is around heh. It is rated mature after all. You also might not want to watch this when your parents are home too. Just a little tip.

The Breakdown
I guess you cannot get anymore extreme than a nude heroine right? Kekko Kamen is certainly an eye opener ;).

Synopsis
Not available yet.

Review
Salaryman Kintaro is so damn good, I just love the show. Okay, I usually do not start off a review with a splash, but even with me not watching volume two, I know, absolutely, positively that it will be amazing. The show boasts this story that is very fun to watch and it gets addicting as you are viewing it. I did not want it to end at all! In this volume, Kintaro finds a girlfriend and his life as a salaryman really takes off when he is sent to a construction site as the representative from Yamato Construction.

If it is a job for Kintaro, you know it would not be an easy one. Right off the van, he sees something that ticked him off real bad hehe and as expected from Kintaro, he takes care of business. But, because of what he had done, the workers become even more obnoxious. How will Kintaro finish this job that has caused the previous representative to ’suicide’? You cannot miss this volume of Salaryman Kintaro!

Every episode that I have watched so far, gave me the chills. Quite weird considering that I rarely get chills or goose bumps from watching anime. But this anime is really that amazing. I find myself viewing the show intently, examining every detail and if I missed a subtitle, I will rewind it back to see what I had missed. Talk about ‘getting hooked’ :). Treat yourself to this great piece of animation filled with comedy, story and a bit of everything. You will not be disappointed, I can guarantee that.

The Breakdown
I have officially joined the Salaryman Kintaro fan club. Anybody else interested? :)

Synopsis
Sorata is an art instructor at Yamanoue School. At the young age of 20 he is already a full-fledged teacher with a meek and nerd-like disposition. Yet Sorata has a secret… he’s Mouse, the internationally infamous thief and a shameless flirt to boot. This mischievous rogue is assisted by three scandalously endowed attendants. With Mei Momozono the genius math teacher, Hazuki Kakio the rough and ready phys-ed coach, and the lovely school nurse Yayoi Kuribayashi, Mouse can steal ANYTHING.

Review
Mouse mouse mouse. This title seems like a fun series, but the originality is just nonexistent. It is like DN Angel mixed up with Steel Angel Kurumi. All you have to do is just take the phantom thief from DN Angel and three female servants from Steel Angel Kurumi and you will get Mouse. This series to me just does not make a big statement from the get go. It felt like any other ordinary shounen title that strives for fan service rather than attempting to give the viewers another look, a better look, such as, a story that is intriguing with a less emphasis on the ecchi-ness.

Not everything should be based on the big boobies and hot babes, but Mouse does not give me any other perspective to view it other than a fan service filled anime. It feels nice and fresh during the first episode… then it begins to deteriorate by episode. And at the midpoint of the DVD, I was just rushing for it to end already, because I had other things to put my time and energy in; mainly, other anime of course.

Probably the only reason that will allow me to make an effort to continue Mouse is because this is only the first volume. Sure, I will give it a chance to repent for volume one, if volume two still does not satisfy me then… that is that.

The Breakdown
Mouse is an average ecchi humor anime. While there are cosplay, servant-type ecchi things going on, it tastes like stale milk overall.

Synopsis
Welcome to the Wild Wild East. Ichimatsu hates his day job. He’s in love with a prostitute. He’s a trained killing machine. His life is a bloody mess. He is… Samurai Gun! It’s the beginning of the industrial revolution and feudal Japan is in turmoil. The ruling Shogun are wielding their abusive powers to instill fear and dominance over their oppressed subjects. A group of Samurai have banded together and with the development of new weapons and new technology, they have both the will and the hardware to stand up and fight.

Review
The heart of a samurai, the soul of a cowboy; that is what Samurai Gun is all about. It is violent, yet entertaining while achieving all the quick paced gun unloading action. Some of the violence in this anime disgusts me, but you can guarantee Ichimatsu will set the injustice straight. His knack for justice is the only reason why he does his side job, no matter how many times he says that he does not want to kill anymore, his past haunts him and the only way to relieve of the nightmare is to eliminate what is unjust.

The show is not rated mature for no reason. There are adult situations and people getting blasted away. Some funny, some not so funny, you will know what I am talking about when this series gets released on the streets. The story is attractive; I love when the villains get what they deserve. It is also amazing how the pace seems so fast, yet you feel like you have been sitting in your seat for a while after the volume finishes playing.

ADV Films co-produced this piece, and I have to say that this is an amazing series, a very interesting series in that it hits you head on like a bulldozer doing fifty miles per hour with messed up brakes. Yeah, just imagine that, a series that grabs your attention by the throat and shakes it up quite well. I am definitely looking forward to Samurai Gun. It is wicked nice!

The Breakdown
Samurai Gun hits streets on August 16th, 2005. Look forward to it!