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Synopsis
Pressure is high for Yukino Miyazawa to succeed, to be loved by all, and to be simply… the best. After working so hard to become the top student at her school, a new competitor has arrived to tumble her from her self made pedestal: Souichirou Arima. The instant she met him, she hated him. He topped her every effort without even trying. Now Yukino is putting her hard work into plotting her revenge, but was love part of the plan?
Alpha adds: Please note Kare Kano is the name of His and Her Circumstances in Japan.

Review
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The Breakdown
This is a great series! As it was stated in the Director’s Notes, Kare Kano is *unexpected*. I agree with the director, because I didn’t hear about Kare Kano until Stikz mentioned it in one of those polls he made on the boards. Hey I guess this can be another series that I can have fun watching as I wait for GTO and as I watch GTO I won’t be bored out of my mind waiting for Kare Kano J.

Synopsis
Initial D 1st Stage, 2nd Stage, and 3rd Stage: Lets start off by knowing what INITIAL D stands for shall we? Initial D - Initial Drive: Initial is the beginning of a word or something so when it all comes together, Initial D stands for the beginning to drive. Exactly what the series is about. This anime shows you how technology is used in anime and as newer technology is produced the better the quality is. OK…, You’re probably confused right now, but if you have seen the series you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t see the series then I’ll explain what I’m talking about in the review.

Review
1st Stage - First off, any Import cars fan will love this anime and if you’re not an import cars fan then you’ll not enjoy this anime as much as the people that are. The story starts off with this dude named Takumi Fujiwara. He’s a high school student and a part time worker at a gas station. At first Takumi, didn’t like to race or should I say he had no idea what was the point of racing. After his first race with his father’s customized Toyota AE86 Trueno (Thunder in Spanish) he was being hooked to racing little by little. As the story goes on its about his racing to find himself. Personally I loved the last race the RX-7 FC against the AE86, because its the last race for the 1st season (stage)

2nd Stage - A continuation of the 1st Stage, still Takumi has a 0 loss record, but now a new racing team has formed known as EMPEROR, of course they want to beat Takumi and … (can’t spoil the races). Any way that’s almost it for 2nd Stage.

3rd Stage - Is known as ‘The Movie’. This is the best out of all the Initial D’s. It’s the final chapter to Takumi’s quest to find himself through racing. The main race in 3rd Stage is the MR2 and the AE86. After that race Takumi finally showed his love for Natsuki Mogi (the main female character in Initial D). The quality of the 3D CGs are the best (after all its the last chapter for Takumi) Also Ryousuke Takahashi (driver of the RX-7 FC) has made a new racing team formed by the best of the best racers and he asked Takumi if he wanted to join…(hehe, getting annoyed?). OK, 3rd Stage is the best out of the 3 Stages, I know you’ll say, ‘What happened to Extra Stage?’ Well I didn’t see it because its about the girls that drove the Sil 80. I’ll see it once I have a chance to get it and write a review for it too. Until then here are the scores for all the Initial D’s.

The Breakdown
I can’t make you watch any thing, but it’s good to try out new things once in a while.

Synopsis
When she was little, Utena was very sad for her mother and father had passed away. A traveling prince wrapped her in a rose scented embrace and gently wiped her tears saying ‘never to lose that strength or nobility…’ He gave her a signet ring saying it would one day lead Utena to him. So impressed was she by him that she vowed to become a prince herself. Now a student of Ohtori Academy, Utena finds herself enveloped in the true meaning of the rose signet, the symbol of a duelist fighting for the power to revolutionize the world.

Review
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The Breakdown
If you want true sword duels get Kenshin. Otherwise this is a good variation combining elements of a love story, fairy tale, and action sequences.

Synopsis
Let me give a quick summary as to what Boys Be is. Boys Be is a show where Boys date Girls. The whole show seems like a dating simulation game. (Ed. - Very popular in Japan, But still haven’t made a splash in the USA. Only release I can tink of is Thousand Arms for Playstation one.)

Review
There are sad times and happy times in Boys Be. Kyoichi Kanzaki the main character and Nitta Chiharu (female main character) are friends since childhood. The 13 episodes of Boys Be show their relationship and friendship of a group of friends.
Of course, you won’t be just seeing this main character relationship; you’ll see others too. All are quite interesting ^_^.

The flaw in Boys Be is that it’s sometimes too similar to a dating simulation game. Almost the same as Tokimeki Memorial series of games.

The Breakdown
Boys Be is pretty realistic. It shows that the main character doesn’t always get the girls, but then a 360 degrees turn happens…

Synopsis
If you were an anime fan in 1999 or 2000 then you’ve had to have heard of Cowboy Bebop. To some, this is considered to be the best animated series ever….Who am I to argue. I have to admit though, the first time I saw the main character, Spike, I though he was pretty goofy looking. But after a few minutes of viewing he was the coolest character I’ve ever seen. Enough about that. On to the DVD. For $29.99 (or maybe less in some places) you get five crystal clear episodes. What a deal! The VHS tapes only had two episodes apiece at $24.99.

Review
Session #1, ‘Asteroid Blues’, is a good introduction to Spike and his partner, Jet. They’re bounty hunters in the year 2071, where humans have moved to other planets and venture though space often. The ship they reside on is called Bebop. They deal with a drug called Red Eye. It’s pretty action packed and there’s a scene with a slow-mo effect that has to be seen to be believed.

Session #2, ‘Stray Dog Strut’, is a fun chase, after a dog!? What could they possibility want with a tiny little canine. It’s a much lighter story than the first but manages to how us how these characters interact with humorous stories and more serious tales.

Session #3, ‘Honky Tonk Women’, introduces us to ultra vixen, Faye Valentine. The only chick that can be cool and hot at the same time.

Session #4, ‘Gateway Shuffle’ We get more of Ms. Valentine and a family who’s value are…well, turning people into monkeys.

Session #5, ‘Ballard of Angels’ We meet Spikes rival, arch villain, Vicious. And that he is. But although he is Mr. Bad guy, he’s still soooo cool. As the conclusion of this disk, it couldn’t end better. All in all, the first disk is truly enjoyable viewing.

The Breakdown
If you haven’t seen Cowboy Bebop yet, what are you waiting for? It’s like taking a vacation…much needed.

Synopsis
In the aftermath of a World War II bombing, two orphaned children struggle to survive in the Japanese countryside. To Seita and his four-year-old sister, the helplessness and indifference of their countrymen is even more painful than the enemy raids. Through desperation, hunger and grief, these children’s lives are as heartbreakingly fragile as their spirit and love is inspiring.

Review
Grave of the Fireflies is by far THE saddest anime I’ve ever seen. As it has been stated in the synopsis (if you have read) you should know that the setting of this movie is in World War II. In WWII, lives were lost and property was destroyed. Now here comes our characters, Seita a teenager (I’d say around 16-18) and his sister, Setsuko a four year-old girl. Before viewing Grave of the Fireflies, I’ve asked a few that have seen it. On the Animesou Boards, quite a few people said Grave of the Fireflies was the saddest anime. In order to believe them, I checked it out myself. And……….

Grave of the Fireflies, is an emotional anime. Which will make you feel sad in your heart. WWII wasn’t one of the best times to live in Japan. One day, the Americans unleashed the bombs and the civilians ran for shelters. Seita along with Setsuko was going to meet their mother at the shelter. Things happen, and their mother dies from the burns she has suffered from the bombing. Seita and Setsuko begins their journey to their aunt’s place and later on moves out and live by themselves. Seita, doing what ever he could. Such as, trading in his mother’s collection of kimono and what ever he can trade for food he traded.

Symbolism is used in Grave of the Fireflies. Fireflies to me symbolizes life. How fragile it can be. When Setsuko accidentally squashed a firefly it kind of relates to how easily life can be lost in WWII. The same symbolism occurs when Setsuko was burying the dead fireflies that the sister and brother used as a light source for their “house.” Overall Grave of the Fireflies is a must watch. Lets put it this way. You don’t know what a sad anime is without watching this.

The Breakdown
I guess the Animesou boards was right. Grave of the Fireflies is THE saddest anime ever created that I’ve seen and I’m sure a lot of people who have viewed this anime will agree with me too.

Synopsis
A young mercenary named Gatsu (Guts) fights for his fortune on the front lines. There he meets Griffith, who is charismatic, graceful, and deadly. Griffith’s mercenary company, the Band of the Hawk, is a powerful military force and the talk of elite political circles. Between the strength of Gatsu’s anger and Griffith’s ambition, the face of Midland will never be the same.

Review
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The Breakdown
What more can I say? Berserk isn’t all about killing, love is involved, broken friendships, jealousy and hatred are the primary aspects that make up Berserk.

Synopsis
In the 24th century, intergalactic space travel has become a reality. One of the first outposts in the far reaches of space is Watcher’s Nest - an inflation hole drive portal - which has recently come under attack by a mysterious force known simply as Ghoul… A group of young female cadets assigned to the portal are unexpectedly thrown into a hornet’s nest of trouble as they finalize their training to become elite pilots in the Seraphim Squadron. What more could you ask for than a bevy of beauties forced to put their lives on the line to answer the call of duty. Divergence Eve is a bold and imaginative voyage leading directly into the heart of evil. A dark tale enlivened by a shocking mystery which will have you guessing until the final fade out.

Review
Divergence Eve has a strange plot, a plot in that the movement of the story is put in reverse. Indeed it is strange, but that is what makes a show like Divergence Eve unique. You begin confused as hell, as scenes are just passing by and you have no idea what the story is or how the characters arrived at the destination they are at. Slowly, but surely though, everything becomes clear to the viewer as the show runs from episode to episode.

This ploy that the crew behind Divergence Eve plotted out is not only smart, but can be quite an enjoyment as well. Why? Because not everything is shown to you. One thing I cannot stand in my years of experiencing anime is when an anime treats me like a person without a mind or without any form of imagination prowess, and this anime here does not do any of that. It works your mind into predicting what may happen next, as fun and excitement swarms within your head.

The thing that picks my mind about Divergence Eve is that the opening theme is serious, whereas, the closing theme is a fun filled piece. Not that it is a bad thing though, because it is showing Masaki Kureha in a cosplay marathon :). Nope, there is nothing to complain about that.

Now how can I review Divergence Eve without mentioning the babes :P. Although not much is revealed to the audience in the first volume, but what is revealed is that there is going to be something rather interesting about Ensign Masaki Kureha. Her past is the main focus so far in the show, as hints of it is shown to the viewer. Her power is hehe… I will let you discover that when you pick this title off the shelves.

The Breakdown
Let us face the facts, Divergence Eve is not going to be loved by everyone due to the way it runs, but for those who see through the preceding issues, Divergence Eve is an anime worth every cent you paid for.