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Synopsis
The Holy Grail War Begins! Ten years ago there was a secret war fought by master mages and their servants to obtain the Holy Grail, and the result was devastating to everyone. Today, the Holy Grail War is beginning again with new masters.

One such master, Shirou, must now come to grips with the reality of the secret world of war mages and their summoned servants when he unknowingly summons his own servant, Saber, said to the most powerful servant of them all. Perhaps Shirou will be the one to prevent the destruction that had marked the first war…

Review
Based in present time Japan, in a world where an ever revolving war occurs right after the next comes seven masters and seven servants. The battle ends as only one master and his/her servant survives. The reward? The Holy Grail, which will grant any wish to the bearer. You did not think it was just any type of war right? Because this is a Holy war that we are going to go through.

The show begins with a dream of the past of our main character, Emiya Shirou. In a city engulfed in flames, as he lay there waiting for death, a man appears out of the fog and saves him. This man who will become his adopted father passed on his ideals to Shirou, which will contribute to his character and personality later on.

Awaken from his dream his kouhai, Sakura Matou prepares his meals and has an affection for him that is more than just a senpai - kouhai relationship. The world surrounding them was changing. Incidents of ‘gas leaks’ were becoming frequent. Worst of all, there were no leads as to what the cause was. Then one day as Shirou stayed in school late to help out his childhood friend, he witnesses a battle between two servants. Whether you believe it was bad luck or good luck, witnessing a servant battle means death. And Lancer, one of the servants, abiding by the rule, kills him. Of course, there would be no show if the main character dies in the first episode, this event leads and connects us to the later happenings of the show. And before you know it, the loveliest servant of all, Saber, appears on the screen.

Fate is an interesting show. It limits itself in terms of the overall size of the show. What does that mean? When you take account of all the things that occur in the show, it will always bring you back to the main theme, the Holy Grail and the fight to death between the seven masters and servants. While there are touches of separation, the plot does not sway, which is a good thing. Fate is also a show with minimal comedy. There are light moments and when those moments lasted, they were tremendously enjoyable.

The character development of Fate Stay Night mainly revolves around Shirou and Saber. While Shirou’s character mainly derives from his father’s teachings, he does have traits that are a direct result of surviving the end of the last holy war as he was close to death. His most prominent traits are his willingness to help others and his unwillingness to burden others with his problems. It becomes a perfect clash of personalities as Saber is a servant who views herself as a knight before a woman, and Shirou’s character restricts her from fighting. The thing that gets my attention is the way that the plot progresses as the relationship between the two develop. There is a constant movement in their relationship, hence, setting the pace of the show with continuous progression.

As stated above, the story follows Shirou and Saber. While that may sound simple and boring; it is actually quite interesting as Fate, is mainly an action/fantasy title, but it does a nice job in combining other genres into the show to make it dynamic. I had a lot of fun just watching the lighter parts of the show, which made me questioned, ‘What if? What if Fate Stay Night was a love comedy instead of what it is?’ Hmm, certainly I would be interested, but anyways the plot was great. I loved watching the battles and how everything built up to the final encounter with a nifty surprise. Fate is definitely unique as not everything was predictable with experience. While I knew some things were going to happen, I did not know it was going to happen this way or that way. I am sure you guys know what I am talking about.

Moving on, let us get to the animation department of Fate. One word: Crazy. The animation was absolutely stunning. The various effects were amazing and character design was just as nice. One of the battles that I fell in love with was Archer’s battle with Berserker. I felt chills throughout the fight; it was certainly one of the best sequences Fate Stay Night had to offer. Man, that battle just leaves an impression on you like no other. And by realizing that it was only the midpoint of the entire show and things were already like this… you begin to have doubts as to whether the brains behind the show could top it. Of course, they have to, or else! Hehe. Seriously, I will leave it as that, if you want to know you should check out how this title plays out.

When it comes to acoustics, Fate fails to lure me in. The theme songs were boring. It lacked luster for my flavor. It could have been better, but its not life and death so it is not that serious of an offence. The voice acting and sound effects on another note were great; it really brought out the life of the piece.

The Breakdown
Fate Stay Night is a great title. The plot evolves from the characters and its ability to attract viewers with its superb animation and voice acting makes it an amazing piece to have in your collection.

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
‘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
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
Beyond the Grave: In each hand he wields “CERUBERUS”, his twin handguns and on his back he carries a coffin filled with heavy weapons. Cloaked in darkness and smelling of the grave, he is back to kick ass!

Review
Brandon Heat works for the mob. He is one of the top hitmen in the top crime syndicates in the world, Millenion. Beyond all he is loyal to all that he holds dear. That loyalty however ends up costing Brandon everything. When his own best friend, Harry MacDowell, reveals to Brandon his intentions of taking over Millenion through force, Brandon pulls a gun on him. He struggles for a moment coping with his dilemma, as he must now choose between his loyalty to Millenion, and his loyalty to his best friend. Harry uses Brandon’s hesistation to his advantage however. Before Brandon has a chance to respond, Harry shoots Brandon several times in the chest, and then fires a final shot into Brandon’s left eye. Brandon Heat is dead.

This is where most animes would end. Not so with Gungrave. Back from the dead via Millenion’s own Necrolyzation process, Brandon Heat is back to get revenge on those that wronged him and to protect the legacy of the one he held dear. However, he is no longer Brandon Heat. He is now, and forever will be: Beyond the Grave.

Gungrave admittedly has a silly sounding story at first. An ex-mobster comes back from the dead via science to get those that wronged him. Sounds like another goofy anime storyline at first. However, it is surprising how deep Gungrave really is once you give it a chance. The story weaves and turns, and tells tales of love lost, betrayal, friendship, revenge, and forgiveness. Gungrave, despite it’s odd setup, really has as good of a storyline or in most cases an even better storyline than most of your more typical anime fare.

Gungrave doesn’t simply tell the tale of revenge. Beyond the Grave isn’t a mindless zombie fighting enemies he no longer remembers. In truth, Grave has lost some of his memories from the old days, and struggles to get them back. Each piece comes together and reminds him of what he once had and what he lost. Harry MacDowell wasn’t always the tyrannical ruler of Millenion, now known as “Bloody Harry”. At one point he and Brandon couldn’t be any closer. Did Harry really betray Brandon? Or did Brandon betray Harry? Gungrave reels you in early on, and throughout the series takes you on emotional highs and lows. By the time Gungrave Episode 26 came to an end I had tears in my eyes. The finale of the series was beautifully wrought, and capped the series off perfectly.

What makes this even more surprising is that Gungrave is based off a PS2 video game series. The video games, while both fun, rely on shooting enemies up to lure fans. While both of them have decent storylines, neither match up to the incredible story that Gungrave offers.

If Gungrave has a weakness, it is in it’s animation. The series never catches up to the high octane roller coaster ride that the gaming line proves to be. Much of Grave’s fights lack energy and gusto that the games provide, and Grave seems far weaker than his game alternative. All of this is only nitpicking however, when you come to realize that Gungrave’s true draw is not it’s fighting scenes at all. Keeping that in mind, the fights were all interesting and well played out, but rarely spectacular.

If you’re looking for more weaknesses however, don’t look towards the sound. Gungrave’s dub exceled in all aspects. Tony Oliver’s potrayal of the young Mr Harry MacDowell was everything a fan could want out of a voice actor. Harry was mean, cruel, cunning, and tenacious, and Tony Oliver carried those nuances over perfectly.

The series soundtrack (available from Geneon) was in all respects excellent. Each song added atmosphere and character to any given scene. Songs like “Here comes the Rain” served to highlight one of the most bittersweet episodes in the series and alluded to the coming darkness of Brandon’s days ahead.

Gungrave is in all respects one of the greatest anime series in recent history. With a combination of an incredible story, excellent characters, and great sound, Gungrave is something you would be amiss to do without. Whether you buy or rent this anime, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. No collection is complete without this tale from beyond…

The Breakdown
What more can I say. Somehow through the combination of the mafia underworld and pseudo-zombies, Gungrave was born. More than a sum of it’s parts, Gungrave is well worth all the praise I have heaped on it and more. From it’s quality top to bottom, Gungrave is the kind of series that solidifies my affections for anime.

Synopsis
During the 20th Century, the world experienced a large-scale war. A war between humans and monsters. Words could never describe the violent bloodshed of the war the monsters had won. Time has passed and a new century has begun. And the people have forgotten that Melody…

Life continued on as normal except for a mysterious sacrifice here and there. However, Bocca felt that this was wrong and when he heard of the Warriors of Melos, people who still rallied to defeat the monsters, he decided to become one as well. But this wasn’t an easy path and there was still much to be learned about the Melody of Oblivion.

Review
Before entering the world of The Melody of Oblivion, you first need to know a little bit about the people that made it. As a joint effort between Gainax and J.C. Staff, you instantly have the makings for an incredible, intriguing, and to a point, bewildering title. Gainax is famous for it’s seminal works, “FLCL” and “Neon Genesis Evangelion”. JC Staff created such outstanding series as “Revolutionary Girl Utena” and “Azumanga Daioh”. After watching The Melody of Oblivion, it’s safe to say that it belongs amongst the elite of both Gainax and JC Staff.

The Melody of Oblivion is a story of Bocca Serenade. Bocca has recently become increasingly disinterested with his classwork. His school teaches the art of shooting the “arrows of the soul”, which appears to be no more than pulling back and releasing the string of a bow. When Bocca uses a real arrow, his teacher chides him and uses the oppurtunity to trivialize the power of a real arrow. Because of Bocca’s failure to conform, he fails an important test and must be retested within the next week. Bocca remains unempathetic about the test, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin. She tries to persuade Bocca to retake the test, but he refuses. What is the point of the bow if not to fight the monsters, he wonders? During his conversation with his girlfriend, he notices his parents walking towards the school. After examining the situation further, Bocca finds that his parents are paying the teacher to make sure Bocca passes.

Agitated by the matter, Bocca runs away. While walking through a mall, he meets the energetic Sayoko. Through Sayoko, Bocca learns that a man he has seen before is actually a Warrior of Melos. Before Sayoko can discuss the man any further, a pair of police show up and chase Sayoko away.

Bocca, now alone and curious about the Warrior of Melos, goes to the place where he saw the warrior last. There he finds the warrior, Kurofune, having his special motorcycle, called an Aibar Machine, repaired by the venerable Tsunagi. Tsunagi, a friend of Bocca’s, welcomes Bocca in and introduces Bocca to Kurofune. Through Kurofune, Bocca learns of the Melody of Oblivion. She is a vision that only the Warriors of Melos can see. It is rumored that should a Warrior of Melos go to where the Melody of Oblivion is, the war will end.

The Melody of Oblivion visually and audibly seems to be almost as much fine art as it is traditional anime. The music in the series is absolutely breathtaking, and is executed perfectly. The Opening, ‘Will’ is both elegant and exciting, and is a great listen with or without the series. The background music in the series is amongst the best I have ever heard. It serves to set up every scene and creates a power that highlights the drama, action, and intrigue of the series.

The character designs are plain and simple, but are also quite unique. The Animation has a tendency to reuse footage, but otherwise is solid. The background artwork seems to be mellow and nondescript at first, being made up mostly of pastels and having a watercolor look to them. Throughout the first episode, the artwork changes steadilly, becoming much darker. By the end of the first episode, the settings and atmosphere have completely changed, and the the world seems much more grim. This is an interesting technique that I enjoyed during the episode, as it happened in step with the viewer learning that Bocca’s world has much stewing under the surface.

My only problem with the first volume is the English dub. While Carrie Savage does a decent enough job with Sayoko, many of the other major characters left me wanting. The most major of these was Bocca’s dub, as done by Ted Sroka, whose most prominent role prior to the Melody of Oblivion was in Ikki Tousen as Kokin Shuyu. Through the first four episodes, Sroka never really seemed to capture the character of Bocca. This really disapointed me.

The Breakdown
Run, don’t walk, and go buy this series today.

Synopsis
Mahoro still lives with Suguru, accompanying him by doing the everyday house work as his loyal maid. They adopt a strange girl that shows up and named her Minawa. However, things slowly became hectic as a new threat, The Management, makes it’s appearance. What is this new threat that lurks in the shadows? What lies ahead for Mahoro as her life shortens by each passing day?

Review
Mahoromatic: Something more Beautiful brings you back the lovable maid, Mahoro, along with all the panties shoots and humour viewers saw in the first season of Mahoromatic….yes… even Shikijou-sensei is back and she is crazier than ever for Suguru love.

Minawa, a runaway android, finds her way to Suguru’s house in search of shelter from an unknown danger. Things start to go crazy as they are attacked by other robots sent from a place called the Management. What is their purpose? Why are they going after Minawa? Why did Minawa run to Suguru?..Well…for the most part of this series… who cares?

First off, I would like to say I was kept entertained by the comedy in each episode rather than trying to follow some linear plot line. Yes… I know Mahoro is always saying Ecchi nano wa ikenai to omoimas, but this has got to be one of the funniest perverted series that kept me entertained through to the end. What do we have here: A stoic girl who is a maid-to-be, a crazy school teacher who’s hormone levels peak out when she sees Suguru, New Years brawl, Christmas brawl, and in general, Mahoro vs. Shikijou-sensei. What more can one want to be entertained?

A plot does develop later on in the LAST FEW EPISODES. Generally knowing that it’s Gainax, I expected something to happen like this, but when you have a season two that is so closely tied with season one, three or four episodes are just not enough to try and resolve all the questions that build up. The Management, Vespers, Saints. What do they have to do with each other? And who exactly is Matthew?

In addition, the ending was not all..well… pleasing. When you have an episode end with ‘THE END’, you expect it to be the end. Instead, we get an additional episode which tries to explain everything; who Mahoro really was and what the plan Saint Matthews was regarding humans. In other words, the ending seemed a little awkward to me.

Nevertheless, Mahoromatic: Something more Beautiful has all the right ingredients for a day of laughter. Just make sure to tape your mouth shut watching this at night when everyone is sleeping.

The Breakdown
14 episodes that are directly linked with the 12 episodes of the first season of Mahoromatic.

Synopsis
In the year 2167, Mankind suffered from a cataclysmic disaster as a massive wave of electromagnetic radiation from a nearby supernova washed over the Earth. Yet, Mankind was able to survive by pulling together to support each other in this time of crisis.

The year is now 2326 and the new generation of people are preparing for the second wave to hit. A young girl named Shima Katase is going off to the Space Station Stellvia, a space pilot academy, where she will meet new friends, fulfill her dream of seeing space up close and fighting for what the people of the past tried so bravely to survive through.

Review
Stellvia of the Universe starts off with a scenario showing Shima Katase’s family. Almost instantly, you can tell that Shima and her mother don’t exactly agree on things. The focus isn’t put on this much, seeing as how Shima has little contact with her family in the first episode. On her way to the Space Station Stellvia, she sees a brilliant light show made by the current student base in an attempt to encourage the students to do their best. I wish all schools were like this. Shima’s best friend and roommate is then revealed. The ever hyper Arisa Gennorth and her wild hair meets Shima on the shuttle to Stellvia and out of the blue asks Shima to become her best friend. This is my favorite scene in episode 1; Shima and Arisa shake hands while the brilliant light show outside of the shuttle is taking place. Later on, Arisa introduces Shima to two new friends, Akira Kayama, a tall, quiet girl and Yayoi Fujisawa, a girl who seems to have a past that’s more than meets the eye.

I noticed the plot doesn’t really grace the first DVD much other than the Great Mission, mankind’s plan to save the earth from the second wave. Shima is the main focus here, and she displays the ever familiar start of school. Starting off with school, there’s the fuss of getting new classes, meeting new friends, and occasionally and inevitably walking into trouble. I’m sure we all had our share of trouble on the first week or so of school, but Shima takes this to a new extent. Her best friend Arisa even mocks her and gives her the nickname ‘Shipon’ during pilot training, because her ship was bouncing around with a ‘pon pon’ sound. I can’t help but cheer Shima on to do her best, though.

What volume one does show of the plot hints at future events. At the end of the volume, Shima does make a hint that Stellvia is a coming-of-age story when she has a revelation during a crisis in class. The Big Four, the four highest ranking students in Stellvia, are also introduced. Obviously they will make a bigger role, especially the leader, Machida Ayaka. Ayaka meets up with Shipon and friends. Yayoi greets her with a simple hello, unlike the high respect that Arisa and Shipon show her. Also, a boy from Shima’s and Arisa’s class, Otoyama Kouta, joins Shima and the gang along with three other boys in a study session Shima is holding. From that scene, you can tell Kouta is more interested in something else other than in his studies, but I will leave that for you to figure out.

One thing that kept me hooked to watching this show was the music. Stellvia’s OST is my favorite OST by far, even if it’s not the best. An opening and ending sung by Angela also proves to be good. The opening is especially good, since it is one of if not the best anime opening song I’ve ever heard.

The Breakdown
Stellvia of the Universe is an excellent show. With good animation, excellent music, colorful and fun characters and a dramatic story to boot, I can say Stellvia is one of my favorite series.

Synopsis
Mugen, Jin, and Fuu continue their journey across Japan searching for the man who ’smells of sunflowers.’ Unfortunately, they travel broke and hungry, and continue to try and solve these two problems at every turn. If they aren’t trying to earn money and get food, it’s being stolen off of them.

Review
As you can tell by my synopsis, not much actually happens in Champloo Vol. 2. But, if you need a recommendation on whether to see this show or not, go read my Vol. 1 review. For those who were on the fence after seeing Vol. 1, continue reading. Vol. 2 continues Vol. 1’s style over substance, which I’m still enjoying quite a bit. If things keep going like this into the middle of Vol. 4 though, I’m going to become quite annoyed.

It’s not that Champloo’s episodes aren’t enjoyable, because they are. My review of Vol. 1 is a testament to that. But these filler episodes (with the same premise each time) is getting boring, despite very cool inventiveness and references in each episode. I can’t keep going on just like this for more than 3.5 volumes (like in any show that doesn’t change), or I’m going to get tired of it. The music and animation are of consistent quality, so if you liked that stuff in Vol. 1, you’ll like it here.

What makes these such enjoyable episodes are the hilarious inside jokes that go on in each. For example, episode 5’s joke is that an Ukiyo-e painter gets one of his paintings into the background of a Van Gogh. Episode 6’s is that a foreign man and his platoon are from Holland. Funny thing is, he’s a big  homosexual man and his platoon wear pots on their heads (potheads, because they are from Holland, get it?) and wear clogs for shoes (ahhh…stereotypes). And episode 8 has a funky beatboxer. It’s freakin’ awesome.

Another plus are the character interactions. Seeing Jin, Fuu, and Mugen obtain food and money through their own methods are great, and seeing them try and work together always creates a good laugh. I just know though I’m going to get bored if this keeps up.

The Breakdown
The show is starting to slow down, and I’m still enjoying it, let’s just hope everything picks up by the end of Vol. 3.

Synopsis
Mugen’s a buck wild warrior-violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin-mysterious, traditional, and well-mannered. These two fiercely independent warriors couldn’t be more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent swordfight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai ‘who smells of sunflowers.’ And their journey begins.

Review
This show has been getting a lot of hype. And for good reason. Reason one: the guy who directed Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe, is also directing Samurai Champloo. Reason two: one of the two credited screen/scriptwriters for Samurai Champloo was also one of the credited screen/scriptwriters for Cowboy Bebop (Dai Sato). Reason three: the other screen/scriptwriter, Shinji Obara, has made it a rule (basically) that no character can have more than two-three lines of dialogue before someone else speaks, so as to cut down on needless and annoying exposition, an anime staple that really does need to go away. These three reasons alone are good enough to create the hype Champloo has been getting, and in the end it’s well deserved.

It’s unfortunate though that this show gets compared to Bebop so much just because of the same scriptwriter and director. Bebop is a class A anime, and to top it (even by the same people) is an unfair pedestal to put this show on. I’ll state here and now that so far, Champloo is not as good as Bebop. But it’s still amazing in its own right, and far better than most other anime shows out there. So far, anyway. But please, put the Bebop comparison aside. This is its own show.

The first thing I should mention is the animation for this show. It’s amazing. Along with the splendid roughness and gritty character designs (a far different style than used in Bebop), the animation is fluid and colorful, while keeping a darker, more somber tone in the background. Colors represent characters, with Fuu’s kimono looking bright and happy, Mugen’s clothes looking fiery red (to symbolize his recklessness) and Jin, who wears dark, foreboding colors. The fight scenes especially scream of high production values, where every fight is shown on screen instead of blue sword-slash still-screens or off-camera action. The action scenes in Champloo are treated like good, real action sequences.

The music as well, with hop-hop artists like fat jon, Nujabes, and Tsutchie contributing to the score, is stellar, and took me by surprise (I mean…samurai and hip-hop?). Watanabe planned the show around the music, and it shows. He shows and treats the show with the inventiveness that hip hop showed in its early days. He doesn’t take the show to seriously, and even goes so far as to use record scratching as a transitional tool. It’s very slick.

The Breakdown
The hype was called for. This show rocks completely and I absolutely cannot wait for Vol. 2 to come out. In fact, I think I’ll go rewatch it again right now.