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Synopsis
A young man named Monkey D. Luffy dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. When he’s captured by a band of pirates, Luffy escapes to a naval base ruled by an evil captain. Luffy saves the famous swordsman, Zolo from execution in exchange for joining his crew, and the real adventure begins!

Review
One Piece is an example of a show where my stupidity led me to assume that a certain anime is bad because of the way it looked. Man I so deserve a beating from Nami. Not only did this show, proved me wrong, but it surpassed anything that I could have expected from it. The beef that I did have with One Piece is the version I received. It was the TV edited version, which means, some of the show was edited so that it would be appropriate to be shown on cartoon Saturdays or something. The addition of fade in and fade outs made for commercial breaks were annoying, but I guess I should stop with the ranting, I mean, it did warn me on the front and back cover that it was the TV version.

Okay, moving away from the being edited topic, because that can be a whole Rant-ON article in itself. The show is very enjoyable, and the characters are likable. Coby is one funny dude due to the way he reacts to the crazy decisions of Luffy’s. Obviously, our main character is the fellow with the straw hat, yes, that guy named Monkey D. Luffy.

From the start we are introduced to a few of the characters who will have some sort of significance in the show later on. You have heard two names already. Luffy, and Coby (somehow even though he does not become a pirate), the other names you will hear are Roronoa Zoro (Zolo), the pirate hunter and later on Nami, the pirate thieve. At first glance, you already know One Piece will be a fun adventure due to its animation style. It is not serious, although it could be. One thing I liked from the animation is the use of colors. The colors define the emotion a certain character is feeling and it is weird how I just like the utilization of that method in anime.

The plot of One Piece is kept to the basics. This whole adventure was sparked by a little boy’s dream; to be the Pirate King. That little boy has now grown and is now beginning to chase his dream by rounding up a crew of pirates. Of course, this task will not be easy, and if it was not for Luffy’s forbidden fruit abilities he would have been dead by the first volume. The show constantly hangs itself on the cliff. And that is how it gets you addicted to want to continue watching it. The way they did that certainly has me hooked and reeled in. Now if only an unedited version was released. Now that would be cool. I am sure a lot of us are yearning for it.

The Breakdown
Overall, One Piece is great. The story keeps the viewers entertained at all times, while everything else is consistent at providing a good experience. I have fallen in love with One Piece and I hope you do too, because if you do not, you will be missing out on some serious fun.

Synopsis
The worlds of humans and demons have overlapped since time immemorial, and a young woman named Yurine and her servant, the Karas, have long maintained order and balance between the worlds. But humans have finally lost their fears of the denizens of darkness.

Disgusted by human arrogance, the Karas turns his back on the laws he helped uphold for so long, taking the name Eko and leading a group of mechanized demons in an attack against the human race.

Meanwhile, a detective named Kure who works at the police division in charge of demon-related incidents opens a case involving a series of bizarre murders that look like the work of a water demon. Elsewhere, the demon Nue, who came to town to fight Eko, spots a water demon disguised as a famous warrior… and then Yuri shows up with another Karas.

This new guardian of the city is determined to stop Eko’s evil ambitions, but he has a fierce fight ahead of him.

Review
After reading the package that I have received along with watching the DVD sampler, I can say that what I have seen so far from Karas is too good, way too freaken good. The blending of 2D and 3D animation is amazing. The action makes it even sweeter as it is quick and hard hitting. This show has some sort of magic to it that attracts the viewer. I was mesmerized by the details and the way the show flows so seamlessly together (animation-wise) at times. But I am sure you have heard enough about the animation and how good it is. Let us go into what Karas is really about.

We commence with an exciting chase scene that will get anybody’s heart racing. During the sequence, there are some things that one could pick up about the show, such as, characters that will have a significant role later on, the transforming ability of Karas, and the sometimes confusing flow of the feature. Why would I say that it is confusing? Well, Karas feels like it just pieces together scenes one after another, whether they connect or not, it is up to whether you have the ability to think fast and connect it yourself. I actually watched the first twenty some odd minutes of the show three times to finally realize why this part happened and why that part occurred. Maybe it is because it is only six episodes long and things might have to be skipped over to fit all there is to fit. It certainly does not make it fun to feel like you are always catching up and just when you do make sense of what is happening, the show blazes away again. It is a marathon, so stay strong people!

Okay, what is Karas about? The story goes something like this. The previous Karas dies in battle fighting Eko (the ex-Karas). With Eko and his crew of blood consuming mechanical demon monsters running around Tokyo, a new Karas has to arise, and that leads us to, Otoha. There is not much detail about how or why he was chosen, but his side job is a demon doctor and of course, his main job is to be the protector of Tokyo, the Karas (it translates into crow, by the way). Anyways that is pretty much how the show starts out. It builds up from there. We follow Nue (a mechanical demon), who left Eko’s Mikura group in order to follow his own path. What that path is, is still to be determined, but he does help Karas. But then we also follow other characters of the show as well; Kure, Sagisaka and even Hinaru (the girl who seems to be everywhere). When you go further, other characters will appear, such as, a female Karas and a Yurine twin. But just when things begin to reach a high point and get extremely exciting, the first DVD ends :(.

The music score of Karas drags you into the show. The main theme is beautifully composed and is sweet to the ears. Every time it came on, I could not resist from sitting up straight and direct all my attention to the show. The dub was not bad either, having three big names in the project: Jay Hernandez, Matthew Lillard, and Piper Perabo (Because of this, you know Manga Entertainment was serious about this release). The voices of the characters were pretty sweet. I liked how Karas sounded in both English dialogue and Japanese dialogue. Of course, I am more on the subtitles side though :).

The Breakdown
Certainly, Karas has the looks and sounds of a killer hit, that is something we cannot deny. From the get-go you get your monies worth of action, animation and audio. Although, the way the plot flowed, has gotten me a little skeptical about whether some of the audience would like it. As I have stated above. At times, the anime, would seems like scenes are just being pieced together without any sort of transition or development. But other than that complaint, from the time you play the feature initially to the time the run time has fully elapsed. In the end, when the smoke clears, Karas is entertaining. Manga Entertainment deserves a lot of props for delivering this top notch OAV to the fans of the States. You must see it to realize what I am talking about!

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
Legends tell of an underground kingdom hidden deep within the mountains where a utopian society exists without disease, hatred, and suffering. To be a citizen there promises eternal peace. Shambala. Those who rule Shambala posses the power to rule the world. Is what is said true or are they merely myths?

Review
There is such a place. It’s called heaven. But I digress. In Japanese, Full Metal Alchemist - The Conqueror of Shambala translates to Hagane no Renkinjutsushi - Shanbara wo Yuku Mono. First, some background historical information to put the movie in perspective. In September 1918, General Ludendorff of Germany urged the government to call for immediate peace negotiations thereby leading to the end of World War I. During the war, the government controlled the spread of ideas through propaganda and censorship. To the populace, the surrender was a stab in the back by the newly found Weimar Republic who agreed to the unfair and harsh reparations of the Versailles Treaty. People thought that their army had not yet been defeated (only General Ludendorff and his closest military associates knew that the German cause was hopeless).Anti-Semitic sentiment was growing, as the Jews who occupied distinguished positions in business, law, medicine, and journalism were enviable. Gypsies, the mentally and physically disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as homosexuals were labeled as undesirables. There were those who took satisfaction in thinking of themselves as of pure Arian blood. Secret societies were on the rise. In 1920, a group of discontented army officers staged a Putsch, or armed revolt in an attempt to seat Dr. Kapp as head of state. The Berlin workers, by turning off all public utilities, stopped the revolt. That same year the National Socialist German Workers’ party, Nazis, was born to keep alive the patriotic and military spirit. In 1923, they staged a ‘beer hall Putsch’ in Munich. Hitler fired a revolver at the ceiling and shouted, ‘National revolution has broken out!’ However, the police suppressed the disturbance, and Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison (A History of the Modern World, 1984). This event takes place in the movie. The movie also does an excellent job in showing the attitudes of hate along with the ethnocentrism of the German race, those with blue eyes and blond hair.

Secondly, at the beginning of the movie there is a physicist who claims to have discovered uranium. The year is 1914. In actuality, Martin Klaproth discovered a uranium oxide from pitchblende mineral samples in the Joachimsal silver mines in Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) in 1789. He named it uranium after the planet Uranus. That physicist in Full Metal Alchemist I would like to say is probably Klaproth in Ed and Al’s world since it was noted that he relied upon mine workers. Then again, the problem is that uranium’s potential as an energy source through nuclear fission, hence a nuclear weapon, wasn’t discovered until 1938 by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. The physicist Ed and Al encountered knew full well of its capabilities. Somehow the uranium bomb got warped into our world before 1923 (the photograph in the movie).

Lastly, Ed meets an Austrian film director by the name of Fritz Lang who he mistakes as the Homunculus Pride (Fuher King Bradrey) in his world. In the movie his monocle is on the left eye while in real life it’s on the right (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d0/FritzLang.jpg/180px-FritzLang.jpg). Lang’s mother was Jewish. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Vienna, but unsatisfied he switched to art in 1908. In 1910 he traveled to Africa and Asia. After World War I he joined Germany’s Ufa studio. His most famous silent work was Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (or Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler) in 1922, the story describing the conflict between the master criminal Mabuse and detective Von Wenk. Lang left Germany in 1934 and had his sights on America. His wife Thea von Harbou was sympathetic with the Nazis and stayed behind. She herself joined the Nazi Party 1932 and divorced Lang in 1933.

The official Japanese website can be found at http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/hagaren/hagaren-movie/index.html where you’ll find trailers, character profiles, a summary of the storyline, key terms, the cast list, two wallpapers, an interview, and plenty of screenshots scattered about.

The Breakdown
Who is really the conquer of Shambala? Is it Dietlinde Eckart, Ed, or no one at all? Watch the movie to find out.

Synopsis
In the wake of a worldwide disaster, the inhabitants of Candlestick Island struggle to rebuild their civilization. Here, a boy named Mangchi leads a sheltered like with his grandfather. Armed with his trusty hammer, Mangchi roams the island in search of adventure. When a fugitive princess named Poplar arrives with power hungry traitors hot on her heels, Mangchi must help her escape her enemies and return to her homeland. It’s to be Hammerboy’s adventure of a lifetime… If he survives!

Review
Hammerboy is a rare anime that tries to incorporate a brilliant story of a power hungry traitor who tries to take over a kingdom with a young boy, who one night, after rescuing a runaway princess, finds himself fighting to save and protect the people closest to him.

While watching this anime, I found an admiration for Mangchi. He is a kid who is at an age where he is still carefree and innocent, yet, at a point where ambitions and egos run wild as he tries to prove his strength and maturity. Watching further into the anime, I realized how much Mangchi changes and how much he grows as he struggles with hardship, suffering, and even death. But somehow, he finds himself growing stronger as hope, determination, and his will to become strong overcomes his frustration as it takes precedence during his journey. Mangchi only wants to do one thing: he wants to protect the people around him by becoming stronger.

In addition, the plot is short of being superficial or stale. Many different layers of stories are present in this anime. There is the main plot which is the fight against a usurper, but as the anime progresses, the plot branches out to some what of a side story. In the end, however, everything is carefully weaved and put together to explain the questions unanswered previously and to also explain the motives behind each characters.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is decent. Park Ji-yeon does a great job singing the theme song You Are My Hero

One thing I do have to disagree with which is the animation. The character designs were plain and very simple along with some of the background settings. Though I do admit there were some innovative designs like Candlestick Island, the majority of the anime with the looks of the castle and the props and even the tank gave me an impression that much of the animation was being neglected. I think there was even one point of the anime where it looked as if Poplar was cross-eyed when I looked at her face indirectly.

All in all, Hammerboy is a decent anime that can be enjoyable for the whole family. And who ever says that hammers are only tools, take out this anime and show them the hammer’s true power.

The Breakdown
A movie that’s 75 minutes long.

Synopsis
Two years after the final confrontation of Sephiroth within the northern crater, three new youths on motorbikes ambush Cloud. They are in search of the missing remains of their mother, Jenova. Once Jenova’s cells are in their possession, the Reunion can proceed. In other words, it would bring about the nightmare of Sephiroth once more and the destruction of the world. It is all mother’s will…

Review
The most anticipated movie since 2003 has finally arrived on Japanese shores. Based on what may possibly be the greatest game of all time, Final Fantasy 7, which truly defined the Playstation console, Advent Children has sold more than 420,000 units in Japan within the first week of it’s debut on September 14, 2005.

The term Advent Children refers to the coming or arrival of the three children actually teenagers Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz that together make up Kadaj’s gang. All of which have the potential to become another Sephiroth. During this time Tifa’s 7th Heaven bar, formerly the headquarters of Barret’s Avalanche renegade group, now acts as both the office of the Strife Delivery Service and as an orphanage. Aeris has been long dead, yet Cloud is still guilt-stricken over the loss.

The Official Japanese website is located at http://www.square-enix.co.jp/dvd/ff7ac/ with Flash interface where you’ll find a couple wallpapers, trailers, character bios. Soundtrack information can be found at http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/ff7ac/ which features the list of tracks and five samples.

The Breakdown
Sexy Japanese voices, sexy leather outfits, huge and long swords. What better combination is there?

Synopsis
A mysterious pillar of darkness appears in Japan, opening a dimensional gate where two monsters were released fighting each other in an epic battle. Two kids, Yu Hayakawa and Ai Hayakawa embark on a journey in search for their parents who vanished during the fight. Hitching a ride on a phantom train, they arrive in a mysterious world accompanied by Lisa, a girl who they met on the train. Soon, they begin jumping from one world to another gathering clues about their parents with the help of Lisa and another mysterious person named Kaze who has the ability to summon creatures with his gun. Will the kids ever find their parents? Who is Kaze and what is this man’s past that seems so dark and enigmatic?

Review
A person may either be a hardcore Final Fantasy fan or a person may not even know what Final Fantasy is. If one happen to luck out being a fan, then this can be an anime that that person has been waiting for all his life. If not, all I can say is… Welcome.. To …Hell. Lucky for me for the most part, it doesn’t matter if I’m a fan or not right now.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited attempts to bring you back all the lovable characters you saw in many Final Fantasy games. There are Moogles Cactuars, summons, battles, multi dimensional transportations, and yes, even cid is in this anime. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say about this anime.

The impression I got watching the first episode was ‘oh look… kids looking for their parents. Sounds interesting.’. It turns out that these kids were nothing more than plot driving devices. If anything, the story was based more on Kaze and how long it would take for him to summon using his gun.

Also, the characters were flat and bland. We have Ai and Yu who we don’t really see much of them other than possessing some third person characteristics. We also have Makenshi who the viewers also don’t know much about. Lisa who tags along with these kids and tries to show her caring side up to the point where it seems also artificial. Also, we have Kaze who we don’t really know anything about either. It didn’t seem like the anime really care much to introduce Kaze other than some awesome guy who swings his mighty gun around like a toy every kid wants. Seriously, there are many other characters that don’t get introduced other than the name they have and the evil laugh they possess. In other words, most of the characters fail to show depth ness in them. Maybe Lisa and Kaze develop a little of that, but hell, I’ve seen episodes some anime that are 20 minutes long with more character development than the two can develop holding hands with each together.

In addition, the animation of almost everything was horrible. The character designs were extremely plain and simple. This includes humans, monsters… etc etc. I mean come on… most of the monster we see are mushrooms with the ability of a jump attack and releasing spores. However, I was a little amused when Kaze summons using his gun, though it seemed like more time was dedicated by the animators on that one event than the whole anime combined.

Furthermore, the fighting was uneventful for the most part. Lisa has the ability to use magic and Kaze has the ability to spend five minutes flipping bullets into his demon gun. Most of the time, I wonder what the monsters are doing while Kaze is spending all his time doing that. Common sense says they actually… attack him? Sounds like a plan right?

Lastly, each episode felt extremely unbalanced with the preceding episode and vice-versa. I got the feeling of watching Kino’s Journey gone horribly wrong. For example, the first half of this anime shows our ‘protagonists’ moving from world to world riding on the phantom train ending with a resolution most of the time. For the last half however, we get many episodes which is a result of a single cause. Thus, we move from being episodic to where each episode heavily depend on each other in order to make sense.

Final Fantasy: Unlimited can be an anime for Final Fantasy fans to appreciate. Otherwise, stay out of its path. You might get killed by some jumping mushroom attack.

The Breakdown
25 episodes of the planned 52 episodes of this anime. The second reason seemed to have been gone with the wind.

Synopsis
An old Mauser prophecy claims that a certain person known as the scrapped princess is to be killed at birth for on the dreaded day that she turns 16, a plague upon man was to be released…

…and so the story begins.

Years later after the birth of Pacifica, the new alleged scrapped princess, along with her brother Shannon and her sister Raquel, continue an endless journey avoiding people who possess a threat to their lives. Faithfully accompanying their little sister, they vow to protect Pacifica until the fateful day when she turns 16. What danger does Pacifica possess as being the Scrapped Princess according to the ancient prophecy? What is the fate of Pacifica as she begins to doubt her existence more and more?

Review
Honestly.. I wasn’t really interested when I heard the name ‘Scrapped Princess’. My first impression was somewhat like an ‘ oh great… another ecchi sounding anime’. However, I soon realized how wrong I was to assume this anime to be anything else but greatness…

Scrapped Princess offers you an innovative story with eye dazzling magic and intense fighting scenes with all of its originality attached. It attempts to join a fantasy world with a science fiction world together, ultimately giving the viewers a dose in what human imaginations can create.

In the first few episodes of Scrapped Princess, viewers receive a glimpse of who the Scrapped Princess is. Nothing is told other than the fact that Pacifica carries some sort of curse like a Pandora’s Box waiting to be opened . Despite the fact that nothing is revealed until much later, the story picks up consistently as more questions are brought up than answered with the appearance of the Peacemakers, BUGs, and Dragoons. Scrapped Princess carries its plot extremely well using the mystery of Pacifica as a primary driving force.

Furthermore, the animation and music is nothing short of greatness. The animation, from the tiniest mechanical robot such as BUGs to the grand size of a Peacemaker to all the characters of Scrapped Princess, were beautifully drawn, overlapping with a rich layer of colors. Similarly, the music was also well executed from the opening to the ending and in between.

In addition, many of the characters in Scrapped Princess show depth. We have the protagonist Pacifica who tries to be cheerful most of the time despite the fact that she is unwanted by the world as she carries the heavy burden of death at 16. There is Raquel and Shannon as they fight and stake their lives for the sister they love. The characters are charming and well characterrized but not overly exaggerated.The relationship Pacifica, Shannon, and Raquel share with each other is nothing short or artificial as they deal with the pains and struggles together in a bond that seems to be unbreakable.

As the anime comes near to its conclusion, we learn about the surprising truth behind Pacifica and what her role is as being the Scrapped Princess as the anime attempts to explain human destiny and ignorance/freewill of individuals.

Scrapped Princess proves to be on a scale of greatness as it tries to tackle on a simple yet complex question by incorporating itself with the themes of fantasy and adventure: is ignorance bliss?

The Breakdown
24 episodes of greatness that dares to rival Record of Lodoss War OVA.

Synopsis
Dragon Drive is the story of a young man who gets addicted to a virtual reality videogame about battling dragons. One day there is a glitch in the game and our hero, Reiji, finds himself in a real world with real dragons! Since he is there, he might as well save the world, right?

Review
This series started off really well. The first set of episodes show how Reiji gets into the game Dragon Drive and how he eventually becomes very good at it. These episodes are fun, exciting and interesting because the game itself is interesting to learn about. But after 6 or so episodes when Reiji shows up in that alternate world the anime progresses into its true self, which is nothing more than the same cliche anime I’ve seen a million times before. Essentially the first episodes are just a really cool intro to a really bad anime.

Even cliche anime can be good though if the characters are great. While the good guys in Dragon Drive were likable enough, they were also a bunch of idiots who each repeated their mistakes over and over again throughout the whole series. The bad guys were even worse. The main villian is obsessed with the idea that life is a game that he has to win, so he keeps doing all these terrible things to get his best ending. Everytime the good guys get into a fight with the bad guys, the bad guys overwhelm the good guys and then let them go for some reason. Every… time…

Beyond that, several characters have horrible voices. One particular character who keeps shouting, ‘My sweet honey!’ to a girl he likes has the most annoying voice I have ever heard in an anime. Even the music was generic and uninspiring with the exception of perhaps the ending theme. Add to that animation sequences that get repeated over and over again, dragons that look like mechs and dragged out combat with little or no story progression and there you have it… Dragon Drive!!

The Breakdown
I suffered through 38 episodes of this crap so that you don’t have to.

Synopsis
In a long forgotton walled town, humans coexist with the Haibane, angelic-like beings of unknoen origin. Rakka becomes the newest Haibane, after she awakens from a strange dream and finds herself hatching from a massive cocoon. With no memories of her previous life, Rakka struggles to adjust to her new surroundings, however burning questions remain in the back of her mind. What is Haibane and what is their purpose? What lies beyond the huge, forbidden town walls? Thus, Rakka begins her wistful journey of self-discovery and wonderment.

Review
Okay, I’ll say this right from the start. This is not an anime for someone who wants to see fights, explosions and characters superdeformating every thirty seconds and can’t be satisfied with an anime series unless something big is occurring every five minutes.

This is a very subtle series. The entire story is laid out little by little. You don’t learn everything about the characters all at once. You get to know the characters in ‘Haibane Renmei’ like we do our own co-workers and neighbors: one encounter at a time, day by day, each day a little more revealing than the last.

It is also not an anime that you can watch only once. After one viewing, I just wanted to watch it again, to catch the little things I missed. The original concept for this series was done by yoshitoshi ABe, and it shows. Haibane Renmei reminded me alot of ‘Serial Experiments: lain’ in the way that it starts out slow, but you just KNOW in the back of your head that something big will happen…and you want to keep watching to find out what it is.

Although slow moving, and very subtle, Haibane Renmei is very addicting. I can’t wait to get the second volume just to see how Rakka’s relationship with the new world she is thrust into (and the new people she has met) will develop.

The Breakdown
I really enjoyed watching this. Even if this sort of anime isn’t your cup of tea, I say give it a shot. You may just be pleasantly surprised.