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Synopsis
Kanae is Kouta little sister. When they were children, Kanae, Kouta, and their cousin Yuka used to play together. She had a habit of finding shells along the beach. One day something tragic happened on their way home…As a result of this traumatic experience Kouta, now a college student, suffers from amnesia. A mysterious girl, Lucy, with pink hair and horns seems to be the missing link to unlocking that buried memory.

Review
Anime News Network and Animenfo.com classify Elfen Lied as a horror anime. Animenfo defines horror as: ‘Creepy tales of ghosts, demons, vengeful ex-girlfriends and other frightening creatures.’ Animenfo lists Arc the Lad as horror which tells me that their classification system is somewhat at ends with itself. In my opinion, Perfect Blue is the prime example of the horror genre. Elfen Lied is not scary in the sense that it’ll raise your heartbeat and have you grasping for air, but it will get you to perhaps cover your eyes when decapitated heads and limbs fly everywhere and blood starts spewing. Lucy does fall into that last category as Kouta’s frightening vengeful ex-girlfriend. I have to admit if I was to meet Lucy in person I would be scared and attempt to run. Not that it would do me any good. I would be dead on sight.

The official Japanese site can be found at http://www.vap.co.jp/elfenlied/ There you’ll find episode summaries and previews, screen shots, DVD information, character bios and sketches, and wallpaper galleries.

The Breakdown
The most overrated anime of 2004, it is that good. At least ADV thought so. They licensed it days after the second episode aired much to the dismay of fansubbers. It was a must have acquisition.

Synopsis
Enter Sawamura Seiji. He has spent the last 17 years and two months of his entire life without a girlfriend. His record now stands at 20 rejections. Well with a reputation as Mad Dog Sawamura and his Devil’s Right Hand, it is far from easy to find a girl that will accept him. They are either afraid of him or see him as a delinquent. Is he doomed to spend the rest of his life with only his right hand as his lover? There is more truth to this statement than it seems when magically out of nowhere a miniature girl is affixed to where his hand used to be.

Review
Midori no Hibi is one of the latest and by far the best of the romance animes of 2004. It is the most bizarre idea ever that can only be made possible in the anime world. A beautiful girl, not to mention naked, attached to where your fingers and right palm once were. This takes the mysterious dream girl appearing out of nowhere animes like Ah! My Goddess and Ai Yori Aoshi to a whole new level. It is like the story of sleeping beauty minus the annoying dwarves where Midori, who is incredibly shy in real life, finally gets her wish granted to confess to Seiji her true feelings about him. Seiji, Midori’s prince, must first cope with his new lifestyle with a talking right arm and find a way to merge Midori back to her original body.

The official website is simple enough, http://www.midorinohibi.com. On the front page is a cute picture of Seiji wearing the scarf Midori knitted for him.

The Breakdown
Seiji for life! Seiji Zakkon!

Synopsis
Koji Maeda is your typical high school student who is looking for a part time job over the summer. He seems to have found his calling at Pia Carrot. More like he can’t resist all the pretty girls. While contemplating his destiny, out of the blue, a girl dashes across and collides with him. He later finds out that the same violent girl he bumped into earlier will be his coworker from now on. No way can life get any easier for Koji!

Review
The PC game to Pia Carrot 2 was released in Japan in 1997 followed by the SegaSaturn version in 1998 retailing for  ?7200 ($65.16). The anime is the sequel OVA series to Pia Carrot 1 but with a brand new cast (like how Onegai Twins is related to Onegai Sensei). It is a non-hentai version of similar events in the Pia Carrot 2 hentai DVD. Yusuke Kinoshita is the owner of the 2nd Pia Carrot restaurant. He only makes a brief appearance next to Aoi. You discover that he is soon getting married (to Satomi?). Rumi (Yusuke’s sister’s) appears in episode 4, a dyed blond, and works at the resturant to help out with the Autumn Gourmet Fair. Rumi will be turning 16, and has matured from what was seen in the first game. DX contains most of the characters from the video game, minus Sanae, Harue, and Tomomi. The storyline of Pia Carrot 2 follows Hinomori Asuza-san’s ending, the hardest person to win over.

The game site can be found at http://www.interchannel.co.jp/game/pia2/index.html The bottom link takes you to the Pia Carrot 2.5 page with character profiles.

The Breakdown
Short romance anime. You’ll appreciate the minor characters for their funny remarks. Koji might cheer on every girl that works hard but when it comes to Asuza there is no stopping their arguing. They are like two reincarnated warlords.

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER…Just Kidding. A resturant by the beach of Misaki. Gorgeous female workers ready to take your order. What could be better! (I guess a hentai but that is not what this is.) The fourth Pia Carrot resturant is about to open its doors. But first it’ll require some extra help from Sayaka and Tomomi, waitresses from the original and second resturant. However, is there another reason why the both of them fled to the new resturant?

Review
Sayaka is a new character in the Dreamcast/Playstation 2 Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! 3 game released in 2003. The PC game came out two years earlier in 2001. Sakuya came from the first resturant probably hired by Yusuke’s father. She was not in the first game/hentai series and must have joined after Yusuke finished working there and went on to become the manager of the second resturant.

Tomomi’s story comes from Pia Carrot 2. She is a junior high school student. Her best friends, Shima Noriko and Kamizuka Yuki, who also appear in the movie, talk about how cool the Pia Carrot uniforms are. Because of her age, Tomomi can’t work at Pia Carrot. As Koji, you are able to date Tomomi. Eventually she does wait tables at the second Pia Carrot resturant. She then moves to the fourth resturant once she found out that Koji already likes Asuza. The three girls are characters in Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! 2 and 2.5 as you can see at the bottom character page of http://www.interchannel.co.jp/game/pia2.5/pro/index.html.

Compare the pictures of Noriko, Yuki, and Tomomi from Pia Carrot 2 to Pia Carrot 3. http://www.interchannel.co.jp/game/pia3/index.html. I’m surprised they don’t have a picture of Miyuki in Pia Carrot 3. Maybe she is a character exclusive to the movie or a minor character in game 3. There is some beautiful artwork for the movie. I’ve included some wallpapers for your delight. If you want more, you can purchase figurines on eBay.

The Breakdown
Not really a dating simulation as the other Pia Carrot series were. Not really a love story either. More like love sickness.

Synopsis
A tale from the day of Valentine…

Every day in the life of Mizuhara Ryo and his younger sister Akane ended normally. They would wake up, go to school together, work tables at the Plavi resturant, come home and eat dinner. That was until one day a complete stranger in a pink jump suit literally crash lands through their glass screen door. Beneath the attire is the dazzling super flower of Japanese womanhood, the warrior of love, Masuda Shizuka! To their surprise, Shizuka announces that she is Ryo’s fiancĆ©e. Let the days of love and trials begin!

Review
Final Approach is the anime adaptation to the Playstation 2 dating simulation game of the same name released recently in Japan on October 7, 2004. This is Princess Soft’s third game turned anime, the first being Natsuiro no Sunadokei. Final Approach was aired concurrently with Princess Soft’s second game anime title W-Wish. The anime spans 13 episodes, and each episode is roughly 12 minutes long.

The official japanese anime website can be found on the left side of http://www.trinet-ent.com/princess_hour/index.html. There you will find character sketches, episode summaries accompanied by screenshots, a staff list, and DVD release dates. The game site is located at http://www.oaks-soft.co.jp/princess-soft/final/index.html. At the bottom of the index page is a mpg file of the opening trailer. The left bar navigates you through story information, individual character profiles, and back to the main Princess Soft website.

The Breakdown
Welcome to Pia Carrot…I mean Plavi!

Synopsis
The flow of time is complicated. Even if you remove one cause, a new cause is born…

Makimura Koutarou is your typical high schooler, an avid member of the boxing club who all of a sudden resolved to confess his love to the school idol Serizawa Kaho. That night by accident, a mysterious person showers Koutarou with tachyon particles. As a result, his body randomly jumps forwards and backwards to different dates within a one-month time span. This phenomenon is what is called a ‘day drop.’ On August 31, the last day of summer vacation, he discovers that Kaho’s life passes away due to a car collision. Does Koutarou stand a chance at changing Kaho’s depressing fate?

Review
Natsuiro no Sunadokei, or Natsuiro Komachi, translates to the Hourglass of Summer Colors. It is based off of the Playstation 2 hentai dating simulation game developed by Princess Soft. Princess Soft is most famous for releasing Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. Other game titles include Suika, Moekan, Cafe Little Wish: Mahou no Recipe, and 21: TwoOne for the Dreamcast, and F: Fanatic, Love Doll: Lovely Idol, Final Approach, and Happy Breeding: Cheerful Party for the PS2.

The official anime site is located at http://www.kss-inc.co.jp/anime/natsuiro/ where you can find episode screen captures, brief character and casting, and DVD information with covers. The video game site is located at http://www.oaks-soft.co.jp/princess-soft/natsuiro/ and features a better character profiles page.

The Breakdown
Natsuiro no Sunadokei is a romantic, short summer anime series. Perfect for going back to school.

Synopsis
Full Metal Panic is an exciting story about a girl named Kaname Chidori, who is under the protection of a secret organization called Mythril because of a power that exists within her that she does not even know about (and which I will not reveal the details of in this review). Sgt. Sagara Sousuke is assigned to protect her from any threats that would take advantage of her power, so he soon finds himself acting as a student in Chidori’s high school. The problem is Sousuke, who having been raised in a pure military environment, has no idea of how to behave in a school. So it’s up to Chidori to knock some sense into him, and I mean that in a completely literal sense.

Review
Full Metal Panic is a cross-genre anime that can literally be called just about anything you can think of. Action, Drama, Mech, Comedy, Romance and even Horror at times. Episodes that take place on campus are quite humorous, dealing with the developing relationships between Chirodi and her friends and Sousuke. Then there are the action packed episodes when things get dangerous. The danger spawns romance, and the resolution of conflict brings the story full circle and back to school where it once again goes into comedy mode. It all makes for excellent pacing.

The story itself is very interesting, with a lot of very likable characters, and one very mean bad guy who fills his role too well. I hate that man. … Anyway, the story never loses momentum throughout the 24 episodes, and if anything you will wish for more episodes when it is over (fortunately you can spend more time with the characters in Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu).

The Breakdown
Put Full Metal Panic at the top of your list. It is that good. What are you still reading for? Go! Watch! Now!

Synopsis
Fumoffu fumoffu, ‘Fumo fumomo? Fumoffu’ fumomomoffu! (The new anime series, ‘Full Metal Panic? Fumoffo’ is an exciting new comedy!)

Review
Full Metal Panic? Fummofu is exactly what fans of Full Metal Panic! wanted. More time to spend with all of their favorite characters. Gone are the dramatic conflicts of the original series. Instead, the fans are treated to a series of self-contained short stories that are creatively written, and downright hysterical. Could this be the funniest comedy of 2003?

The Breakdown
This is the perfect anime if you’re in the mood for a laugh. Fumoffu! (Watch it!)

It’s too short, by the way…

Synopsis
Ai Yori Aoshi is a romantic story about Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who, after having cut all ties to his family, lives a very lonely life. That’s going to change however, as a friend from his past will soon come back into his life, and completely change the way he lives. Aoi Sakuraba spent her entire life working hard to become a wife worthy of Kaoru. Even though he left his family (thus ending their betrothal) Kaoru is still the only man Aoi can think of. Ai Yori Aoshi is their story.

Review
At first Ai Yori Aoshi appears as though it is going to be something truly unique. The story development in the first few episodes is strong and very well written. An episode or two later however, it becomes apparent that those episodes were just an intro to a much more filler-based anime, and that Ai Yori Aoshi actually has a lot in common with other anime. Love Hina and Happy Lesson come to mind, because they are both examples of anime in which one male character and several female characters live under one roof. Once the rest of the cast shows up, Ai Yori Aoshi goes through all the cliche plotlines. The ‘I’ll make a boxed lunch so that he’ll fall in love with me,’ episode, the ‘Let’s all go to the beach and show off our new sexy swimsuits,’ episode, and of course the prerequisite ‘I ended up naked in a hot spring with a guy,’ episode. The list goes on.

It really isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, but regardless, it is still quite enjoyable. I attribute this to Ai Yori Aoshi’s entertaining cast. Each of the girls is given several episodes to develop their personalities, and they are all quite unique. They are also very cute in design, as is most of the artwork in this series.

Towards the end of the series the filler episodes cease and all of the conflict that was mentioned in the intro episodes returns to the spotlight for an emotional conclusion. Cliche or not, by the time it all ends you will be left with a smile and probably recommend Ai Yori Aoshi to all your friends.

The Breakdown
Ai Yori Aoshi succeeds in being a romantic journey for Aoi and Kaoru that will probably manage to bring out the sap in you. It’s great for a date and also funny enough to watch with a bunch of friends. It’s a safe buy.

Synopsis
Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ takes place two years after Aoi and Kaoru were first reunited in the original Ai Yori Aoshi. While there is no overall main story, there are several small plots that take place over the course of the series. Special attention is given to Chika, who appeared late in the original series, and to Tina, the American who can barely speak English because she is so Japanese.

Review
I hate to start a review on such a negative note, but the fact of the matter is, Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ does absolutely nothing to advance the plot of the original, nor does it answer any questions you may have had about it. It exists purely as an extra set of filler episodes for fans of the original series. In fact, the main storyline (the love story between Aoi and Kaoru) while present is hardly of any importance with the exception of one episode, and that failed to satisfy my hopes for the series.

Putting all that aside however, it is still an enjoyable series that contains many happy moments to remember. The last few episodes are the most emotional, but at a cost. There is very little comedy in these episodes, and the change of pace is somewhat out of place. Still, there is some payoff for getting to the end.

By the time its over, nothing of Ai Yori Aoshi’s story is resolved, so it looks like another sequel is inevitable. Despite my opinion that ~Enishi~ does not live up to the original, I still love the characters and hope that another sequel is in the works.

The Breakdown
6.5 looks like a low score, but it really isn’t that bad. If you enjoyed the first series then I suggest you give this one a try as well.