Animesou.com

Synopsis:
In the year 2046, people use portable devices called Neuro-linkers to manage their daily lives in virtual reality networks. But advances in technology haven’t managed to do away with bullies, and 13-year old Haruyuki Arita finds himself a frequent target. Haruyuki escapes his miserable life in virtual games-until the day Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and virtual reality called the Accel World.

Review:
Haruyuki Arita is your typical bully target. He is short and chubby with a low self-esteem. Based in the year 2046, neuro-technology has advanced so much that everyone uses a device over their neck called the neuro-link. The neuro-link allows users to access information on demand and allows the user to experience a virtual environment; think Google glasses, but even more advanced. Haru hates himself for being weak, and his only escape is to log into the school’s virtual network and attain the highest scores in the game. With his high scores, he catches the attention of the school’s student council vice president, Kuroyukihime (Black Snow Princess). After some commotion, the vice president introduces a game called Brain Burst to Haru.

In Brain Burst, the world feels like it is in a stand still. But in actuality, it only appears that way for the users, because their senses are being accelerated in the real world. At the end of Kuro-hime and Haru’s meeting, she warns him to turn off his neuro-link from the global net when he is out of school, but of course things happen and he eventually forgets about it. At the end of the first episode, Haru is thrust into the accelerated world as Silver Crow and will have to fight in order to stay in the game!

The result is obvious, as a newbie, Haru is defeated with ease and left wondering what the heck did he just got himself into. What is the point of the Accel World and why was it created in the first place? As the story progresses we discover that Kuro-hime’s goal is to reach the maximum level ten, whereas, the other leaders are content on staying at level nine so that they can rule the accelerated world and continue to use brain bust in their daily lives. The penalty for losing while attempting to reach level ten is severe; the brain burst program will be wiped off clean. So we can understand why some people would happily prefer to stay idle on quest for level ten.

The Breakdown:
Accel World is a good anime, with nice characters, music and an attractive story. The interactions between the characters are great as well. The show has a bit of everything. The romance comedy of Kurohime, Haru and Chiyo. The action of the Accel World battles and the drama of how all this connects and plays out. It is definitely one of the best anime presents you can gift out this holiday season!

Synopsis
Based on the bestselling comic by Aya Nakahara, Love*Com The Movie is a high-school romantic comedy centering on two students. Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class, and the last thing she wants is the humiliation of standing next to Atsushi Otani, the shortest guy. Fate and the whole school have other ideas, and the two find themselves casts as the unwilling stars of a bizarre romantic comedy duo. But as their friendship develops, so do Risa’s feelings toward Otani. Can she be honest with herself and get over her lovely complex?!

Review
There has always been an age old misconception in the world of relationships. Somehow out of all of the things that should determine whether individuals become couples, height, is an attribute that should matter least. But that is not the case in this love comedy, ‘Love*Com.’

If you are saying to yourself that the title sounds somewhat familiar to an anime, you are correct. Love*Com is the live adaptation of Aya Nakahara’s manga and anime series, Lovely Complex. The story revolves around Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani and the development of what is to be a complex love situation. Risa has always looked at Otani as a friend and nothing more. Likewise can be said of Otani as well, even though they share many things in common and their friends all believe that they would be a perfect pair, nothing more came out of it. That is until that one faithful day on Christmas.

After various circumstances Otani and Risa agreed to attend an ‘Umibozu’ concert on Christmas, prior to Otani’s ex-girlfriend’s request to attend a party with her. When Christmas came, Risa ended up going to the concert alone. As she made her trip to the concert, she was constantly being reminded of the fact that she was alone by the laughing couples around her. Upon reaching the lowest point of her day, she hears a familiar voice shouting out her name, this voice was from no one other than Otani’s. It was on that faithful day that Risa fell in love with the shorty, Otani.

The show continues on with the interactions with the two main characters and before you realize it, it comes to an end. Love*Com was funny but it felt like it was rushing. Scenes that could have had a bit more development in them were passed over, such as, the history behind Otani and his ex-girlfriend. I mean, just watching the weird mood between the two when they see each other screams drama all over. It was hinted that she left him for another guy, but why? Was there a misunderstanding? Because judging from her looks, she did not seem like that type of girl (*shrug*). I would personally want to know as it pertains to the effect it may have had on the personality of a character.

Love*Com’s goofing off scenes are pretty hilarious, such as, their homeroom teacher’s denial over his wigs and the close up break downs of a particular situation. The way that the movie made it zoom in, and took a 360 degrees angle view of a scene, and the freeze frame of how a character is saying their dialogue along with commentary was amusing. It was definitely a glowing point of the show.

The actors and actresses did a great job with their roles. And the music was excellent. Umibozu’s ‘Is This All Right’ was so ridiculous that it was good. The music video of the song made my day. While I really cannot say that Love*Com is for everyone, those who want to see the live adaptation of the manga/anime should be able to enjoy it. The viewers that are looking for more bang for the buck and time would probably want to stay away, as the movie just does not provide anything out of the extraordinary that warrants a cannot miss status.

Breakdown
Love*Com is an enjoyable movie. The comedy associated with the show definitely earned a few laughs from me here and there. It was especially entertaining when I saw how Risa became flustered over how dense Otani was. The story was straight forward and did just enough to get through. The re-watch value is not really high. Personally I would pop the DVD in just to see the Umibozu music video extra as that was just too… Wow.

Synopsis

There have been rumors as of late of monsters wreaking havoc. People’s hearts have been wavering as crime is on the rise. Earthquakes and tsunamis have disturbed the land. The world of Rune Midgard is crying out for a hero. And that hero…sure ain’t Roan that’s for sure.

Review

Not to be confused with Matantei Loki Ragnarok which is an astounding series, Ragnarok the Animation is adapted from the Korean massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) called Ragnarok Online by Myung-Jin Lee. It is not an animated version of the manga series about Chaos, Iris Irine, Fenris Fenrir, and Loki. The manga is a thousand times better and darker than the anime. Unfortunately, it was never completed. Myung-Jin Lee decided to focus all his attention on the game.

The anime aired originally back in 2004. So it is out of date with the current state of the video game. No expanded classes - Taekwons, Ninjas, Gunslingers, or Super Novices; No new towns - Rachel, Veins, Louyang, Hugel, Umbala, Lighthalzen, Nifflheim, Einbroch, Kunlun, Amatsu, or Ayothaya. They didn’t even ride the airship. No trans classes. No GMs. No homunculus. No War of Emperium (WoE). You used to be able to Dead Branch in towns but not anymore (bummer). 1st class characters could only defeat MVPs back in beta version of the game, 2001. Day/Night system was never put into place. The anime seems to be on a PVP (Player versus Player) server, meaning you can fighter other characters anytime and anywhere.

The US was among the last places for the anime to get localized. It has already been aired on Cartoon Network Brazil and was dubbed into Tagalog in the Philippines.

The official Japanese websites are:
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/ragnarok/
http://www.ragnarokonline.jp/news/game/roanime/
The second website actually contains character in game sprites.

The official Funimation website is:
http://funimation.com/ragnarok/
which features a trailer teaser and avatars of the characters in .zip format. *WARNING* avatar file contains spoilers.

The Breakdown

For fans of the PC video game. I remember anxiously waiting every week for the next new episode. You have to watch Ragnarok the Animation at least once. Expect no second season though. There is a Maple Story anime. You can catch my super novice on the Loki server, Novice Reborn.

Synopsis

Well, you can’t blame Najimi who is an everyday student struggling to earn a buck. She just got fired from her previous job and needs a new source of income. Her friend offers to pay Najimi to help sell doujin. Najimi soon realizes there’s a fortune to be made and sets her sights on becoming a doujin artist. And thus begins the story.

Review

Welcome to the wonderful world of doujinshi. Doujins are unofficial, self-published, amateur work that comprises of Japanese H-manga and computer games. For every popular anime and video game series in existence, there is a fan doujin spin off that explores possibilities that didn’t actually occur in the plotline. Pairings such as Ichigo x Yoruichi (Bleach bath scene) and Yaoi matchups Kaiba x Yami Yugi (Yugioh!), Naruto’s Kakashi without his mask appearing as a Bishen, and Pokemon…you don’t want to know.

Doujin Work is based off the manga by Hiroyuki. The mini-series is 12 episodes long. Each episode is 14 minutes including the opening and ending. The official anime website is http://www.doujin.tv/.

Synopsis
What the hell is a daikon anyways?! What’s a band to do with no fame, and especially no sold-out arena to perform in? How can they grab the cash they need to build the Concert Dome of their dreams?! Well, they can’t. But the Nerima Daikon Brothers sure as hell are going to try! Watch as Hideki, Ichiro, and Mako farm daikon by day and battle slimy record producers, pachinko-mad hags, monstrous nurses, flatulent hospital administrators, and hot police babes by night. Listen as the band and the evil villains sing hilarious songs all along the bumpy, daikon-studded road! Tune in and see!!! (What’s a daikon? Is it a vegetable? Is it a fruit? A weapon? A girl’s best friend? All of the above?!) Pick up this copy of Nerima Daikon Brothers (right this minute!), and prepare to be amazed, grossed out, wildly entertained, sung to by cool blues musicians, and turned on by a fuzzy-wuzzy panda bear. (Did we mention the bushel-full of hot chicks?)

Review
Nerima Daikon Brothers is so wrong… in a good way. From the time the show starts to the time it ends you are filled with entertainment acoustically and visually. The show is an actual comedy play. There are a lot of singing and in the process a lot of ’smart’ remarks being exchanged. The story is about three individuals who happen to be related and their struggles to achieve their dream to build a dome on top of their farm in order to perform in concert in front of thousands of people. Of course struggles are not meant to be easy, and having Watanabe Shinichi does not help their case either. Nabeshin creates a show that is just hilarious. I will even say Nerima Daikon Brother is better than any of his works that I have seen thus far. For an example, a show like Excel Saga revolves around random crazy events, whereas, Nerima Daikon Brothers is actually relatable at some parts. I mean, talent search scams, gambling problems and nurse fetish hits home… if you know what I am saying. The things that occur in Excel Saga on the other hand… not always.

Anyways, the band is made up of Mako, Hideki and Ichiro. When they received notice that a talent agency was looking for talent, they immediately hopped on the wagon. What they did not expect were the other beings that would show up and the talent evaluator’s real motives. When it is all said and done, the show delivers some of the best laughs money can buy. The jokes are timely executed and the animation that went along with it was just as impressive. It was difficult to turn away from this title, because you just would not know what was coming up next. The tunes that accompany Nerima Daikon Brothers are not only outrageous in lyrics, but also can become a case of earworms for the weak. The Korean Wave Pachinko theme is constantly circulating in my head. It is getting to the point where I should seek some professional help. But oh wells.

There was one thing that stands out particularly in Nerima Daikon Brothers that I thoroughly enjoyed; the show’s pace. It moves on a consistent basis without pauses. In other words, this piece manages to keep the viewers interested by putting things on the screen that they (the viewers) would most likely find amusing… things like Mako, yes, Mako. What is unique about this anime is that each character has a distinctive way to blend in their type of humor. Just by realizing the way you respond to each character’s dialogue or action, you would be able to see what I am talking about.

The Breakdown
There are anime in this industry that you could just tell they are funny. Nerima Daikon Brothers does not sound like it would be a title that is worth anybody’s time, but judging an anime by its name is wrong. This show is hilarious. It is one of the better comedies that I have seen thus far this year. I enjoyed quite a bit of this little musical; it was a blast. Aside from some of the cons that I have brought to attention below, Nerima Daikon Brothers genuinely deserves a peep from anime fans out there.

Synopsis
Spread your wings and fly! Welcome to the world of Storm Riders, where motor-powered inline skates called ‘Air Trecks’ take extreme sports to a whole new level. Those who dare to ride with these high tech devices risk life and limb in a struggle for fame, power and wings to take to the sky. Enter Ikki Minami, the toughest fighter on the east side of town. He rules his school, takes on violent gangs single-handedly and lives with the Noyamanos: four sexy sisters with a surprising secret. And after a humiliating defeat by a terrifying gang of Storm Riders, the sisters welcome him to the world of Air Trecks, where his strength, speed and ambitions soar to brand new heights. Now, with powerful new sings, he must protect his friends, his school and his pride in fierce Air Treck battles known as ‘Parts Wars.’ One mistake could cost him everything, but each victory brings him one step closer to becoming the king of the sky.

Review
Not sure if rollerblading ever went out of style, but if it did, Air Gear is certainly going to bring it back. The show first came off to me as some young audience based anime, but upon viewing it, that assumption went straight out through the window.

Air Gear is by Oh! great, you might have heard that name from another show, Tenjho Tenge. Anyways, as mentioned above, it revolves around ‘Air Trecks’ which resemble rollerblades in reality. Itsuki Minami, AKA ‘Ikki’ is our character in focus. He is reckless and fearless. One day he sneaks in the forbidden room of the house he is freeloading off of and discovers air trecks along with the Sleeping Forest badge. As he takes the ATs out for a spin one night, he sees Simca, the girl that he has been eyeing for a while, at a Storm Riders meet. After seeing that people were touching her and slapping stickers on her, the perverted Ikki, takes the Sleeping Forest sticker and slaps it on Simca’s back… little did he know, he put the sticker on top of another Storm Riders’ in which signifies a challenge. Many intriguing things follow and it will certainly be a treat for you to find out.

Air Gear is a show that nails it. The show is well balanced with comedy, action, drama and plot. The battle scenes are exciting and the characters leave a lasting appeal. The acoustics is no slouch either as the bumping soundtrack blends in with the scenes to create an atmosphere so impressive it leaves audiences in a state of shock. On the comedy side, Air Gear is not an anime that is focused on getting pure laughs; it utilizes situations and moods to build up to a certain point and then lets a quick jab to knock everything down. Basically, it is serious when it has to be, and even if it’s serious, the show will somehow bring it back to a laidback state after everything is said and done.

The Breakdown
From what I have seen so far, this show should be an entertaining experience for most viewers. Of course, ADV Films releasing the title uncensored helps as well. If you want a series to watch that will get you all pumped up, then look no further than what we have here. I can truly say, Air Gear has everything I look for in an anime.

Synopsis
Welcome to Papuwa Island. Check your sanity at the door. Led by a mysterious vice, pretty boy brat Kotaro awakens from a long slumber and comes to Papuwa Island, a tropical paradise hidden away from the world of man. However, as soon as he arrives, a traumatic experience causes him to lose his memories and forget the horrifying secret that binds him to the strange island. Now, under the questionable are of the young Papuwa and his maid, Liquid, Kotaro begins his new life of bizarre adventures in a world of transvestite fish, fruity pink dinosaurs and hallucination-inducing poisonous mushrooms. Plagued by the island’s wacky inhabitants and an army of assassins aimed at kidnapping him, Kotaro struggles o keep both his life and his sanity intact. Get ready for fun, sun and hermaphroditic snails in the first, hilarious volume of Papuwa!

Review
I am still trying to pick my jaw up after watching Papuwa. The difference between this jaw dropping and the others that had happened to me in the past was that this one was not necessarily a good thing. From the beginning to the end, the show was exactly what the volume’s title hinted; Wild Things. From human sized fish wearing fishnets to pink dinosaurs and talking animals, this show has all that it needs to be considered crazy. And to me, that is all Papuwa is; something that just tries to pull all sorts of ridiculous stunts in an effort to get some laughter out of the viewer. While there were times that it was successful in getting me to laugh, it never got to the point where I was dying from it though. To me, it is a shame, because Papuwa has a lot of potential to be a great comedy. And while a story obviously exists in the world of Papuwa, it really does not play much of a role at all. Sure, most of the actions were a reaction of retrieving Kotaro back to Gamma, but the majority of the time ‘Rotaro,’ Papuwa and the others just go on wacky adventures to satisfy their hunger and to prevent Kotaro from recovering from his amnesia or else they would be in some deep waters :).

At a first glance, Papuwa felt like it was a semi-serious anime with some fun, but what I received in return for my expectations were like planets colliding… or the past coming together with the future. When I saw how Papuwa looked compared to the other characters around him, it was like it did not belong… but then again, a poisonous human looking mushroom who encourage people to take a bite out of him do not mix either. Okay, maybe that was not funny. But I tried and Papuwa has scenes that are quick hitting and it comes down to a ‘get it or not’ scenario. Most likely the jokes here are pretty simple and comprehendible. They are some you would see or hear in real life actually.

The Breakdown
Papuwa is aimed towards the fan who liked a show like Excel Saga. A show where the plot is not focused, but the laughter is. While most, if not all, of the jokes have been seen or heard in other anime shows one way or another, Papuwa throws it together all in one small show.

Synopsis
Spread your wings and fly! Welcome to the world of Storm Riders, where motor-powered inline skates called ‘Air Trecks’ take extreme sports to a whole new level. Those who dare to ride with these high tech devices risk life and limb in a struggle for fame, power and wings to take to the sky. Enter Ikki Minami, the toughest fighter on the east side of town. He rules his school, takes on violent gangs single-handedly and lives with the Noyamanos: four sexy sisters with a surprising secret. And after a humiliating defeat by a terrifying gang of Storm Riders, the sisters welcome him to the world of Air Trecks, where his strength, speed and ambitions soar to brand new heights. Now, with powerful new sings, he must protect his friends, his school and his pride in fierce Air Treck battles known as ‘Parts Wars.’ One mistake could cost him everything, but each victory brings him one step closer to becoming the king of the sky.

Review
Air Gear is a 25-episode anime series based off the manga by the artist Oh! great (Ogure Ito), the mastermind behind Tenjho Tenge. Air of course is what we breathe. It is what surrounds us and enables us to live. Gear is mechanical and refers to the powered inline skates.

Synopsis
Takarada Go comes from a family of archaeologists. A self-proclaimed treasure hunter, Go goes in search of a secret door leading to the legendary treasure of the Salamander. Somehow he ends up falling from a 30-story building. Just then, in a flash, a naked elven nymph appears right before his eyes. The zany adventures of Rane and Go have only just begun!         

Review
Before FLCL, Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemi, there was Elf Princess Rane. The anime is over a decade old, 1995, but still has its charm. Go is reckless and often misunderstands discussions, going off on some tangent exploit. Mari is his rich neighbor and girlfriend since childhood who fails to get Go’s attention. Then you have the two pint sized characters, Rane and Leen. Add in the blue haired Zenshuin antagonist and some pink haired females, mix everyone up thoroughly, and you have a recipe that spells mayhem.                     

Synopsis
Meet supernatural sleuth and writer Kantaro Ichinomiya. Kantaro spends his days traveling the Japanese countryside, fighting demons and writing about his adventures in hopes of finding the resting place of the mysterious Demon-Eating Goblin. During a trip to the countryside, Kantaro finds himself face-to-face with the creature he’s been searching for since childhood. Will Haruka the Demon-Eating Goblin join Kantaro’s band of supernatural adventurers? Can Haruka peacefully coexist with fox demon Yoko, heiress Suzu Edogawa, Sugino the White Goblin and his wife Muuchan? Will Kantaro be able to solve feudal Japan’s growing demon problem AND finish his book by his editor’s deadline? Find out in Volume One of Tactics!

Review
I knew from the moment I pressed play that there was something familiar with this anime. Of course, I thought about just about everything that I have seen that has left a mark on me and it came to me that Tactics is very similar to Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok. From the way the characters look to the opening and closing themes. The similarities are visually there. So if you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok then you should enjoy Tactics as they flow alike (and the reason for the similarities was the results from Studio DEEN). We are still searching ‘mysteries,’ and the only major difference is that the time setting has a huge gap. But enough with the Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok comparisons as Tactics has its own unique aspects as well. For one, it manages to hold its own when it comes to characters that have a growing effect on you.

Kantaro Ichinomiya was a unique child growing up; he had the ability to see things other kids could not. Because of his ability he was almost an outcast. He tried to tell people that his ghoul friends existed, but nobody believed him. One day, as he and his spirit friends were playing and talking, the name Demon-Eating Goblin was brought up. It was said that the Demon-Eating Goblin was the most powerful of all, with that said, Kantaro was intrigued and from that day on has followed his path to find his Haruka.

As stated earlier, the characters have a growing effect on you. In the beginning, Kantaro’s character has a habit of making you assume that he is one of those silent type, keep everything to himself kind of characters, but as it turns out, he is actually quite the conversation starter. Yoko, the fox is the usual nagging, but cute ‘friend’ of Kantaro and the rest of the characters are unique in their own way, hence it makes this piece of anime that much better. I really liked the blend of personalities as it works very well when mixed up together. You pretty much get a little bit of here, and a little bit of there, never too much, and never to little. So it is quite hard to find yourself hating on anybody in the show, due to the fact that it is so balanced.

Since we are speaking about characters, then we might as well go into how great the designs are for this show. The lovely animation and details really bring out the life of Tactics. It is like one of the episodes that is featured in volume one where the mannequin comes to life, the characters come to life as the animation is one of the best I have seen so far. But please do keep in mind that animation is not all Tactics has to offer, in the acoustics department, the show slaps you with a few nice beats, and if both the animation and sound does not get to you (usually its not enough for the average fan :P) then the plot will definitely open your eyes and drag you into the world of Tactics.

The Breakdown
What is great about Tactics is that it is a joy to watch. It is a show that is balanced on all fronts and as a result of this balance the interest for the show never seems to fade away. If you are a fan of Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok and could not get enough of that show, then Tactics can pretty much fill your need for more.