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Synopsis
Space vixens and manic mannequins. Animation and claymation. J-pop music videos and violently desperate housewives. Sexy assassins and biker babes. You’ve never seen or experienced anything like this rainbow-acid-hued, mind-tripped, sonic and sensual assault. Tokyo pop (and Tokyo pop art) has made Vermilion Pleasure Night an international sensation. From the Tate Modern to MoMa, from college capuses to home computers, this sexy kaleidoscope has captured everyone’s attention. And now you can get off on it. Get ready for pleasure, Vermilion Pleasure.

Review
From the director of The Fuccons, come Vermilion Pleasure Night, a show that is borderline crazy and at points make you question the reason why you got yourself involved with it in the first place. Like what The Fuccons was meant to do, ADV Films is trying to deliver a new flavor for this otherwise pretty general audience. What I mean by this is that, most of the people who watch anime, believe that anime is all that Japan has to offer, other than porn. Err… yeah, anyways; Vermilion Pleasure Night is a show that tries to show you things so wild that you would wonder if Excel Saga just turned real life. For those who understood the Excel analogy, good for you, but for those who did not, what I meant was that it seems like this show here is a compilation of random wackiness. It is like, Vermilion Pleasure Night does not have to make sense at all, but at the same time there would be followers of the show, just like Excel Saga did, due to the fact that it is random and crazy.

It is very difficult to compare an animation with a live action, for the most part. And after watching Vermilion, I am still trying to collect my thoughts to put together something that makes sense to my mind. But nope, I still got no picture. Maybe that is what the goal of this show is all about. While obviously there is no story, there is a plot. What that plot is, is to try the hardest to entertain the viewers. I honestly felt that at times the show was trying too hard to be funny or ridiculous, and because of that, it had an opposite effect for some sequences.

A title such as Vermilion Pleasure Night is a hit or miss title; it either falls into your outstretched arms or face first onto the concrete pavement. If you liked The Fuccons, then you would definitely like how this piece plays out. The replay value to my surprise exists. Why? Well, after finishing up the screener, there is this feeling inside me that wanted to re-watch it again. Maybe out of curiosity or trying to make sense of the show, but to put it simply, I felt that I had to see it again to make certain that what I saw happened really happened. Yeah, I was in disbelief at some parts of the show.

The Breakdown
Whether you liked The Fuccons or not, if you are a fan of pure random, crazy and wacky entertainment that features a cast that consists only of Japanese females (… well, males were in the cast as well, but they were only there vocally, not physically, except maybe that lovesick alien heh), then Vermilion Pleasure Night is a perfect fit for you. It satisfies a lot of people’s guilty pleasures, while bringing you some laughter. That is not a bad combo in my book.

Synopsis
Kuromi is back, and more determined than ever to make it in the anime business. But all hell breaks loose when the boss quits smoking just when the workload bursts out of control. Can Kuromi overcome this almost insurmountable obstacle?  

Review
Those who are fans of the first Animation Runner Kuromi will find that this sequel is a nice little touch to a neat title that gives anime fans a peek at how anime is… or at least the processes that it goes through in order for it to be released. In the first installment of Animation Runner, Kuromi had to lead her unique, slacking team to create an episode of anime. If putting together one episode was that difficult of a task, then you would definitely want to see what kind of havoc would develop when the crew has been given the assignment to create one episode for three different series; that is three episodes by the way for those who are bad at math.  

How is Kuromi going to motivate her lazy staff? Well, she almost does not, because a hot shot animation runner comes barging in their studio and starts demanding things to be done by using strict methods… that works. Of course, since this hot shot animation runner is all about making the dead line, at the expense of the quality of the anime; we got a dilemma here. While Shihonmatsu is on the edge, going cold turkey from cigarettes, and the staff’s motivation runs low, it is time for Kuromi to take back Studio Petit, for the sake of her staff and for the sake of producing great anime.  

Animation Runner Kuromi 2, pretty much sticks with the same formula as the first installment. Nothing much changed, and nothing much added. As I was watching it, it felt like it was a good bridge between the two OAVs, but that is about it. Certainly this show is about delivering fun to the audience and at times it does. However, the fun is not always there, there are some tense moments that make you wonder if this really is what you wanted to bargain for.

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
Growing up can be painful - especially when you fall down a flight of stairs, suffer severe head trauma, and wake up with the mental capacity of a kindergartener. Ouch! Now 17-year-old Nanaka Kirisato has to grow up all over again. You see, Nanaka thinks she’s been through a magical transformation, and she just can’t wrap her head around the head trauma. But if she thought fitting in as an unpopular bookworm was hard, subtracting eleven years certainly won’t help. Throw in a mullet-headed boy bully, a karate-chopping girl bully, a bullheaded best friend, and a barrage of schoolyard battles, and Nanaka’s problems multiply exponentially! It all adds up to mayhem and mass hysteria in the first hysterical volume of Nanaka 6/17.

Review
Imagine yourself being seventeen years old one day and then after a freak accident, turning six the other. Of course, you most likely would not be able to remember that you have mentally gone back eleven years, but the thought of it is something that intrigues some people. I mean, you lose (forget) all that has happened in between those eleven years gap. Do you or can you imagine how painful it would be for those who care for you, that you forget? You probably cannot. And in Nanaka’s case, such grief was not necessary. The serious, Nanaka, who only cared about the future and exams did not have much friends… except a childhood one. And she did not have anybody else to care for her in her family other than a daughter obsessed father who depends on Nanaka’s childhood friend, Nenji.

“Raging Hair” Nenji Nagihara, as stated above is Nanaka’s only childhood friend of any significance shown at this point of the anime. The dude is like a version of Seiji ‘Maddog’ Sawamura from Midori Days. He fights not because he picks them, but because people just want to spar with him… on a daily routine. And on one rainy day as Nenji beats his opponents to a pulp, Nanaka questions if he would ever stop fighting, and if he would ever grow up for a change. Oh boy. What a turn of events eh? After one killer line from Nenji to Nanaka, Nanaka runs off on her own, only to wake up eleven years younger in her mind.

Is it a bad thing or a good thing? That was a thought that has gone through Nenji’s head. Thinking about it. Nanaka who was too mature for her age turns immature, and the usually immature Nenji who would punch first, talk never, now has to learn a bit of responsibility by taking care of the six year old Nanaka, who also thinks that she has grown physically because of some magic spell. Things seem fine at the moment right? You are following all this right? Now let us get down a little further. Add these elements to the story. Jealous classmates, a love rival and the fact that this whole debacle has to be kept secret. How do you keep a six year old from not acting like one? Answer. You cannot. And Nenji learns that when the school becomes suspicious of them going out, as Nanaka is always with Nenji and vice versa. Sigh… I sure feel for him.

Anyways, Nanaka 6/17 is a loose title. It does not require you to put your thinking caps on in order to comprehend the plot. Its simplicity is what really appealed to me. Sure you like the good animation, the nice soundtrack and a dose of interest factor in it. But I believe that actually understanding the whole situation with those added features is better than being lost with those same added features. This title certainly delivers when it comes to that department. It is also a joy to watch this show after Nanaka’s accident as cruel as that may sound. Why? Because the mature seventeen year old Nanaka is one boring bookworm :). I know, she will recover from amnesia and turn back to Nanaka 17, but I can only hope that there are a lot of cool and fun things that happen as we deal with Nanaka 6 hehe.

The Breakdown
Nanaka 6/17 feels like a Midori Days like title. The concepts are very similar. One guy fighting character, one female character and one love rival. Midori was a shy serious girl before she became Seiji’s right hand… the same happens to Nanaka when she turns six. So it is easy to say that if you enjoyed a title like Midori Days, you will most definitely enjoy Nanaka 6/17.

Synopsis
When do children stop believing in Santa Claus? When they’re four? Five? Kids begin to take a closer look at reality during elementary school. But for one individual his version of reality was different. He has never celebrated Christmas with anyone. Presents were always mailed to him. In his loneliness, the boy decided that there was no Santa and that he didn’t need him.   
  
But this Christmas, perhaps his streak of unhappiness might end. A girl appears out from nowhere and asks him, ‘Would you like to spend the night with me?’      

Review
Itsudatte My Santa is a 2 episode OVA holiday series released last year on December 12th by none other than Ken Akamatsu whose most famous works include Love Hina and Maho Sensei Negima/Magister Negi Magi. Modern day Christmas shopping where department stores hold sales date back to the 1930s coinciding with the end of the year bonuses. Christmas Day is not a national holiday although it is common for people to exchange gifts, have parties, and eat cake on Christmas Eve.       
  
The official Japanese website for Itsudatte My Santa can be found at http://www.threefatsamurai.com/mysanta/. On the right hand side in pink are four options: story, characters, DVDs and CDs, and special trading cards.                    

Likes: Maimai’s appetite

Dislikes: In less than a few frames of animation in episode 2, time skips from winter, to summer, to fall, and back to winter again.        

The Breakdown
Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!          

Synopsis
Sasahara is a freshman at Shiiou University. During a club forum, taking interest in both Anime and Manga, he stumbles upon the Genshiken Club, a club dedicated to the study of modern visual culture.

Soon after joining Genshiken, he discovers that the people in the club are nothing more than otakus and lolicons obsessed with doujinshi. How does Sasahara fit into this group of people? More importantly, what is this club all about despite the given title?

Review
The Film Club, Key Club, Anime Club, Karate Club along with dozens of clubs were offered to me in high school. But despite the diversity of my school, I have never encountered the name of a Genshiken Club. After, I started to take interest in what this club is all about.

Surprisingly, as it turned out, there was almost nothing regarding the purpose of this club as shown in the anime; instead what we see is a group of people who socialize about their passions with each other without a fear of being seen as a stigma to Japanese society: being an Otaku.

First of all, I would like to say that despite my love for Anime (and maybe some Manga), I am not an Otaku (despite my hate of that word being used), and can no way be compared to some of the people portayed in the anime. If my hand breaks, I would either scream or go to the hospital in pain rather than continue to wait in line for a few magazines. If someone broke my Gundam model (if I ever decide to even watch one let alone build one), I would probably build another one. If my… oh you get the idea. My point is that I don’t know how accurate the description of the anime is or even how realistic the portrayal of the characters are. It is hard for me to approach the identity of each character due to too biasness. I’m pretty sure there are different levels of fanatics out there (and that I am no where on that level). But what I get out of this is Genshiken’s attempt to re-discover the sub-culture of Japan, to slowly work it’s way into publicity that is rarely seen. To take a peek at this area that is un-discovered and shunned by many people, Genshiken challenges people to view this type of people with more acceptance.

Kohsaka is an Otaku in the anime and is a member of Genshiken. In addition to that, there is a girl named Saki who likes him. As the anime progresses, we see how Saki opposes the Genshiken club as a whole but ultimately finds the people of the club acceptable. What it takes to be an Otaku is out of my imagination and I know nothing other than the fact that there criticized. Genshiken tries to shatter the stereotype of these people as being unsociable, disliked, and friendless.

All of the characters in Genshiken were enjoyable to watch. From the doujin-fanatic Madarame, to the almost all Otaku hating Saki, to Sasahara who is in the midst of discovering his passion for the ‘visual culture of Japan’. In the end, each character did not feel strange to me nor did they feel too unique to me. Instead, I am able to relate to each character’s feelings and understand the actions and responses they up forth. If you try and look for something unique in the characters, you will find it. But if you look outside the unexpected, you will see that these people are…well… just people with a love for something.

In addition, the animation and music were both well done. Character designs were interesting and made to stereotype what Otakus would look like. But as we see, Kohsaka looks ‘ordinary’ and even has a girlfriend. Furthermore, the soundtrack is great. I especially liked the opening theme also.

The Breakdown
All in all, Genshiken is a great anime that goes over an area of Japan’s sub-culture that is rarely explored and greatly discriminated against. I feel like hugging an Otaku…*looks around….hugs self*… j/k

Synopsis
Momoko yearns to live in 18th century Versailles, rather than in her back-country hometown of Shimotsuma. To escape, she loses herself in the dreamy, doll-like fasions of the “Lolita” scene. Her idol is Akinori Isobe, chief designer of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright - her favorite design house - and she frequently travels all the way to Tokyo to shop at the store.

One languid summer, to help fund her expensive hobby, Momoko runs a classified ad offering brand-name knock-off clothes for sale. She encounters a buyer named Ichigo, who happens to live in her neighborbood.

Super-rebel Ichigo is a “Yanki”-style member of the Ponytails motorbike gang, one of Ibaraki’s Wild Speed Tribes, whose teeth-rattling customized bikes are decked out with fiberglass shields and bannered backrests.

Somewhat against Momoko’s will, she and Ichigo slowly develop a strong friendship as they share their feelings on the odd going-ons around them.

Review
Talk about pairing an odd couple together. Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogari) is a hilarious movie about two high school girls with two way different personalities. Momoko Ryugasaki (Kyoko Fukada) is a rococo obsessed teen who dresses in the odd but cute Lolita style. Ichigo Shirayuri (Anna Tsuchiya) is a ‘yanki,’ a female biker gang member. As the show begins and Momoko narrates through her life, you are given laugh after laugh after laugh. I just cannot believe how this show just puts a smile on my face from the beginning to the end.

Kamikaze Girls finds a way to humor the viewer, whether it is some quick hitter dialogues, or the action on the screen. It is, simply put, a total entertainment package. The acting was great, and the jokes work. Momoko’s range or attires throughout was pretty. I think it is illegal to be that cute. On the other hand we have Ichigo, who has a lame Jusco (a large department store in Japan) influenced attire. While it was funny how the show portrayed Jusco, it is still a nice place to shop at!

The plot of Kamikaze Girls at first revolves around Momoko and how she isolates herself from other people. Then comes Ichiko (notice I said, ‘Ichiko’) who pays Momoko a visit after seeing her advertisement on the bootleg Versach (notice I spelled Versach and not otherwise) leftovers that her father had put away because of an incident that happened earlier which lead them to move from the city to Shimotsuma. After their first encounter, Ichiko becomes a frequent guest of Momoko’s house and that is how their friendship begins.

As the story progresses in a steady yet jaw dropping, stomach turning, laugh out loud inducing pace, we learn the background histories of both of our heroines: Momoko, who has always been mature for her age and Ichigo, who began as a goodie goodie nerd to a rude, saliva spiting punk. Their personalities certainly are not the most compatible, but the movie relies on their constant clashing of different views and beliefs. It is a show that focuses on friendships, and how even if people are brought up in separate worlds or are complete polar opposites of one another, a special bond could be found where nobody thought could be at first, as a long as a point of interest exists between each other.

The Breakdown
Kamikaze Girls is an instant classic. The fun that accompanies this show is superb. You would find yourself enjoying this no matter how many times you replay it… except unless maybe if you re-watch it twenty-four, seven; then it is not the movie that is the problem, somebody needs some help. ^_^.

Synopsis
Scantily clad space princess Kahm arrives on Earth to shake things up! As her father’s armada pummels the Earth’s forces, the busty space maiden plunders the planet in search of a good man to call her own. Soon hapless Earthling Tetsuya finds himself caught between the alien invaders and the warrior woman who would be his wife!

Review
Outlanders is a very simple concept. We have an alien, Kahm, and a human, Tetsuya. We have a marriage between them, and then as a result, Earth will be saved from destruction due to their bond. It certainly does not sound all too impressive, but this show has definitely delivered in terms of quick hitting entertainment. Outlanders, begins with Kahm looking as if she was doing the wiping out of the Earth herself, but as the slicing and dicing was going on, photographer Tetsuya finds himself unable to point his camera away from Kahm and run for safety. As the shutter snaps, Kahm notices Tetsuya and comes after him. During the process we discover that he is not just a photographer, but a perverted one at that. :).

You can pretty much expect what is going to happen, when Tetsuya gets dragged into space for a joy ride (no, not ‘that’ joy ride ^_^). Troubles brew from left and right and Kahm and her friends will have to battle it out with their enemy in order for peace to finally come between Kahm and Tetsuya.

Outlanders is a great short show for those who want to try something new in terms of flavor. The quick pace and entertaining plot are great attributes that make this piece fun for its forty-eight minutes run time. There is minimal character development and the show stays focused throughout; which is bringing Kahm and Tetsuya together no matter the obstacle put in between them. This anime also incorporates its comedy very well. There are chuckles here and here, laughter there and there. Outlanders just provides the viewers with an enjoyable experience.

The Breakdown
This is definitely a title I would recommend for a viewer who wants low commitment, but high fulfillment in return.

Synopsis
It’s a blast from the past as the Fool reveals Sora’s journey to becoming a Kaliedo Star. But Sora’s glory is short lived as two new rivals appear at Kaleido Stage and steal the spotlight.

As her stage time is usurped by the dashing Leon Oswald, an Asian beauty named May Wong appears and proclaims herself the next Layla Hamilton. She is certain to win a leading role, and if she’s lucky, Leon’s attention. But they are not the only unexpected newcomers to Kaleido Stage. One little runaway will find herself in some very hot water thanks to Sora’s never-ending eagerness to help!

Review
I have always been intrigued by what Kaleido Star has to offer. Its’ unique look grabbed my attention from the get go. There are some series where you can just pick it out and say this is going to be special, and for me, this is one of them. The second season commences with Fool narrating the events that had taken place in the first season to lead to where they are now. For a fresh Kaleido Star viewer, it helped me a ton in grasping some aspects of the show. Although the experienced viewers whom have watched the first season might not like the recap episodes; well buddy let me break it to you, deal with it.

After all the drama that occurred in the prior season, the crew of Kaleido Stage try everything they could to begin a new Kaleido stage. If you are new to the show, it might not make sense to you what I just said, but the Kaleido stage was screwed over by Yuri as he forcefully takes over and disbanded the whole Kaleido performance team. With Sora’s un-withering spirit she looks for other ways where she could deliver her abilities. One of it was to perform at an amusement park… a lot of trials are put in front her and as she attempts to tackle them one after another the viewers benefit from the quite hilarious experience.

Kaleido Stars’ fault has to be the English dub, I feel like sometimes the voice actors had to slow their dialogue down, just so the lip movements are in-sync. It sounds horrible when that happens, yet it is bearable. If anything, refer to the Japanese dialogue and subtitles, your life will definitely be better.

The Breakdown
Season two seems to be getting off the right foot. With rivals arriving and drama and comedy to be recognized. We are in for a real treat.

Synopsis
Mars is now almost entirely covered in water. Humanity exists in large city-ships that float through the open seas. But life is hard for those who live on Mars – the economy is in bad shape, work is scarce, and food is expensive and highly prized. Gram and his friends try to do the best they can, but the work keeps drying up. Some have taken to a life of piracy to combat the corruption in the government; one such group is the pirates of the feared Ship of Aurora. And the Earth government, which rules Mars, has dispatched a new team of military pilots to combat them. In their specialized mecha called Round Bucklers, they must make the seas of Mars safe for humanity. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Gram finds himself on the run with the most notorious pirates on Mars. But here’s on thing – he’s starting to like them!

Review
Here is one of those rare anime shows where the main character, Gram, takes the presumably “evil” side of things. Of course it did not start that way until he got fired yet again from his job. Having nothing to do, he is approached with a job. The job? Stealing rations and things from the Mars government and selling it back to the “poor.” Gram, knowing who he was dealing with, declines the offer, but his friend, Bon, on the other hand accepts the job behind Gram’s back and here is where all the trouble begins to brew.

The Ship of Aurora, also known as the pirate ship decides to attack one of the ports so that they can go do whatever a pirate does. Coincidently, they attacked the same port as the dude who offered Gram the job. When Gram discovers that Bon accepted the job, he rushes to the location only to see the police seizing what the thieves were doing. When everyone scrambles, Gram grabs Bon and makes a run for it. As they come to a dead end, suddenly the Ship of Aurora hits the port and water starts to flood in the area. Upon nearly drowning in the Mars Ocean, Gram’s necklace begins to illuminate and a Round Buckler (RB) comes to his rescue. This RB is later on named the “Vector of Hope.”

The Mars Daybreak sounds so corny, but when you watch it, it becomes a totally different story. Probably the only part that was a bit slow was the first five minutes of the first episode. After that, the show cruises through and every second becomes a joy to watch. The plot is very intriguing in that it makes you wonder about the possibilities. What if this or what if that? And you better do this or is this going to happen next? I just love it when an anime sparks my brain power. The characters are all unique in a way. It feels like they all have a long story to tell about their backgrounds; especially the pirates of the Ship of Aurora and that just makes the show even more interesting. Of course speaking of characters, I cannot forget to mention the mecha designs. What we have here are underwater robots, not your usual land and air Gundams :). The way Gram and Yagami’s Round Bucklers are detailed, I just felt the urge to go out and buy a model of it if it existed. Hey maybe I will go check later.

Anyways, the Mars Daybreak has truly impressed me so far. Laughing and enjoying every bit of the moment seems so natural for me. The mixture of comedy, with an engaging story, and likable characters makes this anime an amazing feat. You will be sure to fall in love, when you check this piece out.

The Breakdown
The Mars Daybreak is astonishing. I am in love with everything that it is delivering to me. Be sure to not miss it!