Animesou.com

Synopsis
Thinking that she can never see her boyfriend again, Moe Katsuragi’s despair summons a spunky soul collecting apprentice spirit of death naed Risky. Risky urges Moe to depart the mortal realm, leaving behind her precious sould until a glimmer of hope and a brief smile on Moe’s face cause Risky to tranform into Safety, a polite and proper apprentice angel who just happens to share a body with Risky. Accompanied by a feisty devil and delicate angel, Moe’s life suddenly becomes a humorous and touching trial of balancing her love life with protecting her schoolmates from Risky’s devilish clutches.

Review
I took a chance with this DVD, the first ever release from AN Entertainment. I usually don’t like cutsey shows, and I’d never heard of this one before, but my curiosity got the better of me. What a good choice it was! Risky Safety is a really charming little gem that anybody will love, regardless of whether you’re an anime fan or not. The characterizations are just so appealing, and the story is really well written.

Although at first glance Risky Safety appears to be a ‘kiddy’ anime, (and it does have some kiddy parts) for the most part it is a just a really wholesome, funny, and sweet show.

Moe is a an excellent character. She’s a normal schoogirl with normal problems. Well, other than the angel and devil fighting for control of her soul. Speaking of them, Risky and Safety are great too. They are equally goofy and inept at their respective jobs, which makes for great comedy.

Risky Safety is a just a good anime, plain and simple. At the end of this DVD (which just happens to end in the middle of a story arc) I wanted to rush back to the video store and get the next volume. I’m sure that if you give it a try, you’ll do the same.

The Breakdown
Risky Safety is a simple, old fashioned,just plain fun anime. Check it out.

Synopsis
Welcome to Mipross Island, the Promised Island, known for its impenetrable fog that is so dense that not even birds can fly freely through it. At a certain time each year marked by the appearance of fairy souls, the island unveils itself and accepts visitors from the continent. According to legend, there is an ancient site that dates back to the time elves once roamed. It is at that site where the past and the present overlap allowing you a glimpse of the future.

Review
Meet the world renown Lina Inverse, the robber killer. Even mighty dragons would run away after speaking her name. Alongside is Naga, the white serpent, Lina’s most powerful and foremost rival. They are quite the dirty pair: Lina specializing in fire and elemental spells while Naga prides herself on her ice and summoning magic. Initially coming to Mipross to vacation at its famous hot springs, they soon find themselves fighting through the 10 strongest men on the island. Girl power~! Of course it all comes back to the great legend of the island and correcting the present history.

The Breakdown
Outstanding scores in all areas. If you liked the movie, you’ll like the series. If you liked the series, you’ll like the movie.

Synopsis
The village of Biatz, famous for its nearby elven community and an important something or other. Treasure? Perhaps. It was an object that the elves warned was not to be touched. If it were, it was said that Biatz would be destroyed. It is at this time generations later that an evil-minded sorcerer seeks the power of the ancient relic. Why? With such power one can easily take over the world. Or so it was thought…

Review
Slayers Returns (kinda like Batman Returns) is the second movie setting prior to the original Slayers anime series, Next, and Try. Like its predecessor, the main heroines are the ever so glamorous Nahga the serpent and her underling Lina Inverse. The villain, hardly a worthy match as Joyrock in Slayers the Motion Picture, Lord Galef and his band of lesser demons enslaves the Biatz villagers and forces them to excavate the relic. Lina with her eye set on the treasure and secondly on beating evildoers wherever they may be makes way towards Biatz. Things get more complicated as the treasure is not all that it seems.

The Breakdown
If you have seen the series first, you’ll like the movie. If you watched the movie before ever watching the series, you’ll like the series even more. Doesn’t really matter which you see first.

Synopsis
Anything Mutsumi Goro does in life, he is so unlucky. He always gets on the train late. It rains on the day he neglects to bring an umbrella. The company where he was finally able to get a job just went bankrupt. Afterwards, he can’t even get a part time job. He is two months behind in rent for his apartment and begs his parents to send him money. Worse, he has never gone out on a date with a woman. But, that is all about to change when a fortuneteller enchants Goro’s cell phone. As he gets out from taking a bath, three guardian angels have already arrived.

Review
Ran, Tsubasa, Kurumi, Tamami, Mika, Nana, Ayumi, Akane, Yuki, Midori, Momo, and Ruru. Twelve guardian angels that were once the souls of pet animals that Mutsumi Goro raised as a child but all died tragically. They’ve now come back to return the favor for what he did for them in the past pledging to protect him even if they have to sacrifice themselves. A heart warming anime series, Angel’s Tail (Tenshi no Shippo) is directed by Kazuhiro Kochi and produced by Wonderfarm, also known for its work in Hand Maid May.

The Breakdown
Angel’s Tail has more to offer than Hand Maid May and Ah! My Goddess. If it stretched 26 episodes then it might be on equal standing to Love Hina and Fruits Basket.

Synopsis
The beginning of each episode starts with the following monologue: Where monsters rampage, I’m there to take them down. Where treasure glitters, I’m there to claim it. Where an enemy rises to face me, victory will be mine! If you add to that the line Where there is the sweet aroma of food, I’m there to eat to my heart’s content, then you’ll have a basic overview of the life of Lina Inverse, the sorcery genius.

Review
Hailed as the best of the fantasy genre, Slayers is the story of the heroine Lina Inverse who one night storms into an evil bandit hideout and robs them of their treasure all in the name of vanquishing tyranny. That simple task from episode 1 soon rebounds into dire consequences all because of what she stole. Men shrouded in mystery - Rezo, one of the five wise men of the age, and Zelgadis, a chimera - pursue her. Endless streams of monsters ranging from a flying dragon and a sea dragon, trolls, skeletons, mantis warriors, golems, berserkers, a wolfman, a fish creature, and a five-eyed demon await Lina on every step of her adventure. No woman should stand alone against the forces of evil for she is joined by Gouury, a blond haired master swordsman a wielder of the legendary sword of light. Keep fighting, Lina! Never say die, Lina!

The Breakdown
One of the best anime series ever. Slayers has a solid storyline, hilarious dialogue, memorable characters, and all the fantasy elements to make this a smash hit.

Synopsis
Of all the books of sorcery without exception the most famous one is the Claire Bible. It in itself is a legend imparted to the world. Supposedly, inscribed is the remaining knowledge of the Water Dragon King after he exhausted all of his strength in the battle with the Demon Lord Shabranigdo 1000 years ago. It is a mysterious book, which faithfully records the deepest secrets of sorcery unknown to the dark lords and demons of the netherworld. Those who have been touched by this knowledge wrote it down in various forms. Those different versions are known as Claire Bible manuscripts.

Review
By popular opinion, Slayers Next is the best out of the three series, Season 1 and Try. Next is a continuation of the storyline from Season 1 setting several months after Amelia, Lina and Gouury, and Zelgadis have parted ways. They reunite in the distant kingdom of Xoana and from there travel the ends of world in search of manuscripts of the Claire Bible. From Season 1, Zelgadis risks everything to reverse Rezo’s spell and turn himself from a chimera back to a normal human being. Two new characters join the adventure. Martina the Princess of Xoana, who once lived a life of luxury, vengefully stalks Lina. The second is Beast Master Xellos, the mysterious and powerful priest, who has his own agenda. The closing of the series, episode 23, marks the return of Sylphiel and the swordsman Zangulus. With all these characters you can be assured of one thing: Lina Inverse will never stop, and she will let no one stand in her way!

The Breakdown
No doubt one of the best anime series of all time.

Synopsis
A thousand years have passed since the battle with the Demon Lord Shabranigdo. At his final moments, Shabranigdo, using the powers of darkness, erected a magical barrier to curse the inhabitants, entrapping them. Thus, it was made impossible for anyone to get into and out of the country. That was until a very beautiful, powerful sorcerer genius otherwise known as Lina Inverse defeated both the Dragon King Gaav and Hellmaster Phibrizzo, retainers to Shabranigdo. A pillar of light shines from a distant land beckoning them…

Review
The final installment of the Slayers series, this three-letter word Try is the third season of quite possibly the greatest of all fantasy anime. There are three races: the gods, demons, and human beings that serve as a catalyst combining the powers of the other two. The final line of Season 1’s opening Get along, Try again! represents Lina’s determination never to give up against the forces of evil, even one as great as the prince of darkness Dark Star - a creature as powerful as Shabranigdo. Try extends the storyline from Slayers Next setting months after Amelia, Lina and Gouury, and Zelgadis have separated. Zelgadis still hopes to find a spell to reverse the chimera process by journeying to the unknown lands beyond the barrier. Xellos and Amelia are there for official business. Two new characters are introduced. In place of Sylphiel is Filia, the strong yet easily tempered shrine maiden from the Golden Dragon clan who solicits the help of Lina. The second is Valgaav, belonging to the black Ancient Dragons reborn as a demon through the powers of Gaav. He seeks to avenge Gaav’s death by disposing of Lina permanently.

The Breakdown
Slightly behind Season 1 and Next, but the Slayers series is one of the best!

Synopsis
A party of three, Merrill, Genie, and Melissa can defeat anything and everything on their adventures across the world. With Merill’s powers of thievery, Genie’s warrior abilities, and Melissa’s power of prayer, they are a triad of unstoppable force. Unfortunately enough, none of them know magic, and on their latest adventure, they happen to get stuck raiding an old ruin because of a magic seal. So they go to the local town and try to hire a woman magician. Even more unfortunately, all the women in the town who are aspiring magicians are more interested in studying than going out on adventures. So they decide  to hire a maverick magician, a male known as Louie, to help them out. Little did they know the stupidity that came with him…

Review
Funny is all I can say about this show. From the director of the serious-minded fantastical series known as Record of Lodoss War, I was expecting something just as serious and epic. In the first 5 minutes I was proven entirely wrong. Rune Soldier is all about stupidity and the reactions of said stupidity. If Louie isn’t doing one dumb thing, it’s another entirely. He’s so poor at magic that instead of actually using magic he’s more intent on using his fists to pummel his enemies into submission. Dumb enough is he that he uses his wand as a baseball bat, breaking it in the process, which causes a proverbial outcry from the women of his team. This of course causes another adventure to occur in which Louie has to go find some special wood in a deadly forest to restore his magic wand which he barely knows how to use. And of course, there’s always that part with him swinging the boar. Extremely funny stuff.

The Breakdown
It’s funny, it sounds great, it’s animated well, and the stories are great episodic pieces. There’s not much to not like. But, if your like some of my friends, you may not like this by default if your one for action-only anime and do not like Japanese-centric humor. If your not like that, buy now!

Synopsis
Anata wa Takogo, sung by Ruma (Shiratori Yuri), explains it all: ‘Teach me about your love. I don’t understand tete chichi kaka popo. As you eat the octopus, you’ll lose it. Your words can’t reach me.’ It is spoken of in legend that a demon cursed the humans that ate the octopi. What’s more, the demon bestowed upon the octopi a strong guardian. To prevent its release, heroes sealed the guardian in a shrine deep beneath the ocean. Now an evil sorcerer has broken the seal and all hell breaks lose.

Review
The final Slayers release to date, Slayers Premium, movie number five for those of you counting, hit the theaters of Japan in July 2001. What makes Premium exceptional is that it features the characters from the TV series - Gouury, Zelgadis, Amelia, and Xellos. The timeline of the movie is a side quest set in between Slayers Next and Slayers Try; Gouury is still equipped with the sword of light and Lina wears Xellos’s blood talismans. Nahga, the white serpent, finally catches up with Lina but only gets a few seconds of fame in the movie. No appearances by Sylphiel, Filia, or Prince Phil though. Following the trend in all the movies is a new female lead character named Ruma, a white mage.

The Breakdown
Not the usual Lina and Nahga combination. The top characters of the TV series make their return with same humor, excitement, and fun as Slayers Next.

Synopsis
Excel Saga is quite possibly one of the most bizzare creations in the history of anime. There have been many strange animes over the years (FLCL, Jungle wa Itsumo Hare nochi Guu), but Excel Saga manages to stand out as something truly unique.

Review
The story centers around Excel, a highly excitable girl who is completely loyal to the mysterious organization Across and her commander, Lord Llpalazzo. Throughout the course of the series she receives and obeys her orders to the best of her ability. Across’ goal is to take over F City as a ‘realistic’ first step towards world domination. …not that any of that matters though, since at its heart, Excel Saga is a completely random comedy which varies so greatly from episode to episode that the overall storyline is quite secondary.

Excel Saga has a tremendous sense of humor that never lets up. The jokes are endless. Each episode begins with Koshi Rikdo (Creator) giving his approval to change Excel Saga’s genre. Through this plot mechanic, Excel Saga covers almost every common anime genre in existance today. After the ending credits, Excel previews the next episode while speaking at lightning fast speeds. These previews rarely describe the next episode in detail, but are always humourous and entertaining and should not be skipped. The end credits feature a dog named Menchi singing about her lot in life while a woman in the background translates. As simple as that sounds, after having watched those credits roll 26 times, I never got sick of it, and always laughed as I watched it. That is a rarity in and of itself. Also, Excel Saga frequently parodies other anime including Fist of the North Star, Di Gi Charot, Great Teacher Onizuka and Galaxy Express 999-just to name a few. Fans of any of the parodied anime will find that much more to enjoy about Excel Saga.

Excel Saga manages to stay funny from start to finish. You will laugh, you might cry, and you will definitely be scratching your head, but above all, you will enjoy Excel Saga.

The Breakdown
Bottom line, if you like to laugh, watch Excel Saga.