Animesou.com

Synopsis
Ground Defense Force Mao-chan is set in modern Japan during a time of alien invasion. The three Japanese military forces, the Ground Force, the Air Force and the Sea Force are responsible for protecting Japan from these invaders, but there is a problem. They cannot fight back with their existing forces because the aliens are… too cute. Public support for their defensive actions would plummet if the citizens saw a bunch of heavily armed soldiers attacking the cute aliens, and that’s where the main characters come into play.

What better way to attack cute aliens than with cute soldiers? Certainly seeing an eight year old girl hitting a stuffed animal with a baton is not nearly as offensive as a soldier with a pistol. Mao-chan is the granddaughter of the general of the Defense Force. The general eagerly outfits her with the latest defensive technology, and happily shows off his cute granddaughter for all the world to see. Soon, the generals of the Air Force and Sea Force also employ their granddaughters, and so the team of Japan’s defenders has been formed. Three grade-schoolers.

Review
Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan is a very cute series with a youthful sense of humor. The main characters are as cute as can be, as are the aliens they must defend against. The episodes are quite short, only twelve minutes long, and each contain one alien falling to earth in a parachuting toy capsule only to be confronted and defeated by the three girls.

The animation is very good, as it would be expected from the makers of Love Hina, and the characters are well drawn and memorable. Their voice actors are also quite talented, though I found the three main character’s voices a bit too similar, and when they were off screen, it was hard to tell which one was talking. The piano music was also quite nice, but used way too often. Especially during the rediculously long transformation sequences in which the girls basically change their outfits. After a few episodes, that particular piano piece becomes quite annoying, not to mention the tranformation sequence itself.

The Breakdown
Looking past the minor flaws, there is a lot to enjoy about Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan, especially if you are able to get past the fact that it is a kid’s show. Those looking for another Love Hina will be sorely disapointed. There is no violence, there is no ecchi content, and everything is so sugarcoated that certain audiences will not be able to take it. It was definitely designed for the kawaii at heart, and if that describes you, don’t miss out on Ground Defense Force Mao-Chan.

Synopsis
Produced by GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and animated by Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell), FLCL takes animation to yet another level. Get ready for this shocking, funny, and right out freaky show about adolescence, expectations and alien intrigue. Naota wants to be normal. But with a talented brother leaving Japan for the US to play baseball, everyone now looks at him a bit differently. His brother’s girlfriend is acting strange and now there’s an even stranger girl hitting on him.
Literally.
With a bass guitar.
Oh, did I mention the robots that keep springing from his head?

Review
Let us take a moment and ask ourselves, “What in the hell is FLCL (Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri)?” This zany yet hilarious Anime is by far a one of a kind. Just after watching the first episode got me attached to FLCL. Where could you find someone using seaweed as fake eyebrows? Where could you find a kid with strange stuff growing from his head? and where could you find a lady bashing things (preferably people) with her guitar as she is speeding on a moped? You sure as heck cannot find it anywhere else than in FLCL. When I first heard about the title I was curious of what GAINAX was going to put on the table. So I searched around the Internet and immediately found a picture of Haruhara Haruko within a picture, picking her nose as This has got to be on my all time favorites list. Short and sweet are two adjectives that could be used to describe FLCL.

Now, I know a lot of fans would disagree with me on the short part. I assume they would have liked more. But life is not perfect, so you really cannot expect Anime to be perfect. A good example of how FLCL is not perfect is how it is distributed in the United States. Check out the strategy that was used by Synch-Point into distributing FLCL. A six episodes series, divided into three DVDs, hence creating two episodes per DVD. As if that was not bad enough, each DVD has a MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price) of $29.95. Still do not think it is bad enough? Check out the release dates: Volume 1 – August 25, 2002 | Volume 2 – February 25 2003 | Volume 3 – July 22, 2003. Oh wow, thank god I had other series to watch other than FLCL during its’ release period. Heck I did not even invest in FLCL until a few months ago, after everything came out. I understand that Synch-Point is an up and coming distributing company, but dang, those are some huge gaps between releases. Most I ever encountered was a two month gap and that was for GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka), which is a longer series, with more episodes in the DVD and for the most part, more entertaining than FLCL. But oh wells, good thing everything has past now, and fans could enjoy FLCL without experiencing the release gaps anymore.

The Breakdown
So there you have it, FLCL is a great piece; that is the best I could conclude this review at 4:32 in the morning.

Synopsis
Space age technology transforms girl-phobic Junta into the infamous Mega-Playboy! (He hasn’t got any special powers, but the force of his charm is superhuman.) All the prettiest girls in school fall madly in love with him, and with so many in pursuit, mayhem is sure to follow!

Review
If you thought puking when experiencing something sexually stimulating was bad, think again. How about farting when you are nervous? Do not laugh; I am sure there are people in this world that propel methane gas when they are nervous, in this case, Kotomi Takanashi. But let us not get too ahead of volume two; Kotomi plays a role in the later episodes in this volume. So things are starting to get real interesting, Junta’s mega playboy DNA goes on and off at any given moment. He already has Tomoko, Ami and Karin in his grasp; well Ami is different from the other girls in a way, because she loves Junta for Junta, not the mega playboy.

The thing about Junta is that he likes Karin, not Ami or the other girls. So in episode three he goes and shops for a gift to show her his love for her. A simple task right? Well, not when you are limited by your life savings, which is five thousand yen. After much struggle with what he should get, Junta makes his purchase and bumps into Tomoko (Saeki). Tomoko who is one of the girls on mega playboy’s hit list quickly thinks that the necklace Junta had bought was for her. This causes the fun for us and the hell for him as he is forced to go shopping with Tomoko (Comon guys, we all know how it is when shopping with females :P). Anyways after some scenes Tomoko invites herself into Junta’s home and the necklace problem is solved… or is it? Now that the necklace is passed onto Ami, Junta is now in an even deeper problem than he was before. Since Ami is his childhood friend, he has to consider her feelings more. It would hurt her if he had just requested the necklace back from her. Ahhh! What to do now? As if this was not troublesome, a new girl gets on the mega playboy hit list!

You heard that right. Kotomi, who is Ami’s best friend, falls in love with Junta when she sees him in the mega playboy form on one sunny morning. Quite a twist we have here, because Kotomi at first had no feelings for Junta and Ami was on the verge of confessing her love to Junta, but now Ami knows about Kotomi’s feelings and they both are best friends… Ami would leave the triangle (well, not really a triangle considering the other girls involved with Junta). The main focus of volume two finally comes in as the story merges Kotomi into all of the fuss. As I have pointed out earlier, Kotomi has a gassing problem when she gets nervous. Funny and sad at the same time; funny in that she passed gas at the right and wrong time (right time, because Ami was confessing her love to Junta and this prevented it, wrong time, because Ami was in the act of confessing to Junta!!) Sad, in that she went out and change her whole image because her mind set was that, “It is the exterior that counts, not the interior.” (Basically, low self-esteem) Pretty typical mind set for some girls nowadays. Girls, trust me, guys prefer personality than a pretty face. What kind of stupid relationship will it be if you only loved someone for their looks? Humans do age; a pretty face will not last forever. If a guy loves you only for your looks, then you should move on, as that kind of guy will always pursue looks, not love. So anyways moving back to DNA2, I do not think you would be too proud of yourself if you dropped a bomb in front of the person you love or like. As a result, Kotomi changes herself and whew, she is a completely different person than she was before. I am sure Kotomi will give a lot of problems to Karin as the volume comes to an end with Kotomi wearing a leotard for Junta at the school gymnasium.

The Breakdown
DNA2 is moving smoothly and as I continue to watch the series, I become more eager to watch what is coming up next. My views on this series have changed dramatically and for the good due to volume two. It might be the same for you, so if you doubted to continue the series after watching volume one, consider again as it might grab your attention later on.

Synopsis
Beautiful but bungling time traveler Karin Aoi accidentally transforms a high school loser into the super-charming Mega-Playboy, with disastrous results. The Mega-Playboy wreaks havoc throughout the school, wooing every female in his path. Worse, Karin finds herself falling for her own flirtatious creation. If she cures him, she’ll lose the only man she’s ever loved, but if she doesn’t, the Mega-Playboy will break the heart of every girl on Earth!

Review
So here we are, DNA2: Mutation, volume three of a five volume series. The show starts off strong as we begin where we left off… somewhere along the summit of Mount Everest is the analogy I like to use lately ^_^. Anyhow Junta is one lucky dude because Kotomi is dressed in a leotard solely just to get his attention. This strategy worked as Junta puked all over the place in front of Kotomi. After some dialogue, he tells Kotomi that he also has a condition that is more embarrassing than hers. At the end of this scene they both agree to help cure each other’s condition, yeah sure, here comes the fun.

Things get really hot and spicy as each episode in this volume portrayed a relationship that mega playboy has with the girls, Kotomi, Ami and then Tomoko. But that is not the most important point that this volume brings up. The most important point this volume brings up is that, “Is the mega playboy really a bad person who got a hundred women pregnant?” From the looks of what happened to Kotomi, the answer is, “No.” The mega playboy did not take advantage of her when she was willing to give in to him, and his words were not the cheesy lines that guys use to pick up girls from the streets. This led me to think that Junta has some idea of what is going on when the mega playboy DNA takes over his body. You guys do remember that Junta promised Karin that nothing was going to happen between Kotomi and him, and it turned out that there really was not anything between them, as Junta helped cured Kotomi’s condition by… check it out, you will see :P.

With all this commotion due to Kotomi, Ami begins to avoid Junta, Karin begins to realize her love for Junta bit by bit and Tomoko makes out with Junta (mega playboy) in front of Ryuji (ex-boyfriend who will not let go). Is not that the only love square? I can tell you this though, by the end of this volume, the square will turn into a triangle. Anyways, I mentioned that Mega Playboy was making out with Tomoko on the roof with Ryuji watching up close and personal, and Ami watching behind the roof door. There is also another guest that does not appear on the same roof as them, but on the roof of the building across from them. As soon as Mega Playboy and Tomoko plug lips, Karin fires a DCM bullet, this time, the correct bullet at Mega Playboy, problem is that, her aim was off due to her emotional reaction with what was happening, thus, causing Ryuji to be accidentally shot by a DCM bullet. The volume comes to an end as Ryuji changes to Tomoko; basically, the DCM bullet that he was shot with gave him the ability to shape shift. Hence, you can feel the havoc that is about to be unleashed in the upcoming episodes Stay tuned!

The Breakdown
I am pretty much used to surprises, and Ryuji being shot with a DCM bullet was sure surprsing but I adjusted to it quickly. Although at first I did not like the fact that he was shot, but I do not know how it will turn out yet, so it might be for the better of the series. Look forward to the volume four review!

Synopsis
Start with your balanced team of female adventurers: a resourceful and hard working treasure hunter, a dedicated priestess of Mylee with healing and holy magic, and an expert sword and hand to hand fighter. What’s missing? Blazing and powerful black magic! However, all the female magicians in Orphan are weak, unwilling to depart from their studies. The only available magician happens to be a hentai brawling MALE not to mention moron named Louie. Through a disastrous turn of events, their fates become intertwined for the better and for worse…

Review
Rune Soldier seems to be a misleading heading for the series. The japanese original is Mahou Senshi Riui (Louie). Rune alludes to a magical relic, charm, or instrument. Soldier, well, there technically are none except for the palace guards and king’s forces. The only person remotely close is Genie, possibly an ex-soldier but more of a mercenary now. Rune Soldier tries to describe Louie who has more befitting titles as: hero, adventurer, magician, swordsman, sluggard, and idiot. Nevertheless, Rune Soldier is can be considered a non-chibified version of the Welcome of Lodoss Island sub-series of Record of Lodoss War TV: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. The jokes are better polished and not as corny.

The Breakdown
It may not have the widespread reputation in the anime community that Slayers and Record of Lodoss War have, but Rune Soldier definitely doesn’t lag behind with great animation and music. It packs enough humor to last not only the first time you watch it, but also every time after that.

Synopsis
Happy Lesson is the story of a troubled young man named Chitose Hitotose. After inheriting a massive house from his parents, Chitose found himself living a very lonely life, and he was on the edge of dropping out of High School. That’s when five of his teachers decided it would be a good idea to fill the role of Chitose’s mother. Suddenly Chitose’s life is turned upside-down as he finds himself living with five teacher/mothers.

Review
While it’s true that it is similar to many other animes that star a single male lead and a ton of girls under one roof, Happy Lesson separates itself from the others because none of the girls are in any way love interests to Chitose. Quite the opposite actually. Each of them takes their role as a Mother very seriously.

The relationships between the characters in Happy Lesson are very well developed. In addition to the mothers, Chitose’s older and younger sisters play important roles, and there are several other characters that have a strong impact on the storyline. Perhaps too many. There are no less than 9 female characters in this anime, and each one of them has an episode that is practically dedicated to them. With only 13 episodes, this leaves the main plot a little thin–if a main plot can even be established. In fact, the sudden ending screamed for a sequel, and thankfully, that sequel has been made. Still, on its own, Happy Lesson feels rather incomplete. Fortunately, the excellent character development keeps things interesting.

Visually, Happy Lesson is a fine display of modern animation. The character designs are for the most part creative, and the artwork is often worth taking a moment to pause just to look at. Bright colors and comedic antics make certain that there is always something worth looking at.

The music is also very good. I especially enjoyed the intro theme which was good enough to stop me from skipping the intro before every episode like I normally do. The harmonies in that particular song just ring true to me.

Most importantly, the main appeal of Happy Lesson is its sense of humor, which will either hit or miss. There are lots of visual gags that you’ve probably seen a million times before. It’s the way they are blown out of proportion that keeps things funny. It will only take one episode for you to know whether or not you want to watch it through to the end.

The Breakdown
The bottom line is that I truly enjoyed this anime. It didn’t have the greatest story in the world, but there was a lot to enjoy. It was definitely too short, but if that’s my biggest complaint, it only proves that it was good enough for me to want more. There is a ton of potential for the sequel, Happy Lesson Advance, which I am greatly looking forward to.

Synopsis
Happy Lesson Advance picks up directly after the events of the first Happy Lesson, which basically means it’s business as usual. Chitose is living with his five Mothers who are also his teachers in High School. Those familair with the first Happy Lesson will immediately recognize many of the other characters, including Chitose’s sisters and classmates. It’s the new face, Kuryuu Nagatsuki, that stirs up all the trouble and ultimately progresses the storyline.

Review
Like the first Happy Lesson, Happy Lesson Advance is largely episodic. Most of the episodes focus on one particular girl. When I reviewed Happy Lesson, I criticized that fact, stating that it weakened the overall plot. However, it has a different effect in Happy Lesson Advance because by the time I watched it, I was already very familiar with those characters, and so the emotional payoff is much stronger. As the episodes went by, I found myself enjoying them more and more, and became increasingly wary of the inevitable conclusion, which once again came far too soon for my tastes.

The ending is much better than the ending to the original Happy Lesson, and once again left me wanting more. I can only hope that a third series is in the works.

The animation in Happy Lesson Advance is not quite as fluid as in Happy Lesson. There are a lot of moments in which the only animation on screen is limited to a character’s lips. It’s not terrible by any means, but it is definitely a step in the wrong direction. Fortunately the background art is just as beautiful as in Happy Lesson.

The music also took a turn for the worse. The memorable theme from Happy Lesson was replaced by a new song which didn’t sit well with me. Very little music was memorable. In fact, thinking back on Happy Lesson Advance’s music, I can’t even remember a single melody.

The biggest evolution Happy Lesson Advance makes over its predecessor is its more dramatic tone. While the first Happy Lesson was almost entirely a comedy, more time in Happy Lesson Advance is spent in a strong vice of conflict. The jokes are still there, but pushed off to the side in favor of a stronger storyline, which I think pays off immensely.

The Breakdown
Happy Lesson Advance is a well designed sequel that should easily satisfy fans of the original. The ending really makes me want to watch more episodes, so here’s hoping for another season.

Synopsis
When Ryuuji meddles with technology he doesn’t understand, he is transformed into a dangerous shape-shifter. Unable to handle his new powers, Ryuuji sets out to take over the school, win the love of all the girls, and teach everyone who’s ever insulted him a painful lesson. Only his genetically altered classmate Junta can stop him, by becoming the most unlikely of heroes, the infamous Mega-Playboy!

Review
In this volume we continue with Ryuji as Tomoko in the men’s restroom. Boy is this dude a complete hentai; rubbing on his on butt thinking that he even replicated Tomoko’s body features. But, he does not notice until he wanted to take a peek of “Tomoko’s” chest. That is about all the fun parts you are going to be getting in volume four. This volume focuses on Ryuji trying to get revenge on Junta for stealing his girlfriend (Tomoko) away from him. Although I personally do not like Ryuji’s character, but I have to give him credit, because he was the first character I have seen that figured out his powers in a matter of a few minutes. You almost never see that in anime. A character usually takes a few episodes to truly utilize their new found powers. Take Ryu from Street Fighter V for an example, that dude took approximately ten episodes just to launch one hadoken. Quite an amazing accomplishment on Ryuji’s part… Hooray!

Anyhoo, set to make Junta’s life miserable, Ryuji shape shifts into Junta and attacks Ami. With Ami now hating the real Junta, Ryuji makes his move with Tomoko as well. Now that he is causing all this trouble, he makes a challenge to Junta. But of course, we would not think that the actual Junta could have a chance in a battle with Ryuji right? The Mega Playboy must be brought out in order to attain even a slight winning chance. Problem is though, the possibility of Junta remaining as the mega playboy the next time he changes is ninety-eight percent. Karin would not allow that to happen, so she takes on Ryuji herself. With the power crazed Ryuji sucking up the many DNA of fighters he invited into his mansion, he has stolen their various fighting abilities to accommodate for his powers. Now that he is all juiced up, he is even more unstoppable. What will Junta or Mega Playboy do now?

This is by far the most action packed volume of DNA2. And as a result of the action, we could see that Mega Playboy is not only powerful, but not that bad of a person at all. The true relationships are also shown as a result of the action in this volume. Ami confesses to Junta, Junta accepts her love, sort of, because Karin returns for more fun, after she left for home for a brief moment of the show. What more is there to this series? Ryuji is defeated, and now a new character? Whoa, the creators are not letting this show slide out with just a little battle between Junta and Ryuji. Next up, volume five, look forward to it.

The Breakdown
A new character is about to emerge, what role will she play? How will Junta, Ami and Karin’s love triangle hold out? I really do not know, let us hope it would not be a disappointing ending.

Synopsis
Maison Ikkoku from VIZ: Because Home is Where the Heart Lives. Maison Ikkoku is a story which takes place in Japan. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen anywhere. Here is a romance the way it was meant to be - a romance its creator, Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha), meant it to be - a story of a ronin named Yusaku Godai, and the building’s new manager, a woman who hids a secret sadness, Kyoko Otonashi. It all happens here, in a a rundown Tokyo boarding house…known as Maison Ikkoku.

Review
This is one of my favorite anime series of all time, so perhaps I am a little biased. I simply see this as one of the best romantic comedies ever written. Done by the queen of the genre, Rumiko Takahashi, Maison Ikkoku (only the second series Takahashi ever wrote) is the most touching of all her work. Maison Ikkoku is set in Japan in the 1980s, the actual time that the 15 volume manga which was the basis for the anime; the result is one of the best examinations of regular life in Japan. It’s so quintessentially Japanese that a number of anime reference books use the series to highlight aspects of Japanese culture.

However, the humor and romance will appeal to anyone with a sense of humor, or romance. The comic usage of misunderstandings is straight from Shakespeare, and any fan of screwball comedies will be rolling on the floor with laughter. But the characters are grounded in reality, and moments of drama and romance will often take you by surprise. Godai matures as the series progresses, he’s only 19 when the series starts, and we see Kyoko overcome the massive loss she suffered.

The only problem I had with this box set was the awful english dub. The voices for Kyoko and Godai simply didn’t match the character’s personalites. I can only recommend the original japanese (the subtitles are a very good translation). My only other complaint (even though it’s not an important one) is the fact there aren’t any real extras on the DVDs. I was just hoping to maybe get some cultural notes, or perhaps an interview with Ms. Takahashi (are you listening Viz?)

Overall, this DVD set is a must have for anyone interested in Japan, any fan of Ms. Takahashi, (Ranma, Inu-Yasha), as it is her best work, or any lover of comedy, romance or the combination thereof.

The Breakdown
Pick this up ASAP, you’ll thank me (nay, worship at my feet) for letting you in on one of the best anime series ever put to film.

Synopsis
Junta’s teenage great-granddaughter Lulara appears from the future, but not for a joyful family reunion. To save her own life and the future of all her kin, she’s determined to permanently transform Junta into the Mega-Playboy. His one chance for survival may be to destroy his flirtatious alter-ego… but if he succeeds, his great-granddaughter might disappear forever!

Review
Just when I thought volume four was the end of DNA2, more is added to it. In volume five, as the synopsis stated, Lulara, Junta’s great granddaughter time travels back to his time along with Mori (her master) to activate Junta’s mega playboy DNA. If this task is accomplished, Junta and his descendents will all be under Mori’s control. Quite a bright idea is not it? You have a mega playboy in Junta who could get any women in the sacks and then have a whole army of mega playboys with both the abilities to charm the ladies and fight with usual prowess. It is the perfect army anyone could ask for. But it would not be easy to accomplish their evil plans. Karin defends for her life in this volume as Mori is set to take her out with his little posse, which includes Ryuji, Lulara, and… Junta!

What? Junta?! You heard that right, Mori sent Lulara to shoot Junta with a DCM bullet that also had the ability to control a person according to his likings. So now that Junta is under Mori’s control, Karin has no chance in winning the fight; she does put up a good one however. Anyways, what could be done, now that Junta is on the evil side? Absolutely no one could do anything except for himself. That is right; Junta’s DNA has not been stabilized yet, so he flashes back to the normal Junta back and forth. Mori’s going crazy as a result of Junta changing back and forth, till finally he is not able to control him anymore.

The ending of this series was not as good as I thought. I firmly believe that if DNA2 had ended with episodes loaded with fun, it would be better. Although, if that was done, we as fans would want more, hence, giving us an unwanted obsession over DNA2, in which I would not be pleased with, because there are other things I have to get to as an anime reviewer. We have come a long way, fifteen episodes seemed as it was twenty plus episodes. DNA2 is a fun adventure that has all the elements of a great anime series. Sigh… time to move onto another series :(.

The Breakdown
DNA2 is a great series that all fans of the ecchi humor genre should pay attention to.