Animesou.com

Synopsis
If you’re on his hit list… you’re already dead. On his 62nd birthday, oil baron Leonard Dawson witnesses the public assassination of his son and heir, Robert. From this point on, Leonard becomes obsessed with revenge on the hitman - code name: GOLGO 13. Dawson spares nothing to enlist the CIA, FBI, and U.S. military in an unrelenting manhunt for his son’s killer. As GOLGO’s survival depends on stopping Dawson himself, the hunter and the hunted chase each other in a breathless game of kill or be killed.

Review
Golgo 13 is back. Robert Dawson, the heir to the Leonard Dawson’s riches and business is suddenly assassinated. With his son capped (nice alternative term to shot I guess ;D) in the head and dead in his arms, he swore to find who had committed such act; even if it meant sacrificing his relatives. As Leonard Dawson gathers up information with his intelligence, Golgo takes up another job of assassinating a mafia leader. With only having the name of the leader and no pictures, Golgo sets to work his way in through the leader’s beautiful but deadly daughter.

Now here is where we see an example of his ‘charm’ that women see in him. After beating up some of her bodyguards, she invites him to her home and, obviously, well aware of whom he was and what his motives were, she proceeds to have sex with him anyways. For those who are lucky, they survived, and that of course is no one other than Golgo. For the unlucky men that messed with her, she had them killed after. I guess those are the sacrifices one must take in order to obtain something else? Oh wells.

When that job got taken cared of, it goes right back to Dawson’s son murder. As an oil baron, and his wealth, Dawson’s connections are second to none. I mean, CIA, the military, dangerous convicts and mercenaries? This guy just bribes everyone with his dollars. His obsession to kill Golgo and his ego did not want to believe the true reason behind Robert’s death. The story unfolds to a rather unexpected ending. It is a test of, whether you see what is in front of you or look for clues to look around instead. If you are a person to look for hints, then you can pretty much guess how it ended like me. But for those who like to watch instead of guess… umm… have fun? Hehe.

The Breakdown
I felt that the story gets dragged on at times. While Golgo 13 is a cool customer, ‘The Professional’ certainly is not. Just move on.

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!

Synopsis
In the wake of a worldwide disaster, the inhabitants of Candlestick Island struggle to rebuild their civilization. Here, a boy named Mangchi leads a sheltered like with his grandfather. Armed with his trusty hammer, Mangchi roams the island in search of adventure. When a fugitive princess named Poplar arrives with power hungry traitors hot on her heels, Mangchi must help her escape her enemies and return to her homeland. It’s to be Hammerboy’s adventure of a lifetime… If he survives!

Review
Hammerboy is a rare anime that tries to incorporate a brilliant story of a power hungry traitor who tries to take over a kingdom with a young boy, who one night, after rescuing a runaway princess, finds himself fighting to save and protect the people closest to him.

While watching this anime, I found an admiration for Mangchi. He is a kid who is at an age where he is still carefree and innocent, yet, at a point where ambitions and egos run wild as he tries to prove his strength and maturity. Watching further into the anime, I realized how much Mangchi changes and how much he grows as he struggles with hardship, suffering, and even death. But somehow, he finds himself growing stronger as hope, determination, and his will to become strong overcomes his frustration as it takes precedence during his journey. Mangchi only wants to do one thing: he wants to protect the people around him by becoming stronger.

In addition, the plot is short of being superficial or stale. Many different layers of stories are present in this anime. There is the main plot which is the fight against a usurper, but as the anime progresses, the plot branches out to some what of a side story. In the end, however, everything is carefully weaved and put together to explain the questions unanswered previously and to also explain the motives behind each characters.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is decent. Park Ji-yeon does a great job singing the theme song You Are My Hero

One thing I do have to disagree with which is the animation. The character designs were plain and very simple along with some of the background settings. Though I do admit there were some innovative designs like Candlestick Island, the majority of the anime with the looks of the castle and the props and even the tank gave me an impression that much of the animation was being neglected. I think there was even one point of the anime where it looked as if Poplar was cross-eyed when I looked at her face indirectly.

All in all, Hammerboy is a decent anime that can be enjoyable for the whole family. And who ever says that hammers are only tools, take out this anime and show them the hammer’s true power.

The Breakdown
A movie that’s 75 minutes long.

Synopsis
Beyond the Grave: In each hand he wields “CERUBERUS”, his twin handguns and on his back he carries a coffin filled with heavy weapons. Cloaked in darkness and smelling of the grave, he is back to kick ass!

Review
Brandon Heat works for the mob. He is one of the top hitmen in the top crime syndicates in the world, Millenion. Beyond all he is loyal to all that he holds dear. That loyalty however ends up costing Brandon everything. When his own best friend, Harry MacDowell, reveals to Brandon his intentions of taking over Millenion through force, Brandon pulls a gun on him. He struggles for a moment coping with his dilemma, as he must now choose between his loyalty to Millenion, and his loyalty to his best friend. Harry uses Brandon’s hesistation to his advantage however. Before Brandon has a chance to respond, Harry shoots Brandon several times in the chest, and then fires a final shot into Brandon’s left eye. Brandon Heat is dead.

This is where most animes would end. Not so with Gungrave. Back from the dead via Millenion’s own Necrolyzation process, Brandon Heat is back to get revenge on those that wronged him and to protect the legacy of the one he held dear. However, he is no longer Brandon Heat. He is now, and forever will be: Beyond the Grave.

Gungrave admittedly has a silly sounding story at first. An ex-mobster comes back from the dead via science to get those that wronged him. Sounds like another goofy anime storyline at first. However, it is surprising how deep Gungrave really is once you give it a chance. The story weaves and turns, and tells tales of love lost, betrayal, friendship, revenge, and forgiveness. Gungrave, despite it’s odd setup, really has as good of a storyline or in most cases an even better storyline than most of your more typical anime fare.

Gungrave doesn’t simply tell the tale of revenge. Beyond the Grave isn’t a mindless zombie fighting enemies he no longer remembers. In truth, Grave has lost some of his memories from the old days, and struggles to get them back. Each piece comes together and reminds him of what he once had and what he lost. Harry MacDowell wasn’t always the tyrannical ruler of Millenion, now known as “Bloody Harry”. At one point he and Brandon couldn’t be any closer. Did Harry really betray Brandon? Or did Brandon betray Harry? Gungrave reels you in early on, and throughout the series takes you on emotional highs and lows. By the time Gungrave Episode 26 came to an end I had tears in my eyes. The finale of the series was beautifully wrought, and capped the series off perfectly.

What makes this even more surprising is that Gungrave is based off a PS2 video game series. The video games, while both fun, rely on shooting enemies up to lure fans. While both of them have decent storylines, neither match up to the incredible story that Gungrave offers.

If Gungrave has a weakness, it is in it’s animation. The series never catches up to the high octane roller coaster ride that the gaming line proves to be. Much of Grave’s fights lack energy and gusto that the games provide, and Grave seems far weaker than his game alternative. All of this is only nitpicking however, when you come to realize that Gungrave’s true draw is not it’s fighting scenes at all. Keeping that in mind, the fights were all interesting and well played out, but rarely spectacular.

If you’re looking for more weaknesses however, don’t look towards the sound. Gungrave’s dub exceled in all aspects. Tony Oliver’s potrayal of the young Mr Harry MacDowell was everything a fan could want out of a voice actor. Harry was mean, cruel, cunning, and tenacious, and Tony Oliver carried those nuances over perfectly.

The series soundtrack (available from Geneon) was in all respects excellent. Each song added atmosphere and character to any given scene. Songs like “Here comes the Rain” served to highlight one of the most bittersweet episodes in the series and alluded to the coming darkness of Brandon’s days ahead.

Gungrave is in all respects one of the greatest anime series in recent history. With a combination of an incredible story, excellent characters, and great sound, Gungrave is something you would be amiss to do without. Whether you buy or rent this anime, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. No collection is complete without this tale from beyond…

The Breakdown
What more can I say. Somehow through the combination of the mafia underworld and pseudo-zombies, Gungrave was born. More than a sum of it’s parts, Gungrave is well worth all the praise I have heaped on it and more. From it’s quality top to bottom, Gungrave is the kind of series that solidifies my affections for anime.

Synopsis
When nearby construction disturbs a spiritual resting place, its disgruntled denizens do what any supernatural being would do after a rude awakening- they terrorize the local school. And that means it’s up to a scruffy band of young ghostbusters to expel their satanic schoolmates before everyone gets sent to permanent detention! So join Satsuki, her crybaby brother, the resident class stud, the school nerd and “psychical researcher,” a born again beauty, and a resentful, demon-possessed cat in the funniest, scariest school you’ve ever enrolled in.

Review
Are you one of those English dub watching anime fans, who sometimes think, maybe the anime that you are watching is too bland, too straight forward, sounds strange, or you just do not feel enough personality is put into the character that the voice actors/actresses are acting. Well my friend, what we have here is the solution to all your problems. You see, Ghost Stories is a whole new monster. Who would have thought… or have the courage to add in some unique punch lines that are hip, hilarious and flat out crazy to an English dub of an anime? Well, ADV director, Stephen Foster did.

This release of Ghost Stories has received mixed results. Some praising it for being outrageous, some opposing it for editing the “original” dialogue. News flash… an English dub is already editing the “original,” so what harm would it cause if the actors had a little fun? Add that extra “umph” to the dialogue and make the show a bit more entertaining. Ghost Stories’ English dub takes the same plot as the show in Japanese, but Stephen Foster pulled out some of the areas of the dialogues that could be worked up so that the voice actors can have the freedom of improvisation. It is very much like jazz; unpredictable. You will find yourself stunned, shocked, and astonished even, by what these actors/actresses had to say. :).

At first, I was a bit skeptical about the whole thing. I mean, I did not like English dubs much to begin with, and now a show where some of dialogues are thrown out the window? I was even more afraid to watch the show and my expectations were just going down the drain at the speed of a waterfall. But after experiencing what all this fuss was about, I fell in love with that wackiness. It is a blend of originality in an English dub that truly amazes the audience upon viewing it. Shows like this brings the voice actors closer to you; it reminds you that, their thoughts are not much different from yours.

In Ghost Stories, we follow Satsuki, the female lead character. As she moves to a new area of the country, she also transfers into a new school, meeting new friends. What she did not expect from this new life was the haunted old school that her mother used to be a principal for. When her family cat escapes and runs into the old school, Satsuki, her annoying little brother, Keiichiro and her new found friends all follow pursuit. That is when the things begin to go eerie and that is when the story unfolds.

The Breakdown
I never knew voice actors/actresses had that kind of state of mind, but now that I have watched this… the rest is history :).

Synopsis
Unlock the music within your heart! Summer vacation is here and that means it’s almost time for Yuuki’s birthday! Since it’s over summer break, her birthday is usually a nonevent; but this year, Yuuki has decided that things are going to be different…this year, on her birthday she’s going to confess her love to Takizawa! But will the handsome and popular third-year track star reject her? The very thought has Yuuki in turmoil. Her best friend, Miu, is doing all she can to support her friend, but watching Yuuki struggle only reminds Miu of how troubled her own heart is.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shirakawa is frustrated at the lack of growth in Miu’s playing. Trying to inspire her, he nominates her to be his sole representative at the Spring Piano Recital. Not only that, but she’ll be the only student who will have to compose and play her own original piece! If she refuses, Mr. Shirakawa won’t even have a single student participating. Should she play in the recital even though her heart really isn’t in it?

Review
In a show based on a girl’s heart and her life, Piano turns out to be a very soothing title. The music is just great. For a person who has always been fond of the piano due to its lovely melodies, I have to say, this piece is beyond just a show about a girl and her piano. There are various factors that make this show another immediate hit amongst the fans of the shoujo genre.

Miu Nomura is an average girl for her age. She has those growing up questions just as any other girl has. When her friend Yuuki professes to her that she will confess to her crush, Takizawa on her birthday. Miu is suddenly warped a whole new atmosphere. For Yuuki having a boyfriend means that the time she has to spend with Miu will diminish. But, with Miu’s mature personality, she just shakes it off and acts in the interest of her best friend Yuuki. Now, because of Yuuki’s situation, Miu ponders a bit about her own crush, Takahashi. With Christmas around the corner, she gets invited to a party and it is there where Miu finally discovers what she wants to do for herself… with a little help from Takashashi senpai of course.

What is so good about Piano? There is no violence, no action, only drama; a girl’s drama at that. But that is what attracted me to a title, such as, Piano. It is the presentation of the whole show. The vibe that it gives off feels just right. I felt pretty at ease while watching this piece… and when the playing of the piano came in… well that was it for me, I wanted to go run and buy a keyboard or something :P.

The Breakdown
The sound department of this show is truly great. I especially loved that song that Miu’s sister played on the stereo during episode six… yes, I know it is not a Piano original music piece, but if anyone can get me the artist and song title, I will give them a cookie! (^_^);;

Synopsis
Noa always dreamed of piloting a giant robot for the police. Now, that dream is a reality, and Noa is a member of an elite unit that specializes in solving robot crimes piloting robots called Labors. When terror strikes in the form of a giant black robot, the Griffin, Noa and her team must ready their biggest guns to defeat the mechanical monster!

Review
Patlabor The Mobile Police: The New Files is the first direct sequel of the Patlabor series, which spans from 1988 all the way to 2002 across a TV series, two OVAs and three movies.

The New Files starts out with an innocent call from what seems to be a brother and a sister, except the sister doesn’t recall the brother’s name and that they’re not related at all. Simple, yes? Wrong. The boy works for two men and pilots a black Labor. This Labor seems special, as it seems to bring back some memories of two past events in particular.

Starting in the boy’s first battle in his black Labor, he encounters the police but they are quickly dealt with. This small scene is used to showcase the labor in action to many rich men and women willing to buy it. It is up to the Mobile Police and their labors to stop the black Labor from destroying the city, but can they really handle it?

The New Files tries to execute a light-hearted theme in the show through Noa. There is some drama, but there is only a touch and not enough to call this a dramatic show. The New Files is entertaining, but not to those who have not seen Patlabor first, otherwise you’d be completely confused at some aspects of the story.

The Breakdown
Pretty average show after one DVD. It has gotten me interested though, and seems to have potential.

Synopsis
Five years ago, as the Mimetic Beasts laid waste to Japan, Dannar Pilot Goh saved young Anna Aoi’s life. Now, as they prepare to march down the aisle, a new Beast appears and Goh is summoned into battle once more. But he’s not going alone; not if his blushing bride-to-be can help it! It’s a honeymoon from hell as two stubborn mecha pilots bump heads, egos and other bits; but if Anna and Goh can mate their robots’ interlocking parts, they’ll form the ultimate marriage of man, woman and machine! The battle of the sexes and the battle of the future of mankind are fought simultaneously in the wildest giant robot series ever, GODANNAR!

Review
Fan service galore? You can call Godannar that. While it looks every bit like another Gravion mecha title, Godannar separates itself right off the bat by implementing a cute female lead character in Anna. The story revolves around humans, machines and invading aliens; the Mimetic Beasts. It began with the great battle; one that nearly destroyed Japan. It is there where Goh, the Dannar pilot lost and gained at the same time. Lost? Well telling you would be a spoiler, so I will just go with the gain. During the battle he saves Anna and miraculously the Dannar gathered up an ounce of energy left to continue the fight between the invader. And that, my friend, is the first ten or so minutes of the show.

Now if you are a fan of the ecchi humor genre, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with Godannar. Big boobie hotties and lovely beauties. Man, you sometimes just wish you were in the anime instead of watching it. I surely did :). The animation quality along with the mecha and character designs are dazzling. The plot, while might not be very interesting due to the fact that there are already a few of these titles around (Gravion, to name one), attracts you by its comedy and the experience delivered by the characters’ interactions with one another, as well as the mecha action; which comes together quite well.

Overall, Godannar is a perverted fans’ haven. Scandalous uniforms, weird situations, and hey, even some of the robots has breasts, so go figure ;). This series’ strong points are its relentless assault on the viewers through fan service, and I have to say, the statements made, leaves a deep captivating impression that will surely bring it a lot of attention.

The Breakdown
Godannar is a nice little series. It was a fun experience to have.

Synopsis
Two years after the final confrontation of Sephiroth within the northern crater, three new youths on motorbikes ambush Cloud. They are in search of the missing remains of their mother, Jenova. Once Jenova’s cells are in their possession, the Reunion can proceed. In other words, it would bring about the nightmare of Sephiroth once more and the destruction of the world. It is all mother’s will…

Review
The most anticipated movie since 2003 has finally arrived on Japanese shores. Based on what may possibly be the greatest game of all time, Final Fantasy 7, which truly defined the Playstation console, Advent Children has sold more than 420,000 units in Japan within the first week of it’s debut on September 14, 2005.

The term Advent Children refers to the coming or arrival of the three children actually teenagers Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz that together make up Kadaj’s gang. All of which have the potential to become another Sephiroth. During this time Tifa’s 7th Heaven bar, formerly the headquarters of Barret’s Avalanche renegade group, now acts as both the office of the Strife Delivery Service and as an orphanage. Aeris has been long dead, yet Cloud is still guilt-stricken over the loss.

The Official Japanese website is located at http://www.square-enix.co.jp/dvd/ff7ac/ with Flash interface where you’ll find a couple wallpapers, trailers, character bios. Soundtrack information can be found at http://www.square-enix.co.jp/music/sem/page/ff7ac/ which features the list of tracks and five samples.

The Breakdown
Sexy Japanese voices, sexy leather outfits, huge and long swords. What better combination is there?

Synopsis
Tanabata, the Star Festival, July 7th, commemorates the day when, according to legend, two lovers Princess Orihime and Hikoboshi who are normally separated from each other by the milky way are able to meet at long last. On the eve of Tanabata, a man and woman worlds apart make a similar wish for love. On their way home, fate finds them both on the same subway car. When an old drunkard causes a ruckus and starts harassing Aoyama-san, Yamada is the only person to gather up enough courage to confront him. This simple act of bravery becomes the foundation of a relationship between Yamada and Aoyama-san.

Review
In the synopsis I meant ‘worlds apart’ in a figurative sense. Aoyama Saori belongs to a rich family and can easily pass off as a supermodel. Yamada Tsuyoshi is middle class and doesn’t have much of a social life other than playing video games, surfing the internet, and watching anime. He is the typical Japanese otaku with a geeky exterior. When he gets home that night, Yamada posts the highlights of the subway incident at a message board. From that day forth, his online buddies give him the nick ‘Densha Otoko’ which translates to ‘The Train Man.’ Densha Otoko is based on a true story of a message thread at the infamous 2chan and was made into a manga, a summer movie, and now a popular daytime drama series.

The official Japanese site can be found at http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/denshaotoko/index.html.

The Breakdown
The story that can be generalized to encompass the millions of Anime Otakus around the world whose dream it is to find true love.