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Synopsis
In a long forgotton walled town, humans coexist with the Haibane, angelic-like beings of unknoen origin. Rakka becomes the newest Haibane, after she awakens from a strange dream and finds herself hatching from a massive cocoon. With no memories of her previous life, Rakka struggles to adjust to her new surroundings, however burning questions remain in the back of her mind. What is Haibane and what is their purpose? What lies beyond the huge, forbidden town walls? Thus, Rakka begins her wistful journey of self-discovery and wonderment.

Review
Okay, I’ll say this right from the start. This is not an anime for someone who wants to see fights, explosions and characters superdeformating every thirty seconds and can’t be satisfied with an anime series unless something big is occurring every five minutes.

This is a very subtle series. The entire story is laid out little by little. You don’t learn everything about the characters all at once. You get to know the characters in ‘Haibane Renmei’ like we do our own co-workers and neighbors: one encounter at a time, day by day, each day a little more revealing than the last.

It is also not an anime that you can watch only once. After one viewing, I just wanted to watch it again, to catch the little things I missed. The original concept for this series was done by yoshitoshi ABe, and it shows. Haibane Renmei reminded me alot of ‘Serial Experiments: lain’ in the way that it starts out slow, but you just KNOW in the back of your head that something big will happen…and you want to keep watching to find out what it is.

Although slow moving, and very subtle, Haibane Renmei is very addicting. I can’t wait to get the second volume just to see how Rakka’s relationship with the new world she is thrust into (and the new people she has met) will develop.

The Breakdown
I really enjoyed watching this. Even if this sort of anime isn’t your cup of tea, I say give it a shot. You may just be pleasantly surprised.

Synopsis
Two worlds opposite one another, Inferia and Celestia, are slowly closing in on each other and will eventually collide in the near future. Four heroes, Rid, Farah, Keel, and Meredy, leave Inferia Castle on a quest to prevent a second war between the worlds and stop the Grand Fall by collecting the Crymels, summoning spirits. Their quest now brings them to the Island of Balcarnu, which is shrouded by many secrets…

Review
Tales of Eternia The Animation is based off of the Playstation 1 game called Tales of Destiny 2 (US). Tales of Destiny 2 is the third installment of the Tales of Phantasia series, released in March 11, 2000. The anime aired from January 1 to March 26, 2001. The game was developed by Wolf Team/Tri-Ace, the RPG subdivision of Namco. They later developed Valkyrie Profile and the Star Ocean series. The events in the anime do not take place in the video game. The Island of Balcarnu does not exist in the game. Rather it is a side quest that takes place in between obtaining Efreet and journeying to Mt. Farlos (My thanks to Cyllya at gamefaqs message boards for the information).

The Breakdown
Better than Sorcerer Hunters, but Tales of Eternia is not as groundbreaking as Slayers and Record of Lodoss War (as all the other anime review websites will tell you). It is not as funny as Rune Soldier but I enjoyed Eternia nevertheless.

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
In a world where witches abuse their supernatural powers, a special team is tasked with hunting this new threat to society. This organization is known as the STN and comprises of several highly skilled craft users and experts in covert operations. But their most powerful craft user is a young woman named Robin. Her mysterious gift to summon deadly flames will determine the fates of her colleagues and lead her into a dark world of mystique and witchcraft.

Review
It’s a refreshing spin on a detective story. Although it’s something I can see being done in a vampire story. Just replace the witches with vampires and there you go. But the term, ‘witches?in this show is used as a way to describe someone using their magic powers for evil. Not every person who practices magic is considered a witch.

The shows artistic style reminds me more of an American comic than your average anime. (It’s the eyes I tell ya!) The tension between Robin and Amon keeps the workplace interesting, as does the growing friendship of Robin and Michael. I can’t put my finger on it but WHR reminds me of Rahxephon. Perhaps it’s the pacing.

The Breakdown
Overall, there is room for improvement. But I see it getting better in the later volumes. If you’ve had your fill of zany comedies this year then do yourself a favor and check out Witch Hunter Robin.

Synopsis
Episode 5:
While on vactation, Black Jack comes across a young man haunted by the vision of a woman who beckons him to return to a town he’s never visited. He also has vision of being shot in a battle in which he was too young to have possibly fought! Bullet wounds mysteriously appear on his body, bleed, and disappear. Is the young man insane? Could it have anything to do with an operation performed on the young man many years before? Or are they other forces at work? It’s up to Black Jack to solve the mystery!

Episode 6:
In the middle of a strange blizzard, Black Jack finds himself trying to rescue a dying princess. Taking poison to avoid a loveless marriage, she would prefer death to a life where she was forever denied the arms of the man she truly loves. Now, Black Jack is forced to question what is real when he opens up the girl and finds a demon waiting inside…

Review
Black Jack is not failing to impress me with each volume. In volume three, Incubation, Black Jack is put up with a mysterious illness of a soldier. When his illness strikes, his back will sprout bullet hole wounds and blood will splatter all over. Coincidently, Black Jack and Pinoko was on the same vacation that the soldier was taking therefore, when his attack struck, Black Jack was there to investigate the cause of the illness and curing him in the process. What nobody expected was that the cause of his condition was not due to a disease or any sort of illness. You get hints, but you will never guess the cause of his condition. Because of this, Black Jack is unpredictable, unlike another anime I was watching recently where I can even predict what the character was going to exactly say in Japanese.

In the second episode of this volume, we go from present to past and back to present. Crazy? Unique? Whatever you call it, I just did not know how the plot of the episode was going to connect to the main plot of the entire series. Surprisingly, as you are watching it, it does not matter; you do not even think about it much. All you will be doing is trying to solve the mystery before Black Jack reveals it to you.

All in all, I am very happy with how this series is developing; great attractive and unpredictable plot. There is without a doubt in my mind that Black Jack has to be one of the best anime releases this year, hands down!

The Breakdown
This is really a great series!

Synopsis
Mad science runs in her family, but Hikaru has always been an ordinary girl. It’s a dream come true when she discovers that she’s really a super-powered alien! With her hyper-speed battle mecha, the Grandoll Armor, she is humanity’s last hope against a hideous alien invasion!

Review
Hyper Speed GranDoll is not an impressive series. It is very predictable in dialogue, the upcoming scenes and plot. As a matter of fact, it makes me sick to my stomach that the characters will say or do something so predictable that in your own mind you will say, “Oh my god! What the hell is this?” Also, just to set things straight, GranDoll is not a hentai, even though the DVD cover may say otherwise.

Hmm… where to start? The plot I guess. GranDoll is about a little girl who was from another planet, who landed on Earth as a couple was going about their business. Ever since they have discovered the girl, they took her in as their daughter. What seems to be a high school teenage love drama turns out to be a high school teenage love drama with some action; fighting action I mean heh. The story develops fast. In the first episode, the character, Hikaru already tells you everything. What she will do in the series and etc. Hence, the reason why I say this series is very predictable.

Now GranDoll is not filled with negatives only, there are some good about it. There were some scenes that were funny. Even though going through this series is like an obligation, but the viewer must keep in mind that this is a three episode, all in one volume series. Therefore, it is short, quick and the points might not have been as developed as it would have if the format was a bit longer. But oh wells, since the show is what it is, I reviewed it accordingly to my taste hehe; in other words it was bad.

The Breakdown
It seems to me that no time was put into Hyper Speed GranDoll, that is the feeling I get when I was viewing this piece.

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
When Pegasus J. Crawford went to Egypt in hope of bring back to life his girlfriend, he found some stone carvings of strange monsters, monsters that were created by the pharaoh and his high priests in order to rein the country. Being tempted by those carvings, Pegasus revived the dark game of duel monsters. Finally, he even brought back the three God Cards. However, their combined power was so great that he sealed the three God Cards in Egypt. Now the fate of the world rests on Yugi Mutoh, as the three God Cards are unearthed.

Review
In the 1990s, it was Pokemon that penetrated internationally into the hearts of children in Europe, America, and Asia. Today after the millennium, the anime, video game, and card collecting fad continues once again through a series called Yugioh, meaning ‘King of Game.’ The Yugioh shown on KidsWB is actually season 2 of the original anime. Season 1, 27 episodes total, was aired from April 4th 1998 to October 10th on TV Asahi. Season 1 was not as successful compared to season 2 titled Duel Monsters in part by a disagreement between the producer, Toei, and the author, Kazuki Takahashi and due to a story emphasizing relationships and drama more than actual dueling.

Two years after, Duel Monsters began televising on TV Tokyo since April 18, 2000. Both the anime and manga in Shonen Jump Weekly still continue to this day, well into the Egyptian Memory Arc. The rise in popularity of season 2 is attributed to more of a focus on the game element and digital gadgets, satisfying post-digimon/pokemon addicts. In fact, every episode is a duel with virtual monsters fighting against each other either in an arena or anywhere within the grounds of Battle City with the aid of a duel disk tray, even in the skies.

The Breakdown
For fans of the American show and want to watch it unedited even see it before the general public does, to poke-lovers and other monster fanatics who just can’t get enough, and those who own the card game and want more strategies.

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.