Animesou.com

Synopsis
‘Pandy and Retro, two unlikely renegades, awaken naked on Earth with no recollection of their past. After embarking on a devastating crime spree for food, clothing and transportation in downtown Tokyo, they are captured by authorities and sent to the infamous lunar prison called Dead Leaves.

After a brief incarceration, they discover that the prison is really a top-secret cloning facility, occupied by villainous prison guards and deformed genetic experiments. High-speed frantic action combined with hyper-violent and semi-humorous chase scenes follow as the two decide to break out of the prison with the aid of their fellow mutant inmates.’

Review
Everywhere I’ve read, I’ve been hearing rave reviews about this title. Well this review here isn’t one of them. Anime in general has always had a certain formula that each title never really strays too far from. They usually fall into a certain genre. Dead Leaves was obviously done to be different. Different in this case means insanely incoherent.

The story is about a girl with a mutated eye gene and a guy who has a monitor for a head. (Reminds me of the old Gamefan Magazine’s mascot). They wake up naked with no memory. From there they go through the rest of the show fighting and blasting everything in sight, all while desperately trying to be cool. The thing the writers need to know is that in order to have cool characters, you need to care about them and in order to care about characters you need a good story. This show just doesn’t have that.

The creators must have had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) because the scenes flash by in such rapid succession that you just stop trying to make sense of it all. Don’t let me get started on the bewildering barrage of a bazillion bullets bombarding the screen (That’s a lot of B’s, don’t get stung). I can’t imagine the test screening where they proclaimed this a form of entertainment.

I agree with what one of the voice actors said in the extras. ‘If you watch Dead Leaves drunk you’ll throw up.?What he didn’t mention is that the whole creative team was drunk when they were making this and most of the time it looks like they threw up on the animation cels.

The Breakdown
If you love toilet humor then this is for you. You gotta love the guy with the drill pecker…Is this anime? I hope this type of anime never catches on and becomes the norm.

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS REVIEW IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!!

Yusuke Kinoshita, age 18, recently graduated from High School. Having lost a bet because his test scores were anything but great, Yusuke agrees to spend the entire summer vacation working at his father’s Pia Carrot resturant. What seems like endless hours wasted away washing dishes, shelving boxes, ringing up customers, and sprucing up the sidewalk and storage areas later turns out to become an experience Yusuke will never forget…

Review
Pia Carrot is directed by Kan Fukumoto (La Blue Girl, Twin Angels, Venus 5, Words Worth). The name Pia Carrot translates to Go, Go! Waitress! In English. It is based on the PC hentai/dating simulation game developed by Cocktail Soft in 1996 and later ported to the Sega Saturn system by Cocktail Soft/Kindle Imagine Develop (KID) on March 12, 1998. The English DVD release dates back to November 23, 2001. The storyline follows Satomi’s ending, the hardest person to win over.

I am proud to announce Animesou.com’s first hentai review. First to answer what is a hentai. Hentai (pronounced hen-tie) in Japanese literally means sexually perverted. It has come to stand for Japanese animated pornography. It is said that hentai mangas account for a quarter of the total manga industry’s output. Hentai predominantly consists of animated females in extremely sexually explicit and unreal situations satisfying one’s own personal fantasy. There can be rape, and it doesn’t have to be by a human either. The act can be performed by an animal, demon, monster, even a Pokemon. Watching this kind of aggressive pornography is thought to relieve tension and sexual frustration. Of course, there are those who enjoy watching the absolute force and barbarity played out on the screen (Christina Kinney, The Emergence of Japanese Pornography into the United States., University of Florida, East Asian Lang. & Lit).

The Breakdown
The animated version of the PC game. It is just like playing the role of Yusuke, going through the dating sim game, and scoring points with each of the girls.

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS REVIEW IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!!

Koji Maeda is your typical high school student who is looking for a part time job over the summer. On his way to an interview, out of the blue, a girl jets past the corner and his bicycle collides with her. After getting the living snot beaten out of him and with his bike in shambles, Koji luckily manages to score a job at Pia Carrot. However, he learns that the same violent girl he bumped into earlier works as a waitress. No way can life get any easier for Koji!

Review
The PC game to Pia Carrot 2 was released in Japan in 1997 followed by the SegaSaturn version in 1998 retailing for  ?7200 ($65.16). The anime is the sequel OVA series to Pia Carrot 1 but with a brand new cast (like how Onegai Twins is related to Onegai Sensei). Like Mizuho-sensei, Yusuke Kinoshita makes a guest appearance and is the owner of the 2nd Pia Carrot restaurant. You discover that he is soon getting married (to Satomi?), but the ceremony happens to be scheduled on the same day as Rumi’s (Yusuke’s sister’s) birthday. Rumi will be turning 16, and has matured from what was seen in the first game. Koji is able to date Rumi, but unfortunately she does not appear in the anime. The storyline of Pia Carrot 2 follows Hinomori Asuza-san’s ending, the hardest person to win over.

The Breakdown
Pia Carrot 2 has much of the same feel as Pia Carrot 1 where Koji is the one going around spending time with each of the girls. What makes it better than Pia Carrot 1 is that it is more amusing.

Synopsis
You don’t need to be crazy to watch this, but it sure helps. Beautiful Girls! Naughty Aliens! Dead Fish! When evil aliens kill Poemi Watanabe’s parents, she doesn’t get mad, she gets even… but first she moves in with the seven crazy Aasu sisters, discovers the magic power of dead fish, develops a serious crush on a local octopus, experiences the bizarre and varied wonders and joys of fighting terrorists, S&M, giant robots and becoming a super hero… all while pursuing her REAL ambition of becoming a professional voice actress! From the creators of Excel Saga, it’s the weirdest, wildest, rudest and out and out most demented anime ever made, Puni Puni Poemi!

Review
Usually I find something to like about an ADV Films title, but in the case of Puni Puni Poemy. I began to think to myself, “What the hell?” Puni Puni Poemy is a direct example of a fan service galore gone wrong. Shinichi Watanabe is a great director, but other than the funny theme song, the show is just crap. You already saw everything in Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy does not separate itself far from it. I know the director wanted to do something crazy, just as Excel Saga was, but comon, a woman with her breasts so large that she constantly has to hold it up with her own hands and play with them? I just do not think that is funny.

The show has a lot of ecchi in it. A little bit of S & M, a lot of boobs flying around and once in a while you get manhood joke. Boy, Alien 1 with his ball (Yeah, one ball), hanging from his area and Alien 2 with his two balls hanging from his area. That is some crazy stuff, and is more disgusting than entertaining. Please do not tell me that I have a weak stomach, because I do not. It is just that I am sick and tired of beat out old formulas. Were you ever told a joke that was funny the first time you heard it, but then after that you do not even react to it, other than a, “This joke is whack,” type reaction? That is exactly what Puni Puni Poemy is; it is nothing but a disappointment after the amount of hype it has received.

It was my habit to have my reviews stretch three paragraphs, but Puni Puni Poemy is just not worth it. It was not worth my money! I certainly am not hating on this show as I do appreciate some things that were in the show, find out below.

The Breakdown
I would have never imagine myself saying this, but after watching Puni Puni Poemy, I do not want my girlfriend to have big boobs. :) Just kidding Hunny!

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS REVIEW IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!! Claude is a scholar aspiring to traveling the world as a great merchant. Sofie Delmotte beckons him to return to Ebenbourg, where his late father dwelled until his death. She explains to his amazement that Claude is to be the new Lord of Ronsard, a town in the Grand Duchy of Ebenbourg. Will he be able to revive Ronsard and bring a new wind to Ebenbourg?

Review
Wind of Ebenbourg, also called Ebenbourg no Kaze, is based on the PC hentai game by Studio e-go released in Japan on July 26, 2002. You might find it misspelled online as Edenbourg for example at http://www.archonia.com/, an anime retail company located in Belgium and at http://www.hkflix.com/. Studio e-go is famous for the PC titles Twin Way, Gakupara, Minute Work (or Men at Work), Natsu Kagura, and Castle Fantasia: Seima Taisen (a monster breeding game), the last was also available for the Dream Cast. Gamefaqs classified them as adventure games but they also fall under the role playing category and dating simulation. The game homepage for Wind of Ebenbourg can be found at http://www.studio-ego.co.jp/030/ego/game/maid/maid.htm.

The main website is located at http://www.studio-ego.co.jp/ where you can find tons of pictures, game information, opening songs to download, opening game animation and previews, actual game demos, wallpapers, screen savers (cute birds!), and desktop icons.

The Breakdown
Dedicated to that special someone you made a promise of marrying when you were only children.

Synopsis
Ever wonder what it would be like to work for an animation studio? Kuromi just landed her dream job at the famous Studio Petit, and boy is she in for a rude awakening! The boss is hospitalized moments after she arrives (he gave his life to anime), and suddenly Kuromi is the new head of the ultimate team of slackers! It’s up to her to finish “Time Journeys Episode 2,” or fans everywhere will be let down. Will Kuromi’s love of cartoons clean up this horrible mess… or make an even bigger one?

Review
As an anime fan, we all dream of working in the anime field one day. Some fans are lucky enough to live that dream, and some fans can only dream. In this animation comedy, Mikiko Oguro was an anime fanatic since she was young. Her most memorable work that sparked her interest was titled Louis Monde III. I am sure we all have an anime that left us with the same effect as Kuromi’s. Mine being Love Hina.

In Animation Runner Kuromi, we are shown a group of animators whom lack the much needed self motivation for the job. It is funny how I can relate to some of the animator’s personality. I am smooth like Tanonaka, distracted by toys like Haryu, and sound uninterested like Shihonmatsu. That does not mean I am an animator, it just means I am human. And that is where Kuromi strives. It is life like. The depiction of the whole animation process was quite accurate according to Matt Sheridan in an interview included in the special features. The director Akitaroh Daichi also stated that the characters in Kuromi are actually three to four actual people combined into one. He also announced that Kuromi 2 is also in the works, but would not over extend the title, because after all it is only interesting because Kuromi is a rookie at what she is doing.

Animation Runner Kuromi is not a laughathon type of anime. It is not funny as it looks like it would be. You would get a chuckle here and there, but not a rolling on the floor type of laughter. This OVA will appeal to fans who are interested in how anime is created. You can learn a few jargons animators use to call things, such as, cuts and in-betweens, other than that you just get an average anime. I would not say that Animation Runner Kuromi is a must have title, it actually is not a title that would most likely be rented or owned only if you are really interested in how anime gets created.

The Breakdown
I knew creating anime was a difficult and long process, but I did not imagine that animators will give a hard time to the producers. I look forward to Animation Runner Kuromi 2, hopefully it will be a tremendous upgrade over the first, not that Kuromi 1 is bad; it is just average.

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
Makoto and Yura are both 25-years old and married as a couple. Pity for them because their marriage was arranged. However, they decided to repeat the platonic stage all over again, from going on an ordinary date to the ‘first night’ experience. But the problem remains, Yura is a ‘virgin’, and Makoto is a ‘cherry boy’ for twenty five years.. they both have no experience at all at ‘you know what’, so both Makoto and Yura decided to solve their problem at all costs

Review
Futari Ecchi (or as it is sometimes called, Step Up Love Story) means something close to ‘lewdness of a couple’. And pretty much…that is what it is about. Although it is ‘hentai-esque’ (is that a word?), it is very funny as well. The cluelessness of both Yura and Makoto is the perfect setup for this sex comedy. From Yura’s ‘discovery’ of Makoto’s rather large hentai collection to Yura’s younger ’sexpert’ sister giving her sage advice to the couple on a regular basis, this series is one laugh after another, with a few dirty scenes thrown in (it is a hentai after all). But they aren’t really offensive. Futari Ecchi is surprisingly story-centered, and is all the better for it.

The Breakdown
Fun, silly, creative…but not for kids. It can be found for relatively cheap online, and it’s well worth the buy.

Synopsis
A sinister plot is afoot and only one schoolteacher - a special agent with an affinity for rare books - can stop it. She is Ms. Yomiko Readman - better known to her colleagues in Section A of Library Special Operations as ‘Agent Paper.’ Someone is bent upon procuring a lost Beethoven manuscript and has enlisted a few of history’s most extraordinary personalities, cloned from stolen DNA, to aid in the endeavor. Readman and her fellow super-powered operatives must tangle with the likes of Tokugawa-era scientist Gennai Hiraga, aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal and 19th century entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre in a desperate race to find the books and save the World!

Review
Read Or Die is simply short and sweet. Three episodes make up this OAV, approximately thirty minutes each. Although R.O.D. is short, it is still very enjoyable. The story kicks off with the destruction of the Library of Congress, and one thing I noticed was people urinating on themselves. That is the first time I have ever seen an anime going that detailed in showing fear.

Yomiko Readman is a book enthusiast. Her living quarters is filled with books all over. Her love for books is really amazing as she ignores everything that is happening around her once she starts reading (I wish I can have that much fun reading books). In any case, Yomiko finds a book in a bookstore which later on turns out to be a book by Beethoven. Beethoven will play a significant role later on as the story progresses. The thing that comes into my mind while watching R.O.D. is ‘How can such an innocent looking girl be the main character of the show?’ To my surprise, her ability to manipulate paper comes in quite handy at times when she is in the heat of battles, hence earning the moniker ‘The Paper.’

Overall R.O.D. starts off slow, but the pace picks up and soon you will be noticing that you are zooming through the whole OAV. That is the fun part though; it keeps you in your seat anticipating for the next scene to happen.

The Breakdown
Read Or Die huh? Who would have thought paper could be so cool?

Synopsis
It’s nineteenth century Japan. The Tokugawa Shogunate is on the brink of collapse. Rebel clans of warriors from all over the country vie for power in a struggle to see whose view on what Japan shall become will reign supreme. Enter Kenshin Himura, a young assassin, who, under the tutelage of master swordsman Seijuro Hiko, has become embroiled in the conflict, fighting for the rebel clans to bring about a new peace-loving country. He enters the fight at the tender age of his mid-teens, bringing inside of him his own conflict: is fighting to bring about peace really just about killing people and ending people’s happiness in the end? Thus a woman comes into Kenshin’s life to help answer that very question.

Review
I first must state that when I first saw this, I had no previous knowledge of the whole Kenshin mythos, so I went into this blind, not expecting much at that. My presumptions turned out wrong, in the end. This first DVD of 2 episodes embodies what I love most about anime, the realistic depiction of fighting (with swords no less), a tragic past with a less than hopeful romance, and the slaughtering of people for the sake of a vision not to come. All of these things are in these first two episodes. On top of that, expect lots of killing, and lots of blood. This OVA has no qualms about showing how horrible killing people with a sword is, or with the other multitude of weapons depicted within. But’s it’s all very realistic, with no gratuitous blood or gore, which is something I like very much. You can also feel the anguish of the main characters within the story, especially the dilemma within Kenshin himself.

The Breakdown
Are you a fan of serious romances? It’s here. How about action? Oh, it’s definitely here. Like political anime? Check. If there is anything you like about anime, it’s here. Well, that is, except for comedy. Not one joke to be had. But it’s not needed here. Buy now!