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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.

Synopsis
Seina Yamada has the worst luck. When he tries to walk down stairs, he trips. When he rides his bike, it falls apart. And when a giant spaceship crashes on Earth, it almost lands right on his head!

But Seina’s luck just might be changing for the better when he is presented with an out of this world possibility… to enter the prestigious Galaxy Police Academy! So what if his ticket into the GP was due to a case of mistaken identity! Nothing bad ever happens in space, right?

Review
Tenchi Muyo GXP has been released a year or so already. When it first hit the streets, I was skeptical about it. “Another Tenchi Muyo?” was what was on my mind. And because of what I thought back then, I have neglected this great title until now. In this addition of the Tenchi Muyo saga we pause from the life of Tenchi Masaki and instead follow the unlucky life of Seina Yamada. This dude’s run ins with bad luck is just ridiculously hilarious. One life threatening experience followed by another. That is just the norm that he deals with daily. But one day upon visiting his friend Kai, he unexpectingly “meets” Amane, a Galaxy Police over at Tenchi’s place. After a few quick scenes he is presented with a GP (Galaxy Police) pamphlet from Amane. And that is where everything begins to untangle.

When it comes to a Tenchi Muyo title, one of the things you know it will feature is a group of lovely females swarming one average dude; in GXP’s case, Seina. The ecchi humor is a little bit more “mature” compared to the Tenchi Muyo OAV that I have watched a few years ago, but when compared to an ecchi humor title that is more recent… it stands quite on the same plain.

The show commences off slow, and I was close to turning it off until Amane came in at the half point mark of the first episode and made it interesting. From then on, one thing let to another in the show and I just could not get enough. I was so addicted that I watched the show as much as I could fit in my tight schedule, and I managed to fit the whole twenty six episodes in two days. Even now, I feel like watching it again :), too bad I have to move on :(.

With the new twist of having Seina as the character of focus, instead of Tenchi, it brings in a refreshed feeling. It was a great revival of Tenchi Muyo for me. The story revolves around Seina’s luck, or lack there of. His ability to rack up pirates for the GP to apprehend is never before seen. And with this natural ability, Seina soon receives a ship to command and of course, babes to assist him on his journey.

The animation was a joyful experience. The mecha designs are pretty cool, and the character designs was one of the elements that brought this anime out of the box. Overall, Tenchi Muyo GXP is very impressive. FUNimation did a superb job in the release, and with four DVD sets to be released later this month (November 22, 2005), there is not a reason in the world, you should not take a look at this title.

The Breakdown
Tenchi Muyo GXP has become my favorite Tenchi Muyo series for the meantime… can anymore wonders be created for this saga? I certainly hope so. But as for GXP, I truly believe it is worth your hard earned/saved change. And as mentioned above, with FUNimation’s re-release of the series in four DVD sets at a great price of $29.99 each. Now is your chance to own this amazing piece!

Synopsis
The kingdom of Kuruda has known many warriors, none greater than the Sevalle, an elite breed whose mastery of martial arts has made them legendary. But for the 59th Sevalle, Elle Ragu, a.k.a. Shadow Skill, being a legend is shaping up to be something of a drag. After all, adventure alone doesn’t pay the rent, and living check to check takes its toll on even the fiercest warrior. Strong as an ox and stubborn as a mule she may be, but it’s drinking like a fish that usually gets Elle in trouble. And as she travels alongside her brother Gau, leaving property damage and unpaid bar-tabs in their wake, a new threat looms on the horizon: spies from the kingdom of Solfan have entered the picture, and Kuruda seems to be headed for war…

Review
Shadow Skill is an action packed anime filled with martial arts, magic talisman users, and demons; along with a touch of hot-blooded-super-robot-like-screams, this anime just becomes that much more interesting and worthwhile to view.

What I found interesting when I watched Shadow Skill was how things were set up. The characters. for one, were very actively introduced. In volume one of Shadow Skill, we see a very immediate and unique development in some of the characters such as Elle and her charismatic personality as well as giving her an image of a quick-to-act-on-everything person. Each character also seem to have a mind of his or her own as narration of characters shifts constantly from third person perspective to first person perspective where the viewers can understand the motives behind each action and decision.

The first three episodes does not hint to what the plot of this anime is other than the fact that something is going to happen to the kingdom of Kuruda. What I do like, however, is that volume one sets up a feeling of adventure, almost like a Role Playing Game. There is the protagonist Elle, who has the ability to use secret martial arts techniques (also the same with her younger brother), her ‘guardian’ who has the ability to use talisman magic, and a young girl who has the ability to use rings as weapon that has the power to restrain demons. A distinction of character attributes gives a feel like each character has something different to contribute further into the anime. But as for now, Elle is currently the 59th Sevalle and her past is fairly unknown.

Animation and music were also well done. I will admit that it did get a little annoying to see the screen turn black and some letters written out right before the attack, but the animation itself does not lack brilliance in colors or character designs. I looked at the structure and design of the coliseum Elle fought at and felt like I was in Rome (maybe a little exaggeration). Furthermore, the music is well composed. Everything played seems to fit perfectly with whatever is happening whether it was a sad moment or a happy one.

Shadow Skill volume one does a great job introducing some of the main characters as well as setting up an adventure to come.

The Breakdown
You’ll like this is you are searching for an anime full of action and excitement. Who doesn’t want to see a girl kick ass?

Synopsis
They’re doing it all for love! Life isn’t easy for the girls in the super-secret Virgi Fleet. Schoolwork is rough and the competition’s brutal. Luckily, cadets are trained in the use of “Virgin Energy,” serous blasting power useful for playing pranks, scuffing with the (ick!) boys, and blowing enemy war planes out of the sky!

Review
Virgin Fleet, the name of the title already suggests the wrong idea. No, this is not a hentai title, as much as it sounds like one. Instead it is a title about a character named Shiokaze Umino, whom goes about finding her reason to fight in an effort to save her nation… although it did not begin that way.

Before Shiokaze’s parents passed away, she had a marriage arranged for her already. The circumstances? She must graduate from the Academy, in which she learns to hone her “virgin” energy. This energy hidden within females was powerful enough for both sides of the war to call a cease-fire agreement previously. But as tie goes on, people tend to forget about the past and again a new breed of virgin energy must emerge.

Virgin Fleet is pretty much an average title. There is nothing splashy and nothing too bad about it. The comedy is there, but obviously it was not the main focus, as some of it, you probably would not even understand until a minute after what was said. The story is quick paced, it could be the fastest ninety minutes experience ever. Because it was fast, there was not any excess time for it to get side tracked, hence, creating a story that is to the point and enjoyable for those who like to keep their anime time to a minimum. For me? Well, my anime time is for as long as I can stay awake the whole day, so I will have to say, Virgin Fleet is a nifty title, but it is not for the viewers who would want to a lengthier story development in their anime.

The Breakdown
This title is average at best. The re-view value is low and it felt like everything was rushed right through. One scene to another, bam bam bam and the credits roll. :/.

Synopsis
Section 9, Japan’s high-mobility anti-crime unit, is back in action! The Major’s got her work cut out for her as she leads her team on a series of new cases now that the Laughing Man case has been closed.

Uprisings over the treatment of a wave of Asian immigrants threaten the political landscape, and the new Prime Minister brings in Section 9 to offer their services - but on a much tighter leash than they’re used to. After being reinstated, they must stop an assassin who is killing high-ranking officials, outmaneuver an incredibly talented thief, and unravel the reason a high-tech helicopter malfunctioned. And all under the supervision of the mysterious and disturbing man known as Gohda.

Review
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is back, now making its ‘2nd GIG debut.’ I have not seen enough of the first season, so I would not be able to compare the two. So let us start off fresh…

Major, Batou and the rest of the gang again has to do their usual work; kicking ass while taking names. This sequel to the much liked season one is a bit on the disappointing side. The episodes move by slowly and seem to drag on at moments with the boring conversations. I actually caught myself dosing off… until these critters made their return to Section 9. Man did that make a big difference in the show. All of a sudden it became more enjoyable and I began to focus more after that… yes, a little stimulation comes a long way, I guess; that and tack on Major wearing some sexy formal attire, is just like putting the icing on the cake.

Production I.G’s role in Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is a huge one. The animation quality is superb, as expected from any Production I.G work. While the visual qualities of this show are high, the episodes do not seem to connect to each other or I just do not sense any. I believe that it is probably one of the negatives of this show. It is like starting brand new continuously, which certainly gets tiring. Maybe this feeling I obtained from watching the show was due to the fact that it is volume one and the show is just trying to get all the viewers acclimated to the environments of 2nd GIG. The sounds of this series are astonishing. From the opening theme to the closing theme I felt the music really jumped started the engine alright, it was just the execution that bogged the flow down.

This volume was not impressive at all, and I cannot lie about that. There were only two episodes that got my interests going. The other episodes were unbelievably, whack. Yes, you read that right. Whack. Hopefully in my next review for volume two, things will improve, until then, unless you are a diehard Ghost in the Shell fanatic, I would not recommend this series, yet.

The Breakdown
Time to move onto volume two and see if Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG can bounce back! (Man I am getting cramps from typing out that long title name ^_^).