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Synopsis
When Alice Hayashi, the youngest person ever to go into space crashes her shuttle at the North Pole, she is thrown thirty years into the future. But her trip through time is far from accidental. The world is now ruled with an iron fist by Nero and his supercomputer, the SS10X. And because of a common link between her, Nero and the SS10X, Alice may be the future’s only chance for freedom…

Review
ArtsMagicDVD did a good job with this release. The story is cold at the beginning, like the setting (North Pole), but towards the end the story becomes quite an experience. Alice Hayashi who was on her way to the moon, suddenly was in what she recalled an accident. When she woke up she was being chased down by both Nero and the Federation Liberation Forces. After a lengthy speed chase, she wipes out and is then found by Yuan, one of her only friends in this strange world. When Alice came to, the situation was stated to Yuan, in other words, us. Then the escape plan was put into play as they were being chased yet again. This time they get away and the meat of the story begins here.

Obviously in order to find the answer to why people were being captivated by Nero, they would have to pay a visit to Nero. I love the twist of the story this part of the movie brought. It was predictable, yet it was not. Something that you can work out the answer if you thought about it for a long time, but you would have never thought about this factor. This really got me up to appreciate this full CG movie more.

The ending was enjoyable. Everyone got what they wanted. Yuan and Maria (SS01X) found the location of where the people were captured and they venture out to free them, and Alice goes back to her time and has a surprise awaiting her rescue. :P. Overall, this movie got entertaining towards the end. Only if it was like that throughout, it would have been great, instead of now, being mediocre.

The Breakdown
You will like the unexpected ending. It baffled me for a while, but I slowly processed the information and enjoyed it.

Synopsis
The mind-shattering prequel to the hit cult thriller, Ichi the Killer!

A masochistic mobster meets his match in the dark streets of Tokyo. His nemesis, Ichi, is a psychopathic killer with an unrelenting thirst for bloodshed. A horrifying secret burns in his mind, and his hands deal death without mercy. At last, the shrouds of mystery are parted to reveal the origin of the monster. The city will know its greatest fear at the unveiling of Ichi the Killer!

Review
A show with all the things necessary to satisfy the crude and horrendous minds of some disturbingly violent people is what Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero is. This series is cool, do not get me wrong. I like a series that just makes me sick with the happenings on the screen. I find myself laughing to the way some of these characters in this series get their ass kicked or killed by Hajime (Ichi).

Now I have seen the live action movie directed by Takashi Miike. I did not understand anything that was going on there. Maninly due to the fact that I did not care to understand. But after watching the animation I got a sense of why Ichi is the way he is. Now I understand why Miike had a scene where a woman got a big bruised eye from some guy and Ichi was just standing there, looking as if he did not know what to do. That is what is so great about his works, it is unpredictable, strange, and just when you think you understand what is going on, you have to go back, because most of the time you are wrong.

Ehh… anyhoo enough with the preaching of the live action hehe. :)

The show starts out with what I assume is the ending. Then it flashes back to how Hajime became Ichi. I tell you, if you are a bully and pick on some kid profusely, you better watch it. I guarantee you will stop once you see what happens when that kid snaps.
Throughout the episode you are kept glued to your seat as the pace quickens and Hajime’s character just makes you want to know more about his life. You are in a denial state during certain scenes, as you say to yourself, “Oh no, he did not…”

Ichi the Killer is sadistic; it is what I consider a guilty pleasure, because I am crazy. Uhh no, because it just seems fun to envision myself beating the crap out of someone. I am sure you have imagined yourself knocking someone out throughout your life time and Ichi the Killer accomplishes this job for you, as it is action packed and filled with a sad/dark theme that is sure to attract.

The Breakdown
I would not expect myself saying this about Ichi the Killer, but this first volume really impressed me a ton, I am looking forward to how it develops.

Synopsis
Fighting is a way of life for teen martial arts prodigy Kiichi Miyazawa. When his best friend goes down in a grappling match with a deadly Jujitsu master, Kiichi takes matters into his own hands and enters the ring. But this time he may have taken on more than he can handle.

The challenge is to the death, and his opponent has the near-supernatural ability to predict his every move. Honor, guts, and glory are all on the line in this no-holds-barred martial arts blood match!

Review
The more Shootfighter Tekken evolves its story the better it is. The first volume was a bit fast, a bit too fast that you just start and end. There is hardly that break in the middle where you can take everything in. Round 2 is almost an extension to Round 1, as watching this volume makes me appreciate Round 1 even more. What a series this has become already with only two volumes out!

Round 2 commences with a challenge to Keybo, (What is new?) from a wrestler named “Man-Eater.” Wow, I sure as hell do not want a piece of this guy after hearing his moniker ^_^. There is a surprise in this volume as the first challenger was not actually the “main” challenger of Round 2. Man-Eater was actually a comedian, although he does not look like it. You shall see how he makes you laugh. I got a good kick out of the stupidity this guy holds. Much like the Great Doborabo of Dragon Half. It is just great, this series needs a light substance, and from Man-Eater, it achieves it.

Now to serious business, the Iron Kiba is the biggest (damn I cannot use profanity here) you will ever see in an anime. This guy acts all big, but he pays everyone to do his dirty work. What the hell? First he gets Man-Eater, and once there was a twist at that attempt he gets Shingo, a fighter under the art of Gogetsu style (jujitsu) to challenge Keybo to a match. The fighting scenes are top notch in Round 2. The various moves that were displayed are a bonus, since it is not the usual, money saving fighting scenes technique that some series have, where they show the same cuts over and over again.

Shootfighter Tekken is starting to get interesting, it is one series that you have to pay attention to as it may not receive the big hype some other series may have, but it certainly has the potential to be a good little title to be in your collection.

The Breakdown
This title went from rent in Round 1, to own in Round 2. Nice transformation.

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
In a war zone devastated by minefields and strife, a dying child is missing. She fights a foe more deadly than any terrorist. Her heart is a time bomb that will kill her even as the explosions annihilate her home. Can renegade doctor Black Jack recover his patient before both their lives are claimed by war?

Review
Central Park Media brings to you another dose of this addictive drug I call Black Jack. I cannot praise this series anymore; it would just be spoiling it. In this volume, Black Jack is hired by a mob boss to cure his grand daughter who has a heart condition in another country where a war has broken out. With the obligation to comply with his word, he travels long distances just to meet up with his client. (Notice I used client, instead of patient ^_^).

After a successful operation, Black Jack stayed for an extra month or two to help out with the refugees. He charged $1 for every patient, but he took IOUs. (Hmm… so he was not all about the money after all). The show later shifts to New York City where it is all jolly. That is until, the mob boss gets shot up and an immediate operation had to be performed in order to save his life. Black Jack was present, but a jealous doctor opposed in having an unlicensed doctor to operate on any patients. Because of his jealousy, he almost caused the life of another. Of course, Black Jack would not allow that to happen… will he?

I know I sound like a broken record, but I must give credit to where it is due. Black Jack really has been one of a few series that has amazed me this year. This is something that I can never overdose on :P. This is the only doctor you should be checking out for you anime-insomnia.

The Breakdown
Let us state the obvious. You make the choices in your life. But making the choice to watch Black Jack certainly will not be a bad choice, out of the many choices you will make throughout your life time.

Synopsis
Full Metal Panic is an exciting story about a girl named Kaname Chidori, who is under the protection of a secret organization called Mythril because of a power that exists within her that she does not even know about (and which I will not reveal the details of in this review). Sgt. Sagara Sousuke is assigned to protect her from any threats that would take advantage of her power, so he soon finds himself acting as a student in Chidori’s high school. The problem is Sousuke, who having been raised in a pure military environment, has no idea of how to behave in a school. So it’s up to Chidori to knock some sense into him, and I mean that in a completely literal sense.

Review
Full Metal Panic is a cross-genre anime that can literally be called just about anything you can think of. Action, Drama, Mech, Comedy, Romance and even Horror at times. Episodes that take place on campus are quite humorous, dealing with the developing relationships between Chirodi and her friends and Sousuke. Then there are the action packed episodes when things get dangerous. The danger spawns romance, and the resolution of conflict brings the story full circle and back to school where it once again goes into comedy mode. It all makes for excellent pacing.

The story itself is very interesting, with a lot of very likable characters, and one very mean bad guy who fills his role too well. I hate that man. … Anyway, the story never loses momentum throughout the 24 episodes, and if anything you will wish for more episodes when it is over (fortunately you can spend more time with the characters in Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu).

The Breakdown
Put Full Metal Panic at the top of your list. It is that good. What are you still reading for? Go! Watch! Now!

Synopsis
Fumoffu fumoffu, ‘Fumo fumomo? Fumoffu’ fumomomoffu! (The new anime series, ‘Full Metal Panic? Fumoffo’ is an exciting new comedy!)

Review
Full Metal Panic? Fummofu is exactly what fans of Full Metal Panic! wanted. More time to spend with all of their favorite characters. Gone are the dramatic conflicts of the original series. Instead, the fans are treated to a series of self-contained short stories that are creatively written, and downright hysterical. Could this be the funniest comedy of 2003?

The Breakdown
This is the perfect anime if you’re in the mood for a laugh. Fumoffu! (Watch it!)

It’s too short, by the way…

Synopsis
Ai Yori Aoshi is a romantic story about Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who, after having cut all ties to his family, lives a very lonely life. That’s going to change however, as a friend from his past will soon come back into his life, and completely change the way he lives. Aoi Sakuraba spent her entire life working hard to become a wife worthy of Kaoru. Even though he left his family (thus ending their betrothal) Kaoru is still the only man Aoi can think of. Ai Yori Aoshi is their story.

Review
At first Ai Yori Aoshi appears as though it is going to be something truly unique. The story development in the first few episodes is strong and very well written. An episode or two later however, it becomes apparent that those episodes were just an intro to a much more filler-based anime, and that Ai Yori Aoshi actually has a lot in common with other anime. Love Hina and Happy Lesson come to mind, because they are both examples of anime in which one male character and several female characters live under one roof. Once the rest of the cast shows up, Ai Yori Aoshi goes through all the cliche plotlines. The ‘I’ll make a boxed lunch so that he’ll fall in love with me,’ episode, the ‘Let’s all go to the beach and show off our new sexy swimsuits,’ episode, and of course the prerequisite ‘I ended up naked in a hot spring with a guy,’ episode. The list goes on.

It really isn’t anything you haven’t seen before, but regardless, it is still quite enjoyable. I attribute this to Ai Yori Aoshi’s entertaining cast. Each of the girls is given several episodes to develop their personalities, and they are all quite unique. They are also very cute in design, as is most of the artwork in this series.

Towards the end of the series the filler episodes cease and all of the conflict that was mentioned in the intro episodes returns to the spotlight for an emotional conclusion. Cliche or not, by the time it all ends you will be left with a smile and probably recommend Ai Yori Aoshi to all your friends.

The Breakdown
Ai Yori Aoshi succeeds in being a romantic journey for Aoi and Kaoru that will probably manage to bring out the sap in you. It’s great for a date and also funny enough to watch with a bunch of friends. It’s a safe buy.

Synopsis
Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ takes place two years after Aoi and Kaoru were first reunited in the original Ai Yori Aoshi. While there is no overall main story, there are several small plots that take place over the course of the series. Special attention is given to Chika, who appeared late in the original series, and to Tina, the American who can barely speak English because she is so Japanese.

Review
I hate to start a review on such a negative note, but the fact of the matter is, Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ does absolutely nothing to advance the plot of the original, nor does it answer any questions you may have had about it. It exists purely as an extra set of filler episodes for fans of the original series. In fact, the main storyline (the love story between Aoi and Kaoru) while present is hardly of any importance with the exception of one episode, and that failed to satisfy my hopes for the series.

Putting all that aside however, it is still an enjoyable series that contains many happy moments to remember. The last few episodes are the most emotional, but at a cost. There is very little comedy in these episodes, and the change of pace is somewhat out of place. Still, there is some payoff for getting to the end.

By the time its over, nothing of Ai Yori Aoshi’s story is resolved, so it looks like another sequel is inevitable. Despite my opinion that ~Enishi~ does not live up to the original, I still love the characters and hope that another sequel is in the works.

The Breakdown
6.5 looks like a low score, but it really isn’t that bad. If you enjoyed the first series then I suggest you give this one a try as well.

Synopsis
Kujaku, the young martial arts mystic-in-training, must rescue his supernaturally powered sister from an evil sorcerer. The warlock plans to use her abilities to unleash eternal darkness upon the Earth. But Kujaku shares a psychic link to his sister, and nothing, not even evil hordes of warrior minions, will stand in his way!

Review
Spirit Warrior is one of those typical light versus darkness, good versus evil anime, but what anime today is not about good versus evil? The idea is overdone; newer and fresher ideas must be developed! And what better to do than to add history into the mix? I am talking about adding the Nazis. So now we have characters with mystical powers and at the same time around the period where the Nazis still existed. Is not that cool? Where are the story planners? They really got away with this one. The story is lacking; it moves with quick speed and pretty much lacks depth also.

Check out the flow of the story. Introduce main characters, one main character (the good character) goes to try and save the other main character (the soon to be evil character). Things happen and the soon to be evil character becomes the evil character. When the good character first fights with the evil character, he fails, builds up, fights again and wins… simple? Not really, throw in the fact that the evil character is the good character’s older sister; also throw in another fact that both these characters are fighting the same way their guardians were fighting many years ago, so it was kind of like fate or destiny.

What did not appeal to me was how the fantasy theme was mixed with present time theme and was mixed with a little bit of futuristic theme. Fantasy theme, with all the mystical powers, present time theme, with the Nazis (not really present time 2004, but bear with me please :P), and futuristic theme, with cyborg (the Nazi soldiers are cyborgs in this movie).

By the time you are reading this paragraph, I am assuming you are saying in your head, “Gee dude, your writing tone, sounds quick and lacks depth.” If you say that in your head, then I have accomplished what I wanted, which is to show you how it feels when watching Spirit Warrior. I will not bash Spirit Warrior any further, but as an honest reviewer, skip this title for your sake.

The Breakdown
This review was suppose to be up somewhere at the end of December, but due to my trip to Hong Kong it was postponed. Spirit Warrior: Regent of Darkness, should only be a rent title in my view. Making a purchase means either you have a lot of money to waste or you are in love with the title, both are cool with me, but for us who are poor, we shall resort to renting :P.