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Synopsis
It’s a blast from the past as the Fool reveals Sora’s journey to becoming a Kaliedo Star. But Sora’s glory is short lived as two new rivals appear at Kaleido Stage and steal the spotlight.

As her stage time is usurped by the dashing Leon Oswald, an Asian beauty named May Wong appears and proclaims herself the next Layla Hamilton. She is certain to win a leading role, and if she’s lucky, Leon’s attention. But they are not the only unexpected newcomers to Kaleido Stage. One little runaway will find herself in some very hot water thanks to Sora’s never-ending eagerness to help!

Review
I have always been intrigued by what Kaleido Star has to offer. Its’ unique look grabbed my attention from the get go. There are some series where you can just pick it out and say this is going to be special, and for me, this is one of them. The second season commences with Fool narrating the events that had taken place in the first season to lead to where they are now. For a fresh Kaleido Star viewer, it helped me a ton in grasping some aspects of the show. Although the experienced viewers whom have watched the first season might not like the recap episodes; well buddy let me break it to you, deal with it.

After all the drama that occurred in the prior season, the crew of Kaleido Stage try everything they could to begin a new Kaleido stage. If you are new to the show, it might not make sense to you what I just said, but the Kaleido stage was screwed over by Yuri as he forcefully takes over and disbanded the whole Kaleido performance team. With Sora’s un-withering spirit she looks for other ways where she could deliver her abilities. One of it was to perform at an amusement park… a lot of trials are put in front her and as she attempts to tackle them one after another the viewers benefit from the quite hilarious experience.

Kaleido Stars’ fault has to be the English dub, I feel like sometimes the voice actors had to slow their dialogue down, just so the lip movements are in-sync. It sounds horrible when that happens, yet it is bearable. If anything, refer to the Japanese dialogue and subtitles, your life will definitely be better.

The Breakdown
Season two seems to be getting off the right foot. With rivals arriving and drama and comedy to be recognized. We are in for a real treat.

Synopsis
Legends tell of an underground kingdom hidden deep within the mountains where a utopian society exists without disease, hatred, and suffering. To be a citizen there promises eternal peace. Shambala. Those who rule Shambala posses the power to rule the world. Is what is said true or are they merely myths?

Review
There is such a place. It’s called heaven. But I digress. In Japanese, Full Metal Alchemist - The Conqueror of Shambala translates to Hagane no Renkinjutsushi - Shanbara wo Yuku Mono. First, some background historical information to put the movie in perspective. In September 1918, General Ludendorff of Germany urged the government to call for immediate peace negotiations thereby leading to the end of World War I. During the war, the government controlled the spread of ideas through propaganda and censorship. To the populace, the surrender was a stab in the back by the newly found Weimar Republic who agreed to the unfair and harsh reparations of the Versailles Treaty. People thought that their army had not yet been defeated (only General Ludendorff and his closest military associates knew that the German cause was hopeless).Anti-Semitic sentiment was growing, as the Jews who occupied distinguished positions in business, law, medicine, and journalism were enviable. Gypsies, the mentally and physically disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as homosexuals were labeled as undesirables. There were those who took satisfaction in thinking of themselves as of pure Arian blood. Secret societies were on the rise. In 1920, a group of discontented army officers staged a Putsch, or armed revolt in an attempt to seat Dr. Kapp as head of state. The Berlin workers, by turning off all public utilities, stopped the revolt. That same year the National Socialist German Workers’ party, Nazis, was born to keep alive the patriotic and military spirit. In 1923, they staged a ‘beer hall Putsch’ in Munich. Hitler fired a revolver at the ceiling and shouted, ‘National revolution has broken out!’ However, the police suppressed the disturbance, and Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison (A History of the Modern World, 1984). This event takes place in the movie. The movie also does an excellent job in showing the attitudes of hate along with the ethnocentrism of the German race, those with blue eyes and blond hair.

Secondly, at the beginning of the movie there is a physicist who claims to have discovered uranium. The year is 1914. In actuality, Martin Klaproth discovered a uranium oxide from pitchblende mineral samples in the Joachimsal silver mines in Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) in 1789. He named it uranium after the planet Uranus. That physicist in Full Metal Alchemist I would like to say is probably Klaproth in Ed and Al’s world since it was noted that he relied upon mine workers. Then again, the problem is that uranium’s potential as an energy source through nuclear fission, hence a nuclear weapon, wasn’t discovered until 1938 by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. The physicist Ed and Al encountered knew full well of its capabilities. Somehow the uranium bomb got warped into our world before 1923 (the photograph in the movie).

Lastly, Ed meets an Austrian film director by the name of Fritz Lang who he mistakes as the Homunculus Pride (Fuher King Bradrey) in his world. In the movie his monocle is on the left eye while in real life it’s on the right (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d0/FritzLang.jpg/180px-FritzLang.jpg). Lang’s mother was Jewish. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Vienna, but unsatisfied he switched to art in 1908. In 1910 he traveled to Africa and Asia. After World War I he joined Germany’s Ufa studio. His most famous silent work was Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (or Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler) in 1922, the story describing the conflict between the master criminal Mabuse and detective Von Wenk. Lang left Germany in 1934 and had his sights on America. His wife Thea von Harbou was sympathetic with the Nazis and stayed behind. She herself joined the Nazi Party 1932 and divorced Lang in 1933.

The official Japanese website can be found at http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/hagaren/hagaren-movie/index.html where you’ll find trailers, character profiles, a summary of the storyline, key terms, the cast list, two wallpapers, an interview, and plenty of screenshots scattered about.

The Breakdown
Who is really the conquer of Shambala? Is it Dietlinde Eckart, Ed, or no one at all? Watch the movie to find out.

Synopsis
On her first visit to one of the refugee areas, the Prime Minister receives a bouquet of flowers with a death threat in it. Section 9 is called in to provide round-the-clock security for her as they work to catch the would-be assassin. As they do their legwork, more and more links to the mysterious ‘Individual Eleven’ are uncovered.

Meanwhile, Togusa is trying to unravel the reason for a man’s suspicious death, and it leads him into the bowels of Tokyo and a government cover-up. Then, Section 9 is ordered to transport some dangerous plutonium out of one of the refugee districts, and the creepy Gohda is once again given command of the operation.

When it’s all over, the Major and the rest of Section 9 try to figure out exactly how all of these things are linked together. These strange happenings can’t all be coincidence.

Review
Eureka. Finally, I have figured out the way Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG flows. Every episode that is available is a building block to create one whole gigantic bang. No wonder I felt strange when watching this show right after every episode’s end. In volume two, the show continues right where if left off in volume one… boring. But slowly, it gathers itself up as the plot is revealed right before your eyes… or part of it. The unique thing was how during the dialogues, the characters would cite various events that had happened earlier, which as a result, led me to my overall understanding of Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG and refreshes the viewers’ minds of earlier events, that would otherwise be forgotten.

I was pretty down on volume one of this series as it was pretty disappointing. But volume two was an improvement over it. It was more action and less blabbering. Kind of like let the action do the talking instead of the characters being stationary and conversing on the issues at hand. In this volume, it surrounds a grouped called the ‘Individual Eleven.’ As a member of the group carries out an assassination attempt on the prime minister, Section 9 is put in charge of her safety. As that episode comes to an end, we begin with another episode that just kind of continues going on with the overall story, but taking on another mission, which will act as a stepping stone to bring the viewers closer to the true message that 2nd Gig is trying to deliver.

By the time I was done with this volume, I thought it was an enjoyable volume. It was not out of the world by any stretch of the imagination, but it was adequate in a sense that it brings what it has to, to the table and manages to stay interesting and intriguing throughout.

The Breakdown
I wonder why Gohda does not fix his face up :). Anyways, this was a good volume, but my expectations are a bit higher for a title like Ghost in the Shell :/. Maybe it is just me? Hmm…

Synopsis
2009. Ten years of furious conflict and frenzied construction have turned an alien wreck into a human triumph: the colossal space battleship Macross. On the day of the ship’s launch, the world waits with bated breath to witness mankind’s next giant leap. Hovering above the planet, though, the Zentradi, a merciless warrior race, seek to advance their agenda of destruction and conquest. When long-dormant systems aboard the Macross suddenly fire upon the alien fleet, the ship meant to preserve humanity may become its undoing. A war of attrition erupts, taking mankind across the solar system and beyond in a fight to justify its existence!

Review
A classic. Macross was one of the anime shows that pioneered the anime industry that we have today. Let us get down and dirty. From the get go, the theme song sounded liked it was not suitable for the show, but after an episode in, that theme song begins to evolve into something you would look forward to… especially that background music of the song. It makes you say, ‘Ohh… man here we go! YEAH!’ The animation we have here certainly is not top of the line in this era; it is not Macross Zero by any means, but damn it, I was so impressed of how everything moved. It might be old school, but if you watch this show, you would not believe your eyes. Yep, it is that amazing.

On to the plot. Again, top notch, nothing to complain about. I was immediately dragged in by Hikaru Ichijo’s little prank moment that he had in the air show that was going on to celebrate the launching of the Macross. The transition from calm breeze and peace, to missile flying, buildings crumbling and mechas exploding was just smooth and cool. Some of the action even makes you wonder why recent anime cannot achieve what this has. I was awestruck by the level of detail this series contained; in the story line, the characters and the way they interacted with each other, along with the show’s ability to insert a few practical fun moments at the same time to further enhance the entertainment factor for the viewers.

As mentioned previously, the air show gathering prompted the launch of the long in rebuilding progress, Macross battleship. When all things seemed to go on as planned, suddenly the Macross activates its own self defense system and launched a beam of energy powerful enough to reach space and splash a few alien battleships. When that occurred, the aliens were now interested in what the Macross was about, and of course, the invasion begins! With Ichijo strapped into a Valkyrie for testing purposes, he is forced to take off and follow his sempai, Focker, into the battlefields. That is how the plot begins and by the volume’s end, you will be glad that you finally get a chance to view this epic piece.

The Breakdown
Why are not all, if not most, anime can be like this? You know, less being amazed at the details, but more at comprehending what the situation is at hand. I would rather watch a show with a great plot than to watch something where everything seems like a page long run-on sentence. Macross right here, is not about showing off the details, at least, it is not in this time era, instead it bolsters a superb story and makes everything else work together with the story. This is why Macross Vol. 1: Upon the Shoulders of Giants gets my money and so will the rest of the series.

Synopsis
For a hapless young cadet, boot camp is no picnic, and Misaki is as hapless as they get. With the help of friends Luxandra, Kiri, and Suzanna, however, she advances in her training. Pretty normal, right? Wrong. Luxandra should be dead. Suzanna should be discharged. Misaki herself should have vanished in the exodus from the Watcher’s Nest outpost. And the mysterious life form known as the Ghoul still keeps popping up.

It’s up to Lieutenant Commander Ertiana and the rest of the survivors from Watcher’s Nest to find out why everything on Earth is back to normal… when everything else in the universe is anything but.

Review
I have always been a fan of Misaki-chan since her Divergence Eve days. Now we are into the chronicles; Misaki Chronicles to be exact. What is new? What is there to be expected? Well, first off, this series takes place before the original Divergence Eve and second, it has a lighter atmosphere; from the theme songs to seeing Misaki in her sexy uniform for her part time job. Speaking about the ecchi, I am now beginning to believe that ADV Films should have included a ‘Jiggle Counter’ for this show, just like they did for Burn-Up W. I mean, yeah, there are a lot of jiggles. Picture Misaki wearing a tank top braless running laps. There got that image? Okay, moving on…

In this series, we are going to discover why Misaki joined Watcher’s Nest. From the indications so far, it is due to her father and her strong desire to want to learn why her father was so intent on leaving his family for space and why her mom would always wait for him with a smile on her face every time he left. That is something that is only touched upon for a bit in the volume. Right after she graduated from military training, we are fast forwarded to a mission, and this is the point where everything just begins to break down; not in a good way. Suddenly we are shown Misaki’s childhood form. That certainly does not sound strange, until you bring in the current Misaki into the mix. Yes, I am talking about two Misakis. What is more weird is that the show moves a bit too fast, skipping some scenes that might help the viewers in their overall comprehension.

That is most likely the negative of this show so far. I just could not make a good connection with the graduation, the mission, and then Lyar doing time travels hunting down ghouls. But we do get a chance to see mature Misaki in a kimono (^_^)'’. From the future to the past… past past, ninja era past. I mean, I feel so awkward, I know the ghouls exist, but what do ninjas have to do with the whole big picture? What does little Misaki have to do with the series other than to freak people out at times? These questions should be answered in the later episodes, but Misaki Chronicles right now is a great piece if you like jiggles and a show filled with the necessity to think things through in order to make the most sense out of it.

The Breakdown
I only had three advanced episodes at hand, and I felt at the end of the third episode, something was finally beginning to brew… that was when the volume came to an end, for me :(.

Synopsis
Channel ATV is in serious trouble. With viewer ratings at an all-time low, they’ve got to come up with an amazing gimmick, and fast, or else their sponsors are going to cut their funding! But a whirlwind is headed for ATV in the form of one Keiko Nakadai - a substitute weather girl for the prime-time news. In one quick flash of her panties, the ratings are sky-rocketing! Thanks to the public’s overwhelming support of Keiko’s brazen tactics (not to mention her gorgeous body), she’s finally secured the bright and sunny future she’s always wanted.

However, there’s a dangerous storm brewing on the horizon. Michiko Kawai, ATV’s former prime-time weather girl, is furious that Keiko has stolen her job, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it back! But poor Michiko may have bitten off more than she can chew because Keiko’s soft exterior hides a nasty vicious streak, and she’s not about to give up her dream job so easily. Japan’s airwaves are about to get a whole lot hotter this year!

Review
What a perverted little title. Weather Report Girl is an anime based on a story by Tetsu Adachi and directed by Kunihiko Yuyama that spans just two OAV episodes, but in those two episodes were a lot of fun times. Now I am not a hentai by any stretch of the imagination, but I kind of liked this experience. Nakadai Keiko, a regular employee at Channel ATV was waiting for her big break and when current weather girl Michiko Kawai takes a night off to attend a graduation reunion, the ATV staff immediately looks for a one night replacement. As Michiko selects the ugliest girl out of the group of pictures, she was not ready to see what the secret behind the picture she had selected was.

After receiving the good news in the bathroom (doing something 18+), Keiko rips her crappy get-up off and proceeds to meet the staff. As she starts off the weather report, Michiko intently watches how miserable her ‘ugly’ replacement will look. To her surprise, the woman she saw, was not ugly, in fact, she looked better than herself… and when Keiko shows the audience how ‘high’ the flood water level is at a certain part of Japan. She is immediately approached by the ATV crew after her report the next day. Everyone was against her… that is, until the ratings came in and it jumped so much that they decided to replace Michiko with Keiko.

Of course, having just lost her job to a newbie, Michiko plans her revenge at her arch rival and attempts to take back her job! Several hilarious events occur, including a reunion with an old friend of Keiko’s from her bullying high school days. Man, it was funny through those scenes and especially when there were dirty and toilet humor involved. But when the storm is over, Michiko ends up as Keiko’s servant. And that is where the series takes off as another rival hits Channel ATV. With a tough competition, how will Keiko react? That is about all I will leak, check it out yourself to discover just how dirty, kinky, and ecchi this title can get. But umm, this is a show, just bordering the light-weight hentai barrier. If that is your thing, you might enjoy it quite a bit. :)

The Breakdown
Dang, now I might even have to go check out the live action version of Weather Report Girl. :D.

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.