Animesou.com

Synopsis:
In the year 2046, people use portable devices called Neuro-linkers to manage their daily lives in virtual reality networks. But advances in technology haven’t managed to do away with bullies, and 13-year old Haruyuki Arita finds himself a frequent target. Haruyuki escapes his miserable life in virtual games-until the day Kuroyukihime, the most popular girl in school, introduces him to a mysterious program called Brain Burst and virtual reality called the Accel World.

Review:
Haruyuki Arita is your typical bully target. He is short and chubby with a low self-esteem. Based in the year 2046, neuro-technology has advanced so much that everyone uses a device over their neck called the neuro-link. The neuro-link allows users to access information on demand and allows the user to experience a virtual environment; think Google glasses, but even more advanced. Haru hates himself for being weak, and his only escape is to log into the school’s virtual network and attain the highest scores in the game. With his high scores, he catches the attention of the school’s student council vice president, Kuroyukihime (Black Snow Princess). After some commotion, the vice president introduces a game called Brain Burst to Haru.

In Brain Burst, the world feels like it is in a stand still. But in actuality, it only appears that way for the users, because their senses are being accelerated in the real world. At the end of Kuro-hime and Haru’s meeting, she warns him to turn off his neuro-link from the global net when he is out of school, but of course things happen and he eventually forgets about it. At the end of the first episode, Haru is thrust into the accelerated world as Silver Crow and will have to fight in order to stay in the game!

The result is obvious, as a newbie, Haru is defeated with ease and left wondering what the heck did he just got himself into. What is the point of the Accel World and why was it created in the first place? As the story progresses we discover that Kuro-hime’s goal is to reach the maximum level ten, whereas, the other leaders are content on staying at level nine so that they can rule the accelerated world and continue to use brain bust in their daily lives. The penalty for losing while attempting to reach level ten is severe; the brain burst program will be wiped off clean. So we can understand why some people would happily prefer to stay idle on quest for level ten.

The Breakdown:
Accel World is a good anime, with nice characters, music and an attractive story. The interactions between the characters are great as well. The show has a bit of everything. The romance comedy of Kurohime, Haru and Chiyo. The action of the Accel World battles and the drama of how all this connects and plays out. It is definitely one of the best anime presents you can gift out this holiday season!

Synopsis:
Rikuo Nura is an average middle school student by day and yokai by night. He’s not just any yokai – he is the grandson of Nurarihyon, the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan! Rikuo wants to live a normal life. However, his grandfather wants him to succeed as the rightful heir. When an inter-clan conflict threatens the stability within their organization, Rikuo must decide whether he will live his life as a human or accept his yokai heritage.

Review:
My first impression on Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan was back in summer 2011, when I did my Watcher preview on the Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan: Demon Capital. At that moment, my thought on it was the show was pretty good, and now that I am watching the first season, my initial impression was accurate; Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan is definitely worthy of your time and money.

The plot begins with Rikuo Nura, a descendent of the Nura yokai clan. Growing up and being raised as a human, his desire to lead the family business was none. But as the story develops further, certain strife happens and he realizes that the only way to protect his friends and loved ones, he had no other choice but to accept the role as the third heir to the clan.

As with all of these stories that revolve around heirs, not everyone is onboard with the current Supreme Commander’s decision, and because of this, Gyuki, one of the top lieutenants of the Nura clan decide to take matters into his own hands to ensure that the clan does not lose its greatness to some youngin’ whose heart is not even focused on leading the yokai. Since the scenes with Gyuki are the first scenes you will see, I did not spoil much really.

Anyways, back at school, to make things more amusing, Rikuo was automatically made a member of his friends’ yokai discovery club. The mission of the club is to go around town and look for the supernatural. As a result of this club, the members often run into trouble, which leads Rikuo to have to transform to save their behinds. The club plays a large role into Rikuo’s final decision as to whether he will want to lead the Nura clan or not, due to his friends constantly getting wrapped up in his business, being held as hostages. In order to put an end to the yokai turmoil, he finally decided to accept his role as the third heir, so that he can lead the yokai to coexist with humans and fight off those who look to disturb the balance.

The story in Nura, moved smoothly, and is not complicated for viewers to understand. There are no complex issues that one must ponder about. I do enjoy that aspect of the anime. The character transition from Rikuo to Night Rikuo is quite odd though. Rikuo accepted his yokai side fairly graciously, even though he was keen on being a human and while he claims he has no recollection of the events that occur when Night Rikuo is activated, as the show progresses, he is aware of what he is doing while transformed.

The Breakdown:
As I watched Nura, I realized how it captures the viewer. The animation is fluid and great, the blu-ray 1080i high definition definitely helps in that department. The characters are likeable, heck as a person whom has trouble remembering character names; I was able to recall each of their names, an amazing feat for me in my book. Nura has an attractive plot; I was certainly entertained throughout the first disc set and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the series has to offer!

Synopsis
Based on the bestselling comic by Aya Nakahara, Love*Com The Movie is a high-school romantic comedy centering on two students. Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in class, and the last thing she wants is the humiliation of standing next to Atsushi Otani, the shortest guy. Fate and the whole school have other ideas, and the two find themselves casts as the unwilling stars of a bizarre romantic comedy duo. But as their friendship develops, so do Risa’s feelings toward Otani. Can she be honest with herself and get over her lovely complex?!

Review
There has always been an age old misconception in the world of relationships. Somehow out of all of the things that should determine whether individuals become couples, height, is an attribute that should matter least. But that is not the case in this love comedy, ‘Love*Com.’

If you are saying to yourself that the title sounds somewhat familiar to an anime, you are correct. Love*Com is the live adaptation of Aya Nakahara’s manga and anime series, Lovely Complex. The story revolves around Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani and the development of what is to be a complex love situation. Risa has always looked at Otani as a friend and nothing more. Likewise can be said of Otani as well, even though they share many things in common and their friends all believe that they would be a perfect pair, nothing more came out of it. That is until that one faithful day on Christmas.

After various circumstances Otani and Risa agreed to attend an ‘Umibozu’ concert on Christmas, prior to Otani’s ex-girlfriend’s request to attend a party with her. When Christmas came, Risa ended up going to the concert alone. As she made her trip to the concert, she was constantly being reminded of the fact that she was alone by the laughing couples around her. Upon reaching the lowest point of her day, she hears a familiar voice shouting out her name, this voice was from no one other than Otani’s. It was on that faithful day that Risa fell in love with the shorty, Otani.

The show continues on with the interactions with the two main characters and before you realize it, it comes to an end. Love*Com was funny but it felt like it was rushing. Scenes that could have had a bit more development in them were passed over, such as, the history behind Otani and his ex-girlfriend. I mean, just watching the weird mood between the two when they see each other screams drama all over. It was hinted that she left him for another guy, but why? Was there a misunderstanding? Because judging from her looks, she did not seem like that type of girl (*shrug*). I would personally want to know as it pertains to the effect it may have had on the personality of a character.

Love*Com’s goofing off scenes are pretty hilarious, such as, their homeroom teacher’s denial over his wigs and the close up break downs of a particular situation. The way that the movie made it zoom in, and took a 360 degrees angle view of a scene, and the freeze frame of how a character is saying their dialogue along with commentary was amusing. It was definitely a glowing point of the show.

The actors and actresses did a great job with their roles. And the music was excellent. Umibozu’s ‘Is This All Right’ was so ridiculous that it was good. The music video of the song made my day. While I really cannot say that Love*Com is for everyone, those who want to see the live adaptation of the manga/anime should be able to enjoy it. The viewers that are looking for more bang for the buck and time would probably want to stay away, as the movie just does not provide anything out of the extraordinary that warrants a cannot miss status.

Breakdown
Love*Com is an enjoyable movie. The comedy associated with the show definitely earned a few laughs from me here and there. It was especially entertaining when I saw how Risa became flustered over how dense Otani was. The story was straight forward and did just enough to get through. The re-watch value is not really high. Personally I would pop the DVD in just to see the Umibozu music video extra as that was just too… Wow.

Synopsis
A young man named Monkey D. Luffy dreams of becoming King of the Pirates. When he’s captured by a band of pirates, Luffy escapes to a naval base ruled by an evil captain. Luffy saves the famous swordsman, Zolo from execution in exchange for joining his crew, and the real adventure begins!

Review
One Piece is an example of a show where my stupidity led me to assume that a certain anime is bad because of the way it looked. Man I so deserve a beating from Nami. Not only did this show, proved me wrong, but it surpassed anything that I could have expected from it. The beef that I did have with One Piece is the version I received. It was the TV edited version, which means, some of the show was edited so that it would be appropriate to be shown on cartoon Saturdays or something. The addition of fade in and fade outs made for commercial breaks were annoying, but I guess I should stop with the ranting, I mean, it did warn me on the front and back cover that it was the TV version.

Okay, moving away from the being edited topic, because that can be a whole Rant-ON article in itself. The show is very enjoyable, and the characters are likable. Coby is one funny dude due to the way he reacts to the crazy decisions of Luffy’s. Obviously, our main character is the fellow with the straw hat, yes, that guy named Monkey D. Luffy.

From the start we are introduced to a few of the characters who will have some sort of significance in the show later on. You have heard two names already. Luffy, and Coby (somehow even though he does not become a pirate), the other names you will hear are Roronoa Zoro (Zolo), the pirate hunter and later on Nami, the pirate thieve. At first glance, you already know One Piece will be a fun adventure due to its animation style. It is not serious, although it could be. One thing I liked from the animation is the use of colors. The colors define the emotion a certain character is feeling and it is weird how I just like the utilization of that method in anime.

The plot of One Piece is kept to the basics. This whole adventure was sparked by a little boy’s dream; to be the Pirate King. That little boy has now grown and is now beginning to chase his dream by rounding up a crew of pirates. Of course, this task will not be easy, and if it was not for Luffy’s forbidden fruit abilities he would have been dead by the first volume. The show constantly hangs itself on the cliff. And that is how it gets you addicted to want to continue watching it. The way they did that certainly has me hooked and reeled in. Now if only an unedited version was released. Now that would be cool. I am sure a lot of us are yearning for it.

The Breakdown
Overall, One Piece is great. The story keeps the viewers entertained at all times, while everything else is consistent at providing a good experience. I have fallen in love with One Piece and I hope you do too, because if you do not, you will be missing out on some serious fun.

Synopsis
Momoko yearns to live in 18th century Versailles, rather than in her back-country hometown of Shimotsuma. To escape, she loses herself in the dreamy, doll-like fasions of the “Lolita” scene. Her idol is Akinori Isobe, chief designer of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright - her favorite design house - and she frequently travels all the way to Tokyo to shop at the store.

One languid summer, to help fund her expensive hobby, Momoko runs a classified ad offering brand-name knock-off clothes for sale. She encounters a buyer named Ichigo, who happens to live in her neighborbood.

Super-rebel Ichigo is a “Yanki”-style member of the Ponytails motorbike gang, one of Ibaraki’s Wild Speed Tribes, whose teeth-rattling customized bikes are decked out with fiberglass shields and bannered backrests.

Somewhat against Momoko’s will, she and Ichigo slowly develop a strong friendship as they share their feelings on the odd going-ons around them.

Review
Talk about pairing an odd couple together. Kamikaze Girls (Shimotsuma Monogari) is a hilarious movie about two high school girls with two way different personalities. Momoko Ryugasaki (Kyoko Fukada) is a rococo obsessed teen who dresses in the odd but cute Lolita style. Ichigo Shirayuri (Anna Tsuchiya) is a ‘yanki,’ a female biker gang member. As the show begins and Momoko narrates through her life, you are given laugh after laugh after laugh. I just cannot believe how this show just puts a smile on my face from the beginning to the end.

Kamikaze Girls finds a way to humor the viewer, whether it is some quick hitter dialogues, or the action on the screen. It is, simply put, a total entertainment package. The acting was great, and the jokes work. Momoko’s range or attires throughout was pretty. I think it is illegal to be that cute. On the other hand we have Ichigo, who has a lame Jusco (a large department store in Japan) influenced attire. While it was funny how the show portrayed Jusco, it is still a nice place to shop at!

The plot of Kamikaze Girls at first revolves around Momoko and how she isolates herself from other people. Then comes Ichiko (notice I said, ‘Ichiko’) who pays Momoko a visit after seeing her advertisement on the bootleg Versach (notice I spelled Versach and not otherwise) leftovers that her father had put away because of an incident that happened earlier which lead them to move from the city to Shimotsuma. After their first encounter, Ichiko becomes a frequent guest of Momoko’s house and that is how their friendship begins.

As the story progresses in a steady yet jaw dropping, stomach turning, laugh out loud inducing pace, we learn the background histories of both of our heroines: Momoko, who has always been mature for her age and Ichigo, who began as a goodie goodie nerd to a rude, saliva spiting punk. Their personalities certainly are not the most compatible, but the movie relies on their constant clashing of different views and beliefs. It is a show that focuses on friendships, and how even if people are brought up in separate worlds or are complete polar opposites of one another, a special bond could be found where nobody thought could be at first, as a long as a point of interest exists between each other.

The Breakdown
Kamikaze Girls is an instant classic. The fun that accompanies this show is superb. You would find yourself enjoying this no matter how many times you replay it… except unless maybe if you re-watch it twenty-four, seven; then it is not the movie that is the problem, somebody needs some help. ^_^.

Synopsis
Chise is cute, but a bit dense. She’s also small and timid. On top of that, she’s clumsy and her grades are below average. She does excel in world history although nothing positive will come out of it. She has a habit of apologizing. Her goal in life is to become stronger. To me, she seems like a really troublesome kid. Regardless, I was her boyfriend, and she was my girlfriend.

Review
Based on the original 7 volume manga by Shin Takahashi in 2000, Saishu Heiki Kanojo, also known as Saikano or in english She. The Ultimate Weapon, truly is The Last Love Song on This Little Planet. Here at Animesou we bow in respect to our sempais THEM, Anime Academy, Anime Agency, and Anime-Axess for we are The Last Anime Site on This Little Planet to present a review. Saikano breaks all the stereotypes of the robot or android girlfriend genre. It is not a Chobits, Hand Maid May, or Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, all of which were past Pioneer series. It is the romance of two high school students, Shuji and Chise, juxtaposed to the desolate World War 3 environment. Set in the remote countryside of Hokkaido, Japan, the anime begins five days after Chise first asked Shuji out. Though Shuji still has his doubts, as time passes he finds himself falling more and more in love with her. Then one day while shopping in Sapporo, what looks to be 100 unidentified bombers commence their assault on the civilian population. Buildings collapse and amidst the muddled debris Shuji, bleeding, perceives to his astonishment Chise, decked out and battle ready.

The Official Saikano Website can be found at http://www.saikano.net/tv/index.html with a beautiful flash interface carrying over the same sense as the opening animation sequence. There you can sample three instrumental music tracks, read episode summaries (Japanese), view the cast of characters, and download wallpapers and calendar images.

The Breakdown
Farewell my love, I won’t forget about you, Because I dwell on the people I say farewell to. I’m sad.

Synopsis
Video Girl Ai is about a young and ‘dateless’ man named Youta who can’t seem to tell the girl of his dreams how he really feels. One day he starts watching a video and a girl (Ai) pops out of the TV into his bedroom! She makes it her mission to make sure that Youta and his dream girl end up together. But will she really be able to stay focused on that goal?

Review
Video Girl Ai is excellent. While it could have easily been just another girly romance anime, this one did it right.

The key here is character development. Every single character feels real and emotional, and as a result, they are easy to become attached to. I cared so much about the characters, and I was surprised to be at that point in such a short series. Consider it proof of what can be accomplished in a short anime.

The Breakdown
I am completely impressed by Video Girl Ai.

Synopsis
Maison Ikkoku from VIZ: Because Home is Where the Heart Lives. Maison Ikkoku is a story which takes place in Japan. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen anywhere. Here is a romance the way it was meant to be - a romance its creator, Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha), meant it to be - a story of a ronin named Yusaku Godai, and the building’s new manager, a woman who hids a secret sadness, Kyoko Otonashi. It all happens here, in a a rundown Tokyo boarding house…known as Maison Ikkoku.

Review
This is one of my favorite anime series of all time, so perhaps I am a little biased. I simply see this as one of the best romantic comedies ever written. Done by the queen of the genre, Rumiko Takahashi, Maison Ikkoku (only the second series Takahashi ever wrote) is the most touching of all her work. Maison Ikkoku is set in Japan in the 1980s, the actual time that the 15 volume manga which was the basis for the anime; the result is one of the best examinations of regular life in Japan. It’s so quintessentially Japanese that a number of anime reference books use the series to highlight aspects of Japanese culture.

However, the humor and romance will appeal to anyone with a sense of humor, or romance. The comic usage of misunderstandings is straight from Shakespeare, and any fan of screwball comedies will be rolling on the floor with laughter. But the characters are grounded in reality, and moments of drama and romance will often take you by surprise. Godai matures as the series progresses, he’s only 19 when the series starts, and we see Kyoko overcome the massive loss she suffered.

The only problem I had with this box set was the awful english dub. The voices for Kyoko and Godai simply didn’t match the character’s personalites. I can only recommend the original japanese (the subtitles are a very good translation). My only other complaint (even though it’s not an important one) is the fact there aren’t any real extras on the DVDs. I was just hoping to maybe get some cultural notes, or perhaps an interview with Ms. Takahashi (are you listening Viz?)

Overall, this DVD set is a must have for anyone interested in Japan, any fan of Ms. Takahashi, (Ranma, Inu-Yasha), as it is her best work, or any lover of comedy, romance or the combination thereof.

The Breakdown
Pick this up ASAP, you’ll thank me (nay, worship at my feet) for letting you in on one of the best anime series ever put to film.

Synopsis
Whooo-hoooo! I couldn’t wait to do a review of my all time favorite anime Ranma 1/2. But with as much heartfelt joy I feel for this series, I just don’t know how to rate it. This is another reason why Rumiko Takahashi is my idol. The series is just so huge I don’t know where to start. Okay, how ’bout from the beginning.

Review
The time has come for Soun Tendo to set an engagement with his old friend Genma Saotome’s son Ranma so they can take over the family dojo and carry on the Anything-Goes Martil Arts name. Ranma has the choice of any one of Soun’s daughters, Kasumi, Akane, and Nabiki. The girls pick the somewhat unwilling Akane to be his bride. That’s it! Go buy it now it’s great. Wait; wait if that’s what the whole story is about then why would I hold this as the greatest anime of all time? Because it’s not that simple. You see Ranma and his father, Genma, went on a martial arts training mission in China. The area was cursed and the springs (water holes) that were in the area transform the unlucky swimmer into whoever or whatever drowned there hundred’s of years ago.

Genma changed into a giant panda, and Ranma…he changed into a beautiful, young girl. Not permanently though. Only when they’re splashed with cold water do they tranform into their alter egos. Hot water reverts them back to normal…until next time. The box set of season 1 is available now. It’s called the Ranma 1/2 TV: Digital Dojo DVD Box Set (TV series vol. 1-9). I won’t go into it and give away the story okay? I’ll just tell you what characters appeared during the run.
TV series (episodes 1-18):

With the introduction of the Tendo’s, the Soatome’s, Kuno, my favorite supporting character Ryoga, Kodachi-the Black Rose, and the ultra cute Shampoo. This is my favorite season, thus far, of Ranma 1/2. (Note: Girl-type Ranma’s voice was changed after the third volume.) Japanese and English dialogues (I enjoy the dub, thank you ^_^) Not much on the extras side. Just one bonus video. Hopefully, in later box releases, Viz will improve in that area.

The Breakdown
Finally, one of the most popular anime to hit the U.S. is available in a box set! After spending unheard of amounts of money on the VHS tapes, I’m glad that Viz is churning out the DVDs. It’s about time. The art on the box isn’t the best, but it’s what’s inside that counts. And what’s inside is gold to almost any animefan! I’m going back to china now!