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Synopsis:
An original anime series about Nagate, a low-born youth in a society of genetically engineered humans, refugees that escaped the destruction of Earth one thousand years earlier and now occupy the massive ship Sidonia. When Nagate’s talent as a pilot is revealed he becomes one of Sidonia’s elite defenders against the Gauna, shapeshifting aliens bent on eliminating humans from existence. Based on the popular Japanese manga comic.

Review:
A Netflix original anime series? That was unexpected. Shidonia no Kishi or Knights of Sidonia was originally a manga series that was later adapted into anime by Polygon Pictures; which then brings us to the exclusive streaming rights on Netflix. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get on with the review.

Knights of Shidonia is set in space, a thousand years after they have left Earth due to the Gauna invasion. Our main protagonist Nagate Tanikaze was raised in the underworld of Sidonia, never leaving for the surface and always practicing on his grandfather’s robot simulator. During the initial scenes, we get to see exactly what we should be expecting from the show. Fast mecha action scenes and some borderline gruesome animation… personally I find the disintegration of the Gauna stomach turning. But that’s just me. Anyways, as a result of Tanikaze being raised by his grandfather in the underworld (no, not your typical underworld), he did not receive the genetic manipulation the population received, and therefore gets hungry like any normal human being. On his way to search for food, he slips, falls and is captured by the Sidonia governing body. It is during his whole “booking” process that we find out more about Tanikaze and the current situation of Sidonia.

It has been a while since I was entertained by a mecha anime. Some of the mecha that I have come across lately are either boring or lacked focus in the machinery. Knights of Sidonia, does not lose sight of what it is. This show is about mecha action along with a story that grips even the casual viewer. Unlike a lot of other anime where the protagonist is often the very emotionally imbalanced type, who constantly searches for the right and wrong. Nagate Tanikaze is confident in his ability and performs the way that is instilled by his grandfather. While Tanikaze is a straightforward character, the majority of his peers are flip floppers. On the first day that he attends pilot school, he is looked down upon due to his status. After he does something impressive, his peers changed at an instant, only to change back and forth. This flip flopping in how other characters perceive Tanikaze kind of gets annoying after a while.

One thing you should not do, while you watch Knights of Sidonia, is fall in love with any characters. They could die in battle at a drop of a hat. I guess that is what makes this show so much more “realistic.” You see, these Gaunas are no joke. If we were playing a game, these mobs are way overpowered. Even Sidonia’s elite Garde teams do not make it back alive. The anime shows how emotions can deter one’s ability to fight in combat. From this display, one wrong move or hesitation can mean the life and death of the entire team.

The Breakdown:
Knights of Sidonia consists of one season, twelve episodes, with a second season in the works. Judging by that, the anime did a great job in getting as much out of the twelve episodes as it did. I was impressed at how the whole time I was watching, I never once thought this piece was dragging on or it was cutting things short. Maybe they should have extended the action scenes more, if that is one complaint that I have. Now do not expect to learn much about the origin of the Gauna? Maybe in season two; they are still a mystery here. There are signs that they are a sentient species as the show rolled on. But aside from speculation, nothing concrete is revealed.

Synopsis:
Redline is about the biggest and most deadly racing tournament in the universe. Only held once every five years, everyone wants to stake their claim to fame, including JP, a reckless dare-devil driver oblivious to speed limits with his ultra-customized car – all the while, organized crime and militaristic governments want to leverage the race to their own ends. Amongst the other elite rival drivers in the tournament, JP falls for the alluring Sonoshee – but will she prove his undoing, or can a high speed romance survive a mass destruction race?

Review:
In a world where wheels on cars are a thing of the past and hover cars are the present, there are still those people who cannot let go of the past. And in Redline you will see why there is still an undying support for these vehicles. The movie begins with a race called the Yellowline. It is a pre-qualifier race for the main event known as the Redline. Our protagonist, JP is a racer who believes winning with pure skills and not by how many weapons he can use to destroy the chances of the opposition is the true definition of how a race should be. With that state of mind, it is the reason why he has no “weapons” in his car, other than his crazy nitrous boost. When JP was about to cross the victory line, an “accident” happens and he loses the race.

While it was disappointing to the viewers and the crowd in the show, it certainly was not disappointing for the mob boss who has arranged for this set up. You see, JP and his life-long friend Frisbee are known for fixing up races just to boost the bottom line for the mob. The return for fixing races is having the financial back up to build the car to race with in the first place. JP had no idea that Frisbee had implanted an explosive device in the racecar and did not suspect anything from his friend Frisebee.

Lady Luck comes to JP’s side, as he is recovering at the hospital from the injuries suffered at the Yellowline, with news that several participants had withdrew from the Redline race after learning that the event will take place at the dangerous Roboworld; a planet where the government’s race opposition is strong and lethal force was said to be enforced at the day of the race. When JP was selected as a replacement he jumped on the chance.

The plot of Redline is focused. While there is a love interest with JP and Sonoshee, it really never takes over the screen. The story moves from race, to getting ready for the race, to some character development and tie ups, to the final race. It moves from point A to point B smoothly and I must credit Takeshi Koike for his directing, his directorial debut at that!

It is even more astonishing to learn that Redline took seven years to complete and used a hundred thousand hand drawings to create. Madhouse did an extraordinary job in bringing the animation to life. The racing was captivating and the music was gripping. When I heard the speakers thump I felt I was in the race. The character designs and their vehicle designs were unique. And for some reason it felt a little like that old Playstation game, Twisted Metal or if you do not like Twisted Metal, we could go with a Nintendo game like Mario Kart. You know… where the goal is to interfere or destroy your opponents with all sorts of tools, as much as it is to win the race itself.

The Breakdown:
Look if you are here expecting a serious racing anime with full characters and plot developments you might want to check out something like Capeta or Initial D. If you just want to see a show that is about pure racing and mayhem, Redline is truly a delight. Its combination of fast paced racing with interesting characters and a simple yet engaging story makes this show an absolute must watch.

Synopsis:
The year is 2034, and the face of terrorism has changed. No longer restricted to the limits of the physical world, the war on terror has exploded onto the net. In an attempt to confront this new threat, an elite counter terrorism and anti-crime unit was formed: Public Security Section 9. Two years have since passed when the team’s commander: Major Motoko Kusanagi, resigned from her post. After a rash of mysterious suicides Section 9 is forced to confront the “Puppeteer,” a dangerous hacker with unsurpassed skills. As their investigation of this terrorist threat takes them deeper into the bowels of a potential government conspiracy, Section 9 once again crosses paths with the Major, but is her sudden reappearance more than a coincidence, or is she somehow connected to the “Puppeteer”?

Review:
In this third release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society, we are not dealing with a film where it is a compilation of scenes from the television series. This is a new story and a continuation of where Stand Alone Complex left off. After the incident of “Individual Eleven,” Major resigned from Section 9 to do stand alone investigations on her own. Upon her net dives, she stumbles upon the case that Section 9 is just starting to get into; the suicides of people and a lead with the name “Puppeteer.” The whole situation began with one aspect, suicides, but balloons to bring in other concepts, such as, abducted children, and the aging population. Director Kenji Kamiyama brought the current social issue in Japan and mixed it within the Ghost in the Shell world.

While the population is in decline due to low birth rates and the aging population goes up with not enough able bodies to replace their place in the working populace. So what is the solution to this problem? According to the show, one way to solve this problem is to take a look at the death total of children. What if those children did not have to die? So as suggested, the government will devise a plan where they will take in these children who are on the brink of dying; kids that receive abuse etc. And put these kids in position where they will at least contribute to society, instead of just dying somewhere if they were left where they were. This sounds like something that will work, but is it ethical? Is it really that simple? Of course not, when it comes to Ghost in the Shell, someone always has to take it to another extreme. Otherwise, there would not be a show.

So what I thought about this show as I was watching it. Obviously, this time around the feature is in 1080p and not 1080i. I will not get into “p” or “i” but just know that “p” is better. And also, Nissan was brought into the mix. They meshed in flawlessly, because if I had not recognized the Nissan and Infiniti logos on the cars, I would have thought they were normal Ghost in the Shell world vehicles. I have to bring this into light as well. When you are watching an anime, you must pay full attention to everything on screen, or else you will miss the tiniest of hints that the film crew puts in. What do I mean? Well, for one, when Section 9’s Infiniti Kuraza pulls up, the license plate reads “3923.” If you pronounce it in Japanese it reads, “San Kyu Ni San,” which really means, “Thank you, Nissan.” Well that was the Nissan plug, but back to the story. When Motoko goes back to her pad after the scene where she retrieves the ampoules, as she gets out of the elevator, a man gets in. For a short moment you get to see that person’s face. And as you could expect, that person will make a strong appearance later on.

In Solid State Society, there was not an evil villain that the viewers can hate. Actually, the Puppeteer does not make many physical appearances. He hacks from a far and lets the people that he hacked do his dirty work. So throughout the show, there is a feeling of there is a threat out there, but where? In this feature, there was a lot of story development and action scenes were short and to the point. I have to say this again, but watching this one, I had to pay a hundred percent attention or else I would have been lost. And honestly, I might not have even comprehended the whole show on the first go around. Now that I have seen all three of these releases, I will say that Solid State Society was not as entertaining as the others. While I enjoyed my time with it, there was not anything where I got overly excited about. Do not get me wrong. This film was good, but I think the standard has been set so high by the previous Ghost in the Shell shows that Solid State Society just could not climb over.

The Breakdown:
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society features a social issue that has been around in Japan for a while now. It attempts to take that angle and put a twist to it to make it work within the Ghost in the Shell world. While the overall product was good, there was just too much dialogue and not enough action as you would expect from a Ghost in the Shell series. At least in the end, there seems to be some “closure” between Batou and Motoko’s relationship. That was a plus!

Synopsis:
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since the end of World War IV. Influxes of refugees are allowed into Japan to fill the labor gaps of the growing economy. Terrorist cells identifying themselves as the Individual Eleven have begun a series of ultranationalist attacks targeting refugee camps, foreign consulates and even the Prime Minister. A charismatic new leader rises amongst the refugee’s resistance movement, a former member of the Individual Eleven. Simultaneously a top member of the Cabinet Intelligence Agency contacts Section 9 with shocking revelations and unknown ambitions regarding the current state of affairs. When the refugee resistance procures a nuclear bomb can Major Motoko Kusanagi and Public Security Section 9 diffuse the situation and help avoid a catastrophic civil war? Can they uncover the mastermind orchestrating the situation? Who is the mysterious resistance leader and what link does he hold to the Major’s past?

Review:
In this release of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG: Individual Eleven, the story revolves around a mysterious resistance leader Hideo Kuze and the villain Kazundo Gohda. The history behind Kuze is deep. He was a part of an elite infantry unit of the SDF in the Peninsula War. While his group was setting up for a preemptive strike on the People’s Army, they stumble upon a camp that was not in the intelligence report that they were briefed with. Seeing how these soldiers of the People’s Army turned into a band of bandits. Kuze’s group mobilized and fought the group of bandits, saving the villagers in the process. The news of this was never revealed and members of Kuze’s unit suffered from post traumatic stress disorder. While a cameraman was questioning a wasted soldier, Kuze traded his rifle for a camera and walked off by himself. The scene was very symbolic. In a sense, he told people that he did not want to fight and if others feel they can perform better, here is the rifle. Maybe I am thinking too much into it and Kuze only wanted the camera so he can go off to his solitary life watching refugees’ daily life routines. But the great thing about Ghost in the Shell is that certain aspects of the plot are up to the viewers to decipher. And this point is proved even more during the conversation between Major and Kuze’s trapped scene.

As for the story behind Gohda, who has to be one of the ugliest villains ever created in anime. He is the head of the Cabinet Intelligence Agency and the mastermind behind the whole Individual Eleven event. His entrance into the show was fitting and he did prove his point during his introduction to Chief Daisuke Aramaki, where he states that people remember his name once he corrects them and also by seeing his disfigured face. This is a certain fact, because the viewer will vividly recollect Gohda throughout the show. As I watched “Individual Eleven,” I often thought what part did Gohda played in this event or that event. You can see that he had a lot of knowledge of the whole situation, and that part of his character was displayed during the initial encounter with him and Major Kusanagi. During the helicopter incident where a pilot had heart failure and his helicopter went rogue, Gohda exuded a sense of confidence that the situation was not going to go out of hand and Section 9 was going to take care of it rather easily.

As the plot progressed, a romantic relationship seems to develop as well, with Motoko and Kuze, after Motoko’s brain dive into Kuze. They had a relationship earlier in their childhood. Where does Batou stand in all this? Motoko gives a small reference to Batou when Kuze questions whether Motoko has anyone who she can share her deepest thoughts with. Her reply, “I suppose.” Quite what you expect from the Major and after the scene you see Batou digging her out of rubble and at the same time screamed out what he did in “The Laughing Man,” “MOTOKO!” Those were some powerful scenes and puts the whole film into perspective.

“Individual Eleven” has a faster pace than the previous release, “The Laughing Man.” There are a lot more action scenes that describe the story, than there are dialogues that explain it. Director Kenji Kamiyama wanted a quicker pace for the film. This resulted in a pace that was gripping and held me as a viewer on the edge of my seat. By using this strategy, the show becomes a bit of a mystery and is up for the viewer’s interpretation of certain events. Depending on a viewer’s emotions certain scenes appear differently. If you were someone who liked the character of Gohda you would not like what happens to him in the end. If you were fed up with his crap, you would feel that he deserved what he got. It is things like that, that make Ghost in the Shell such a unique piece of anime. While there is a lot of information that is shown, the viewers have to take an active part in making sense of it all and stay tuned. This release was fun. Once again, it was an amazing experience to have seen this in high definition. With pictures so crisp and smooth and the audio so clear, I was fully immersed in what was in front of me on the screen.

The Breakdown:
I have to thank the folks at Anchor Bay Entertainment, Manga Entertainment and Bandai Entertainment for making the Blu-Ray release possible. This installment of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: 2nd GIG: Individual Eleven was tremendously entertaining and thought provoking. It is action packed and viewers are in for a very good time.

Synopsis:
The year is 2030 and six years have passed since a criminal known only as “The Laughing Man” swept through top medical nanotechnology firms committing acts of cyber terrorism, kidnapping, extortion, and corporate espionage leaving no known suspects. New information is revealed to Japan’s top homeland security force, drawing Major Kusanagi and Section 9 into the hunt for a suspect capable of hacking the eyes of every operative, obscuring all details of his appearance and leaving behind a trail of copycats and hacked cyborg citizens. Who is The Laughing Man? What are his motives? And how do you catch a criminal that you cannot see? Join the beautiful cyborg Motoko Kusanagi in a world of high technology and deadly conspiracies as she searches for the answers to these questions and more!

Review:
Let me be honest with you, and this might even sound ridiculous. I have not completed watching the television series of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex… so the story of “The Laughing Man” is completely foreign to me. I can understand from a stand point that for those who have seen the series that this special release is nothing more than an OVA that summarizes the happenings of the series with the potential of some re-edited scenes to make the short animation work. In a sense, not having previous experience may play to my advantage, as I have nothing to compare this story to, therefore my views are strictly directed toward what I have in my hands and what I just saw in 1080i HD (I will discuss the Blu-Ray edition later).

Moving right along, the run time of this piece is 160 minutes. But it felt so much longer. I commend director Kamiyama for that effect, after watching the extras on the Stand Alone Complex Archive I found out that he was visioning this special release through different eyes; the eyes of people who have seen the television series and those who have not. Utilizing those points of view, he was able to direct the story in a way where I felt I did not miss a thing from not having seen “The Laughing Man” from the series. From the beginning to the end, the plot flowed fluidly. The dots were connected flawlessly and the viewer is put in the position to enjoy the excitement that is about to unfold on the screen.

The story revolves around an incident that happened six years ago in the world of Ghost in the Shell. “The Laughing Man,” a criminal that has become a cult icon in a way, is back at it again. For those who have seen him, only recognize the happy face icon with a cap pointing to the side. That is because he is able to hack into the sights of people. But what is the true story behind “The Laughing Man?” With a slew number of copycats, the real motive of his actions diluted and skewed, the original “Laughing Man” is out to prove that he is not really about what the news out there portray him to be. The uniqueness from this release was that what you learn from the start is not what turns out to be later on. The viewer is put through a series of scenarios and has to think about them. And just when you thought you got the gist of the show, a twist is thrown at you in various ways to knock you off, forcing you to readjust. This constant mind play is fun and entertaining. And while the action was superb, I believe the way the plot was told was where the bread and butter were. It was truly an amazing experience.

This special release is one out of three. And if this is an indication of what to expect from the others, I must say, I am very thrilled. Maybe I am late in watching these releases, as they have been out on DVD for a while now. But while I feel sorry for myself that I have not exposed myself to these great stories, I am in no means feeling any sorrow for letting myself feast on the Blu-Ray editions of these releases. Watching anime on Blu-Ray is something else. While DVD is still very competitive in video quality, the high definition of 1080 resolution blows anything else away. Especially for a series like Ghost in the Shell, where the viewers are expecting explosions, guns, mechas, Tachikomas, computer hacking effects and futuristic themes. Everything was crisp and clean. I have no complaints in the animation department.

The Breakdown:
It has been a while since the stories of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex were told. For those who have missed it, now is your time to discover the excitement that surround this work of art. Produced by Production I.G ,directed by Kenji Kamiyama and with music by Yoko Kanno, comes the tale of “The Laughing Man” available now on Blu-Ray.

Synopsis
Picking up precisely where The Prophecy ends, the new Karas, Otoha, seeks vengeance against the Yakuza that murdered his buddy and almost killed him. Meanwhile the old Karas, Eko, unleashes his wrath and contempt for the final epic battle to save the city and protect the will of the people as Prophecy becomes Revelation!

Review
It has been more than a year since ‘The Prophecy’ was revealed. To be honest, I nearly have forgotten what Karas was mainly about. ‘The Revelation’ also does not help in trying to recover the viewer’s memories of the previous events that took place in the show. When I was watching the first few minutes of the show, I was sitting there trying to grasp anything I can that I faintly remember. I was even pondering if I might have skipped something, maybe another volume before ‘The Revelation.’ Of course, I could not have and within due time things began to make sense again and I was enjoying this piece more than the first.

As we begin this volume, Otoha has lost his Karas powers as Yurine is captured by Eko, and Nue is hurt from a previous battle. What this volume provides is the real background story of both Otoha and Nue. We are revealed why they are the way that they are. Otoha was a part of the Yakuza, not knowing the feeling of pain, he was the perfect killer. I believe the creators did a nice job in showing how Otoha is deep down. We are not given a super hero that is perfect and flawless. Karas is/was human, before he is Karas, he makes mistakes just like other humans and to bring that side of him into light really connects the viewers with the character. As for Nue, he was a supporter of Eko, until both his brother and him realized that with Eko’s vision, both humans and demons will be annihilated. In the lose-lose situation they both rebel with his brother ended up being captured by Eko.

Eko was the city’s Karas for years, protecting humans, why has he turned into what he has? I never understood that aspect until this volume revealed that his sudden obsession for annihilation is due to the greed of humans. Eko grew tired of protecting a city that never learned. And in order for Eko to create a new city, he has to start from zero.

Karas: The Revelation is on a whole new level from Karas: The Prophecy. I was truly astonished from beginning to the end by its lovely visuals; action sequences that push boundaries I never thought were possible and the overall experience the show delivers is just sweet. This piece manages to put you in a hole, making the viewer think to themselves, ‘How is Otoha going to get out of this one?’ and what are the creators going to do to maximize the entertaining factor of the ending? I will not say that I have never been so synced up with an anime before, but in ‘The Revelation’ the acoustics, the animation, and the flow of the show is simply overwhelming. As I was watching this anime, I could not get enough of the action. It was consistent, and was definitely a fun experience to be had.

The Breakdown
Certainly, Manga Entertainment has made us wait for the continuation of Karas, now that it is here, I have to say, I was not disappointed with the results. The show is balanced, the sounds are effective and forces you to pay attention to what is going on in the scenes. The music score is amazing as it was in the first volume. And as I have stated previously, the animation is superb, with the varying use of chase scenes and head to head battle scenes. What this volume has that the first did not have is the meat of the Karas story. If you were one of those viewers that did not really comprehend the things that were going on in ‘The Prophecy,’ you will see the light with ‘The Revelation.’ And if you knew where everything was from the start, you will definitely love how the show plays out in the end. I applaud Manga Entertainment for bringing such a great show to the States and while it took a long time, the finished product is what really matters.

Synopsis
Her name is Kurau, and in a world of mercenary agents, she’s the cream of the elite; a master swordswoman, martial artist and thief so skilled that no secret or objective is beyond her grasp. The greatest secret of all, however, is the one Kurau conceals inside herself: as the freak result of a disastrous experiment with a new kind of energy, Kurau’s body has been fused with a binary alien life form called the Rynax.

Every second Kurau lives is lived twice, one alien sharing her consciousness, the other still waiting to be born… and now neither of those lives may last very long! The truth about Kurau has begun to leak out, and a worldwide manhunt has been launched. The ultimate agent is now the ultimate target.

Review
Kurau was a little girl when her mother passed away; ever since, she had been attached to her father. On her birthday, she receives the gift of accompanying her father to work. It was this day, the lives of Kurau and her father will forever change. The discovery of Rynax energy was new and it just so happens that Kurau’s father was the head of the Rynax experiment. At the testing site, a phenomenon occurs and Rynax runs wild. When things were finally stabilized, Kurau underwent a change as Rynax now flows in her. What effects would this incident bring to Kurau’s future? The answer will be slowly revealed to you within this volume.

As the show fast forwards to the future, it is shown that Kurau utilizes her powers to take on jobs as a mercenary. And the first thing that I noticed right off the bat was she was no longer with her beloved father, which is a note worthy to jot down as they were inseparable previously. Anyways, although she lives as a mercenary, Kurau’s… or Rynax’s promise to Kurau’s father to take care of Kurau’s body is absolute. She refuses to take on dangerous jobs, but then things are a bit different when it is shown on the screen.

Kurau, the show is thoughtful. It is an anime series that requires viewers to think and question. One of those questions that were brought up early on in the show was if Kurau was Kurau or was she Rynax. Did the ‘real’ Kurau wandered off somewhere when Rynax entered her body? Or did it have no effect at all? But then if there was no effect, how come Kurau acted strangely right after the phenomenon? If that does not bring up some questions, what about her slow transition back to normal in her father’s standards? I mean, in the beginning he was distant towards her then when he saw the light his treatment towards Kurau was no different than prior to the Rynax incident. Hmm… and if Kurau was Kurau then why is she in search of her other half? Rynax exists in pairs and the sign that she is looking for her pair shows that she is not all Kurau. Am I just making something out of nothing or are there more that meets the eye? I do not know, but I get excited just wondering the various possibilities of outcomes that may exist.

Alright, enough with speculation and let us get down to something I am sure everyone who has looked at our heroine has asked. Is Kurau female or male? Heh, believe me if you at first thought Kurau was a guy, you are not the first, Kurau’s looks has tricked even Ayako Kawasumi (the voice actress of Kurau) and I during our first encounters. Now that we got that out of the way, let us get back on topic. From what I have seen thus far from this series is that there will be a lot of story development. And there seems to be a good split between dialogue and action to aid in the effort. This balance has kept the show somewhat interesting until during the midpoint of the volume, by that time I felt that things were just dragging on.

The drag on did not stop until towards the end of the volume, where the plot was beginning to unravel with certain questions from the earlier parts of the show being answered. At the end of volume one, you are revealed just enough to know what was going on and spark some thoughts as to what may happen in the future. I believe it was a decent wrap up for a volume, but Kurau will need more than the occurrences in volume one if it wants to keep its viewers. It will need to do more than what it has been doing, because the show itself from a standpoint is not attractive. It does not command the attention of a show like say, Gantz or Elfen Lied, where the characters are colorful and dynamic. In Kurau, Kurau herself shows little emotion prior to meeting her sister Christmas. And even after meeting Christmas, her emotions only improved a tad bit. Do not get me wrong, I am not saying an anime should consist of only happy, energetic characters, but it does help in my opinion for the main character to be the grasp of the show. With the introduction of Christmas, I felt I was moving my attention onto her, rather than Kurau. Rather the focus shift was intended for me or not, it does not matter, but for Kurau to work, it must maintain the audiences’ interest through its story development. There must be some sort of solid gripping aspect of the show in the next volume, or else it would be difficult for viewers to keep their attention span towards this anime.

The Breakdown
Kurau has the potential as it has shown with the beginning and the end of volume one. But at the middle was an area where the show stalled and seemed to have gone nowhere. The pacing of this piece was adequate; it gave viewers enough time to soak in what was the subject at hand and what should be expected in the future. Other than that, Kurau to me so far, is an average anime at best. I liked the action, I liked the animation and I liked the story to an extent, but it lacked the interest factor. There are the shows that make you want to continue watching and then there are those that you can do without. And Kurau is a do without show from my experience of volume one. I did not get the urge to want the volume to not end; moreover, I was hoping that it would end faster.

Synopsis
“There’s nothing I can do to make a difference. Wars will be fought. People will die,” Takeru said. “I’ll never matter.”

He didn’t know how wrong he was. Takeru has a very special place in this universe. And he doesn’t know how special until he meets a beautiful girl who falls from the stars.

Hikari seems to have no memory of who she is (or, for that matter, where her clothes are). So Takeru takes her into his care. And that’s when things get nasty.

Hikari is not like other girls. Her name may mean “light,” but she has a dark history - and an even darker future. One that will change Takeru and his friends forever, and show them all just how beautiful yet cruel this universe can be!

Review
The name of this title is one that will strike some attention. ‘This Ugly Yet Beautiful World,’ I enjoy saying that for an unexplainable odd reason. Now to start off, let us mention the name Gainax. Alright now that the introductions are exchanged we head off to a world where as stated in the synopsis; a world where the main character Takeru feels that he has no influence on the world no matter what he does. To some of us, we can understand his state of mind. I mean, we are all just a small part of this highly populated planet we call Earth. It would require that one do something amazing in order to be noticed or world changing. With his laid back state of mind, one day as he heads off making a delivery for his job along with his best friend, a bolt of energy suddenly appears and comes right at them. As the bolt of energy got near, it rose up and separated into two. And as they all say, ‘The rest is history.’

When the two friends decide to look for the light that they saw, they were in for a surprise… a girl who looks exactly like the portrait artwork of Takeru’s dream girl appears from the light. And at that time, Takeru, not realizing what he was doing, says, ‘Hikari,’ which in turn gives the mysterious girl her name. The moment did not last very long as a monster appears from the forest and begins to attack Hikari. In the events that occur after this scene you will realize why the title is called, ‘This Ugly Yet Beautiful World.’ Out of nowhere, Takeru transforms into this super being and before it is said and done, Hikari shows a bit that she is not someone to be messed with either.

Of course, in the first volume we are just getting acquainted with the characters and nothing deep is being uncovered here, obviously. I do find that this show may cause some viewers to be confused as to what genre it really falls in. I mean, everything in the first thirty minutes or so of the show points it to the ‘average teen high school drama’ direction. But after getting a taste as to what ‘This Ugly Yet Beautiful World’ has to offer, you can make a claim that it will get some attention from anime fans. Especially those Gainax freaks that we seem to have everywhere :D.

Now as for the makeup of this piece, those of us who have seen one or two Gainax shows can already tell by the style that ‘This Ugly Yet Beautiful World’ is done, but for those who do not know, the animation is very clean and the characters are superbly designed; from the wardrobe to the features. I just have a difficult time admiring this anime at times, but who would not?, after seeing Hikari and the archaeologist, Jennifer Portman.

As for the acoustics go, the theme songs were great to listen to and the voice actors did not disappoint either, so we have a great balance of everything in this show. This was a nice pick up by ADV Films and a great job done by Gainax again.

The Breakdown
“This Ugly Yet Beautiful World” occupies a place in my heart. It is beautiful in form and the way it was delivered to me. If you are looking for a short series with a lot of great memories, give this anime a try. I would be surprised if you come back to me disappointed.

Synopsis

A deadly virus has attacked humanity with vicious intent! At the forefront of the battle is the enigmatic Akamatsu Industries. Disguised as a heavy machine factory in Tokyo, this clandestine organization uses neural enhanced weapons known as Awakeners to battle the virus. But will the combined efforts of this secret organization and the mysterious warrior Betterman be enough to save Tokyo?

Review

Humans have searched for the possibility of mortality throughout their past history. Alexander the Great once searched for the fountain of youth in India. Ponce de Leon went on the same mission and ended up discovering the Bahamas and Florida. But despite what science has told us, people in today’s society are persistent in dealing with this issue in maintaining their ‘immortality’ through plastic surgery and ‘miracle’ pills in hopes of looking younger and more revitalized. This is one of the themes we see address in the Anime Betterman.

The name Better Man is pretty self explanatory: he is better than the average man. With the ability to transform into many things by eating different fruit looking objects, Better Man is always there when help is needed. But despite how fancy Betterman looks or how bright and shiny his attacks are, it does nothing to savage the confusing and hopeless trajectory of its plot.

It starts out with Keita who meets his childhood friend Hinoki, as he joins Akamatsu Industries because he possesses the inherited ability to pilot a robot. Asami, an agent of Mode Warp who receives the help of Akamatsu Industries, tags along and takes account for every incident that happens hoping to solve the mysterious illness caused by Algernon. As simple as it sounds, the plot spirals into confusion as the coherency slowly breaks down with each succeeding episode. For example, rather than showing episodes where the audience is allowed to decipher what is going on, information is just being tossed at at the beginning introduction. In fact, most of the time we see Keita and Hikoni running for their life as something is always chasing them that ends with Better Man coming to the rescue. It’s as if the plot is on standby in order to show how bad ass Better Man’s transformations are. Irrelevant information is given every time at the end of each episode which contributs nothing to the identity of Algernon or of Better Man. Only until the last episode is everything explained. But despite these aspects, the Anime still has well crafted themes and ideas. For example as mentioned, the idea of searching for the possibility of immortality. Also, Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest is strongly emphasized (as if it isn’t in many other anime). So while there are confusing points in the plot and times when it goes off tangent, the ending did answer many questions previously introduced. However, there is also a lack of character development.

It isn’t rare to see Anime with character flaws and “Betterman” is no exception. First of all, I have no idea what on earth Keita has to do with all of this Algernon and Better Man thing. The reason for why he is in this mess doesn’t add up. For example, why does he even care to go into the robot and risk his life? Just because he can pilot the robot he would? What about his parents? His personal life? What does he feel that the audience can’t just see through his physical reactions? None of these things are present. I think this anime is allowing me to appreciate Evangelion more for some odd reason. And the fact that we do not know anything about Keita, his character becomes out of place and becomes too important when he is, how should I put this, worthless. The same goes for Hinoki. Who is she? What is her past? The only thing that is known is that her parents vanished 4 years ago during an operation called the Dive Inspection and she is looking for them through working with Akamatsu Industries. In fact, the whole cast is literally filled with stale characters as boring to watch as a piece of bread mold. Betterman fails horribly in developing any of the characters since none of the thoughts and feelings of the characters connect with the audience (at least not me). However, I do enjoy some of the misadventures Keita has like the episode when he is attacked by worms. Aside from the characters, the animation and music are conflicting.

When it comes down to art and music, one would expect them to be one sided: either excels or fail in that area. A good example is like Final Fantasy: Unlimited where the animation is horrible in a general sense. Why did I bring that particular Anime up? The reason is because I did not think there would be a worse design than some of the things you see in FF:U. Betterman however beats it by a mile. The idea of worms attacking people then forming into a giant worm as it unites with each other is such a stupid idea I don’t even know how or why it’s applied. I can understand that B.P.L. is a place where one would see earthly creatures like that. But I mean…come on. The artist and mastermind responsible for unique character design couldn’t do any better than a monster that looks like a piece of ramen noodle with a mouth? In addition Kankel, the ultimate immortal creature, has less fashion than a decorated snowman. And I don;t even want to go into the mecha designs. The conflicting reason is because there is nothing wrong with the actual cast of Akamatsu Industries characters or Better Man and it’s transformations art wise. In fact, I think the transformations of Better Man are pretty well designed. So while there are these distinguishing, crappy designs, there are also well crafted ones. It goes the same with the sound track of Betterman. The opening theme is unbearable. It sounds so off tune and the way it’s made looks so cheap with the ocean and characters fading in and out. On the other hand, there are some pretty decent insert songs during episodes.

The Breakdown

All in all, Betterman is an entertaining show to watch. While the plot is confusing at times and seems to be going nowhere, the ending does a good job in explaining a lot of unanswered questions. And while some of the animation is pretty bad, there are some goods eye popping fights between Better Man and whatever else. Check it out for yourself.

Synopsis
The worlds of humans and demons have overlapped since time immemorial, and a young woman named Yurine and her servant, the Karas, have long maintained order and balance between the worlds. But humans have finally lost their fears of the denizens of darkness.

Disgusted by human arrogance, the Karas turns his back on the laws he helped uphold for so long, taking the name Eko and leading a group of mechanized demons in an attack against the human race.

Meanwhile, a detective named Kure who works at the police division in charge of demon-related incidents opens a case involving a series of bizarre murders that look like the work of a water demon. Elsewhere, the demon Nue, who came to town to fight Eko, spots a water demon disguised as a famous warrior… and then Yuri shows up with another Karas.

This new guardian of the city is determined to stop Eko’s evil ambitions, but he has a fierce fight ahead of him.

Review
After reading the package that I have received along with watching the DVD sampler, I can say that what I have seen so far from Karas is too good, way too freaken good. The blending of 2D and 3D animation is amazing. The action makes it even sweeter as it is quick and hard hitting. This show has some sort of magic to it that attracts the viewer. I was mesmerized by the details and the way the show flows so seamlessly together (animation-wise) at times. But I am sure you have heard enough about the animation and how good it is. Let us go into what Karas is really about.

We commence with an exciting chase scene that will get anybody’s heart racing. During the sequence, there are some things that one could pick up about the show, such as, characters that will have a significant role later on, the transforming ability of Karas, and the sometimes confusing flow of the feature. Why would I say that it is confusing? Well, Karas feels like it just pieces together scenes one after another, whether they connect or not, it is up to whether you have the ability to think fast and connect it yourself. I actually watched the first twenty some odd minutes of the show three times to finally realize why this part happened and why that part occurred. Maybe it is because it is only six episodes long and things might have to be skipped over to fit all there is to fit. It certainly does not make it fun to feel like you are always catching up and just when you do make sense of what is happening, the show blazes away again. It is a marathon, so stay strong people!

Okay, what is Karas about? The story goes something like this. The previous Karas dies in battle fighting Eko (the ex-Karas). With Eko and his crew of blood consuming mechanical demon monsters running around Tokyo, a new Karas has to arise, and that leads us to, Otoha. There is not much detail about how or why he was chosen, but his side job is a demon doctor and of course, his main job is to be the protector of Tokyo, the Karas (it translates into crow, by the way). Anyways that is pretty much how the show starts out. It builds up from there. We follow Nue (a mechanical demon), who left Eko’s Mikura group in order to follow his own path. What that path is, is still to be determined, but he does help Karas. But then we also follow other characters of the show as well; Kure, Sagisaka and even Hinaru (the girl who seems to be everywhere). When you go further, other characters will appear, such as, a female Karas and a Yurine twin. But just when things begin to reach a high point and get extremely exciting, the first DVD ends :(.

The music score of Karas drags you into the show. The main theme is beautifully composed and is sweet to the ears. Every time it came on, I could not resist from sitting up straight and direct all my attention to the show. The dub was not bad either, having three big names in the project: Jay Hernandez, Matthew Lillard, and Piper Perabo (Because of this, you know Manga Entertainment was serious about this release). The voices of the characters were pretty sweet. I liked how Karas sounded in both English dialogue and Japanese dialogue. Of course, I am more on the subtitles side though :).

The Breakdown
Certainly, Karas has the looks and sounds of a killer hit, that is something we cannot deny. From the get-go you get your monies worth of action, animation and audio. Although, the way the plot flowed, has gotten me a little skeptical about whether some of the audience would like it. As I have stated above. At times, the anime, would seems like scenes are just being pieced together without any sort of transition or development. But other than that complaint, from the time you play the feature initially to the time the run time has fully elapsed. In the end, when the smoke clears, Karas is entertaining. Manga Entertainment deserves a lot of props for delivering this top notch OAV to the fans of the States. You must see it to realize what I am talking about!