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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
Episode 5: “Diamond Child”
Meet Tatsunosuke, a young thief with a special gift and nothing to lose. Matched against Tsubute, which thief will come out with the Dragon Stone in his pocket? Faced with the opportunity to join the Kimon, will Tatsunosuke take the chance, and pay for it with his life?

Episode 6: “Shelter From the Rain”
Apart from the others, Jubei finds himself poisoned in battle with Nenmu, a ninja who can use the bodies of people. Caught in a rainstorm, with the help of a woman and her young son, Jubei slowly recuperates from the poison. But with Nenmu’s ability to manipulate anybody, who can tell a friend from the enemy? Will Jubei’s newfound allies turn against him?

Episode 7: “Blossom”
Azami is back, and after the half of Dragon Stone she could not get the first time, determined not to lose it to the Kimon clan. Meanwhile, Jubei learns the truth about the Dragon Stone and the treasure of the Lost Dynasty, and he’s slowly figuring out just how precarious of a position they are all in.

Episode 8: “The Fate of Rengoku”
Rengoku has her mission ? to get the other half of the Dragon Stone from Jubei. This is also her chance to avenge the death of her beloved brother, but at what cost? With revenge on her mind, what will Rengoku sacrifice for the ability to kill Jubei?

Review
First off, haters and doubters please shut up about how the Ninja Scroll TV series does not appeal to you. I mean, comon, you have only seen volume one, the first four episodes! Unless you downloaded it and have viewed the whole thing; you should be a real fan and wait it out to see what the show is about. You cannot judge something just by how it starts. There were instances where I disliked an anime for how it began; later on, loving it as the story develops and I am sure I am not the only person that has had those instances. I hear many people say that the Ninja Scroll TV series is not good, because it is not like the movie… now are you stupid or are you brain dead? Do you know the difficulty to top something that is already on the top of the charts? It is a hard fact that sequels usually cannot and will not top the original. Check out The Matrix: Reloaded for an example, did Revolutions top Reloaded? Hells no, all you see is the same exact stunts pulled on and off the screen. Now if this Ninja Scroll was exactly like the movie, then I bet you guys would be complaining how it is just a cheap copy of an old ideal. Complaining, complaining, that is all you guys do, not realizing that a series did not have to be created at all. But because of the tremendous amount of fans demanding a sequel, Urban Vision helped brought it to us. Appreciate that. Do not hate this series, or any series in that matter because of another person’s views, and you do not have to like this series either, just because I am telling you that I like it. Just simply appreciate it, that is all, appreciate what you can, and shut up.

From the introduction of this review, you should be able to tell that I am delighted how this series is turning out. The action scenes were astonishing, the soundtrack gets you right into the mood of things and although the story did not advance much in volume two it was still pretty entertaining and kept my mind awake to all the action (killing) that the haters said there were not enough of in this series. Now unless you have viewed the entire series, there is no possibility that you could come up with a conclusion that the series is “soft” or whack if you want to put it in a casual term. So where do people get these crazy views that the entire thing sucks, when the whole series is not even out on the streets yet?… oh wait, let me add, legally. I would not even be discussing the legal and illegal issue, so I will just leave it at that.

Now back to the series. What I liked the most, of course is the action. The way people get killed, the powers or abilities characters have and the exaggerating blood shed that is shown after someone gets beheaded, stabbed, sliced, or split in two, you get the idea. I wonder why are there people questioning where the blood was in Ninja Scroll the series. Either they are utterly blind or just completely did not pay any attention to the anime. Because of this, you get people who follow these blind fools and reject a show that is good, without even taking a peek at the show. Sigh… what has the anime community developed into?

Okay really, back to the series :). This volume focused more on fighting rather than progressing the story line. The Dragon Stone gets bounced around from Shigure to Tsubute to a character who I believe would probably play a significant role later on in the show to Jubei and it keeps going on and on and on. So that is pretty much the whole story development. Do not get turned off though, the attractive part is the way it goes upon running that loop and that is why I am looking forward to volume three, more violence, and hopefully a twist in the story or a climax would be pleasurable.

The Breakdown
I hate haters and doubters. Punks who want everything their way or no way, and while they are at it, bringing others who have no knowledge of that anime with them to the hate side. Well, good luck finding an appropriate anime for your little organ beneath that thick skull of yours.

Visit the contest page if you are interested in a fan art contest for a chance to win a DVD copy of Ninja Scroll Vol. 2: Dangerous Path.

Synopsis
The war between the clans reaches its climax as Shigure is kidnapped by the Kimon clan, leaving both the Hiruko and Jubei desperately chasing after them. As the powers of the Light Maiden grow stronger, friends and enemies become harder to tell apart and Shigure, pursued by legions of creatures, finds she can no longer deny her responsibilities as the Light Maiden. She is the key to finishing the war, and the drifter ninja Jubei has committed himself to seeing her to the end!

Episode 9 “A Dragon Within”
Until now, no one has fully understood the secrets of the Light Maiden. But they are revealed at last when the Hiruko warrior Zofu saves Shigure from a clan of assassins and forces her to face a place and purpose she did not choose.

Episode 10 “The Heart of the Hiruko”
Who is Rokai? When Shigure is threatened by Yamidoro and his clan, a protector appears in the form of a strange little man with amazing abilities. However, even he cannot prevent the Kimon from kidnapping Shigure. Someone must save the Light Maiden!

Episode 11 “Yagyu Renya”
The action moves to sea as Jubei’s party searches for Shigure, who is stranded on the water with the Kimon clan. Onboard Jubei’s ship is a mysterious samurai. Is he friend or foe? The group must find out as passengers on the ship start turning up dead.

Episode 12 “Dynasty Restoration” How far can you trust your senses? Jubei’s commitment to save Shigure pays off when he, Dakuan, and Tsubute execute a successful rescue mission. But something is wrong, and Shigure is acting strangely. The outcome of war may depend on Jubei finding out why!

Episode 13 “Farewell Jubei” The memories of the Light Maiden are awakening inside Shigure’s head. But her recovery comes too late—Jubei has fallen in battle, and this leaves only Shigure to unlock the powers of the Light Maiden that will decide the fate of them all. She must face a finale without Jubei and witness one final fight that will decide who comes out alive.

Review
Whatever is good must have an end. Sadly, Ninja Scroll the series is done in this third and final volume. This volume certainly did not disappoint. It is action packed, and the story also gets very interesting. There are various moments that might touch a fan emotionally, and overall the final experience of Ninja Scroll is just great. Just when you think it is over and you have predicted everything, it is not. Things become crazy towards the end, it is just unpredictable. The only thing you could have probably predicted was that Jubei was going to defeat everyone, but that is a given so it does not mean anything.

The flow of this last volume is very smooth. There are no story breaks; it is just a pure build up of the summit high climax. I certainly appreciated that. It made it fun to watch. When an anime does that, you no longer feel an obligation to pull yourself through; the show itself does those honors, so that you do not feel enforced to stay in front of the screen.

Call me crazy, but for an odd reason, Ninja Scroll the series to me, does not seem to have random senseless killings that other ninja genres out there have. By that I mean, the killings that exist only to boost the cool factor. Yeah, a few henchmen might die, but those killings leads to their boss during the episode, unlike some, where they just die and the show goes on to the next scene, never seeing the boss until further down the road.

This show was extremely enjoyable. I really do feel bad for the doubters of the show. They do not know what they are missing. I believe Jubei will be hanging up his sword after this for good… but who knows, there might be a come back somewhere along the way, way along the way hehe.

The Breakdown
Will Jubei make another come back? Hmm…

Synopsis
In Feudal Japan, the Edo period brought a time of delicate peace bought with blood. Ninja Scroll: The Series chronicles the life of Jubei Kibagami as he wanders the countryside as a ninja for hire. At this time, ninja clans are everywhere. Once clan, known as the Hiruko Clan, doomed to live and die in darkness, protects a sacred treasure called the Dragon Stone. The Kimon Clan, however, bent on reviving the power of the Toyotomi, wants the Dragon Stone and the treasure it hides. Jubei is the best man for the job of protecting both the Dragon Stone and the only one who can use it – The Light Maiden.

Review
Finally the highly anticipated sequel to the original Ninja Scroll has arrived and it is taking the industry by storm. Urban Vision has done a real fine job in giving us a treat so sweet that I am now worrying about cavity. The story starts off with Rouga, a character that has the ability to change into wolf form. He holds what they called the “Dragon Stone.” His goal is to get the stone, to the Light Maiden. Of course, nothing in the Ninja Scroll world is easy. Rouga finds himself trapped by two Kimon clan members and guess who comes out of the blue. That is right, Jubei. He took out one person with just one move! The action of Ninja Scroll: The Series is really amazing. There is speed, blood and finely arranged battles, a lot of them as a matter of fact.

A few scenes later we are taken to the village that the Light Maiden resides in. She is clueless about the real world and clueless about the village that she lives in. When the Kimon clan attacked the village, all the villagers defended and protected the Light Maiden to their death. As a result, the whole village was wiped out and Jubei is there to help out. Rouga was also there to fight, but he was severely injured and said his last words to Jubei. Keeping his words to a dying man, he goes a find the ran away Light Maiden.

If I go any further I will just spoil more so I will stop with the summarization of the DVD. Everything was top notch in the four episodes that I have viewed. And with the release date not so far away, please remember to save your pennies for this!

The Breakdown
This long awaited series has certainly not disappointed me. Believe me this will really be a treat for all Ninja Scroll fans and non-Ninja Scroll fans too.

Synopsis
Welcome to Chinatown’s most unique pet shop. There is a variety of exotic creatures to choose from, each with an intriguing tale to share with the lucky owner. But be careful, what you see is not necessarily what you get. Here is a collection of four stories of lost love, second chances, and redemption. Whether or not the client can handle the responsibility, however, is a matter of life and eath. The first episode, entitled ‘Daughter’, chronicles a couple’s attempt at having the perfect family. The second episode, ‘Delicious’, is a tale of betrayal and second chances. The third episode, ‘Despair’, tells the story of a has-been actor and a love so blindly devoted, it surpasses even death. The final episode, ‘Dual’, brings the legendary holy beast known as the Kirin into the hands of two men, and only one will survive.

Review
Pet Shop Of Horrors, first question that comes into my mind, ‘What the hell kind of title for an Anime is this?’ Anime with strange title names usually turn me away from it. But I guess I was foolish for doing so. Without even taking time to learn what PSOH is about I came to conclusions (prejudging is bad, in Anime and in life). Thinking that PSOH is just bad, I drew a distance from it. After watching it, I suddenly realized what I have missed all this time and I am now slapping myself for it. (Hehe)

Made up of four episodes, each containing a story of its’ own. Pet Shop Of Horrors really will give you horrors. Especially in episode one ‘Daughter,’ I was getting chills all over after the climax of the story was displayed right before my eyes. I wish there was more to PSOH; it is something that is different from what I usually watch.

Anyways, in order to obtain a pet, the person must sign a contract with Count D. Rules are simple and there are only three. The main rule seems to be not to show the pet to anyone (it is stated on every contract). If a rule of the contract is broken, the shop will not assume any responsibility for what is to happen. Of course, the owner in every episode breaks the rules of the contract and we all can predict what happens to them.

If you are a viewer that is looking away from PSOH, you are making a big mistake. PSOH is a very cleverly done piece of work, by the ‘Anime Dreamteam’ made up of: Hisashi Abe (Vampire Hunter D), Rintaro (Final Fantasy) and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Bio Hunter).

The Breakdown
Overall the product is very good. I thank Urban Vision for providing me with the DVDs, so that I can review them. Thanks a bunch!

Synopsis
There is Earth, our familiar world, and then there is the Black World, a parallel dimension that very few people are aware of. For centuries, a pact between the two worlds has been observed to maintain peace, and terms must be negotiated and renewed soon to continue the relative harmony. This time around, there is a militant faction that will stop at nothing to prevent the signing of a new treaty for inter-dimensional peace. Two agents of the elite organization known as the Black Guards - defenders of the balance between the two worlds - are charged with insuring the success of the treaty.

Review
Wicked City, to me has always been an Anime that is mysterious. I have heard about it, but I never had the urge to watch it. Everyone that I know that had watched Wicked City always talked about the ‘rape scenes.’ In my opinion, that is all they cared. I bet they never took time to acknowledge the cool and addictive story Wicked City posses. Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (same director that did Ninja Scroll) has done a wonderful job in merging action, eroticism and graphic horror into Wicked City. There was not a point where it was boring in the 82 minutes of run time.

Lets look into the story. Taki, a Black Guard is assigned to an assignment that involves in protecting the person that is responsible for signing the new peace treaty between the two worlds. After arriving at the airport he runs into some trouble and was later on saved by his assignment partner, Makie. Makie is a Black Guard from the Black World (meaning she is a demon), with killer looks. The story gets deeper by the scenes and attracts the viewers with fast paced action, then touches it up with a little eroticism. I can safely say, ‘Wicked City has old school animation, but every other element that Wicked City has, blanks out that thought. In the end, creating something that is totally new to the audience.’

The Breakdown
I have hardly seen any Anime with old school animation, impress me. Wicked City will be a title, that will leave a lasting mark on me.

Synopsis
A strange virus, known as the Demon Virus, attacks the human genetic code, transforming people into monsters with demonic powers. One particular monster is terrorizing the streets of Tokyo, ripping open young women to devour their livers. A famed psychic holds the secret to the identity and purpose of this monster. Now it is up to two molecular biologists, self-proclaimed Bio Hunters Komada and Koshigaya, to reach the psychic and his beautiful grand daughter before it’s too late! The Demon Virus is out to conquer the world…

Review
Bio Hunter is probably one of the nastiest titles I have ever seen, nasty in a good way though. In the world of Bio Hunter, humans turn into monsters and crave to eat young women. Disgusted yet? If not, the animation sure will! At many times of the movie I would say, ‘Ewww,’ but at the same moment I cannot help but to like those scenes. They are not something you would see in every other Anime in its’ genre.

Anyways, the Bio Hunters, Komada and Koshigaya hunt for the monsters and eliminate them. As they fight, Komada (also a carrier of the virus) loses control of his virus powers. What will become of him is for you to find out (hehe). Bio Hunter’s action scenes were fast paced. I liked it. There are not many long boring dialogues, so action fans should be happy.

Overall, Bio Hunter has an interesting story, action, animation and characters. And the fact that Bio Hunter was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City), it automatically would receive much attention from Kawajiri-san fans.

The Breakdown
I really meant that at some parts, Bio Hunter can be really nasty. Keep that in mind.

Synopsis
D has been hired to track down Meier Link, a notoriously powerful vampire who has abducted a Human woman, Charlotte Elbourne. D’s orders are strict – find Charlotte, at any cost. For the first time, D faces serious competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of Vampire Hunters, were hired for the same bounty. D must intercept Meier and conquer hostile forces on all sides in a deadly race against time. Despised by Vampires for his profession and by Humans for the blood in his veins, D relentlessly pursues his prey for a price.

Review
Vampire Hunter D strikes back! The anime that could be said to start all the other vampire type anime flicks is finally back with another theatrical release. It was long waited, but well worth it. The story is just awesome. Everything connects with each other, and one of my favorite directors, Yoshiaki Kawajiri directed Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. His work just came to me a week ago and I am already in love with the things he worked on.

The story is tricky, it makes you think this way, but it is actually the total opposite of what you think. Just as the abduction of Charlotte Elbourne by Meier Link. Nobody would have thought that there was love between the two. I thought that Meier Link was just hungry for blood. I was completely surprised as it is shown that Charlotte wanted to be with Meier forever. This title certainly does live up to its’ hype. The action was fast paced and fluid. The animation, thanks to Madhouse, was very good. Even if you did not see the first Vampire Hunter D movie, do yourself a big favor and buy this movie for your collection!

The Breakdown
I just love when Anime makes their big comeback. Ever since the release of Vampire Hunter D, it launched other Vampire Anime flicks, and now Vampire Hunter D is back to retain the crown in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

Synopsis
Powerful Demons and beautiful, noble Guardians have battled for Earth since the dawn of time. Ages ago, the arrogant Demons enslaved humans, while the Guardians fought for human freedom. A deep hatred burns between Demon and Guardian; the Guardians know the Demons thirst for blood and power would destroy humanity and the world itself.

Neo-Shinjuku, 2089 - few Demons or Guardians remain to continue their epic war. Humans rule the Earth, with no real memory of the Demons or Guardians. Yet, deep within the dark underworld of the city, the supreme Demon is still alive and plotting, once again, to overtake mankind. Only one Guardian is left to do battle, and the fate of the human race hangs in the balance.

Review
Wow, this is a short one. It’s another one from Director Hisahi Abe (Vampire Hunter D), which means lots a pale people, black backrounds, nudity, and very bloody fights.

Although the opening narration tells of the Great Mother creating demons and guardians, humans are transformed into demons through bioengineering. As he’s celebrating his engagement, Eiji, a pharmaceutical researcher, suddenly changes into a disgustingly nasty monster, but is caught by the nastily incestious brother/sister team of Chen and Huang Long, who take him to a sex club and feed him prostitutes (how nice!).

Eiji is part of an experiment conducted by Mr. Takamiya, the master demon. Enter Tsunami Shijyo, Guardian, demon hunter, and ‘fire manipulator’. He’s hired by Eiji’s fiacee, Shizuka, to find him as she goes out to find (and kill) him herself.

I don’t want to tell anymore…but only because it’s just not worth it. The story has so much potential, but isn’t allowed to develop. No backround story is given for any of the characters, they just kind of…exist. In this aspect it reminds me of X/1999. But overall, this was a horrid, sub-par flick. I actually enjoyed watching the trailers more than the anime. However this may just be because I am not a huge fan of this genre. I would say only get this if you are a either a die-hard genre fan, or a die-hard Hisashi Abe fan.

The Breakdown
If you are truely desperate for a man vs. demon anime/manga, I’d recommend Ogre Slayer