Animesou.com

Synopsis
Lately, shy Manami has been flirting outrageously and sparking vicious catfights! Afterwards, she remembers nothing. Can it be that another personality seethes beneath her own - a wild woman who’ll do anything to find trouble?

Review
I requested this title from Central Park Media a while ago, and I just could not find the time to toss it in the player, and since I am kind of on my vacation right now, what better time to enjoy this sweet title than now right? Anyways, when you hear Sprite (no not the soda) and see the DVD cover of Sprite, I cannot fault you for just passing it on and going onto something else at the video store. In reality, if I was shopping, I would most definitely not have picked this title up due to how it looked and sounded in my head. STOP!!! Newsflash, when I do that assumption thing (not sure about you), I am usually wrong, and in the case of Sprite, I was wrong.

Manami Sakumoto is smart, not to mention, the hottest girl in school, but when her distant relative Toru Takamura transfers to her school, she begins to feel weird, it is like something or someone is trying to come out from within her. As a shy and quiet spoken girl, she is the perfect target for bullies. And as expected from her school, jealous girls find their way to pick on Manami. Toru is your average perverted guy, who tries to put up a good front. This was proven on the first meeting between Manami and Toru. While this was not the first time they met, it has been a good couple of years since they last saw each other. Now they are all grown up, going to ‘college’ (I will explain the quotations around the word later), and shares a secret between each other… the fact that Manami has another personality within her; the complete polar opposite of the shy, kind and cute Manami, Nami is a cool, no nonsense, ‘will kick your ass’ chick who has her charms as well.

Before I forget to mention, let me just throw it out there that Sprite is not a title that you would like to watch with your parents. There is nudity and some sexual content. While there may not be anything too hardcore… I just had to let this point be known so that the pervs out there will bite ^_^. Throughout the show you will go between Manami and Nami. We get to see their differences and how Manami’s alter ego can help her in some situations. Sprite plays out exactly like a teen love drama, but with more flavor. The incorporating of that mature stuff really gave this title a nice touch; it makes it less boring. I was a hundred percent attentive to everything that was going on. There was never a dull moment to this gem.

The Breakdown
Sprite is truly a show that embodies all there is to embody in a show that yearns and deserves your view; especially if you are into that teenage romance genre. I have never felt such excitement (no, not down my pants, hardy har har) as I am watching a teen drama. Sprite delivers a gripping story that has you choosing between Manami, Nami… or both. But at the end, this title is nothing short of an amazing accomplishment. I will definitely make time for seconds!

Synopsis
An amazing downhill specialist appeared in the mountain passes of Akina. For five years beginning in the 7th grade at the age of 11 Takumi Fujiwara has been delivering tofu to a hotel via Akina everyday at 4 o’clock in the morning be it rain or snow. His method of training: a cup of water. If he spilt some water that would mean that he disrupted the integrity of the tofu. Bunta, his dad, told Takumi to rotate the water in the cup by shifting the weight of the car. Unknowingly, Takumi acquired and perfected his incredible driving technique. He became Akina’s hero overnight, and many strong rivals came to challenge him. Takumi continued to learn race after race.    

Review
Initial D fourth stage is 24 episodes long similar to first stage. 2 episodes were aired at a time every other month starting in April 2004 to February 2006. Not quite as bad as Macross Zero’s schedule. Fourth stage naturally comes after the Initial D movie, third stage not the live action Chinese one, where Takumi has decided to join Ryosuke’s exclusive racing team called Project D. Takumi and Keisuke are the double aces challenging the top opponents outside of the Gunma prefecture.            
  
The official Japanese Initial D website can be found at http://avexmode.jp/animation/initial/initial.html.   
  

  
For an in depth explanation about TOKYOPOP’s botching of the previous stages I suggest you check out ViperMask’s PS2 Initial D Special Stage guide at Gamefaqs
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/game/589379.html. F*** TOKYOPOP!

The Breakdown
Someone please teach me how to drift.

Synopsis
Kuromi is back, and more determined than ever to make it in the anime business. But all hell breaks loose when the boss quits smoking just when the workload bursts out of control. Can Kuromi overcome this almost insurmountable obstacle?  

Review
Those who are fans of the first Animation Runner Kuromi will find that this sequel is a nice little touch to a neat title that gives anime fans a peek at how anime is… or at least the processes that it goes through in order for it to be released. In the first installment of Animation Runner, Kuromi had to lead her unique, slacking team to create an episode of anime. If putting together one episode was that difficult of a task, then you would definitely want to see what kind of havoc would develop when the crew has been given the assignment to create one episode for three different series; that is three episodes by the way for those who are bad at math.  

How is Kuromi going to motivate her lazy staff? Well, she almost does not, because a hot shot animation runner comes barging in their studio and starts demanding things to be done by using strict methods… that works. Of course, since this hot shot animation runner is all about making the dead line, at the expense of the quality of the anime; we got a dilemma here. While Shihonmatsu is on the edge, going cold turkey from cigarettes, and the staff’s motivation runs low, it is time for Kuromi to take back Studio Petit, for the sake of her staff and for the sake of producing great anime.  

Animation Runner Kuromi 2, pretty much sticks with the same formula as the first installment. Nothing much changed, and nothing much added. As I was watching it, it felt like it was a good bridge between the two OAVs, but that is about it. Certainly this show is about delivering fun to the audience and at times it does. However, the fun is not always there, there are some tense moments that make you wonder if this really is what you wanted to bargain for.

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
When do children stop believing in Santa Claus? When they’re four? Five? Kids begin to take a closer look at reality during elementary school. But for one individual his version of reality was different. He has never celebrated Christmas with anyone. Presents were always mailed to him. In his loneliness, the boy decided that there was no Santa and that he didn’t need him.   
  
But this Christmas, perhaps his streak of unhappiness might end. A girl appears out from nowhere and asks him, ‘Would you like to spend the night with me?’      

Review
Itsudatte My Santa is a 2 episode OVA holiday series released last year on December 12th by none other than Ken Akamatsu whose most famous works include Love Hina and Maho Sensei Negima/Magister Negi Magi. Modern day Christmas shopping where department stores hold sales date back to the 1930s coinciding with the end of the year bonuses. Christmas Day is not a national holiday although it is common for people to exchange gifts, have parties, and eat cake on Christmas Eve.       
  
The official Japanese website for Itsudatte My Santa can be found at http://www.threefatsamurai.com/mysanta/. On the right hand side in pink are four options: story, characters, DVDs and CDs, and special trading cards.                    

Likes: Maimai’s appetite

Dislikes: In less than a few frames of animation in episode 2, time skips from winter, to summer, to fall, and back to winter again.        

The Breakdown
Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!          

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!

Synopsis
Sasahara is a freshman at Shiiou University. During a club forum, taking interest in both Anime and Manga, he stumbles upon the Genshiken Club, a club dedicated to the study of modern visual culture.

Soon after joining Genshiken, he discovers that the people in the club are nothing more than otakus and lolicons obsessed with doujinshi. How does Sasahara fit into this group of people? More importantly, what is this club all about despite the given title?

Review
The Film Club, Key Club, Anime Club, Karate Club along with dozens of clubs were offered to me in high school. But despite the diversity of my school, I have never encountered the name of a Genshiken Club. After, I started to take interest in what this club is all about.

Surprisingly, as it turned out, there was almost nothing regarding the purpose of this club as shown in the anime; instead what we see is a group of people who socialize about their passions with each other without a fear of being seen as a stigma to Japanese society: being an Otaku.

First of all, I would like to say that despite my love for Anime (and maybe some Manga), I am not an Otaku (despite my hate of that word being used), and can no way be compared to some of the people portayed in the anime. If my hand breaks, I would either scream or go to the hospital in pain rather than continue to wait in line for a few magazines. If someone broke my Gundam model (if I ever decide to even watch one let alone build one), I would probably build another one. If my… oh you get the idea. My point is that I don’t know how accurate the description of the anime is or even how realistic the portrayal of the characters are. It is hard for me to approach the identity of each character due to too biasness. I’m pretty sure there are different levels of fanatics out there (and that I am no where on that level). But what I get out of this is Genshiken’s attempt to re-discover the sub-culture of Japan, to slowly work it’s way into publicity that is rarely seen. To take a peek at this area that is un-discovered and shunned by many people, Genshiken challenges people to view this type of people with more acceptance.

Kohsaka is an Otaku in the anime and is a member of Genshiken. In addition to that, there is a girl named Saki who likes him. As the anime progresses, we see how Saki opposes the Genshiken club as a whole but ultimately finds the people of the club acceptable. What it takes to be an Otaku is out of my imagination and I know nothing other than the fact that there criticized. Genshiken tries to shatter the stereotype of these people as being unsociable, disliked, and friendless.

All of the characters in Genshiken were enjoyable to watch. From the doujin-fanatic Madarame, to the almost all Otaku hating Saki, to Sasahara who is in the midst of discovering his passion for the ‘visual culture of Japan’. In the end, each character did not feel strange to me nor did they feel too unique to me. Instead, I am able to relate to each character’s feelings and understand the actions and responses they up forth. If you try and look for something unique in the characters, you will find it. But if you look outside the unexpected, you will see that these people are…well… just people with a love for something.

In addition, the animation and music were both well done. Character designs were interesting and made to stereotype what Otakus would look like. But as we see, Kohsaka looks ‘ordinary’ and even has a girlfriend. Furthermore, the soundtrack is great. I especially liked the opening theme also.

The Breakdown
All in all, Genshiken is a great anime that goes over an area of Japan’s sub-culture that is rarely explored and greatly discriminated against. I feel like hugging an Otaku…*looks around….hugs self*… j/k

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
Explore the world of otaku, the devoted fans of Japanese animation. Since the introduction of Speed Racer to the U.S., these men, women and children have built a community based on their common love for this uniquely imaginative medium. Through conventions, fan clubs, online forums, and more, they have expanded otaku fandom into a highly popular cultural phenomenon.
Otaku Unite! is the first documentary to follow the evolution of this phenomenon from its humble beginnings to its current state as a major influence of pop culture today.

Review
What is an Otaku? The term otaku in my terms represents a person who is a complete zealot of anime and manga. They would travel around the world just to attend an anime convention or in an even extremer case, make it a habit to spend hours boiling DVDs or comics. In a sense, if you are reading this, you have a bit of otaku you in. I have some in me. And even though the Japanese do not interpret the term otaku as something one should take pride in, we as Americans have evolved the word to our likings. And this documentary here, is just the right show for your curiosity if you have ever wondered to yourself how Japanese animation got so big in a country where Superman, Batman and Spiderman ruled the land.

Otaku Unite, other than a pretty self-explanatory title, digs into anime and how it has changed so much in a decade. I do not know about you… I am not old, but even I still remember the days of anime on copied VHS tapes and the means of distribution was through friends. I liked how this documentary went into this fact. It brought me some fond memories of those days begging to borrow an anime video, and those urges for more. Anime is like crack in a way, but worst. Why would I say that? Well, think of it this way. Crack addicts can go through rehab and all, but where do anime addicts go? Once you are in this community, you are a member for life. Best example I can give is myself. I was an anime fan since I was born. Then there was a time in my life where I have not watched any anime at all for at least a good seven to eight years. Talk about cold turkey. Anyways, somehow this form of art, crept back into my life and ever since I do not feel like what had happened earlier in my life would ever repeat itself again.

This DVD is truly great. It features interviews from various guests that have taken some part or another in the growth of this hobby. For an example, the creator of the infamous anime web links directories webpage, Anipike.com; if you do not know what that website is, take that otaku tag off and go home please. This documentary ventures into the beginning, the days of Robotech and Speed Racer. The information this title delivers is great. For those who just got into this hobby, you are now able to learn a part of why anime has taken such a big leap from small fry to big man on campus all on one DVD.

The Breakdown
Otaku Unite is a fun filled documentary from coverage in Kaiju wrestling to following an anime otaku around to various conventions. I do not know if it was on purpose, but finding an absolute nerd like guy to follow around in anime conventions was a bit… umm… stereotypical. I mean, that guy represents almost every single anime extremist stereotype there is, if he did not fill a certain stereotype, another fan who was interviewed did. I really do not see this as a negative, but in the end, this documentary refreshed me, and it gave me a new perspective to view anime in general. There is more to it than just buying DVDs. Anime is life. It changes on a constant pace. To look back at this hobby and reminisce its growth overtime is astonishing and I thank Central Park Media for bringing us Otaku Unite! Yay!

Synopsis
Despite his parents’ protests, Kazuto Tokino has taken it upon himself to run his late grandfather’s bathhouse. But with no previous management experience, Kazuto must rely on his sunny disposition to keep his new business afloat. And when the alien Princess Valkyrie destroys the bathhouse, mortally wounding Kazuto in the process, dark clouds seem poised to rain on his parade of optimism.
With a magical kiss, the princess saves Kazuto’s life, but at a grave cost to her own: transformed into an 8 year old, she is stranded on Earth, unable to fend for herself. Now, with an entire solar system out searching for her shrunken highness, Kazuto must defend the Tokino bathhouse, not only from hordes of alien invaders, but also from his new, hyper-adorable, sugary-sweet little houseguest!

Review
Cat girls galore, yay! Err… Umm… from the introduction you should have already figured out a part of the show, now here is the other. UFL Ultramaiden Valkyrie is a show featuring Kazuto Tokino and Princess Valkyrie (also known as Val). Her meeting with Kazuto was purely accidental. She crash landed into the hot springs that Kazuto runs, as a result killing him. Valkyrie then used her powers to revive him, and in the process she gave him a part of her soul at the expense of her physical appearance, which turned to that of a young little girl.

UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is another one of those shows where there is a guy, a girl who is secretly in love with him and a girl that outright shows her love for the male character, Kazuto. While this formula is used and reused, it just does not feel right for this series. Maybe it was because of Princess Valkyrie’s ability to transform into child form… but that should not be the case as Tenjho Tenge’s Maya has that ability but that show still flowed nicely. UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is more like, here is Val and when something is about to happen to Kazuto, here is Princess Valkyrie.

The characters are simple; there have not been any signs of complicated deep dark secrets or anything. The plot is a relatively straightforward deal. Seeing Val is kind of cute at times, but as with most children… they do tend to get annoying at certain periods. I am keeping a note that I have not seen much of this piece yet, for all that we know this could be a late bloomer. But as of now, UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is nothing more than a mediocre attempt at creating a good humor title. Sure, Ms. Sanada and her craziness were nice, but other than that, there was nothing present that solidifies UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie as a title that is worth much of your time or money.

The Breakdown
Certainly I am looking forward to the future volumes, there is potential in this title and hopefully it does get better.