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Synopsis
There was a light, warm and soft, and within that light was a girl. She introduced herself as Belldandy. I never questioned that mysterious encounter. That was because she was as natural as the wind. One week of summer that was as fulfilling as a year seemed as short as a day…

If I had known what it would lead to, I wouldn’t have made that promise. That’s why I said, ‘Erase my memory.’ That was how it began so long ago…

Review
Ah! My Goddess is a short segment of the manga of the same name. Keiichi Morisato is a freshman at Nekomi Tech and member of the college Auto Club. One day while dialing numbers at random for a restaurant he instead calls the Goddess Helpline service. Suddenly, out pops a woman from his mirror claiming to be able to grant him one wish. Thinking it was all a joke set up by his sempai’s, Keiichi wishes for her to become his girlfriend. To his surprise, that wish was granted.

The Breakdown
A fan favorite, only a taste of what the manga has to offer

Synopsis
Crusher Joe: The Movie
Joe and his team are hired to med-evac a cryogenically frozen heiress to the planet Miccola, only to have her kidnapped out from under their noses while in hyperspace! Before they know it, the team gets accused of space piracy by the United Space Force and suspended by Crusher HQ.

Crusher Joe: The OVAs
A double feature of derring-do! The team gets hired to adjust the orbit of a prison cometary core before it impacts on an inhabited planet, only to get caught up in a political double-cross of astronomical proportions. Then they take on the task of rescuing a military officer who is safeguarding an ultimate weapon that can destroy all the life on the planet while leaving the real-estate intact, only to find that the planet she’s crash-landed on is infested with mutineers (not a problem) and self-replicating quasi-organic semi-intelligent kamikaze death-bots (big problem!).

Review
Upon watching Crusher Joe, I have finally noticed how good it is to go back in the days, where all that digital, and CG things were not used. Crusher Joe has comedy and action. I have not seen a good action mixed with comedy like Crusher Joe since Ghost Sweeper Mikami. Once you see it you will be able to tell the differences between old comedy and new comedy in the anime world today. Of course Crusher Joe’s main focus is not comedy, but mainly space action.

The space battles are unique; there is just an immense amount of action taken place at times. Looking back at when Crusher Joe was made, I was very impressed with all the action the animation staff has put together. The story of Crusher Joe is interesting in ways. It is difficult to compare Crusher Joe to any modern series today, because this show came before them, and probably has set some guidelines for space action anime today.

Throughout the three hours and fifty-eight minutes of run time, the show gets better. From the movie, which I thought it was mediocre, to the first OVA (The Ice Prison), which was becoming better, and finally to the second OVA (The Ultimate Weapon: Ash) in which I thought, it was very entertaining. This show is definitely a must watch for those who crave space action and are tired of what modern shows have to offer.

The Breakdown
Crusher Joe is not your average Joe. Watching Crusher Joe was definitely a new experience in which I have gained. I liked the action a lot. The comedy gave me some laughs. Such as, how Talos punched this big dude’s face in and the way Alfin acted after just drinking a glass of whiskey. When putting all the pieces together, Crusher Joe is a good watch and a good value.

Synopsis
Now this one is an oldie (but it’s good). Made in 1982, Otaku no Video (Fan’s Video) is a ‘mockumentary’ of sorts, and also a thinly veiled history of Gainex. It mocks those crazy fools who love anime. It stars a college student named Kubo who HATES those damn anime geeks. But then he runs into his old high-school friend Tanaka, who is a big GEEK. So, he’s gets led into the world of anime, SF, and even cosplay (yay!). After facing rejection from the rest of the world because of his love for anime, Kubo decides that he must fosake the world and live soley on anime. He will become an ‘Otaking’!

Review
Actually, this is two movies in one, the orginal ‘Otaku no Video 1982 and the sequel ‘More Otaku no Video 1985. These movies are great for any true anime fan, the literal meaning of the title being ‘Your Video’. Although it starts out a bit critical of otaku, which is shown through the ultimate ‘loser-ness’ of Tanaka’s anime group and Kubo losing his girlfriend because of anime in ‘1982, it changes mindsets in ‘1985 when Kubo decides to become the ‘Otaking’.

Also, there are a huge amount of in-jokes for old-school anime fans, so many in fact that AnimEigo included six pages of linear notes describing them and an address to which you can send any more that you see in the movie.

There are also interviews with ‘real otaku’ (I haven’t yet figured out whether they are real or not) about the how they are/were otaku, and how being an otaku has affected their life.

However, near the end of the anime, things become very silly and segue into a strange Sci-Fi adventure

Overall, these movies are the ultimate combination of all that is ‘Otaku’, from the many, many reference to old anime and Japanese culture, to the crazy storyline and slightly frightening interviews. It’s even more fun to watch it with friends and see who ‘gets’ the most in-jokes.

The Breakdown
This is a amazingly fun old-school trip. Heck, it’s even a history lesson of sorts. Go and get this ASAP!