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Synopsis
Fighting is a way of life for teen martial arts prodigy Kiichi Miyazawa. When his best friend goes down in a grappling match with a deadly Jujitsu master, Kiichi takes matters into his own hands and enters the ring. But this time he may have taken on more than he can handle.

The challenge is to the death, and his opponent has the near-supernatural ability to predict his every move. Honor, guts, and glory are all on the line in this no-holds-barred martial arts blood match!

Review
The more Shootfighter Tekken evolves its story the better it is. The first volume was a bit fast, a bit too fast that you just start and end. There is hardly that break in the middle where you can take everything in. Round 2 is almost an extension to Round 1, as watching this volume makes me appreciate Round 1 even more. What a series this has become already with only two volumes out!

Round 2 commences with a challenge to Keybo, (What is new?) from a wrestler named “Man-Eater.” Wow, I sure as hell do not want a piece of this guy after hearing his moniker ^_^. There is a surprise in this volume as the first challenger was not actually the “main” challenger of Round 2. Man-Eater was actually a comedian, although he does not look like it. You shall see how he makes you laugh. I got a good kick out of the stupidity this guy holds. Much like the Great Doborabo of Dragon Half. It is just great, this series needs a light substance, and from Man-Eater, it achieves it.

Now to serious business, the Iron Kiba is the biggest (damn I cannot use profanity here) you will ever see in an anime. This guy acts all big, but he pays everyone to do his dirty work. What the hell? First he gets Man-Eater, and once there was a twist at that attempt he gets Shingo, a fighter under the art of Gogetsu style (jujitsu) to challenge Keybo to a match. The fighting scenes are top notch in Round 2. The various moves that were displayed are a bonus, since it is not the usual, money saving fighting scenes technique that some series have, where they show the same cuts over and over again.

Shootfighter Tekken is starting to get interesting, it is one series that you have to pay attention to as it may not receive the big hype some other series may have, but it certainly has the potential to be a good little title to be in your collection.

The Breakdown
This title went from rent in Round 1, to own in Round 2. Nice transformation.

Synopsis
‘Pandy and Retro, two unlikely renegades, awaken naked on Earth with no recollection of their past. After embarking on a devastating crime spree for food, clothing and transportation in downtown Tokyo, they are captured by authorities and sent to the infamous lunar prison called Dead Leaves.

After a brief incarceration, they discover that the prison is really a top-secret cloning facility, occupied by villainous prison guards and deformed genetic experiments. High-speed frantic action combined with hyper-violent and semi-humorous chase scenes follow as the two decide to break out of the prison with the aid of their fellow mutant inmates.’

Review
Everywhere I’ve read, I’ve been hearing rave reviews about this title. Well this review here isn’t one of them. Anime in general has always had a certain formula that each title never really strays too far from. They usually fall into a certain genre. Dead Leaves was obviously done to be different. Different in this case means insanely incoherent.

The story is about a girl with a mutated eye gene and a guy who has a monitor for a head. (Reminds me of the old Gamefan Magazine’s mascot). They wake up naked with no memory. From there they go through the rest of the show fighting and blasting everything in sight, all while desperately trying to be cool. The thing the writers need to know is that in order to have cool characters, you need to care about them and in order to care about characters you need a good story. This show just doesn’t have that.

The creators must have had Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) because the scenes flash by in such rapid succession that you just stop trying to make sense of it all. Don’t let me get started on the bewildering barrage of a bazillion bullets bombarding the screen (That’s a lot of B’s, don’t get stung). I can’t imagine the test screening where they proclaimed this a form of entertainment.

I agree with what one of the voice actors said in the extras. ‘If you watch Dead Leaves drunk you’ll throw up.?What he didn’t mention is that the whole creative team was drunk when they were making this and most of the time it looks like they threw up on the animation cels.

The Breakdown
If you love toilet humor then this is for you. You gotta love the guy with the drill pecker…Is this anime? I hope this type of anime never catches on and becomes the norm.

Synopsis
In a war zone devastated by minefields and strife, a dying child is missing. She fights a foe more deadly than any terrorist. Her heart is a time bomb that will kill her even as the explosions annihilate her home. Can renegade doctor Black Jack recover his patient before both their lives are claimed by war?

Review
Central Park Media brings to you another dose of this addictive drug I call Black Jack. I cannot praise this series anymore; it would just be spoiling it. In this volume, Black Jack is hired by a mob boss to cure his grand daughter who has a heart condition in another country where a war has broken out. With the obligation to comply with his word, he travels long distances just to meet up with his client. (Notice I used client, instead of patient ^_^).

After a successful operation, Black Jack stayed for an extra month or two to help out with the refugees. He charged $1 for every patient, but he took IOUs. (Hmm… so he was not all about the money after all). The show later shifts to New York City where it is all jolly. That is until, the mob boss gets shot up and an immediate operation had to be performed in order to save his life. Black Jack was present, but a jealous doctor opposed in having an unlicensed doctor to operate on any patients. Because of his jealousy, he almost caused the life of another. Of course, Black Jack would not allow that to happen… will he?

I know I sound like a broken record, but I must give credit to where it is due. Black Jack really has been one of a few series that has amazed me this year. This is something that I can never overdose on :P. This is the only doctor you should be checking out for you anime-insomnia.

The Breakdown
Let us state the obvious. You make the choices in your life. But making the choice to watch Black Jack certainly will not be a bad choice, out of the many choices you will make throughout your life time.

Synopsis
Full Metal Panic is an exciting story about a girl named Kaname Chidori, who is under the protection of a secret organization called Mythril because of a power that exists within her that she does not even know about (and which I will not reveal the details of in this review). Sgt. Sagara Sousuke is assigned to protect her from any threats that would take advantage of her power, so he soon finds himself acting as a student in Chidori’s high school. The problem is Sousuke, who having been raised in a pure military environment, has no idea of how to behave in a school. So it’s up to Chidori to knock some sense into him, and I mean that in a completely literal sense.

Review
Full Metal Panic is a cross-genre anime that can literally be called just about anything you can think of. Action, Drama, Mech, Comedy, Romance and even Horror at times. Episodes that take place on campus are quite humorous, dealing with the developing relationships between Chirodi and her friends and Sousuke. Then there are the action packed episodes when things get dangerous. The danger spawns romance, and the resolution of conflict brings the story full circle and back to school where it once again goes into comedy mode. It all makes for excellent pacing.

The story itself is very interesting, with a lot of very likable characters, and one very mean bad guy who fills his role too well. I hate that man. … Anyway, the story never loses momentum throughout the 24 episodes, and if anything you will wish for more episodes when it is over (fortunately you can spend more time with the characters in Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu).

The Breakdown
Put Full Metal Panic at the top of your list. It is that good. What are you still reading for? Go! Watch! Now!

Synopsis
Kujaku, the young martial arts mystic-in-training, must rescue his supernaturally powered sister from an evil sorcerer. The warlock plans to use her abilities to unleash eternal darkness upon the Earth. But Kujaku shares a psychic link to his sister, and nothing, not even evil hordes of warrior minions, will stand in his way!

Review
Spirit Warrior is one of those typical light versus darkness, good versus evil anime, but what anime today is not about good versus evil? The idea is overdone; newer and fresher ideas must be developed! And what better to do than to add history into the mix? I am talking about adding the Nazis. So now we have characters with mystical powers and at the same time around the period where the Nazis still existed. Is not that cool? Where are the story planners? They really got away with this one. The story is lacking; it moves with quick speed and pretty much lacks depth also.

Check out the flow of the story. Introduce main characters, one main character (the good character) goes to try and save the other main character (the soon to be evil character). Things happen and the soon to be evil character becomes the evil character. When the good character first fights with the evil character, he fails, builds up, fights again and wins… simple? Not really, throw in the fact that the evil character is the good character’s older sister; also throw in another fact that both these characters are fighting the same way their guardians were fighting many years ago, so it was kind of like fate or destiny.

What did not appeal to me was how the fantasy theme was mixed with present time theme and was mixed with a little bit of futuristic theme. Fantasy theme, with all the mystical powers, present time theme, with the Nazis (not really present time 2004, but bear with me please :P), and futuristic theme, with cyborg (the Nazi soldiers are cyborgs in this movie).

By the time you are reading this paragraph, I am assuming you are saying in your head, “Gee dude, your writing tone, sounds quick and lacks depth.” If you say that in your head, then I have accomplished what I wanted, which is to show you how it feels when watching Spirit Warrior. I will not bash Spirit Warrior any further, but as an honest reviewer, skip this title for your sake.

The Breakdown
This review was suppose to be up somewhere at the end of December, but due to my trip to Hong Kong it was postponed. Spirit Warrior: Regent of Darkness, should only be a rent title in my view. Making a purchase means either you have a lot of money to waste or you are in love with the title, both are cool with me, but for us who are poor, we shall resort to renting :P.

Synopsis
Utena has it all. Beauty. Passion. Faith. A sense of justice. She is the idol of her classmates at the exclusive Ohtori Academy. And yet, she is driven by a childhood memory of a prince on a white horse who comforted her when she was grieving over her parents’ death. He gave her an enigmatic signet ring emblazoned with a rose crest, and this memory drives Utena to do the impossible: To become a prince, herself, as she duels the members of the Student Council to protect the mysterious ‘Rose Bride.’

Review
A princess who wants to become a prince, that is Tenjou Utena. When the show began, it caught my eye how most of the girls in Ohtori Academy admired Utena. They blush when they see her, yell out her name, and some even fall in love with her. The show also started out uninteresting, but it gradually attracted me into the story. There is a lot of fun stuff in the story, like the way Chu Chu acts, but when there is a good, there is always a bad. The bad is why does the Rose Bride, Himemiya Anthy always gets smacked around? Her life is of a servant. Who ever duels and wins is engaged to her, and she must do whatever that person wants. What kind of life is that? Not a very happy one that is.

Anyways, the action of Revolutionary Girl: Utena are exciting. The duels are quite interesting, as the main rule of the duel is that if the rose in the duelists’ chest pocket falls or is destroyed, the duelist loses and if you win, you are then engaged to Himemiya Anthy, which then allows the person to control the Sword of Dios which appears from Anthy’s body when she summons it. To wield the Sword of Dios is to gain the power to revolutionize the world, hence the reason for why the student council duel each other for the power. The right to duel however is only reserved to those who are of the student council, but Utena is able to avoid that rule, as she has the rose crest ring that the prince gave her when she was a child.

Overall, Revolutionary Girl: Utena is a very fun shoujo series. There is comedy, a beautiful soundtrack, an entertaining story and a crew of great voice actors/actresses, what is not to like about Utena? When I started the series with the Finale, I was not sure of what Utena was all about, who the characters were and what was their history in the story. Now that I am starting from the beginning, it certainly has been a real treat. This series that I once thought sucked, actually captivated me and now I can say that I am a fan of Revolutionary Girl: Utena.

The Breakdown
Revolutionary Girl Utena possesses all the essential elements necessary to create a great anime.

Synopsis
Long ago, the Egyptian Pharaohs played a game of great and terrible power. This ‘Yami no Game’ (Dark Game) altered the fate of the entire world. That was until a brave pharaoh sealed this evil force away in seven magical items. Now, a young boy solved the millennium puzzle that was once left hidden for thousands of years. This boy, with both light and darkness in his heart, is known as Yugi, the King of Games…

Review
This review is for season 1 of Duel Monsters, Episodes 1-40, Pegasus’s Duelist Kingdom Tournament, and the following episodes 41-49, the duels against Rebecca and Otogi (english name is Duke Devlin). Miho-chan from the original Yugioh series is missing. Everyone knows or at least has heard about Duelist Kingdom just like everyone has a slight idea as to what Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z are. Jounouchi uses the Time Wizard to acquire the Red Eyes, Mokuba duels for the only time, Kaiba summons his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, and Pegasus possesses the dreaded Toon World card.

The Breakdown
Come on, it’s Yugioh for crying out loud! This is what started it all, in America at least.

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
Wake up! Rise and shine. Breakfast is ready. Time to enjoy some quality time in the great outdoors. No need to return to Japan so hastily. Do some sightseeing while you’re in the States. What’s this? Mokuba? What are you doing here? A new tournament, the KC Award Dueler’s Championships hosted by Kaiba Corporation, is about to start. Yugi, Joey, even Rebecca make themselves ready to participate.

Review
In December 24, 2003, a new series of Yugioh aired following the Doma Organization. KC Grand Prix, like a NASCAR Grand Prix speedway, is a side story, an interlude. It is hopefully the last precursor to the Egyptian Memory Arc. Like Doma and the Neia (Noah) Arc, the events did not take place in the original manga and are exclusive to the anime only. It is the shortest mini-series only spanning 13 episodes. Volume 23 shown above includes episodes 184 - 191.

For episode summaries visit http://www.yugioh.esmartkid.com/.

The Breakdown
So it’s a filler series. But you gotta love Yugioh nevertheless.

Synopsis
My name is Mikuri Tomokazu. My parents passed away when I was little, and I have been living with my cousin ever since. I’m a regular, boring freshman in high school. My height is about average, and so is my weight. My grades as well as my athletic ability are disastrous. My two favorite foods are hamburgers and curry rice. Up until now, I’ve never had a girlfriend. In a few days, I’ll be turning sixteen. Tomorrow I hope something good will happen. It definitely has to…

Review
Yumeria is based on the popular bishoujo Playstation 2 RPG and dating simulation game developed by Namco. The anime is scripted by Yousuke Kuroda, who participated in Onegai Sensei. The anime first aired in January 2004. Yume means dream or vision, so Yumeria is the anime about the land of dreams, Moera, named after the anime’s sponsor. When a person’s memory is filled beyond their capacity, that person dreams and exchanges information during that state. All the useless knowledge and unnecessary experiences combine and that the shape of the world of Moera. People’s negative emotions move on to create the nightmare known as Faydoom.

The anime’s site is located at http://www.bs-i.co.jp/anime/yumeria/ where you’ll find episode summaries, screen captures, character bios, and cast listing. http://www.yumeria.com is already taken by the PS2 video game, which has tons of screen shots and wallpapers.

The Breakdown
I ranked Yumeria a tenth of a point higher than Mahoromatic because of the ending.