Animesou.com

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
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
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
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
Ichise is an “entertainment fighter” in the underground city of Lukuss. However, when a gang punishes Ichise by cutting his arm and leg off, his will to live overcomes the odds and attracts the attention of the ruling Organo syndicate that controls both the city and the cybernetic Texhnolyze technology which is usually reserved for the elite. Meanwhile, an outsider has come down to the city and, along with a young psychic girl, the dominos are beginning to fall in the seething unrest of the city as their paths slowly intertwine with Ichise’s. What will come of these people and what will happen in this city of no hope?

Review
Ahhh….Texhnolyze. The new anime from the staff of Serial Experiments Lain. I would like to get out of the way right now a misconception many have about Texhnolyze, even other reviewers: yoshitoshi ABe (as he prefers it spelled), the creator of Lain, NieA_7, and Haibane Renmei, merely served as character designer and artist for Texhnolyze. He had little to do with the plot and story of the show. The trademarks that NieA_7 and Haibane Renmei share are non-existent here, and you can tell that the show was more in the hands of the other staff of Lain rather than ABe. But that’s no knock on Texhnolyze, which is one of the most brilliant (and overly serious) anime I’ve ever seen. I’ve noticed that little is talked about Texholyze in online circles. Many haven’t seen it and the few who have are turned off by the first few episodes, which throws you right into the show like throwing someone into freezing cold water.

But they don’t know what they are missing. The first two episodes are an extreme version of the style prevalent in the show, which is somewhat abstract and obtuse. But this “extreme” version dissipates as the show progresses (thankfully). The first episode has at most 12 lines of dialogue, and the main character rarely, if ever, speaks throughout the entire show. The creators of Lain were attempting to create something extremely different in Texhnolyze, and in that they succeeded. Each aspect of the show is a symbol, or a representation, of something that can be applied to our own world. Texhnolyze is trying to say something about us as humans and the way we perceive ourselves in the story it tells.

The story revolves around more than just the main character, Ichise. The first half of the show is intra-gang related warfare between three groups; the Organo, those who already control the underground city of Lukuss, the Salvation Union, who don’t believe in texhnolyzing lost limbs (or at all, for that matter), and the Rakan, a reckless group of young adults fed up with how things currently work. These groups battle it out, and the second half of the show is the aftermath and repurcussions of these battles and how it’ll relate to the “surface world” and the elite “Class” group of people who control Lukuss from behind the seat of power.

As you can tell, Texhnolyze is a hard show to pin down and explain. There are a lot of different factions and characters involved, and I became completely engrossed in the story. After a second viewing, the show castly improves, since now you know everything and so the first couple of episodes make A LOT more sense. And that’s the kind of replayablility I can appreciate. The characters are for the most part cold and calculating bastards. Ichise rarely speaks, and the leaders of the gangs generally don’t either. This is a far more visual anime than it is a dialogue heavy one. I don’t want to spoil too much of the show beforehand, but the mysteries surrounding the show are extremely intriguing, from where raffia (the material that the robots parts of limbs is made from) comes from to what the “surface world” is.

The show is dank and dark and depressing, because the entirety of the show takes place underground in an artificial city. When you finally do find out about the much-hyped surface world, you’re mind will be blown away by the sheer amount of things going on, both for the story and symbolically. I was shocked and in awe at the same time. The story slowly dolls out the details, leaving you on the edge of your seat every time to find out more. That’s exactly what I want from an anime like this.

The Breakdown
Texhnolyze is highly underrated, and unfairly maligned because of its experimental style, of which is most prevalent very early on. It goes away for the most part for those who don’t like it, and the show opens up to be extremely compelling and riveting in the end run. The animation is excellent, the music pretty good, and the story downright inspiring and depressing at the same time. The show will tug on your emotions, and the ending will leave you in tears, if not a sentimental smile on your face. The show is abstract and confusing and sometimes hard to put up with, but if you can get through these few problems a great show awaits.

Synopsis
‘X’ is the first of a new generation of robots which contain an innovative feature - the ability to think, feel and make their own decisions. However this ability could be very dangerous. If ‘X’ were to break the first rule of robotics, ‘A robot must never harm a human being’, the results would be disastrous and I fear that no force on earth could stop him.

Approximately 30 years will be required before we can safely confirm his reliability. Unfortunately I will not live to see that day, nor do I have anyone to carry on my work. Therefore, I have decided to seal him in this capsule, which will test his internal systems until his reliability has been confirmed. Please do not disturb the capsule until that time.

‘X’ possesses great risks as well as great possibilities. I can only hope for the best.

September 18, 20XX
T. Light

Review
The Japanese title for the PSP game is Irregular Hunter X and was released on December 15th, 2005. The US title is Maverick Hunter X released January 31st, 2006. The Day of Sigma OVA is a short unlockable movie that you have access to after beating X mode once. It’s similar to how the .hack game series for the PS2 was bundled with the four part anime .hack//Liminality. The OVA takes place before the events in Megaman X. Sigma had already been infected with Dr. Wily’s virus (ever since his encounter and fight with a berserk Zero, revealed in a flashback in Megaman X4). The OVA marks the turning point when Sigma finally declares his reploid war.

The Japanese Capcom website devoted to the game is located at http://www3.capcom.co.jp/psp_x/ with sound. Along the top are menu buttons. Click and you’ll find a basic storyline overview, 3 movie trailers, screenshots from The Day of Sigma in addition to an interview with the Japanese cast, a boss list, a description of Vava/Vile mode, and plenty of in game footage.

The pitiful excuse for a US website is located at http://www.capcom.com/xpml/game.xpml?gameid=850038 where you’ll be lucky to find in game screenshots of only X. This goes to show how much they care. The US game manual is even in black and white (cheap skates).

The Breakdown
If you are a diehard Megaman fan and by now have invested in a $300 PSP, then chances are you will buy the game. The anime is a more than satisfying bonus.

Synopsis
There is an old legend that speaks of a hidden paradise on Earth - a paradise only wolves can find. And while thought to have been extinct for hundreds of years, wolves still walk the Earth…hidden among mankind. Now, a group of outcast wolves set out to find Paradise: Kiba, Hige, Toboe, and Tsume. Each wolf is driven by their own personality and desires, but together they are pursued by humans seeking to quench their own thirst for power. A difficult and long journey lies ahead, with Paradise waiting to be found.

Review
You can tell from my synopsis that Wolf’s Rain is very vague in its premise. It’s most definitely unique, and in that alone I commend it, as anime these days rarely try to break the boundaries of their genre, be it a giant robot or magical girl or tournament fighting anime. I also have a bias towards loving wolves, who I find to be fascinating creatures, and to see them done in anime like this is a treat unto itself. A further plus was the fact that a majority of the Cowboy Bebop staff worked on Wolf’s Rain, chief among them scriptwriters Keiko Nobumoto and Dai Sato and musical composer Yoko Kanno. Yoko Kanno alone is reason enough to watch any anime, the fact that animation studio BONES (RahXephon, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie) is behind the animation is just icing on the cake. I’ll also add that Wolf’s Rain (and previously Cowboy Bebop) character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto is a favorite among anime character designers for me; his penchant for adult-looking, realistically-proportioned people is a rarity, and I’m glad that he’s on board.

As you can clearly see, Wolf’s Rain has a lot going for it and a high pedigree that shows a lot of potential. And with this mix we have one of my favorite anime of all-time. It currently sits in my top 15, which is saying a lot considering the amount of anime I’ve seen. And every time I rewatch it I enjoy it more. The idea that wolves will lead the world to paradise is an interesting premise, the fact that they hide themselves among mankind by casting a spell on people is doubly intriguing (to explain: the wolf characters in the show have human forms…sort of. If you look at their footprints in the snow and their shadows on walls, they appear to be wolves. They are merely casting a spell when they want to make people perceive them as humans. This is because they are being hunted by humans because the humans fear that having the wolves bring paradise will end their current world, so killing all the wolves will stop this and save their world).

It should be noted that Wolf’s Rain is more drama and plot than action. When action does appear, it kicks copious amounts of ass, because the wolves are given superhuman abilities of jumping and speed. When they use these abilities in their human form, it looks awesome. The animation certainly helps matters: it’s crisp, fluid, and detailed, just what is expected from BONES. Yoko Kanno’s music is far removed from anything she’s done before, she defines it as “brazilian with flamenco sensibilities” and you can tell with the peppered bits of spanish instruments strewn about the various musical tracks. I personally loved the music so much I went out and bought the soundtrack, and I think this is one of her best works ever, only being surpassed by Cowboy Bebop and maybe Escaflowne: The Movie.

The story itself is a road trip show in a sense, as the four main wolves are constantly on the move from one place to the next while the search for paradise. The secondary characters (which receive excellent backgrounds in their own right) are also constantly moving, either one step ahead or behind the wolves. Since the story is heavy on religion and mysticism and tribal/pack aspects, the plot tends to be vague for the most part. You either have to buy into what they are telling you or not. You can’t make sense of it because it isn’t meant to, and this will probably be the biggest hurdle for you to get over. There is no rational explanation why wolves are the ones that lead the world to paradise, they just are. There’s no reason why wolves have the abilities they do, like casting a spell on all humans or having the abilities they do….they just do. If one can get past these things, you will be enveloped into one of the most engrossing anime I’ve ever seen.

The Breakdown
Wolf’s Rain is easily one of the best things I’ve seen, anime or not. It’s mature, takes itself moderately seriously, enjoys what its telling us, and has a couple of important things to say about the state of man in accordance with nature. It’s one hell of a ride with an extremely bittersweet ending, and the production values are off the charts. If people can attain a certain suspension of disbelief, then there is no reason, I think, that you wouldn’t enjoy this anime. Give at least the first volume a shot to see if its your thing (it has five episodes on it, which is just enough to judge whether this is for you or not).

Synopsis
Feudal Japan - A time of danger, intrigue and deception. Jubei Kibagami is a masterless samurai who travels the land alone, hiring his services for any amount of money he can get. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a hideous plot to overthrow the current government threatens to end his wandering ways and possibly his life. When a small village succumbs to a possible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate, and realize that all is not as it seems. Ambushed, they are wiped out by a fearsome man-monster with incredible powers, leaving only one alive - Kagero, a beautiful female ninja, whose very touch can bring instant death. Jubei saves her from a fate worse than death, and unwittingly becomes drawn into the web of treachery. He is soon faced with his greatest challenge, an enemy for whom death holds no fear, with the power to destroy Jubei’s world.

Review
Ninja Scroll is an anime classic in the sense that brainless live-action movies like The Rock are classics. The story is simple and straightforward and the backstory doesn’t make much sense, but so long as the blood is pumping and the next action sequence isn’t far off, we are glued to the screen. Ninja Scroll should seem familiar to some; it was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, who has a very distinctive flair (he was also responsible for Wicked City, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, and the “Program” short from The Animatrix). If you’ve seen any of these, you know Kawajiri can direct incredibly riveting action sequences, and Ninja Scroll is no exception. The action is fluid and always on-screen, and we are never confused as to what’s going on. This is helped by the animation, which looks very good for its age and clearly had a big budget so everything could be animated.

While the action is sweet and the animation nice to look at, the same can’t be said of the characters. They are archetypes through and through, and never break their cliched personalities. This means no surprises and no twists. Fortunately, Jubei is an easy-going, laid-back samurai, and is instantly likeable and fun to watch. The Eight Devils of Kimon, the main villains of the film, are easy to hate, and are clearly made to look evil and despicable, but nothing more. The most interesting character (which isn’t saying much) is the old goverment spy Dakuan, whose motives are unknown and whose character gets the most dialogue. There’s also Kagero, the beautiful female ninja. Her main purpose is to be the sex object; who is raped by two different villains in the show and is mainly there to show off some gratuitous nudity.

But, that’s what Ninja Scroll is all about. This was THE film that defined the cliched anime action genre (at least in the US, from what I understand Ninja Scroll went unnoticed in Japan for the most part). It has all the gratuitous sex and nudity, excellent action and battle scenes, throwaway plot, and pointless blood and gore that make this genre what it is today. It inspired a million imitators, but this is still the best. I think if you’re a heterosexual male with a strong stomach, that you should definitely give this a try. Its badass and tough and manly and bloody and everything else that plays to that carnal male instinct.

The Breakdown
Give the film a shot. You’ll probably enjoy it, but the movie certainly doesn’t have any artistic merits beyond the action sequences. The film just last year received the deluxe treatment from Manga Entertainment, who put out a 10th Anniversary Edition DVD of the film commemorating its original US release. I recommend renting that, if not outright buying it. You’ll have a lot of fun.

Synopsis
Legends tell of an underground kingdom hidden deep within the mountains where a utopian society exists without disease, hatred, and suffering. To be a citizen there promises eternal peace. Shambala. Those who rule Shambala posses the power to rule the world. Is what is said true or are they merely myths?

Review
There is such a place. It’s called heaven. But I digress. In Japanese, Full Metal Alchemist - The Conqueror of Shambala translates to Hagane no Renkinjutsushi - Shanbara wo Yuku Mono. First, some background historical information to put the movie in perspective. In September 1918, General Ludendorff of Germany urged the government to call for immediate peace negotiations thereby leading to the end of World War I. During the war, the government controlled the spread of ideas through propaganda and censorship. To the populace, the surrender was a stab in the back by the newly found Weimar Republic who agreed to the unfair and harsh reparations of the Versailles Treaty. People thought that their army had not yet been defeated (only General Ludendorff and his closest military associates knew that the German cause was hopeless).Anti-Semitic sentiment was growing, as the Jews who occupied distinguished positions in business, law, medicine, and journalism were enviable. Gypsies, the mentally and physically disabled, Jehovah’s Witnesses, as well as homosexuals were labeled as undesirables. There were those who took satisfaction in thinking of themselves as of pure Arian blood. Secret societies were on the rise. In 1920, a group of discontented army officers staged a Putsch, or armed revolt in an attempt to seat Dr. Kapp as head of state. The Berlin workers, by turning off all public utilities, stopped the revolt. That same year the National Socialist German Workers’ party, Nazis, was born to keep alive the patriotic and military spirit. In 1923, they staged a ‘beer hall Putsch’ in Munich. Hitler fired a revolver at the ceiling and shouted, ‘National revolution has broken out!’ However, the police suppressed the disturbance, and Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison (A History of the Modern World, 1984). This event takes place in the movie. The movie also does an excellent job in showing the attitudes of hate along with the ethnocentrism of the German race, those with blue eyes and blond hair.

Secondly, at the beginning of the movie there is a physicist who claims to have discovered uranium. The year is 1914. In actuality, Martin Klaproth discovered a uranium oxide from pitchblende mineral samples in the Joachimsal silver mines in Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) in 1789. He named it uranium after the planet Uranus. That physicist in Full Metal Alchemist I would like to say is probably Klaproth in Ed and Al’s world since it was noted that he relied upon mine workers. Then again, the problem is that uranium’s potential as an energy source through nuclear fission, hence a nuclear weapon, wasn’t discovered until 1938 by Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassman. The physicist Ed and Al encountered knew full well of its capabilities. Somehow the uranium bomb got warped into our world before 1923 (the photograph in the movie).

Lastly, Ed meets an Austrian film director by the name of Fritz Lang who he mistakes as the Homunculus Pride (Fuher King Bradrey) in his world. In the movie his monocle is on the left eye while in real life it’s on the right (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d0/FritzLang.jpg/180px-FritzLang.jpg). Lang’s mother was Jewish. He studied civil engineering at the Technical University of Vienna, but unsatisfied he switched to art in 1908. In 1910 he traveled to Africa and Asia. After World War I he joined Germany’s Ufa studio. His most famous silent work was Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (or Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler) in 1922, the story describing the conflict between the master criminal Mabuse and detective Von Wenk. Lang left Germany in 1934 and had his sights on America. His wife Thea von Harbou was sympathetic with the Nazis and stayed behind. She herself joined the Nazi Party 1932 and divorced Lang in 1933.

The official Japanese website can be found at http://www.sonymusic.co.jp/Animation/hagaren/hagaren-movie/index.html where you’ll find trailers, character profiles, a summary of the storyline, key terms, the cast list, two wallpapers, an interview, and plenty of screenshots scattered about.

The Breakdown
Who is really the conquer of Shambala? Is it Dietlinde Eckart, Ed, or no one at all? Watch the movie to find out.