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Synopsis
Beauty is only skin deep, but when you can’t see beneath the skin, how can you know what you’re really dealing with?

In a world where perfect androids called Boomers have infiltrated every aspect of society, it’s the job of Branch to maintain peace between the people and the plastic. Unfortunately, not all boomers are created perfect, and when boomers go bad, people die…

The thin blue line that separates man from machine is about to meet its most horrifying test in Parasite Dolls.

Review
Set in the Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 world comes Parasite Dolls, an OAV about boomers gone wild. This show had the potential to be good right from the start, but never really achieves it from the get go. In this ninety five minutes, three chapters, action flick, we are shown a team of cops called “Branch.” They were a team derived from the A.D. Police specializing in boomer activities. Our main character Buzz who is of course the leader of the team is put into work as cases of boomers going crazy erupts within Genom City.

Parasite Dolls did not float my boat. The pacing was good, but the interest factor was just nonexistent. I mean, as the show starts to appeal to you, they slam the door shut in your face with the end of a chapter. How can it expect viewers to follow the show if they keep on ending it where it gets interesting? One year later? Five years later? Whatever years later? What the hell? Just give me a show that is stable. I do not care whether it is this or that amount of years later, because honestly, who cares how many years later it is in an anime? I certainly do not unless it makes a tremendous difference in how the show will play out.

Maybe Parasite Dolls was a wrong name for this title. There were little surrounding these prostitute boomers. It was only a small part of the show. I will say that this has been a disappointment considering that the Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 team was behind it.

The Breakdown
Another title with robotic prostitutes in it? Wow.

Synopsis
Second sight is a curse for Yumemi, a psychic schoolgirl who just wants to be normal. But she’s about to discover the true value of her gift, when Magical King Munto arrives in her world, with enemies in hot pursuit! Munto’s realm is linked to ours by magic, but that power is fading, and his world is on the brink of death. Yumemi is the only Earthling with the power save his people… if she can only find the courage to use it!

Review
Munto is a strange anime. The DVD cover shows some SD characters, which led me to think that this title was going to contain some fun segments in it, but of course it did not happen. The show is about a deteriorating world parallel to the Earth. In this world, the life source, Akuto is soon to be used up and in order to slow down the process, the magical kingdom must be taken down from the skies. The plan to tear down the pillars that support the floating island has already been carried out. Now it is up to the Magical King Munto to prevent everything from happening. That is, the full consumption of Akuto and the wrecking of the magical kingdom.

On the other end of the spectrum, Earth, Yumemi our main focus in this title is a human with some sort of innate special power that will be able to rescue Munto and his situation. The thing I did not like about Munto is that there is rarely a point in the story that is appealing. There are several things that just happen for the hell of it. It seemed to me that no effort was put into the planning of Munto. It was like a puzzle being put together randomly. I cannot comprehend it, heck; there was nothing to comprehend about.

When there are titles created without any focus in it, it makes it a very difficult task for the viewer to fall in love with it. The fifty minutes of run time that Munto took from me was like hours waiting at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). Yeah, it was not only boring, but also long for a show that did not make much sense for a good portion of it.

The Breakdown
Suzume is probably the only good part of Munto. I demand her to be the main character!!!

Synopsis
In a world laid waste by nuclear war, alone at the bottom of the ocean, fourteen year-old Amamiku holds the key to the planet’s salvation; special seeds that are able to restore the Earth back to its natural glory. But in her efforts to plant the seeds, she unleashes the wrath of the muderous Glyptofane, a primal being determined to wipe out the remnants of the human race.

Review
Blue Remains commenced with a played out plot. It was the typical, “humans going to war against each other and finally destroys the natural habitat for all living organisms.” The land is inhabitable, but the ocean was not affected as much, hence to the ocean blue we go with this show!

Blue Remains was not catchy for a quarter of its run time, but as the show progressed the animation and action grabs a hold of you. You become drawn in and will start to appreciate it more. The voice acting needs some work as Amamiku’s voice actress sounds horrible and non-compatible with the character at times. The mouth movements is noticibly not in sync with the voice, but that is just a small problem to deal with.

The largest problem Blue Remain has, was probably the lack of budget. Some scenes are ridiculously simple, such as, using less details for the environment by making it dark enough so that you cannot make out the details and spotlighting one of the three brain characters every time they spoke. An annoying sound also plays with the spotlight, so it was like playing a game of “guess who is talking.” When a “bling” sound plays, you go looking to see which brain is lit up. Even though the animation is not the highest quality possible, it works, and that is the most important part that needs to be considered.

The Breakdown
ArtsMagicDVD keeps releasing titles that are better than the other. At this rate, I am certain that they will have another title to top Blue Remains… I think they have already :) (The Bird People in China).

Synopsis
Kanae is Kouta little sister. When they were children, Kanae, Kouta, and their cousin Yuka used to play together. She had a habit of finding shells along the beach. One day something tragic happened on their way home…As a result of this traumatic experience Kouta, now a college student, suffers from amnesia. A mysterious girl, Lucy, with pink hair and horns seems to be the missing link to unlocking that buried memory.

Review
Anime News Network and Animenfo.com classify Elfen Lied as a horror anime. Animenfo defines horror as: ‘Creepy tales of ghosts, demons, vengeful ex-girlfriends and other frightening creatures.’ Animenfo lists Arc the Lad as horror which tells me that their classification system is somewhat at ends with itself. In my opinion, Perfect Blue is the prime example of the horror genre. Elfen Lied is not scary in the sense that it’ll raise your heartbeat and have you grasping for air, but it will get you to perhaps cover your eyes when decapitated heads and limbs fly everywhere and blood starts spewing. Lucy does fall into that last category as Kouta’s frightening vengeful ex-girlfriend. I have to admit if I was to meet Lucy in person I would be scared and attempt to run. Not that it would do me any good. I would be dead on sight.

The official Japanese site can be found at http://www.vap.co.jp/elfenlied/ There you’ll find episode summaries and previews, screen shots, DVD information, character bios and sketches, and wallpaper galleries.

The Breakdown
The most overrated anime of 2004, it is that good. At least ADV thought so. They licensed it days after the second episode aired much to the dismay of fansubbers. It was a must have acquisition.

Synopsis
The last thing Kei remembers is the train running over his body, crushing him. Now he finds himself in a room filled with strangers, all recently deceased, all resurrected by the strange black sphere known only as Gantz.

Their reprieve from death may only be temporary, however. Unless they complete the brutal missions that Gantz assigns, none of them will live long enough to leave the room. Is this strange ‘afterlife’ real, or just a dream? All Kei and the others know is that if they fail the mission, they will all die again.

Review
In this advance screener review I will just go over the concept of Gantz. Since only two episodes were included in the DVD, I cannot make a full assessment of the show, other than from what I have seen at this early stage. So let us start it off. This show is gory, but at the same time it manages to maintain a fun atmosphere. What I am most fond of Gantz is that it is exciting; to the point where you feel like you want to be in the world with them. Gantz achieves this because it plays like a game. And most of us have a gamer in us, therefore we tend to attract to the show immediately. This game we call Gantz is like the Matrix, or any adventure game, where the goal is to seek and destroy the designated target(s). If you fail to obliterate the target within the time limit… something bad will happen. (I do not know what will happen since the one hour limit has not full elapsed yet in episode two :P).

The animation is amazing, astonishing, astounding and much more. A simple word cannot do its justice. The sound is great, but the opening theme is just senseless. The story so far is very interesting and has gotten me anxiously waiting for the full version of volume one to be released. Gantz is flat out impressive as I am completely addicted to it. Let us go onto the main characters a bit now.

There are three main characters: Kei Kurono, Masaru Kato, and Kei Kishimoto. Kei Kurono was a brave boy, but as time passed, he became less impulsive and more cowardice. He would stand back when he feels threatened by a situation, and is a bit of a hentai too. But what can we do, he is probably going to be the main focus of the three later on. Masaru Kato is Kei Kurono reversed. He was a shy boy, but now he will stand for what he believes is right. Kato is tough looking, but deep inside he still needs to convince himself badly in order for his body to act. Kei Kishimoto is a sexy babe oops, I mean she is hot, err, I mean she is a character that tried to commit suicide as she was taking a bath and winds up naked in front of a group of dead men that were brought to the Gantz. As she regains her consciousness, she almost gets raped by one of the yakuza in the apartment, but was saved by Kato.

The first mission these players have to accomplish is to kill some onion loving alien. It all seemed too easy as the players except the three main characters destroyed Onion Boy, whom only wanted to eat his onions. But when they thought it was over, the real deal just begins as the father of Onion Boy shows up and sees that his son is blown into pieces. At this moment, the second episode comes to an end and I am left with this show in my mind through my Christmas week. Oh how nice of ADV Films to do that to me :).

The Breakdown
When the show began, I immediately knew it was a show for me. Gantz was more than I expected and it certainly deserves all the hype it is receiving; as it strikes you to a point where a luxury (anime) becomes a necessity (Gantz).

Synopsis
The next level of man’s evolution is through the brain. One day we will be able to attach our minds directly to a machine and control it with our thoughts. As science further advances at an alarming pace, the entire city of Tokyo has become the guinea pig of experimental research as unethical clinical trials are conducted amongst its innocent populace. Who will defend us when the government is in on this scheme? The fate of Tokyo rests in the two hands of one maverick woman.

Review
Baku-ten, short for Bakuretsu Tenshi, first aired on April 6, 2004. The English title is Burst Angel or Explosive Angel referring to Joe’s alias: the angel from Hell. Blasts and smoke are always left in her wake. Lara Croft Tomb Raider eat your heart out! No one can mess with Joe and expect to come back in one piece.

The official Japanese flash site is http://www.baku-ten.com where you’ll find character biographies and incomplete story information. The website is largely under construction with no special wallpapers. It is like it was abandoned an no longer updated. Bandai’s site http://www.b-ch.com/contents/bakuten/index.html can finished episode descriptions with a small screenshot.

The Breakdown
Everybody loosey!

Synopsis
Mugen’s a buck wild warrior-violent, thoughtless and womanizing. Jin is a vagrant ronin-mysterious, traditional, and well-mannered. These two fiercely independent warriors couldn’t be more different from one another, yet their paths cross when Fuu, a ditzy waitress, saves them from being executed when they are arrested after a violent swordfight. Fuu convinces the two vagrant young men to help her find a mysterious samurai ‘who smells of sunflowers.’ And their journey begins.

Review
This show has been getting a lot of hype. And for good reason. Reason one: the guy who directed Cowboy Bebop, Shinichiro Watanabe, is also directing Samurai Champloo. Reason two: one of the two credited screen/scriptwriters for Samurai Champloo was also one of the credited screen/scriptwriters for Cowboy Bebop (Dai Sato). Reason three: the other screen/scriptwriter, Shinji Obara, has made it a rule (basically) that no character can have more than two-three lines of dialogue before someone else speaks, so as to cut down on needless and annoying exposition, an anime staple that really does need to go away. These three reasons alone are good enough to create the hype Champloo has been getting, and in the end it’s well deserved.

It’s unfortunate though that this show gets compared to Bebop so much just because of the same scriptwriter and director. Bebop is a class A anime, and to top it (even by the same people) is an unfair pedestal to put this show on. I’ll state here and now that so far, Champloo is not as good as Bebop. But it’s still amazing in its own right, and far better than most other anime shows out there. So far, anyway. But please, put the Bebop comparison aside. This is its own show.

The first thing I should mention is the animation for this show. It’s amazing. Along with the splendid roughness and gritty character designs (a far different style than used in Bebop), the animation is fluid and colorful, while keeping a darker, more somber tone in the background. Colors represent characters, with Fuu’s kimono looking bright and happy, Mugen’s clothes looking fiery red (to symbolize his recklessness) and Jin, who wears dark, foreboding colors. The fight scenes especially scream of high production values, where every fight is shown on screen instead of blue sword-slash still-screens or off-camera action. The action scenes in Champloo are treated like good, real action sequences.

The music as well, with hop-hop artists like fat jon, Nujabes, and Tsutchie contributing to the score, is stellar, and took me by surprise (I mean…samurai and hip-hop?). Watanabe planned the show around the music, and it shows. He shows and treats the show with the inventiveness that hip hop showed in its early days. He doesn’t take the show to seriously, and even goes so far as to use record scratching as a transitional tool. It’s very slick.

The Breakdown
The hype was called for. This show rocks completely and I absolutely cannot wait for Vol. 2 to come out. In fact, I think I’ll go rewatch it again right now.

Synopsis
When it comes to martial arts, Kiichi Miyazawa has always been the best. But when his father is hospitalized, it’s time for the teen super-star to become a man and take on the big time. Kiichi must take his father’s place in the ring against the champion of World Pro-Wrestling, the legendary Iron Kiba! Will he survive and triumph in his father’s name? Or will his family’s arch-nemesis terminate his martial arts career… and his life!

Review
Shootfighter Tekken gets better by volume and in volume three the potential of this short series is reached. After Kiichi finished his fight from earlier, his father is scheduled to battle Iron Kiba. That is, until something unpleasant happens to his father, that Kiichi decides to take his father’s place in the battle. With time short at hands, Kiichi trains himself immensely to prepare for a fight of life and death.

The thing I find interesting about Shootfighter Tekken is that it is not a piece of anime work where there are anything extraordinary. It is a piece that works within the boundaries, and excels at it with an unbelievable success rate. I remember in the first volume, I assumed that the rest of the show was just going to be a kid fighting senselessly, but I cannot be anymore wrong as this anime is beyond just the fighting. The messages within the dialogue are meaningful if you can break it down enough and it is not that difficult to acknowledge what is going on in Shootfighter.

All in all, this show demonstrates a lesson, a lesson where fighting is not always the answer to a question as fighting can lead to even more fighting – which is just pointless. Although if there is a legit and logical reason to a fight, such as, for a belief or something, stand up and represent!

The Breakdown
It was sure fun to have experienced such an anime. Shootfighter Tekken improved by volume and in just three volumes, you can get a ton of ass kicking and some joy from the whoopings.

Synopsis
A sinister tree lurks over a village, sheltering the inhabitants for a terrible price. Victims are plagued by voices, then driven to madness and death. When renegade surgeon Black Jack operates on the latest casualty, he discovers a horrifying parasitic plant. Does the tree’s spirit seek to possess a human host? Now the doctor who plays at being god must defy the ancient fury of nature!

Review
Is there anything, anything at all that Black Jack cannot display? Just when you think you have seen basically everything Black Jack could offer and toss at you, there are other weird procedures happening. This time around we are dealing with a “Chia Pet.” A boy suddenly falls ill and plants begin to sprout from his skin. As this phenomenon occurs, his brother calls Black Jack and requests a visit from the doctor. When Black Jack arrives he is stunned by this illness as he has never seen such a thing before and begins the diagnoses.

Now up to volume five, the drama is still as constant as ever. With various plot twists, adds more intensity, which creates even more excitement that benefits the viewers’ experience. I mean, sometimes I get goose bumps just seeing what unfolds on the screen. It is that impressive. The dialogue brings the characters out of the television set and into your room. As the story progresses to the medical treatment scenes, you feel as if you are there watching every move that Black Jack does. Not only that, in every scene you feel that you are a witness. The show is so amazing that it is mind boggling.

I really cannot predict what else there is for this series, but I know it will be a hell of an opportunity to observe the great mind of Osamu Tezuka at work. I know for sure that if you are up to volume five, you will most definitely continue on this masterpiece, if you are just on the borderline, your mind will impulsively act on its own to make Black Jack a part of your collection.

The Breakdown
This title we call Black Jack, is really something! I cannot imagine where I would be without it! ^_^;;

Synopsis
In the 24th century, intergalactic space travel has become a reality. One of the first outposts in the far reaches of space is Watcher’s Nest – an inflation hole drive portal – which has recently come under attack by a mysterious force known simply as Ghoul… A group of young female cadets assigned to the portal are unexpectedly thrown into a hornet’s nest of trouble as they finalize their training to become elite pilots in the Seraphim Squadron. What more could you ask for than a bevy of beauties forced to put their lives on the line to answer the call of duty. Divergence Eve is a bold and imaginative voyage leading directly into the heart of evil. A dark tale enlivened by a shocking mystery which will have you guessing until the final fade out.

Review
Divergence Eve has a strange plot, a plot in that the movement of the story is put in reverse. Indeed it is strange, but that is what makes a show like Divergence Eve unique. You begin confused as hell, as scenes are just passing by and you have no idea what the story is or how the characters arrived at the destination they are at. Slowly, but surely though, everything becomes clear to the viewer as the show runs from episode to episode.

This ploy that the crew behind Divergence Eve plotted out is not only smart, but can be quite an enjoyment as well. Why? Because not everything is shown to you. One thing I cannot stand in my years of experiencing anime is when an anime treats me like a person without a mind or without any form of imagination prowess, and this anime here does not do any of that. It works your mind into predicting what may happen next, as fun and excitement swarms within your head.

The thing that picks my mind about Divergence Eve is that the opening theme is serious, whereas, the closing theme is a fun filled piece. Not that it is a bad thing though, because it is showing Masaki Kureha in a cosplay marathon :). Nope, there is nothing to complain about that.

Now how can I review Divergence Eve without mentioning the babes :P. Although not much is revealed to the audience in the first volume, but what is revealed is that there is going to be something rather interesting about Ensign Masaki Kureha. Her past is the main focus so far in the show, as hints of it is shown to the viewer. Her power is hehe… I will let you discover that when you pick this title off the shelves.

The Breakdown
Let us face the facts, Divergence Eve is not going to be loved by everyone due to the way it runs, but for those who see through the preceding issues, Divergence Eve is an anime worth every cent you paid for.