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Synopsis
As Kato struggles to maintain control, Kishimoto realizes that with her new body comes a new hope. Unfortunately, before she can act on those options, the second game begins! As a new group of players is initiated into the world of the sphere, the survivors of the first game are confronted with an entirely different breed of opponent… one that’s smarter, more aggressive and more organized… and that’s before the real game even starts! The series that shocked Japan continues in the fourth electrifying volume of GANTZ.

Review
Man, like Magic Johnson’s promo for TNT, I miss the dead bodies, and in these two episodes (seven and eight)… they do not help to satisfy that desire. We continue off discovering what Kishimoto will do now that she cannot go home, not to mention, we also find out her reason behind her attempt at suicide. Kato’s life is revealed a bit more and he sure does have it tough. An abusive aunt heh, that just makes you want to punch her in the face! Kato, of course, cannot do much about it as he is living dependently under his aunt’s roof. But what he could do is heheh, take the anger out on somebody else…

This volume is similar to volume three, where it is mostly story development, which is cool, because it is still early in the series. But I will not forgive this series if I have to go cold turkey any further! :). As this volume builds up for volume five, the players for the next game are beginning to gather, and, that means finally dead bodies will fly! Yeah baby!

The Breakdown
Gantz progress is slow, due to the fact that it is being release two episodes per volume. This discussion would not have been brought up if it was released differently. At any rate, Gantz is still entertaining and I will always pick to buy it, before buying food for myself :P.

Synopsis
No, that’s not a skin-tight pink costume — it’s her skin! She’s Kekko Kamen, the dynamic denuded damsel who fights injustice in the altogether. Her mission? To expose rampant classroom corruption at the Big Toenail of Satan’s Spartan Institute of Higher Education — all while repeatedly rescuing everyone’s favorite victim, the beautiful (and often naked) Mayumi Takahashi, from the Institute’s terrifying torture chamber!
Will our skin-clad crusader be able to straddle the line between indecent exposure and her desire to win decent treatment for the school’s succulent student bodies?

Review
Kekko Kamen is such an absurd anime, but it manages to stay fun with all the weirdness that it contains. A heroine who wears nothing but a mask, a pair of boots and gloves, and does strange maneuvers to defeat her opponents… you just cannot beat that. Go Nagai (creator of Cutey Honey) has a rather unique mind to have thought of doing something like this. I do not know how many times I chuckled through this anime. It was certainly a good strange anime.

Mayumi Takahashi is a regular high school student, but her luck really is not all that great. The school is constantly finding ways to torture her whether it is a Nazi S & M queen, a Hercules look-a-like dude, a beautiful punishment android or a perverted photographing samurai. But through all her hardships, Kekko Kamen always comes and saves the day. Although the principal and the teacher does not know whether to categorize Kekko Kamen’s beatings, pain or pleasure :/.

Kekko Kamen is a whack job of an anime and it flows quite well with anime fans these days. A suggestion I have for you though is… do not watch this when a child is around heh. It is rated mature after all. You also might not want to watch this when your parents are home too. Just a little tip.

The Breakdown
I guess you cannot get anymore extreme than a nude heroine right? Kekko Kamen is certainly an eye opener ;).

Synopsis
Not available yet.

Review
Salaryman Kintaro is so damn good, I just love the show. Okay, I usually do not start off a review with a splash, but even with me not watching volume two, I know, absolutely, positively that it will be amazing. The show boasts this story that is very fun to watch and it gets addicting as you are viewing it. I did not want it to end at all! In this volume, Kintaro finds a girlfriend and his life as a salaryman really takes off when he is sent to a construction site as the representative from Yamato Construction.

If it is a job for Kintaro, you know it would not be an easy one. Right off the van, he sees something that ticked him off real bad hehe and as expected from Kintaro, he takes care of business. But, because of what he had done, the workers become even more obnoxious. How will Kintaro finish this job that has caused the previous representative to ’suicide’? You cannot miss this volume of Salaryman Kintaro!

Every episode that I have watched so far, gave me the chills. Quite weird considering that I rarely get chills or goose bumps from watching anime. But this anime is really that amazing. I find myself viewing the show intently, examining every detail and if I missed a subtitle, I will rewind it back to see what I had missed. Talk about ‘getting hooked’ :). Treat yourself to this great piece of animation filled with comedy, story and a bit of everything. You will not be disappointed, I can guarantee that.

The Breakdown
I have officially joined the Salaryman Kintaro fan club. Anybody else interested? :)

Synopsis
Meet Galan, a spastic geek who’d do anything to be a real live samurai. But that’s just an impossible dream… or is it? When his Russian princess girlfriend gives him the gift of an ancient sword, strange events unfold, and even stranger people drop out of the sky to attack. Now Galan must overcome his ineptitude and join a bunch of beautiful women in a wacky romp through a kingdom that time forgot!

Review
Labyrinth of Flames is hilarious. I just could not resist myself from cracking up at the many comedic scenes this show provides. The ecchi humor is incredible. Sometimes you will have to really pay attention to the screen to get some of the “small” detailed jokes. What I loved about the show is that there are no breaks for you to rest, it keeps rolling and you just keep laughing. The ladies are also a part of the reason why there is no breaks heh. After all, panties are just everywhere to be seen. You know a year or so back, I thought I have seen the most perverted credits scene in an anime I really cannot recall as of this moment, but now that I have watched this show, anything going beyond it will have to be considered 18+ :).

The plot of this anime is great for an ecchi humor title. It strives to be serious, but at the same time, kills the seriousness with a quick hitter. Sometimes you do not know what to expect on the screen, but one thing is for sure, it will definitely be amusing. Now the synopsis already gave you an overview of how this show will roll, and although it does not sound like anything spectacular, trust me, if you are into the shounen genre, this has to be a title for you, yes, YOU! Darkwind being an exception, because he does not like this “stuff.” (Pfft, that punk. :/)

Central Park Media has released a great piece of anime in Labyrinth of Flames. The extras provided in the DVD unleash more laughter as you skim through the dubbing process of Labyrinth of Flames. And that is what this anime is about, pure fun and entertainment for you to enjoy. I am in awe after watching this piece… it was a great sixty minutes of viewing experience.

The Breakdown
I never thought a good ecchi humor title could be achieved in a short period of time. I mean, almost all the great ones are long TV series. Labyrinth of Flames takes me by surprise and hits me hard enough to make myself realize that, there are just so many things I have yet to experience in this world we call Anime. Sigh…

Synopsis
Sorata is an art instructor at Yamanoue School. At the young age of 20 he is already a full-fledged teacher with a meek and nerd-like disposition. Yet Sorata has a secret… he’s Mouse, the internationally infamous thief and a shameless flirt to boot. This mischievous rogue is assisted by three scandalously endowed attendants. With Mei Momozono the genius math teacher, Hazuki Kakio the rough and ready phys-ed coach, and the lovely school nurse Yayoi Kuribayashi, Mouse can steal ANYTHING.

Review
Mouse mouse mouse. This title seems like a fun series, but the originality is just nonexistent. It is like DN Angel mixed up with Steel Angel Kurumi. All you have to do is just take the phantom thief from DN Angel and three female servants from Steel Angel Kurumi and you will get Mouse. This series to me just does not make a big statement from the get go. It felt like any other ordinary shounen title that strives for fan service rather than attempting to give the viewers another look, a better look, such as, a story that is intriguing with a less emphasis on the ecchi-ness.

Not everything should be based on the big boobies and hot babes, but Mouse does not give me any other perspective to view it other than a fan service filled anime. It feels nice and fresh during the first episode… then it begins to deteriorate by episode. And at the midpoint of the DVD, I was just rushing for it to end already, because I had other things to put my time and energy in; mainly, other anime of course.

Probably the only reason that will allow me to make an effort to continue Mouse is because this is only the first volume. Sure, I will give it a chance to repent for volume one, if volume two still does not satisfy me then… that is that.

The Breakdown
Mouse is an average ecchi humor anime. While there are cosplay, servant-type ecchi things going on, it tastes like stale milk overall.

Synopsis
Welcome to the Wild Wild East. Ichimatsu hates his day job. He’s in love with a prostitute. He’s a trained killing machine. His life is a bloody mess. He is… Samurai Gun! It’s the beginning of the industrial revolution and feudal Japan is in turmoil. The ruling Shogun are wielding their abusive powers to instill fear and dominance over their oppressed subjects. A group of Samurai have banded together and with the development of new weapons and new technology, they have both the will and the hardware to stand up and fight.

Review
The heart of a samurai, the soul of a cowboy; that is what Samurai Gun is all about. It is violent, yet entertaining while achieving all the quick paced gun unloading action. Some of the violence in this anime disgusts me, but you can guarantee Ichimatsu will set the injustice straight. His knack for justice is the only reason why he does his side job, no matter how many times he says that he does not want to kill anymore, his past haunts him and the only way to relieve of the nightmare is to eliminate what is unjust.

The show is not rated mature for no reason. There are adult situations and people getting blasted away. Some funny, some not so funny, you will know what I am talking about when this series gets released on the streets. The story is attractive; I love when the villains get what they deserve. It is also amazing how the pace seems so fast, yet you feel like you have been sitting in your seat for a while after the volume finishes playing.

ADV Films co-produced this piece, and I have to say that this is an amazing series, a very interesting series in that it hits you head on like a bulldozer doing fifty miles per hour with messed up brakes. Yeah, just imagine that, a series that grabs your attention by the throat and shakes it up quite well. I am definitely looking forward to Samurai Gun. It is wicked nice!

The Breakdown
Samurai Gun hits streets on August 16th, 2005. Look forward to it!

Synopsis
It has been 10 years since the conclusion of the Egyptian Memory Arc. The threat of Yami Bakura and Dark Master Zork was stopped by the hands of Yugi and his friends. Pharaoh Atemu’s soul has at last been laid to rest. But evil still lurks in the shadows…

Yuki Judai, age fifteen, the one who succeeds the will of Yugi, applies to an elite duel monsters school called Duel Academia, founded by none other than Seto Kaiba. There, new friendships are formed, and new challenges await as he strives to become the number one duelist.

Review
Yugioh GX is the sequel to Yugioh Duel Monsters. Some say that Yugioh GX is the second season to the Duel Monster series even though Duel Monsters can be broken up into its component parts: Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, Noa arc, Doma (American title: Waking the Dragons), KC Grand Prix, and Egyptian Memory arc. It first aired in Japan October 6, 2004 and I have been watching it ever since. The initials GX can stand for Generation-X or Generation Next (*cough* Dragon Ball GT). What distinguishes the GX series from its predecessors is that Yugi is not the protagonist, although he makes a brief cameo in the first episode. Yugi’s trademark is the Black Magician, while Yuki Judai uses an elemental hero deck where nearly all of his monster cards are fusible. He is by no means the invincible King of Duels because he does lose on occasion. However, he does manage to pull off the same miracle wins in similar fashion to Yugi just without the spiky hair.

TV-Toyko’s Japanese website is located at http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/yugioh/. The Official U.S. website is http://www.yugioh.com/gx.php. To my amazement, the producers were careful this time around to be faithful to the Japanese names of the characters (NOT TRUE ANYMORE SEE UPDATE). In the first Duel Monsters series, many of the character names were overhauled. Joey (Captain Planet) Wheeler’s original name was Jounouchi Kazuya. Tea Gardner was Anzu Mazaki. Tristin Taylor was Honda Hiroto. Duke Devlin was changed from Otogi Ryuji. Yami was used instead of Atemu (No, Yami is not the Pharaoh’s real name!! - Battle City dub reference and critical mistake). Rishid was replaced by Odion. Shizuka was transformed into Serenity. Inspector Kaga became Weevil Underwood and Ryusaki Rex Raptor. Finally, Alister as opposed to Amelda (Doma arc). I still doubt they will be addressing the main character as Judai like in the Japanese version. My prediction is that in the American version they will call him Yuki to be synonymous with Yugi, a difference of only one letter. We’ll have to wait and see if Cronos-sensei still has his accent (SeƱor Judai!). They did change the God Card names of the dormitories to the American versions notably Osiris Red to Slifer (the last name of the ever so prideful Roger Slifer, a comic book writer and producer).

**News Update 8/5/05** If you check the American website you’ll see that they changed the names of the entire GX cast. Cronos = Dr. Crowller! In what subject did he earn his Ph.D? Manjoume = Chazz Princeton! WTF??? What about his nickname Manjoume Thunda? Chazz Thunder? Thunder Chazz? As I predicted, they kept Yuki to correspond with Yugi.

The Breakdown
Yugioh GX is for those who haven’t had enough of Yugioh. I leave you boys with this final image of Asuka. Chao!~

Synopsis
Follow the story of Nam-woo, a boy whose fear of abandonment and life’s changes take him on a journey to a land of fantasy. There, in a spectacular place of magical creatures and tall luscious green plants he meets Mari, a delicate girl who will come to support him and give him the stability he needs through his hardest of times.

Review
In My Beautiful Girl Mari, we are put into the shoes of Nam-woo who reminisces about the days that he went through as a kid. The experiences of a child growing up and losing friends due to various circumstances, such as, moving onto schools and changing atmospheres are tough; we have all experienced something like this to an extent. But Nam-woo’s life as an adolescent is about to change as he finds a special marble, and that marble turns out to be Mari.

Before we even start, you must have the patience for a title like My Beautiful Girl Mari. You must also possess the ability to process deep dialogues and the knack of discovering and figuring out even the smallest of details… well I know that Adobe has something to do with this show as a building is branded by Adobe’s logo :). Anyways that is not important. What is important is how things just happen, like it was meant to happen. I still cannot figure out how in the world Nam-woo knew the name of Mari, when they have not even converse with each other. The other point I must point out is, what is the big idea? What is the big deal? I loved the animation details; it was mesmerizing. The snow effects even made me wish that New York City was snowing right now. But the show just does not seem to attract me like the other shows of this genre, such as, Bandai Entertainment’s Junkers Come Here or Central Park Media’s Doggy Poo.

What does Mari have to do with the show? She is almost nonexistent other than a few appearances in Nam-woo’s dream or in his life. Nothing much is detailed about Mari. Heck I cannot even figure out why the plot even needed her character. The story can most definitely survive without Mari; Jun-ho and Sogg-y could have easily replaced her role. Am I not getting something? Am I missing something? I really want to know more, but I am not presented with the opportunity to do that as the story races on about how Nam-woo’s life is changing slowly and his doubts began to worry him.

The thing that I was really surprised about My Beautiful Girl Mari is that as the animation was running towards its end, I began to feel this emotion, an emotion of satisfaction, it is like every bad thing I felt about the show was erased. It was replaced with a warm feeling as the ending makes me think of my own childhood. The way my life changed as time passed… it was lovely.

The Breakdown
A show that could be applied to almost everyone is great, but if only the presentation of this show had some sort of major attraction, which in my opinion, it lacked.

Synopsis
In the aftermath of Kenshiro’s attack on the citadel of Last Land, the boy known as Lord Doha falls deathly ill. Sara’s prognosis is dire. The serum to save his life is a two day drive each way. There is a shorter path… but it runs through Cliffland, a land haunted by demons that practice a mysterious killing technique.

Meanwhile, a new mysterious warrior arrives in Last Land, vowing to take all that Sanga has claimed. The balance of power is once again thrown into chaos as fist is pitted against fist in a struggle to see whose justice will prevail.

Review
Continuing from where we left off in volume one, volume two exercises my theory about how Fist of the North Star resembles Dragon Ball Z in a way in that it makes you wait a while for something to finally happen. I say this because when Seiji (Gackt’s character) is introduced, he takes over all of Sanga’s possessions. Of course he did this when our hero Kenshiro was away looking for a serum to cure Bista’s medical condition. To our surprise, it just so happens that a variety of things happen when Kenshiro goes away; things that make your blood boil. So basically, in volume two you are seeing the take over of Seiji and the fighting for a path to locate the serum from Kenshiro. This whole process seems to take years. As I was watching it, I was shouting to the screen, “Comon dude, get back to Lost Land and kick Seiji’s cocky rear end already!” And that is how I arrived to my theory of resemblance that Fist of the North Star has towards Dragon Ball Z.

Anyhoo, aside from what I have just stated above, this series continues on with a bang. In this volume, you find out that there are other forms of martial arts in this world that was derived from Hokuto Shinken (Fist of the North Star). This is the case, because of the battle for the rights to be the heir of the Fist of the North Star. Those who lost were not allowed to practice Hokuto Shinken again. In the Clifflander’s case, they modified the style and called it Hokumon ken. This side story is quite fascinating. These Clifflanders were thought as the bad guys, because they killed anyone who ventures on to their mountain. Little did those people know, that the reason to why they kill is that they are protecting the world from another disaster to arise.

Volume two is still impressive, but a bit under par with volume one as volume two was mainly a side story with the Clifflanders. There were still movements along the main story, but barely. The story really cannot advance when your main character is busy doing a side show ^_^;;. Right? Let us look forward to volume three; it will surely be electrifying as Kenshiro finally meets Seiji! I want to see blood and lots’ of it!

The Breakdown
I really hate when an anime ends on a climatic note :(. This volume does just that as, Kenshiro finally is returning to Lost Land to destroy Seiji hhahahaaha.

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.