Animesou.com

Synopsis
Mild mannered student Takashi Koyaman finds himself enrolled at Cromartie High, where everybody is a delinquent! Logically, therefore, he must be the toughest in his class - by the rather twisted logic that only a really tough rabbit would lie down with lions. Thus begins a story that parodies every cliché of tough-guy anime that you’ve ever heard of… and some you haven’t!

Review
There are titles that make you laugh by being stupid. There are titles that make you laugh by going crazy; something beyond stupid, in which I call trying too hard. And then come titles like Cromartie High School, where the comedy is just normal. Sure you probably would not see Mechazawa, a Gorilla or a horse riding Freddie in a school… or maybe you have already… Anyways with approximately fifteen minutes of each episode, the anime gets straight to the point by the main character Takashi Koyaman doing an introduction and then takes off from there.

You have probably heard about titles that are comedy, but when I watch a so called comedy, I separate them into the categories that I have stated above: Stupid, Crazy, and Normal. For stupid comedy, it is a comedy where like the name suggests, stupid things occur to induce laughter. Comedy like “stupid” gets lame quick and probably would not induce the equal amount of laughter after the second or third view. For crazy comedy, it is a comedy that just tries way too hard to make the viewers laugh. Doing crazy stunts and absurd activities will only induce a chuckle from me at most. After viewing a crazy comedy once, you will be sick of it, hence, the replay value is just nonexistent. Now finally, we get to the normal comedy, comedy that just exists and you will not even notice until it occurs. Normal comedy usually deserves a lot of play back value and Cromartie High School is in this category, because the dialogue hits you like a ninety seven mile per hour fast ball by Randy Johnson. Most of the dialogues are quick hitters that build up to a bigger laughter. And if by any chance you do not comprehend the simple delinquent dialogue, the fact that some of the characters may resemble you or some of your buddies at school might amuse you quite a bit.

The version I am reviewing is in English dub and I have to say I am amazed at the quality of it. I rarely say good things about dubs, but this one actually hits the spot like White Castle in Harold and Kumar. The “thug” jargon is nicely portrayed here. The way ADV Films fitted the words that you do not want your grandmother to hear in Cromartie is just absolutely great. You will most definitely have a blast hearing some of the stuff that gets said. The characters are whacky. The main character is a nerd, without being a nerd, a guy with hair that keeps flopping, Mechazawa, a character with a real identity crisis, Freddie the guy who looks like he belongs in a circus. The list just piles on and on. With so many unique characters, and an undeniable sense of great humor, Cromartie High School has a definite bright future.

The Breakdown
Cromartie High School manages to make me crack up almost every time something occurs on screen. Its way of making people happy is truly amazing.

Synopsis
To the unsuspecting eye Maki, Reimi and Yuka may not look like ace crime fighters, which might explain why they’re stuck on traffic patrol instead of more “exciting” police duties. All that changes when Yuka gets herself kidnapped by a white slave organization run by a politically connected businessman who’s got the rest of the police cowed. Now it’s up to Maki and Reimi to don skin-tight battle armor, liberate a tank, and make sure that a certain slaver learns that when you play with fire, you’re going to get your ass burned!

Review
I have always been a fan of the Burn Up series ever since Burn Up W. But now we are going back to where it all started, Burn Up! The show commences right off the bat with a car chase scene. The chase was pretty cool, it was a good introduction to the three main characters, Maki, Reimi and Yuka. This show is constantly on a quick pace as the main focus is revealed to the audience as soon the characters were finished being introduced. A crime organization is kidnapping young females and selling them as slave dolls, where they are forced into being a perfect woman. For those who listen, will get the training and ultimately be sold to a buyer and for those who rebel… we all know what happens when you deny the Yakuzas. Our trio of heroines cannot possibly allow this to happen and decides to go investigate the case. That is when Yuka becomes a kidnapped victim. With the criminals holding her as hostage, Maki and Reimi set out to rescue their friend in need!

Burn Up is the best out of the Burn Up series due to the fact that it is the original and that ecchi humor is not as rampant as the successors. With the less emphasis in ecchi humor comes a more entertaining show overall. Sure some of the perverts will miss the panty shots, the jiggly boobs counter and enticing scenes, but they do not go in vain. The way it plays out is all the entertainment that is needed. The old school animation brings back memories and refreshes them to make Burn Up seem as if it was a regular new title. This is definitely a title that you would say the old is better than the new, this coming from a Burn Up freak who owns most of the Burn Up saga.

What sticks out of this show is the quick pace that it is on. One scene you are at a conversation about a plan, the next scene you are where they act the plan out. You are just never left out in La-La Land wondering when the action comes, because usually it arrives sooner than expected. The bits of comedy provided throughout the show are cute. It is nothing rolling the floor about, but certainly gets your attention. Overall, Burn Up, is a quick hitter whose jabs are effective, but does not offer anything that will knock someone out.

The Breakdown
Burn Up’s action and quick moving storyline, keeps the viewers’ attention for the fifty minutes of run time, which seems like thirty minutes from how the things play out.

Synopsis
This is one thankless job that won’t even pay the bills! Kondou Yuuko, Hijikata Toshie and Okita Kaoru are the daughters of Shinsengumi heroes trying to follow in their father’s footsteps as loyal guardian warriors, but times sure have changed. If their enemies don’t do the Mobile Shinsengumi in, this bumbling trio might just do the job themselves! Can they rescue their reputation along with the city? Find out as the Japan of the past goes to war with the present and these battling beauties take on the ghosts, goblins, and gods of yesteryear!

Review
Rumiko Takahashi. You know you have heard of that name somewhere before. The person behind works, such as, Ranma ½ and Inuyasha is now the character designer of this little fun title Moeyo Ken. At first, I was not interesting in Moeyo Ken; I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. But after taking a breather from anime for about two days, I went back and said that if I just skim through an anime, I would not do its justice. Hence, I went back from the beginning and watch it again. To my surprise, it was not bad going through it for a second time. You certainly begin to feel an appreciation for it. Moeyo Ken is by no means a smash hit, but it is not crap either. It will attract fans, because of the heroines, after that the show does boast an interesting concept, in that there is a bit of a futuristic theme to it within the Meiji Restoration era… I believe it is one of those old time periods :) (Alpha is not good with history :P).

So what kind of futuristic theme? Well the trio does drive around with these crazy rides; rides that look like were from another dimension. They also wear armor like Samurai Pizza Cats does when they cannot handle an opponent with just their plain swords. I did not like the cars and stuff, but hey, that is what makes it different from just another title about samurai women right? The character design by Rumiko Takahashi is as expected; wonderful. No wonder why her credentials are where it is at right now and no wonder why Stikz is absolutely obsessed about her. I swear, if she ever decides to show up in a New York anime convention, they better have elite security, because Stikz will plow right over them, just to get a hand shake or autograph. (Sorry brother man, I had to take a shot at you ^_^).

Moeyo Ken is not the type of anime title where you say to yourself that, “Dang, I have to own it!” It is more like a title where you watch it when you are bored or have nothing else better to watch. Those Rumiko Takahashi fans will run to buy this, but if you are a casual fan, renting it will most likely be your option. It does not mean that Moeyo Ken sucks; it just means that it is not on a level where a luxury becomes a necessity.

The Breakdown
Moeyo Ken probably would have been better off as a longer series, rather than a short one, as maybe then, things can be explained deeper and viewers will be able to hang onto it for a while.

Synopsis
Yume is a 15-year old girl from the contryside of Japan. The only thing unusual about this ordinary girl is her ability to use magic! This summer, Yume reached the age required by the government to begin an apprenticeship to harness her natural talents and become a licensed wizard. Yume’s first time away from home and she travels to the big city of Tokyo and finds herself living above a night club in the same apartment as her mentor, the handsome but mysterious Wizard Oyamada. Yume has so much to learn!

Review
Someday’s Dreamers is a show that is literally dream like. It is wonderful in the way it is made up. I loved the flow of everything. The voice of Yume is one of the top voices that I have heard from any seiyuu; it is most definitely a voice that I can identify if she ever worked on something else. Kikuchi Yume is a mage in training. Her mother was a certified mage, and she sends her into the city to train for her license. Being a country side girl that she is, Yume is overwhelmed with the sight of the city side of Japan. After several scenes, she finally makes it to Pachanga, a bar at night and a mage office in the morning. This show has always attracted my attention with its beautiful DVD cover arts. The title also has a good ring to it that like magic, it sticks to your head. Geneon Entertainment did a great job in bringing Someday’s Dreamers to the States. The show is just phenomenal.

So what exactly makes Someday’s Dreamers phenomenal? Well to start it off as stated above, the attractive arts. It is dream like and distinctive from others; therefore it stands out. Secondly, while the story of a girl who wants to train as a mage does not excite everyone, it will command your respect as you watch it. There are morals in this story that are deep, but at the same time comprehendible. Thirdly, the animation, sounds and characters are all top notch. Only a character with the qualities of Yume can run this show, any other character would have had a different effect. The sounds of this piece all add to the enjoyment factor of the show. This is what I would dub, a work of art, but of course, any anime is ‘a work of art,’ but to be a work of art in my terms, is something on a bit of a different plateau, if you ask me. I am a very picky person in life, not that it matters to you, or maybe it does :). And while I do watch a large amount of anime routinely, I rarely dub anything as a masterpiece or a work of art, unless it deserves it. There are only one or two titles in my mind that I know I have dubbed that title, and considering the amount of anime that I have reviewed since the beginning of Animesou.com, you know I am not joking when it comes to greatness.

In Someday’s Dreamers you are put into various situations where you ponder if you should do what your mind tells you, or what your job tells you. Yume, being the good natured girl that she is, conflicts with the two states of minds. While she knows it is her job as a mage to do whatever is requested from the people that go through the process of requesting a mage, she also wants to be able to please everyone at the same time. Her battles between herself represent what people do in actual life. When you have to select between two things, either one you select, the other one would end up being sacrificed. Hence, accepting and trusting the decisions that you make is the core value of this show. While not everything you choose will have a happy ending for people involved in the decision, as long as you are behind yourself with the decision making that is all that matters in the end.

The Breakdown
With a great cast of characters, a storyline to remember, the animation so amazing and the sounds so phenomenal, Someday’s Dreamers is a sure hit that you should recognize.

Synopsis
As the tale unfolds you will be presented a series of dilemmas. But beware, for your choices will ultimately determine the outcome of the story, and the fate of our heroes! Long ago, in a land ravaged by strife, an ancient race of mages crafted the ultimate weapon to destroy their enemies and end all wars. They called it the Aryx Orthian, the Scourge of Worlds. Hidden safely for hundreds of years, the Scourge is now sought by a new evil threatening to unleash its incredible power. To save the world, three fearless heroes – Regdar the fearless warrior, Lidda the rogue halfling, and Mialee the elven wizard – must embark on a treacherous quest and choose between honor and evil, life and death. With hundreds of unique story combinations this computer-animated fantasy delivers a DVD experience like no other.

Review
Scourge of Worlds is a Dungeons and Dragons adventure, which makes the viewer choose the destiny of the characters that are displayed on screen. What I liked was the great animation that this movie contains. The computer graphics were amazing, although the combat fighting seemed a little fake; if you asked me. In the path that I chose it was quite comical at certain points. Just a “heheh” laugh, but that undoubtedly brightened the mood of Scourge of Worlds and made it much more entertaining than it was without those quick hitters.

The story is well, different. I only got through one ending so there are a few more endings to this movie. By doing this the show is more mysterious and for the die hard fans, it would be a joy for them to browse through this movie again and again, as it does contain an adequate replay value due to the interest that it may spur with all those alternative endings.

As the synopsis stated, the story is about the Scourge of Worlds; a weapon of some sort that has enough power to destroy the world. Regdar’s mentor, Briathion sets out to retrieve it for a particular purpose that you will soon find out later, that he is being controlled by a wannabe angel who acts as his guardian. The things get a bit complicated, but it manages to work out as the scenes move on. I am actually happy about the ending that I attained through my selections. It was not a disappointment and the good beat out the evil in my ending :). Scourge of Worlds is not a title for those who are not Dungeons and Dragons fan. For those who are, well this DVD just found a home.

The Breakdown
Scourge of Worlds is really not a bad title at all, I would say given another reviewer, probably he or she might have view it has something better than what I make it out to be.

Synopsis
The wheel of fate turned when Kiyotaka Narumi vanished. On that night Kiyotaka’s younger brother, Ayumu, was forever changed. Ayumu found himself thrust into the baffling mystery of the Blade Children. Who are they? What have they done to deserve their fate? Why do they believe Ayumu is the key to their salvation? Only one thing is certain: The Blade Children will stop at nothing to complete their destiny. And only Ayumu stands in their way.

Review
Spiral is a rather interesting anime. It almost seems to shift genres towards the end of this volume. It starts out as a bit of a mystery series with a bit of comedy, as Ayumu uses his amazing intellegence and power of deduction to solves Sherlock Holmes-esqe mysteries, and Hiyono provides comedy relief. And while these episodes are interesting, they don’t further the plot and are kinda useless. The plot does heat up when in fourth (of five) episode. That is when the secret of the Blade Children is revealed and Ayumu starts to search for his missing brother. So, in short, the story is good, but you do have do wade through some usless fodder to get there.

The Breakdown
If you have the patience to wait through the slow parts, you will be rewarded well.

Synopsis
A laugh-out-loud hilarious adventure from the studio behind Battle of the Planets and Speed Racer! Who has what it takes to be the baddest of the bad? It’s evil versus evil as teams of bad guys compete to be the meanest villains ever! Watch and laugh as the Dorombo Gang and their Kitchen Robot take on the worst of the worst in a wacky race to be the greatest villains in anime history! The only force that stands in their way are the superheroes of anime. Will the Gatchaman ninja arrive in time to save the day?

Review
An evil villains get together party. That is what Time Bokan is. While this show is a comedy, it never got my attention. It began boring and ended boring. The jokes were lame, probably due to the time era it was created and the time era in which I am reviewing. The animation is old school, so that did not help much in its appreciation value. I just cannot see a reason where a person will enjoy Time Bokan, and if that person does exist he or she needs to get their head examined. :P

So what is that bad about Time Bokan? How about the title, for starters? It is not a title name that you would pick up from the shelves to have a peek of it. Next up. Is the story, or lack there of. It is just a bunch of villains put together to have a competition in which I believe will determine who are the baddest out of the group. Oh, while they are at it, out of nowhere just toss in a cameo of Ken from Gatchaman, that will boost your ratings… NOT!

Time Bokan is just a waste of time, it maybe the worst investment of Central Park Media. The animation and sound are below par. The story is nonexistent and let us not talk about the replay value. The play value itself is nowhere to be found. It was much effort just to get through it the first time. So, save yourself the trouble, put a pass on this one.

The Breakdown
I have not seen something this bad for a while lol. :)

Synopsis
In a digital realm between life and the hereafter, there lies an empty room, a black sphere, and the trapped souls of the unfortunate. Here, the only meaning left is in the brutal game. Welcome to GANTZ, the next level of action, horror, and science fiction. Inspired from nightmares, Gantz brings forth a shocking vision produced in precise 2D/3D animation to showcase a slick and bizarre tale.

Review
In volume two, the episodes three and four are displayed. While episode three is not new to me due to the advance screener I had received a while ago, it was a nice refreshment. The show continues off with Onion Boy’s father, pissed as hell after the gamers gangbanged his son to death in other words, killed him. No, no, let us put it in better terms; slaughtered. And from volume one we all know what happens to the scrubs of the show, so let us continue on and discuss what is about to happen to the four left over gamers.

So Kei, Kato, Ms. Melons and the mysterious dude is still alive in the world of Gantz. After having to exert a tremendous amount of effort to run away from Onion Man, they finally get backed into a position of no escape. With Onion Man mad and the there newbies scared how will it turn out? Are you intrigued yet? If your answer is no, this volume finally explains quite a bit of what Gantz really is. It is certainly very interesting to know briefly what it is all about.

The action so far is just magnificent. I cannot find a better way to word it. All that blood and gore flying all over the place will make you even more excited for what will come next. The story is ichiban. Everything in this show accompanies each other so well. Gantz has become one of my favorites in such a short time. The replay value of Gantz is like none other. Sometimes I think I am sadistic for liking what I am seeing. Maybe I am a bit crazy… x_O.

While I dislike the way this series is released, at least the dates are closer together, which makes the wait time for the next volume shorter. I am more for the three to four episodes for $29.99 rather than the two for $19.99 format. It seems, no wait, it is that ADV Films has found a special cow and they are milking it for all that it is worth, down to the last drop. Hey, there is nothing wrong with that, unless you have an unlimited amount of resources in your hands’ reach. Which I can assure you, no one has :).

The Breakdown
With the action so fluid and the storyline so addictive. Who can possibly resist the lust for Gantz?

Synopsis
When a mysterious woman gives Palme (an apathetic robot made from the sacred kuroop tree) The Egg of Touto and charges him with a crusade which has put the fate of the world into his hands. A journey of rebirth and discovery unfolds. Chased by a mysterious group of mercenaries, Palme teams up with a band of misfits only to discover the complexity of the human condition and what it truly means “to be alive.”

Review
You know, as I was watching A Tree of Palme, I was wondering where have I seen something like this before? It seemed to me like another one of those “robot wants to be human” kind of anime. The story of this OAV is extremely deep. You would not even comprehend it if you take quick look away from it. Everything moves so fast, yet it does not feel that way. I could have sworn I was sitting in front of the television for like three hours, but of course, that was an exaggeration. The film runs for 136 minutes which is the same as saying, two hours and sixteen minutes. During the run time you get to see how an innocent little puppet, Palme, becomes infected with the selfish idea of becoming human with his current form by finishing his journey of delivering the Egg of Touto to Soma, the ancient Kuroop tree who controls life.

In this adventure Palme has to discover a purpose to his life. Throughout the story he is joined up with abandoned kids with the exception of Popo, whom has a mother, but by the way she treats her… you might as well consider her abandoned as well. In life, most people want to fit in and most people want to have power. I know “fit in” and “power” are very general words, but for Palme, those are the exact words that fit him. He wants to be human, which is fitting in. He wants to be human, which to him equals to power. All he wanted to be was human, is that selfish? I mean, everyone wants to be someone and sometimes at the expense of others, but with Palme, he becomes blinded by the urge of being human. He becomes addicted to the idea and until the end he finally finds out that it does not matter, whether he is human or puppet for as long as he knows his identity it is all that counted.

A Tree of Palme resembles a person who wants to change himself and be in another league without considering the consequences or the people that would be sacrificed along the way. The comparison with Pinocchio gets brought up with this OAV, and I have to say, they are quite similar in ways. The differences might be the violent scenes and a little more emphasis on how Palme is brought up. That is about it. If I were to pick between the two, I would go with the more appropriate for adults animation; A Tree of Palme.

The Breakdown
Maybe it is I, who is not getting the whole idea, but I consider myself a casual fan, and like stuff to get spoon fed to me. A Tree of Palme is an animation with all the right concepts, but has a difficulty in bringing it all out to entertain fans, such as, myself. I would investigate the OAV again… but the problem is, the replay value is not high due to the long run time :).

Synopsis
Dragon Drive is the story of a young man who gets addicted to a virtual reality videogame about battling dragons. One day there is a glitch in the game and our hero, Reiji, finds himself in a real world with real dragons! Since he is there, he might as well save the world, right?

Review
This series started off really well. The first set of episodes show how Reiji gets into the game Dragon Drive and how he eventually becomes very good at it. These episodes are fun, exciting and interesting because the game itself is interesting to learn about. But after 6 or so episodes when Reiji shows up in that alternate world the anime progresses into its true self, which is nothing more than the same cliche anime I’ve seen a million times before. Essentially the first episodes are just a really cool intro to a really bad anime.

Even cliche anime can be good though if the characters are great. While the good guys in Dragon Drive were likable enough, they were also a bunch of idiots who each repeated their mistakes over and over again throughout the whole series. The bad guys were even worse. The main villian is obsessed with the idea that life is a game that he has to win, so he keeps doing all these terrible things to get his best ending. Everytime the good guys get into a fight with the bad guys, the bad guys overwhelm the good guys and then let them go for some reason. Every… time…

Beyond that, several characters have horrible voices. One particular character who keeps shouting, ‘My sweet honey!’ to a girl he likes has the most annoying voice I have ever heard in an anime. Even the music was generic and uninspiring with the exception of perhaps the ending theme. Add to that animation sequences that get repeated over and over again, dragons that look like mechs and dragged out combat with little or no story progression and there you have it… Dragon Drive!!

The Breakdown
I suffered through 38 episodes of this crap so that you don’t have to.