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Synopsis
Episode 5: “Diamond Child”
Meet Tatsunosuke, a young thief with a special gift and nothing to lose. Matched against Tsubute, which thief will come out with the Dragon Stone in his pocket? Faced with the opportunity to join the Kimon, will Tatsunosuke take the chance, and pay for it with his life?

Episode 6: “Shelter From the Rain”
Apart from the others, Jubei finds himself poisoned in battle with Nenmu, a ninja who can use the bodies of people. Caught in a rainstorm, with the help of a woman and her young son, Jubei slowly recuperates from the poison. But with Nenmu’s ability to manipulate anybody, who can tell a friend from the enemy? Will Jubei’s newfound allies turn against him?

Episode 7: “Blossom”
Azami is back, and after the half of Dragon Stone she could not get the first time, determined not to lose it to the Kimon clan. Meanwhile, Jubei learns the truth about the Dragon Stone and the treasure of the Lost Dynasty, and he’s slowly figuring out just how precarious of a position they are all in.

Episode 8: “The Fate of Rengoku”
Rengoku has her mission ? to get the other half of the Dragon Stone from Jubei. This is also her chance to avenge the death of her beloved brother, but at what cost? With revenge on her mind, what will Rengoku sacrifice for the ability to kill Jubei?

Review
First off, haters and doubters please shut up about how the Ninja Scroll TV series does not appeal to you. I mean, comon, you have only seen volume one, the first four episodes! Unless you downloaded it and have viewed the whole thing; you should be a real fan and wait it out to see what the show is about. You cannot judge something just by how it starts. There were instances where I disliked an anime for how it began; later on, loving it as the story develops and I am sure I am not the only person that has had those instances. I hear many people say that the Ninja Scroll TV series is not good, because it is not like the movie… now are you stupid or are you brain dead? Do you know the difficulty to top something that is already on the top of the charts? It is a hard fact that sequels usually cannot and will not top the original. Check out The Matrix: Reloaded for an example, did Revolutions top Reloaded? Hells no, all you see is the same exact stunts pulled on and off the screen. Now if this Ninja Scroll was exactly like the movie, then I bet you guys would be complaining how it is just a cheap copy of an old ideal. Complaining, complaining, that is all you guys do, not realizing that a series did not have to be created at all. But because of the tremendous amount of fans demanding a sequel, Urban Vision helped brought it to us. Appreciate that. Do not hate this series, or any series in that matter because of another person’s views, and you do not have to like this series either, just because I am telling you that I like it. Just simply appreciate it, that is all, appreciate what you can, and shut up.

From the introduction of this review, you should be able to tell that I am delighted how this series is turning out. The action scenes were astonishing, the soundtrack gets you right into the mood of things and although the story did not advance much in volume two it was still pretty entertaining and kept my mind awake to all the action (killing) that the haters said there were not enough of in this series. Now unless you have viewed the entire series, there is no possibility that you could come up with a conclusion that the series is “soft” or whack if you want to put it in a casual term. So where do people get these crazy views that the entire thing sucks, when the whole series is not even out on the streets yet?… oh wait, let me add, legally. I would not even be discussing the legal and illegal issue, so I will just leave it at that.

Now back to the series. What I liked the most, of course is the action. The way people get killed, the powers or abilities characters have and the exaggerating blood shed that is shown after someone gets beheaded, stabbed, sliced, or split in two, you get the idea. I wonder why are there people questioning where the blood was in Ninja Scroll the series. Either they are utterly blind or just completely did not pay any attention to the anime. Because of this, you get people who follow these blind fools and reject a show that is good, without even taking a peek at the show. Sigh… what has the anime community developed into?

Okay really, back to the series :). This volume focused more on fighting rather than progressing the story line. The Dragon Stone gets bounced around from Shigure to Tsubute to a character who I believe would probably play a significant role later on in the show to Jubei and it keeps going on and on and on. So that is pretty much the whole story development. Do not get turned off though, the attractive part is the way it goes upon running that loop and that is why I am looking forward to volume three, more violence, and hopefully a twist in the story or a climax would be pleasurable.

The Breakdown
I hate haters and doubters. Punks who want everything their way or no way, and while they are at it, bringing others who have no knowledge of that anime with them to the hate side. Well, good luck finding an appropriate anime for your little organ beneath that thick skull of yours.

Visit the contest page if you are interested in a fan art contest for a chance to win a DVD copy of Ninja Scroll Vol. 2: Dangerous Path.

Synopsis
What comes and goes within that innocent pair of eyes? He is Shirase Akira, a rouge, freelance computer programmer, who possesses a brilliant intellect. While he is well known as a legendary hacker, very few people understand the true side of him. What does he want, what has he gained, and what has he seen in the infinite outskirts of the internet? What has he witnessed within the virtual and real images of his code? That story will now be told.

Review
Battle Programmer Shirase, or BPS for short, first aired in October 2003 through January 2004. BPS is directed by Hayashi Hiroki, who also managed Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, and produced by Anime International Company, which has an english site available at http://www.aicanime.com/ The official BPS website can be found at http://www.anime-int.com/works/bps/index.html

For six screen shots and a mini preview hop on over to http://www.jascii.net/newanime/jascii.php?jascii_view=108

The Breakdown
It is amazing to conceptualize a person hacking to access a satellite then overloading the power infrastructure of a 100-story building, igniting gas lines until it abruptly explodes. It took a supercomputer to do so but even a cell phone now can be the medium. Anything electronic is no longer safe.

Synopsis
Sister Princess is the story of a young man and his twelve sisters. After failing his high school entrance exams, Minakami Wataru gets accepted into a special high school that is located on Promise Island which happens to be where his twelve sisters live. Sister Princess is quite simply an anime about twelve girls that really really love their older brother and the time they spend together.

Review
I am not going to sugarcoat this one. Sister Princess is a terrible anime. The best thing about it is that it is not as bad as its sequel (see my review for Sister Princess ~Re Pure~) because it at least has a story that has some direction. Unfortunately that story is weak and uninteresting. All this anime has going for it is decent animation and music. Aside from that, there is no substance.

The majority of Sister Princess is an endless circle of conflict and resolution. Normally that would be a good thing, but the conflicts are not all that conflicting. I mean, if the main plot of an episode is ‘Uh oh, I don’t know which skirt to buy. Won’t my big brother help me?’ then there is a problem. Basically in every episode one of the girls comes up with some sort of problem and perfect Minakami Wataru solves it without being asked thus proving to all the sisters that he is deserving of their undying love.

Speaking of undying love, it doesn’t take long for that love to become a bit unsettling. In fact, every one of Minakami Wataru’s twelve sisters wants to marry him. That just can’t be right. Thankfully it never gets too romantic, but that is because by default nothing interesting ever really happens.

The Breakdown
What more can I say? Maybe ADV will have the sense to cancel the localization of Sister Princess.

Synopsis
Sister Princess ~Re Pure~ is about the uninteresting everyday lives of Minakami Wataru and his little sisters and why they love him so very much.

Review
I don’t know why I ever watched this anime after the crap that was the original Sister Princess. I guess I’m obsessive compulsive in my desire to finish what I start. After watching Sister Princess ~Re Pure~ however I may be able to break that habit out of sheer boredom.

Sister Princess ~Re Pure~ is without a doubt the worst anime I have ever seen. It proves once again that looks can be deceiving because despite the beautiful animation and music, the story is the most awful, boring plot I have ever suffered through.

It starts with the cast of Sister Princess, an anime that should have never been made in the first place. Then it takes away any sort of linearity in the plot and replaces it with self-contained stories that have the complexity of a light switch. Then it dedicates one episode to each of Minakami Wataru’s twelve sisters, making sure that you do not have enough time to really get to know any of them. Add to it a bucket of plot holes, a disturbing incest factor and a boring lead and you get Sister Princess ~Re Pure~. Pure crap.

The Breakdown
Reviewer’s Tilt: -10

I’m speechless. Just… don’t watch it.

Synopsis
Chise is cute, but a bit dense. She’s also small and timid. On top of that, she’s clumsy and her grades are below average. She does excel in world history although nothing positive will come out of it. She has a habit of apologizing. Her goal in life is to become stronger. To me, she seems like a really troublesome kid. Regardless, I was her boyfriend, and she was my girlfriend.

Review
Based on the original 7 volume manga by Shin Takahashi in 2000, Saishu Heiki Kanojo, also known as Saikano or in english She. The Ultimate Weapon, truly is The Last Love Song on This Little Planet. Here at Animesou we bow in respect to our sempais THEM, Anime Academy, Anime Agency, and Anime-Axess for we are The Last Anime Site on This Little Planet to present a review. Saikano breaks all the stereotypes of the robot or android girlfriend genre. It is not a Chobits, Hand Maid May, or Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden, all of which were past Pioneer series. It is the romance of two high school students, Shuji and Chise, juxtaposed to the desolate World War 3 environment. Set in the remote countryside of Hokkaido, Japan, the anime begins five days after Chise first asked Shuji out. Though Shuji still has his doubts, as time passes he finds himself falling more and more in love with her. Then one day while shopping in Sapporo, what looks to be 100 unidentified bombers commence their assault on the civilian population. Buildings collapse and amidst the muddled debris Shuji, bleeding, perceives to his astonishment Chise, decked out and battle ready.

The Official Saikano Website can be found at http://www.saikano.net/tv/index.html with a beautiful flash interface carrying over the same sense as the opening animation sequence. There you can sample three instrumental music tracks, read episode summaries (Japanese), view the cast of characters, and download wallpapers and calendar images.

The Breakdown
Farewell my love, I won’t forget about you, Because I dwell on the people I say farewell to. I’m sad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS REVIEW IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!!

Yusuke Kinoshita, age 18, recently graduated from High School. Having lost a bet because his test scores were anything but great, Yusuke agrees to spend the entire summer vacation working at his father’s Pia Carrot resturant. What seems like endless hours wasted away washing dishes, shelving boxes, ringing up customers, and sprucing up the sidewalk and storage areas later turns out to become an experience Yusuke will never forget…

Review
Pia Carrot is directed by Kan Fukumoto (La Blue Girl, Twin Angels, Venus 5, Words Worth). The name Pia Carrot translates to Go, Go! Waitress! In English. It is based on the PC hentai/dating simulation game developed by Cocktail Soft in 1996 and later ported to the Sega Saturn system by Cocktail Soft/Kindle Imagine Develop (KID) on March 12, 1998. The English DVD release dates back to November 23, 2001. The storyline follows Satomi’s ending, the hardest person to win over.

I am proud to announce Animesou.com’s first hentai review. First to answer what is a hentai. Hentai (pronounced hen-tie) in Japanese literally means sexually perverted. It has come to stand for Japanese animated pornography. It is said that hentai mangas account for a quarter of the total manga industry’s output. Hentai predominantly consists of animated females in extremely sexually explicit and unreal situations satisfying one’s own personal fantasy. There can be rape, and it doesn’t have to be by a human either. The act can be performed by an animal, demon, monster, even a Pokemon. Watching this kind of aggressive pornography is thought to relieve tension and sexual frustration. Of course, there are those who enjoy watching the absolute force and barbarity played out on the screen (Christina Kinney, The Emergence of Japanese Pornography into the United States., University of Florida, East Asian Lang. & Lit).

The Breakdown
The animated version of the PC game. It is just like playing the role of Yusuke, going through the dating sim game, and scoring points with each of the girls.

Synopsis
WARNING!!! THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS REVIEW IS NOT SUITABLE FOR PEOPLE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!!!

Koji Maeda is your typical high school student who is looking for a part time job over the summer. On his way to an interview, out of the blue, a girl jets past the corner and his bicycle collides with her. After getting the living snot beaten out of him and with his bike in shambles, Koji luckily manages to score a job at Pia Carrot. However, he learns that the same violent girl he bumped into earlier works as a waitress. No way can life get any easier for Koji!

Review
The PC game to Pia Carrot 2 was released in Japan in 1997 followed by the SegaSaturn version in 1998 retailing for  ?7200 ($65.16). The anime is the sequel OVA series to Pia Carrot 1 but with a brand new cast (like how Onegai Twins is related to Onegai Sensei). Like Mizuho-sensei, Yusuke Kinoshita makes a guest appearance and is the owner of the 2nd Pia Carrot restaurant. You discover that he is soon getting married (to Satomi?), but the ceremony happens to be scheduled on the same day as Rumi’s (Yusuke’s sister’s) birthday. Rumi will be turning 16, and has matured from what was seen in the first game. Koji is able to date Rumi, but unfortunately she does not appear in the anime. The storyline of Pia Carrot 2 follows Hinomori Asuza-san’s ending, the hardest person to win over.

The Breakdown
Pia Carrot 2 has much of the same feel as Pia Carrot 1 where Koji is the one going around spending time with each of the girls. What makes it better than Pia Carrot 1 is that it is more amusing.

Synopsis
After twenty years, Detective Zenigata has been taken off the Lupin case! With a new assignment and an aching heart, he seeks friendship in the one man he could never catch - Lupin the Third! When Lupin finds out about Zenigata’s new assignment to take down a weapons smuggling organization, he sees his opportunity to steal some extra income. But Lupin had better watch out; there is a new, more deadly, man on his trail now!

Review
Lupin, as a character, almost never disappoints; this movie is a perfect example of how well he can be used. It is slightly different from more famous Lupin movies (i.e. Miyazaki’s ‘The Castle of Cagliostro’) in the fact that it is slightly darker and more serious then most of his other adventures. This is not a bad thing however, it simply brings a bit more realism into the Lupin world. There is not a single off the wall call chase that involves Mini Coopers (or some such Euro car) driving up flat mountainsides. Although it is a bit odd to see Lupin like this, I enjoyed it. The storyline (taking down a gang of weapons smugglers) would have been affected for the worse if this story was made too comical. If this is a preview of where Lupin is headed in the future, I approve!

The Breakdown
It isn’t exactly like every other Lupin movie, but that makes it a perfect introduction for those who say Lupin is too ‘kid-ish’.