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Synopsis
Start with your balanced team of female adventurers: a resourceful and hard working treasure hunter, a dedicated priestess of Mylee with healing and holy magic, and an expert sword and hand to hand fighter. What’s missing? Blazing and powerful black magic! However, all the female magicians in Orphan are weak, unwilling to depart from their studies. The only available magician happens to be a hentai brawling MALE not to mention moron named Louie. Through a disastrous turn of events, their fates become intertwined for the better and for worse…

Review
Rune Soldier seems to be a misleading heading for the series. The japanese original is Mahou Senshi Riui (Louie). Rune alludes to a magical relic, charm, or instrument. Soldier, well, there technically are none except for the palace guards and king’s forces. The only person remotely close is Genie, possibly an ex-soldier but more of a mercenary now. Rune Soldier tries to describe Louie who has more befitting titles as: hero, adventurer, magician, swordsman, sluggard, and idiot. Nevertheless, Rune Soldier is can be considered a non-chibified version of the Welcome of Lodoss Island sub-series of Record of Lodoss War TV: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight. The jokes are better polished and not as corny.

The Breakdown
It may not have the widespread reputation in the anime community that Slayers and Record of Lodoss War have, but Rune Soldier definitely doesn’t lag behind with great animation and music. It packs enough humor to last not only the first time you watch it, but also every time after that.

Synopsis
Happy Lesson is the story of a troubled young man named Chitose Hitotose. After inheriting a massive house from his parents, Chitose found himself living a very lonely life, and he was on the edge of dropping out of High School. That’s when five of his teachers decided it would be a good idea to fill the role of Chitose’s mother. Suddenly Chitose’s life is turned upside-down as he finds himself living with five teacher/mothers.

Review
While it’s true that it is similar to many other animes that star a single male lead and a ton of girls under one roof, Happy Lesson separates itself from the others because none of the girls are in any way love interests to Chitose. Quite the opposite actually. Each of them takes their role as a Mother very seriously.

The relationships between the characters in Happy Lesson are very well developed. In addition to the mothers, Chitose’s older and younger sisters play important roles, and there are several other characters that have a strong impact on the storyline. Perhaps too many. There are no less than 9 female characters in this anime, and each one of them has an episode that is practically dedicated to them. With only 13 episodes, this leaves the main plot a little thin–if a main plot can even be established. In fact, the sudden ending screamed for a sequel, and thankfully, that sequel has been made. Still, on its own, Happy Lesson feels rather incomplete. Fortunately, the excellent character development keeps things interesting.

Visually, Happy Lesson is a fine display of modern animation. The character designs are for the most part creative, and the artwork is often worth taking a moment to pause just to look at. Bright colors and comedic antics make certain that there is always something worth looking at.

The music is also very good. I especially enjoyed the intro theme which was good enough to stop me from skipping the intro before every episode like I normally do. The harmonies in that particular song just ring true to me.

Most importantly, the main appeal of Happy Lesson is its sense of humor, which will either hit or miss. There are lots of visual gags that you’ve probably seen a million times before. It’s the way they are blown out of proportion that keeps things funny. It will only take one episode for you to know whether or not you want to watch it through to the end.

The Breakdown
The bottom line is that I truly enjoyed this anime. It didn’t have the greatest story in the world, but there was a lot to enjoy. It was definitely too short, but if that’s my biggest complaint, it only proves that it was good enough for me to want more. There is a ton of potential for the sequel, Happy Lesson Advance, which I am greatly looking forward to.

Synopsis
Happy Lesson Advance picks up directly after the events of the first Happy Lesson, which basically means it’s business as usual. Chitose is living with his five Mothers who are also his teachers in High School. Those familair with the first Happy Lesson will immediately recognize many of the other characters, including Chitose’s sisters and classmates. It’s the new face, Kuryuu Nagatsuki, that stirs up all the trouble and ultimately progresses the storyline.

Review
Like the first Happy Lesson, Happy Lesson Advance is largely episodic. Most of the episodes focus on one particular girl. When I reviewed Happy Lesson, I criticized that fact, stating that it weakened the overall plot. However, it has a different effect in Happy Lesson Advance because by the time I watched it, I was already very familiar with those characters, and so the emotional payoff is much stronger. As the episodes went by, I found myself enjoying them more and more, and became increasingly wary of the inevitable conclusion, which once again came far too soon for my tastes.

The ending is much better than the ending to the original Happy Lesson, and once again left me wanting more. I can only hope that a third series is in the works.

The animation in Happy Lesson Advance is not quite as fluid as in Happy Lesson. There are a lot of moments in which the only animation on screen is limited to a character’s lips. It’s not terrible by any means, but it is definitely a step in the wrong direction. Fortunately the background art is just as beautiful as in Happy Lesson.

The music also took a turn for the worse. The memorable theme from Happy Lesson was replaced by a new song which didn’t sit well with me. Very little music was memorable. In fact, thinking back on Happy Lesson Advance’s music, I can’t even remember a single melody.

The biggest evolution Happy Lesson Advance makes over its predecessor is its more dramatic tone. While the first Happy Lesson was almost entirely a comedy, more time in Happy Lesson Advance is spent in a strong vice of conflict. The jokes are still there, but pushed off to the side in favor of a stronger storyline, which I think pays off immensely.

The Breakdown
Happy Lesson Advance is a well designed sequel that should easily satisfy fans of the original. The ending really makes me want to watch more episodes, so here’s hoping for another season.

Synopsis
When Ryuuji meddles with technology he doesn’t understand, he is transformed into a dangerous shape-shifter. Unable to handle his new powers, Ryuuji sets out to take over the school, win the love of all the girls, and teach everyone who’s ever insulted him a painful lesson. Only his genetically altered classmate Junta can stop him, by becoming the most unlikely of heroes, the infamous Mega-Playboy!

Review
In this volume we continue with Ryuji as Tomoko in the men’s restroom. Boy is this dude a complete hentai; rubbing on his on butt thinking that he even replicated Tomoko’s body features. But, he does not notice until he wanted to take a peek of “Tomoko’s” chest. That is about all the fun parts you are going to be getting in volume four. This volume focuses on Ryuji trying to get revenge on Junta for stealing his girlfriend (Tomoko) away from him. Although I personally do not like Ryuji’s character, but I have to give him credit, because he was the first character I have seen that figured out his powers in a matter of a few minutes. You almost never see that in anime. A character usually takes a few episodes to truly utilize their new found powers. Take Ryu from Street Fighter V for an example, that dude took approximately ten episodes just to launch one hadoken. Quite an amazing accomplishment on Ryuji’s part… Hooray!

Anyhoo, set to make Junta’s life miserable, Ryuji shape shifts into Junta and attacks Ami. With Ami now hating the real Junta, Ryuji makes his move with Tomoko as well. Now that he is causing all this trouble, he makes a challenge to Junta. But of course, we would not think that the actual Junta could have a chance in a battle with Ryuji right? The Mega Playboy must be brought out in order to attain even a slight winning chance. Problem is though, the possibility of Junta remaining as the mega playboy the next time he changes is ninety-eight percent. Karin would not allow that to happen, so she takes on Ryuji herself. With the power crazed Ryuji sucking up the many DNA of fighters he invited into his mansion, he has stolen their various fighting abilities to accommodate for his powers. Now that he is all juiced up, he is even more unstoppable. What will Junta or Mega Playboy do now?

This is by far the most action packed volume of DNA2. And as a result of the action, we could see that Mega Playboy is not only powerful, but not that bad of a person at all. The true relationships are also shown as a result of the action in this volume. Ami confesses to Junta, Junta accepts her love, sort of, because Karin returns for more fun, after she left for home for a brief moment of the show. What more is there to this series? Ryuji is defeated, and now a new character? Whoa, the creators are not letting this show slide out with just a little battle between Junta and Ryuji. Next up, volume five, look forward to it.

The Breakdown
A new character is about to emerge, what role will she play? How will Junta, Ami and Karin’s love triangle hold out? I really do not know, let us hope it would not be a disappointing ending.

Synopsis
Onegai Twins is a story about a young man named Kamishiro Maiku who, after losing his parents, is living alone. That is until two girls, Miyafuji Miina and Onodera Karen, show up at his front door, each claiming to be his twin sister. They each share a common photograph of a boy and a girl playing together, but they don’t know whether the girl is Karen or Miina. Because either of those girls could be related to him, Maiku allows them both to move in, and they all become close friends. The story takes a twist in a bizarre direction however, when both of the girls discover they have feelings for Maiku, and are each secretly hoping to be the girl that is not related to him.

Review
Let’s face it; we are dealing with very taboo themes here. Incest is not a subject to be taken lightly, and yet in Onegai Twins it is practically thrown in your face. Both girls like a man who may or may not be their brother. It’s just weird. Beyond that, there is a male character that is constantly hitting on Maiku, which just adds to the bizarre storyline. The characters are drawn and animated in a very cute style, so if young kids watch this show, their parents may be shocked to find out what kind of content is hidden behind those smiling faces. Every single one of the twelve episodes contains a scene in which Miina and Karen share a bath, and while it is not incredibly detailed, there is still a heck of a lot of skin on display.

Putting all that aside however, the overall storyline of Onegai Twins is not that bad. It contains themes of love, friendship, and family, and often reaches very strong emotional levels. Unfortunately, I found that the absurdity of the whole situation prevented me from taking those moments very seriously.

Onegai Twins is technically the second part of the series, Onegai Teacher. Most of the cast of the original anime appear at various moments throughout Onegai Twins. What I couldn’t help but to wonder was, why? Aside from Ichigo Morino, those characters played very small roles in the storyline, and didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose. It was nice for nostalgia’s sake, but when it came down to it, the new cast really had no business mixing with the old cast. It’s like they were just thrown together for the sake of profiting off of the title.

When all is said and done, Onegai Twins leaves a strong impression of mediocrity. It certainly isn’t bad by any means, but is also never comes close to the quality of Onegai Teacher.

The Breakdown
Onegai Twins truly lacks a backbone. The overall storyline simply is not strong enough to support a great anime. However, it is still strangely entertaining, despite its weirdness. It won’t greatly impress you, but it certainly won’t bore you either.

Synopsis
Maison Ikkoku from VIZ: Because Home is Where the Heart Lives. Maison Ikkoku is a story which takes place in Japan. But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen anywhere. Here is a romance the way it was meant to be - a romance its creator, Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma 1/2, InuYasha), meant it to be - a story of a ronin named Yusaku Godai, and the building’s new manager, a woman who hids a secret sadness, Kyoko Otonashi. It all happens here, in a a rundown Tokyo boarding house…known as Maison Ikkoku.

Review
This is one of my favorite anime series of all time, so perhaps I am a little biased. I simply see this as one of the best romantic comedies ever written. Done by the queen of the genre, Rumiko Takahashi, Maison Ikkoku (only the second series Takahashi ever wrote) is the most touching of all her work. Maison Ikkoku is set in Japan in the 1980s, the actual time that the 15 volume manga which was the basis for the anime; the result is one of the best examinations of regular life in Japan. It’s so quintessentially Japanese that a number of anime reference books use the series to highlight aspects of Japanese culture.

However, the humor and romance will appeal to anyone with a sense of humor, or romance. The comic usage of misunderstandings is straight from Shakespeare, and any fan of screwball comedies will be rolling on the floor with laughter. But the characters are grounded in reality, and moments of drama and romance will often take you by surprise. Godai matures as the series progresses, he’s only 19 when the series starts, and we see Kyoko overcome the massive loss she suffered.

The only problem I had with this box set was the awful english dub. The voices for Kyoko and Godai simply didn’t match the character’s personalites. I can only recommend the original japanese (the subtitles are a very good translation). My only other complaint (even though it’s not an important one) is the fact there aren’t any real extras on the DVDs. I was just hoping to maybe get some cultural notes, or perhaps an interview with Ms. Takahashi (are you listening Viz?)

Overall, this DVD set is a must have for anyone interested in Japan, any fan of Ms. Takahashi, (Ranma, Inu-Yasha), as it is her best work, or any lover of comedy, romance or the combination thereof.

The Breakdown
Pick this up ASAP, you’ll thank me (nay, worship at my feet) for letting you in on one of the best anime series ever put to film.

Synopsis
Junta’s teenage great-granddaughter Lulara appears from the future, but not for a joyful family reunion. To save her own life and the future of all her kin, she’s determined to permanently transform Junta into the Mega-Playboy. His one chance for survival may be to destroy his flirtatious alter-ego… but if he succeeds, his great-granddaughter might disappear forever!

Review
Just when I thought volume four was the end of DNA2, more is added to it. In volume five, as the synopsis stated, Lulara, Junta’s great granddaughter time travels back to his time along with Mori (her master) to activate Junta’s mega playboy DNA. If this task is accomplished, Junta and his descendents will all be under Mori’s control. Quite a bright idea is not it? You have a mega playboy in Junta who could get any women in the sacks and then have a whole army of mega playboys with both the abilities to charm the ladies and fight with usual prowess. It is the perfect army anyone could ask for. But it would not be easy to accomplish their evil plans. Karin defends for her life in this volume as Mori is set to take her out with his little posse, which includes Ryuji, Lulara, and… Junta!

What? Junta?! You heard that right, Mori sent Lulara to shoot Junta with a DCM bullet that also had the ability to control a person according to his likings. So now that Junta is under Mori’s control, Karin has no chance in winning the fight; she does put up a good one however. Anyways, what could be done, now that Junta is on the evil side? Absolutely no one could do anything except for himself. That is right; Junta’s DNA has not been stabilized yet, so he flashes back to the normal Junta back and forth. Mori’s going crazy as a result of Junta changing back and forth, till finally he is not able to control him anymore.

The ending of this series was not as good as I thought. I firmly believe that if DNA2 had ended with episodes loaded with fun, it would be better. Although, if that was done, we as fans would want more, hence, giving us an unwanted obsession over DNA2, in which I would not be pleased with, because there are other things I have to get to as an anime reviewer. We have come a long way, fifteen episodes seemed as it was twenty plus episodes. DNA2 is a fun adventure that has all the elements of a great anime series. Sigh… time to move onto another series :(.

The Breakdown
DNA2 is a great series that all fans of the ecchi humor genre should pay attention to.

Synopsis
Now that the Steel Angels have found the powerful Academy, they plan a daring break-in to save Nakahito, who is being pressured by the mysterious Mikhail to betray Kurumi. Unfortunately, the Academy is aware of their every move, and they successfully succeed in dividing and conquering the group. Saki and Karinka are trapped within a powerful force field. Dr. Amagi is captured by the Academy scientists. And when Nakahito makes his stand, he inadvertently activates Kurumi’s greatest threat. Now Kurumi must face her most powerful foe-a ruthless killing machine that has the same supercharged Mark II Angel Heart that Kurumi has. Will Kurumi’s better nature win out? Or will her dark side get the better of her? Find out in the exciting conclusion to the most thrilling, action-packed anime smash of the year!

Review
Steel Angel Kurumi captivates you with all sorts of things, such as, action, romance, and comedy; although, this volume has a more serious tone than the other previous volumes. What I like the most from Steel Angel Kurumi is that it is short in time, the running time that is and even though each episode is approximately fifteen minutes long, it makes up twenty four episodes. Enough with the introduction let us get down to business. Now it has been a while since I have reviewed my last volume of Steel Angel Kurumi and looking back at my review of the third volume, I stated that it ended with an intense moment. And Steel Angel Kurumi certainly does not disappoint with the turn out of all that intensity enough to give me a heart attack, well maybe not that serious heh :P, but I guarantee you will be in for a treat, as the ending is very, very, acceptable; probably one of the best endings I have seen throughout this year (2003).

In this volume, we get a little surprise as Mikhail was actually not a boy… Mikhail was actually a steel angel that shape shifted into a boy form to fool Nakahito into following her to the Academy’s base (Comon guys would it actually matter? If you saw some pretty lady wearing quite a revealing attire, would not you follow them too? ;-) ). This steel angel is not to be taken lightly; she boasts both an Angel Heart and an Angel Heart Mark II in her. When she transformed from the boy form to the steel angel form I was at a disgusted state, but then went back to normal as I saw that Mikhail was female (Sorry I was never much of a yaoi fan). Anyways she gets commanded to terminate Kurumi. And of course, this task was not easy, as we see flashes of Kurumi’s hidden demonic powers as the battle progressed.

By the time the climax is reached, the episodes are just flying out the windows, one after another, until finally, we are up to the last episode, in which, a better ending could not be planned out, in my honorable opinion. Steel Angel Kurumi definitely has an ability to attract its viewers and hold them for a fun ride. I am delighted to have been able to watch such a great series, and now that Steel Angel Kurumi has ended, it is time to move onto Steel Angel Kurumi: Encore! Yay!

The Breakdown
Hmmm… now that the threat of Kurumi changing to a demon is neutralized, what will happen in the future of the series?

Synopsis
After Yugi’s victory at Battle City, you thought he’d be given some time to relax. Absolutely not. The key to Yugi’s memory has been sealed. The God Cards are stolen. A new enemy comes to challenge the young pharaoh and his friends, the three swordsmen of Doma who possess a power different than the millennium items. Oreikarukosu, an ancient light strong enough to dominate even God…

Review
The Doma (Doom) Arc has yet to be dubbed in english and butchered. Maybe butchered comes off as too strong of a word, how about profoundly edited. At the time of this review, KidsWB is 37 episodes behind (on Episode 108 Neia’s Arc). It won’t be until more than half a year until the English catches up assuming no reruns. Doma is the latest new series from Japan published by Kazuki Takahashi since February 2003. This assessment is in and of itself both a review and preview for season 3, Episodes 145-184 after the duels within Battle City conclude. Volume 19 shown above includes 164 - 171. Episode 145 begins a whole new saga not featured in the manga, sort of a transition series between Battle City and the Egyptian Memory Arc.

The Breakdown
For fans of the show and want to watch it before everyone else does, to poke-lovers and other monster fanatics who just can’t get enough, and those who own the card game and want even more strategies to try out at tournaments.

Synopsis
Kai Kudo has been recently stationed at AESES, an independent facility of the Ashurum military. He recalls nothing of his past memory only that after his mother died, it was Ashurum hat adopted him and his sickly sister named Hikaru. As an Esper, he possesses powers that ordinary humans would only envy and fear. Outside of Ashurum, siblings like Kai and Hikaru would regularly be killed and never have the chance to experience fun and joy. That is why AESES was created, to harness the abilities of Espers to help people and save other Espers. At least that was what Kai was told…

Review
E’s Otherwise is a 26 episode series based on a popular comic series featured in G Fantasy Monthly. It is directed by Shimoda Masami (Ai Yori Aoshi, Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi) and scripted by Chiba Katsuhiko (Rune Soldier, Stellvia). E’s Otherwise is the japanese X-Men series; instead of mutants they are called Espers. Unlike the X-Men that are limited to a single mutant power, Espers have greater variety in that they can teleport, launch fireballs, and levitate. An esper’s powers are more psychic and telekinetic. Unfortunately their powers are not limitless like the X-Men. As explained in episode 4, when both psy-energy and physical strength are low and if an Esper forcibly invokes their powers, their stamina will be used to replenish their powers diminishing their life.

The Breakdown
E’s Otherwise starts off better than it finishes, similar to Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.