Animesou.com

Synopsis
A new student has arrived at Ohtori Academy. As she tours the school, she stops to witness a duel held by the fencing club. Across the distance, she is stunned by a red haired upper classman. She runs with great fervor to meet him only to find the cold shower of rain.

Review
Revolutionary Girl Utena the Movie is a retelling of the anime series much like Escaflowne the Movie. Its basis is on the final episode of the series when Jury confesses:

‘Come to think of it, I’ve forgotten that boy’s name. Long ago, when my older sister was still a child, she nearly drowned in a river. On that day there was a boy who jumped into the river to try to save her. My sister got lucky and was saved by a nearby adult, but the boy who tried to save my sister was swept away. I thought my sister was very cold for forgetting his name so quickly. But now that I try to remember, it seem I’ve forgotten it too.’

The Breakdown
A bit on the mature side for younger audiences. It could have been better but that doesn’t mean it is not all that bad either.

Synopsis
Welcome to Chinatown’s most unique pet shop. There is a variety of exotic creatures to choose from, each with an intriguing tale to share with the lucky owner. But be careful, what you see is not necessarily what you get. Here is a collection of four stories of lost love, second chances, and redemption. Whether or not the client can handle the responsibility, however, is a matter of life and eath. The first episode, entitled ‘Daughter’, chronicles a couple’s attempt at having the perfect family. The second episode, ‘Delicious’, is a tale of betrayal and second chances. The third episode, ‘Despair’, tells the story of a has-been actor and a love so blindly devoted, it surpasses even death. The final episode, ‘Dual’, brings the legendary holy beast known as the Kirin into the hands of two men, and only one will survive.

Review
Pet Shop Of Horrors, first question that comes into my mind, ‘What the hell kind of title for an Anime is this?’ Anime with strange title names usually turn me away from it. But I guess I was foolish for doing so. Without even taking time to learn what PSOH is about I came to conclusions (prejudging is bad, in Anime and in life). Thinking that PSOH is just bad, I drew a distance from it. After watching it, I suddenly realized what I have missed all this time and I am now slapping myself for it. (Hehe)

Made up of four episodes, each containing a story of its’ own. Pet Shop Of Horrors really will give you horrors. Especially in episode one ‘Daughter,’ I was getting chills all over after the climax of the story was displayed right before my eyes. I wish there was more to PSOH; it is something that is different from what I usually watch.

Anyways, in order to obtain a pet, the person must sign a contract with Count D. Rules are simple and there are only three. The main rule seems to be not to show the pet to anyone (it is stated on every contract). If a rule of the contract is broken, the shop will not assume any responsibility for what is to happen. Of course, the owner in every episode breaks the rules of the contract and we all can predict what happens to them.

If you are a viewer that is looking away from PSOH, you are making a big mistake. PSOH is a very cleverly done piece of work, by the ‘Anime Dreamteam’ made up of: Hisashi Abe (Vampire Hunter D), Rintaro (Final Fantasy) and Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City, Bio Hunter).

The Breakdown
Overall the product is very good. I thank Urban Vision for providing me with the DVDs, so that I can review them. Thanks a bunch!

Synopsis
There is Earth, our familiar world, and then there is the Black World, a parallel dimension that very few people are aware of. For centuries, a pact between the two worlds has been observed to maintain peace, and terms must be negotiated and renewed soon to continue the relative harmony. This time around, there is a militant faction that will stop at nothing to prevent the signing of a new treaty for inter-dimensional peace. Two agents of the elite organization known as the Black Guards - defenders of the balance between the two worlds - are charged with insuring the success of the treaty.

Review
Wicked City, to me has always been an Anime that is mysterious. I have heard about it, but I never had the urge to watch it. Everyone that I know that had watched Wicked City always talked about the ‘rape scenes.’ In my opinion, that is all they cared. I bet they never took time to acknowledge the cool and addictive story Wicked City posses. Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri (same director that did Ninja Scroll) has done a wonderful job in merging action, eroticism and graphic horror into Wicked City. There was not a point where it was boring in the 82 minutes of run time.

Lets look into the story. Taki, a Black Guard is assigned to an assignment that involves in protecting the person that is responsible for signing the new peace treaty between the two worlds. After arriving at the airport he runs into some trouble and was later on saved by his assignment partner, Makie. Makie is a Black Guard from the Black World (meaning she is a demon), with killer looks. The story gets deeper by the scenes and attracts the viewers with fast paced action, then touches it up with a little eroticism. I can safely say, ‘Wicked City has old school animation, but every other element that Wicked City has, blanks out that thought. In the end, creating something that is totally new to the audience.’

The Breakdown
I have hardly seen any Anime with old school animation, impress me. Wicked City will be a title, that will leave a lasting mark on me.

Synopsis
A strange virus, known as the Demon Virus, attacks the human genetic code, transforming people into monsters with demonic powers. One particular monster is terrorizing the streets of Tokyo, ripping open young women to devour their livers. A famed psychic holds the secret to the identity and purpose of this monster. Now it is up to two molecular biologists, self-proclaimed Bio Hunters Komada and Koshigaya, to reach the psychic and his beautiful grand daughter before it’s too late! The Demon Virus is out to conquer the world…

Review
Bio Hunter is probably one of the nastiest titles I have ever seen, nasty in a good way though. In the world of Bio Hunter, humans turn into monsters and crave to eat young women. Disgusted yet? If not, the animation sure will! At many times of the movie I would say, ‘Ewww,’ but at the same moment I cannot help but to like those scenes. They are not something you would see in every other Anime in its’ genre.

Anyways, the Bio Hunters, Komada and Koshigaya hunt for the monsters and eliminate them. As they fight, Komada (also a carrier of the virus) loses control of his virus powers. What will become of him is for you to find out (hehe). Bio Hunter’s action scenes were fast paced. I liked it. There are not many long boring dialogues, so action fans should be happy.

Overall, Bio Hunter has an interesting story, action, animation and characters. And the fact that Bio Hunter was directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll, Wicked City), it automatically would receive much attention from Kawajiri-san fans.

The Breakdown
I really meant that at some parts, Bio Hunter can be really nasty. Keep that in mind.

Synopsis
“Make a pilgrimage for the past with me.” This is what Mireille Bouquet, a renowned assassin in Europe, received via e-mail. At first she dismisses it but suddenly hears a familiar melody driving her to follow up on the matter. She travels to Japan where she meets the intriguing high school girl Kirika Yuumura who possesses the innate ability in her own words “to kill people this easily” but without feeling remorse…

Review
v

The Breakdown
Although simplified with only four main characters, the plot is complex with riddles and clues within elaborate twists. Each episode ties in to an even greater storyline that climaxes with the fight for who will be Noir.

Synopsis
D has been hired to track down Meier Link, a notoriously powerful vampire who has abducted a Human woman, Charlotte Elbourne. D’s orders are strict – find Charlotte, at any cost. For the first time, D faces serious competition. The Markus Brothers, a family of Vampire Hunters, were hired for the same bounty. D must intercept Meier and conquer hostile forces on all sides in a deadly race against time. Despised by Vampires for his profession and by Humans for the blood in his veins, D relentlessly pursues his prey for a price.

Review
Vampire Hunter D strikes back! The anime that could be said to start all the other vampire type anime flicks is finally back with another theatrical release. It was long waited, but well worth it. The story is just awesome. Everything connects with each other, and one of my favorite directors, Yoshiaki Kawajiri directed Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust. His work just came to me a week ago and I am already in love with the things he worked on.

The story is tricky, it makes you think this way, but it is actually the total opposite of what you think. Just as the abduction of Charlotte Elbourne by Meier Link. Nobody would have thought that there was love between the two. I thought that Meier Link was just hungry for blood. I was completely surprised as it is shown that Charlotte wanted to be with Meier forever. This title certainly does live up to its’ hype. The action was fast paced and fluid. The animation, thanks to Madhouse, was very good. Even if you did not see the first Vampire Hunter D movie, do yourself a big favor and buy this movie for your collection!

The Breakdown
I just love when Anime makes their big comeback. Ever since the release of Vampire Hunter D, it launched other Vampire Anime flicks, and now Vampire Hunter D is back to retain the crown in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust.

Synopsis
Happiness could be a fleeting thing for our two new high school sweethearts Yukino and Arima. With their hearts flying high, the couple has been spending a lot of time together. Finally the public masks of perfection that they’ve both maintained for so long are beginning to fall, but so are their grades. When the latest round of scores is posted. Yukino is mortified to discover that she’s slipped all the way to 13th! She’s not the only one that’s angry - so are her teachers. When Yukino and Arima are dragged before their guidance counselor to explain their poor grades, the administration is determined that the pair stop seeing each other. Could this mean the end of their newfound love forever?

Review
It took quite a long time for volume two to be released, but now that is the past I am happy. In His and Her Circumstances volume two: Love and War under the Cherry Blossoms, Yukino and Arima continues their relationship, but the school counselor gets on their case and calls in their parents as their scores on the latest test were unusual. Yukino went from the top and dropped to the thirteenth and Arima went from the top and dropped to rank three. Nothing can come between this young high school couple as their parents fully support on what they do with their lives. Since they are such responsible young people. Hmm… maybe I should rephrase that, nothing can come between this young high school couple except summer vacation, as Arima has to go and participate in the Kendo tournament in Kyoto during the summer. Yukino gets depressed over the whole thing, but Arima fixes everything.

Also in volume two, Yukino is finally able to reveal her true self to her classmates. As a result of the conflict between her fellow classmate Maho. Because of Maho’s jealousy towards Yukino, she lead the class in the ‘Give Yukino Miyazawa the ignore treatment’ plan. Everything seems to be fine as some new characters come into the series. One being Tsubasa, her character is very cute. The show suddenly gets even better because of her presence. Anyways, I had a lot of fun watching this volume, and a lot of fun reviewing it as well.

The Breakdown
I never thought that His and Her Circumstances, would be one of my all time favorites. I love all the characters in this show. With all the comedy this title contains, there is not a moment where I fell asleep.

Synopsis
The bullet-blasting babes from Team Warrior are in real trouble this time! When a group of killer drag queens get out of jail, they’ve got their eye shadow fixed on Nanvel’s new “makeover” device that renders the wearer beautiful or, on high setting, invisible! Then, in an exciting cliffhanger, Rio and Team Warrior must escort a top-secret tank across the globe. But when the transport plane is attacked, Rio finds herself alone in a hostile desert, with the supertank as her only ally – and her only hope of survival! Don’t miss the wildest, sexiest, strangest Team Warrior adventure yet!

Review
In Burn Up eXcess Volume 3: Under the Gun, Nanvel gets “kidnapped” by the drag queens that appeared back in volume one. They demand Nanvel to make them the machine that can change their bodies so that they can go on burglaries again, this time without getting caught and put back into prison. Stephanie or (heh) Rio gets kidnapped too. It is just funny how the dude keeps calling Rio Stephanie. Nanvel makes the machine and of course for a price. The drag queens have to get her whatever she wants to eat. Up to the point where they could not support themselves anymore they get rid of somebody who keeps eating up everything and does nothing (guess who). This episode is pretty funny. I like how Rio gets back at them for what they (the drag queens) did to her.

The next two episodes can be counted as one, because it is a two-part episode. In this episode there were some emotional moments and some nose bleeding moments. A super tank codenamed Henry is developed for military use and it becomes the target of the secret organization and the pretty lady with the gray hair. The lady uses her charms and gets a general to stop Team Warrior’s assignment to get Henry safe across the borders to another country. Henry some how becomes Rio’s guardian and they go off to an adventure across the hot desert. Many things happen and the enemy finally catches up to Rio and Henry. Here comes the most emotional moment yet in Burn Up eXcess! Go and check it out now!

The Breakdown
As I have said in the review of volume two, Burn Up eXcess gets better by the volume and it is proven by volume three of the series!

Synopsis
Gaia is a mythical realm ruled by sword and sorcery and immersed in blood and violence. Thrust into a conflict she doesn’t quite understand, Hitomi helps aid the young Prince Van as they embark upon their journey of discovery. The battle over a legendary suit of dragon armor, Escaflowne, has begun.

Review
Escaflowne the Movie is the retelling of the hit TV series. Hitomi also known as the Wing goddess of Gaia was persuaded to go to Gaia by Faulken. The depressed Hitomi, who thought there was nothing to cherish in life anymore gets warped to Gaia and ends up inside Escaflowne as Van is trying to awaken the sleeping Guymelef.

The visuals of Escaflowne the Movie was well done. Although the ending was pretty much the same, the process of bringing the movie to the ending was very entertaining. In the show, it was more of a human battle than the guymelef battles we have experienced in the TV series. In the final battle, Escaflowne versus Alseides, the action was cool, after Escaflowne destroys Alseides. It turns black and reveals its’ true nature, ‘the destroyer of Gaia.’ Then after a few more scenes Van and Hitomi flies to Faulken’s castle and ‘What do you think?’

There were many additions to Escaflowne the Movie. One of the more noticeable was that the guymelefs were more organic. If you have seen the TV series, remember when Van pricked his finger and his blood dripped on the dragon’s heart? Well in the movie it is sort of different. In the control chamber of the guymelefs there are actually needle looking things that sucks the blood from the person controlling it. The blood then becomes the guymelef’s blood and enables it to move. That’s pretty cool huh?

The Breakdown
Escaflowne the movie is one of those retelling movies that doesn’t just put scenes of the TV series together and say that’s a movie. (This happens quite often at times to OVAs.) Nonetheless, this movie is a great retell and gives the viewers some fresh ideas that weren’t in the TV series.

Synopsis
Unable to accept the truth behind his mother’s death, Kamui visits Hinoto, the dreamseer for the Dragons of Heaven. He refuses to believe her prophecy - that he is the key to the Earth’s fate! She pleads with him to try and change the future she foresees. As Kamui ponders his options, the Dragons of Earth start attacking Tokyo!

Review
After viewing this volume of X, I am really starting to like this series a lot. Although we have to put up with the three episodes per DVD thing. But oh wells, the set kind of looks good with eight DVDs in my opinion.

In this volume the story continues to develop, and more of Kamui’s background is shown. His aunt comes and tells him about his mother’s background. After acknowledging the reason behind his mother’s death, he goes in the state of disbelief. A few scenes later, we observe something that can raise a few eyebrows. Kamui’s aunt dies in a car accident. She was also a member of the Magami clan, known for their ‘Shadow Sacrifices.’ Did she sacrificed herself for Kamui just like his mother did or was it just that she got killed…

Moving on. The Dragons of Heaven starts gathering. Hinoto shows Kamui her dream of the future, while suddenly being ruined by her sister Kanoe. The story thus far is very entertaining. There were quite a few fights in this volume and each had cool effects. Yoshiaki Kawajiri does a fine job in directing something that draws a difference between the Manga and the Animation. X: THREE comes out this month! Watch out for it!

The Breakdown
I wonder what is coming up in the next volume.