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Synopsis
Yes, the producers of the most demented anime ever produced are getting desperate, so in order to keep up the ratings, Excel and Hyatt find themselves facing new, Highly Merchandisable Characters, gimmick episodes are even SEXUAL JEOPARDY (I’ll take ‘lesbian android overtures’ for $100, Alex!) It’s all in the service of Llpalazzo and ACROSS as our favorite set of social misfits once again plunges into the breach as the plot sickens… er, thickens… in the fourth incredibly bizarre volume of Excel Saga!

Review
I cannot even count the times I have laughed in this volume of Excel Saga. In volume four, we are introduced to two… one… no two new characters; hot/mature Ropponmatsu and energetic/young Ropponmatsu. The show suddenly becomes amusing as both Ropponmatsus come back after being blown up quite a few times and of course especially hilarious when Llpalazzo sends Excel and Hyatt to America (New York City - Holla!). Whew, the English that Excel used were things that would pretty much get yourself killed in the city F.

Story… ACROSS causes some panic in City F, and that was it. Pedro on the other hand gets revived and takes ‘revenge,’ notice I quoted revenge, because it sure was some revenge he took on Gomez. I feel for the city workers. In the last episode of this volume they did not have any scene, except a scene to show that they are angry for not being in an episode again (hey its normal hehe).

Excel Saga: Doing Whatever It takes, is exactly doing whatever it takes to get me to enjoy this series even more than before. The new characters did their job and the story of Pedro continues. Actually I think Pedro’s story kind of takes over Excel Saga’s story at times.

The Breakdown
Anybody know where I can get one of those hot/mature Ropponmatsu statues? :P

Synopsis
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any stranger, Excel Excel and her associates encounter the most horrifying of all plot devices… a sub-plot! You won’t believe who’s been plotting against whom as the writers double cross the author, the director takes a new direction and the supporting cast comes back with a vengeance but absolutely no clue whatsoever! There’s Menchi-mania and Pedro-philia galore as everybody involved takes the fifth in Excel Saga Volume 5!

Review
More Excel than ever, I think I have had too much Excel in one day, but hey was entertaining so it is cool. In this volume of Excel Saga we get a summary of Pedro’s story, as we count all the NOs! and afros we also get a pretty fun episode. This episode has made me more interested in the character of Pedro. I want to watch more of Pedro’s story has he battles ‘That Man.’ Yes the dude’s name is ‘That Man,’ *laughs* the production cast must have ran out of names or something.

As things cannot get any wackier, we receive an episode of ‘Daitenzin.’ An episode that featured the city workers (Yay! They finally have more scenes.) as Power Ranger look-alikes. Their orders were strictly just to keep the city peaceful and obtain ten good deeds. I do not know if the police would like to thank them or not, because they were making their jobs more difficult.

The staff forces Koshi Rikdo to give permission for Excel Saga to be an animal anime once again. In the second animal episode of Excel Saga, there were moments that brought back an honorable friend of Menchi’s who sacrified himself and helped her in the first animal episode. On another note let us just say Excel Saga breaks all boundaries. It was awkward in the rockers episode when Key was playing a guitar in the shadow next to Excel and Hyatt’s futon between a blanket and it looked as if he was masturbating. It was just hilarious how Key was playing it. Seeing Excel’s reaction to Key’s action was also amusing. Sigh… an Excel a day makes some people’s stress go away.

The Breakdown
Reviewing Excel Saga is a hard task as there is no stable story and many things happen episode to episode. Sorry if I become repetitive.

Synopsis
Rurouni Kenshin is a wanderer, a lost soul, cursed to seek atonement for his life in the bloody trade of the samurai. During the long war to overthrow the corrupt government, he was known throughout all Japan as the Hitokiri Battousai (’sword-bearing master assassin’). But the end of the war has brought no peace to Kenshin, despite a vow to draw his sword only for the protection of those in need. Now his wife Kaoru steadfastly awaits his return, mourning his absence as well as that of their son, Kenji. Will Kenshin return before she dies of grief? The past meets the present fifteen years after Kenshin first left.

Review
This is the last of Kenshin, what a ride it has been. From manga to TV series to movie, OAV then finally this OAV, Reflection (Seisouhen). One thing you will notice when you watch Reflection is that the character animation has changed for the better. Everyone has aged, Kaoru and Kenshin is now married and has a child by the name of Kenji. Let us back up for a moment and start off from the beginning.

Kenshin was on a ship back to Japan after he had finished his task helping the needy without the use of his sword. It was because of his continuance to strive to help people he has contracted a disease that in that time was incurable. Kaoru knowing that still wants to stay as close to Kenshin as possible and wanted him to share the pain with her. There were quite a few moments where it became very emotional. Kenji who hardly sees his father thought that he mistreated his mom and him. As he is still a kid, he does not understand and learns the hard way from Yahiko. That was a great fight scene and Hiko Sejuro surely does not look like he has aged much from the last time we have seen him. He is still kicking back drinking his sake as he teaches Kenji some sword technique that is not Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu.

With the first part being more of a recap of the whole Kenshin series, we move on to the real story, part two a flashback of what has happened after the movie. In part two we get introduced to an old character… a character who was in the first OAV. Tomoe’s little brother, Enishi Yukishiro. This time he is not going to stand there and watch. He kidnaps Kaoru and demands a duel with Kenshin to avenge for his sister. Enishi does not follow any style of fighting; he created his own fighting technique, a powerful one too. The action of Reflection was exciting and you can almost feel the blades of the swords collide as characters fight. My favorite fight scene by far is Yahiko against Kenji.

The voice acting of the Japanese and English cast were good, music score was wonderful and the music cast surely deserves a lot of credit for bringing life to the animated pictures. The animation also deserves much praise as they put out such aesthetic work. It is a hard task to see a great series end, and I am sure you would appreciate the way Rurouni Kenshin ends. Although I have battles with people I know about the ending, I see it as a very deep and emotional ending. When you put together all the pieces of what Kenshin really lived for after his Hitokiri days, the ending will start to make sense in a very great way.

The Breakdown
Tough to see Rurouni Kenshin end. This whole series has been around me for about four to five years. Rurouni Kenshin to me is irreplaceable. Kenji can start his own show, but would probably not have the same effect as Kenshin did.

Synopsis
One day at a restaurant with his two best friends, Suguru decides to hire a maid, which is no surprise since his home looks like a garbage heap. ‘Well, it’s not easy living alone as a junior high student.’ Suguru is only 14 after all. What he gets is more than anyone can bargain for: a cute maid who happens to be Vespar’s strongest battle type android.

Review
Pioneer’s latest breakthrough at a robot maid anime so far appears to be the greatest in this category. Unlike Hand Maid May, there is only a single maid, Mahoro, who is warmly received by the supporting characters, Suguru’s classmates, who always seem to find a reason to spend after school hours at his house. Chizu is especially delighted to sample her freshly made dishes. However, there is someone who we should say is not so enthused about Suguru’s maid. This person is Suguru’s perverted homeroom teacher, Shikijou-sensei, who develops a rivalry with Mahoro. So as not to be explicitly a school anime is the battle with a giant mecha crab at the beach in episode 4, various flashbacks to Mahoro’s soldier days, and midway through the series in episode 7, the antagonist Ryuuga, Saint’s strongest battle type android, presents himself as a quite formidable opponent. Overall, the cast is solid and entertaining.

The Breakdown
12 episodes plus a New Year’s Special (summary of the series similar to the Vandread OVAs). Both amusing and dramatic at the same time. On sale for $26.98 at RightStuf International, Inc.

Synopsis
‘The color of battle, the creaking wing is the sound of the beginning.’ Amidst the battered pavement of what was once the capital, there is a sanctuary, unscathed, that becomes the nucleus for the grand awakening. Sing, RahXephon, your song, your forbidden song in order for everything to become one someday.

Review
Directed by Yutaka Izubuchi (Gasaraki) and produced by Bones, Mediafactory, Inc (Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven’s door) is the well-anticipated RahXephon. Its title is one letter short from Escaflowne and like it refers to a legendary mecha. Like Hitomi, Ayato travels to a world unlike from his own, not medieval in time but rather a parallel world outside of his own sphere known as Tokyo Jupiter. From here it deviates resembling Evangelion more. Ayato lends his services to the Earth Alliance’s counter-MU strategy research agency, known as TERRA, analogous to NERV. In order to protect the island of Nirai Kanai from enemy dolems, comparable to Eva’s Angels, Ayato pilots RahXephon. Characterwise, he himself is both older than his Eva counterpart Shinji and mature although he too shares in a mental quest for identity and overall place in life.

The Breakdown
Every fan of Evangelion and every dissatisfied fan that didn’t like Evangelion because of the ending should add RahXephon to their collection. Look forward to the movie, which will be in theaters, Japan this April.

Synopsis
Her special power kept Yuzuhriha apart and lonely - until she met the Dragons of Heaven. Now, she begins to fall for Kusanagi - one of the Dragons of Earth! As Kotori faces her tragic destiny, and the second divine Shinken sword appears from an unexpected quarter, Kamui is forced closer to deciding his path. And his decision will whet the gears of destiny for the entire world!

Review
To wish for the present or to wish for a revolution… Those are the choices in which Kamui has to choose from in X: Four. In this volume, he is no longer the emotionless guy we have seen from the earlier volumes. Kamui who hid his feelings throughout could no longer bear any more of the load; he then proceeds to tells Fuma about everything. Through the discussion he has with Fuma, we find out more of Kamui’s childhood. The way he was perceived by other children, because of his extraordinary powers and the way he uses those given powers to fight for justice.

That is just the exciting part though. In the earlier episodes before this, we get a run down on Yuzuhriha’s background. We know she has a guardian spirit dog named Inuki, but what we do not really know is the pain she has suffered from her friends who thought of her as a liar when she tells them about Inuki (invisible to normal people). After an incident, she no longer cares if anybody sees Inuki, she does not even talk about him anymore. As you have read in the synopsis, Yuzuhriha begins to fall for Kusanagi a Dragon of Earth, and what I find amusing was that Kusanagi does not even seem as if he was a Dragon of Earth as he was chit chatting with Yuzuhriha as she tells him her story.

The story finally begins. Will Earth be destroyed or not will be determined by both of these clans. I am definitely looking into getting the next volumes of X.

The Breakdown
So here I am, anxiously waiting for X: [FIVE].

Synopsis
Takuto Kaneshiro is a gifted young man. A student in metallurgy, he’s something of a genius. He’s got a sweet, lovable girlfriend. And he’s got a lot of dreams for his future. But one day, all his dreams shatter in a freak accident involving a secret experiment. Everything he knows, including his beloved girlfriend, die. And from there, things really go downhill…

Review
Not knowing any of the people who worked on this one, I didn’t know what to expect. From people who imported the show from Japan, I was told the series didn’t hold their interest, or simply was not their type of thing. I won’t lie, this show isn’t for everybody. Then again, I don’t quite follow the norm.

I can’t really compare this show to anything else. It’s got awesome hints of things to come (that guy who repeatedly spouts Shakespeare on occasion who only Ryu Soma can see is very interesting.) The animation is good, as is everything else. It’s a very well rounded show, that has me to intrigued that now I have to see this show through to it’s end. And I’ve only seen the first five episodes.

The Breakdown
Buy the first volume, and give it a try. Very interesting to say the least, and has some very cool characters in it. Defintely good that it has the main character giving an evil-esque view of the story. The show is just a great breath of fresh air.

Synopsis
At the dawn of the new millenium, mankind has awakened a threat unlike any faced before: the Angels. Conventional weapons are useless against them. They can only be stopped by means of the Evangelions - bio-engineered vessels born from the Angel’s own technology mixed with human science. But the knowledge brought by the Angels is also the key to bringing about a startling new genesis for the human race. Placed in the hands of three young pilots, the final fate of humanity resting upon their shoulders, the Eva’s are the world’s last hope…

Review
Hoo boy, a review of Evangelion. Not the easiest of  anime’s to review. This ‘movie’ is really two things. There is the ‘Death’ part of this disc, which is a recap of the first 24 episodes with new footage strewn about made especially for this recap. Then there is the ‘Rebirth’ part, and this is where Manga Entertainment  once again falls flat on it’s face. In Japan, Rebirth was the first 30 minutes of End of Evangelion, but there were parts missing since technically, the End of Eva wasn’t finished yet. On this release, Manga just saw fit to shove the first 30 minutes of actual footage from the End of Eva on the disc. I really wanted to see the differences between Rebirth and End of Eva, but I guess I don’t get to (at least with the US DVD release).

Aside from that, how’s the actual content? Good…and bad. I will say right now that unless you’re a hardcore fan, do not buy this disc. There is nothing really new in it aside from some special footage for Death, which doesn’t make it that worthwhile to the normal fan. However, to the hardcore (like me), you will eat this stuff up. Rebirth is most defintely pointless, because if your buying this at all you already have or are planning to buy End of Evangelion anyway…which Rebirth is the first 30 minutes of. Buy this disc for its extras and for the cool new footage  in Death. Also, do not plan to watch this recap if you haven’t seen the show. The recap cannot help you understand anything. It was originally made in Japan to remind everyone what is going on in Evangelion, since the movie was coming out soon but it had been quite awhile since the series came. Death is good though if you’ve seen the series (as a recap).

The Breakdown
Has some very good extras (who knew Manga was smart enough to pretty much translate and put the Red Cross book on the DVD?) And I must reiterate, I thoroughly enjoyed Death and it’s new footage (while there isn’t to much, it’s still good.) Rebirth is End of Eva’s first 30 minutes, making it useless, because once you buy End of Eva, you have Rebirth anyway. Also, for some, the Mokuji special featureon the DVD  won’t work for them, and it’s a really great feature to. I, however, did not run into any problems with it on my DVD player.

Synopsis
In this disc Spike, the suave jazz loving bounty hunter, meets up with an old friend, Vicious, who, if you couldn’t tell by the name, turns out not to be so friendly. Various adventures insue. Also a new (and much hated by me) character is added to the series.

Review
The main session on this disc is the two-part adventure ‘Jupiter Jazz,’ which offers hints about the mostly unknown past of hero Spike Spiegel. Spike returns to his old haunts on Callisto in search of a mysterious woman, and comes into conflict with his former underworld associates: the icy Vicious, apprentice mobster Lin, and transgender barroom musician Gren. It all makes for good stuff.

However, the other two sessions on this disc (’Toys in the Attic’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’) are really disappointing.

‘Toys’ is a rather dismal attempt at a mystery, and it is the first clue that Ed should have never been added to the series.

In ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ the crew of the Bebop find themselves pitted against a programming genius who designed a high-tech transportation system-and hid a flaw in the software. But he also concealed clues in chess pieces, setting up a (semi-boring) battle of wits.

The Breakdown
I reccomend getting this DVD just for ‘Jupiter Jazz’
Contains nudity, violence, and adult situations

Synopsis
Minawa (aka Android 370), ‘The feeling of loving someone…’Android 369, ‘I wished for my heart to beat just once. To be able to laugh because I was so happy. I wanted to have a heart. That’s why you have to stay alive…One of these days please get a heart…promise me…’

Review
Pioneer continues Mahoromatic with another season, something more beautiful and indeed it is much so. Here we are introduced to another female fighting robot, Minawa, who becomes the adopted sister of Mahoro and once again accepted into Suguru’s inner circle of friends of which Hamaji-san takes a particular interest to. Although shy, quiet, and a bit clumsy, Minawa learns what it is to live life as a human.

The anime still centers about the relationship between Suguru and Mahoro. The anime answers more of the questions that arose in Season 1, what will happen to Mahoro as the days approach zero, how will Mahoro tell Suguru the truth about his father’s death, and we see at least some glimpse of Matthew. Of course there are the same gags such as Mahoro’s ‘Ecchi is wrong!’ line, Chizu bursting at the taste of Mahoro’s dishes, and Shikijou-sensei still fantasizing of having Suguru in bed with her.

The Breakdown
14 episodes plus a New Year’s Special (summary of the series similar to the Vandread OVAs).