Archive for January, 2006

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

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
The one that ends the epic. This is the true ending to the Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series. But before you go all crazy, I want to say that episodes 25 and 26 go with this ending movie, as Ganiax and Director Hideaki Anno confirmed long ago. (Episodes 25 and 26 of the TV series are what goes on in Shinji’s head, this movie is what goes on outside of him, also confirmed by Gainax). I can’t really say much about the actual movie, because it would give away too much even talking about its beginning. (It is the end, after all.)

I’ll give a brief synopsis: Kaworu, the last angel, is dead. All the events of episode 24 have taken place and the movie begins where that episode left off. It’s the next day, the night before Shinji having been forced to kill Kaworu, and he looks on into one of the great Tokyo-3 craters as the sun heats the Earth. He then heads to Asuka’s hospital bed to ask her for help, but she doesn’t respond. (Being comatose and all, that happens from being mind raped by an angel.) He is very frustrated geting no response from her, and starts shaking her wildly. She flips over, and her shirt opens, revealing you know what. Shinji sees this, and reacts like you would expect an extremely messed up, frustrated, abandoned child to act. And thus the movie begins to end all movies.

The Breakdown
Simply has one of the most breathtaking stories of the modern era. While pointlessly ambiguous in some cases, in the end it is all worth it. Has some excellent action to, so for those action nuts out there there is something for you guys to. Simply put, buy this disc.

Kyou Kara Ore Wa!!

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
What if you moved to a new place to live and all of a sudden you wanted to change your whole image? How would you go about doing it? In Kyou Kara Ore Wa, Mitsuhashi Takashi (main character), starts off first by dyeing his hair gold and Itou Shinji (another main character), starts by spiking up his hair. Both characters, who were enemies at first are now best buds, this OVA is about their life, and their life is very very amusing.

Review
Kyou Kara Ore Wa or can be roughly translated to ‘From This Day On I’ is one of my all time favorite Anime series. It was also one of the first series that sparked my interest in Anime. Anybody that has seen Kyou Kara Ore Wa will definitely notice its’ comedy.

Whether it is Mitsuhashi’s secret spring pow pow puncher located hidden in his self made metal book bag that he uses as weapons or Imai Katsutoshi (a sub character) making a fool out of himself in every episode. The laughter that this series contain are endless, there is a laugh for everyone. I always ask myself, ‘what if an American company licenses this series; it will be awesome.’ Unfortunately, KKO is not very popular. I have only seen one web site dedicated to KKO. Pay a visit here. And I thank that person that putted up the site, because that is where I got the spelling for the character’s names. I watched KKO in Cantonese so the names are difficult to translate for me ^_^;;

The whole OVA is made up of ten episodes and are based on the life of two high school students. There are gang fights, usually two against a whole crew with pipes and blades or just raw humor. Nishimori Hiroyuki’s (creator of KKO) Kyou Kara Ore Wa is definitely a hit that not much people have come to realize yet, when it is recognized… it will be scary.

The Breakdown
Kyou Kara Ore Wa is a hit that fans are waiting for! I hope it will see a U.S. release in the years to come.

Saber Marionette J

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
This has got to be one of the most complete T.V. series I’ve seen so far. Up to action, drama, love and comedy. SMJ captures all the aspects that are needed in an Anime. Characters are lighten up by the voices of famous voice actors such as Megumi Hayashibara (Lime). No one can hate Lime, Megumi-san has did such a good job with the kawaii (cute) voice of Lime. Well let’s get to the story shall we?

Review
In the near future, human kind has settled out to outer space in search of livable land and which they stumbled upon Terra II. An accident occurred and the space ship has to make an emergency landing on the planet. Problem is the 6 survivors of the crash are all males. Which means reproduction is not possible. After all that, they found out about cloning themselves and making marionettes representing the females. After a few generations passed, a young teenaged boy name Otaru Mamiya (our main character) has some fight with Hanagata Mitsurugi (the clown in SMJ) and then Otaru falls down the river and floats to the run down Japoness Pioneer Museum. In there he finds his first marionette Lime and adventure starts from there. You will be introduced to new marionettes as you go on in SMJ.

The Breakdown
SMJ is just so complete, even the ending is. Not saying other anime have bad endings but by far SMJ is the best I’ve seen. You must go out and buy it. *Hey* What are you still waiting for!!!!!!!

Saber Marionette J Again

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
Another excellent sequel from an excellent series. Saber Marionette J Again is ‘Program 26′ with six parts. This is an OVA so the animation is very well done. Everyone has his or her own opinions and my opinion to SMJA is that this OVA sequel is really funny. I’ve never laughed so much while watching an anime since Slam Dunk.

Review
In SMJA you’ll meet another marionette (Marine) built with another maiden circuit (this circuit is somewhat different, you’ll see when you watch it J). The NSM-X1 codenamed Marine has an anti-plasma shield not only that, she even have the ability to control plasma and absorb it as energy to fire energy attacks. Marine has everything Otaru’s three marionettes have. From cooking to fighting, Marine is on top. The whole story of SMJA is stopping a plasma storm big enough to destroy all of Terra II. (Can you guess who can stop the storm?) Although SMJA is good, but its not enough to tame my craze for Saber Marionette J. So now I have to wait till April for Saber Marionette J to X to be released!!!

The Breakdown
You just can’t go wrong with SMJA, because its just that damn good that even I can’t come up with a overall statement to end this review (LOL)

Saber Marionette J to X

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
It’s not over yet! Return to Japoness for a visit with everyone’s favorite marionettes! Everyone’s enjoying the peace and quiet - except for Lime. The winds of change are in the air, and the old ways are being swept aside.
With Lorelei back, TerraII is going to halt production on marionettes. Even the Sanja Festival, the high point of Japoness culture, is undergoing radical change. Will everyone forget about Lime and the others? Amidst all this turmoil is a visit from Hanagata’s father, a high-tech float race, a thief, a letter from Faust, and the rise of the Shiritaki Alliance!

Review
My all time favorite series is finally back for a third run! Terra II is still in the process of having females. In the meantime other countries want to steal the female clones, so that they can have control over all of Terra II. Also development of the Marionettes has been ceased, because of the revival of the females.

SMJ to X is pretty funny, and that’s what you can expect from all the SMJ series.

The Breakdown
It is sad to say SMJ to X is the last of the J series. If you want more Saber Marionette, you’ll have to watch Saber Marionette R, a retelling of J only…different ^_^

Samurai: Hunt for the Sword

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
Shinjuro may be little young to be the master of a swordsmanship school, but fate didn’t give him any choice. Now, his position and martial skills land him right in the middle of serious trouble when the rogue samurai Mikage faces off against the Tokugawa government. Mikage has his eyes on the legendary sword known as Mizuchi, and is willing to destroy all of Edo to get it.
Caught in the middle, Shinjuro and the band of beautiful swordswomen who train at his school must protect the town from harm. However, they won’t really be challenged until the Tokugawa house calls in a favor, and the young swordsman is forced to duel Mikage himself! His opponent will be using the most powerful weapon Japan has ever seen, but if the swordswomen can stop fighting over Shinjuro long enough to cheer him on, then the boy samurai is sure to win.

Review
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The Breakdown
In my opinion the overall score should be 7, but the Animation kept Samurai Hunt for the Sword up by 1 point

Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
It’s been quite a few year since Ninja Scroll was released. Since then I’ve been wondering if be a show that can take down such a dominating reigning champ. The year was 2000, enter the DVDs Samurai X: Trust/Betrayal (Known as the Rurouni Kenshin OAVs in Japan, taking place before the Rurouni Kenshin TV series). Unlike the more light hearted TV series Samurai X is much darker.

Review
This epic tale takes place in 19th century Japan. A time when warfare and rebellion were common place. Though there are brutal slayings and death throughout, they actually have meaning as Kenshin realizes the emptiness of his actions. Samurai X is ultimately a very deep love story and a warriors search to become a real man. The DVDs themselves each have two episodes on them. Now for $30 dollars apiece, that’s just not right. Both DVDs are 60 minutes. They could’ve but both together to make one perfect set instead of splitting them up. (Greedy, greedy, greedy) Seeing as how both stories must be seen together to be appreciated, I’ll rate both DVDs, Trust & Betrayal, as one.

The Breakdown
As the cat woman would say, ‘Perrrrrrrfect!’ nearly. I’d go with both, Trust and Betrayal seperately over the directors cut version. You get better image quality and no edits to the story.

Silent Mobius Vol. 1: Earth Under Attack

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
In the future, Tokyo is a desolate place. After a massive earthquake, the city struggles to survive. The old city is in ruins. Acid rain falls from the sky. And worst of all, evil beings called Lucifer Hawk have invaded Earth to destroy humanity. Earth’s last line of defense is a secret branch of the Police, the AMP. Its members include the psychic Yuki, the cyborg Kiddy, the Shinto priestess Nami, the visionaire Lebia, and their chief, the mysterious Rally Cheyenne. But they’re about to get a new and powerful member. Kasumi Liqueur, a woman with strange powers and a dark past, is about to join the fight. Can her presence tip the scales in Earth’s favor?

Review
Silent Mobius is a Kia Asamiya work. Most people know him by the series Martian Successor Nadesico, which was the Anime that got me into the Anime world.

My first impression upon hearing that Silent Mobius is Kia Asamiya’s work, I immediately said, I must get it! Then of course, I got it and here I write about Silent Mobius V.1: Earth Under Attack.

Kasumi Liqueur, who was a secretary in Hawaii, came back to Tokyo as a request made by Rally Cheyenne, only telling her that she had information about the death of Kasumi’s mother. When the plane was landing Kasumi was attacked and the plane was brought down to the ground. When she regains consciousness, a Category 2 Lucifer Hawk addresses Kasumi by the Key and tried to take her with him. Then comes a story period and Kasumi is “awakened” to destroy the Lucifer Hawk…

Through out volume one, character’s backgrounds are revealed, and there was light stuff. Such as, running from the Ghouls (a gang in Heaven’s Hall) and parties. There were only three to four episodes that AMP was fighting a Lucifer Hawk. Of course I’d expect a total twist in the story later on, because I’ve watched Nadesico before.

The Breakdown
Silent Mobius is an anime in its class, I haven’t seen any magic mixed with sci-fi before, maybe except X, but Silent Mobius came first. One more thing, Kia Asamiya is the man!

Silent Mobius Vol. 2: Twists of Fate

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
The fight against the Lucifer Hawk rages on, and the women of AMP seem no closer to victory. Meanwhile, Roy and Katsumi begin to get closer. The arrival of Rally’s sister Rosa, however, brings startling secrets about Rally, and deals a crippling blow to one of the members of AMP. Meanwhile, as the team copes with the Lucifer Hawk menace as best they can, a new player enters the game and begins manipulating them. But a new member joins the AMP just when they need her most, the fiery, youthful, obnoxious Lum Cheng. But is she worse than the Lucifer Hawk?

Review
Right off the bat in Silent Mobius volume 2, the show goes over two more character’s stories, and then as expected from Kia Asamiya in the following episodes. A BIG twist over the story (related to title name?) happens. The truth is finally revealed not only to Katsumi, but to all of AMP too. Katsumi struggles between who she can trust and who she can’t, after some thinking. She decides to return to AMP and help fight the Lucifer Hawks despite knowing the truth that she is *ahem*. As for the character Lum Cheng, from Neo Hong Kong. She is an elementor, who of course uses elemental magic to fight. Lum is very skilled in combat as she has beaten Katsumi in shooting practice. Lum also uses a staff type weapon to fight. She definitely has helped AMP in their increase in power to fight the Lucifer Hawks.

As the story progresses, you’ll be able to finally know the purpose of why Gigelf Liqueur opened the gate to Nemesis. I’m just itching to see what happens in volume three. Which will be released on October 22, 2002.

The Breakdown
Silent Mobius is an anime in its class, I haven’t seen any magic mixed with sci-fi before, maybe except X, but Silent Mobius came first. One more thing, Kia Asamiya is the man! ^_^;;

Sister Princess

Saturday, January 21st, 2006

Synopsis
Quoting from title, ‘Sister Princess: If you’ve suddenly begun to have twelve sisters, what do you think? More over, they are so, sweet, charming… and loving you so much!’ To me, I’ll love it! Why? Because it’ll be so cool! My favorite sister out of the twelve will be Rin Rin, the sister that can build robots and other cool devices.

Review
The story is about Wataru, a high school student that doesn’t make it to that particular high school he was applying for, but his friends did. After a moment of depression, he goes home to find out that a school in ‘Promised Island’ is looking forward for Wataru to be a part of the student body there. Story continues from there as he meets up with his twelve or thirteen sisters in episode two (you’ll see why the title quote says twelve later on). In Sister Princess, every sister if given a star moment episode where she hangs out with her brother, either from swimming to shopping. This series all seem like a party. The climax of the story is pretty dull, but then again Sister Princess is a new twist. I’m sure a lot of brothers out there dislike their sisters in some way if they have. I personally don’t like my sisters much, but if they were any of the sisters in this series hehe, I’d love that life!

The Breakdown
Please don’t buy the R0 version of Sister Princess, even if you don’t understand Japanese, don’t waste your money like I did. Although I wouldn’t say that I totally wasted it. The only errors were in timing, names (used Chinese translation for names), and at some points I think the people who did the subs used some online translator to translate some words. In the end, I had a good time watching this series, will you?