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Synopsis
2009. Ten years of furious conflict and frenzied construction have turned an alien wreck into a human triumph: the colossal space battleship Macross. On the day of the ship’s launch, the world waits with bated breath to witness mankind’s next giant leap. Hovering above the planet, though, the Zentradi, a merciless warrior race, seek to advance their agenda of destruction and conquest. When long-dormant systems aboard the Macross suddenly fire upon the alien fleet, the ship meant to preserve humanity may become its undoing. A war of attrition erupts, taking mankind across the solar system and beyond in a fight to justify its existence!

Review
A classic. Macross was one of the anime shows that pioneered the anime industry that we have today. Let us get down and dirty. From the get go, the theme song sounded liked it was not suitable for the show, but after an episode in, that theme song begins to evolve into something you would look forward to… especially that background music of the song. It makes you say, ‘Ohh… man here we go! YEAH!’ The animation we have here certainly is not top of the line in this era; it is not Macross Zero by any means, but damn it, I was so impressed of how everything moved. It might be old school, but if you watch this show, you would not believe your eyes. Yep, it is that amazing.

On to the plot. Again, top notch, nothing to complain about. I was immediately dragged in by Hikaru Ichijo’s little prank moment that he had in the air show that was going on to celebrate the launching of the Macross. The transition from calm breeze and peace, to missile flying, buildings crumbling and mechas exploding was just smooth and cool. Some of the action even makes you wonder why recent anime cannot achieve what this has. I was awestruck by the level of detail this series contained; in the story line, the characters and the way they interacted with each other, along with the show’s ability to insert a few practical fun moments at the same time to further enhance the entertainment factor for the viewers.

As mentioned previously, the air show gathering prompted the launch of the long in rebuilding progress, Macross battleship. When all things seemed to go on as planned, suddenly the Macross activates its own self defense system and launched a beam of energy powerful enough to reach space and splash a few alien battleships. When that occurred, the aliens were now interested in what the Macross was about, and of course, the invasion begins! With Ichijo strapped into a Valkyrie for testing purposes, he is forced to take off and follow his sempai, Focker, into the battlefields. That is how the plot begins and by the volume’s end, you will be glad that you finally get a chance to view this epic piece.

The Breakdown
Why are not all, if not most, anime can be like this? You know, less being amazed at the details, but more at comprehending what the situation is at hand. I would rather watch a show with a great plot than to watch something where everything seems like a page long run-on sentence. Macross right here, is not about showing off the details, at least, it is not in this time era, instead it bolsters a superb story and makes everything else work together with the story. This is why Macross Vol. 1: Upon the Shoulders of Giants gets my money and so will the rest of the series.

Synopsis
For a hapless young cadet, boot camp is no picnic, and Misaki is as hapless as they get. With the help of friends Luxandra, Kiri, and Suzanna, however, she advances in her training. Pretty normal, right? Wrong. Luxandra should be dead. Suzanna should be discharged. Misaki herself should have vanished in the exodus from the Watcher’s Nest outpost. And the mysterious life form known as the Ghoul still keeps popping up.

It’s up to Lieutenant Commander Ertiana and the rest of the survivors from Watcher’s Nest to find out why everything on Earth is back to normal… when everything else in the universe is anything but.

Review
I have always been a fan of Misaki-chan since her Divergence Eve days. Now we are into the chronicles; Misaki Chronicles to be exact. What is new? What is there to be expected? Well, first off, this series takes place before the original Divergence Eve and second, it has a lighter atmosphere; from the theme songs to seeing Misaki in her sexy uniform for her part time job. Speaking about the ecchi, I am now beginning to believe that ADV Films should have included a ‘Jiggle Counter’ for this show, just like they did for Burn-Up W. I mean, yeah, there are a lot of jiggles. Picture Misaki wearing a tank top braless running laps. There got that image? Okay, moving on…

In this series, we are going to discover why Misaki joined Watcher’s Nest. From the indications so far, it is due to her father and her strong desire to want to learn why her father was so intent on leaving his family for space and why her mom would always wait for him with a smile on her face every time he left. That is something that is only touched upon for a bit in the volume. Right after she graduated from military training, we are fast forwarded to a mission, and this is the point where everything just begins to break down; not in a good way. Suddenly we are shown Misaki’s childhood form. That certainly does not sound strange, until you bring in the current Misaki into the mix. Yes, I am talking about two Misakis. What is more weird is that the show moves a bit too fast, skipping some scenes that might help the viewers in their overall comprehension.

That is most likely the negative of this show so far. I just could not make a good connection with the graduation, the mission, and then Lyar doing time travels hunting down ghouls. But we do get a chance to see mature Misaki in a kimono (^_^)'’. From the future to the past… past past, ninja era past. I mean, I feel so awkward, I know the ghouls exist, but what do ninjas have to do with the whole big picture? What does little Misaki have to do with the series other than to freak people out at times? These questions should be answered in the later episodes, but Misaki Chronicles right now is a great piece if you like jiggles and a show filled with the necessity to think things through in order to make the most sense out of it.

The Breakdown
I only had three advanced episodes at hand, and I felt at the end of the third episode, something was finally beginning to brew… that was when the volume came to an end, for me :(.

Synopsis
Channel ATV is in serious trouble. With viewer ratings at an all-time low, they’ve got to come up with an amazing gimmick, and fast, or else their sponsors are going to cut their funding! But a whirlwind is headed for ATV in the form of one Keiko Nakadai - a substitute weather girl for the prime-time news. In one quick flash of her panties, the ratings are sky-rocketing! Thanks to the public’s overwhelming support of Keiko’s brazen tactics (not to mention her gorgeous body), she’s finally secured the bright and sunny future she’s always wanted.

However, there’s a dangerous storm brewing on the horizon. Michiko Kawai, ATV’s former prime-time weather girl, is furious that Keiko has stolen her job, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it back! But poor Michiko may have bitten off more than she can chew because Keiko’s soft exterior hides a nasty vicious streak, and she’s not about to give up her dream job so easily. Japan’s airwaves are about to get a whole lot hotter this year!

Review
What a perverted little title. Weather Report Girl is an anime based on a story by Tetsu Adachi and directed by Kunihiko Yuyama that spans just two OAV episodes, but in those two episodes were a lot of fun times. Now I am not a hentai by any stretch of the imagination, but I kind of liked this experience. Nakadai Keiko, a regular employee at Channel ATV was waiting for her big break and when current weather girl Michiko Kawai takes a night off to attend a graduation reunion, the ATV staff immediately looks for a one night replacement. As Michiko selects the ugliest girl out of the group of pictures, she was not ready to see what the secret behind the picture she had selected was.

After receiving the good news in the bathroom (doing something 18+), Keiko rips her crappy get-up off and proceeds to meet the staff. As she starts off the weather report, Michiko intently watches how miserable her ‘ugly’ replacement will look. To her surprise, the woman she saw, was not ugly, in fact, she looked better than herself… and when Keiko shows the audience how ‘high’ the flood water level is at a certain part of Japan. She is immediately approached by the ATV crew after her report the next day. Everyone was against her… that is, until the ratings came in and it jumped so much that they decided to replace Michiko with Keiko.

Of course, having just lost her job to a newbie, Michiko plans her revenge at her arch rival and attempts to take back her job! Several hilarious events occur, including a reunion with an old friend of Keiko’s from her bullying high school days. Man, it was funny through those scenes and especially when there were dirty and toilet humor involved. But when the storm is over, Michiko ends up as Keiko’s servant. And that is where the series takes off as another rival hits Channel ATV. With a tough competition, how will Keiko react? That is about all I will leak, check it out yourself to discover just how dirty, kinky, and ecchi this title can get. But umm, this is a show, just bordering the light-weight hentai barrier. If that is your thing, you might enjoy it quite a bit. :)

The Breakdown
Dang, now I might even have to go check out the live action version of Weather Report Girl. :D.

Synopsis
If you’re on his hit list… you’re already dead. On his 62nd birthday, oil baron Leonard Dawson witnesses the public assassination of his son and heir, Robert. From this point on, Leonard becomes obsessed with revenge on the hitman - code name: GOLGO 13. Dawson spares nothing to enlist the CIA, FBI, and U.S. military in an unrelenting manhunt for his son’s killer. As GOLGO’s survival depends on stopping Dawson himself, the hunter and the hunted chase each other in a breathless game of kill or be killed.

Review
Golgo 13 is back. Robert Dawson, the heir to the Leonard Dawson’s riches and business is suddenly assassinated. With his son capped (nice alternative term to shot I guess ;D) in the head and dead in his arms, he swore to find who had committed such act; even if it meant sacrificing his relatives. As Leonard Dawson gathers up information with his intelligence, Golgo takes up another job of assassinating a mafia leader. With only having the name of the leader and no pictures, Golgo sets to work his way in through the leader’s beautiful but deadly daughter.

Now here is where we see an example of his ‘charm’ that women see in him. After beating up some of her bodyguards, she invites him to her home and, obviously, well aware of whom he was and what his motives were, she proceeds to have sex with him anyways. For those who are lucky, they survived, and that of course is no one other than Golgo. For the unlucky men that messed with her, she had them killed after. I guess those are the sacrifices one must take in order to obtain something else? Oh wells.

When that job got taken cared of, it goes right back to Dawson’s son murder. As an oil baron, and his wealth, Dawson’s connections are second to none. I mean, CIA, the military, dangerous convicts and mercenaries? This guy just bribes everyone with his dollars. His obsession to kill Golgo and his ego did not want to believe the true reason behind Robert’s death. The story unfolds to a rather unexpected ending. It is a test of, whether you see what is in front of you or look for clues to look around instead. If you are a person to look for hints, then you can pretty much guess how it ended like me. But for those who like to watch instead of guess… umm… have fun? Hehe.

The Breakdown
I felt that the story gets dragged on at times. While Golgo 13 is a cool customer, ‘The Professional’ certainly is not. Just move on.

Synopsis
Mars is now almost entirely covered in water. Humanity exists in large city-ships that float through the open seas. But life is hard for those who live on Mars – the economy is in bad shape, work is scarce, and food is expensive and highly prized. Gram and his friends try to do the best they can, but the work keeps drying up. Some have taken to a life of piracy to combat the corruption in the government; one such group is the pirates of the feared Ship of Aurora. And the Earth government, which rules Mars, has dispatched a new team of military pilots to combat them. In their specialized mecha called Round Bucklers, they must make the seas of Mars safe for humanity. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Gram finds himself on the run with the most notorious pirates on Mars. But here’s on thing – he’s starting to like them!

Review
Here is one of those rare anime shows where the main character, Gram, takes the presumably “evil” side of things. Of course it did not start that way until he got fired yet again from his job. Having nothing to do, he is approached with a job. The job? Stealing rations and things from the Mars government and selling it back to the “poor.” Gram, knowing who he was dealing with, declines the offer, but his friend, Bon, on the other hand accepts the job behind Gram’s back and here is where all the trouble begins to brew.

The Ship of Aurora, also known as the pirate ship decides to attack one of the ports so that they can go do whatever a pirate does. Coincidently, they attacked the same port as the dude who offered Gram the job. When Gram discovers that Bon accepted the job, he rushes to the location only to see the police seizing what the thieves were doing. When everyone scrambles, Gram grabs Bon and makes a run for it. As they come to a dead end, suddenly the Ship of Aurora hits the port and water starts to flood in the area. Upon nearly drowning in the Mars Ocean, Gram’s necklace begins to illuminate and a Round Buckler (RB) comes to his rescue. This RB is later on named the “Vector of Hope.”

The Mars Daybreak sounds so corny, but when you watch it, it becomes a totally different story. Probably the only part that was a bit slow was the first five minutes of the first episode. After that, the show cruises through and every second becomes a joy to watch. The plot is very intriguing in that it makes you wonder about the possibilities. What if this or what if that? And you better do this or is this going to happen next? I just love it when an anime sparks my brain power. The characters are all unique in a way. It feels like they all have a long story to tell about their backgrounds; especially the pirates of the Ship of Aurora and that just makes the show even more interesting. Of course speaking of characters, I cannot forget to mention the mecha designs. What we have here are underwater robots, not your usual land and air Gundams :). The way Gram and Yagami’s Round Bucklers are detailed, I just felt the urge to go out and buy a model of it if it existed. Hey maybe I will go check later.

Anyways, the Mars Daybreak has truly impressed me so far. Laughing and enjoying every bit of the moment seems so natural for me. The mixture of comedy, with an engaging story, and likable characters makes this anime an amazing feat. You will be sure to fall in love, when you check this piece out.

The Breakdown
The Mars Daybreak is astonishing. I am in love with everything that it is delivering to me. Be sure to not miss it!

Synopsis
In the wake of a worldwide disaster, the inhabitants of Candlestick Island struggle to rebuild their civilization. Here, a boy named Mangchi leads a sheltered like with his grandfather. Armed with his trusty hammer, Mangchi roams the island in search of adventure. When a fugitive princess named Poplar arrives with power hungry traitors hot on her heels, Mangchi must help her escape her enemies and return to her homeland. It’s to be Hammerboy’s adventure of a lifetime… If he survives!

Review
Hammerboy is a rare anime that tries to incorporate a brilliant story of a power hungry traitor who tries to take over a kingdom with a young boy, who one night, after rescuing a runaway princess, finds himself fighting to save and protect the people closest to him.

While watching this anime, I found an admiration for Mangchi. He is a kid who is at an age where he is still carefree and innocent, yet, at a point where ambitions and egos run wild as he tries to prove his strength and maturity. Watching further into the anime, I realized how much Mangchi changes and how much he grows as he struggles with hardship, suffering, and even death. But somehow, he finds himself growing stronger as hope, determination, and his will to become strong overcomes his frustration as it takes precedence during his journey. Mangchi only wants to do one thing: he wants to protect the people around him by becoming stronger.

In addition, the plot is short of being superficial or stale. Many different layers of stories are present in this anime. There is the main plot which is the fight against a usurper, but as the anime progresses, the plot branches out to some what of a side story. In the end, however, everything is carefully weaved and put together to explain the questions unanswered previously and to also explain the motives behind each characters.

Furthermore, the soundtrack is decent. Park Ji-yeon does a great job singing the theme song You Are My Hero

One thing I do have to disagree with which is the animation. The character designs were plain and very simple along with some of the background settings. Though I do admit there were some innovative designs like Candlestick Island, the majority of the anime with the looks of the castle and the props and even the tank gave me an impression that much of the animation was being neglected. I think there was even one point of the anime where it looked as if Poplar was cross-eyed when I looked at her face indirectly.

All in all, Hammerboy is a decent anime that can be enjoyable for the whole family. And who ever says that hammers are only tools, take out this anime and show them the hammer’s true power.

The Breakdown
A movie that’s 75 minutes long.

Synopsis
Beyond the Grave: In each hand he wields “CERUBERUS”, his twin handguns and on his back he carries a coffin filled with heavy weapons. Cloaked in darkness and smelling of the grave, he is back to kick ass!

Review
Brandon Heat works for the mob. He is one of the top hitmen in the top crime syndicates in the world, Millenion. Beyond all he is loyal to all that he holds dear. That loyalty however ends up costing Brandon everything. When his own best friend, Harry MacDowell, reveals to Brandon his intentions of taking over Millenion through force, Brandon pulls a gun on him. He struggles for a moment coping with his dilemma, as he must now choose between his loyalty to Millenion, and his loyalty to his best friend. Harry uses Brandon’s hesistation to his advantage however. Before Brandon has a chance to respond, Harry shoots Brandon several times in the chest, and then fires a final shot into Brandon’s left eye. Brandon Heat is dead.

This is where most animes would end. Not so with Gungrave. Back from the dead via Millenion’s own Necrolyzation process, Brandon Heat is back to get revenge on those that wronged him and to protect the legacy of the one he held dear. However, he is no longer Brandon Heat. He is now, and forever will be: Beyond the Grave.

Gungrave admittedly has a silly sounding story at first. An ex-mobster comes back from the dead via science to get those that wronged him. Sounds like another goofy anime storyline at first. However, it is surprising how deep Gungrave really is once you give it a chance. The story weaves and turns, and tells tales of love lost, betrayal, friendship, revenge, and forgiveness. Gungrave, despite it’s odd setup, really has as good of a storyline or in most cases an even better storyline than most of your more typical anime fare.

Gungrave doesn’t simply tell the tale of revenge. Beyond the Grave isn’t a mindless zombie fighting enemies he no longer remembers. In truth, Grave has lost some of his memories from the old days, and struggles to get them back. Each piece comes together and reminds him of what he once had and what he lost. Harry MacDowell wasn’t always the tyrannical ruler of Millenion, now known as “Bloody Harry”. At one point he and Brandon couldn’t be any closer. Did Harry really betray Brandon? Or did Brandon betray Harry? Gungrave reels you in early on, and throughout the series takes you on emotional highs and lows. By the time Gungrave Episode 26 came to an end I had tears in my eyes. The finale of the series was beautifully wrought, and capped the series off perfectly.

What makes this even more surprising is that Gungrave is based off a PS2 video game series. The video games, while both fun, rely on shooting enemies up to lure fans. While both of them have decent storylines, neither match up to the incredible story that Gungrave offers.

If Gungrave has a weakness, it is in it’s animation. The series never catches up to the high octane roller coaster ride that the gaming line proves to be. Much of Grave’s fights lack energy and gusto that the games provide, and Grave seems far weaker than his game alternative. All of this is only nitpicking however, when you come to realize that Gungrave’s true draw is not it’s fighting scenes at all. Keeping that in mind, the fights were all interesting and well played out, but rarely spectacular.

If you’re looking for more weaknesses however, don’t look towards the sound. Gungrave’s dub exceled in all aspects. Tony Oliver’s potrayal of the young Mr Harry MacDowell was everything a fan could want out of a voice actor. Harry was mean, cruel, cunning, and tenacious, and Tony Oliver carried those nuances over perfectly.

The series soundtrack (available from Geneon) was in all respects excellent. Each song added atmosphere and character to any given scene. Songs like “Here comes the Rain” served to highlight one of the most bittersweet episodes in the series and alluded to the coming darkness of Brandon’s days ahead.

Gungrave is in all respects one of the greatest anime series in recent history. With a combination of an incredible story, excellent characters, and great sound, Gungrave is something you would be amiss to do without. Whether you buy or rent this anime, do yourself a favor and do so immediately. No collection is complete without this tale from beyond…

The Breakdown
What more can I say. Somehow through the combination of the mafia underworld and pseudo-zombies, Gungrave was born. More than a sum of it’s parts, Gungrave is well worth all the praise I have heaped on it and more. From it’s quality top to bottom, Gungrave is the kind of series that solidifies my affections for anime.

Synopsis
When nearby construction disturbs a spiritual resting place, its disgruntled denizens do what any supernatural being would do after a rude awakening- they terrorize the local school. And that means it’s up to a scruffy band of young ghostbusters to expel their satanic schoolmates before everyone gets sent to permanent detention! So join Satsuki, her crybaby brother, the resident class stud, the school nerd and “psychical researcher,” a born again beauty, and a resentful, demon-possessed cat in the funniest, scariest school you’ve ever enrolled in.

Review
Are you one of those English dub watching anime fans, who sometimes think, maybe the anime that you are watching is too bland, too straight forward, sounds strange, or you just do not feel enough personality is put into the character that the voice actors/actresses are acting. Well my friend, what we have here is the solution to all your problems. You see, Ghost Stories is a whole new monster. Who would have thought… or have the courage to add in some unique punch lines that are hip, hilarious and flat out crazy to an English dub of an anime? Well, ADV director, Stephen Foster did.

This release of Ghost Stories has received mixed results. Some praising it for being outrageous, some opposing it for editing the “original” dialogue. News flash… an English dub is already editing the “original,” so what harm would it cause if the actors had a little fun? Add that extra “umph” to the dialogue and make the show a bit more entertaining. Ghost Stories’ English dub takes the same plot as the show in Japanese, but Stephen Foster pulled out some of the areas of the dialogues that could be worked up so that the voice actors can have the freedom of improvisation. It is very much like jazz; unpredictable. You will find yourself stunned, shocked, and astonished even, by what these actors/actresses had to say. :).

At first, I was a bit skeptical about the whole thing. I mean, I did not like English dubs much to begin with, and now a show where some of dialogues are thrown out the window? I was even more afraid to watch the show and my expectations were just going down the drain at the speed of a waterfall. But after experiencing what all this fuss was about, I fell in love with that wackiness. It is a blend of originality in an English dub that truly amazes the audience upon viewing it. Shows like this brings the voice actors closer to you; it reminds you that, their thoughts are not much different from yours.

In Ghost Stories, we follow Satsuki, the female lead character. As she moves to a new area of the country, she also transfers into a new school, meeting new friends. What she did not expect from this new life was the haunted old school that her mother used to be a principal for. When her family cat escapes and runs into the old school, Satsuki, her annoying little brother, Keiichiro and her new found friends all follow pursuit. That is when the things begin to go eerie and that is when the story unfolds.

The Breakdown
I never knew voice actors/actresses had that kind of state of mind, but now that I have watched this… the rest is history :).

Synopsis
Unlock the music within your heart! Summer vacation is here and that means it’s almost time for Yuuki’s birthday! Since it’s over summer break, her birthday is usually a nonevent; but this year, Yuuki has decided that things are going to be different…this year, on her birthday she’s going to confess her love to Takizawa! But will the handsome and popular third-year track star reject her? The very thought has Yuuki in turmoil. Her best friend, Miu, is doing all she can to support her friend, but watching Yuuki struggle only reminds Miu of how troubled her own heart is.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shirakawa is frustrated at the lack of growth in Miu’s playing. Trying to inspire her, he nominates her to be his sole representative at the Spring Piano Recital. Not only that, but she’ll be the only student who will have to compose and play her own original piece! If she refuses, Mr. Shirakawa won’t even have a single student participating. Should she play in the recital even though her heart really isn’t in it?

Review
In a show based on a girl’s heart and her life, Piano turns out to be a very soothing title. The music is just great. For a person who has always been fond of the piano due to its lovely melodies, I have to say, this piece is beyond just a show about a girl and her piano. There are various factors that make this show another immediate hit amongst the fans of the shoujo genre.

Miu Nomura is an average girl for her age. She has those growing up questions just as any other girl has. When her friend Yuuki professes to her that she will confess to her crush, Takizawa on her birthday. Miu is suddenly warped a whole new atmosphere. For Yuuki having a boyfriend means that the time she has to spend with Miu will diminish. But, with Miu’s mature personality, she just shakes it off and acts in the interest of her best friend Yuuki. Now, because of Yuuki’s situation, Miu ponders a bit about her own crush, Takahashi. With Christmas around the corner, she gets invited to a party and it is there where Miu finally discovers what she wants to do for herself… with a little help from Takashashi senpai of course.

What is so good about Piano? There is no violence, no action, only drama; a girl’s drama at that. But that is what attracted me to a title, such as, Piano. It is the presentation of the whole show. The vibe that it gives off feels just right. I felt pretty at ease while watching this piece… and when the playing of the piano came in… well that was it for me, I wanted to go run and buy a keyboard or something :P.

The Breakdown
The sound department of this show is truly great. I especially loved that song that Miu’s sister played on the stereo during episode six… yes, I know it is not a Piano original music piece, but if anyone can get me the artist and song title, I will give them a cookie! (^_^);;

Synopsis
Noa always dreamed of piloting a giant robot for the police. Now, that dream is a reality, and Noa is a member of an elite unit that specializes in solving robot crimes piloting robots called Labors. When terror strikes in the form of a giant black robot, the Griffin, Noa and her team must ready their biggest guns to defeat the mechanical monster!

Review
Patlabor The Mobile Police: The New Files is the first direct sequel of the Patlabor series, which spans from 1988 all the way to 2002 across a TV series, two OVAs and three movies.

The New Files starts out with an innocent call from what seems to be a brother and a sister, except the sister doesn’t recall the brother’s name and that they’re not related at all. Simple, yes? Wrong. The boy works for two men and pilots a black Labor. This Labor seems special, as it seems to bring back some memories of two past events in particular.

Starting in the boy’s first battle in his black Labor, he encounters the police but they are quickly dealt with. This small scene is used to showcase the labor in action to many rich men and women willing to buy it. It is up to the Mobile Police and their labors to stop the black Labor from destroying the city, but can they really handle it?

The New Files tries to execute a light-hearted theme in the show through Noa. There is some drama, but there is only a touch and not enough to call this a dramatic show. The New Files is entertaining, but not to those who have not seen Patlabor first, otherwise you’d be completely confused at some aspects of the story.

The Breakdown
Pretty average show after one DVD. It has gotten me interested though, and seems to have potential.