Anime Watch
samaru April 22nd, 2006
Anime I’ve watched…
Akira
Tagline: Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.
Plot Outline: A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psionic psychopath that only two kids and a group of psionics can stop.
Plot Synopsis: Kaneda is a bike gang leader whose close friend Tetsuo gets involved in a government secret project known as Akira. On his way to save Tetsuo, Kaneda runs into a group of anti-government activists, greedy politicians, irresponsible scientists and a powerful military leader. The confrontation sparks off Tetsuo’s supernatural power leading to bloody death, a coup attempt and the final battle in Tokyo Olympiad where Akira’s secrets were buried 30 years ago.
More Information at Amazon.com
Area 88
It seemed that the sky was the limit for ace pilot Shin Kazama. His career with a wealthy commercial airliner was on the horizon, and he was ready to settle down to a comfortable life with his true love. Little did he know that he would soon be tricked into joining a motley crew of mercenary fighter pilots in the deadly skies of Area 88. Now the only way to get home is to complete the three year term or pay $1.5 million to break the contract.
More Information at Amazon.com
Battle Angel Alita
This movie takes place in a distant future, and is the story of a the young cyborg Gally, who is found on a scrapheap by the Cyberdoctor Daisuke Ido, who rebilds her and becomes her surrogate father. Gally has no memory of her past, but soon displays remarkable fighting skills. She starts working as a bounty hunter and meets a young boy Yugo, who has the impossible dream of going to Zalem. A giant satelite floating above the city. Not realising that Yugo’s dream can only end in missery Gally sets out to help him.
More Information at Amazon.com
Battle Programmer Shirase
In the shadow world of computer hackers, there are a few names of legend. One of them is BPS (Battle Programmer Shirase) but be warned that if you piss him off, your bank account will go to zero, and the local police will have arrest warrants in your name. And BPS does not work for money… to hire the best, you will need to find those interesting and rare vintage computer parts that money can not buy.
More Information at anime.mikomi.org
Berserk
The nations of Midland and Chuda have been at war for a hundred years. On the side of Midland is the mercenary leader Griffith and his Band of the Hawk. A charismatic leader with an uncompromising dream, he is followed and loved by his men… including a warrior named Gatts. Berserk is the story of the Hundred Years War and the fate of Griffith’s dream as seen through Gatts’ eyes.
Bleach
Kurosaki Ichigo is not your ordinary 15 year old, because he has always had the ability to see and interact with those spirits and ghosts that remained behind and are hidden to ordinary people. And one fateful day, a female Shinigami (soul reaper) named Kuchiki Rukia appears before him as she is hunting for an evil spirit. During the confrontation with the daemon, both Ichigo and Rukia are seriously injured, and Rukia has to transfer her powers to Ichigo to assist him in defeating the evil Hollow. But in doing so, she loses all of her power and she now expects Ichigo to continue in her task of fighting and defeating those fallen spirits whom she calls Hollows, who exist only to devour other innocent souls.
More Information at anime.mikomi.org
Chobits
Hideki Motosuwa is a young man who hails from a small farm in Hokkaido. He’s something of a country bumpkin, oblivious to the urban life and the innovations that come with it. Now Hideki wants to study at Tokyo University. Unfortunately, his test results are a disaster and he ends up enrolling in a cram school so he can take the entrance exam again the next year. When Hideki moves to the city, he is completely awed by what seems to be the greatest technological advancement in man’s daily life — the Persocomm. A persocomm is a personal computer personified. It can be in the form of a cute girl, a cute guy, or even an animal. It can do everything a PC can do: surf the net, send e-mails and faxes, play games, answer phones, etc. But then again it can also do things a PC can’t do, such as cook meals, run errands, go on dates… it’s just too bad Hideki can’t afford to buy a persocomm. However, by some stroke of luck Hideki finds an abandoned persocomm in a trash heap. It’s an extremely attractive female persocomm to boot! Hideki takes it home, and thus begins his life with his very own persocomm Chii.
More Information at Animetric.com
Colorful
The 16 miniepisodes (seven minutes apiece) in this TV series aired on the Wonderful anthology in 1999. Based on a manga by Tarajiro Kishi, the vignettes have a single theme: teenage boys and grown men making idiots of themselves to stare up girls’ skirts and down their blouses. The results of all this voyeurism is a veritable epidemic of nosebleeds–a Japanese symbol of arousal. The participants in this parade of repressed hormones make Bill and Ted look like intellectuals. Director Ryutaro Nakamura uses constantly shifting graphic styles, processed live action, cut-outs, drawn animation, and computer graphics to infuse some variation and visual interest into the repetitive material, but it’s a losing battle. Colorful isn’t gross enough to be offensive, it’s merely sophomoric and silly. (Rated 17 and older: nudity, sexual humor, alcohol and tobacco use) –Charles Solomon
More Information at Amazon.com
Cowboy Bebop
The time is 2071 A.D. and the setting is outer space. Spike Spiegel and his partner Jet Black are bounty hunters who earn their keep by capturing people wanted by the authorities. People who have huge cash rewards hanging on their heads. From thieves to terrorists, as long as the money’s good, Spike and Jet are on it. Pretty soon, the duo unwittingly pick up additional group members — the sassy and smart-talking lady Faye Valentine, the whiz kid / hacker Ed, and the dog Ein. Together they travel through space on the spaceship Bebop, searching for bounties and links to each of their mysterious pasts.
Dragon Ball
In this world there are seven Dragon Balls which, when all brought together, summon the legendary dragon Shenron (Shen Long), who grants the one who gathered the balls together one wish, and then disappears for a year, scattering the Dragon Balls across the world with him. A young teenage girl named Bulma hopes to use these Dragon Balls to wish herself a boyfriend, and finds one of the balls in the hands of a mysterious boy with a monkey tail known as Son Goku, twelve years old and living out on his own. But Goku does not want to part with his ball (the only remaining memory of his dead grandfather), so Bulma recruits him to find the rest of them with her. Together they’ll bump into many strange friends and enemies, on their quest to find all seven Dragon Balls.
And that’s just the first tenth of the series. Later parts of the series involve Goku fighting off enemies who want to use the Dragon Balls for evil purposes, and him and his friends stopping these people at any cost.
More Information at T.H.E.M Anime Reviews
Dragon Ball Z
The original Dragon Ball TV series was about the adventures of a young, powerful boy, and his friends as they searched for the elusive seven Dragon Balls, which could grant any wish. Dragon Ball Z continues the story of his adult years, and of the adventures of his two sons Gohan and Goten. Needless to say, Dragon Ball Z is NOT the cute, lighthearted romp the original was; for in Z it is revealed Gokuu is a member of a super powerful and ultra violent alien race known as the Saiyajin.
Which opens up a whole new can of beans, so to speak…
More Information at T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews
Full Metal Panic
With the rising threat of terrorism looming over the nations of the world, a secret multinational organization, Mithril, has been created to combat terrorists by striking at their heart with advanced weaponry and highly trained and specialized soldiers. The source of Mithril’s sophisticated equipment are people known as “Whispered”, human databases of “Black Technology”. In order to keep a suspected Whispered, Kaname Chidori, out of enemy hands, Mithril assigns a young sergeant by the name of Sagara Sousuke to enter her high school as a student and watch over her. Sagara, although he’s sixteen years old, has never lived a normal teenage life and chaos ensues as he tries to deal with both his duty to protect Chidori and his cover as a student.
More Information at T.H.E.M Anime
Pictures here also include the 2nd series called Full Metal Panic Fumoffu?
Fushigi Yuugi
Miyaka is a more or less average junior high school student, trying to do well enough on the entrance exams to join her top-of-the-class best friend Yui at a prestigious school. But when the two of them wander into a restricted part of the library and stumble upon an ancient book called “The Universe of the Four Gods”, everything changes. You see, this book is actually a portal into ancient China, and it’s story–the story of the Priestess of Suzaku and her quest to gather a group of seven holy warriors and bring peace to the land–is about to be written by none other than Miyaka. Thrust into another reality and faced with a series of challenges and the affections of more than one of the seven warriors she’s trying to gather, Miyaka will have to find the strength to live up to her new role. And worst of all, Yui’s trip into the story won’t be as kind as Miyaka’s…
More Information at Akemi’s Anime World
Golden Boy
Kintaro Oe, a 25-year-old dropout from Tokyo University Law School, bicycles around Japan “learning about life” like an Asian Along Came Bronson. He takes various part-time jobs, surprising everyone by excelling at everything he does, despite his goofy demeanor. He’s lucky he’s a quick study, as he spends most of his time ogling pretty women, cleaning toilets, and getting beat up. In the first three episodes of this six-part 1995 OAV, he writes code at a software company, helps a corrupt mayor get reelected, and learns to make noodles by hand. The animation is often sloppy–Kintaro changes appearance frequently–and the artists clearly concentrated on the bouncing breasts and jiggling derrieres. Kintaro is a goodhearted and generally agreeable goof, but the slight plots and leering humor of this series will quickly bore anyone but a lecherous adolescent. Rated 17 Up: Nudity, violence, profanity, sexual and toilet humor. –Charles Solomon
More Information at Amazon.com
Grimm’s Fairy Tale Classics
Grimm’s fairy Tale classics were Japanese interpretations of classic fairy tales that aired on Nick Jr. beginning in 1988. The show was a thirty-minute anime cartoon that depicted a different Grimm fairytale from the more well known to the lesser known ones. There were a total of 48 episodes in all.
The stories include: Bearskin,
Briar Rose,
Cinderella,
The Coat of Many Colours,
Dancing Slippers,
Donkey Cabbages,
The Frog Prince,
The Golden Goose,
Hansel and Gretel,
Iron Hans,
Jorinda and Joringle,
King Grizzle Beard,
Little Red Riding Hood,
Old Sultan,
Puss ‘N Boots,
Rumpelstiltskin,
Sister and Brother,
The Six Who Went On Their Way,
Snow White,
Snow White and Rose Red
Hajime No Ippo
…an upbeat Rocky story that follows a high school nerd from cowardice to pugilistic stardom. Clumsy, maladroit Ippo Makunouchi helps his widowed mother with the family fishing boat business–when he’s not being pounded into paste by bullies. After years of abuse, he lacks the will to defend himself against their taunts and fists. A chance meeting with rising boxing star Takamura convinces Ippo to reinvent himself. Under the guidance of Takamura and crusty gym owner Kamogawa, Ippo applies himself with a mixture of stalwart dedication and puppy-like enthusiasm. The story may be a cliché, but the filmmakers manage to make Ippo so likable that viewers who would never dream of watching a real boxing match may find themselves rooting for the irrepressible kid when he steps into the ring.
More Information at Amazon.com
Hellsing
Plot Outline: A British taskforce, lead by the daughter of the vampire hunter Prof. Van Helsing, battles the supernatural with the aid of two vampires.
Plot Synopsis: Vampires and ghouls stalk modern-day England, hunting the oblivious populace. Only the Hellsing foundation stands between the evil undead and the innocent humans who would be their prey. But there’s something new out there - chips that give humans vampiric ability and bloodlust are being sold as the latest designer drug. With a new wave of evil creatures rising, Hellsing must rely on its two most unlikely recruits - ancient master vampire Alucard and the newly turned Celes Victoria - but can even they stand in the face of such overwhelming odds?
More Information at Amazon.com
Initial D
Takumi Fujiwara is an average 18-year old high school student with an average job as a gas station attendant, and a not-so-average hand in the family business. To help his father’s tofu shop, Takumi has been delivering tofu in his father’s ‘Eight-Six’ Trueno (known as the Toyota Corolla GT-S in the US) to a hotel at the peak of Mt. Akina (the local mountain), every night at 4 a.m. In doing so, Takumi has been unknowingly training to be the greatest mountain-pass drift-racer in all of Japan. After a freak late-night encounter with Keisuke Takahashi, the number two driver of the infamous RedSuns team, Takumi is quickly, and unwillingly plunged into a high-speed world of white-knuckle contests on the most dangerous mountain passes in the Gunma prefecture. Assisted by the local Akina Speedstars team, his slightly obnoxious friend Itsuki, his somewhat shady girlfriend Natsuke and the sage-like words of his chain-smoking, ex-racer father Bunta, he’ll need all the help he can get to outwit and outmaneuver Japan’s most talented underground drift-racers.
More Information at Amazon.com
Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien
Narumi Takayuki is a third year, high school student who doesn’t study very much for the college entrance exams. He passes his days neither studying, nor being able to find anything else interesting to do.
His friends Taira Shinji and Hayase Mizuki are both busy with studying and swimming, so Takayuki is left feeling very alone. Until one day, he meets a girl…
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Love Hina
When Keitaro was a child, he was friends with a little girl. When the girl had to move away, the two made a promise to meet each other at Tokyo University when they grew up. Years later, Keitaro has failed his entrance exam twice, and his parents refuse to support him any longer. His grandmother gives him refuge and employment as caretaker of her inn, which just happens to serve as a female dormitory. The eclectic group of tenants tease, annoy and berate him to no end. Still, Keitaro won’t ever give up his promise to meet his childhood friend again, even though he can’t remember her name.
More Information at Amazon.com
Mahou no Chocolate (Magical Chocolate)
Mami-chan has a crush on her school’s soccer club star, Ishida-senpai, and tries against hope to work up the courage to give him chocolate for Valentine’s Day. She learns from her friend Koko-chan of the mysterious Magical Chocolate. Will the magic make Mami’s dream come true?
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
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Marmalade Boy
Koishikawa Miki is a typical, ditzy high school girl. Involved with tennis, with plenty of friends, she seems to be living the good life. She thinks nothing of the vacation her parents take to Hawaii … until they return and announce that, not only are they getting a divorce, but that they are getting remarried! Apparently they had affairs with another Japanese couple and have decided to swap spouses. (Wasn’t that the plot of a 70s movie?)
Of course, things only get crazier when she meets the completely aloof, yet oh-so-handsome son of the other couple, Matsuura Yuu. Naturally, despite the fact they’re practically step-siblings, they fall for each other. But they try to keep it a secret from their family, and most of the school. Never mind that the rest of the school is preoccupied with their *own* jumbled relationships.
More Information at T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews
Mazinger Z
Kabuto Koji was little hot-blooded, but a common high school student. One day, when he went home, he found his only relative, Kabuto Juzo, was attacked by someone and killed. Juzo left a message,
It is up to you whether you will a god or devil?.
With this message, Koji also received the strongest robot in the world, Mazinger Z. Those who killed his grandfather were Dr. Hell, who was plotting to rule the world by the super-ancient science technology, his subordinate Baron Ashura, and his squadron. They used Machine Beasts to beat Mazinger Z. Koji stayed at the Photonic Energy Research Institute. It was directed by Professor Yum who had been the assistance of Dr. Kabuto. In order to keep the world peace, he fought against Machine Beasts of Dr. Hell with Aphrodite A manipulated by Yumi Sayaka who was the only daughter of Professor Yumi.
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Midori No Hibi
Kasuga Midori is a well off girl who has had a crush on Sawamura Seiji three years, yet could never confess her feelings. Seiji-kun is a high school loser with no luck with women, has never had a girlfriend, and has struck out with 20 women straight. As such, he is very desperate to have a girlfriend no matter what. Almost immediately, he discovers that his right hand has turned into a girl named Midori, the same girl who’s had the crush on him from afar.
More Informatino at anime.mikomi.org
Monster
The Japanese Neurosurgeon Dr Kenzo Tenma had everything going for him in his position as lead surgeon of neurosurgery at a hospital in Dusseldorf, Germany. His genius as a surgeon had attracted, not only, the attention of the director of surgery at the hospital, but also an engagement to a beautiful Eva, the director’s daughter. On one fateful dark evening, he defies the instructions of the director to abandon his current patient, a 12-year-old gunshot victim, to an almost certain death and refuses to performs surgery to save the life of the town mayor. He does what does what he thinks a true doctor should do and his young patient survives, the mayor dies, and in his decision, he has ignored the politics at the hospital, sacrificing all of his successes.
More Information at anime.mikomi.org
Naruto
Uzumaki Naruto is a lonesome young boy from the Hidden Leaf Village, a town with several young ninja-in-training who aspire to reach the village’s one-of-a-kind highest ninja rank, the Hokage. Naruto’s not the most respected fellow in the village; ever since a deadly fox-demon was sealed inside him when he was a baby, he’s had a penchant for mischief that doesn’t help his lack of talent in ninjutsu… but all Naruto really wants is some attention and respect. Accompanied by his secret crush Sakura, his skilled rival Sasuke, and his mentor Kakashi, Naruto will have to overcome many challenges as he comes of age and pursues his dream of becoming the Hokage.
More Information at Amazon.com
Ninja Scroll
When a small village succumbs to a terrible plague, a team of ninjas are sent to investigate. As soon as they realize that something is wrong, they are ambushed by a fearsome man-monster. Kagero, a beautiful female ninja, is the sole survivor of the massacre. She is saved by Jubei, a highly skilled ninja who hires his services to others. Jubei and Kagero stumble on an intricate plot to overthrow the government engineered by an underground group. They become targets for extermination and together, Jubei and Kagero must stop their assailants and get to the bottom of things.
More Information at Animetric.com
Piano
Miu Nomura, the heroine of the broadcast series Piano (2002), is a shy, well-behaved junior high student whose life has always revolved around her piano lessons. She listens to her mother (who fusses constantly), makes excuses for her perennially late journalist-father, and tries to please her aloof piano teacher. Now that she’s an 8th grader, Miu is beginning to discover distractions: her best friend Yuuki introduces her to Takhashi, the handsome star of the track team. Her attraction for Takahashi adds a needed élan to her music. Like the popular Azumanga Daioh, Piano offers a kind of anime verité, aimed at a young, female audience. Miu doesn’t command supernatural powers, confront aliens, or deal with the “comic” lechers that appear in so many shojo (girl’s) series. The very ordinariness of the character and her life make Miu a comforting presence.
More Information at Amazon.com
Ping Pong Club
There are six members of the boy’s ping pong club. Two are relatively normal; however, the other four consist of an aspiring sexual deviant, two perverts, and a guy with lethal B.O. Add in a cantakerous girl as a manager, and you have the entire crew.
This series pushes the boundaries of good taste beyond anything the western world has experienced, yet somehow manages to remain vaguely charming. The antics of the ping pong club includes one member’s trademark “Protruding Pecker Serve,” molesting cross-dressing members, and the infamous “Turtle Sequence,” which is much too horrifying to describe. Full frontal nudity and tasteless jokes abound.
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Rurouni Kenshin
In the period of time when Japan was undergoing its transition into the modern world (for you history buffs, this is after Commodore Perry’s arrival in old Edo in the mid-1800s), the samurai was quickly becoming an obsolete piece of tradition that was hindering the new government’s ability to solidify its power. Using the Hitokiri (lit: man-cutters - professional killers), and the conscript army, the government was able to put down the rebellious samurai once and for all.
However, one of those Hitokiri, the most powerful and deadly of the lot, the one named Battousai … gained a conscience. The deeds he had justified in the name of the new order had cost him his soul, and he could no longer serve the government in his duty. He swore he would never kill again, so he became a rurounin, a masterless wanderer who would use his powers to protect, rather than kill.
In a time when law was not yet just, and the lawless were still strong, only he was there to protect the innocent from those who would take away what little freedom they had. And he used his real name: Himura Kenshin. Can Kenshin hold his word that he would never again kill? Or will the onslaught of new threats finally force him to become yet again the Hitokiri Battousai … one who relishes the sheen of blood on his sword?
More Information at T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews
Samurai 7
Samurai 7 is based on Kurosawa Akira’s famous movie, “Seven Samurai”.
Far distant future, on a planet that might have been called “Earth”, there was a war between samrais who mechanized their bodies. After the long war, people have retrieved a modest peace.
In those days, people in Kanna Village are suffering from the Nobuseri, who are the ruined samurais. After the war ended, they lost their purpose to fight, and they’ve been robbing the village of their crops and women. Because they don’t have any way to fight against them, they have to obey Nobureri’s order.
One year, before harvest season, Gisaku, a head of the village, propose that they will hire samrais to protect them from Nobuseri.
Riki, who is a young boy full of energy, Kirara and Komachi, twin priestesses, go to a town to look for samurais to help them.
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Sekushi Commando Gaiden: Sugoiyo! Masaru
The story is about a school club known as the “Sexy Commando Club”. Sexy commando is a martial art mastered by Masaru-san, who builds the weirdest cast of characters imaginable. The story is told from the point of view of Fuu-min, the sole normal character who simply wants to gather 100 friends. Unfortunately for him, his first friend is Masaru-san, and before he knows it he’s branded as “weird” for having even associated with this individual.
More Information at Aniworlds.com
Street Fighter 2 The Animated Movie
An evil crime syndicate known as Shadow Law is trying to gather the greatest street fighters in the world in order to to ensure the security of their presidential candidate who may win the next American election. The leader of Shadow Law is none other than the powerful Mr. Bison. Through psychic manipulation, he is able to force people to do his bidding. Little does street fighter Ryu know that Bison is after him, because of his extraordinary fighting abilities. Meanwhile Interpol and the American Military are trying to devise a plan to destroy Shadow Law.
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Street Fighter 2 V
Ryu gets an unexpected letter which contains a plane ticket and a fair amount of US currency, along with a cryptic message from Ken that he should come to America. On his arrival in San Francisco (they’ve been apart for two years), Ryu is astounded at how well Ken seems to be doing. So, of course, the first thing they do is tick off some Air Force types at the Bar …
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
Tenjou Tenge
Nagi Souichirou and Bob Makihara arrive at Juudou high seeking a brawl, and face little challenge until they meet up with Natsume Maya, who proceeds to hand them both their asses in a matter of seconds. The force of the blow sends Souichiro out the window, falling on top of a naked and showering Aya (Maya’s younger sister), who — since he saw her naked — proclaims herself as his wife. (Or was it fiancee. It’s been a while since I watched that part.)
Impressed with the level of challenge, they join Maya’s school to start training in an effort to get stronger, which brings them under the scrutiny of the Enforcers. Naturally, trouble follows.
More Information at T.H.E.M. Anime
Trigun
No one really knows what the 60 billion dollar-wanted-man named Vash really looks like, only what damage he has been fabled to have caused. Due to over 300 insurance claims filed by the inhabitants of the cities Vash the Stampede has supposedly demolished, the FIA has sent two claims inspectors - Meryl Stryfe & Milly Thompson - to find Vash and investigate / fine him for all the damage he has caused. Now Vash must not only deal with merciless bounty hunters, but hounding insurance companies too in a setting very reminiscent of such American westerns as Bonanza or Gunsmoke.
More Information at AnimeNfo.com
