| "This page it where the Knights put their reviews of their favorite anime shows. I'm not quite sure why they're doing it, though Fireball 13 tells me it's important and that they're going to do it in a way that no one else has before, like with each of them giving their opinions on the shows. I just want to know why I was left out! I don't care how informative it is! Oh well... Enjoy it anyway, even if they didn't let me help." -- Melanie-chan |  |
Quick Index
| Major Anime Series | Misc. Anime Series |
A high school student meets a member of the lost tribe called the Sanjiyan Unkara (aka Triclops) and helps her become human. An in-depth description of this series can be found here.
Hazumi and Takumi Jinno attend a rather strange high school. The school is called Gateway and it aptly fits its name. See, Gateway is actually a gateway between this world and the dark world. The faculty andstudents (including Hazumi and Takumi) act as Guardians of the gate. They protect their school from evil, eccentric demons called Remanants who wish to return to their home in the dark world.Hazumi and Takumi are special guardians. Takumi is the Key, the being needed to seal the dark gate and Hazumi is the Protector of the Key. Hazumi takes her job very seriously and protects Takumi from not only the Remanants but from other female admirers as well. Hazumi wants Takumi all for herself! The only problem is that Hazumi has a habit of destroying everything in her mission to protect Takumi... including people! Can Hazumi protect Takumi from the Remanants? Can she pass finals? Will they ever rebuild the school? Probably not, but it's fun to watch anyway.
Commentary by Akane: Unusual, romantic and funny OAV series,
that may not be for everyone. Guardress may be the first split personality
anime. Attimes it seems to try so hard to be a serious love
story, but it can't help cracking jokes and laughing at itself in the process.
Guardress is campy to say the least. I thouroughly enjoyed it, and
I suspect that anyone tired of the same old anime will as well. In
my opinion the
best part of the series is the attack names: Beautiful Iron Punch, Super
Table Flip, and my personal favorite, the Bow Wow Punch, which causes dogs
to appear and bite the recipiant of the attack. If you've been feeling
a little jaded recently from watching too much"regular" anime
then give Combustible Campus Guardress a try, I don't think you'll be dissappointed.
Laputa- Castle In the Sky is one of Hayao Miyazaki's greatest films and is loved by both fans in Japan and in the U.S. The story is about a girl named Sheeta who has a mysterious past woven with the tale of the Laputans, people who once lived in islands that floated in the sky. Escaping from government troops eager to find the secret of Laputa's technology, she runs into Pazu, a boy living in a mining town. They instantly become attached to one another as they escape the government and eventually save the world from domination by the two-faced secret agent Mooska.
Commentary by Sanjiyan: Like many anime titles, friends turn into enemies and enemies into friends in this story. The film lasts two hours, but every moment in the film is filled with light hearted humor, exciting close calls, and even amazing twists of plot. The ending of the film really leaves one satisfied and it had a great effect on myself and the rest of the Knights. This is a must see, yet it was almost impossible to find until Disney announced its intents to distribute the film internationally. Additional information, including a synopsis of the film (WARNING: there are spoilers on some pages!) can be found at http://looney.physics.sunysb.edu/~daffy/laputa.html
Commentary by Fireball 13: Laputa is a wonderful story of the adventures of Pazu and Sheeta, as they discover the lost floating city of Laputa and the true origins of Sheeta. It has an absoulutely fabulous storyline, the comedy and heart warming antics are thuroughly enjoyable. As for the animation, I personally don't prefer the style of Studio Gibi's films, I think the film could be much stronger with more "action oriented" animation, but it does fine by itself. Many of the new otaku out there may tend to shy away from this kind of movie, as it isn't as astetically pleasing as others, but it is worth checking out, as more experienced otaku know.
A magical girl anime (like Sailor Moon), Rayearth deals with three schoolgirls, the adventurous Hikaru, the wealthy Umi, and the thoughtful Fuu. These girls are brought into a world called Cefiro by the world's captured protector, Emeraude. In Cefiro the girls are greeted by the wizard Clef, who informs them that they are the legendary Magic Knights, defenders of Cefiro, and awakeners of the Makin (an absolute power that is needed to save Cefiro). Clef gives the girls armor and awakens them to their magic. Only Hikaru gains her magic though, because Clef is attacked by the evil Zagoto and turned to stone. The girls escape, however, and voyage to the Forest of Silence where they meet Puresea, master weaponsmith, and Mokona, roly-poly rabbit who can make anything appear. The rest of the series deals with the Knights quest to get themselves magical weapons and then to wake the Makin in time to save Cefiro. Throughout the quest the girls gain additional magic powers. The Knights also gain an mysterious ally in the (rather cute) swordsman Ferio.
Commentary by Akane: Rayearth is well-crafted and the characters are a lot of fun to watch. The plot does occasionally get convuluted, but watching the episodes a second time should clear up any confusion. Two of the knights resemble characters from Project Ako: Umi is vain (though valuable and loyal) like B-ko, and Hikaru, the unofficial leader, is brave and redheaded just like A-ko. Fuu, however, resembles C-ko in no way whatsoever. Fuu is smart, and considers her actions before taking them, unlike the other two knights. Another definite plus for Fuu is her relationship with the very handsome swordsman, Ferio.
Final Notes: Magic Knights of the Anime 'Round? Hmm...... Maybe. I'll talk to Sir Fireball the 13th 'bout that...
Meet Godai, a resident in Maison Ikkoku. He is either a ronin
or a college boy depending on where you are in the series. Anyways
he has fallen for his manajer, Kyoko Otanashi. <At first glance
one would swear that she was the missing sister to Akane.> She
is just 2 years older than Godai, but already is a widow. She is
still in mourning the loss of Suichiro(also the name of her dog).
Anyways, Godai's shyness, along with other cirrcumstances, lead into another
one of Rumiko Takashi's infamous romantic love triangles. Other noteworthy
characters are the other tennants in Maison Ikkoku, who in short, make
Godai's life a living heck. Then there is Godai's rival, Coach Minako,
a suave older guy also seeking Kyoko's love. He is perfection (well
compared to Godai), except that his ego won't allow you to forget that
fact. To make matters worse for our young hero, there is a younger
girl who appearantly has a crush on Godai and Kyoko is easily jealous of
competition.(just like Akane, see told you she was the lost Tendo Sister)
Viz keeps with their great reputation behind their dubbing, in bringing
yet another Rumiko hit over seas.
Commentary by Ranma: I see WAY too much of me in Godai. I could easily sit here and tell you all about it, but I think you SHOULD go see it for yourselves.
Marmalade Boy is the story of a girl, whose strange family connections help her to meet the man of her dreams... only she doesn't know it yet.
Miki had always thought her parents were a little strange, but none of their past actions could've prepared her for the news of their divorce. Miki was shocked and upset to find out that on their trip to Hawaii, they had met another couple, the Matsuras, and had fallen in love with each other; Miki's father with Mrs. Matsura, and Miki's mother with Mr. Matsura. Both couples decided to exchange partners with the other, and live together! What's worse is that nobody had any opposition to this, not even the Matsura's son, Yuu. Miki wanted nothing to do with her new family, but her instant attraction to Yuu made that difficult. When Yuu and Miki start to become good friends, Miki finds herself starting to fall in love with him. Ginta, the boy whose heart Miki stole, and Arimi the girl whose heart Yuu, has stolen, start to become very jealous.
Commentary by Belldandy: I think that if you enjoy a dramatic storyline with lots of romance in it, then this is the series for you. This series scores very high on my romance factor, but gets a moderate score for my animation factor (I'm not too crazy about the long-legged stick figure look.) This series also scores high on my comedy factor (the first episode will make you wet your pants!) Overall, I give it two thumbs up. Definately worth checking out! . . . ( P.S.- the eye catch is really cute! ^_^ )
Sometime in the future the earth is the subject of a series of attacks
from an unkown alien race, called Angels. The earth's only defense
at the time is a secret project being developed mainly in Tokyo-3.
EVA's, as they are referred to, are giant robots controlled by a pilot
who is mentally bonded with the robot.(essentially damage done to EVA gives
the pilot pain on the comparable area on his/her body.) However the BIG
PICTURE ISN'T about the robots, but rather the unlikely crew. Shinji,
the son of the EVA's creator, has difficulties w/ social affairs and is
the only person who can really pilot one of these EVAs. An even more
extreme to Shinji, is Rei, she appearantly has no emotions,
possibly because she has been training to be an EVA pilot from an early
age. As a result, she is an outcast in school, and Shinji is the
1st one to show any compasion for her. A sharp contrast to the previous
two mentioned is Asuka, who has the abilities that she uses to back her
big mouth. While Asuka and Shinji at first aren't too thrilled about
the other, as the series progresses the two are considered a couple at
school. Will earth hold out with these three as its only line of
defense?
AD Vision subtitles a BIG hit in Japan, brought out by GAINAX. What
makes this series so popular? Is it the animation quality (which
matches if not goes beyond the typical OVA), is it the characters and their
development, is it the elaborate storyline, or is it giant mecha? Take
your pick, there appears to be a little something for everyone.
Ranma's Comments: I was definately impressed by this series and as a result have watched all of the videos released by AD Vision. It's true, I haven't met anyone that wouldn't find at least part of this series great.
Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water
Meet Nadia: a black teenage orphan of African descent who is virtually
enslaved as part of a circus during the last few years of the 1800s. Suddenly,
she is caught in this epic adventure that has its origins thousands of
years in the past. Along the way, we meet the captain of the Nautilus,
Captain Nemo (who strangely resembles another famous warship captain),
as well as the rest of Nadia's closest friends, namely Jean, Marie, Sanson,
Hansen, Eaton, and Nadia's only animal companion, King. But who's the bad
guy? His name is Gargoyle and plans to resurrect the ancient civilization
of the Neo-Atlanteans, supposedly the creators of all human life, to bring
back an imperial rule over the entire Earth. Can the crew of the renowed
submarine save the human world from succumbing to a rule underneath a civilization
that even predates the dawn of mankind?
One of the LONGEST anime series I've ever seen, it is hilarious, breathtaking,
and downright one of those destined to be a long time favorite. Viewing
the first twenty episodes is highly recommended.
Commentary by Sanjiyan: Loved every minute of it! Like Gunbuster, the storyline takes on epic proportions that strangely balances out with the hilariousness of the characters. The international background of the characters also makes it seem to hit home, no matter where you come from. Although I recommend seeing it in any format, subtitled is the best way to enjoy it. Unfortunetely, it could be that though Streamline Pictures has a subtitled version that's very hard to find. From what I heard, its dubs aren't all that great.
7 scientists working on the moon, are killed off by a disease which,
when a cure was found, there was only enough to save one person.
Now a love story unfolds as the remaining scientist heeds his love's last
words "don't kill yourself". Sometime in the future, he
is reborn on earth and joins up with his former collegues from the moon,
which are also reincarnated. To boot, the only one of the group that
denies that she was a part of the group is the girl that he loved in his
past life. Complicated yet? It gets worse, he vowed while he
was on the moon going insane, when he was reborn to get his revenge.
So, when it is finally determined which one was the doctor who gave him
the cure, he makes the doctor's life a living hell. Will his loved
one save him from making a mistake he'd regret? Or will her denial
of her past life push him over the edge?
A beautifully dubbed peice by Viz Video. It wraps up in 3 OAVs, which
if not viewed closely can lose the audience at the end.
Commentary by Ranma: Dubbed well by the experts at Viz.
Definately better than most of the anime that I saw recently.
Project A-ko is the ultimate example of just how strange (and fun) anime can get. It is the story of A-ko and C-ko, who are friends, and B-ko, who wants to be friends with C-ko , and thus builds giant death machines to destroy A-ko. Over the course of a week of their rivalry, B-ko finally develops the Akagiyama-23 Power Biosuit (a.k.a., the "Power Bikini"), just in time for an (all-female) space armada to arrive, claiming that C-ko is their princess. And this is only the first of six movies.
Commentary by Ryoga: Project A-ko was my first real taste of anime, and led me to where I am today. I can't think of any anime that can match it in terms of sheer chaos (though a few have come close). It features some excellent technical work, and generally lampoons anime as a whole.
Commentary by Fireball 13: Project A-ko is a prime example of what anime is. It contains all the classic elements of anime save one, the infamous "Love Triangle"(however it is replaced by a "Death Triangle" of sorts ^_^) Project A-ko was one of my first exposures to anime and is perfect for the beginning Otaku, as well as the seasoned veterans. If you are just starting into the anime world, and have only seen shows such as: Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball (Z), Tekkaman Blade, or Ronin Warriors, this is a must see.
Commentary by Ranma: Project A-ko is for all forms of the Otaku. Because of it's chaos, there are off-the-wall refrences, and cross-overs that some of the well seasoned otakus will enjoy. And the not-so-well seasoned otakus will enjoy it because it is one of those series where you don't need too much knowledge of anime, or anything else, to understand what it is about.
Rumiko Takashi makes her characters in Ranma 1/2 come to life in a complex web of love and war. The two main characters are Ranma, a boy who turns into a girl at the touch of cold water only to revert with hot water, and Akane,the cutest tomboy of anime, are fiancees so thier parents will die knowng the dojo is in good hands. Trained to rely on their bodies as martial artists, they are extremely confident in themselves, however when it comes to love neither will admit their feelings to the other. This relationship would work out except for circumstances.
The episodes of Ranma 1/2 are taken right from the comics. In the earlier episodes there is alot of character development for both Ranma and Akane. Along the way the encounter various others, like Ryouga, Shampoo, Mousse, and Kuno. The first three are also cursed in a similar manner as Ranma except they change into animals. These are episodes you should watch to get to know the cast.
Then there are the first two movies. These are highly recommended, they have a higher focus on the actual reltionship between Ranma and Akane, as well as the better drawn fight scenes.
As for recent releases the OAV's are the better bargains because these are drawn in theatrical release quality. Also they then tend to give something extra like music videos of the DOCO singers (yes!). Since the more recent videos that I have seen don't focus in on the relationship they can be missed unless you are a hard core Ranma fan.
As for the question about subtitles vs dubbing, Viz has done an excellent job at both.
Commentary by Ranma: I don't know why I had to write this if you watch anime then it is impossible for you not to know what Ranma 1/2 is, that is unless you are a poor isolated soul. Ranma introduced me to anime, and remains a standard that I judge the other anime series by. In it's beautiful mix of fighting and romantic scenes, I highly recommend everyone to take time-out to see.
Commentary by Fireball 13: This is among my favorite series, I can't get enough of it. Among the otaku of the net, and those that I have met in person, it ranks extremely high among them as well. Now personally I would rank it as an "8" , <Don't flame me yet!> because of the lacking in the storyline after the first season TV series. It is absoulutely wonderful for the first season, but as it goes into the Nettouhen series, unfortunately, it starts to develop"Martial-Arts Secret Technique of the Week" syndrome. I highly recommend the first season to everybody, it is a MUST SEE. However, the later Nettouhen series should be saved for the die hard fans.
Tiara has been sent into our world from the Guardian World. Tiara has been charged with retrieving the "Throne of Rhondo", an important magical artifact stolen by her ex-lover Kagestu. Soon after arriving in our world, Tiara finds out that two other Guardian world native, Lena and her partner Lyon, are here as well, but they're trying to stop Tiara from getting the Throne. What results is a nightly battle with all sorts of strange magic. Tiara begins to doubt her mission when she has strange dreams of an old friend, Sara, begin to plague her.
Commentary by Akane: If there's one thing going for Shamanic Princess, it's style. The magic and battle scenes are quite unique and are wonderfully animated. It's unfortunate that the rest of the anime isn't as good. The plot is very convoluted and is very confusing at the beginning.Toward the end of the second episode it becomes a bit clearer, but by that time, I was too confused to make much of it. This anime tries so hard to put depth into its characters, and this also confuses the plot. More time on exposition and less on character development would have been welcome. The music is slightly above-average, and the animation is very nice, especially in the fight scenes, but this isn't enough to save the show. Shamanic Princess could have been much better if they'dtry to slow the pace some. So much was crammed into the two episodes that everything seemed to get lost in the shuffle. I recommend borrowing a friend's copy of this, or seeing it at a con (such as I did) or club meeting. This show is worth seeing once for the animation of the battle scenes, but I don't recommend ordering a copy from a fansubber.
Meet Lina Inverse, a magic user with some powerful spells. She
is the world's best treasure hunter, that is unless "it's that time
of the month." Her quest is to stop the revival of the evil lord of
darkness through Rezo, a white mage that appearntly made a deal with the
lord of darkness. With an unlikely crew consisting of:Gourry, a not
so bright knight, and Zelgadiss, a poor soul whose body was changed to
stone by Rezo, can Lina succeed?
It's all in good humor. With some allusions that shouldn't be mentioned,
this makes for some great comedy. The medival setting is actually
in an area that could easily fit a final fantasy setting. In the
future watch for AD Vision to release more of this series.
Commentary by Ranma: Definately a good comedy. I wish the T.V. series would come over. Actually, this anime series shouldn't have any problems if it were to come to the U.S. in the form of a T.V. series because there is nothing to cut out, and the episodes are already half an hour.
Tenchi Muyo! is an anime series unlike any other, and one of the most popular around. It tells the story of a guy named Tenchi, who accidentally releases a demon imprisoned in a cave near his grandfather's house. Fortunately (?) the demon is cute, female, and likes him. Before long, though, the presence of the demon Ryoko attracts Aeka, whose half-brother (and fiancee) went after her. Sasami, Aeka's little sister, Mihoshi, a bubble-headed Galaxy Police detective, her level-headed partner Kiyone, and last but not least the greatest scientific genius in the universe, Washu (and she's cute too!).
Besides a wide variety of amorous advances from the girls (especially Ryoko and Aeka, who regularly enter into colossal flights over Tenchi), he must contend with the likes of the evil space pirate Kagato, the nefarious Dr. Clay, and even the enigmatic Lady Tokimi.
Tenchi Muyo! began with an OAV series, currently up to 13 regular episodes plus a couple of specials, and later was completely reworked in terms of plot (only the main characters and the basic situation remained the same) to form the TV series, now available in the U.S. on video. Also, talented artist Hitoshi Okuda has been producing a lengthy manga series which takes place after the first six episodes of the OAV series; the manga is put out by Kadokawa Comics Dragon Jr. in Japan, and Viz in the U.S.
Commentary by Ryoga: Like it says on Homepage Muyo!, Tenchi Muyo! is my favorite anime series. Why? There are a few reasons. The OAV series presents a complex plot (I love a good plot) and skillfully balances the pathos and humor. Further, it uses simply fascinating visual concepts -- spaceships that are trees, swords of pure energy, those nifty outfits, and so forth. To be frank, though, I'm not sure what to think about the TV series; the humor is great, but I find I'm missing the plot developments and such. Of course, only four episodes (out of 27) are available now, so this may change.
Commentary by Fireball 13: Tenchi Muyo! is a superb anime. It has great visual effects, complex plot line, good character development, humor, action and romance all in one. Although it leans more toward the sci-fi crowd, it does well in any situation. Anybody who likes Ranma 1/2 or other good romantic comedy will like it. Although it is not my favorite anime, it has a nature to grow on you and I must say that I can't stand to miss just one episode. I would recommend Tenchi Muyo! to anybody who likes anime period.
Commentary by Ranma: Tenchi Muyo!, is by most standards great anime. Armed with sci-fi and and everything that makes Ranma 1/2 an enjoyable series, I feel that this series would be a must see to everyone. Although it isn't my personal favorite, I will go out of my way to make time to see the newest releases. Whether I am in the mood to light comedy, sentimental stuff, or just a weird series with actual plot, Tenchi Muyo can satisfy my needs.
From the mind of Rumiko Takahashi comes: Urusei Yatsura or "Those Obnoxious Aliens." It is the story of the ever incorrigable, unluckiest boy in the world, Ataru Moroboshi and his alien feénce, Lum. It all starts one average day, when an alien race of Oni arrives to conquer Earth. The only way the Humans can survive is if they win a game of tag with the Oni princess, Lum, in 7 days. However, the person randomly selected to defend the Earth is the lecherous Ataru. Ataru finds trouble catching her however because of one small problem... Lum can fly! Needless to say, endowed with determination from a marrage promise that his girlfriend, Shinobu, makes to him, Ataru eventually catches her on the 7th day.
A large mix-up occures though, and Ataru finds himself engaged to Lum! Shinobu leaves him, and he finds himself with a mate who not only has the body of a supermodel, but dresses in nothing but a tiger-striped bikini, has horns, can fly, and can deliver electric shocks! Lum's mix of jealousy combined with Ataru's habit of girl-chasing spells trouble for this unlucky teenager.
More trouble ensues when Lum's alien friends (and enemies) come down to Earth to join her! Not to mention Ataru's own enemies are quite happy causing trouble. Every episode is full of chaos and laughter, plot tends to change drastically from the love affairs of Ataru and Lum, to a wild goose chase involving the entire cast! Magic items, hair-brained scheems, wild science fiction, tortured relationships, pure lunacy, complex plot development, love and lechery all combine into one HUGE series which spans over a hundred episodes, six movies, and six OAVs.
Commentary by Fireball 13: Urusei Yatsura is my favorite series. It encorporates EVERYTHING that anime can offer. The plot development is wonderful and the characters are unique and interesting. I like the fact that the episodes can range from utter chaos to heart-felt tragedy, and that it doesn't take prior knowledge of the series to enjoy it (although it helps.) Unfortunately, the series seems to be unique in the fact that most people have only two opinions of it. Either they love it, or they hate it. It takes a certain crowd to appreacate it, and is not recommended for the beginning otaku. If you tend to lean towards serious anime, this isn't for you. Otherwise you should find it thouroghly enjoyable.
Hitomi Kanzaki is a typical high school student. She's on the
track team, she has a handsome boyfriend, and she can tell the future by
using tarot cards and her pendant (well, maybe she's not that typical...),
but when Hitomi's boyfriend promises to kiss her if she can break
her own time on the 100 meter dash, then Hitomi's life becomes anything
but typical... As she runs a column of light suddenly appears in front
of her. A dragon appears out of the column followed by a boy named Van
carrying a sword. Van manages to slay the dragon thanks to Hitomi's
warning. Van reaches down to pull the dragon's heart, a pink crystal
called an energist, and then he is transported back to his own world.
Unfortunately, Hitomi is pulled back with him! As war ravages his
homeland, Van uses the Energist to call upon the ancient mecha called Escaflowne....
Thus begins an epic tale that takes Hitomi, Van, and many others to the
ends of the war-torn world Gaia. On the way, the characters must
learn about themselves, their feelings, and a mysterious thing called Fate...
Commentary by Akane: Escaflowne is absolutely beautiful. By far the best anime I have ever seen, I feel inspired and awe-stricken after every episode. The music is top-notch, causing the compact discs from the show to be sold out nearly everywhere. The animation is some of the best out there. The wonderful story, rich characters and well-concieved plot actually make you feel as if you're there with Van and Hitomi fighting for the freedom of Gaia. I've watched this anime time and time again and sincerely hope that it's picked up by an American company soon.
With a new found kitten in his hands and agents of a major corporation
at chasing them, Ryunosuke and his dad Kyosuke, holds on for a ride that
ends up in a junkyard. Sadly, the kitten is nearly fatally injured. Kyosuke
manages to transfer the mind of the kitten into the his invention, a powerful
humanoid robot. As it turns out, it's his ex-wife Akiko who's after the
robot.
But, hey, there's nothing to worry about since Nuku-Nuku is here! The cat's
mind takes on the humanoid robot and lives as a normal (?) high school
girl. Jealous of Nuku-Nuku's cuteness, Akiko gets even scarier when she
goes all out in a fight to destroy Nuku-Nuku and get her dear Ryunosuke-chan
back from a such a "dangerous machine"! Who will get Ryunosuke?
Can an agreement be made? And most importantly, can Nuku-Nuku hide her
own secret from her classmates while trying to stay on a healthy diet of.....dried
sardines?
After the 1st Toshinden Tournment, a tournment where fighter using weapons
competed to submission, the underground organization running it appears
to fall apart. However, this wasn't so, instead it turns out the
organization was merely using the tournment to gain the information it
needed to create these new warriors, one's programmed to read their opponents'
moves. Once again, Eiji, Kayin, Ellis, Sofia, and the rest of the
Toshinden crew are going to fight, but this time to stop the take over
of the world.
In this release, it requires the veiwer to be some-what knowledgable to
the 1st videogame that came over. Otherwise it looks like just another
fighting anime. The storyline in the 2 part OAV is really just what
happens between Battle Arena Toshinden 1 and 3 on the Sony Playstation.
Nothing too special to note unless you are a fan of Battle Arena Toshinden.
Black Magic deals with an experimental android, the M-66, which gets loose and endlessly pursues the target in it's test program- the grandaughter of it's creator. To get an idea of what this is like, imagine an anime version of the original Terminator movie. Short but nice.
This OAV concerns a group of female police officers who are trying to
bring down a white female slavery ring. It is replete with action and carefully
sprinkled with humor, but when all is said and done, is very average.
The story is about this new drug, which unlike all drugs, is virtual. Will the heroines discover that throughout their cases that there lies a bigger danger? Overall, this OVA is average. Please note that this OVA series does not have the same cast as the original
In the future, mankind is faced once again with how do we evolve past
ourselves. One method that a corporation, best described as the Microsoft
in robotics, developed was a new form of robot that looks like an extremely
buff man. Behind the looks however is where the power lies, these
robots make Superman look like a wimp.
Looks like a great anime fighting anime, right.... Looks can be deceiving,
in volume 1 there are 2 fights, and only one can be considered a fight(a
lame one at that). We didn't bother w/ volume 2 at all. Don't
be fooled, this anime is not what it seems. Definately a stinker.
Availability: US Manga Corps
Rating: 7
Short Description: Futuristic police with tanks battle crime
The Tank Police aren't very well-liked by the public. While this
might be due in part to their slight problem of causing massive property
damage while apprehending criminals, nonetheless, they are essential to
keeping the criminals at bay (as they're the first to point out). Leona's
just been transferred to the Tank Police. Captain Briton isn't happy
about having her there, especially after she wrecks his favorite tank.
After Leona, and another officer, Al, build, the "toy tank" Bonaparte,
and start cleaning up Dominion, the Captain grudgingly accepts her.
But, now Leona, Al, and Bonaparte have worse problems than Briton.
They've just found out about a government conspiracy, and in order to stop
it, they have to team up with the criminal gang of Baoru, and the
Puma Sisters!
An excellent comedy with a serious theme underlying it, Tank Police is
quite fun, and manages to balance its serious theme quite well with the
comedy. Some of the characters are kind of one-sided, but that is
to be expected with comedy. US Manga Corps does its usual excellent
job with the subtitling. The animation is good, as is most of the
music. I wish they could have repeated the animation less in the beginning.
Maybe an actual opening would have helped this.
Leona, Al and Bonaparte are back! This time they're up against
a shadowy corporation, a la Genom, that is trying to stop the mayor's weapons
bill from passing. The corporation decides to halt the bill by killing
the mayor! Fortunately the Tank Police are able to save her honor,
but now it's up to Leona, Al and the mightiest "toy tank" to
find out the corporation's plans. And the Cat Sisters (Puma sisters
in the original version) are helping them!
NDTP is a poor sequel to the original, it's worth watching, but animation
is of a lower quality than the original. Also, New Dominion
is only available dubbed, a poor decision on Manga Video's part. The story
also is as engrossing as the original, the "angst" plot with
Leona's reaction to her friend's death seems too contrived, like it was
thrown in as an after thought. Overall NDTP might be a good rental if you
enjoyed the first series, but I wouldn't bother buying it.
Based on the best-selling Final Fantasy video game series, this covers
the standard Final Fantasy plotline, except for who the heroes turn out
to be. In this four-episode OAV, an immense evil force is taking away the
power from the Crystals of the Four Elements. Only the Crystal of Wind
is safe when two kids, X and Y, safeguard the Crystal. Other Earth forces
are also after the Crystal of Wind and a misunderstanding grows into an
all out fight to get it! What can two kids do against the army of a nation
and the airship of a pirate? Let's summon a Chocobo.....and run! Eventually,
the dark forces are upon them all of them and competition turns to cooperation
to prevent the ruining of the Earth and the resurrection of the mastermind
behind this nuisiance.
The quality of the animation is not exceptional and although the plotline
is quite normal by Final Fantasy standards, this is the only entrance made
by the video game onto the anime bandwagon. The story ends quite early;
with a name like Final Fantasy, it deserves to be much longer than it is.
This 30 minute OAV tells the story of Akihiro, an average Japanese Hentaijin, who finds a carpet. When he brings it home though, a girl with magical powers named Malon, comes out. Over the course of the OAV, we learn that she comes from the land of Phantasia, which is contained in said tapestry; and that the descendant of the evil Eclair, who was exciled from Phantasia, is seeking vengence. This is a short and uncomprimisingly fun bit of animation, that really deserves to be a series.
This mini-series of 3 OAVs packs an incredible punch. This is the story of Noriko Takaya's journey into space to fight of the deadly alien threat that spells doom for the earth. Her journey is long and hard and she meets many enemies and friends along the way. Just when things seem to be lost for the Earth, and the enemies are closing in, she takes command of the top-secret, unstoppable Mecha juggernaut: the GunBuster Machine. This series has a great storyline which mixes comedy, romance, action, and giant Mecha all into one. The animation on this film is stunning. I have yet to see anything that beats it in terms of technical quality. Truely a wonder for the eyes.
I put off renting this for a long time, and now I wish I hadn't. Although it's only an hour, it's an exhilirating one. Sol Bianca is the story of an all-female band of space pirates, who carry out their buisness using a highly advance spaceship called the Sol Bianca. In the OAV their unintentional capture of a young boy leads them to a star system held by a brutal dictator. Sol Bianca boasts incredible technical quality and incredible action sequences.
What would you do if you found out the girl you liked was in love with
your best friend...and then another girl walked into your life....out of
the TV? (!) Moteuchi Youta, an unpopular guy with the girls, faces this
problem through this six-episode OAV when he meets Ai. The biggest problem,
though, is facing the fact that Ai-chan will have to leave in 30 days.
What's a guy supposed to do with all that time?
Some people really like this series, while others seem to hate it. Definetely
shojo and definetely hard to hold back your tears as this story comes to
a close.
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