Gantz

Synopsis:

Kei Kurono is sort of the anti-social type, he's not very fond of the world around him. He practically hates everyone and his main conern is nothing more than being able to buy some porn and go home and read it in peace (read... yeah, right... oookhaaay...). While waiting for the subway to arrive on his way home Kei watches as a drunken bum passes out on the railway tracks. Seeing this strange scenario take place he also notices someone he knows from school, Masaru Kato, attempting to help the unconcious hulking mass of human flesh up off the tracks before the next tram comes along. Hoping that Masaru doesn't notice him, Kei ignores the situation but to his annoyance, Masaru recognizes Kei and asks for help. Kei looks around as the public eye is upon him as all other patrons of the wait station are staring at him. Kei regrettably agrees to help but not without complaining to himself in a silent voice that no one else can hear. As the next tram approaches the two kids are able to save the stinking bum but unable to save themselves from a quick and painless demise at the face of speeding subway. But, Kei finds himself waking up in a very small apartment next to Masaru and other unknown people that contains a giant black orb that calls itself Gantz. Gantz explains that it is now in control of everyone's afterlife and if they earn enough points by hunting aliens unseen in the real world, they just might get a chance at a second life.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 26


Review:

Combining animation with CGI backgrounds and an interesting sci-fi premise Gantz seems like it has alot going for it... however, that's where everything stops. The excellent story that Gantz could have been is never really brought to fruition and the protagonists in this sci-fi world are either constantly indecisive or plain despicable leaving you feeling indifferent to everyone. The pacing is also painfully slow in that while there is some action most of the so-called heros spend their time questioning thier humanity and moral ethics by yelling at the top of their lungs instead of pulling the trigger on their gun. I believe a few episodes contain nothing more than each team member asking questions amongst themselves in the middle of a fight and absolutely no progress is made other than you yelling "Pull the trigger and shoot the damn thing!!" at the screen. Gantz really could have been so much more but due to extremely slow pacing and detached characters you end up leaving the show with just as many questions as you began with. While it's not the worst show you'll see it probably won't rock your world either as it's a series that reads good in description but fails horribly in execution but at least the animation that accompanies this show is quite good.

Gantz (opening)

Recommendation: |Low|

*Note - Y'know... the English dubbed track was actually half decent.

Battle Angel: Alita

Now it's time for a true classic among anime history, Battle Angel. Battle Angel is a cyperpunk thriller about a man named Ido that finds a broken cyborg body while rumaging through the city's junk yard. Ido manages to rebuild her however now she has no memory of her past and an even more uncertain future. The animation is superb for being released in 1993 and a cast of unfogettable characters really makes this short series worth catching at least once. What is truley amazing is that the extensively detailed plot that is crammed into a 70 minute show is never too big for it's own good and how well poished the final product is.

The main problem is that I've read that James Cameron bought the rights to Battle Angel and now the DVD is all but dried up. You can't even rent it, I'm glad I kept my VHS copy. His live action version is set to be released in 2009 and hopefully the DVD animation will come back out. I believe I saw someone had broken a dubbed version of this up into different parts on YouTube for viewing but I'm not posting links... I'll leave that to you if you really want to watch it that way. If someone has more info on the live action version coming out I'd be glad to hear it because I can't find squat on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRwwsSR_IzM

Chobits

Synopsis:

Here we have poor Hideki who failed his entrance exam for college. Determined to make it in Hideki moves to Tokyo to study harder and try again. While moving into his new apartment he notices that someone has thrown out what seems to be a perfectly good female persecon... a robot. Unable to afford a new persecon, Hideki takes the one he finds in the garbage home and turns it on. When it boots up however she has no operating system and only knows the word "Chii" therefore he decides to just call her Chii. Although not what he expected, Hideki decides to try take care of Chii anyway and teaching her about life in hopes that she can help him study, take care of the apartment, and maybe download some porn from the internet. Over time though he discovers that Chii may be part of an urban legend called the Chobits which is a persecon so advanced that it is capable of human emotion and has a connection with all the other persecons all over the world.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 28 (24 episodes, 3 recaps, 1 minisode)


Review:

Chobits has a yesteryear sci-fi vibe going one which is one of a kind and that's one of the things that made this show remarkable in it's own way. It's the plot of "can man love a machine" type of story but Chobits presents it extremely well as Hideki and Chii are a truly one of a kind couple. It was also interesting as within the series' run, you will see everyone has thier own side story which gives the show an amazing amount of character depth and it doesn't feel like filler material. On the downside however, the show does waste 3 of it's episodes as recaps which are nothing more than a complete waste of time and can be skipped by the avid anime viewer. With some fantastic character depth giving everyone a story to tell in this series that combines romance and comedy in one great package. Don't be put off with the somewhat primitive looking animation and the throw-back 70's styled soundtrack... it gives Chobits it's own look and feel that honestly, has yet to be matched. Don't pass on this one-of-a-kind romantic comedy.

Chobits (opening)

Recommendation: |High|

Zeiram: The Animation

Synopsis:

Well, while I'm currently watching yet another series I'm gonna go back and reminisce about another great, underrated show... Zeiram: The Animation. A sci-fi anime that is supposedly a prequel to the live action movies that kind of remind me of a Power Rangers episode, Zeiram tells the story of a young bounty hunter named Iria that is following in the footsteps of her brother, Gren, and become a famous bounty hunter.

During a rescue mission of the hi-jacked spaceship called Karma... Gren, Iria, and their partner Bob encounter Zeiram... an indestructible alien and a battle ensues. The spaceship is eventually destroyed and while Iria survives, Gren and Bob disappear and are no where to be found. Even though the authorities turn a blind eye, Iria sets out to track down her brother and what became of the infamous Zeiram.

Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 6

Review:

Zeiram is an often overlooked series I quite enjoyed back in the day. The plot may seem a little typical, amatuer bounty hunter wants revenge for a family member, but what really stands out is the world in which the story takes place. It has a steam-punk look and feel to it. While everything looks beat up and run down being held together with gauze and duct tape it's perfectly everyday living for Iria. The animation is above average, especially for 1994, but the characters are somewhat lacking. Aside from Iria and Zeiram no one really stands out other than the fact that they're there, but these two combined with a decent story dropped into a unique universe makes this anime worth checking out. Yeah, it's old and the animation is dated but Zeiram tells a great story and has the perfect atmosphere, give it a shot... you might actually like this forgotten title of ages past.

Iria - Zeiram: The Animation (opening)

Recommendation: |High|

Shuffle!

Synopsis:

Rin is your average everyday guy, he goes to school, he works a part time job but he lives with his childhood friend Kaede. Things are a little different in this universe as the gateway to heaven and hell is open and both gods and demons live amongst everyone. Imagine his surprise when Rin discovers both the King of Demons and the King of Gods become his next door neighbors and both insist that Rin marries their daughter. To make things worse, a young 13-year old experiment of both the gods and the demons named Primula has escaped and made her way to the human world and Rin, being the nice guy that he is, tries to help her when he sees her attempting to adapt to society. Of course, this causes Primula to instantly latch onto Rin and garnishes him constant teasing from his friends. With nowhere to go, Rin and Kaede move Primula in with them. Rin is an honest down to earth character and therefore doesn't mess around with anyone's affections but more like avoids them. This causes all the girls' true selves to be revealed and actually things get quite scarey towards the end and the main question will be answered, who does Rin decide on?


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24


Review:

Shuffle! takes what seems to be a highly original idea but refuses to push the envelope with it leaving you with a somewhat stilted story of watching magical and regular everyday girls all vying for one guy. Luckily there are some great characters here presented in an honest yet lighthearted manor that makes each one stand out on thier own merit. However, unlike most harem/fantasy/romance anime I've watched... all this changes. This is where it becomes even more interesting. While the series starts out in a hilarious manor this diminishes completely over time and becomes more of an over-dramatization of everything that is going on. While this is quite different, it almost (key note: almost) works against the whole series.

I do recommend it though as the animation was decent and all in all it was a blast and if you're not in the mood for anything too serious but things do get a tad ridiculous towards the end. But, unlike most harem anime series, it does keep you guessing as to which girl will get the man. Personally, I think he should have gone for Primula just to cause a commotion, and besides... lolis got it goin' on!

Shuffle! (opening)

Recommendation: |Above Average|

Online viewing: Available at FUNimation's website

Shuffle! (subbed and dubbed)

Media Type: Free internet streaming
From: FUNimation
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English

*Note - FUNimation's online player is not bad. It's not that good either but... not bad. I recommend using Firefox with the Ad Block Plus plug-in to avoid ads and go straight to the video with no waiting.

Please Teacher

Synopsis:

High school student Kei Kusanagi suffers from a mental instability that causes him to pass out and "withdraw" from the world when overwhelmed by emotions of any kind. Even though his mind is still functioning his body ceases to progress with time. Therefore even though he looks 15 he is technically 18 due to the previous amount of "withdraws" he's had throughout the years.

One night Kei awakens in the middle of a forest after passing out, or withdrawing, he notices a bright light coming right at him. Of course Kei runs away in fear but this causes him to lose his footing and falls in the lake and passes out again. He wakes the next day in his own bed and thinking it's dream and heads off to school to find out he now has a new teacher, the 23 year old Mizuho Kazami. When Kei arrives home after school he sees that his new neighbor is actually his teacher and being the nice guy that he is offers to help her move in. However, while they are talking Mizuho accidentally mentions the incident in the forest and Kei immediately knows it was her and tries to run but ends up withdrawing from the real world again. The next day, Mizuho attempts to confront Kei in the sports locker room but the two end up being locked in and after a lengthy conversation they begin to enjoy each others company, they are eventually discovered by the school's headmaster...

Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 13

Review:

Please Teacher was probably one of the first anime series that I watched that focused on the whole 'student/teacher' relationship and it still remains one of the best. Not only do you watch as Kei and Mizuho deal with keeping the secrecy of a forbidden romance but also the trials and tribulations of two people thrown into an uncomfortable situation yet have a relationship that grows quite strong over the 13 episode run. The only downside to the show is that there are some episodes that tend to focus on other characters to give it some variety but these come across as somewhat of a waste of time as these small side plots have nothing to do with the overall show other than providing character depth to people who don't have any overall affect on the show.

Overall, Please Teacher tells a decent romance story with some sci-fi undertones that aren't fully explored but do give the show a uniqueness of it's own. The animation is a tad dated and Kei's dorkness might even annoy you at times but it's still a solid romance spread across 13 episodes which keeps you interested till the end with a satisfying closure to everything.

Please Teacher (opening)

Recommendation: |Above Average|

Perfect Blue

Synopsis:

We begin by seeing the fictional j-pop (Japanese Pop) band CHAM! performing for a somewhat unruley crowd. After a set, one of the band members Mia Kirigoe announces that this is her last concert and will be moving on to a new career as an actress. Shortly thereafter Mima receives a fax calling her a traitor as Mima seems to have upset a lurking stalker that has only admired her from afar... up till now.


Reviewer: Endosanity


Review:

Perfect Blue is only average in being a thriller as it isn't really discreet on trying to cover the villain in a cloak of mystery as a good amount of foreshadowing is presented within the first 10 minutes of the film... or is your attention merely being drawn away? Doing this seems to destroy a lot of the films mystery but as you continue to watch Mima changing careers you'll follow her on a downward spiral as her new choice of income involves her going from a cute pink dress wearing pop singer to posing nude and acting out rape scenes all for the sake of popularity as an actress. You even begin to grow disgusted with her character as she's throwing all her moral values out the window on a whim.

But with this new trend the bodies of co-workers around her start to pile up. Mima believes her stalker may have finally taken action... but then, she also questions her own sanity as the shock of going from a highly regarded singer to an un-reputable actress is taking it's toll.

Simply put Perfect Blue is a psychological thriller, and a decent one at that. But where Perfect Blue suffers is that, unlike most anime, when it's all said and done it just all seems relatively average and shows no sign of any real imagination invested in it. There is nothing here that makes it stand out as you may have seen something like this in another movie or some weekly crime-drama television show. The animation itself is rather dated looking even for being released in 1997 and the characterization is nil but then again, not really needed for this type of feature. I guess I would still recommend it because it may even somewhat appeal to anime and non-anime fans alike just don't expect anything extra because what you see is what you get.

Perfect Blue (trailer)

Recommendation: |Average|

Online viewing: Netflix

Media type: Netflix "Watch Instantly" feature with paid subscription
From: Manga Entertainment
Spoken languages: English
Subtitles: None

DearS

Synopsis:

The DearS storyline is about already having aliens, the DearS, and humans co-exist (at least in Japan) due to a spaceship that crashlanded on earth. We begin as our man Takeya is on his way home from school and sees a robed figure sitting by the roadside, curious, he asks if they are okay or injured. However, when the figure looks up he can clearly see that it's a woman, she stands up and reaches out to him and heals a small cut on his cheek. Thinking that this woman is some kind of weirdo, Takeya turns and heads for home but just then she passes out and falls over in front of a speeding truck and in a last second decision Takeya pulls her out of the way saving her from becoming roadkill. After the incident, Takeya gets a closer look at the robed woman and realizes that she is a DearS alien but at that moment she wakes up and pledges to become his slave for eternity then passes out again. Well, Takeya can't just very well leave her on the street so he takes her home and tries to figure out what to do...


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 13


Review:

Simply put, DearS is your run of the mill aliengirl-meets-Joe-Schmoe anime with it's fair share of fanservice and ecchiness to accompany the shows humor. Although the shows premise is interesting it isn't explained very well in the 13 episodes we're given and everything feels rushed and extremely lacking at the same time... with only 13 episodes DearS wastes time on character depth that you tend to find uninteresting instead of focusing on the series' main characters. Also, Takeya's bullheadedness against the DearS is lame and makes little to no sense and his constant whining and complaining gets annoying very quickly. Another thing is, this show goes the opposite direction and uses, ugh... male tsundereness. Yes, watching Takeya breakdown over the series made me practically hate him and his redemption was too little too late, but luckily Ren (the DearS that Takeya rescues) has her own cuteness helped make it an amusing series overall and a decent waste of time in it's short run.

But, that is also the downside to DearS in that it was too short and left far too many loose ends that will never be tied up with a season 2. The best way to watch DearS is as a filler series while waiting for your next favorite episode to become available so give it a shot... but only if you have nothing better to do. Don't get me wrong though, the series does have it's own charm, you just have to do a little digging to find it.

DearS (AMV)

Recommendation: |Average|

Ghost Talker's Daydream

Synopsis:

Combining a spiritual medium and a dominatrix seems like a career choice that can't go wrong, hmm? Piqued your interest a little bit did I? Ghost Talker's Daydream takes this idea and seemingly falls flat on it's face because as the film progresses it makes little sense other than giving the heroine Saiki Misaki a reason to parade around in skimpy leather outfits. While this is not necessarily a bad thing it might have worked better had she not the albino tom-boyish figure going on. Dear god... now I'm commenting on the sex appeal of an anime character... how low I have sunk. (sigh)


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 3


Review:

Ghost Talker's main plot is that of spiritual medium Misaki being hired out for odd jobs by a contact of hers named Souichirou usually having to relay messages from the dead that still may haunt a certain area. By doing this they are usually able to find what is disturbing the spirit and discover some way of appeasing it. While this seems like a ghost story that could work the problem lies in the fact that these are four separate episodes containing three different stories and you're basically assaulted with storytelling on speed that's taking a potentially huge problem and solving it in 20 mintues. Maybe if it was one big issue that was spread out over the four episodes it could have even given time for a decent plot and maybe some character depth of which there really is none. You're given a look into a bit of Misaki's past but it's too little too late and it doesn't bring you any closer to her or her spiritual guardian Kinue. Nor are we given explanation for Souichirou's whimpering antics that are somehow mysteriously overshadowing his expertise in Judo and when it's all said and done you just don't care.

This short series also in some aspects wants you to take it seriously at times but this is almost impossible as every characters facial exagerassions (gigantic eyes, fangs, mouth bigger than thier face) will kill that tone immediately. Especially when half an episode is spent watching Saiki Misaki trying to grow pubic hair instead of focusing on a spiritual disturbance. From the elevator music inspired soundtrack to the average animation Ghost Talker's Daydream is nothing more than a seemingly good idea but presented in a way that really didn't make any sense to help support it. This anime series is supposedly loosely based off the manga and as such the viewer to have read that already (which I didn't, color me concerned). In the end, I don't really recommend it because it can all be summed up in one word... boring.

The English track? Couldn't tell you, I didn't even bother with it.

Ghost Talker's Daydream (music video)

Recommendation: |Low|

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette

Synopsis:

After sitting through Le Portrait de Petit Cossette I'm almost kind of stunned that it's sort of a hard show to explain. Is that a good thing? In this case, not necessarily so. Working in an antique shop Eiri Kurahashi recently receives a shipment of 18th century items. After unpacking them and setting them on display Eiri begins to see a girl within the glass reflections living out a ghostly life and even acknowledging Eiri's existence. Eventually Eiri becomes infatuated with the girl in the reflection, she makes contact with Eiri at midnight one evening and she tells him her name is Cossett and that if he wishes to be with her that he must suffer for the sins of another.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 3


Review:

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette would be what many consider gothic horror but I wasn't getting that kind of feeling from this anime. I could be mistaken or maybe I wasn't trying hard enough to comprehend this because it only felt like a ghost story to me. You'll spend most of the time in Eiri's psychosis watching him endure both physical and mental anguish as Cossette inflicts deep wounds that also affect his body in the real world. This makes Eiri believe that on the inside he's becoming closer to Cossette, but on the outside he's taversing a path of self-destruction. But herein lies the problem I had with this show as the realms of reality and psychoanalogy run parallel to each other so close that alot of times it's hard to tell which side of the fence you're on since you get pushed around with no real explination how or why you got there although some may take a liking to this type of storytelling.

With animation that seems fairly decent at times and dated at other points Le Portrait de Petit Cossette's plot may appeal to some who may appreciate spending more time trying to decipher it's phychosomatic gothic imagry more than just enjoy it as a ghost story. So, if I could sum it up my thoughts would be "I liked it but not really." Confusing enough?

Le Portrait de Petit Cossette (main theme/trailer)

Recommendation: |Low|

Parasite Dolls

Synopsis:

Genom City, city of the future where androids called Boomers and humans co-exist in almost near harmony. Parasite Dolls is a set of three seperate stories that focuses on the gritty underworld of Genom City and darker side of the almost too beautiful human looking Boomers. Boomers, not without thier own problems, may tend to go beserk for no aparent reason and of course are hated by pro-human terrorists. Each episode is about a division of the police called Branch that investigates deeper into these issues and usually discovers some underlying secret that may involve drugs, crazed politicians, and big corporate coverups.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 3


Review:

The vast futuristic city of Genom may seem like alot to take in a first but in actuality there really isn't alot to it and you quickly catch onto the terminology used when everyone is speaking which is nice but the animation to match it is seems sub-par for 2004. Where Parasite Dolls may come up a bit short is with the overall story, you're lead by the hand from beginning to end with no plot twists to make anything overly interesting or even take advantage of that futuristic world you're given and ultimatly remains average. Although this series didn't really need to provide any type of character depth it still gives you a little which is a nice touch and did work for what little there was. You can't help but like investigator Buzz as he solves each of the three cases in a calm and collected manner and may even take a liking to the other Branch team members as they display some small sign of uniqueness even though they don't get much screen time.

Just a note, if you want to be drawn in more to the universe of Parasite Dolls you'd have to watch The Bubblegum Crisis and AD Police anime series as everything takes place in Genom City and each is a spin-off of the other. None of them are directly related in that you *have* to watch those shows but it does help you to appreciate Parasite Dolls a little more. The English voice acting was decent enough but I don't think I'd recommend this as a standalone series as it wasn't all that spectacular.

*Note - that cover art and the stories within don't really match that well.

Parasite Dolls (opening)

Recommendation: |Low|

Paprika

When I first glanced upon the cover art for Paprika I thought "What is this? An anime version of Yellow Submarine?" with all it's psychedelic color blending and odd looking artwork but man was I ever way off the mark.


Synopsis:

What Paprika really is, to me, is a sci-fi anime. It's about a device called the "DC Mini" that is used for psychotherapy treatment by allowing doctors to analyze a patients dreams by displaying whats going on in thier head on a monitor. However, this type of treatment is not officially legal yet and so it's use is kept under wraps but one of the scientists on the project, Atsuko Chiba, begins to use the DC Mini outside the research facility to treat patients and this is where we are introduced to Dr. Chiba's dream avatar Paprika. She uses Paprika to help patients to decipher what is going on in the dream and pinpoint where diffent feelings are coming from and what causes them. As it turns out though, someone else has stolen three other prototypes of the DC Mini and has started to use them to invade other peoples dreams and even implant thier own thoughts and ideas into peoples psychosis causing them to perform malicious deeds or even just commit suicide. Through extended usage of the DC Mini the realm of dreams and reality begin to merge as the team of researchers work with the DC Mini try to prevent that from happening.


Reviewer: Endosanity


Reviewer:

Paprika is simply an amazing film. Try not to be put off by it's 60s looking head-tripping animation as that's not the case. It's really a well thought out sci-fi story that's taking reality and dreams and combining them into one universe. The thing is though is that Paprika won't let you get lost as to which realm you're venturing through and with this hand-holding you don't get lost or confused as to whats going on. This is what I liked most about this movie since it's taking a potentially confusing plot that may baffle some but keeping you in check so you can really enjoy it and not have to worry about having to backstep just to try and understand something. This is all presented with top notch animation and CGI that have been combined flawlessly.

The cast of characters for Paprika are quite the variety from the obese but child-like Dr. Kosaku Tokita, and the anxiety stricken Detective Toshimi, to the strict and mysterious Chairman of the research facility, and of course Paprika... Dr. Atsuko Chiba herself. Putting these characters into a plot that is one of a kind makes for a *highly* original and enjoyable film. Although, I sort of wished there was more explanation to Paprika herself and how she came to be but I suppose there is only so much time that can be put into the film. I recommend this film without a second thought but I will say that the English track is rough... sorry guys, I had to switch to subtitles as I could only take so much of Paprika's robotic voice-over.

Paprika (trailer)

Recommendation: |High|

Black Lagoon

Synopsis:

You like gun fights? You like gun fights with lots of explosions and bullet riddled bodies? You like gun fights with lots of explosions and bullet riddles bodies all being caused by a woman wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes and combat boots? Friend, if you answered "Yes!" to any of these questions then welcome to the Black Lagoon Pirate... I mean, Delivery Company.

Here we have low man on the totem pole Rokuro Okajima trying to make a living as a salaryman and constantly getting put down and kicked around by his superiors. He's sent on what he thinks is a simple business trip but lucky for him the sea vessel that he is on is taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon. As it turns out Okajima has a data disk that the Black Lagoon wants in his briefcase and as insurance and a little extra ransom money Okajima is also taken hostage. Of course, what giant corporation is gonna give a rats-ass about a lowley little peon businessman and of course he's cast aside. Instead of going down like a bitch, Okajima becomes a participant of the smuggling operation and joins the Black Lagoon with a little encouragement from crew members Dutch and Revy. With Okajima's smarts he becomes the Black Lagoon's negotiator and so begins his trancendense from mild mannered businessman to high seas pirate.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24


Reviewer:

Black Lagoon is nothing more than mindless balls-to-the-wall action full of over the top gun fights with bullets constantly whizzing by, tons of shit blowing up, a huge body count, and one kick ass lady named Revy that loves nothing more than to cause as much destruction as possible and it's all put together with killer animation. Man I loved this show, there's nothing to think about here, 12 episodes of smuggling, theft, kidnapping, and one mans acceptance into this world so take that one big complicated plot and toss it out the window cause you won't need it. The people of the Black Lagoon are quite the characters because no matter how dispicable the job is they always look out for one another. There isn't much characterization here other than a slight look at Revy's past but by this time Revy has already become your favorite anti-hero... trust me. If you want something that you don't have to wrap your brain around to enjoy, by god this is it.

I apologize for not being overly thorough but for this type of anime it's just not needed. It is what it is and just a great waste of time from beginning to end.

Black Lagoon (opening)

Recommendation: |High|