Needless

Synopsis:

In A.D. 200X, World War 3 began. All of Earth's cities, including Tokyo, became the targets of bombings, and were bathed in frightful red flames. Half a century has passed since then. The contaminated former epicenter is still isolated from the city creating a hole in the middle of Japan... it is commonly known as the Black Spot. As time passed people began to inhabit this wasteland. They were deemed unnecessary by those who lived in cities. Among these unnecessary people were one who could command strange abilities. Fire, wind, gravity... they had the ability to control these supernatural powers. Thus, those who possessed Fragments were regarded with fear as... The Needless!


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24


Review:

That synopsis up there is actually the intro to the show since I couldn't have given a better synopsis on my own. Anyway, you ever watch an anime series hoping for something new or different only to find out the show falls back on some typical stereotype? The over-powered protagonist, ninjas who yell out their next attack instead of using stealth, scantily clad babes (actually, I never get tired of that one), the cool acting villain, and how the heroes get a second wind in a fight just by telling each other during the heat of battle that they can win if they work together. You know what I'm talking about. Well, what if anime took all these over-used stereotypes and put them all together, throwing in some lolis and loads of panty shots into one series and what you will get, is Needless. An anime that doesn't try to be something it's not, but instead, just the opposite.

Needless wants to be as shameful as possible and cliched as hell and damn does it succeed, and this is what makes it so great. Story? Please... it's just one gigantic battle for power of good vs. evil. The fight scenes are over-the-top epic and can stretch out for multiple episodes. And did I mention there were girls? Lots of girls... lots of half naked girls? No? Well, it's time for you to die and go to Heaven as the girls of Needless are the embodiment of awesomeness. Whether they be good or evil, underage or not, you can't help but love every minute these ladies are on screen whether it be from minor banter, fighting, or just showing you their panties, Needless manages to take all this, adding in some perfectly timed humor to the mix, and throws it into one big melting pot of chaos that you'll be more than happy to partake in.

A total "guys" anime from start to finish that doesn't want to break the mold but instead re-use it as much as possible in 24 flashy episodes. The entire show is a riot and the forced mediocrity makes it all that much better.

Needless (opening)
Needless (ending)

*Note - Quite possibly the best opening and ending for an anime... ever!

Recommendation: |High|

Mushi-shi

Synopsis:

Mushi, supernatural lifeforms that co-exist with humans but go unseen by most. Mushi are creatures of habitat that have their own methods of survival and even though the Mushi are only acting upon their own instincts, it sometimes clashes with the human way of life... even endangering it. For this there are certain individuals who can not only see the Mushi, but also, provide assistance to anyone whose life may be affected by the presence of a Mushi even though they may not know it. Ginko, is one such individual... A Mushi-shi. Ginko is a traveling man that jouneys from town to town on a never-ending quest to help humans and Mushi to co-exist even if the methods may seem unorthodox and also gives healing to individuals whose lives have been negatively affected by the presence of a Mushi. Follow Ginko in his travels to help mortals co-exist with the supernatural... one person at a time.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 26


Review:

Out of all the anime I've seen, Mushi-shi manages to do something that no other anime has. It manages to create a relaxing atmospheric viewing experience for the audience without relying on anything but it's own calming aura to captivate the viewer. There's no action, guns, or blades, no re-occurring characters, no ninjas, and no babes. Just one man trying to help people cope with the fact that there isn't always a logical explanation to everything that happens. As Ginko assists people who encounter a Mushi you begin to realize that the Mushi aren't just some trouble-making pest but rather an entity that roams on a parallel plane of existence that is doing nothing more than what comes natural. The interesting part is that each Mushi's method of survival sometimes tends to have adverse affects on some living creatures, especially humans, and this is where Ginko comes in by either expelling the Mushi, relocating them, or assisting someone in living with a Mushi.

There are also times you'll get to see Ginko learn that his intervention is not always needed either. Ginko himself is a rather likable character as his laid back attitude and his level-headed way of explaining mysterious happenings are informative and easy to understand. But, as the show progresses you might find questions start to arise in the back of your mind about Ginko himself but Mushi-shi already predicted this and there are a few episodes that are dedicated to explaining where Ginko came from and how he become a Mushi-shi. The anime even manages to give some back story as to why you only ever get to see one of his eyes after this the anime quickly returns audience to following Ginko again and to what his next challenge is.

Now, you're probably thinking that this all sounds rather boring and I'll be honest with you... if the thought having to learn something about what you're watching sounds lame then you may want to pass on this altogether. While Mushi-shi is a no-frills anime it does expect the viewer to actually learn about the Mushi through the shows episodic presentation and this is what captivated me because I actually wanted to know more about these supernatural beings and how they exist. With this, Mushi-shi is a rare and very enjoyable experience from beginning to end and is highly recommended. The only real mystery that is never solved is why is it that Ginko is wearing modern day clothes while everyone elses wardrobe is from a previous time period?

Mushi-shi (trailer)

Recommendation: |Very High|

Media type: DVD
From: FUNimation
Spoken languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English

Ghost Stories

Synopsis:

After moving back to her hometown, Satsuki Miyanoshita's first day at school doesn't go as planned when her younger brother Keiichirou decides to bring along the family cat, Kaya, to school with him. After Kaya is discovered hitching a ride in Keiichirou's backpack he decides to run off ahead but ends up going into an old school building which is said to be haunted. After teaming up with her annoying neighbor Hajime Aoyama and the schools self appointed paranormal researcher Leo Kakinoki along with Satsuki's friend Momoko, they all enter the abandoned school to search for the cat but end up encountering a troublesome little demon named Amanojaku. Although the ghost hunting youngsters manage to banish Amanojaku from the building with the help of Satsuki's deceased mothers book of spirits, something went wrong and Amanojaku ends up possessing her cat Kaya instead. Now due to local urbanization taking place, more and more spirits are re-awakening but with the help of her friends and one back talking cat with a bad attitude they decide to continue the use Satsuki's book of spirits and put the vengeful entities back in their resting place.


Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 20


Review:

Four kids and a talking animal confronting a new ghost or monster in every episode. This sounds sort of familiar but I just can't seem to put my finger on it... Anyway, Ghost Stories can be summed up in two words, horror light. It's the type of show that can create a tense an creepy atmosphere and still deliver somewhat of a scare without using any intense horror elements at all. There's no blood and no body count, even the ghosts themselves aren't very frightening in appearance but each of them does have a rather interesting story to tell as to why they still roam the world of the living. However, no matter how hopeless things look, our band of pre-pubescent paranormal sleuths always manage to find a way banish the spirit so that it never returns to our mortal world. This makes the show predictable but still enjoyable at the same time but before this anime received it's DVD release, ADV decided to do something a little different to make the show stand out in it's own way by making the English dubbed track more of a comedy routine in which it has the characters breaking the fourth wall, making American pop culture references, and just flat out ad-libbing random lines that in no way match the original script. Of course, you can see the original dialog through the subtitles but ADV's attempt to take a mediocre anime series and add a little something extra in the way of gutter humor is definitely one of a kind. As for me, I just stuck with the subtitles. Hey, if I want to laugh at raw comedy as it was intended in an animated series... I'll go watch an episode of South Park.

Even though the animation is a little dated, the self-contained ghost stories in each episode are somewhat interesting but Ghost Stories doesn't try to be overly frightening nor does it want to be. This show seems to be targeted at a younger audience... as long as you stay away from the dubbed track. Because that one little audio switch changes this series into a tongue and cheek comedy that should be kept away from a youngsters ears at all costs.

Ghost Stories (opening)

Recommendation: |Average|

Media Type: DVD
From: Section23/ADV
Languages: English;Japanese
Subtitles: English