Appleseed: Ex Machina

Synopsis:

After World War III, the world has become a desolate place save for one nation called Olympus. It's a technological utopian metropolis but it's not without it's fair share of problems. Keeping the peace are E.S.W.A.T. members Deunan Knute, who is one woman you don't want to mess with, and her cyborg partner Briareos. During a hostage rescue mission Briareos is injured from a blast that hospitalizes him leaving Deunan without a partner. To fill Briaros's place a bioroid (genetically engineered human) named Tereus is assigned to her that looks exactly like Briareos did before he became a cyborg. Both are then assigned as security for an International Conference that would put all nations' satellites under Olympus' control however by doing so the technology that's used to protect humanity now becomes the tool to destroy it.


Reviewer: Endosanity


Review:

Appleseed: Ex Machina is a CGI sci-fi action flick from producer John Woo and I'll tell you right up front, he does not disappoint the masses. From the highly detailed computer animation to the magnificently choreographed gun fights Ex Machina is a thrill ride from start to finish that barely gives you a chance to catch you breath before the barrage of bullets starts flying again. With it's highly original depiction of a futuristic utopia to the intriguing but not overly complicated plot and it's cast of hardcore action heros this is one movie that is very easy to enjoy and will appeal to you even if you're not a fan of CGI. However, Ex Machina is a sequel to the 2004 movie Appleseed so you're not going to get alot in the way of character depth for Deunan or Briareos but in all honesty... you won't miss it as you don't even need to see Appleseed to enjoy Ex Machina as a stand alone movie. Simply put, you'll be so caught up watching these two kick ass and take names, that worrying about their past will be the last thing on your mind. Luckily, Ex Machina doesn't rely on action alone as it has a fairly decent plot that may be a bit typical but works extremely well in not burdening the viewer to have to think very hard so as the plot can be enjoyed along with the action and characters in equal doses.

Highly recommended even if you have or haven't seen the original Appleseed, it's still one remarkable movie and one hell of a great time.

Appleseed: Ex Machina (trailer)

Recommendation: |High|

Karas: The Prophecy & Karas: The Revelation

Synopsis:

Karas is the story of humans and demons living in alternate realities however they run parallel to each other, in other words the demons are there... you just can't see them. Some demons have started to reveal thier existence however and started lashing out and killing humans for thier blood. To maintain the peace between the two worlds is Karas, a warrior created by the spirit of a city called Yurine, which resembles an albino cat-like girl, who uses the soul of one human to act as Karas. This time she has chosen Otoha, a former Yakuza member that is second to none when it comes to wielding a sword. The source of the recent demon attacks in the human realm is traced back to Eko, a former Karas who after 400 years has grown tired of protecting the city and the human world altogether and thier arrogance towards demons and takes it upon himself to erradicate humanity.


Reviewer: Endosanity


Review:

Let me tell you, Karas is one fantastic looking anime and that's also the problem... it's one fantastic looking anime. This two part movie (which is actually 6 episodes spliced together) is all flash and lacks any substance what-so-ever which only has you looking forward to the next fight to get started. This wouldn't be a bad thing if the focus was supposed to be all action and didn't reside in the 3 hour span but alas Karas tries to tell a story of sentient beings who lived on our planet long before us but you probably won't care as this story just doesn't match up well with the level of action being presented. The whole thing comes off as confusing sometimes and when things are being explained in dialog a huge fight breaks out and then you lose track of what was going on as you'll be caught-up in the next melee battle and when it's over you forget what anyone was talking about.

I found Karas relatively average, just because an anime looks good doesn't mean it is good. The movie can't seem to explain itself in 3 hours mainly because it spends most of the time dazzling the viewer but damn if it ain't one slick looking show. I'm not sure if I can recommend Karas as I was growing bored with it amongst all the destruction going on there wasn't much of a point of why it was happening. If you want to watch full body armored samurai fight to the death then give it a shot but if you want a story driven movie with great characters to match then you'll want to pass... this isn't it. But if this may be up your alley then grab Karas: The Prophecy and Karas: The Revelation at the same time as it's one long movie from start to finish.

Karas (trailer)

Recommendation: |Below Average|

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.