Archive for 'Japanese Anime' Category
Appleseed Ex Machina directed by Shinji Aramaki (2007)
13 March 2008A John Woo produced CG sequel to the last Appleseed film, that far exceeds the original film, even if it does have a some rough edges. Still it is nice to finally have some good character development in Duenan and Briareos, even fi their friends Hitomi and Yoshi are given second thrift. The film has […]
Vexille ベクシル 2077日本鎖国 by Sori Fumihiko (2007)
7 February 2008An visually stunning, but overall mediocre 3D animated film from the people who made the last Appleseed movie. You can really tell that this is the same creative team, because it shares a lot, including a beautiful lead female and her piloting a giant robot in a futuristic world. The movie is decent, but the […]
Paprika adapted and directed by Satoshi Kon (2006)
17 January 2008Another mind blowing film, that is not at all your typical anime, in fact I would say Kon’s films are only animated because it would cost too much to make them live action. This film is totally insane, but does make sense. This film is really an amazing trip into the subconscious. And the animation […]
Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl (かしまし ～ガール・ミーツ・ガール～) Vol. 3 Bittersweet Decision by Nakanishi Nobuaki (2006)
9 November 2007The 3rd volume of this light hearted series filled with quite a bit of fan service diverges heavily from the manga, and then quickly ends, and in this case seems to have 2 separate endings, now maybe this stuff happens later in the series, but here is is to sped up, and they skip such […]
Freedom Project Episodes 3 and 4 by Morita Shuhei (2006)
7 November 2007Continuing on with this computer animated tale, based on Artwork by Otomo Katsuhiro is still quite enjoyable, even with the constant sticking in of Cup Of Noodles (since they paid for it, but that really doesn’t excuse the price of these discs which is just insane). I like the story and the animation, just can’t […]
Desert Punk (砂ぼうず) created by Masatoshi Usune directed by Inagaki Takayuki (2004)
25 September 2007I saw the first episode of this Gonzo produced DVD off of a NewType USA dvd when my friend Ryan Hill was in town and was intrigued, not only by the live action opening, but the wacky humor, and great action scenes. So once the whole series was released in a reduced price set I […]
Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl (かしまし ～ガール・ミーツ・ガール～) Vol. 2 Triangles Hurt by Nakanishi Nobuaki (2006)
9 September 2007The second volume of Kashimashi follows the first, with the misadventures of Hazumu who has become a girl, and his love affairs with the 2 woman in his/ her life. This one actually differs from the manga more than the first volume, while following the overall story, it does vary more. Still enjoyable and silly […]
MADLAX (マドラックス) by Mashimo Koichi (2004)
23 August 2007An interesting Anime follow to the amazing hit anime NOIR, and again featuring women and guns, but this one is quite different, and not completely in a good way. While I liked the main characters a lot, and I really wanted to find out what was happening with the story, as you are kept in […]
Area 88 (エリア88) by Imagake Isamu (2004)
2 August 2007I read some of the original manga by Shintani Kaoru which was one of the first Manga to be released in the US, and saw and really enjoyed some of the 1985 original OVA, so I was interested in seeing the new series, especially with computer graphics showing the plane battles. This is an enjoyable […]
Ghost in a Shell Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society by Kamiyama Kenji (2006)
27 July 2007A sequel to the second season of Ghost in a Shell Stand Alone Complex, this one manages to bring Motoko back into the fold of section 9, and could easily lead to another series, but this is an epic movie, and really worth checking out. I know it isn’t quite the same as the movies […]
Tales from Earthsea (ゲド戦記) by Miyazaki Goro (å®®å´å¾æ) 2006
26 July 2007Whenever a new Studio Gibli film is released I of course jump on it right away, because they have yet to release a film that I did not love. And I was epecially interested in seeing how the great Miyazaki Hayao’s son would do in his first directing job, and I must say I was […]
Freedom Project Episodes 1 and 2 by Morita Shuhei (2006)
25 July 2007An computer generated OVA project based on the artwork of the great Otomo Katsuhiro, this is a 6 episode OVA about a colony on the moon. The computer animation is top notch, though the cell shaders still have a little way to go before they can rival 2 D animation. The story seems pretty enjoyable […]
Gunbuster 2 Volume 3 by Tsurumaki Kazuya (2003)
24 July 2007The final volume of Gunbuster 2 brings Gunbuster back to the original, even aping the signature female pilot having to rip the front of the robot apart, and ripping her top off in the process (these are OVA’s after all). And in this the series vastly improves, and really becomes a great companion and sequel […]
Gunbuster 2 Volume 2 by Tsurumaki Kazuya (2003)
23 July 2007This Gunbuster continues the silliness and doesn’t quite get serious yet, or really into the main story, or tell what is really going on. It is still good anime, with giant old school looking robots fighting crazy alien robots, and some serious fan service. This was still enjoyable, but I didn’t really see how this […]
Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl (かしまし ～ガール・ミーツ・ガール～) Vol. 1 Role Reversal by Nakanishi Nobuaki (2006)
17 July 2007Adapted from the Manga written by Akahori Satoru and drawn by Katsura Yukimaru, this is another in a long line of gender bending stories coming out of Japan like Ranma 1/2, though this one is certainly unique. The story centers on a unique lesbian love triangle in high school, where the main girl, was once […]
Gunbuster 2 Volume 1 by Tsurumaki Kazuya (2003)
9 June 2007I have always been a huge fan of GAINAX, and loved the original GUNBUSTER when I saw it. It had a true science fiction story, mixed in with some serious fan service, and finally Gainax has come back to this seminal title, and set another story in this universe. So far I have enjoyed it, […]
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles by Lee Dong Wook and Tommy Yune (2006)
11 February 2007The much anticipated follow up to Harmony Gold’s Robotech series that I grew up on is finally here, and unfortunately it seems it is not that impressive. Honestly I would have rather seen them finally do the Sentinels right (unlike the aborted series they originally tried) then skip telling that story, and continuing after both […]
FullMetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa by Mizushima Seiji (2005)
28 September 2006I was blown away by this series when I saw it on Cartoon Network, and was excited to see this continuation where we got to learn more about Edward and him being in the real world, and I was not let down at all. In fact this was an incredible ending to one of the […]
Chrono Crusade by Yuh Koh (2004)
26 July 2006I first saw some of this series on demand on the Anime network at my father’s house in Maryland and enjoyed it, so I when I saw the new box set on sale for very cheap I decided to check it out, and I must say I thouroughly enjoyed this series. I am a fan […]
R.O.D. Read or Die by Masunari Kouji and Amanda Winn Lee (2001)
23 May 2006A very enjoyable OAV that is the prequel to the Read or Die Television Series. These are 3 enjoyable episodes with the most unlikely of heroes, the worlds biggest bookworm out to save the world, but luckily she is a paper master so she can control and manipulate paper. I highly recommend this fun OAV.
REVIEW […]
Full Metal Alchemist ?????? Seasons 1-3 by Mizushima Seiji (2003-2005)
20 March 2006I had heard this was a good series, but there had been so much of that going around lately that I was pretty skeptical, but it was on adult swim and I could TIVO it so I started watching, and literally couldn’t stop. This series is amazing, all 51 episodes, starting a little silly much […]
My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari No Totoro) by Miyazaki Hayao
19 March 2006This was not the first of Miyazaki’s films I saw, but it is the cutest, and the most family and friendly and very very Japanese. I watched this with my girlfriend and her best friend, and am not sure how much they liked it, they enjoyed it and laughed, but balked at the strangeness a […]
Samurai Champloo サムライチャンプル By Watanabe Shinichiro (2004)
9 March 2006I am a huge Watanabe Shinichiro fan, and have loved not only Cowboy Bebop, but also his live action films like Cutie Honey, and I love that he worked on Storyboards for Macross Plus as well. This guy has a great history. And this series is another amazing series from him, maybe not as good […]
Final Fantasty VII: Advent Children by Nomura Tetsuya and Nozue Takeshi (2004)
4 March 2006Now I played a little of Final Fantasy VII, but gave up on it, it really is not my kind of game at all, so honestly while I recognize the characters I have no idea of the story, and I was totally confused by the story, but that did not take away from my enjoyment. […]
Samurai 7 by Gonzo 2004
12 December 2005Usually I am not a fan of remakes, but I did enjoy the Magnificent 7, the western adaption of Akira Kurosawa’s masterwork THE SEVEN SAMURAI. And I did enjoy this re-interpretration of the classic story, though it is a bit surreal. In this Samurai are really supermen that can deflect huge cannon shots with their […]