Regular Anime Reviews (Page 1)
3x3 Eyes (OVA and Manga) 
I read the manga from Yuzo Takada. And I saw the anime (with
dubbing by "Mr. Streamline" himself, Carl Macek). But I doubt
this is the type of anime that can be ruined by a bad dub, even with
standards back then. This is the more serious aspect of Mr.
Takada; with all its demons and monsters and such. A story about
Yakumo, the independent son of an archaeologist (and one of Mr.
Takada's trademark "no-eyes" character), and Pai, the last in the line
of demons who's extremely cute for someone pushing 300 years.
This, as well as the Nuku Nuku series, are my old school favorites.
All Purpose Cultured Catgirl Nuku-Nuku TV
The tale of the lovable military robot with a cat's brain goes on a
tangent. And instead of Kyusaku and Akiko battling it out way
after their divorce; they remain a happy couple and battle it out as
costumed adversaries. Both of which cases are driving their poor
sun, Ryunosuke, up the wall. Meanwhile, we get to meet a slew of
new characters that are mainly composed of Natsuko's (alias Nuku-Nuku)
classmates and a homeroom teacher. The new enemies come in the
form of costumed loonies that run Mishima Heavy Industries (which
includes Akiko and her "backup dancers" Kyoko and Arisa, of course).
Considered a failure by more hardcore fans of Yuzo Takada's works
(which is currently part 2 of 3 series consisting of OVA's and TV
shows); this show is a refreshing spin-off as it deals with the friends
that Natsuko and Ryunosuke make despite the turmoil caused by said
costumed loonies (Kyusaku included). And it gladly joins the
ranks of the shows with the "...And Friends" theme; which includes
Tonde Buurin, Double Zeta Gundam, and Battle Athletes (Victory).
Armitage III (OVA) 
YES! The cyber-Punk technological thriller straight from the
depths of Pioneer / AIC! And I saw this as a four-part OVA series
(not the crappy movie compilation that was on the Sci-Fi Channel).
This is one of my favorites in this theme; even though it suffers
from
bad character design. It's setting is a futuristic civilization
on Mars, which is rare for an anime show besides Nadesico.
Recommended. Ask for the 4-part OVA which RULES.
El Hazard - The Magnificent World 2 (OVA)
This series begins where the last series ends. After Ifurita
sacrifices herself to save El Hazard (ending up in our own timespace
continuum, yeah you wish ^_^; ), the characters settle down and a
wedding between Miz Mishtal and Fujisawa is set. Unfortunately
Mr. Fujisawa's mountain-crazed instead of girl-crazed. So Miz,
the "older babe" that Pioneer deserves credit for creating, forces
everyone to search for him. Meanwhile, Katsuhiko Jinnai releases
yet another Demon God... And we find out that a series of
Ifuritas have been made (which explains "The Wanderer's" slightly 86'ed
Ifurita).
AIC/Pioneer was at its best in creating drool-worthy series like El
Hazard. The characters herein are that their best; visually,
mentally, and even in their worst. And the plots and subplot are
intertwined with the near perfection of a knitted cloth. And we
start to "love to hate" characters like Jinnai and Fatora instead of
outright hating them. (Jinnai, by the way, looks like he took
some lessons from Mobile Suit Gundam's Gihren Zabi.)
Excel Saga
The show is funny in it's own cryptic way. It's got a lot of
inconsistancy that keeps your mind busy. And if that doesn't
scream into your face the value of entertainment; then you should move
on to another anime. Meanwhile; the title female lead of this
show is on methanphetamines. Her talking speed rivals that of
Blur from the Transformers Post-Unicron Saga. And it's a good
thing that the "Will Of The Great Universe" character had been created;
or the show would've stopped on the first episode.
The show includes a varying array of characters that interact with
each
other; resulting in chaotic ludicracy and such. There's an
annoying part where Misaki (one of the beauties of the SAA) beats up
poor Iwata for trying to hit on her. But if you can get by this,
you'll be treated to a whole new world of comedy.
Fairy Princess Rane
The show is insane. If the characters herein aren't talking like
a fast-forwarding tape player, then they're either speaking in poem or
talking backwards. Yep... If you're looking to keep your
head busy, then look no further than this series.
Geobreeders (OVA and Manga) 
Five cute and zany ladies, plus one normal guy who had just been hired,
are what's composed of Kagura Security; a private business dedicated to
eliminating the Phantom Cats. Unfortunately it's not that
simple. Especially when the company's rivaling with the
government's better-equipped HOUNDS Forces, the token mysterious
figure, and the separate branches who go against the plans of the Black
Cat (yet another token mysterious figure).
The comic book from Central Park Media had been out for a
while.
But its distribution to the States have ceased due to its lack of
popularity. At any rate, the knowledge from this manga is a must;
or else you'll write off this 3-part OVA as yet another piece of
eye-candy. But still; this is a must-see for anyone who likes a
mixture of everything.
Idol Project 
A healthy dose of fan service have been provided as we follow the
doey-eyed Mimu Emilton through the most over-promoted idol tournament
since American Idol met Survivor. Follow along as she goes through an
unrelenting set of trials in order to become as famous as Yuri, the
"most popular idol in the galaxy" (for some reason the audience finds
out later). Along the way she meets Yuka the child movie star, Corvette
the bunny waitress, Layla the rock idol, Extra the prom queen, Pal Pu
the Chinese martial artist, and Shion the ninja idol.
Words like Dignity, Guts, Relax, Smile, Spirit, and Rhythm get
bounced around along with boobs, panty shots, and other scantly cladded
female anatomy for the sake of entertainment. Other than that, it's a
good series to watch. The main female characters seem to treat Mimu
like a sister of an extended family. And the ideal of aliens having
their ultimate "idol search and worshipping" is a total hoot to enjoy.
Big ups go to Media Blasters for successfully translating the fun of
this series; right down to where Corvette answers the question with her
own voice actress's name.
Magic User's Club (OVA)
Yet another show suffering from schizophrenia. It has the trouble
of deciding between romantic comedy, "magical girl," yaoi bishonen, fan
server, and alien-fighting. But somehow it manages to pull itself
off with little space for complaints. What other series has a
spontaniously fantasizing guy with writing on his face, the leader of a
manga club who tortures him with "what nature gave her," and a magical
teddy bear?
Martian Successor Nadesico (TV)
Much respect goes to Kia Asamiya for his works; like Silent Mobius,
Compiler, and this one right here. But this seems to be a
confusing series. It marches along as a post-Eva show, with its
shellshocked pilot and (half the time) unknown enemies. But then
it delves into the "harem theme" and adds the "mecha otaku-ism" into
the mix.
Nadesico's got a lot of cute girls. And Kia challenges his own
trademark for cute girls with his set of handsome/respectful
guys. "Love is love, love;" but they're in a middle of a war so
characters get lost. And the rest of the characters feel it so
greatly that it affected me as a viewer as well. Great show, one
of the near bests, and it even plays tribute to Yoshiyuki Tomino with
its (later on) Zeon-esque enemies, the Jovian Lizards.
Mobile Suit Gundam; Char's Counterattack
Remember the ads for the Gundam fighting games where they tell you to
"suit up or shut up?" Yoshiyuki Tomino, creator of this great
"Star Trek/Wars of anime," doesn't seem to go for psychological
babble. Nope. It's darkened war themes all the way.
And it's something you can't turn into a mainstream product.
Char's Counter is the peak of the Gundam world. If Amuro Ray
is
"character study #1" of 1st Gundam / MSG, then Char Aznable is #2 in
this movie. These two powerhouses of Gundam duel it out to the
END; despite their Newtype powers, their friends and supporters, all
the cool mecha, and what have you.
And, as always with Tomino's works, Char's Counter deals with
people. How they feel, what drives them to fight, how their death
affects others, all the good stuff that happens during times of
war. It's as if the people of all sides were like next-door
neighbors. And I disagree with what's been said about Quess
Paraya and Hathaway Noah; they may be brats, but they add spice to this
otherwise dark movie. Oh yeah... SEIG ZEON!
Mobile Suit Gundam Double Zeta (Gundam ZZ)
After the three-way war that ended the Zeta Gundam series; the AEUG
(Anti Earth Union Group) comes out victorious but majorly
crippled. Their flagship limps to Side 1 as the Axis Zeons form
Neo-Zeon (led by super-brat Haman Khan) in order to fulfill their goal
in defeating the Federation. Enter the young scrapyard worker
Judau Ashta, is little sister, and his loser friends; as they become
somewhat of the replacement combatants for AEUG.
A lot of Gundam fans complain about how bad the show is; due to its
start as a "kiddie pleaser," and later on the rewrites for the upcoming
Char's Counterattack movie. However, as Gundam's creator
Yoshiyuki Tomino points out, the show had been meant to be an opposite
of "Single Zeta's" darkness and gloom. My opinion is that the
series was a welcome change of pace from watching the bishonen-filled
horror which is Gundam Wing. In fact; this "...and Friends" type
of feel, along with its comedic touches, makes Gundam ZZ an entrance to
the more greusome world of Gundam's Universal Calender.
My Dear Marie
There was a joke written in fanfiction form about guys who spend too
much time playing "dating simulators;" that they're capable of
self-reproduction. (Which is disgusting, by the way.) My
Dear Marie is a prime example of one man's drive to be with the girl of
his dreams... By creating an android in her near-spitting
image. And then you have your consequences.
My favorite part of this short series has to be the inclusion of the
Ryuji Yamazaki protegee, Hibiki. She's such a bad-ass that one
might wonder why she's in a series about an android and the geek who
created her. Our question gets answered, however, when Hibiki
starts to reveal her secret...
Scramble Wars / 10 Little Gall Force
Scramble Wars is a very funny, Wacky Races-esque take on this Art-Mic
crossover. Characters of the original Bubblegum Crisis, the
original Gall Force, and Gairath step up to test their pre-NASCAR
skills. And about the 10 Little Gall Force; I saw the original
series, and its re-upped counterpart. I'm just so glad that they
made parodies of themselves. They were completely ludicrous with
their "Making Of..." SD show; as each of the girls and the rest of the
staff reinact their situations with disasterous results. I
recommend this to anybody who wants to laugh, a lot, as something
that's suppose to be serious to begin with.
Variable Geo (OVA & Video Game)
There are people out there that had been extremely fortunate enough to
purchase a copy of these type of fighting games where women were the
main focus. During the heydays of the Playstation, games
like Asuka 120%, Pretty Fighter, Queen of Hearts, and this title I'm
reviewing, had graced the consoles with girls and ladies that fought it
out in the rings. It's "winner take all, loser gets her clothing
ripped off or what have you." And the crowd goes wild whatever
happens.
Variable Geo is my current favorite; sporting powerful girls with
bouncing boobs techniques that would level a building. Oh sure,
the plot hole's so big that an ocean freighter would go through
it. But that's the beauty of it all. It's basically a
retread of the Street Fighter II movie with beautiful girls from each
restaurant instead of overly-muscular guys, and sans the Gen-X punk-pop
soundtrack.
A note about the guy who hangs around Reimi Jyahana (VG's main
boss):
there was a complaint that he was based on the creator of the VG
series, and that he wrote himself in as her "helper." Well, one
thing's for sure: Not everybody likes a "self-insert" character.
Sprites for Genjuro Kibagami are from ActJapan / Mugen Sharp.
Samurai Shodown / Spirits is copyrighted to SNK and its affiliates.
Everything else is copywrited to their respective, and respected,
owners. Beware of dogs with large, bloodied swords.