Anime Epicuriosity

Moving to wordpress.com

2011-01-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

After four years, I've decided to move this blog to a much nicer place: wordpress.com.

Don't worry, I won't remove this blog just yet. I just wanted to let you know that for the next few months, I'm going to move content from this anime blog to the new site on wordpress.

I love the new page design. Come visit it sometime at animepicuriosity.wordpress.com.

Best anime openings for holiday insanity (part four)

2011-01-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

In case you're wondering, I was going to publish the entire anime openings list before the new year. Then my XBOX 360 machine distracted me and I lost my focus.

This time, I'm back for good. I've written everything down before the new year, so let's start with the most disturbing one on the list:

10. Paranoia Agent opening
I'm amazed at how director Satoshi Kon took people through a mind trip with this one. All the people in this video are laughing, even when they're about to die a horrible death.

Paranoia Agent's opening is a remarkable satirical video that symbolizes how the post-modern Japanese workers and children are trying to make the best out of a hopeless environment. It visually represents of a whole range of social problems, all arising from forces that even the protagonists cannot even control.

The opening song, "Dream Island Obsessional Park," is almost as alarming to listen to. The techno drum machine, the barking choir and the synthesizer combine in a disturbing explosion of loud, polyphonic sound. The composition was designed to make people as uncomfortable as possible, to hit them with all these stunning cultural issues.

Honestly, it's almost too difficult to describe this masterpiece with all its computer enhancements and visual tricks. For the record, let's just settle this by posting it at number 10. I'm still waiting for an anime publisher to re-release this series.

9. Eureka Seven - Second opening
Unlike the Paranoia Agent video, this one gels together because it makes people feel good. This isn't any ordinary montage of characters standing in place with a heavy wind blowing across their face. This is a video that easily summarizes the beauty of wonder of this series in one-and-a-half minutes.

Everything in this opening is bursting with color and movement. From the cool surfing robots to the large headshots of the women, everything looks eclectic. The song from Home Made Kazoku is really the foundation of this entire music video. Somehow, these rappers arranged an entire rap that explains the entire philosophy of the ideal shonen anime hero. More importantly, they made this anime incredibly hip.

8. Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd Gig opening
Ghost in the Shell was one of those unique action shows that somehow mixed together philosophical and political messages, without ever looking boring. The second season, however, really took the show to a whole new level with a political struggle that impacted every viewer who saw it.

The opening sequence is a powerful sequence. The shadowy montage of the main characters sets the mood for anime viewers to enter a tense world of governmental upheavals and mass destruction. Yet, the lineup of the characters against a white background is really what catches everyone's attention. The director was literally asking for us to pay attention to these tough policemen in the video who are taking a stand against political oppression.

7. Revolutionary Girl Utena
After watching all the old shoujo anime openings again, Utena is probably the only one that bowled me over. This is still one of the best displays of hand-drawn animation I've ever seen in an anime show. This one-and-a-half minute clip somehow makes single cels look like Victorian masterpieces in a twisted fantasy tale.

In the opening montage, the still shots of the girls rotate against a background of a rose, as if to show that someone was trying to spin them into a romance that is too good to be true. Then all the characters show off their bravado by making their flashiest-looking sword slash with quick, fluid animation that jumps out of the screen. By the time people reach the upside-down castle and the girls on flying horses, anyone will want to watch the show just to make sense of it all.

This is another one of those shows that still needs a re-release. Shoujo fans still love watching this series, so anime publishers should at least look into re-releasing it someday. Otherwise, the price for the entire series is going to stay at $300 on ebay.com, which isn't very enticing at all.

6. Gundam Wing, first opening
It opens with a simple montage of shots with the protagonist, Heero Yui, with his hand outstretched towards the camera. After a few measures of the thumping dance beat, the camera zooms out to show the massive Gundam robot. Once the opening title appears with the awesome old-fashioned anime cha-ching sound, robot fans know that they're in for a treat.

Sure, the teenage boy pilots look classy and sexy. However, we're really watching this to see those awesome robots blow stuff up. This sequence has tons of marvelous explosions and battle sequences to please the fans of robot fighting. The vocals from Namie Amuro sound amazing as well.

Look forward to the final part of my best anime openings list in a week or so.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

Reassessing my future goals

2011-01-17T02:42:00.000-08:00

I confess that I haven't kept up with this blog as often as I thought I would this year. After mom and dad bought me an XBOX 360, I stopped watching quite a few anime shows.

It really became a nexus for low budget entertainment. I can literally find anything available on the XBOX 360. The operating system in the machine is truly tailored for the 21st century. More importantly, it allows players to interact with each other online via their microphones.

So I honestly thought that I wouldn't have to worry about anime anymore. I quit my anime streaming subscription on the Anime Network, which was a crappy Internet service to begin with. I bought a gold membership for my XBOX 360 machine.

I still don't feel that full depth from a dramatic anime show in a video game. However, this machine really works like a high-class channel to socialize with all of my friends, no matter where they live in the world.

I felt really depressed last year, because I kept thinking about all the money that I didn't have. Yet, thanks to this device, I really don't feel alone anymore. I feel like I'm actually attached to something important amongst all of my best friends.

I'll start anew with a simple subscription to crunchyroll.com. They seem to offer the best quality service. I could probably find a whole slew of other anime shows to download off of various other sources, but this is a good start.

Let's have a toast for the new year of hope!

Best anime openings for Christmas insanity (part three)

2010-12-06T16:43:00.000-08:00

I had a tough time narrowing down the next 15 entries in my favorite anime openings list. Some of the more obscure shows started to pop up in my head, so I had to reorganize the order.

Don't worry. I'm still keeping numbers 26-16. Now then, lets continue the countdown, starting at...

15. Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad

I just started this series. Beck has one of the catchiest tunes I've ever heard. Once people hear it, they can't stop thinking about it. They'll hum it in their sleep. They'll sing the words.

The video is a fun montage of a road trip across the United States. It looks pretty cute too. When the main characters sing "I was born to hit in America," the cinematography reminds me of "A Hard Day's Night." The camera cycles through head shots of all the characters, as if they were going to be the next big Japanese superstars.

All 26 episodes of the series are available in a box set for only $13. It's a really entertaining series, if rock music is your type of thing.

14. Fullmetal Alchemist, fourth opening

As much as I liked all the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood intros, the fourth opening of the original series truly captures the dramatic scope of the Elric brothers' journey. I like to call this the epic standing-in-place intro, because most of the characters are just staying in one place, as the camera pans around them.

Yet, the animators make it look incredibly cool. They put in all these warm lighting effects. Sometimes the characters' hair is blowing all over the place, just to make them appear larger than life. The animators also put in all these quick panning effects on the background, to make everything look even more intense. It's a cheesy opening, but all the effects can really hook people in.

With all that said, I'd prefer to watch the remake, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It's a show that lasts over 50 episodes. It's available for only about $35 per box set on amazon.com.

13. K-On!, second opening

This is probably the flashiest intro, with special effects and computer animation all over the place. During the chorus, the camera literally rotates at 100 miles per hour around the band members.

For whatever reason, the director wanted to capture the hyper-kinetic power of cuteness in K-On with a whole bunch of insane computer animation shots. Honestly, he's overdoing it a little. However, the video is so manic that it lures anime fans right into it.

The American anime publisher for the series hasn't announced any new information, but fans should expect Bandai to release it next year. Hopefully.

12. Spice and Wolf, season one opening

Although many shoujo shows tried to capture people's attention with a wide variety of computer animation tricks, my favorite shoujo opening is from a recent series, called Spice and Wolf. For an animated music video, this is a surprisingly simple montage. It's set to one of the best songs I've ever heard.

Most of the imagery relies on the marvelous landscapes in the series. It includes old European villages and beautiful grassy meadows. If that didn't catch anyone's attention, there's quite a few interesting fan service shots of a naked wolf girl.

The season one box set is still at an expensive $60, but on Black Friday the price fell to $25 on rightstuf.com. I guess the website is keeping the price low for the holidays, because it's still at the same price. For an epic 13 episodes, this is a great bargain. Check it out.

11. Wolf's Rain opening

This intro has an 80s-style smooth jazz tune that sounds pretty stylish with Wolf's Rain. It is still one of the best intros by the anime studio Bones, complete with flocks of black crows and towering skyscrapers.

The background images of overcast skies and heavy rain truly reflect the melancholy, murky tone of this show. Even the wolf characters' have an 80s fashion sense that really fits their tough, loose lifestyle. The main character wears a leather jacket to protect him from the changing weather. The other characters dress in black, as if they are anticipating a funeral at any time.

The Wolf's Rain perfect box set is available on amazon.com for only $33. It's probably the best Bones series that anyone will ever see.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

Best anime openings for Christmas insanity (part two)

2010-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

After the Black Friday madness, it's time to continue with my list of the top 26 opening sequences for anime shows. Moving onward to number 20...

20. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, first season
This opening looks more like one of those 70s romance shows, like "That Girl" or "The Mary Tyler Moore Show." The characters dress up with considerable class. Even the juxtaposition of the drawings make them look like high-end individuals. It's still a classic for me.

No moe show has stirred as much controversy as the second season of Haruhi. This show isn't an ordinary experiment in shoujo anime anymore. It is guaranteed to test your toleration for anime boredom.

Yet, this is also why it's one of the more important shows of the decade. There's no other show that will amuse you and disgust you as much as Haruhi. If you're into camera tricks and classy cinematography, get season one for $35. Season two is also available at a more expensive $49.

19. Super Dimensional Fortress Macross
Not too many of the old mecha show openings lasted the test of time. However, almost every old anime fan remembers this grand opening for "Macross."

This is another one of those really corny intros where the singer has to sing the name of the show. The epic scale of the orchestra and the electric guitars makes the show much larger than life. The hero of the series, Rick Hunter, also looks incredibly cool as the star pilot of the series.

Most of the DVDs are still available on amazon.com. You have to make sure to buy only the grey copies with the words "Super Dimensional Fortress Macross," though. This was one of the shows that was first released with a terrible English dub and none of the original Japanese audio, so make sure you find the proper version.

18. Death Note, second opening
People don't usually hear about death metal bands in Japan, so this was an excellent intro that showed off the random, schizophrenic sound of Japanese metal. It also included some of the edgiest visuals for an anime opening.

It doesn't make much sense, but it truly captures the dangerous atmosphere of "Death Note."

In case anyone is wondering, Funimation recently released the Death Note episodes in two box sets. Each part is available for only $28.

17. Hidamari Sketch x365
I didn't even consider putting "Hidamari Sketch" into the list until I saw the second opening. The show easily trumps Haruhi and "Lucky Star" with a cheery, hyper intro that captures everything that makes it so special.

This intro included everything. The characters show off their name stamped on their faces and arms. We get to see all the characters, from the weird principal to the caterpillar mascot. Panels from the comic are even flashing by at high speeds.

Sure, this intro copies the flying character sequence from Azumanga Daioh. Twice. Yet, no one can argue about how the animators neatly synchronized all the letters, numbers and character motions to match the fast music.

Seasons one and two are available on amazon.com for $36 each.

16. Xam'd - "Shut Up and Explode"
Xam'd is one of those shows that you have to watch, just because it looks cool and surreal. This opening happens to have the hardest-hitting post-punk song I've ever heard in an anime.

There's plenty of things that just look great. The giant Xam'd monsters that are destroying buildings. The unique motions of the characters to the hip music. The person who probably lured people in the most is the girl who looks like a cross between Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa. Come on, you have to watch a show just because this girl's image was inspired by two of the best Hayao Miyazaki films of all time.

Xam'd is available in two box sets. The first box is available for $37.

In another week, we'll look at numbers 15-11 on the list.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com.

DVD Review: Growing up with Friends, Food and Art

2010-11-28T01:06:00.000-08:00

"Hidamari Sketch" is a warm, fuzzy slice-of-life that will get any fan interested in art and friendship.

Don't let the cute intro fool you--"Hidamari Sketch" is one of the best slice-of-life series with moe characters. Although the first season is only 14 episodes long, it sucks you into the everyday life of four of the kindest girls you'll ever want to live with for the rest of your life.

Unlike other moe shows, this series is more like a chronicle of an entire school year from January to December. It takes you right into a special art high school, where the four girls are learning how to perfect their craft. The girls, Yuno, Miyako, Hiro and Sae, have known each other for half a year.

Right from the start, this story strays dramatically from the typical formula of uber-cute moe. Rather than focus on the characters' adorable love for guitars or anime, the characters actually spend time talking together. They talk about a wide range of topics, such as the romance novel that Sae is usually writing.

Each character has unique traits that actually complements their friendships and their art skills. For instance, Miyako overeats and tends to joke around too often. Although she often goofs around by drawing anime-style characters, she has a knack for capturing her best friend's unusual facial expressions in a drawing.

You'll even notice how all the characters' art skills improve. Anime fans will love watching Yuno as she learns to harness her artistic talent to create beautiful, life-like drawings. They'll even enjoy all the subtle moments when Yuno sits in the bathtub, reflecting on everything happened during the day.

Yuno even learns to appreciate all her friends' humorous habits and customs. At one point, she has to borrow Miyako's "horror" alarm clock. The alarm is literally a goofy voice recording of a woman who is screaming at the top of her lungs.

Even though "Hidamari Sketch" isn't the most dramatic or most well-drawn, it has a simple visual touch that looks amazing on screen. Many of the anime textures include actual photographs. For instance, the escalator in a shopping area includes actual photographs which might have been manipulated through 3D animation magic.

Every backdrop is like a work of art. The stairs turn into abstract horizontal lines moving up or down the screen. The textures are sometimes shaded with dot patterns, rather than in different gradients. The anime even includes a photograph of the actual sculpture of Brutus, pasted into the high school classroom setting.

These are just a few of the many reasons why "Hidamari Sketch" is a huge hit in Japan. The show ran for two seasons and it is about to start its third. It's one of the only moe shows where the girls actually act like mature grown-ups. Although "K-On!" is receiving all the buzz this year for its exciting rock music, no one should ever overlook the wonderful "Hidamari Sketch."

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

DVD Review: A Complicated Bundle of Love

2010-11-23T01:35:00.000-08:00

If anyone is struggling to find a decent romance anime, there's one show that they absolutely have to watch.

Season one of "Honey and Clover" is a powerful love story that is guaranteed to keep everyone emotionally attached until the very end.

It starts off as a simple slice-of-life about a group of art college friends: three guys and two girls. The guys consist of a first-year student named Takemoto, a sixth-year slacker named Morita and a fourth-year senior named Mayama. The girls consist of a young prodigy named Hagumi and a beautiful third-year pottery student named Ayumi Yamada.

At first, the story becomes a simple snapshot of daily life for these college students. As they grow older, they become more and more romantically attached. Yet, they all have a tough time confessing their feelings for each other, because they don't want their group of friends to break apart.

Although the plot is as simple as a light romance could get, the dialogue is remarkably rich with pent-up emotion. Viewers will immediately get hooked into heartbreaking relationship between Yamada and Mayama. Yamada can't help falling in love with Mayama, even when he starts to live in the apartment of another close friend named Rika.

The dialogue may seem innocent in the first few episodes. By episode 18, though, Yamada's emotions get the best of her when she runs away in tears. The entire series is filled with many difficult situations of unrequited love. These characters must wallow through these flooding emotions, struggling to find a new meaning to their lives.

To tell the truth, I can't believe this group of buddies could ever manage to stay together for two seasons. Thankfully, they never don't really take these pressing relationships too seriously. The director, Kenichi Kasai, has an incredible knack for making every comedy sequence as epic as possible.

For example, episode eight includes an especially agonizing Twister game. It starts out as an easy game. Near the end, though, all the characters are goofily breaking their bones from playing the game. The animators execute everything in this sequence with quick slapstick timing. They manage to make everything as ridiculously painful as possible, without ever crossing the line of extreme violence.

It's a bizarre series of wacky humor with unbearable waves of moving emotion. "Honey and Clover" is probably one of the best and most realistic anime love stories ever made. The protagonists are charming. The warm visuals are soothing. The dialogue hits people where it hurts.

As painful as it is to watch, this show is more about the characters' journeys rather than their relationships. "Honey and Clover" proves that sometimes it takes a little tough love for people to grow into mature adults.

Watch the series at hulu.com.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

DVD Review: Saving the world with an iPhone

2010-11-19T23:47:00.000-08:00

"Eden of the East" is a mind-blowing anime about a lone kid who can save an entire nation by making a cell phone call.

Sure, it's not the most realistic series, but it's an impressive show that relies more on smart, subtle dialogue rather than overblown bravado. The story and action is almost entirely based on Internet technology, but the dialogue is incredibly clever.

It starts with a random encounter, where a naked Japanese guy is left stranded in Washington D.C. with only a cell phone and a pistol. After an awkward meeting with the police, the guy somehow convinces a young Japanese girl to give him a coat and a hat.

From this point onward, the guy has to piece together his identity, based on all the little clues he can scrounge up. His cell phone is his only guide, directing him to an abandoned apartment with random travelers' passports, some clothes and plenty of guns. He takes on the name of Akira Takizawa.

In the middle of running away from American police officers, he runs into the Japanese tourist girl, Saki Morimi. She left her passport in his jacket pocket, so she came to ask for it back. He somehow strikes up an extraordinary relationship with the girl as they take a plane trip back to Japan.

The rest of the series is a crafty mystery storyline, where the main character must slowly regain his memory. His special cell phone allows him to get anything he wants from an 10 billion yen account. All he has to do is call the anonymous phone operator named Juiz. Other special cell phone users are also seeking to kill him using the same ambitious powers.

The magic of this show is not based around the action. This series has almost no fights or gun battles. Much of the fascinating intensity comes from the passionate verbal exchanges between fellow nerds and cyber hackers. They use their high-end technology to help this boy discover his identity.

Although this show is the biggest advertisement for people to use iPhone-styled devices, the phones manage to keep the characters more preoccupied with talking to other people. They manage to squeeze in some pretty profound dialogue involving revenge and forgiveness.

By the end of the show, everyone will want to root for this intelligent kid, who can use a simple cell phone to take down weapons of mass destruction. He manages to look incredibly classy, even to the very end.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

Best Anime Openings for Christmas Insanity (Part one)

2010-11-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

For a Christmas season, anime publishers are sure waging an all-out war for sales. No joke.

Every company, from Funimation to RightStuf, is decking out their line-ups with loads of licensed shows, re-releases and special value deals.

With all that said, which ones are the best? I've decided to cover all the bases in a simpler, more creative way: through anime opening videos.

Why videos? Well, these particular openings easily sum up what the series is. It doesn't force people to go through the stress of watching the entire series just so they know every pro and con of the series. The openings just show the best that the series has to offer. Nothing more.

So here are links to my top 26 anime openings. I'll start with the first six:

26. Rurouni Kenshin

I had to choose 26 openings instead of 25, because I couldn't forget Rurouni Kenshin. My brother and I had a blast watching almost every episode of this show. It was probably the best anime for people who really needed something to feel good about.

And Kenshin was the type of person to make you feel good. He's funny. He's an unstoppable samurai. He's a family man too. He's always there for his girlfriend. Isn't that cute? That's why I had to include Kenshin. There's always a good Kenshin DVD in the bargain bins.

25. Welcome to the NHK
The complete series is available for only $20 now. It's a crazy satire about a social recluse who drops out of college. He hallucinates about talking kitchen appliances. It's really funny.

Now you really have no excuse to miss out on buying this series. Besides, who could ever forget the uber cute "Purupuru-pururin" song?

24. Trigun
Although I still have a grudge against the overly fantastic gun battles near the end of the series, "Trigun" is an incredibly well-animated show. The characters are spunky. The story is intensely dramatic. And it's now available in a $30+ box set.

Believe me, you can never go wrong with a tall guy toting huge semi-automatics on his red trenchcoat.

(Note: It's not available on amazon.com, because of packaging issues. Sorry! Look on other websites, such as rightstuf.com)

23. Soul Eater Opening #2
This is easily the most eclectic show from anime studio Bones. Soul Eater combines Tim Burton visuals with Rurouni Kenshin-style battles for an epic coming-of-age story. Maka is also one of the smartest and toughest female leads to ever grace an anime series.

It's a pricy series of box sets, but it will satisfy anyone who loves long shonen shows. The battles are some of the best you'll ever see in an anime series.

22. Code Geass, Second opening for R2
Sure, the story is a completely profound tale of a teenage boy who is held bent on world domination. That's why you have to get the series. Code Geass is the funniest, and the most exciting, giant robot show ever made.

The entire series still isn't cheap, but it definitely will impress anyone who watches it in its entirety.

21. Lucky Star
There really isn't any slice-of-life anime as cute and realistic as Lucky Star. For a show, it makes for a remarkable snapshot of high school life. This one also isn't cheap, but moe fans will always want to pick this series up. It has the most adorable characters imaginable.

Stay tuned for part two, coming next week.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

DVD Re-release: Darker than the X-Men, that's for sure

2010-11-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

In May of this year, Funimation re-released the first season of "Darker Than Black" in a box set.

This anime is a creative show that sucks viewers into a dark, noir world of supernatural battles between humans and contractors.

Think of this show as the Japanese version of the "X-Men." The story focuses on the lives of contractors, people who are allowed to use special powers as long as they pay a price. For instance, the main character, Hei, eats tons of food in order to pay for his ability to expel electricity from his body.

These contractors all come from different organizations. The British secret agent service, MI6, has three contractors who battle with Hei from time-to-time. An unknown syndication gives each agency different missions to assassinate people and to kill rival contractors.

Our main hero, Hei, takes on the identity of the Black Reaper. He's satisfied with his life as a contractor. However, he has a secret lover who he struggles to come to terms with. His former girlfriend, Amber, is hatching a destructive plot that could eliminate Japan.

These two lovers were part of some mysterious scientific experiments held by a company known as Pandora. They received their strange new powers through these research operations. However, they eventually get forced to endure the most daunting mission of their entire lives. A mission that literally reaches past the boundaries of heaven and hell.

This series certainly has its share of conspiracy theories. The characters receive very little knowledge about why they have to follow the syndicate's orders. The contractors live dangerous lives, where they must kill others before they get killed themselves.

Yet, the story all comes together in a strangely euphoric whole. To tell the truth, "Darker Than Black" doesn't make too much sense unless you look at the entire series as a whole. The storyline is very similar to the film "The Sky Crawlers." These characters are part of a gigantic life-threatening competition, but they must find a way to cooperate with each other when their lives are on the line.

Is there a way to defy the rules of society? "Darker Than Black" will definitely open your mind up to the possibility of a world where everyone lives in harmony. In the wake of a frightening genocide, it offers the promise of a new beginning. As imperfect as this show is, there is almost nothing cooler than this series.

Well, you could mention "Neon Genesis Evangelion." With all that said, the Evangelion director couldn't possibly come up with a script as poetic as this series. No one could ever replicate the sly, chilling tone of "Darker Than Black."

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

DVD Re-release: Now and Then, Here and There

2010-11-09T21:29:00.000-08:00

"Now and Then, Here and There" grips anime viewers with an illogical, emotional story revolving around adolescent warfare.

For a post-apocalyptic drama, this OVA is a shocker. The series takes young teenagers through a wide variety of heartbreaking situations. In fact, there aren't any other shows that depict children in violent warfare and under sexual subservience. I'm glad that someone decided to re-release this series in a cheap box set in 2009, after all these years.

It opens as an innocent slice-of-life about Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani, a young kendo student. He meets a mysterious blue-haired girl sitting on top of an abandoned refinery building.

After a short conversation, their environment suddenly transforms into an alternate dimension, where the world has turned into a desolate wasteland. Shu is taken into the army of Hellywood, a humongous industrial fortress.

There's nothing inviting about this world at all. Men force children to kill innocent people in indigenous villages. The soldiers must execute anyone who disobeys commands. In short, the new universe is almost as ruthless as the Holocaust camps.

The world's only hope is the blue-haired girl, Lalaru. Her pendant has the power to release floods of water at her command. However, she is tired of being used as a tool to provide water for bloodthirsty emperors. Shu brainstorms a plan to save Lalaru, no matter how difficult the task is.

Technically, this is one of the most illogical anime shows ever made. Think about it.

There's more than a couple situations where someone could have shot the evil dictator of Hellywood, Hamdo. He's terribly vulnerable to gunshots and knives. No one really takes the opportunity because they're supposedly afraid of him.

It makes little to no sense at all. With all that said, this is still an immensely emotional show. As far as I know, there's only one other anime that focuses on sexual slavery and soldier children. That film, "Kite," is still hard to watch because it is filled with so much disturbing sexual imagery.

"Now and Then, Here and There" makes for a welcome alternative. The second half of the series also offers plenty of insight on the ethical problems of warfare. Plenty of characters must make some heart-wrenching decisions about who lives and who dies.

Without giving anything away, the final scenes are shocking and frightening to watch. If the teenage characters weren't compassionate, this series could have easily ended in a bloody apocalypse of chaos. Thankfully, the series carries a final message of hope for peaceful resolutions.

By all means, this isn't the best series ever made. However, it is worth a rental. These children are easy to empathize with, so it's hard to not feel sorry for them as they endure unbearable torture. Just keep in mind that it probably wouldn't make that much sense as a whole.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

Code Geass season two: The sacrifices for an ideal world

2010-10-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

To tell the honest truth, I didn't expect much from "Code Geass" when I first started. There's no way anyone can ever believe a story about a teenage brat who wanted to destroy the fictional country of Brittannia.

I was dead wrong. Code Geass is a virulent vision of destruction and mayhem, all for a much greater good. As illogical as the show turns out, no one can deny its brilliance.

The second season, R2, begins as an awkward slice-of-life story with the main character, Lelouche Lamperouge. He apparently lost all his memory of everything that happened in season one. He doesn't remember his rebel army, the Black Knights. He doesn't remember C.C. or anything about his Code Geass. And for some reason, he has a little brother following him around, named Rolo.

Although the environment drastically changed, the Black Knights still manage to remind Lelouch of his original mission. With the help of the immortal girl named C.C., Lelouch regains his memory and his ability to use the power of Geass. He has the ability to command people to do whatever he wants, by using the Geass power in his eye.

I had a couple gripes about the story as it meandered through a cast of new characters. For instance, the show almost spent too much time at a boring party with Brittannian nobles and a frightened Chinese princess.

Thankfully, the director has a keen way of keeping people interested, even when the anime plods through dull side stories. By the time people reach episode 14, they'll understand that this piece of animation is a frightening masterpiece.

We weren't meant to really hate Lelouch. No one can deny that he's an egocentric villain, but even when he kills all his best friends, he never does it intentionally. He always tried his best to keep them away from his megalomaniac complex.

I admit that the last few episodes are almost bombastic to the point of disbelief. No one would really wish to reduce the world into an intercontinental war of improbable proportions. Still, this show wasn't meant to turn into a satirical comedy. It was meant to reveal all the hypocritical qualities of the shonen anime in its rawest form. Although it plays out like a big, delusional fantasy devised by some otaku nut, it truly defies the philosophical boundaries of anime.

The intellectual battles in season two take on a much shrewder persona than in the previous season. Lelouch battles against selfish, obstinate dictators who wish to keep the people of the world stuck in the past or the present. For some reason, they all intend to create a worldwide apocalypse as part of their master plan.

Thankfully, Lelouch has better plans. He wants to turn the world into a safe place for everyone to live. He lives up to this promise, even to the very end.

Unfortunately, I can't tell anyone whether he's really honest about his intentions. I will say that this anime will always keep people on their toes. No one could ever anticipate this show's crafty ending. I'm still amazed that the director, Goro Taniguchi, had the brains and the drive to create such a wonderful cast of characters.

It's an understatement to say that this is one of the most important anime shows of our time. "Code Geass" is an epic that we deserve to revile and rejoice in. It's possibly the most volatile thing I've ever seen and it's a fantastic piece of art.

Director Goro Taniguchi will probably never create a better anime than this one, but I don't mind. This show is nearly impossible to top, in its scope of haywire chaos and demolition. If you've got the guts, watch every episode of this anime. You absolutely won't regret any second of it.

You'll probably cringe a lot though. This show has tons of explosions.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

Anime Slipstream: A magnificent anime blend of epic proportions

2010-10-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

I don't often say this, but "Xam'd: Lost Memories" is possibly the greatest new anime known to man.

"Xam'd" is easily one of the most beautiful robot action shows I've ever seen. Anime fans can easily attribute the show's success to Bones, the anime studio who worked on this series. The director also worked on a well-received series, known as "Eureka Seven". This show turned a love story between two teenagers into a strong message of protecting the environment.

The new show, "Xam'd", is a wonderful marriage between the visuals of "Eureka Seven" and a Hayao Miyazaki film. Both sport an urgent message to protect the environment. Both feature violent robots. Both pieces of animation are truly inspirational.

At first, the series follows the ordinary life of a high school boy named Akiyuki. The show covers his day-to-day routine with his parents, both divorced. After following a hectic schedule, he arrives just in time to meet his friends, Haru and Furuichi. Together, they board a school bus for the class field trip to Sentan Island.

As he is about to board the bus, Akiyuki notices that a shy young girl in rags is in line to get on. He manages to trick a police officer into giving this girl permission to board. Once he leaves the bus, though, his life takes a sudden turn for the worse.

The girl is actually a suicide bomber who detonates herself in the bus. After a devastating explosion, Akiyuki tries to talk to the dying girl, whose belly is bleeding with green liquid. The youngster apologizes before implanting a gem inside his forehead. The gem transforms Akiyuki's entire body into a white robot monster.

The next episode is a sheer masterpiece of otherworldly proportions. Akiyuki's best friend, Haru, desperately tries to help her mutated friend as he defeats another gigantic cyborg creature who dropped down from the sky.

Although Akiyuki is still tormented, he still recognizes Haru as the only friend who remembers him. A mysterious young woman also flies in to calm Akiyuki and to help bring him back to his human form.

Haru collapses out of exhaustion, as the woman takes the boy away. It's such a surreal scene. Yet, the animation is so fluid and smooth that we can't help but believe in it.

This show is a melting pot of the lost emotions and pain that we all hid throughout the Iraq War. Whatever the case, it is one of the most powerful anime series from Japan, because it all feels so real to us.

I admit that the story is a little bare bones. The hectic dialogue often takes a back seat to all the robot fights in the show. However, it looks incredibly beautiful and well animated. "Xam'd" is a conflicting love story. It forces this relationship onto you in the midst of dangerous terrorism and biological weaponjs. In spite of all this destruction, Haru still holds a close relationship with the creature boy, even when he leaves the battlefield.

As noted on the Anime News Network, "Xam'd" originally debuted on the Playstation Network at E3 in 2008. It's received plenty of exposure in Japan. Hopefully some American broadcasters will consider airing this show, because it is amazing to watch.

However, I'm a little hesitant to say that this is one of the best action series ever made. Anime reviewers often commented that the story ends too abruptly with stories that remain unresolve. Still, if you were a big fan of "Eureka Seven," I guarantee that you have to at least watch the first two episodes. "Xam'd" literally grips your interest like a vice.

The show is available to watch on The Anime Network. You can buy this series at amazon.com.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

Anime Streaming Review - The sexy reincarnation of ancient samurai

2010-10-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

Japan somehow manages to come up with every excuse imaginable to show female fan service in an anime series. This series, on the other hand, makes fan service incredibly entertaining.

The Anime Network deserves kudos, for airing Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls, a show which features a wide variety of sexy young girls acting as legendary samurai warriors.

I kid you not. This series includes a female reincarnation of Jubei Yagyu, the famous blind assassin who shows up in numerous samurai films. I have no clue why Jubei appears as a naked girl who floats down from the sky, just to kiss the male protagonist.

However, I can't resist liking this show. It's the only show where we can see Jubei reincarnated as one of the sexiest anime girls of all time. Although there isn't much of a story in this series, it makes up for its flaws with some really spunky character designs. The descendant of the Hattori Hanzo clan shows up as a sassy French maid ninja. The daughter of the Tokugawa shogun is dressed in a modern high school girl's uniform.

This show tends to follow a drab plot which resembles almost every other harem romance/action series. In the beginning, a samurai man named Muneakira Yagyu tries to meet up with his friend from from training, Sen Tokugawa. However, he gets sidetracked by two girl students, who are investigating the Tokugawa castle for various reasons. When the maid ninja Hattori attacks them, Muneakira agrees to help the two girls.

In the middle of an especially difficult fight, a mysterious girl named Jubei Yagyu floats from the sky to kiss Muneakira. She then turns into an ultra-powerful master samurai and almost kills the maid, until Muneakira tries to stop the murder. Jubei then mysteriously turns into an airheaded girl with a power level of only 20.

The first episodes serve up some intriguing questions. Jubei is probably the most unusual character in the group, because she only gains her wanton powers of destruction after her new "boyfriend" kisses her. Yet, her partner's possessive attitute always seems to revert her back into a little girl.

In spite of all the questions I still have about this series, it still follows a cool, modern vibe. Characters use their cell phones as often as they use their special ninja powers. Even the villainous samurai warriors drink fine wine in their fancy crystal glasses.

The art style of this show is also beautifully classy. All the characters and background objects have a thick black border, to make it look more like a mural which was painted on a scroll. Also, black splotches of pain cover up any inappropriate parts of the female body. This gives the artists some more freedom to show more skin for the female characters, in order to make the series more racy.

So Samurai Girls might turn out as a hit for the fall season. I'm not betting the horse on this series, but it holds plenty of promise for a pseudo-period piece. Watch it on The Anime Network.

Abenobashi deserves more critical acclaim

2010-09-30T00:17:00.000-07:00

It's a shame that Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi passed under the radar of so many anime critics, because it is one of the most original shows of all time.

Every part of this show shines with vivacious energy and animation. The entire span of the series is a big mind trip. In the same way that Paranoia Agent plays tricks on you with its scare tactics, Abenobashi fools you into thinking that this series will follow a tragic turn of events.

Yet, it's not a series about the tragic human condition, where all people have to die at some point or another. The show is all about a boy's coming of age. He learns how to turn his best moments into reality.

It certainly takes a while for the main character to fully understand every part of his dream world. However, this show is one of the few pieces of animation that takes you on a joy ride, to try and understand how movies are really supposed to enlighten us.

Somehow, the main characters change their real world into a culmination of shared experiences with faces they love. The Abenobashi characters cannot settle with accepting things as they are--they have to take action in order to turn their best dreams into reality. The final ending is a surprisingly hopeful vision, that we hardly ever see in an anime.

Many other series have tried to follow the Abenobashi formula, but failed. Kyoto Animation tried to pull off a similar storyline in their series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. This saga, Endless Eight, was a hideous story arc, where the characters kept repeating the exact same events in every episode of the story.

Only Abenobashi truly nailed the endless dream formula. If only other anime shows would follow suit with this show, because it's just that good.

DVD Classic: Never-ending Adventures in J-pop worlds

2010-09-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

"Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi" will astound anime fans with a journey that literally takes two young kids on a never-ending trip through the Japanese pop culture universe.

This series has had an awkward release history in America. Although it first aired in 2003, it took two years until Geneon released this series in the U.S. Even then, I don't think this show received the attention that it truly deserves.

Thankfully, ADV Films re-released this series last year. I had the fortunate thrill of seeing it on The Anime Network's website. To say the least, this is one of the most creative anime shows I've ever seen.

The show begins in the Abenobashi shopping district in Osaka. Two teenagers, Satoshi "Sashi" Imamiya and Arumi Asahina, are spending their last summer playing in the empty streets. Their parents' businesses were forced to close, as part of the redevelopment of the Abenobashi shopping arcade. Unfortunately, Arumi's family is also planning on moving to Hokkaido, as soon as her grandfather closes his shop.

Their summer of fun takes a tragic turn, when Asahina's grandfather almost dies after slipping on his rooftop. Asahina's entire family is planning on moving to Hokkaido as soon as he recovers. This could be the last day that Sashi and Asahina can play together.

On that day, though, the town completely turns upside down. The group of elderly people exercising in the park transforms into mushrooms. The buildings fall apart like cardboard cutouts, revealing a magical role-playing video game world in some European pasture.

Thus, the two children begin their treacherous journey through the magical other-dimensions of Abenobashi.

This series is amazing for its immensely inventive visuals. The show jams in an astonishing load of parodies on video games, robot television shows and martial arts series. Anime fans are bound to laugh at anything and everything.

They'll especially enjoy the insane antics in the third episode, where Asahina loses her panties to a goblin creature. Near the end of the episode, the goblin somehow turns into the mask for some gigantic robot ship with a demon head. And for some reason, that head still has Asahina's panties on it.

"Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi" is literally as unpredictable as episode five in FLCL. It is riotously funny, like a hyper episode of Shin-Chan. Yet, there's also a subversive tone of despair throughout the journey. As much as Sashi enjoys the Abenobashi worlds, the two kids are still trapped inside these wacky J-pop dream worlds with little hope of reaching their home.

I have yet to reach the ending, but this series is truly buried treasure. Unfortunately, I've heard that most of the special DVD features are only in the individual volume boxes from ADV. Regardless of which set you buy, you have to see this series. It's one of the few shows that will make anyone laugh.

Even if the English dubs put in some awkward Western cowboy accent for the main characters, this is series is golden. Check it out at least once, because you won't regret it.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

Anime streaming review: Fun slapstick routines about slave labor

2010-09-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

"He is My Master" shows off some funny slapstick routines for a fan service anime, as long as you're able to stand the cruel master-and-slave relationships.

This new Gainax show is a heinous slice-of-life comedy that grew on me as I kept watching. It focuses on two middle school girls, Izumi and Mitsuki Sawatari, who run away from their home to find a new place to live.

After numerous homeowners reject them from taking residence, they eventually find a humongous mansion. They take pity on the the 14-year-old owner of the house, Yoshitaka Nakabayashi, whose parents died in a car accident.

They agree to work for him. However, they don't realize that this boy is a cruel master who wants the girls to work as his personal maids. The only remaining women's outfits in the house are racy maid outfits with short skirts, strapless tops and garter belts.

Although the first episodes are incredibly mean comedies with loads of fan service gags, the series packs in plenty of laughs for what it's worth. For starters, the girls own a ravenous pet alligator named Pochi, who always wants to eat Izumi's clothes. Most of the best jokes involve the cute, but ravenous reptile.

As if this wasn't enough, the boy even holds a demented contest with Izumi to be the first to catch Pochi. Don't even ask how this show got to this point. In the last parts of this episode, Izumi breaks all of the master's expensive pots and artifacts by throwing them at Pochi. The master's expression is priceless as he grimaces through this entire scene.

If you're looking for a quick laugh, consider renting "He is My Master" for Netflix. The show will lighten anyone's day with some devious visual jokes involving fan service. And there's even some hints of romance between Izumi and Nakabayashi, in spite of all the chaotic chemistry between the two.

The show is also available on The Anime Network.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

Get it now, before it's gone

2010-09-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

In case you've noticed, I wrote a post in memory of Satoshi Kon. And just so you know, now is the time to stock up on all of Satoshi Kon's greatest works.

I'm not kidding. The prices of his movies and his anime show, "Paranoia Agent," are skyrocketing. The last time I looked at amazon.com, the lowest price for volume four of "Paranoia Agent" was a whopping $40.

This is because the DVDs of this anime series are extremely rare. And now that the director of the series passed away, this series will become a precious treasure to come by. I already bought the first two DVDs of "Paranoia Agent." I'll probably pick up the last two volumes tomorrow.

So unless some genius plans on re-releasing "Paranoia Agent" anytime soon, you'd better look for "Paranoia Agent" now. And you'd better not even think about getting the two copies that I saw in my local f.y.e. store or I'll rip your guts out.

Well, maybe I won't go that far, but I'm still not going to let you have it.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

In memory of Satoshi Kon

2010-09-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't heard, Satoshi Kon, the great anime director, died of pancreatic cancer at age 54. He passed away on August 24.

Satoshi Kon will always be revered for creating some of the most unpredictable anime films in history, including "Perfect Blue," "Tokyo Godfathers" and "Paprika." He has an uncanny ability to tell stories through sudden transitions in time and place.

The first Satoshi Kon I saw was "Perfect Blue" in 1998. To tell the truth, I probably shouldn't have seen such a bloody, explicit horror film when I was in middle school. However, "Perfect Blue" was an exquisite thriller about a Japanese pop diva who was being stalked by one of her most sadistic fans. The show took me through the haunting experience of an idol who is willing to take any means necessary to succeed in her career, even if she has to bare it all.

Of course, the anime had plenty of gratuitously violent scenes. The stalker's brutal attack with an ice pick shocked my system with gushing blood and brutality. However, Kon's cinematography was astounding. Even the final fight between the protagonist and the stalker had truly agonizing lighting effects and cinematography, taking me through every second of the frightened woman's struggle for life.

The second Satoshi Kon film was "Milennium Actress." It was an essential masterpiece that, frankly, didn't receive the recognition it deserved from older critics. My parents didn't understand a single bit of it when they first saw it. This piece can tend to be his most misunderstood movie, taking anime viewers through a movie actress's entire career as she searches for her soul mate. The ironic ending was an introspective look at the true nature of romance stories. To say the least, it was a tale that forced us to reflect on all the failures of our own love lives.

By the time Kon released his third and fourth films, "Tokyo Godfathers" and "Paprika," I was under a heavy load of college homework. I didn't have the time to ponder endlessly over the meaning of another Kon film, although I always hungered for more of his works.

When a mysterious Satoshi Kon television series called "Paranoia Agent" aired on Cartoon Network, however, I couldn't resist. "Paranoia Agent" was one of the only Adult Swim series where I wanted to watch every episode. Kon's show just oozed with beautiful scenes that forced me to contemplate the true meaning of animation. The Shonen Bat was a such an elusive character that took on epic proportions in this series as a juvenile terrorist. Sure, the apocalyptic ending was a little far-fetched, but it transformed our vision of horror films and animation with unfathomably cryptic symbolism.

It's hard for me to even imagine a world without Satoshi Kon. He will always live on in my memory as the best post-modern anime director who ever lived.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

Streaming video review - Avant-garde moe for the artist's soul

2010-09-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

If you like watching four really cute art student girls on abstract art backgrounds, you're in for a treat.

The Anime Network's newest slice-of-life series, "Hidamari Sketch" turns the anime format into modern art by integrating actual photographs and various forms of modern artwork.

At first glance, this series looks like a low-quality rehash of "Honey and Clover," a similar show which centers on the romantic lives of everyday art students. "Hidamari Sketch" takes a much simpler approach by analyzing the visual talent of young female art students in their day-to-day lives.

There is visual beauty in every part of this anime. The director of the show did an extraordinary job, by pasting actual photographs into the environment of "Hidamari Sketch" to portray the actual surface textures of wood and paint. There's even a couple polka dot textures in the pop art style.

The nameplate of the girls' apartment was created by actual painters. The main character uses tourist photographs, pop logos and anime-styled "postcards" in her photo collage. The crowds of people in the summer festival are abstractly represented by simple peg-like sticks.

Although the anime director's "art exhibition" approach tends to get a little redundant, no one can deny that this show looks remarkable. The anime has many wonderful sections where each art girl get to discuss her own approach to her work.

The jokes and the dialogue is geared mostly toward young girls, so hardcore anime nuts might pass on watching "Hidamari Sketch." However, the director of "Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei" did a incredible job in giving this moe series much more pizazz than I expected. Take the time to at least watch a few episodes, because the visual style of this series is very unique.

DVD Re-release - The worst romance story with a naked girl

2010-09-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

"This Ugly Yet Beautiful World" is one of the most horrible shoujo anime shows ever made, with mediocre dialogue and romantic situations that are bound to make you puke.

It actually starts pretty strong as a romantic comedy, even though there is a lot of fan service. Although this show is not the most perverted romantic comedy I've ever seen, it presents plenty of uncomfortable shots of completely naked girls. In the first half of the anime, you're bound to see at least a girl's breasts at least once in each episode.

At first, the story of the show holds up pretty well, for all that it's worth. The anime's story centers around a lazy high school boy named Takeru Takemoto, who works as a delivery boy for his uncle. One day, he and his friend, Ryou Niyomiya, find a mysterious naked girl in a tree. This girl, named Hikari, looks almost like the dream girl which Ryou drew for Takeru.

When a giant centipede monster attacks Takeru and Hikari with its tentacles, Takeru suddenly transforms into a powerful shonen fighter with big muscles and long hair. After beating up the monster, he swears that he will protect Hikari, no matter what.

This show would have worked well as a shonen battle anime, but that isn't what the remainder of the series is about. For some reason, all of Takeru's friends and family members gather around the alien girl to provide clothes and a room for her. You don't even know how his friends heard about the girl so quickly, or why his friends decided to come together to see the girl. The show eventually turns into a disturbing harem comedy, where even Takeru's sister fights to win back her brother's love.

Around episode three, the show introduces another alien girl, named Akari. She strikes up a close friendship with Takeru's friend, Ryou Ninomiya. Akari's character is much more relatable, because she isn't so obsessed with smothering her new boyfriend with love. However, the series wants us to focus on Hikari, the least interesting of the two characters.

And for some reason, all the characters seem interested in Hikari, who wastes time in every episode by talking about the air, the water and the crickets of the Earth. No joke. In every episode, Takeru's friends and family are always around to gaze at Hikari. They all comment on Hikari's awkward fascination with the world. I mean, you'd think that after episode eight, these kids would have better things to do than to pay attention to the happy-go-lucky alien girl.

Fortunately, there is a serious story, in which ancient insect-like monsters actually attempt to destroy the world. These humongous, violent monsters awaken when they sense elevated levels of ED in teenagers such as Takeru. However, when you consider that ED actually stands for "Extended Definition," you'll find that there really isn't a good reason for anything in this anime. Sure, there are hints in episode nine about the upcoming apocalypse, but nothing is ever explained thoroughly.

Believe it or not, the series actually turns into an apocalyptic thriller at the end of episode 10. The ending also makes for a touching climax to this show. But by then, most people will get tired of all the redundant sitcom jokes. It's hard to forgive a repititious series that can't even manage to teach people to appreciate the boredom of everyday life. Even the conclusion of this series is an underwhelming disappointment.

Unless someone forces you to watch this anime at gunpoint, absolutely stay away from this series. It is possibly one of the worst anime shows ever made. And it is guaranteed to bore you to death, unless you manage to stick with it after the first five hours.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com

Upcoming reviews for September

2010-09-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

I decided to kick off the fall semester by watching some more anime shows. I'm thinking about switching to an ordinary anime live streaming subscription. The streaming sites are cheaper than Netflix and they provide a smorgasbord of shows, new and old.

Look forward to watching reviews of "This Ugly Yet Beautiful World," a series that features more nudity and fan service than any other shows I've seen. I'll probably finish the latest episodes of "High School of the Dead" as well. I need my fix of random zombie violence and fan service.

No movie rentals for a while...again

2010-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I was going to sign up for a movie rental service, until the Rhapsody music service charged me a hidden fee of $144. I really thought I was signed off of the service, but the stupid company reminded me that I wasn't.

I had to call up customer service. For some reason, they kept asking if I wanted to stay signed up. I hope they know how dissatisfied I am with their evil hidden charges.

And hopefully Netflix can think of something cheaper for me to deal with, because I hate these extra payments.

My movie-renting dilemma

2010-08-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

These days I'm fed up with a lot of things that are beyond my control. I haven't found a job with a steady payroll. I still own a lame Wii machine.

I'm most concerned about my movie-watching habits, though. I loved receiving Netflix movies in the mail, because I enjoyed watching subtitled anime shows. I decided to cut spending on my Netflix rentals about two months ago, because I wanted to save money for some of the video games I wanted.

Overall, the video games are great. However, I haven't been cranking out as many video game reviews and features as I would have liked. It's nice to play these games, but games don't include all the deep analytical themes of anime that I love. You know, in video games, you see the images of cyberpunk, but you don't get to see how cyberpunk represents the disconnect of the human body to become something less than human. You don't get to see the literal references to stories such as "Catch-22" or "The Snows of Kilamanjaro."

In short, I miss all the visual representations of themes that are larger than life. So I'm going to try out a two-DVD-a-month routine, to get me back into the DVD reviewing mood. However, I think I might try out some of the rental services that specialize in anime rentals. The two mail services I'm looking at are:

rentanime.com
It looks pretty legit for a website, owned by Anime Nation in Florida. The $20-a-month price is a little hefty, but you can't go wrong with unlimited rentals of three DVDs at once. The website even includes the "Patlabor" movies and the entire "Urusei Yatsura" television series. You can never go wrong with that kind of deal.

animetakeout.com
It's another good stockpiler of anime shows and manga, headquartered in Pasadena, California. However, the monthly price is a whopping $26 for unlimited rentals of two manga/DVDs at one time. Not only that, but the site's database is a little clunky.

Of course, there's always Netflix, which offers the widest range of options. However, it doesn't have the most complete collection of anime anymore. It doesn't update their selections as regularly as the other rental sites, either.

If anyone finds a better rental service, please be sure to leave a recommendation in the comments section. I will gladly consider it.

Images courtesy of Netflix and animenation.com

Anime streaming review: Fighting demons and living dangerously

2010-08-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Most of the supernatural anime shows focus on the same characters and the same stories of destroying unwanted undead creatures and spirits. A new show on crunchyroll.com throws some clever twists to the tried-and-true formula.

"Occult Academy" is not just an anime comedy that pokes fun at Hollywood horror--it turns into an adrenaline-pumping show about the frightening dangers of paranormal phenomena.

The show opens as a parody of the horror anime, involving a school which specializes in teaching students about occult spirits and unexplainable spectacles such as UFOs. In a freakish scene that could have been taken out of an old horror film, the school superintendent rises from the dead during a school funeral.

Despite the initial shock, the superintendent's daughter, Maya Kumashiro, insists that all these spiritual beings do not exist. Kumashiro is a ghost hunter who has a fascination for occult spirits, even though she was neglected by her father as a child. She is an unusually violent protagonist, on a mission to kill the zombies and ghouls who are haunting the Occult Academy.

The show manages to present a wide range of slapstick comedy. In fact, the first episode is a jovial parody of ghost mystery shows. Kumashiro's friends assemble the classic team of "expert" spiritual mediums, consisting of a fat "dowser" medium with flimsy metal prongs and a janitor who was just invited because he knows how to kick peoples' asses.

Yet, this show is not a comedy at all. It is a dark series where characters almost die, where the deadly secrets of Kumashiro's father come to life. When Kumashiro was a child, her father became obsessed with his occult studies. He became so obsessed that he refused to speak to his family. Episode two reveals that her father was actually researching an artifact with incredible power, known as the key of Nostradamus. The key is the one thing that will save the world from destruction in 2012.

Despite the looming devastation of the future apocalypse, the show manages to pull off a pretty humorous sex comedy routine involving a time traveler named Fumiaki Uchida. He was apparently sent to find the key of Nostradamus. However, he doesn't win any points with Kumashiro when he first appears in front of her, bare naked.

This anime series is an incredible mind trip, involving invisible ghost murderers, doppledangers and the end of the world. It works amazingly well as a blood-curdling thriller and a humorous, romantic school comedy. There's something for everyone in this hair-raising comedy that pokes fun at the flaws of the horror anime and uncovers the most intriguing, hidden secrets of the undead.

Watch the series for free at crunchyroll.com.

Image courtesy of photobucket.com