The Schmoes' Anime Reviews Database

[X-Nightcrawler]

In the same vein as the review data base in the videogame forum, I thought it'd be good to have a small review database. Since I check this forum virtually everyday -and because I AM awesome- I'm going to edit/update the database as soon as I see a new entry -if any. But anyway, I'm going to start with some anime reviews I've written. I'm pasting them in the following posts.

REVIEWS DATABASE

Series/OVAs
"Blue Seed". 8.4/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"DragonBall Z". 8.6/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"Full Metal Alchemist". 9.4/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"FLCL/Fooly Cooly/Fury Kuril" (OVA). 8.8/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"Gantz". 9.3/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"Hellsing". 8.5/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"Neon Genesis Evangelion". 9.3/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler
"Wolf's Rain" (TV + OVA). 10/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler

Movies
"Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End Of Evangelion". 10/10 Reviewed By: X-Nightcrawler

[X-Nightcrawler]

Protect The World From Itself.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000067IVS.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Plot:
A new danger appears in Tokyo, this time it's the lifeform in the form of the Aragami. Plant based monsters that can kick some ass. An organization, TAC, is born with the intentions of killing this threat. Enter Momiji, a normal teenage girl that is deemed 'the human sacrifice', she's recruited into TAC and the story begins unfolding.

What I Thought:
It's amazing how fast I turned into anime. In the blink of an eye, I'm an anime geek, watching it back and forth, all the time. "Blue Seed" is an anime series that takes me back to before I even began watching anime. I remember catching episodes once in a while, now that I got the DVDs with the 26 episodes, I couldn't stop. Let's see how it went.

"Blue Seed" is definitely a worthy member of the middle 90's anime streak ("Evangelion" being there as well. It spawned a second series called simply "Blue Seed 2" and there were plans of a full lenght movie. The truth is that the series isn't as good as I remembered at first glance. The story seems to be extremely thin during the first DVD but later on, when there's a mayor plot twist, "Blue Seed" shows us exactly how amazing it is. The story twists, turns and bends every episode in the final arc of the series and every second of it had me drooling. It isn't as complex as my love, "Evangelion" but it's certainly a more complicated universe than most stuff I've seen lately. The ending was somewhat a dissapointment because of how amazing the past five episodes had gone, I was expecting something more like what I had seen. The ending works fine on the universe but it could've been more climatic (the children chants were amazing though).

The characters are fantastic, like most anime. But like the plot, they take a lot to develop. The first two DVDs have little character development, with it relying mostly on predone anime clichéd personalities (cooler than cool Kusanagi for one). But when it gets good, everything does. The characters begin getting wrapped with layers and in the end, they are all well developed and complex people. Every dramatic scene during the final blocks of the story is extremely effective (the scene where everyone is getting ready for 'the end' had me teary eyed) because it carries weight with it. I'm glad I could connect to everyone at least at some point.

The epic storiline near the end opens doors for fantastic action sequences and fights. I'll be damned if I wasn't pumped for that 'mirror' battle with Kusanagi. The director had a lot of talent but not too much to work with, sadly. The animation -as most low budget 90's series- is very limited. The backgrounds are generally stylishly unanimated paintings, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. But the series is plagued with clever camerawork, great action and well cued drama. The soundtrack was surprisingly forgettable. Though 'that music' during the final episodes of the series is absolutely beautiful. Mostly, the rest is generic.

The acting (pretaining the Japanese version only) is absolutely fucking amazingly omygawd fantastic. Like "Evangelion", the scenes of fights and such made you think that the actors were actually feeling the characters' pain. Every emotion is transmitted like it should and it kept me hooked the entire way through. The charismatic actors voicing the great characters always felt so damned right!

Overall:
8.4/10. Overly, "Blue Seed" is gold that takes time to build. Overlook the first 10 episodes because after that, the quality is amped in monumental proportions. It's like the creator sat down and said, "Now it's going to get good."

[X-Nightcrawler]

*important* The following is a review of the Japanese Uncut 291 episode series, not the cut, american release. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT because the American release was horribly cut into something unrecognizable given that they didn't just cut gore but also plot segments and made the series about 30 episodes shorter.
*I will be reviewing this series in three 'sections', each giving space to each of the three major sagas of this huge series*
*since the english/spanish translations are bizzare, some names might be slightly changed*
*contains some spoilers*

Seven For A Wish

http://www.dvdeast.com/catalog/images/Dragonball%20Z%201%20DVD.jpg

Super Boo: "So . . . you are going to fight Majin Boo?"
Gohan: "Fight you? No. I'm going to destroy you."

Ah, DragonBall Z. Is it good? Is it bad? There's no denying its popularity. It took time to come to the americas but when it did, it hit. It created intense debates around anime fans. Some people consider it the father of all battle anime series (like myself), some don't even consider it real anime. For me, it marked a great moment in my childhood. Damn, was I obsessed with it (but then, everyone around me was) . . . DragonBall Z is all about getting in a right mindset to watch. The fans (oh right, you couldn't believe its massive fanbase) will see a deep, meaningful series. The others will see buffed out weirdoes beating the crap out of one another. I recently bought the entire fricking thing and saw it all once more, 291 episodes. I loved every second of it. Is it because it's really as great as I remembered? Or maybe just because I'm so horribly partial to it, it blinds the flaws. Really, who knows, let's find out.

Part I: The Saiyan/Freezer Saga
Plot: Five years after the final martial arts tournament (and the death of Piccolo), Goku, who is a grown married man meets his old friends again. But he has a surprise for them, his 4 year old son, Gohan (who has a tail, like Goku when he was a kid). The happiness is trashed instantly when a tailed man named Raditz arrives to Earth. This extremely powerful man (who also has a tail) reveals himself to be an alien of a race called "the Saiyan", and that he comes to destroy Earth. Oh, right . . . he also says that he is Goku’s older brother and that Goku himself is an alien, who was originally sent to Earth to destroy it, but when he bumped his head as a boy, he forgot his mission. Not only that, now Raditz knows about the dragon balls, and very soon, his (even more powerful) saiyan buddies are coming to earth for them.

What I Thought: How is that for a revealing first episode? This first saga in DragonBall Z is personally my least favorite (that is until the very end) but watching it was sure a lot of fun. The best thing about this first part was obviously its extremely twisty nature. See, Akira Toriyama decided to take his DragonBall universe in a new direction with Z. Now, it’s not a “Dr. Slump” like comedy with a lot of humor and fan service (don’t worry, we get a lot of that) but a martial arts/supernatural/fantasy/sci-fi romp.

This saga is, in my opinion, the slowest one. Sure, we have fantastic plot turn arounds like the ballsy killing of your main character in the fifth episode of the show. But, the problem (I guess) with the Dragon Ball universe is that the concept of death is non-existent for the most part. See, when characters die (happens A LOT), they go to the ‘Other World’, which is essentially another place in the universe. You still see them most of the time, which renders a lot of the drama in Dragon Ball Z useless. I don’t care if these characters die because they won’t really die. Also, there’s the concept of the Dragon Balls, which will revive anyone who died in a zap. However, they have these connected to the earth’s god, if he dies; the dragon balls will die as well. So they’re not always working as a fallback. But! Even with such thing, it can make death scenes extremely shocking (“Pop goes the weasel.”) and even gut-wrenching. What’s good is that you never ever know who’s going to make it to the end of each saga. The final battles are always full of twists and some seriously intense cliffhangers.

The new characters introduced in this saga are without a doubt the weakest of all the series. The only new characters you’ll want to care about are Vegeta, who’s awesomely developed and, obviously, Gohan (who will become the main character later on). Almost everyone else (except Freezer [Frieza in America], our big bad) is pretty worthless. Nappa for one, is a very uninteresting baddie (bad because he’s in the show for a long while). Actually, almost every lackey in the show is uninteresting (eventhough Ginyu and gang are hilarious, love them). But take Zarbon and Dodoria for instance. What the hell were these guys for again? Nevertheless, the battles these “useless” characters have generally serve a purpose, eventhough it’s only a cheap way to show how someone has become stronger.

What I adored about this saga is the whole Namek arc. This bit was really fun to watch and introduced the concept of the “Super Saiyan”, which won’t stop growing until the very end of DragonBall GT. The moment when the Super Saiyan appeared, I shuddered. What a fantastic fucking turn around! One of the coolest, most shocking, most pumping moments I’ve seen in anime or other medium.

The thing that really threw me off when re-watching this is how the animation and the character designs (mostly) are sub-par. Sure, the alien designs wildly vary, it’s the . . . well, the way they are drawn what I disliked (You’d understand if you’d contrast it against the designs in the “Boo” saga). The pacing was the worse thing here, it takes the 10-episodes-to-throw-a-punch thing that has made DragonBall Z famous to the extreme. Take the end, when the planet is going to explode, it takes 8 episodes for five minutes to happen. It was pretty frustrating. What’s worse is that there are a lot of episodes that focus on useless things and could be entirely trimmed. I loved the action scenes. The Goku-Vegeta and the Goku/Freezer battles were fucking awesome (even if the latter ran for too long, the end was awesome). The music was all right, I guess, with only one (really epic) track standing out, nothing much more really. Overly, it is indeed the weakest segment of the series, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to watch. It had its share of awesome moments (super saiyan was fantastic), its share of laughs (can’t get enough of Ginyu) and its share of great action. On to the Cell saga it is!

Part II: The Cell Saga
Plot: With the help of the dragon balls, the gang creates New Namek and revives those who died in Namek. However, when they try to “revive” Goku, Shenron tells him that he is still alive, and that he refuses to be brought back to earth, that he’ll find his own way back. The peace is shattered this time when Freezer (all robot now) returns to earth with nothing but mean intentions. He also brought his daddy and plans to destroy and torture those who gave him trouble in Namek. That’s when a mysterious young man (who for some reason can also turn into a Super Saiyan) arrives, takes care of Freezer and predicts Goku’s return with perfection. He also says that he comes from the future, and warns everyone about a new enemy that’s going to come in a few years’ time. Not only that, he gives Goku a medicine and tells him that unless he survives a fatal heart disease, the world is going to be rendered defenseless and will become a trashed post-apocalyptic wasteland.

What I Thought: My definite favorite saga in all of Dragon Ball, Z or otherwise. This one arrives with knife-sharp writing, a complex plot, amazing characters and one of the coolest villains I’ve seen in anime. From the instant this saga began, I knew I was in for a ride. The episode when Trunks arrives and takes care of Freezer (in one of my favorite anime moments, ever . . . I would have never seen that coming) shocked me, excited me and simply blew me away. Literally minutes later, the twists begin (LOVED Trunks’ identity, WOW) and it gets exciting even before the big bad is introduced.

The progression between the big bads is fantastic. From Android #15, then Gero, then #17/#18, and finally Cell, the threat never seemed to extinguish. Which was a big problem in the Freezer saga, since it had so many boring moments that killed all the intensity the moment had. This is the only real dead-serious saga, which has the one really heart wrenching conclusion and the greatly bittersweet finale. The story here is DragonBall Z at its best. It’s extremely complicated (loooooved Cell’s arrival) without being convoluted like the “Boo” saga. The way they handled time travel was really very totally clever, and doesn’t become confusing (everything is explained, and nothing comes off bluntly).

What’s so great about this one is the character of Trunks. This is not only the most dimensional and developed character in all of DragonBall Z, he is so cleverly written, he brings a lot out of everyone (especially Vegeta, awesome stuff). The rest of the characters are all fantastic (except Dr. Gero, he bored me big time). The androids were a fucking blast to watch and really brought something new as antagonists (not some guy bent on universal domination this time around). And what can be said about Cell. Not only is he awesome to look at, he’s also an amazing character and my favorite villain. Damn, like the androids it was very fresh to see a real antagonist and not only some evil guy twirling his mustache. The final battle is very clever, the “Cell Game” made the battle the opposite from redundant and what it leads up to was just awesome. Make sure to catch the movies that go along this same plotline (like the origin of Trunks movie, it’s amazing).

The directing doesn’t vary much from this and the last saga. Except that some of the action here is much, much better (swords and Freezer mix great). The music was also better this time around, but still, nothing (except the Trunks theme) standing out. A big problem, eventhough not as extreme as in the Freezer saga, it’s ridiculous the amount of time is wasted on irrelevant things. But, I loved the parts when they’re waiting for the Cell Game to begin, the SSJ Goku/Krilin/rock joke was absolutely hilarious. Other than that, the pacing is swiftly consistent, makes up the best moments in all of DragonBall Z.

Part III: The Boo Saga
Plot: It’s been many years since Cell was defeated and everyone seems to have moved along. Gohan is going to high school now, Goku is hanging out with Kai in the other world, Vegeta hasn’t stopped training (eventhough he said he’d never fight again in the end of Cell saga) and is teaching his (now 8 year old) son Trunks how to fight. Gohan’s little brother Goten (who is 7) is getting some training himself and like Trunks, he can go Super Saiyan from very young age. Everyone (including Goku) enters a martial arts tournament, where they meet a mysterious pair of characters who lead them to believe that someone named Babidi is planning to resurrect a very powerful demon by the name of Majin Boo.

The final saga of DragonBall Z, while it doesn’t live up to the previous, makes up a great conclusion and wraps it all completely for one great finale. What is the best thing about it? Well, it sports a fantastic cast of new characters, most of them being greatly lovable. The great thing about DragonBall Z, which you’ll see on a major level in this saga is the character growth. These characters really grow, much more than any other show. Take Goku. He’s 10 years old in DragonBall and becomes a grandfather by the end. Characters have children, good characters go evil, evil characters go good. It’s impressive how much all the cast changes from the beginning to the end. And this is the saga that changes the DragonBall Z universe to extremes.

Mostly because it takes place after an extended peace period, we meet new characters that were born between the two sagas. Trunks (I know, he was born before, but he did nothing but coo and whine then), Goten, Maron (oh right, Krilin is married now . . . to #18) among others. They finally got rid of the useless DragonBall characters that were still active in Cell saga (Ten-shin Han, Yamcha, Chaos). These were greatly positive changes and were very welcome. The new opening song is fucking fantastic and the opening video is even better (love the shot of the cast in the end).

However, some of the changes weren’t as welcome. See, this is the moment when DBZ stops taking itself seriously. With the introduction of a villain who turns his victims to candy and eats them, this saga becomes a joke for most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, though. There are some seriously messed up moments in this last saga. For one, the ‘egg’ death, it was so intense it made my stomach twirl. I also liked the twist that involves . . . well, I can’t say it. But you’ll know what I’m talking about. This saga introduced a huge amount of new characters (which then introduced more characters, how many bloody Kais are there again?) and because of it, the story becomes needlessly complex. Unlike Cell, this one became pretty convoluted. There are billions of things going on in here! For one, we have the tournament, then we have Bibidi doing his thing, Gohan doing what the hell knows what in the other world, Goku on earth teaching the fusion, the potara fusion with Vegeta, all the Boo transformations and dammit, so much more.

Granted, this one brought some pretty damned cool concepts to the show. For one, I loved the “fusion” (you have to watch the “A new Fusion” movie) concept. The whole scenes with Goten and Trunks training were extremely fun to watch (love the dance). The Super Saiyan 3 (that’s right) was amazing but underused (I needed more battles with that look), the Z sword (another cool underused concept), the total apocalypse, etc. What’s good is that this one doesn’t waste so much time as the other two on unnecessary subplots (except Great Saiyaman, what was that for again?) or overextended battles. Things are always kept fresh (mostly because of the new characters, I love Goten/Trunks) in some way or another. The tournament in the beginning was a total and absolute blast (the “Cell” movie had me rolling on the floor).

Again, the new characters (on the good side) are mostly well developed. Goten I thought would be just another Gohan but thankfully I was surprised with him being a unique character. Videl was also a great addition to the cast, very dimensional. I love how this Trunks panned out to be (his scenes training with Vegeta were gold). However, the bad guys are mostly horrible. Sure, Dabura is fucking awesome looking and has an awesome personality switch later on, but the others were pretty uninteresting. Babidi was dreadfully annoying, Boo was pretty dull (except Fat Boo, he was fun), all the other Majins were no better either. My bigger problem is that I couldn’t fear or take Boo seriously, like I did with Freezer and of course, Cell.

Overly, eventhough it totally changed DragonBall Z’s tone into a more fun, lighthearted one, I still enjoyed this longer saga. Too bad it really became convoluted with so many things going on at the same time.

Overall:
8.6/10I find “DragonBall Z” hard to rate. It’s all about your take on it. If you can get over the goofy and simple exterior, you’ll find a very touching, meaningful series with clever writing and deep characters. Of course, it does have inconsistent and sometimes frustrating pacing at times, and some of the animation and character designs are eh in the beginning. However, there’s no in between for DragonBall Z. You can’t be impartial to it. You’ll either adore it (I adore it) or utterly hate it. Watch with an open mind and aware that there IS depth among it all.

[X-Nightcrawler]

The Fate Of Destruction Is Also The Joy Of Rebirth

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000068OJ1.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"I'm so fucked up . . ."

Plot:
Replacing the series' original finale (Episodes 25 and 26), this story begins where Episode 24 ("Knocking On Heaven's Door") left off. New episodes entitled "Air" And "My Purest Heart For You". I don't want to spoil anything.

What I Thought:
What happened to the memorability in movies? Until very recently, I hadn't seen anything really memorable in any movie. Well, thank God, "The End Of Evangelion" came home. This was, without a single doubt, the most memorable movie experience I have ever had, animated or otherwise. I must say that when I first saw this movie I knew SHITE about the series. Literally, I hadn't even glanced at any of the 24(26) episodes that go before it and the first watch of this movie was enough to boost it to my top twenty. It quickly acended into it's deserved #3 movie of all time.

If you read myNeon Genesis Evangelion review, you can tell that I quickly became a fan. Either way, I'll try to review this one on it's own two feet. This movie plays like two long Eva episodes, including the "To be continued" tag in the end of 25 and the ensuing credits. The story of "The End Of Evangelion" is, basically, the physical depiction of what went on down during the last two episodes and it got ugly. This is what people wanted to see, taking all the good stuff from the darker NGE episodes and taking them to a new level. As many said, this is the ultimate "fuck you!" to fans (trust me, it's not as it sounds, you'll have to see). From the very very beggining, this movie guarantees to make fans of NGE uncomfortable (the hospital room scene anyone?) and hints us that this movie has zero kiddy wackiness or content, it's all adult oriented with a lot of scenes of violence, nudity and brutality. Also, included comes the best and craziest visuals that will ever hit the screen, the images that make up Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The story flows quickly and without holding any punches, showing us the final moments with all our favorite characters (except some) witnessing the end. Anno created the universe he now sits to end and I loved the ultra conclusive atmosphere spread wide through it's short lenght, I also loved the very bright look, it makes a great contrast with the ultra dark events going on. And everyone, hats off to Hideaki Anno for bringing us the BEST FRAGGIN' ACTION SEQUENCE you will ever see anywhere courtesy of the beloved Asuka and her trusty Evangelion Unit 02. Damn, you just wait until you see that, it gets my blood pumping every single time I watch it. Thank god, this movie isn't only a redhead kicking ass, we also get to see some of the most dramatic moments and insightful philosophy and symbolism. I'd lie if I said I went over a lumpy throat in key scenes of the movie. Also, I never thought I could watch a 40 minute long sequence as many times as I have (yes, 'that' final scene). Anno came home and answered a lot of the questions raised in the series and leaving others open on the air. Another thing worth mentioning is the soundtrack. Wow, that added so much quality! Those moments in the series with a classical score are back with an equally great soundtrack and songs written only for the release of this movie. The score (and in times lack of one) fit the images and supports.

The voice acting (in Japanese, the acting in english is almost ridiculous) is, no doubt, the best I have ever scene and together with the top notch animation, it makes it unforgettable. The actor playing Shinji is downright AMAZING (I didn't know a human could scream that much), he delivered the extreme sadness, fear and grief like a champ. He's, obviously, not the only champion but I want to make a special note to Asuka. Fuck me THAT's acting. In short, everyone involved does GREAT. You'll be delighted to know that all actors return to their respective roles.

Overall Rating:
10/10. This movie deserves a perfect rating just for being the most memorable movie experience I have ever had. Great acting, characters, direction, score and visuals. This is the perfect conclusion to the eternal Neon Genesis Evangelion saga.

[X-Nightcrawler]

They thought there was nothing more they could lose . . . They were wrong.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006H325C.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's law of equivalent trade. We used to think that was the truth of the world when we were young."

Plot:
After their mother's tragic death, Edward and Alphonse Elric tried to revive her using Alchemy, the science of 'transmuting' something from one shape to another. But they broke the rule of equivalent trade doing so . . . now, Al is trapped inside a suit of armor and Ed lost his arm and leg. The only way to return to their former bodies -and maybe see their mother again- is finding the mythical Philosopher's Stone. But there are many obstacles on the way, including many others looking for the stone. Now it's a race to see who finds it first . . . And all this before the opening credits.

What I Thought:
Amazing fantasy, exciting action, hilarious comedy, intense horror, shattering drama and a few other stuff are the ingredients BONES studio (who brought the classics "Cowboy Bebop" and "Wolf's Rain" . . . those folks are just guarantee) used to tranmute the 2004 huge-hit anime series "Full Metal Alchemist". In less than a year, this 51 episode series already spawned 2 videogames, one full-length movie, a shitload of merchandise and a massive fanbase. Considered today as one of the top anime series you could possibly find . . . I just couldn't resist.

"Full Metal Alchemist" ("Fullmetal Alchemist" in the US) is unique in many levels. Now, I'm not the anime knowhow fellow, but I hadn't seen such a massive amount of genres meshed together and all done so well. This show had the romote control to my emotion, when it wanted I'd literally laugh out loud, at other moments I'd have by fingers lodged in the couch, at times excited me to point of yelps and at some points, it stabbed my heart, kicked me in the nuts, slept with my girlfriend and crashed my car. There's one point early in the series that's the definite most devastating thing I've seen in any medium . . . ever. It's like the writers thought "What's the worst, most completely shattering, totally wrong thing we can possibly do? Oh, I know!" and then ka-blooie. They also re-punch with the ending credits, edited to just remind you of what happened and further twist the knife that's on your heart.

But enough about me getting easily affected emotionally by anime. This show is more than extremely effective mood swings. There's a lot to back up the raving behind it. First off it's the axe-sharp writing. This extremely complex story managed to add complexities and complications like there's no tomorrow, also adding twist after twist after twist after twist, and all being surprising. But the good thing is that all the complexities are referenced enough times so you completely understand the thing, and in the end, all loose ends are tied up and wraps with a headbutt bittersweet finale that left me drooling in anticipation for the upcoming movie sequel. They also managed to create a very very realistic world with mature thematics (don't let the childish character designs confuse you) like racism, religious differences, war, and much more.

Focusing mostly on the theme of "loss" and "brotherhood", the show was more than some shallow thing you'd forget a day later. People can learn a lot about life from some of the undercurrents found in "Full Metal Alchemist" (loved the whole 'pregnant kitten' scene, I was seriously impressed by the depht this show could go to, no other series has gone like this). Take the "law of equivalent trade" used in alchemy in this universe. But there's also the clever notion of how many times they use this law when not referring to alchemy. I guess it's just like life, right? You can't gain something without giving something in return. I know it sounds silly, but seen in context, it's really really clever. The ending had something even more clever referring to the law of equivalent trade, this show is just so damned consistent.

But not everything is perfect with "Full Metal Alchemist" . . . the show is really really long (51 episodes) and many of the standalone episodes bring nothing or very little out of either plot or character. This is more apparent in the earlier episodes, when you think they're mostly going around meeting people that never return to the show. I was proven wrong when 80% of the characters that appear in the stand-alones made a return at some point, all enriching the conflict at hand. But still they could have trimmed many of the stand-alones. Another problem I had was regarding a certain moment in the series when the characters need a specific report, long lost in a library. Conviniently, a librarian just knew and had memorized every word of every book there. That was a huge trip in an otherwise well written story.

The characters are amazing . . . the scope and cast of characters is just huge when compared to other anime series. In the end we get this huge cast of main and supporting characters, and they focus on almost everyone at some point. The main characters ('mains' meaning about . . . 10 characters) were very dimensional, very human and mostly complex -and best of all, they were flawed. Sure, Alphonse (my favorite character, he just looks so damned badass) needed more layers (eventhough he's a well-developed character) and some phases of this or that fellow were somewhat unrealistic, but in the end, the development aquired beats the shit out of other shows I've seen (yes, they're more developed than the people in "Neon Genesis Evangelion").

What facinated me was the directing. The greatly fluid, well done animation and fun (if not a little childish) character designs are accompanied by greatly creative, inventive and downright fun direction. First off, I must say that the anime whackiness (odd faces, slapstick humor ["Tomato + Potato = Pomato!!" had me rolling down the floor], funny posing and oh so much more) and comedy were greatly welcome (the last series I had seen were dead-serious), I laughed during many instances and the whackiness was alway received with arms wide open (I don't think I ever rolled my eyes in any of the billions of times Ed gets called "chibi" and goes haywire). The creative bits included the strange moments like that shot when Ed almost gets squashed by the rolling ball or Sheska's "Imagination-Reality" thing when she talks about how she looks for the books. Can't describe it here, but trust me, i's really creative.

The action was really exciting, using the alchemy and the surroundings to a breaking point, making the battles unique. It's definitely your generic directing in any sense and way to look at it. The voice acting was amazing 99% of the time, except for a few (few) bumps with characters laughing and such, everyone did well with their respective roles and convinced me enough to understand the character's feelings. Nothing exceptional like that in "Neon Genesis Evangelion", but I can't say I didn't like the acting (especially Ed, damn, that actor could cry). Music was great, the opening and closing vocal tracks were very catchy, and the instrumental bits gave the urge to buy the soundtrack disc (coming my way). No song ever seemed to be un-fit for the situation.

Overall:
9.4/10. It has a few flaws, yes. But what it does right, it does it much better than most things I have seen. Funny, scary, shattering, exciting and more. One of the best anime series in existence sounds about right.

[X-Nightcrawler]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005TPKX.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

"It takes an idiot to do cool things. That's why it's cool."

Plot:
While his brother is in America, young Naota spends some time with his brother's girlfriend, who doesn't stop teasing him. That's when an insane girl in a motoscooter kicks in and smashes Naota on the head. A three foot long bump appears later on, and the girl -who calls herself Haruko- stays in Naota's place as a maid. But then, an evil corporation's plan begins unfolding as a robot appears from the Naota's bump. Oh, that's right . . . and that's not the end of it.

What I Thought:
If you're in the mood for girls in playboy playmate outfits airsurfing on guitars, a maid robot with a TV as a head kicking ass, a small robot dog that gets bigger as he eats cell phones, people getting cat ears or just utter insanity, then hop on the FLCL train.

This is probably the most insane anime I've ever seen (and probably the most insane anime ever), and even as I was forewarned about just how wacky it was, I was still surprised. I can't say I don't enjoy comedy anime. The little I've seen has really amused me, but none of those have come anywhere near to being as insane or funny as FLCL is (except "Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu" which is just the funniest thing ever). The opening alone had me rolling on the floor with anime wackiness taken to the extremes mixed with top fucking notch animation and crazy character designs. I knew I was in for a crazy bloody ride.

FLCL is an anime experiment from the creators of everyone's favorite series, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Can you mix a clever plot with bizzare comedy in only 6 very short episodes? Sounds difficult, I only expected this show to be a fun ride but nothing more. I didn't even really expect a plot, and I could have loved it if it had none! But FLCL decided to go and experiment. It worked wonders. The concept in FLCL isn't throroughly explored, since it has so little time, but the concept itself and to the extent that it is used is fantastic. You have a mistery on hands and the story does well when it develops. My big problem with the story is more of a personal thing, but it'll be addressed following.

The heart of FLCL (it does have a heart under the goofy exterior) relies mostly on the character interaction. Sure, none of these folks are particularily developed or realistic, but the way they relate to each other is where the hay's at. The relationship progression between Naota/Mamimi and Naota/Haruko is just fantastic. I loved how their relationship changes in such radical ways, but smoothly in the course of the short series. There is a heart warming moment in the final episode which I don't want to spoil . . . I'll just say it involved Naota crying. I didn't expect to "Aaaaww" at an anime series that suddenly mimics South Park (no, literally, what wiht that?) but I did. My problem was that I cared so much more about these characters interacting together, who cares in what way, than about the plot. So when the story suddenly went 'serious' (as serious as it got, which isn't much) I was bored.

The directing by Kazuya Tsurumaki (who directed the first part of "The End Of Evangelion" as well as some episodes of the series) was what won me over immediately. Not only is the animation some of the best I've ever EVER seen, I just loved how it was managed. This show oozes style! From the fantastic freeze-as-camera-pans-around in some scenes (loooove the kiss) to the absolutely mindblowing action sequences (Canti kicks so much fucking ass), it's all great. I was in awe and drooling. And what can I say by the soundtrack by "The Pillows"? Nothing except the fact that it fucking ROCKS. I'm not really into J-Pop (except some select few from shows) but these tracks were so fucking catchy and fit the images so well, I had no choice but to get the album, which I reeeeallly reccomend.

Another problem I had was the voice acting. Eventhough most actors got their parts nailed well enough in about one episode, I was really distracted by how underplayed some of the acting is. The character may be screaming and you'll only hear the voice talking normally. Thank god, this goes away soon enough but when it happened, it was pretty hard to look past.

Let me just emphasize on just how crazy the show is. Some parts have the show going 'manga' (you see manga panels and hear the voices) and is later addressed by the chracters as "too expensive and annoying for the cameramen.", at one point, the characters become South Park characters, people shoot people for no reason with odd unlethal weapons and that's just the tip of the iceberg. If you enjoy extreme wackiness in anime, this is your cake.

Overall:
8.8/10. The flaws are not even real flaws, saying that the characters aren't really developed or that the plot isn't throroughly explored is almost unfair. This isn't the show you'll want to see if you want a thought provoking plot, this is the show you'll want to see if you like wild comedy and suggestive innuendo. It's a roller coaster you have to be ready for. It's just not for everyone.

[X-Nightcrawler]

In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be vanished into eternal damnation. Amen.

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"I'm going to violate every part of your being. I will consume every last part of your soul and leave you in ruin."

Plot:
There's an organization in London called "Hellsing Organization" bent on destroying all the 'impure souls' (vampires, ghouls [zombies with fangs, basically] and more), it is lead by a woman named Integra and a subordinate vampire, cooler than goddamn Alucard. A police officer named Victoria is killed and bitten by cooler than goddamn Alucard, then taken to Hellsing where she'll join the ranks of cooler than goddamn Alucard and crew.

What I Thought:
Probably one of the most popular anime out there. There's been a lot of fuss about this new series, "Hellsing". Everytime I went "Wow, that "Nightwalker" sure is a cool show!", somone would go "Hellsing is like, so totally completely better!" Now that I finally got it, I was planning on sitting through the first 5 episodes today but I couldn't stop. I watched the entire thing back to back (yep, I do need one of them lives). My eyes are all red (Do I . . . like, look like Alucard?) and my back hurts a lot. Let's see what happened down Hellsing Drive.

This is a 13 episode long anime (half the number of episodes in traditional anime series) so it's hard to have that 'arc' feeling. "Nightwalker" for instance was 100% made of standalone episodes. "Hellsing" has a main arc, a few standalones and a hell load of subplots. One of the biggest issues with "Hellsing" is that none of these subplots is completely explored. The main arc is the whole "FREAK chip" deal and yeah, it's never completely explored. A little frustrating the short term appearances of those I'd thought would make a big part in the plot (The Valentines, "Sword Dancer", etc . . . they were all awesome characters but are barely in the show). We are introduced to our big bad by the name of "Incognito" near the end where the story gets epic (that line of Helena's "You have to stop him!" REALLY pumped me). And only one bad episode (Episode 4 was very eh).

The characters are . . . well, I don't know. Some of them are ultra developed (Integra was FANFUCKINGTASTIC), some of them needed development (Walter was amazing, I would have liked to like to know more about him) but all of them are likable and cool. These are actually cool vampires! And I am that guy who didn't find "Jerry Dandrige" cool in the slightlest. Every scene Alucard pulled out his huge gun, I'd yelp "Ohmygawd! You go!" and the final battle with Incognito (although it ended abruptly) was one for the books. I am amazed at how every single person that hit the screen was likeable. Special props for our main, Victoria. I loved the living dead hell out of that girl (I adored her very Resident Evil-esque introduction).

The directing must be seen to be believed, I was blown away. The first episode had more style than almost every TV show I've seen lately. Kinetic movements, inventive camera angles, ultra creative situations (the opening of episode 1 is fantastic). The soundtrack is magic, it shouldn't work at times, but it does. It packs from Rock, to pop, to classic to lullabies and everything in between. It rarely failed to support the images, good job there.

Overall:
8.5/10. The plot really needed some polishing and to tie loose ends, but the show has billions of memorable characters and moments, the best direction I've seen in anime and a great soundtrack. Thanks for not sucking, "Hellsing".

[X-Nightcrawler]

God's In His Heaven, All's Right In The World

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"I can't run away. I can't run away. I can't run away. I can't run away."

Plot:
In the year 2015, mankind is threatened by huge creatures called "The Angels". They can't do nothing against them so human creates the Evangelions, (the coolest mecha-thingees you'll ever see) the only thing that has a chance against the Angels. A young pilot by the name of Shinji is summoned as the last hope to pilot the Eva (Evangelion, short). The story unfolds like anything you' ve seen before.

What I Thought:
To be perfectly honest, I wasn't an anime fan until very recently . . . since I'm being honest, I might also add that I was never even remotely interested in Evangelion, as a series. That all changed a fatefull afternoon when I sat down to watch "The End Of Evangelion" but that's another story.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is, without a doubt, one of the most popular, beloved and influencial anime series of all time but, what exactly makes this different from all those billions of other "giant-robot-saving-mankind" motifed anime series? Well, that is one impossible question to answer with just one word. So basically, you'll have to keep reading. The story of NGE or Evangelion (how I'll call it for short) is right up my alley. In short, it's epic, huge, intricate and unbelievably complex. What starts as an easy to follow episode quickly turns into a trek of plot twists, turns and intricacies that won't let go.
This series has the perfect example of how Japanese people write their stuff. Every episode is extremely important and adds dimension to the evergrowing plot, but, intentionally leaving literally hundreds of questions out on the air. Some of which are answered in the movie followups, some of which aren't.

This could be the one minor flaw I can give to the series overall, it's vagueness. Although we do get what's going on through the series perfectly, there are a lot of things to "look out for". For instance, I have spent HOURS researching about Evangelion stuff and everyday I've found something new I didn't know. Have in mind I've seen all episodes and "The End Of Evangelion". Hey sure, I love this stuff, I love to learn more stuff by myself but that isn't the general case. If the story is extremely complex (trust me here), why leave it so vague?

I also need to say that I think that the story itself is way too inteligent. With religious overtones spreaded in it and enough symbolism to drive your brain into overdrive, the story in Evangelion towers over anything else I have ever seen/played/read in terms of story quality. But, this elegant story, how does it flow? Well, basically: great. Due to it's complex nature it's virtually impossible to be close to getting it without having seen one episode. Each episode is more important than the last and the interest grows with every second of playtime. When episode 17 begins, trust me, everything will just get better and better. This is when the series begins sporting it's darker and crueler mood, driving our beloved characters over edges we never expect. The plot begins to twist and turn every episode with one exciting climax in the last 'good' episode, 24.

Episodes 25 and 26 are, with a reason, the forgotten Evangelion episodes. Anno took the series into a 'deeper' meaning and it all bases itself on symbolism. The result is one dissapointing finale to one of the greatest series ever. That was later changed with the release of "The End Of Evangelion", the greatest movie experience ever. Although not everything in Evangelion is roses and candy, the creators didn't forget to give us a unique brand of humor that doesn't rely on "anime wackiness" (although that is present). The humor arrives when Asuka does and I welcomed every second of it.

Without a doubt, what is regarded as Evangelion's 'specialty' (what everyone loves) is it's characters and their relationships but more importantly, their flaws. We are presented a cast of characters like nothing you have ever seen before. The hero is all but a cliché hero who wills to save the universe. Shinji Ikari would prefer to be anywhere else. Of course, this is not the only character you'll find unique. Shinji and the gang are all unique characters with great personalities. Asuka (the favorite character of millions), Rei, Misato . . . all of them are unique and developed like little you've seen. Their dimension grows bigger and bigger until all you do is forget that you're watching a cartoon. The characters could be one of the best ever brought to me. I loved every single scene where Rei, Asuka and Shinji are left alone, simply priceless.

But what exactly is behind Neon Genesis Evangelion? What is it trying to tell us? The obvious choice would be to imagine it's a basic cry out or heads up to religion. Is this true? I doubt it, I don't think that's what Evangelion is about. The way I see it, Neon Genesis Evangelion is about being and feeling alone. This is reflected in every main character's decent through the series. This makes the audience to easily identify and relate to someone in the series and that's another point of brilliancy, everyone is going to relate to something or someone in the series, I almost guarantee that.

Hideaki Anno gave us his story in a unique way. Yes, the animation isn't exactly perfect but it works perfectly fine with the story. The camera moves greatly and I loved the atmosphere shifts. A cheery scored scene can quickly turn into a dark and gloomy atmospheric action scene with a classical score of a soundtrack (you'll be amazed of how it works). The action scenes are a fucking blast to watch and most of the time it gets my blood pumping. Anno didn't forget the drama either. There are various events throughout the series (albeit in the 6 or so final episodes) that really shook me over. All character related. I was surprised more than once.

Overall:
9.3/10. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" is the peak of anime. It's basically a once in a lifetime experience that doesn't end when the final episode does. I am blown away and I am sure I'll be watching this again and again.

[X-Nightcrawler]

DISCLAIMER: I'm about to seriously prance like a schoolgirl so if you're not into ultra sucking-something-up, I'd do 180° now.

*Note* This is a review of the 26 episode series PLUS the 4 OVAs.

The Story Of Wolves' Great Spirits

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"This will be my final battle, I won't do this for Nobles. I'm fighting for an existance I must protect."

Plot:
Legend has it that there is a Paradise waiting to be opened, and wolves are the only ones who can. Here's the catch, wolves have been extinct for 200 years. Or are they? Inside one of the world's domed city, 4 young wolves meet up and set off to a quest to find and open paradise.

My Thoughts:
When I was 13, I bought and beat the videogame "Final Fantasy VIII". Now, not only did it become my favorite videogame, it also became my favorite most-things (book/show/game). Fast forward 5 years to myself watching the anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion". While it didn't beat FFVIII in terms of I-adore-it-ness, it came really, REALLY close. I think I've watched the NGE movie over 20 times (yeah, it's my favorite movie). Flash forward a few months, early 2005 to the day I started watching "Wolf's Rain" . . . the one thing that impossibly beat everything.

Now that you've read the (creepy) story of my life, I can start reviewing "Wolf's Rain". This is an anime series that towers over anime series. "Neon Genesis Evangelion" had its issues (even if you count EoE as the finale) and it's widely considered "the best anime series ever". Well, "Wolf's Rain" is clearly better . . . in every sense of the word.

First, the storyline. The fact that this is mystically up my alley isn't the only reason I think the plot is downright fantastic. Anime series generally tend to have a slow beginning to their huge storylines, giving us only hints during the first blocks, then bombarding us with billions of twists and developments during the finale (not that that's a bad thing), a good example is, again, Evangelion. "Wolf's Rain" isn't like this. Developments and twists are served in every single episode (except in the 'Interlude'). This doesn't overload us and makes us get the complex universe easier.

The episodes are really well written, each one adds character meat, story meat, delivers action (good one), memorable moments (the hawk scene anyone?). Right after the extreme cliffhanger at the end of episode 14, there are four 'chill out' episodes that recap what has happened from the main's POV (one episode for Toboe, one for Tsume, one for Hige and one for Hubb). These episodes had no right to work, but the added scenes, narrative and music made them work, even the scenes the second time around. The final episodes (26-30) is what people deemed the worst dissapointment ever. I will NEVER understand this. The final episodes carry more emotion than a funeral and the ending will give us fanboys hours of talk. The ending has closure and is open for a (PLEASE) sequel, movie, something.

The characters are probably the thing that made this series so memorable. Sure, they all start pretty generic. One is the misterious one, one is the tough one, one is the funny one and one is the timid, 'whiner' (kinda like Shinji from NGE and happens to be the best character ever). Add to that the ethereal 'mysterious girl with some sort of power' and you get a generic cast, right? Wrong. The way they start is just that, how they start. During the series they grow in monumental amounts (the Walrus scene, nothing better than that). Everyone reveals something unique and in the end, you'll love everyone.

The directing was downright amazing, this is no standard anime directing. The best thing about it is definitely the way it can play with your emotions. I laughed at some points and in other bits, well . . . it had been a while since I had cried . . . so hard. Worst thing is that even when it begins getting sad (not 'Titanic' sad, I mean 'your best friend just died' sad) it doesn't let go. Even after the series ended I was still reliving those ULTRA harsh moments ("You're a good boy, Toboe" *swallows heart*). The animation is stellar, with the post-apocalyptic landscapes and the amazing action (estrogen mixes great with martial arts, apparently).

The voice acting was just like in much anime series: absolutely fantastic. The dramatic moments actually made you feel something was paining the voice actors! Not much can be said in this account other than simply astounding, like the series itself.

Much like his older brother "Cowboy Bebop", "Wolf's Rain" counts with an absolutely unforgettable soundtrack and score. Most songs have english lyrics and they relate greatly to the plot ("Gravity" was amazing). What isn't sung is recorded with all sorts of techno, pop and some extremely effective 'chill' scores that never failed to support the images. The scene with Myu and "Run, Wolf Warior, Run" was too beautiful to be believed.

Overall:
I'm not that guy that 10/10s everything he sees, but . . . with Wolf's Rain, saying "perfect" doesn't cut it.

[X-Nightcrawler]

No one knows where it came from. No one knows who sent it. It decides who lives and dies. Let The Games Begin.

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"Your lives are over. How they are used from this point on is up to me. That's the idea, anyway. Please go kill this guy now:"

Plot:
Kei Kurono is a teenager with raging hormones who doesn't give a rat's fart about anyone else (my idol). Trouble for him is that, he's forced to face things he never thought he'd face. While waiting in the subway for his train to arrive, he sees how a drunken hobo falls to the tracks. Like almost everyone else in the station, he is just waiting to see him die. The only one who heroically jumps to the tracks to try and save him is Kei's old childhood friend, Kato. Unable to help him by himself, Kato calls out for Kei, who recluntantly jumps down to help him. They save the hobo but the train gets to them before they can get out and makes mashed potatoes of their bodies. Seconds later, they awaken inside a strange apartment with other poeple who had just died and a strange black orb telling them to go kill a couple of aliens. The orb -Gantz- gives them guns, suits, puts an hour on the timer and sends them to hunt. Let the games begin.

What I Thought:
Plagued with extreme violence, nudity to boot, sexual innuendo, torture, many attempted rapes and too many exploding heads for a healthy dozage, "Gantz" is Studio Gonzo (Full Metal Panic!, Final Fantasy: Unlimited) newest spawn. It ran through two seasons in Japan, most violence edited out and then got released by ADV films, all uncut (watch the uncut release promo here (http://www.gantz.tv/trailers.php) so you get what I talk about) in 10 DVDs. When I saw the trailer that showed two kids exploding as a subway hit them and read the many positive reviews, I just had to watch it (yes, I'm a monster). Important note, if you can't watch the UNCUT version of Gantz, then don't bother. See, the violence is constant and cutting it out would also cut out story segments. Watching an episode of the Cut version was enough for me to warn you to avoid it.

Gantz is a healthy mix of many movies or games I have thus far loved. It's heavy on the Battle Royale spice, being a whole game of death with certain established rules (it gets more BR-ish in the final game); it packs a Cube taste to it with the insane violence and claustrophobic paranoia; add a Final Destination-esque atmosphere when the characters are about to die again and just some good 'ol men-versus-alien motifs. While the violence and the nudity are totally exploitive, there is a heart to Gantz. Spread out through the series and amongst the action, you'll find some very interesting philosophies on war, murder and society all while boggling the mind with theories of life and death. This might not be as aparent on a first run through, but it's all there, trust me. Though the universe is somewhat sloppy with its own rules (I was confused at some points) it has a "Free Out Of Jail" card, which is simple: Gantz -the character- is sloppy with what it does, so it's quickly understood.

One problem I had though was that they never show any of the possible outcomes explained in the maga. What happens when you get 100 points? Has anyone ever had? How long has Gantz been doing this? What the fuck is Gantz anyway? We are never told. And don't get me started with the ending, which -although intense because of the visuals- was somewhat disappointing, since I have no clue about what happened.

The pacing is realistic (which is just a pretty word for "slow pace"), so don't expect some sort of fight every second or so. The show can spend whole episodes with characters standing around and trying to figure out what the hell is going on (just look at game 2), which brings me to another problem. Why in the name of hell do they suddenly stop battles to show seemingly insignificant bits? In game 3, the two statues just stood there as our heroes watch that one bum get his face bashed in by some dudes we had never seen before. Why do the battles have to stop so suddenly? Just give me more action, my mouth is foaming already!

That being said, I can continue. The action is totally fucking amazing, and mostly because of the interesting and well-taken directing and animating choices. Nothing I love more than those 360° shots as the action goes by and the music kicks ass in the background. The weight the battle scenes had because of the characters make you get into them so much, the hairs in the back of your neck will ask you if they can sit down. At first I had some issues with the animation, since it sometimes had too much moving CGI backgrounds and still 2D characters, but you grow used to the little times this technique is used and you hardly notice it. The character designs were awesome for the most part. But do we really need to have babes with inflating breasts? I mean, Sei's breasts were normal in one shot and in the next they're as big as Kei's head. It's just a slight problem but I thought I might mention it.

For an action anime, the characterizations were superb. Primiarily Kei Kurono's, who grows so much during the show you'll be disoriented. This guy will change during the show on disgustingly monumental proportions, you'll see. Kato was a fantastic character (loved the realistic family drama behind him and his idol-escence towards Kei) though annoying at first to some (he just doesn't stop crying). Kei Kishimoto (to avoid confusion, Kei Kishimoto is the lead female character, whose name is the same as the lead male) was very, very annoying but you grow to love her later on and that doesn't change the fact that she's developed. Nishi was a total mystery until game 2, when he became one of the most interesting characters in the show. Due to the show's nature, that's all I can say for main characters. Since there are many games and many characters constantly die and get replaced by new ones, that's about it. I must say that it's interesting how quickly the show can familiarize you with new characters. Particularily in games 2 and 4, you're already familiar with them eventhough you hadn't seen them before (LOVED the model and his stalker). It was a problem though, after about 20 episodes, when I had learned just how mean the show was, I didn't even WANT to root for the new characters. But then, that's maybe just me.

Oh and by the way, the show also packs some seriously messed up humor which might or might not hit your funny bone. Some bits weren't vrey funny (why does the dog have to give Kishimoto a lickout every time they're in the same room??) but other bits had me laughing out loud, particularily the scorings. The scorings in the first two games were absolutely brilliant! It was a relief to laugh so hard after such insane violence. I also loved Gantz itself, the way it speaks is pretty witty, good stuff.

I don't have much more to say but a word of warning. This show isn't for kids. Not only is the violence insanely graphic and extremely mean spirited (doesn't spare lives), the philosophies and everything behind it would be null for a kid who wouldn't understand it. Even as an adult, it's not for the squeamish.

Overall Rating:
9.3/10. Definitely one of the best shows I've seen. Smart, cleverly written, funny, intense and just unforgettable. Three important B's: Balls. Brains. and Brawn.