Anime Series I Don't Have Anymore & Why

                                Anime Series I Don't Have Anymore & Why: Mini Reviews
  
                                                                           by
         
                                                                             Jay Agan

  1. Hellsing- I liked the Anglican vs Catholic angle but it couldn't carry what was a rather disjointed series. Seems they wanted to cram as many story arcs as they could to satisfy as many fans of the manga as possible. The best one was Vicky Seras getting used to her new life or rather death (Should have kept the first disc.). After that it's just lame. Heard the OVA to be better.

   "What a beutiful night to go out for a bite to drink!"

  2.  Irresponsible Captain Tylor- What a .......goofball! A slacker with a way past irritating manner/outlook joins the military for what he figures to be an easy way through life. Instead of reality slapping him down, he dumps on reality. I know, it's supposed to be a comedy, but this character really set my teeth on edge. Beetle Bailey is a paragon of reserve & industriousness compared to this guy. I gave this one to someone who is sorta/kinda like this character. He even skipped basic training! A story in & of itself.

   "Pecko! Pecko!"

  3. Gunslinger Girl- What started to look like an interesting series soon falls into repetition with similar characters with different firearms doing pretty much the same story arc over & over: Traumatized lolitas with personal issues are cybernetically altered as enforcer/asassins & paired with older male counterparts (What's up with that?). Upbeat/downbeat ending of the series doesn't help.

   Bang! Bang! You're bored.

  4. Planetes- Several story arcs involving a group of specialists who clear orbiting space junk to make travel safer. A more realistic space series that I liked but not loved. Would have kept it if it hadn't taken a tacked on, hokey, philisophical stance the last three episodes.

   "Everything's connected!" Yeah. I guess so (yawn).

  5. Trigun- Oh geez! Capt. Tyler with guns.

   Vash the Stampede has a sixty billion double dollar reward out on him as he's reputed to leave untold high levels of death & destruction in his wake. I think it's because he's a whackjob so irritating, hardly anyone can stand to be around him. This character, to me is a downer & a half. It's pretty bad if the main reason to watch a series is to spot the random cat. I couldn't finish this & gave it to the same guy who got the Tyler series.

    "LOVE!.....AND!.....PEACE!" Oh go away, could you? Fast? Please?

                                                Article copyright © Jay Agan

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Anime Movies I Got: Mini Reviews

           
                                                                        by

                                                                          Jay Agan

    1.                                                Voices of a Distant Star

           

               Makoto Shinkais' first theatrical release, mostly made at his home studio. In spite of the limitations & short length, the film is nonetheless sweeping & visually breathtaking.

               Young lady makes it to the space forces in a war against a vaguely defined enemy, the Tarsians. As the fleet goes deeper into space in pursuit, time differentials make communication with her true love longer & more difficult. Sort of covers the same ground as Gunbuster in a shorter time (23 min) with a different ending. Disc also comes with Shinkais' first film, Short subject: She & Her Cat. Rated TVPG-V


     2.                                    The Place Promised In Our Early Days
      
                Shinkais' third film. Life doesn't always deliver on it's earlier promises. Circumstances, politics, events, etc. tend to curtail or cancel things. Also, what correlation is there between dreams & parallel universes?
             
                Two Young men set out to fulfill their dreams of flight & keep a promise made to a young lady while up against incredible obstacles. One of which is World War lll. Rated TVPG-V


     3.                                            Panda & the Magic Serpent
              
                Found this for a buck at Family Dollar. A little film that impressed me a lot as a kid & made me cognizant of anime. Made in 1956, it's the first full length color anime film & reputed to have inspired Miyazaki to enter the field of animation.

                It's the story of a young Chinese man meeting a young lady who, in reality, is the spirit of a pet snake he had when he was a boy. A hostile, though well meaning magician, believing humans & demons should not meet, intervenes, causing much suffering to the couple. Separated, the young mans' two panda friends & a fish spirit aid him in reuniting with his love. This has got to be G rated.


    4.                                                     The Silent Service
             
                Anti-American screed of a Japanese crew siezing a joint-project super submarine, declaring themselves an independant country (Yamato), & taking on the U.S. Navy. Smug look on the face of main protagonist throughout film, makes one alternately want to slap him around or cheer him on.
            
                 Rated 13 up.

    5.                                                            Paprika
             
                Can there be a technology for entering peoples' dreams for therapeutic purposes? What if this tech ends up in the wrong hands? What if the wrong hands try merging the realm of dreams with reality? It's up to the perky title character (The alter-ego of a co-inventer of said tech.) to seek out the perps & put a stop to the chaos. A total head trip of a movie if there ever was one.

                Warning: This film has a "hentai moment". Not for the kiddies. Rated R (Violent & sexual images.)


     6.                                                   The Sky Crawlers

                The planes are WWll. The pilots are Japanese. The cities are metro Poland. The countryside is Ireland. And the "ambiance" is Euro-American retro from the 40s on.

                Now the wierd part. It's gradually revealed the pilots are clones. Aerial warfare is a form of "entertainment" to control the masses of asses. As pilots are attritioned, they're replaced. The base commander incrementally sinks into subdued insanity as one carbon copy after another of a former lover (& father of her child) cycles through the mill. One must watch past the end credits for full impact. Rated PG-13


      7.                                              Jin Roh, the Wolf Brigade

                The retelling of Little Red Riding Hood against the backdrop of a post-war, mid 60s, fascist Japan. Police/political intrigue unravels as authorities try to disband an anti-terrorist division only to run afoul of a rogue sub-unit, members of which think more like beasts than men. Rated 16 up.


    8.                                                               Akira

                Bikers battle for dominance in 21st century, post-WWlll, Neo-Tokyo, riddled with political unrest, & terrorism. One gang stumbles upon a secret project involving governmental exploitation of mans' next evolutionary stage. Cataclysmic disaster of apocolyptic proportions results with authorities unable to handle it. Biker leader & activist babe take matters into their own hands.

                This film was actually the next stage in the evolution of anime. A fabulous combination of digital & hand drawn animation. Richly detailed & wildly expensive it almost broke the bank for the studio. It also launched the early 90s anime surge. Rated R.


     9.                                              Cowboy Bebop the Movie

                If you have the series, you must have the flick. It is episode 23.5 after all.

                The five bounty hunters of the aforementioned series, a sympathetic corporate operative, a rogue corporation, police & military, are on the trail of a terrorist with viral induced dementia. Aided by a thrill seeking techie, he plans to distribute the same virus on the unsuspecting Mars populace on Halloween. Rated R (Some violent images.).
         
        
          10.                                     The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

                Time waits for no one but you can travel through it.
             
                What would you do if you stumbled on a device enabling you to time travel? Correct past mistakes? See great historical events? "Save/take over the world"? Or something else great & momentous?

                 Or if you're an angst filled adolescent, would you use it to untangle your oh so complicated little existance & make things easier? It is those frivolous little things complicating life & you sure can do without them. Since they're small nagging obstacles, any consequences would be trivial if at all, right? It's obvious this kid hasn't seen The Butterfly Effect or she'd know better. Oh well. The only way she'll learn is to go ahead & get bruised. Kids these days.....                       Rated 13 up.


    11.                                                     Submarine 707R

                Combined UN naval forces are wiped out by a rogue sub navy led by a smirking, self righteous, Nemo type named Admiral Red. It's up to resourceful Cmdr. Hayami & the obsolete title vessel to put a stop to the sanctimonious ones' plans. Rated 13 up.


     12.                                                Barefoot Gen 1 and 2

                 Story of a young boys' survival in Hiroshima after Tibbets drops the big one. Rather gruesome blast/aftermath scenes in spite of the then "crude" animation. Based on Keiji Nakazawas' experiences of survival & endurance, of the loss of most of his family (The scene of his father & two siblings dying before his eyes always gets to me.) & the will to live in spite of the odds. Rated 13 up.

                Second film continues in immediate post-war Japan as Gen & his dying mother (radiation poisoning) struggle to make a living among the ruins. Bittersweet ending. Don't know wether to feel happy or sad. Rated 13 up. 


    13.                                                 Grave of the Fireflies

                 After the loss of their mother in a firebombing, a young man & his little sister experience wandering & unsympathetic relatives in the aftermath. Taking up shelter in the countryside, they struggle to make a life & wait for wars end. A movie you only want to see once, but will keep on your shelf always. Rated 13 up.


     14.                                                    Porco Rosso

                 The only Miyazaki film I have. Yes, I know they're all classic. I also know they're all "kids' stuff". Not that they're bad, they aren't. With the exception of Spirited Away (Overly long & No Faces' puke fest turned me off. Whoa! There he goes again! Baaaaarf!), I actually like them. They're just not my kind of movies. Porco is a bit different.

                 For adults & kids, Porco Rosso wings off for adventure over the post WWl Adriatic, fighting sky pirates & dodgeing Fascists. It's not known why he looks like a pig ("Id rather be a pig than a fascist!"), but he doesn't act like a swine.

                 Sky pirates plot to get Porco out of the way by hiring Curtis, a hot shot American pilot as "hit man". Complications ensue as Curtis' wandering eye gets the better of him. It all ends up in a delightful fiasco involving the hand of a young lady, culminating in a royal air battle & a fist fight in the surf! I love it! Rated PG. 
     

       15.                                                           Memories

                 Three part sci-fi based anthology.

                Magnetic Rose: Space salvagers, following a distress signal, stumble on a virtual reality constructed from the memories of a long dead opera diva.

                 Stink Bomb: Hapless pharmaceuticle lab tech inadvertantly becomes a super bio weapon headed for Tokyo. Military helpless to stop him. Believe it or not, this is a comedy!

                 Cannon Fodder: The war is on & has been for generations. Why? 'Cause that's the way it is.

                 Three great stories. ALL worth watching. Rated PG-13.


       16.                                                  Kite/Kite Liberator

                 Girl asassin meets boy asassin as they skip out on their vigilante cop employers after their last few jobs. Liberator is an unfinished work with an abrupt non-ending.

                 Rated 16 up. Gen. release version (the one I have.) Rated 18 up for other versions.


       17.                   Dirty Pair-Project Eden/Flight 005 Conspiracy/Affair At Nolandia

                Three movies about my favorite semi-homicidal girls n' guns anime duo.
               
                Project Eden: Vizarium makes mass space travel possible. A Prof. Wattsman may know something more about this element than is popularly thought. Complicating the investigation is an adventurer bent on stealing the remaining bottle of De Gaulle, a wine bottled after the liberation of Paris in 1944. Rated TVPG-V.

                Flight 005 Conspiracy: The best of the three. The Lovely Angels investigate a spaceline sabotage involving 800 passengers & no insurance claims. Turns out to be a coverup in the abduction of a scientist needed in a power grab by local govt. forces, & organized crime. Rated TVPG-V.

                 Affair At Nolandia: Another air "accident" this time involving mind control. Local planetary govt. & various factions plan to exploit artificial life for their own ends. The key to it all may be Missani, a little girl Kei & Yuri must find on a remote plateau. One time Pokemon fans might like this for the myriad little critters that show up. Rated TVPG-V.

    18.                                            Area 88/Area 88, Burning Mirage

                 Area 88: Shin Kazama, tricked by a "friend" into joining a mercenary air unit, fights to survive in the skies over civil-war torn Aslan in the mid-east. Meanwhile, the "friend" plots to take over Yamato Air Lines & steal Shins' girl. Rated TVPG-V.

                 Area 88, Burning Mirage: Sequel. Shin hangs onto living & plots to escape his forced employment. His "friend" tries to marry the girl. Rated TVPG-V.

     19.                                                     Steamboy 

                 Young Ray Steam is caught between his grandfathers' vague idealism & his fathers' corporate collaboration as the victorian world is on the verge of COMPLETE utilization of steam power. A process of unleashing 100% of steam power with no waste will revolutionize civilisation.

                Will blind idealism or corporate greed win out? Will Ray Steam make up his mind? The industrial revolution was never like this! Rated PG-13.


                                                 Article copyright © Jay Agan

Go to MAIN PAGE.

DISCLAIMER: The ratings were taken from the films respective disc cases. Discretion is up to you.

TV Animes I Got: Mini Reviews

                                                                       by

                                                                          Jay Agan                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                     Outlaw Star

       Gene Starwind & the crew of the aforementioned ship (who is also a crewmember) search vast reaches of space for a vaguely defined treasure known as "The Galactic Leyline". Not only having to contend with various factions of government, pirates, & assasins, each member of the crew has his/her own reasons for finding it.

      I disagree with those saying this is a sorta/kinda not as good alternative to Cowboy Bebop. An apples/oranges  comparison, I like the series for its own merits. One of which is Aisha, the beast babe. She kicks posterior! Oh yeah. Watch out for Fred.

      Rated 13 up.

      "Better Get Ready!"

                          The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (AKA Goddess Whackjob)
     
      A multilevel theological/metaphysical/sci fi satire. Title character just happens to be God (or at least a god). She may not know it but certainly acts like it! Various friends/factions (some with special "talents") endeavor to keep her from finding out. Otherwise the universe is in the tank.

      A fun head trip that actually has you thinking. Evangelicals viewing this will be forced to rethink their positions. Not!

      Rated 13 up.

      Vox Haruhi. Vox Dei.

                                                         Serial Experiments Lain

      Perhaps it should be titled Surreal Experiments Lain. Another theological/sci fi mind bender about a young lady coming to a startling realization: She's the physical extension of an all powerful entity existing out on all electronics & telecommunications, including the net. The "Wired" becomes the weird as the viewer is toured on various aspects of theology/metaphysics,  technology, history, conspiracy theories, UFO lore, & self awareness conceptivity.

      Anyone coming away from this thinking he's "got it" is only fooling himself. I've viewed it several times & still don't "get it" though I enjoy the process. You come away with what you take from it.

       Rated 16 up.

      "You don't seem to understand......"

                                                                     Hell Girl

      A Wednesday Addams/Penny Dreadful type not only takes one there but gives 'em a taste of it beforehand. Here's the deal: Pull the red thread off the straw doll & she'll take the one you hate to you know where. For a price. Which happens to be your soul when you kick off. Is the jerk worth it? YOU decide. I'd sooner get back at someone by "taking it out in trade" than spend eternity in "the other place" (Cleveland?). When you see the flowers comin' at ya, DUCK!

      Rated TV14 V.

      "This is vengeance. And I am to ferry you to Hell."

                                                                      Gunbuster

       I don't care for giant robot shows but this is an exception. Short early Gainax 6 ep series starts off as a parody then turns serious. Seems mankind is only a virus to the "organism" we call the galaxy & the colossal insectoid "space monsters" act as antibodies. The "virus" disagrees & is determined to survive. This, & the added factor of faster than light time differentials, make for an intrigueing show.

      Rated 16 up.     
     
      "Hard work & guts!"

                                                                     Kinos Journey

       It's not the destination, it's the getting there. Title character & sentient motorcycle travel from place to place  spending 3days/2nights taking in the locals strange ways. They're either hostile or weird in some way. The "Then Came Bronson" of anime. By the way, Kino's a girl.

      Rated TVPG V.

      "The world is ugly, therefore it is beutiful."

                                                                   Gunsmith Cats

      Gun store owner/marksman Rally Vincent & her bomb making little buddy, Minnie May Hopkins are bounty hunters in 1990s Chicago. The 3 ep mini-series finds them contending with gun runners, a corrupt BATF, an anti-gun politician, & a rogue Russian agent in a plot to transfer guns, drugs, money, & pass more restrictive gun laws. The NRA & Tea Partiers would love this show as do I.

       Animated violence, strong language & mature situations. Parental guidance suggested.

       "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."

                                                          Otaku no Video (Fan Video)

       Gainaxs' mini 2 ep series is a self parody of their beginnings. Two guys set out to be the greatest super fans of anime/manga & go full bore into the business end of the hobby. With theatrics/melodrama along the way, they fulfil their dreams beyond their wildest imaginations. Best viewed when leaving out the superfluous live action parts.

       Brief nudity, adult situations.

                                                            Full Metal Panic: Fumufu

       Young mercenary Susuke Sagara has a double assignment: Watch over a future resource named Kaname Chidorie & finish high school. First part's easy enough. The second? Not so easy.

       Brought up in the hyper-military shadowland of the Mithril merc organisation, he has no idea what normal civilian life is about. Even the most mundane situation could be interpreted as dire or deadly & he acts accordingly. Part of the joke is though he's  supposed to be watching over Kaname, she's working way overtime covering for him & preventing the school from being destroyed.

       A master of covert ops, Susuke thinks he's doing a great job in concealing his position when in fact he stands out with all flags flying. Everyone notices he's heavily armed but never arrested (This is Japan after all.). His bearing/demeanor is beyond atypical. Destruction & collateral damage are mysteriously paid for along with a generous donation to the school.

       Tried watching the original series that led up to this one  but contains too much giant robot stuff for me to take. Fumufu by itself is a great watch though. Watch this one if you want to know what this "fumufu" thing is. Has something to do with "the Pokemon effect".

      Rated TVPG V.

      "I don't follow but it's not a problem."

                                                                         Stratos 4

      Fifty years from now, Earth will be going through a period of heightened comet/meteor activity. The second of the two stage defense system of the Cosmic Emergency Managment Agency, is the Meteor Sweepers. This division is composed of pilots & cadets flying planes as old as I am now (TSR80 & YAK28s), blasting comet fragments before they impact.

      Mikaze Honjo must get past personal difficulties & work with her team mates as they save the Earth. This, along with two subplots (An X-Files type & a lesbian subplot that turns out NOT to be a lesbian subplot {trust me on this}.) make for an interesting series.

      Rated 16 up.

      "I'm going to outer space!"

                                                       Mezzo Forte/Mezzo DSA

       Kick-butt babe Mikura, Pops & Harada, are the Danger Svc. Agency. A hand to mouth trio of gun toting troubleshooters taking on all sorts of risky jobs. As such they deal with gangsters, assasins, an alien, & a corrupt, lolita complex afflicted police chief. That VW takes a beating too.

      Forte is a two part "series" involving gangland infighting. DSA is a 12 ep series with several story arcs, & a subplot of a little girl idolizing Mikura & her problems with bullies & asserting herself.
    
      Forte rated 16 & older. DSA rated 15+.

      "Reach for the sky if ya wanna live long enough to eat dinner!"

                                                                     Area 88

       Shin Kazama is a mercenary pilot, but not by choice. Railroaded into flying for an at-war mid-eastern country by a "friend", he must serve out his contract before being let go. If he survives that is. Two motivators are to wed his fiance, & kill the aforementioned "friend".

      70s era story also features a veritable circus of war planes for the military history buff. Two previous movies cover the same ground, the second being the better of the two.

       Rated TVPG.
                                                                 Black Lagoon

      Four anti-heroes, a Nam vet, an electronics/computer genius, an "abducted" business negotiator, & an ultra foul mouthed, trigger happy, uber babe form the Black Lagoon Co. Operating out of a lawless area of southeast Asia, they'll do any job for anybody if the price is right. Gang/Mafia infighting, pirating/theft, smuggling, killer nuns (redundant), & incestuous vampire kiddies  (What?!). All this & more in Black Lagoon. Everybody but the Creature shows up (Why not?).

     Warning: Not only is this show ultra-violent but  the F-bomb is uttered almost 300 times in the series. Not for kids. Rated 16 up.

                                                Dirty Pair OVA/Dirty Pair Flash

      Girls 'n guns! Babes'n Bullets! Collateral damage! Horrendous loss of life! My favorite semi-homicidal, girls 'n guns, anime duo. Kei & Yuri (code name: Lovely Angels), a pair of "trouble consultants" for an FBI-like organization: The Worlds' Welfare Work  Assoc. (3WA). (The "Americanized" comic book version from the early 90s, by Adam Warren & Toren Smith got me hooked on the franchise.)

      If a case proves too tough for the locals, the 3WA sends agents on request. If it's these two, watch out! Dirty Pair is their unofficial nickname (wich they hate) as their missions tend to get out of hand. Civilizations wipe out, & whole planets have been known to melt when they're around. The central computer (An Apple?) always clears them of any wrong doing. I suspect the Dirty Pair are a cynical governmental form of population control as they're quite good at keeping the numbers in check.

      The Dirty Pair Flash reinvention is supposed to be about a couple of young ladies bearing the same name a century later, but we know better.

      The three (original) Dirty Pair movies, Flight 005 Conspiracy, Affair At Nolandia, & Project Eden, I rank in that order. Have every intention of getting the original 28 ep TV series when it comes out on disc.

       OVA rated TVPG V. Flash rated 15+.

       "It's not our fault!"

                                                                 Paranoia Agent

      Is he for real? A figment of someones' imagination? A figment of a figment, maybe? A warped 13 ep series about mass hysteria, urban legends, rumors, & yes.....paranoia. Woooooooo!

      Who is Lil' Slugger, this assailant on inline skates wielding a warped ball bat? Where will he strike next? And .....who's next? You? Me? The guy down the block? Owwww! That hurt! A lot! Strangely, I feel relieved about it. Ahhhh!

      Rated 16 up.
                                                                      Cowboy Bebop

      The best for last. The one. The only. THE anime essential. This is the anime, not only for fans, but for those who don't like anime. It's that different.

      The sponsers told the makers they didn't care what was in it as long as it had spaceships. This gave the studio latitude other creators can only dream of. Bebop is great not only for what it has, but also for what it doesn't. The vast majority of "tropes", cliches, & stereotypes are absent (No giant robots! Yay!). What ones there are, are downplayed, or as in the case of the Ed character, turned on its head (At times literally!).

      Jet, Spike, Faye, Ed, & Ein are itinerant bounty hunters cruising our solar system doing what they do. Set to great jazz, story arcs, some excellent stand alone eps & interesting characterisations, make for great viewing of a very atypical anime. The movie should be watched between eps 23 & 24 for continuity.

       Rated 13 up.

      "Whatever happens, happens."

      "You're gonna carry that weight."

      "See you in space..... cowboy."


      Disclaimer: Ratings are what were on the respective disc cases. Discretion is up to you.

      Next Time: Anime Movies I Got: Mini Reviews.

Article copyright © Jay Agan

Go to MAIN PAGE.