So, as I shove my last Pocky Stick into my mouth, a few more titles come to mind: Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars and Code Geass: LeLouch of the Rebellion. Whoopity doo. This post is going to be even longer. (Update: that's not a lie)
Sailor Moon: Sailor Stars. Old anime, hard to find, and never sold domestically. When Geneon allowed the rights to the Sailor Moon series expire, meaning, for the most past, no more domestic Sailor Moon purchasing outside of ebay, Sailor Moon fans everywhere knew Sailor Stars would never see US soil. To say it drove me nuts is like saying mud is brown. I scavenged the net looking for the most comprehensive, in depth episode summaries I could find. I then printed them out and read them like a book. At last! I couldn't see the final chapter, but I knew how it ended. Years passed. By chance, I found an English Sub for sale from a dealer in Hong Kong. Did I dare? I dared. And it was awesome. To be fair, there are parts where the subbing is off and some places where whole scenes aren't subbed at all. But that's ok. I finally got to see Sailor Stars, on US Soil, on MY tv, and I could see it and understand it. Yay! This isn't to say that Sailor Stars is the best of the series. It was enjoyable and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves the series, but it wasn't as good as some of the previous seasons. The redundancy of the transformation and attack animations was worse, some beloved characters rarely showed up, and the plot in and of itself was sillier than most. But still. It's Sailor Moon. Love it. Moving on. (Update: Kodansha has acquired the rights to Sailor Moon and Sailor V and will be releasing manga/comics later this year!!!)
Code Geass: LeLouch of the Rebellion. This premiered on Adult Swim's Saturday night block and starred Johnny Yong Bosch as LeLouch. On a side note, many who know me know that Crispin Freeman is my favorite voice actor, one of few that I would recognize on the street - something that actually happened while vacationing in Salem, Mass several years ago. (Yay!) When I truly like an actor's work, I look into them a bit - for example: to see what other titles they've done that I'd like to check out - and often times, a photo and some biographical information are present. Johnny is another one of my favorites (ever since his stint as Vash in Trigun and even more as Ichigo in Bleach) and, like Crispin Freeman, is one that I will watch a series he's in just because he's in it. Hence the reason I stuck with Code Geass despite initial misgivings...and now we are back on topic. Code Geass has an awesome and very intriguing story that mixes deep emotion and drama with very silly antics. You have to give it it's silly moments - like the cat running off with Zero's mask or the kissing episode. And then there are the truly weird moments where you're kind of like, did I just see what I think I saw? On tv? Yes. You did. And yes, it's weird and random, but it works for that character in a weird and random way. This one's not for everyone, but it's got a bit of everything in it. Robots, the end of the world, fantasy, silliness, quirks, high school life, military battles, knights, royalty, cats, a giant pizza, etc. When I think of Code Geass, I think of Eureka 7 (yet another title that I forgot), the more recent Gundams, Ouran High School Host Club, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Bleach, and King Arthur and chess, which aren't anime, of course, but still applicable. Definitely an odd collection of sorts, but fitting for an odd anime. It's one that I liked and may add to my collection at some point, but it took a really weird leap between seasons that I had issues with, so it's low on the buy list. I'd still recommend a viewing, though, if it sounds interesting to you.
Just to touch on it, Eureka 7, which I watched only because Crispin Freeman was in it, also ran on the Saturday night block of Adult Swim. I really didn't care much for it. I hated the way they pronounced Eureka and there wasn't anything that drove me to care about the story. In fact, without looking, I couldn't tell you what it was about now. I remember air ships and battles and some weird world, but that's about it.
Another quick touch upon title: Rave Master (or Ravemaster, whatever). I'm not sure what the target audience is in its native Japan, but here it is targeted at kids and isn't something I'd normally watch. BUT. Crispin Freeman is in it and it was running on a freebie block, so I gave it a shot. Ug. I wish I could have shot my television. And yes, I do realize that it's not my tv's fault that what I was watching was crap. Sorry Mr. Freeman, but not even your voice can make me care what happens in Hip Hop City. I forced myself to watch three episodes and just couldn't do it anymore. It. Is. Awful.
Red Garden. I found this one on our cable company's freebie trial of the Anime Network (which they no longer offer, unfortunately). It's about a group of seemingly random girls who are killed, but then wake up to discover they are basically immortal. Not only that, but they are now part of a group of women who have been fighting with a clan of men that turn into beast-like creatures. It can be seen as a twist on the typical vampire vs. werewolf plot, except there is no blood drinking or howling at the moon. These girls must come to terms with what's happened to them and choose to accept their destiny or fight it, all while trying to live their normal lives at home and at school. I finished most of the episodes through Netflix and then pre-ordered the box set from Rightstuf because the last disc wasn't available yet. It is an awesome story packed with emotion, but not too deep that a casual viewer couldn't enjoy it for its surface value. You feel for the girls and their plight, and you can feel the main "villain's" pain and feel a sense of sorrow for the men. Awesome, awesome, awesome. And the music is fantastic. The theme song, Jolly Jolly, is sung by the Jill Decoy Association, and is catchy and fantastic. Of additional greatness, the final disc contains an OVA loosely based on the aftermath of the series. In some ways, you can't look at it strictly as a sequel, but it's darn close, and by itself is another awesome story.
Loveless. This one I happened to see at Best Buy and bought it because it looked interesting. The characters in this story are people with cat ears and cat tails, but it is implied that they lose these attributes when they lose their virginity. The story centers on a boy whose brother burnt to death while seated at the boy's desk at his previous school. His mother is crazy and abusive, and insists that he is not who he was before, so much so that the boy is in the middle of an identity crisis. He speaks with a therapist and tries to figure out who he is, all while keeping quiet about his mother's abuse because he thinks he is at fault. Then a man appears one day after school claiming to have been a friend of the boy's brother. What follows widens the boy's reclusive world to include finding friendship and developing trust in difficult situations while trying to accept the nature of his brother's friend. Suddenly magic is real and all is not as it appears. The boy and the stranger find themselves in battles where spells are cast and words alone can do lethal damage. I love Loveless. I loved it so much that I bought the manga and am eagerly awaiting the next release. I'd compare this anime to others like Pokemon or Yugi-oh, for the battle aspects alone, except that the undertones are much more adult and I wouldn't recommend it for children. Card Captor Sakura may be more apt, but still not quite the same and still far to innocent for a strict comparison. I read a review of Loveless at Wiki and saw someone note that it was like an introduction to yaoi - so be forewarned that this can be seen as a boys-love manga/anime, although it is not graphic in nature. But, it's something to note because it may not be for everyone. Still. I love it.
Hellsing. I love Hellsing, but I'm only going to quickly touch on it here solely because there was a two year (or more) delay in the last of the series being published. I bought the anime and the available manga volumes years ago, and loved the manga so much that I read fanslations online as the other volumes became available. Before there's an uproar - I did buy the books as soon as they were published domestically, so I did support my artist. I have yet to see Hellsing Ultimate, which supposedly follows the manga more closely than the original anime did, but given the issues with the production company, I've been putting it off until a box set is available. Love Hellsing. Vampires fighting Nazis. What's not to love?
Vampire Knight. Prepare thyself. I. Love. Vampire Knight!! I picked up the manga because it looked interesting at Barnes and Noble (I think I ordered it through Rightstuf, but still). It follows a girl named Yuki who was rescued from a vampire attack on one snowy night. She has no memory of how she got out into the snow or of anything prior to that moment. She is taken to a private school and raised by the headmaster, and becomes one of the school's guardians. The secret she guards? There are two classes: the day class and the night class. Her job is to keep the day class and the night class separate, or to supervise any interactions between the two. Unbeknownst to the day class, normal humans, the night class is made up entirely of vampires. The story delves into Yuki's past, present, and future, and her interactions with Zero, a boy the headmaster adopted shortly after Yuki was taken in, and Kaname, the boy/vampire who rescued her from the vicious vampire attack that snowy night. The story is well-paced and carefully thought out, and the artist's love for her characters shines throughout the story. I have some small issues with the anime, but they are all superficial. The anime follows the manga pretty closely. The first part is spread out over 3 discs, so it's short, but it continues in Vampire Knight: Guilty, which has yet to be released domestically. I cannot wait for the next manga installment or for Guilty to be released!!!! (update - I've received the first disc of Guilty and the next manga release and love it!! Still can't wait for the next!)
Captive Hearts. This is a manga spread over 5 books about the men of one family being cursed to be the servants of another family because of an ancestor who stole a sacred scroll for the family's ancestors. I bought it because it was an early series by the same artist doing Vampire Knight and I like her style. To be fair, I was expecting something a bit different. Something not quite so silly. Vampire Knight flows like reality, with real emotions, real attachments, and real reactions. Captive Hearts does not. However, since I've fallen in love with Ouran High School Host Club (covered later), I'm seeing Captive Hearts with different eyes. It deserves another read now. I think with my expectations cleared and enhanced due to Ouran, I can appreciate the artist's story instead of being disappointed because it wasn't what I wanted. It's a cute story and a little silly, but as you'll see, it's by and far tamer than Ouran. ^_^ Another recommended read!
Ouran High School Host Club. LOVE! Wow. I saw this anime for the first time at Best Buy and was curious. Did some looking into it and then saw that Rightstuf had a fantastic sale on it. So it joined my collection. It centers on a girl who gets into a prestigious private school on a scholarship of sorts. She looks boyish and wears baggy clothes, so she's mistaken as a boy. While looking for a quiet place to study (because rich kids don't care about studying and are noisy), she stumble upon music room 3 and the Ouran High School Host Club, a place where good looking rich boys with too much time on their hands entertain good looking rich girls with too much time on their hands. She accidentally breaks a vase worth 800 million yen and as payment joins the club to work off her debt. Eventually the club members figure out she's a girl, but she's a natural so she maintains the cover that she's a guy. They all fall for her in one way or another and keep her secret so that she can stay in the club. The story is one of the silliest I've ever seen, but the characters are so endearing that it's very fun to watch. It is just so perky and quirky and sweet...ah! Highly recommended! It possesses the qualities of Gravitation, Azamanga Daioh, Chobits, Cromartie High School, Loveless, etc. It's not boys-love, since the main character is a girl, but there are plenty of boys-love attributes, so again, be forewarned if that is an issue for you. I am presently waiting out Rightstuf for a sale so I can pick up the manga that's available domestically thus far. I can't wait. It is an instant fave. (Update: I have picked up the manga, up to volume 9, and love it because it's not exactly like the anime. The anime takes chapters of the anime and twists them around a bit, and then concludes, but as far as I know so far, the manga is on book 15 and doesn't include the anime's conclusion - I could be wrong, though. Still, I love Ouran and read it everyday.)
Texnolyze. Stop. Do a 180 from happy and silly. Watching this anime from beginning to end over a period of a few days left me in a depressed funk. Again, it was a spectacular deal from Rightstuf, so I bought the set. It's an apocalyptic-style anime that tells the story of the inhabitants of an underground city ruled by three rival gangs. In the opening episode, the main character's arm and leg are cut off. That pretty much sets the tone of the series. It's not gory to be gory and there's nothing gratuitous. Everything has a reason and an impact on the story, and the story is engrossing and touching, if not a bit confusing towards the end. This is definitely not for children and does contain some sexual material that may not be suitable for younger teens. This is all about anarchy and the human plight of suffering, and there's not much hope for anyone. I don't want to say much about the story because it unfolds at a deliberate pace and saying too much could ruin it. So, leave it at I liked it, I'm glad I bought it, but it's not one that I'll watch a whole lot. On the upside, the first disc came with the soundtrack, which is pretty good. Because I already owned the first disc and cd, I have a duplicate of each one. Yay for back up anime!
Bleach. Okay, okay, okay. Bleach isn't new and you probably already know that I think it's awesome. Bleach is awesome. Johnny Yong Bosch is awesome. Troy Baker is awesome. The whole freaking cast is awesome! And the creator, Tite Kubo is even more awesomer! I know that's not grammatically correct, but I don't care! I prefer the manga to the anime for the story only because of filler arcs that drag on and on and on...like the Bounts or the Captain Amagai arc (which is currently playing on Adult Swim (update, now we're back on the Arrancar - YES!)). Both have interesting stories, however, the Bount Arc in particular dragged on for way too long. Was it ever going to end? I like Troy Baker's voice, but come on...at least make it interesting. Half of that arc was full on boring. And now we're on Captain Amagai. Okay, so the story is moving at a quicker pace and is actually somewhat interesting, but the timing? Pardon my abbreviations, but WTF happened??? One minute Ichigo's embracing his hollowfication and fighting to rescue Orihime from the Arrancars, and then we go to reruns only to return to the Captain Amagai Arc, which has absolutely nothing to do with the main story. This is why I'm glad I've got the manga. I can still get ahead of the main story while this filler crap is on. The arc isn't bad, but the timing is awful. It doesn't fit in with the story at all. I've read others say that supposedly it can fit in prior to the Arrancar season starting, but that doesn't make sense either. Ichigo can hollowfy and can control it. Gah. Whatever. Bleach is awesome and I'm a nerd. We'll leave it at that. (Update: With the Amagai Arc over, the return to the Arrancars is fantastic. But...in typical form, some of the battles are taking too long. Come on Keni. Kick his butt already!!!)
Ergo Proxy. Ergo Proxy has held my interest for a while, but I'm only now getting to watch it. I'm only two discs into this apocolyptic/futuristic utopia/gothic anime, but I love it already. Apparently it's extremely difficult to find the boxed sets unless you are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to ebayers, which I'm not, so I have a set on backorder from Rightstuf right now and I've put a hold on receiving further discs from Netflix. So...I'm missing Ergo Proxy!! The soundtrack is fantastic and the title sequence and theme together form one of the most phenomenal openings I've ever seen. The opening alone packs a lot of emotional power and the story doesn't disappoint (at least so far). It makes me think of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Texnolyze (though far less depressing), Ghost in the Shell, Bubble Gum Crisis Tokyo 2040, and something else that just isn't coming to mind (Update: Witch Hunter Robin). It may not be exactly like any of those and definitely stands out on its own, but at least that gives you a frame of reference for the type of story. Highly recommended. (Update: My order got canceled, so I had to buy it on Ebay. Got a good deal, though. I LOVE ERGO PROXY. It will be one of my all time favorites. Ever.)
Boogie Pop Phantom. I think I watched this through Netflix, either by disc or by streaming. I'd been curious for a while and finally gave it a try. I must admit upfront that I'm very confused by what I saw. I liked it, but I couldn't explain it. Not much of a review, I'm afraid. I need to watch it again. It's on my buy list, but it's low priority, so unless there's a fantastic sale, it might be awhile. Still, there's nothing objectionable in the story and it's interesting. It makes you think, that's for sure, because half the time you're trying to figure out what on Earth is going on.
X:1999. This is the movie version of the tv series X (follows below). Meh...if you're going to give this a shot, I recommend going with the tv series first. I watched the tv series first and then the movie, and was very disappointed in the movie. The voice acting wasn't as good, the story not as fleshed out, the animation not as nicely done...meh...
X - the series. Yet another apocalyptic-type anime, only in this one the apocalypse hasn't happened yet. The Dragons of Heaven must battle the Dragons of Earth to determine mankind's fate. They are referred to as dragons, but seeing them as angles versus demons is more apt. The story centers on a boy and his childhood friend, each of which could be the one to lead the Dragons of Heaven, and the ensuing battle of good versus evil. It's very nicely done with talented voice actors, nice artwork, and an engrossing story. Again, nothing objectionable, and the story, though it may get predictable in some areas, is touching. I picked this one up from Rightstuf when the individual discs were on clearance...awesome deal! Highly recommended.
Requiem for Darkness. This one runs off and on again on SyFy's Animonday block (update - which is now on Thursdays it appears). It's pretty violent and has some rather objectionable material in it, so even though it's shown on tv, it's not for kids. I watched the whole series because I thought it was interesting, but I didn't like the artwork. It was reminiscent of Samurai Champloo, but not in a good way. I love Samurai Champloo, from the story to the artwork to the voice acting to the modern soundtrack. Requiem seemed like it wanted to be something more and was missing an added oomph to the story and character development. I always felt like I wanted something more from it. It's dark and explores the evils that lurk in humanity's heart, but it leaves a lot to the viewer to interpret on a deeper basis, and it doesn't come off as being intentionally done. Most of the violence that is there seems to be gratuitous and just there to have it there. It's all right, but you wouldn't be missing much if you skipped it.
Gundam 00 Season 2. First, let me say that I am a huge Gundam fan. My car is named Heavy Arms after the Gundam piloted by Trowa Barton (voiced by the excellent Kirby Morrow) in Gundam Wing, and I have Gundam models and action figures and collector books...
Gurren Lagan. Gurren Lagan. Wow. Where to start? I love it, first and foremost. It's funny, it's sad, it's unique...it's really in a league of its own. I can't really come up with another anime that remotely comes close. Maybe Eureka 7 on a few levels (the better ones, of course), but other than that, it's just what it is. I never expected to find myself laughing as hard as I did or even wanting to cry, or getting pulled into a story that seemed absurdly silly in the beginning (a little manly combining anyone? Simon grab your drill!). Crisp colors in and nice action sequences, along with a talented cast, create a truly fantastic story about a futuristic Earth with robots and monsters. To Simon and the crew, manly combining indeed! I'd fly the Lagan flag any day. ^_^ Highly recommended.
Descendents of Darkness. I started with the anime (SyFy, I think)....
UPDATE: And I'll will continue Descendents during another installment, because I want to get this post out there after months of sitting in my draft folder!! For the record, I love Descendents, and will cover these titles in the next installment: Blood+ anime and manga, Blood The Last Vampire - anime and live action, Kekkaishi, Vampire Hunter D, Trigun Maximum (and for comparison, Trigun), Appleseed, Inuyasha, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, Macross Plus, Darker Than Black anime and manga, Please Save My Earth, and Black Butler anime and manga. Maybe more. We'll see how my memory holds out. ^_^
