The Most Delicious Anime Reviews On The Planet

Slam Dunk

2009-11-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

Writer: Takehiko Inoue
Director: Nobutaka Nishizawa
Production House: Toei Animation
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Comedy, Sports
Vintage: October 1993-March 1996
Episodes: 101

Synopsis

Slam Dunk is a tale that revolves around our protagonist Sakuragi Hanamichi, who starts out as a high school delinquent and a social outcast, who is also the leader of his own gang of punks. Sakuragi is extremely unpopular with the girls, even holding the record of being rejected 50 times in a row, and this is probably due to his unnatural size and height for a normal Japanese high-schooler and his equally unnatural red hair. He then meets Akagi Haruko, whom he decides is the girl of his dreams, and probably the only girl not afraid of him.

Haruko then instantly notices Sakuragi's advantage in size and height, and introduces him to the Shohoku (name of his high school) basketball team. Sakuragi was initially uninterested to join, given his own opinion of basketball being played by losers (and also due to the 50th girl rejecting him for a basketball player), and also because he had absolutely no background in any sports. Despite Sakuragi's belligerent temper and immaturity, proved himself to be a natural athlete and full of potential, subsequently joining the team in the hopes of winning Haruko's heart. One person stood in his way however, a player named Rukawa Kaede, whom Sakuragi instantly recognizes as his bitter rival both on and off the court (due to Haruko's gigantic crush on him), who is a star rookie and heart throb that joined the team at the same time as Sakuragi. Soon after they are also joined by point guard Ryota Miyagi (whom Sakuragi quickly gains an affinity with due to both of them being constantly rejected by girls), a short and fast player, and Hisashi Mitsui, who was an ex-junior high school MVP but stopped after running with a bad crowd. Together the four of them make up the Shohoku starting team along with their captain Akagi Takenori, and sets off on completing Akagi's (who is also Haruko's elder brother) dream of winning the inter-high school championships. Together the five of them gain more publicity and exposure as they got better, and the once unknown Shohoku basketball team gradually gains notoriety to become an all-start contender in Japan.

Chibi's Slam Dunking Comments

Ah, Slam Dunk. The mere mention of the anime brings a smile to my face and brings back so many fond memories of the series as well. This was perhaps THE standard to all aspiring sports animes out there, and before it the title was probably held by the horrendously horrible Captain Tsubasa (the most illogically corny sports anime I've ever seen), which makes Slam Dunk in a whole different league when comparing the two.

What can I say about this series? I had seen the posters and a few of the merchandise that spawned during and after the anime's run (though I'm still hoping for them to make action figures of the Shohoku team) when it first came out way back in '96, but it was during my long break from anime and I never really paid any attention to it. Fast forward about 8 years on and I managed to catch a few episodes that was showing on AXN's anime slot back then (this was before we were blessed by the arrival of Animax) and it piqued my interest a little. So I decided to check it out.

What had seemed like an interesting way to pass the time rapidly became an obsession, and the series quickly turned into one of the most enjoyable and entertaining animes I've had the privilege to watch. Humor, basketball skills, fighting, character development, an engaging plot, Slam Dunk delivers in all departments with brilliant execution. I might even dare say that Slam Dunk in a sense is way more entertaining than the NBA seasons of late (take that basketball fans!). Much like most other anime classics in the past, Slam Dunk will leave a lasting impression on you, and this is probably due to the fact that this anime doesn't really take itself too seriously, and the fun factor as a result just shoots through the roof (it still is one of the most hilarious animes I had ever seen, comparable to Gintama).

Slam Dunk combines humor, gang fights and basketball, which is a pretty odd combination, but somehow pulling it off very well. The magic of the series is that whatever it sets out to do, it achieves its goal in spades. When the time calls for some humor, you are almost certainly guaranteed to be rolling around in laughter. When it's time for some really serious moments, things can get pretty ugly and you'd be at the edge of your seat just waiting in anticipation. But when it comes to basketball that Slam Dunk is really in a class of its own. The games that the Shohoku team play on their way to the nationals are extremely nail-biting stuff, with special attention given to detail that makes each game so unique and real. Normally from sports anime it's almost a given that moves are over-exaggerated and highly unlikely to happen even once, yet it happens consistently, but fortunately Slam Dunk went the totally opposite way. There are some fancy moves being made, but the difficulty to execute it are so incredibly difficult that very rarely you'll see it happening, much like how it is in a real basketball game. There's also a lot of variety, which is pretty surprising since the series is only 101 episodes long. Each game poses different levels of difficulty and obstacles unique to the team Shohoku is facing, and we get to see which player will provide the key to overcoming them (hence, teamwork, and not heavily reliant on Sakuragi to pull them through, unlike Tsubasa).

Now I once asked myself, how much plot can an anime about basketball actually have? Well, quite a lot actually. As with other shounen fare, there's always a back-story leading up to it's pivotal event, and Slam Dunk follows this principle in the sense that before each game in the series has a story behind it as well. Regardless of whether the back-story involves an individual player, the team, or even the team's coach, each game is different from the other. Some of the back-stories of the characters are genuinely tragic (hard to believe but it's pretty similar to real life as well don't you think), and would most certainly tug at your heartstrings. Slam Dunk is a series with some interesting twists, with the real downside perhaps is the fact that the manga continues a little longer after the anime's end, but one thing that is certain that you'll enjoy the ride every step of the way.

In conclusion, Slam Dunk probably goes into the category of some animes like Gurenn Lagann, G Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, Hajime No Ippo, Heroic Age etc. It's one of those really good anime that sticks in your mind, and many months or perhaps even years (it's been 5 for me) would find you reflecting back on it and still think that it's one of the best animes you've ever seen. This is one of the really rare anime that makes viewers like the entire cast (very rare for me as there's at least one guy I'd hate), and coupled with a really likable supporting cast, makes the experience enthralling. The music and atmosphere are also very great and welcoming, in the sense that it slowly reels you in and not really shoving what it has to offer down your throat consistently (Gundam Seed Destiny anyone?). Unfortunately, too many will probably dismiss it as a sports anime, but in my opinion this is the definition of what a sports anime should be like. One of the best anime and also one of the least known out there, do give this one a shot.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Fullmetal Alchemist

2009-11-10T00:16:00.000-08:00

Writer: Shou Aikawa
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Production House: Bones
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Adventure, Science Fantasy, Steampunk
Vintage: October 2003-October 2004
Episodes: 51

'You can't gain something without sacrificing something else of the equal value. This is the principle of the equivalent trade.'

Synopsis

Our story centers around two Elric brothers, Alphonse and Edward, both alchemists who are searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, a magical stone thought to restore their bodies which Alphonse had totally lost during an attempt to bring their mother back through alchemy, and left Edward using mechanized parts for his arm and leg. Hailing from the village of Resembool situated in the country of Amestris, where the brother's live with their parents. A few years later, their father Hohenheim leaves home for unknown reasons, and a few years after that, their mother Trisha passed due to a terminal illness, leaving the two brothers alone. Following Trisha's death, Edward becomes obsessed in bringing her back via alchemy, an advance science where objects can be conjured from raw materials. They then researched Human Transmutation, which is a forbidden art where one attempts to create or resurrect a human being. The attempt failed, resulting in the loss of Edward's Left leg and Alphonse's entire body, and in a desperate attempt to rescue his brother, Edward sacrificed his right arm in order to infuse Alphonse's soul onto a suit of armor. Roy Mustang, an alchemist who works for the government, visited the brothers a few days after the incident, and urges Edward to become a member of the State Military to find a way to recover their bodies. After Edward agrees, his arm and leg are replaced with a form of prosthetic limbs known as automail, which was made for him by his close family friends Winry Rockbell and her grandma Pinako.

Edward then sets out to become the State Alchemist for Amestris, which essentially is an alchemist employed by the Military of said country, that also infamously annihilated much of their neighbors Ishbal's population over the past decade. Being the State Alchemist, Edward was branded as the 'dog of the military', but fortunately it also gives him power to use the extensive resources available to alchemists of his position. Edward maintains his good relationship with Roy Mustang, whom is also the officer he reports to, and thus gaining the freedom to search for the Philosopher's Stone as part of his research, as one of the expectations of each State Alchemist is to research any new techniques independently which may be of use to the State of Amestris, and thus setting off in the search for the stone as a means to regain their bodies. Edward and Alphonse encounter many antagonists throughout their journey, including some who are willing to do anything in order to obtain the Philosopher's Stone. A few of them are Scar, one of the few remaining Ishbalans seeking vengeance on the State Alchemists responsible for the destruction of his race, and the Homunculi, who are a group of human-like creatures carrying a piece of the Philosopher's Stone within their bodies, gaining supernatural powers as a result.

Edward and Alphonse soon uncovers the vast expansion of Amestris was the result of the Homunculi, who actually created and secretly controls the State Military. However, both the Homunculi and the State Government are secretly controlled by the Homunculi's creator, a man simply known as 'Father', who gained immortality by using a copy of the brothers' father Hohenheim as his new host body centuries before the series began. 'Father' hatched a plan to transmute the entire country of Amestris into the Philosopher's Stone, using the said country as a huge transmutation circle. Upon hearing this, the Elric brothers along with other members of the State Military sets out to confront and defeat 'Father' before his plans could come to fruition.

Chibi's Fullmetal Comments

Fullmetal Alchemist had become the biggest merchandising franchise when it came out six years ago, and was the biggest since .hack blew up about two years prior to its release. With big names like Square Enix (video game), Sony (soundtrack), Shounen Gangan (manga serialization), Bandai (action figures) and Bones (anime), the series merchandising covers almost anything imaginable from bath towels to toys and DVDs. Normally when we see so many big names behind one anime it's usually a Gundam series or a movie, and sometimes all this hype just diverts your attention from the glaring truth that the products marketed is better than the anime itself, but fortunately Fullmetal Alchemist lives up to all the unnatural hype surrounding it.

Fullmetal Alchemist ushered in a new age of anime in my opinion. It is very rare that an anime series could entertain from the very first episode and keep the audience glued to the seat from the start to its bittersweet conclusion. This 51 episode anime delivers be it from fast paced action sequences to extremely solemn moments, and if that is not enough (it usually isn't) the plot itself is more than enough to salivate over.

The setting for Fullmetal Alchemist seems to be in early 20th century Germany, in its industrialist era. In this era, a particularly fascinating science known as Alchemy exists, and largely is the root of the series' backstory. Alchemy quite simply is somewhat a form of chemistry where the subject's molecular arrangement is reshuffled or restructured, consequently changing the subject into something else. This process, called Transmutation, comes with several basic rules, which are:

1. To guide the flow of energy that will re-arrange the mass, a transmutation circle must be drawn.

2. Transmutation can only be executed between something of equal mass, withholding the same energy level even after the process is completed.

3. Almost anything could be transmuted, with the notable exception of human transmutation, with the reason only revealed towards the end of the series.

4. Even though human transmutations are deemed impossible, some alchemists would still attempt it, and when they fail, a being with the same human attributes is born, known as a Homunculus, and usually are devoid of a soul.

What drives the entire plot of the series are essentially rules numbers 3 and 4, due to the instance when an alchemist becomes so skilled and powerful, to the point where he is able to transmute the elements of nature itself (fire, earth, wind, water etc), he becomes curious in the extent of his abilities, and thus starts delving into the process of human transmutation. However, whenever human transmutation is involved, even when one follows the very context of the law of conservation to the letter, the results are always devastating, and more taboos and questions are raised as the issue becomes more and more complex with each passing episode.

The only loophole to the law of conservation is the Philosopher's stone, which is a gem when used with alchemy, allows the alchemist to execute transmutations outside the laws of conservation, including human transmutations.

The human side of the plot intensifies the complexity of the story further, so much so that the storyline is extremely unpredictable, which in anime is a godsend. Every character introduced in the series is an extremely complex individual, especially among the alchemists and the Homunculi, which together are in the hunt for the Philosopher's Stone.

The quest for the Philosopher's Stone had begun long before the leads in the series joined in the pursuit, and after they did, the quest takes them all around the continent, meeting all sorts of harmless and equally dangerous individuals, and are as equally complex and varied as the ones we meet in our daily routines. From friendly dog lovers obsessed with technology (the charming Winry) to evil alchemists who are centuries old that holds the secret behind the mystery of human transmutation (Dante, who also only appears in the anime, which I'll elaborate later).

Even though the main premise of the anime in question is essentially alchemy, what rubs me off the most is the tale of the unbreakable bond between brothers, and the love that they share. The protagonists Edward and Alphonse are inseparable throughout the series, and the brotherhood and friendship between the two is unchallenged, regardless of the trials and dangers that they both face. The series begins with the implied theme on the bond between brothers, and also ending on the same inseparability of their family ties, albeit on a rather sad and bittersweet note (curious?watch it for yourselves). The end of the series is in somewhat of a cliffhanger note, and there is the movie titled Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shambala that seemingly will tie up all the loose ends that remain.

Now a lot of people would argue and scrutinize the anime for the story changing midway through the series, inconsistent with the manga. Honestly guys, exactly what IS the big deal? Fine, Dante is a fictional character created solely for the anime (which is a huge no-no in the anime world), and the ending kind of frustrated some of the audience looking for a clear-cut conclusion to the story, but I beg to differ. Almost ALL other anime have had such similar setbacks, and almost all of them have failed miserably. But after sitting through all 51 episodes of this epic story, I can honestly say that I never had the pleasure of enjoying such a wonderful story of recent anime, given the oversaturated premise of anime nowadays. Even bona fide 'Classics' such as Dragonball Z and Naruto and even Bleach have had characters that do not exist in their respective mangas turn up on their anime, with admirably disastrous effects. Which makes this anime even more viable in that sense, coupled with a story and plot that has more twists and turns than 5 contortionists playing a game of Twister. With a story that has a lot of extremely exciting and addictive elements, in my opinion not many anime in history has a plot that could match Fullmetal Alchemist.

With the release of a sophomore series, named Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, many are quick to dismiss this as the 'fake' Fullmetal Alchemist, and are quick to recommend the new series instead. Even though production cost is higher and much more crisp due to the technological advancements since the first series, the overall story in my opinion is still suspect (the series has not yet ended at this time of writing), and has it's work cut out in terms of topping its predecessor.

In conclusion, do give this one a shot since it has the credentials to call itself a classic. With one of the most original storyline I have ever seen, Fullmetal Alchemist is not about robots, machines or even monsters. It is also not about Samurai mythologies or Ninjas from hidden villages, or incredibly powerful humanoid looking super aliens with strength capable of destroying entire planets. Fullmetal Alchemist is also not about intergalactic menaces or space cowboys, nor a front for ecchi and bishounen overtones, or some sexual fantasy between students and other aliens. It is not even about a cyborg or cybernetic entity trying to find their true identity, and not even about dragons and elves or monsters and goblins. I was hard pressed to actually find a story similar to this series, and in this day and age, that is a true testament to the creators' talents. Fullmetal Alchemist's story is the first of its kind and that's what made it so enjoyable for me. I'm confident it'll do the same for you.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Gungrave

2009-11-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

Writer: Yasuhiro Nightow (Yousuke Kuroda for the anime)
Director: Toshiyuki Tsuru
Production House: Madhouse
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Crime, Science Fiction
Vintage: October 2003-March 2004
Episodes: 26

Synopsis

Our story revolves around Brandon Heat and his best friend Harry MacDowell, who were a part of the biggest multinational corporation in the world, aptly named the Millenion, who is in control of practically everything in their giant skyscraper. One day while on the way up the massive elevator to the skyscraper, Harry had hatched a plan to murder Millenion's boss and take over the corporation. Harry then informed Brandon about his plan and even offered Brandon custody of the boss' wife, whom Brandon was in love with, and adored from afar. Brandon was sick to the stomach upon hearing Harry's evil scheme, and the two ended up coming to blows, with Brandon ending up shot and falling from the extremely tall skyscraper. Harry then proceeded with his plan and managed to take over Millenion, sub subsequently starting the Necrolization project, which is essentially Harry's plan for world domination, bringing people back from the dead as super human zombies to do his bidding. Harry even had the heinous idea of resurrecting Brandon in order to use him as part of his undead army. Brandon was then exhumed and resurrected, but without memories or emotions, hence becoming a true undead killing machine. Harry even renamed him Byond the Grave or Grave for short. Brandon then slowly started to experience some flashbacks and a few hints to his past, gradually re-learning all that had happen prior to and after his death. Now Grave, armed with twin guns dubbed Cerberus and his coffin that doubles as a missile launcher and machine gun, takes on a mission to hunt down and kill Harry, for all the troubles he had inflicted upon the world, and will not stop until he finds Harry and finishes him off for good.

Chibi's Grave Comments
Well first thing I'd have to say is do not, under any circumstances, judge this anime by it's cover. When I first saw the series, I honestly had a very different impression on it, going into it thinking this would be another violence-friendly kill-fest, with Brandon killing all the other undead all the way to the end. I was wrong and kind of disappointed at first, but come the third episode onwards, I was hopelessly caught in the marvelous web that Gungrave had weaved.

The series takes place in an unknown town that kind of reminds me like one of the cities in Europe. The newspapers and dates strewn about in the series kind of gives you the hint that it is sometime in the late 1930s, although the buildings, cars and scenery looks a lot more modern than that.

The main focal point of the plot centers around Millenion, a prominent syndicate in the city, which basically implies that a majority of the episodes are based on illegal activities and murder, a few of the normal gangsterism traits that go hand in hand with the syndicate. Although the mafia thing has been done over and over again in movies, Gungrave manages to still be interesting and kept me glued to the seat all the way to the end. Although the first half of the series deals heavily with the Millenion's activities, the second half beautifully merges supernatural and sci-fi elements. It might seem odd but the combination works perfectly.

Stripped bare, Gungrave is essentially a buddy series. It's basically an epic journey two friends embark upon, entering a dangerous new profession and finding out the amount of mettle needed to get to the top. Character development is in abundance in this series, taking all shapes and forms, centering a lot on Brandon and Harry. A great deal of writing is taken into account in the plot, but the writers purposefully revolving all plot lines around the two protagonists and the toll it takes on their friendship. We slowly watch both characters grow from two teenaged hopefuls and their changes over time, transforming their personalities even further, all building up to an amazing climax that we know is assured. What makes Gungrave so interesting is the anticipation of it all, where although you get the idea of where the plot's heading, you'll make all sorts of guesses on when, how, and why that event will occur. The story is flawless in my opinion, and few animes have the way of engraving itself in your mind, but Gungrave is one of those rare ones that stick in your head for a long time.

The music and animation is anything short of superb in this anime. The realistic feel and look of the characters, coupled with music that captures the emotion of the moment so perfectly, is another factor to what makes Gungrave such a joy to watch. The artwork on each character is so intricately detailed that every single emotion on their faces are instantly noticeable whether it's anger, frustration, joy, or even anxiety. In terms of music, all sorts of instruments come into play to properly enhance the mood, from soft saxophone interludes, to piano and orchestra pieces, to even an electric guitar and Jamaican drums wailing in the background, it is truly reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop in terms of the time and care taken into the soundtrack.

The strength of the series in my opinion is definitely the character development. Again the spotlight is on our two protagonists Harry and Brandon, who grow up, struggle, and eventually rising to the top together. With their friendship being so extremely deep and loyal, you get the feel that they can survive and accomplish virtually anything so long as they remain friends. Some supporting characters also grow and change just like Harry and Brandon, and you'll find yourself empathizing with a few. With some of the characters changing for the better and worse, the changes are what tugs at your heartstrings, further amplified with so much death and violence happening around them.

In conclusion, I must say that Gungrave is one of the better animes to have come out in recent years. The story is compelling and engaging, and is shown in a way that not only spreads out character development and actual story, but also makes you feel badly for the characters. Apart from being a drama, the series' many aspects are the worst case scenario and tragedy, which pretty much takes you on an emotional roller-coaster, from happy, to sad, to angry at some of the pivotal points in the plot.The animation also deserves a mention with some camera angles and choices of imagery contributing to the overall excitement of the story. I was also hard pressed to find anything negative to this series apart from the misleading cover and first episode, and upon finishing it made me happy and somber at the same time, even after watching the amazing climax at the end, due to the story being so moving I couldn't stop myself from thinking about it afterwards. Few animes ever caught my attention as completely as Gungrave did, and I sincerely think that it will do the same for you.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Akira

2009-11-03T08:48:00.000-08:00

Writer: Katsuhiro Otomo, Izo Hashimoto
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Production House: Tokyo Movie Shinsha (distributed in Japan by Toho)
Review Type: Anime Movie
Status: Completed
Genre: Cyberpunk, Science Fiction, Seinen
Vintage: 1988 (Japan), 1991 (US)

*Neo Tokyo is about to Explode*

Synopsis

The time is in the middle of the 21st century, and the place is Neo Tokyo. Due to an unknown force of explosion, Tokyo was destroyed a few years ago, sparking World War III, and subsequently gave birht to the construction of Neo Tokyo. Infested and pillaged by mostly aimless youths and bike gangs, Neo Tokyo is a harsh place, with the presence of cults and revolution coupled with political intigue. Somewhere in the underbelly of the city, a young bike punk named Tetsuo runs into a strange boy. The boy turns out to be a part of a military experiment that includes psychics, and a mysterious project named AKIRA. Tetsuo later begins to manifest his own psychic abilities, and was experiencing bizarre hallucinations, consequently becoming the target of a secret government organization that dedicated itself into stopping a repeat of the incident that destroyed the city once, by any means necessary.

Chibi's Neo Comments

AKIRA. What can I say? The one movie single handedly responsible for the influx of anime in the international market, and also the one responsible for revolutionizing the innovative layered, modernist animation technique. The one movie that brought the anime medium to the public consciousness, and still the only Japanese anime that could be seen, standing proud, at DVD shops that don't even stock anime in the first place. The one anime that converted millions of people into otakus (myself included, though I was a casual watcher of anime even before this), and also the one movie responsible for the wave upon wave of cyberpunk themed animes that followed in its wake. The one movie that till this day is the most widely available form of anime outside of Japan, and is the introductory material for noobs everywhere. Truly a classic then as it still is now, a re-watch of it still confirms my confidence in it.

I first came across the movie during my secondary school days, way back in 1992, as it was shown in our boarding house by a friend back then. Recalling the time, I was so taken by Akira that I bought a video (yes back then we were still VHS friendly), and proceeded to watch it at least 15 times since. Due to the complex plot and my attention problems in my youth, it was only until the third sitting that I was able to grasp the plot entirely, and upon reading the manga soon after, I was finally well versed in all things Akira.

While the story might leave you a little confused at first, it is quite well written provided enough focus is given. The gist of it is basically WWIII has destroyed Tokyo, and 3 decades later a new city, dubbed Neo Tokyo has been built on top of the ruins of the old. The new city is anything but a pleasant metropolis, with corrupted government officials in office and bike gangs creating havoc on the streets, and somehow one of the gangs has gotten itself involved in some secret military project involving a mysterious entity known as 'Akira', subsequently heating things up and eventually all hell breaks loose. This is not your typical cyberpunk fare, with a good mix of fast-paced action and slower intriguing plot points, balancing each other out well. The whole mystery to Akira is well played, drawing you in as the events unfold, and its un-traditional ending might leave some viewers confused or disappointed, but it made me ponder the possibilities.

The moods of the characters vary, and sometimes makes it hard to tell who's side each is on. We have our somewhat protagonist Kaneda, who in my opinion is one of the most memorable and instantly identifiable characters in anime ever. One look at this guy and people would almost always go 'Isn't that the dude from Akira?', and along with his equally awesome bike (I'm still very fond of it after all these years) makes him one of the most popular anime icons on the planet. Then we have Tetsuo, a member of Kaneda's bike gang, and to me is the real protagonist in this movie. After the military discovered Tetsuo's psychic abilities, he was then captured and turned into an unwilling experiment. This is where Tetsuo gets really interesting, and we would be treated to pretty disturbing scenes when his power finally manifests itself, and it really captured my imagination witnessing them. On the military side we have the Colonel, who at times seems like a decent enough guy, and it's kind of hard to tell which side he is exactly on as he seems to be sympathetic to both in the conflict. In a way, that is sort of the clincher for me, where there is no textbook good guy in the movie, everyone is flawed, making the characters even more believable.

As for the animation and art quality, Akira does not show its age, with production being so well done the animation is considered smoother than a lot of more recent animes. Some cool visuals such as the light trails from the bikes to the brilliant scenery of Neo Tokyo, this movie looks and probably is a labor of love, as the details in it are just a joy to watch.

I actually watched this on dub and never saw the subtitled version, but I can honestly say that after watching various horrendous voice acting on animax (Hayate the Combat Butler comes to mind), Akira even excels in that department. Although some of the supporting cast do have really eardrum grating voices, the leads are quite excellent in portraying their characters' emotions.

In conclusion, Akira is one of the most well written anime movies in history, and I would be hard-pressed to find any other anime film just as good, save Ghost in the Shell. With Otomo-sensei taking roughly 10 years to complete the manga, and using what was then the biggest budget in anime history in terms of the movie's production, Akira is one of the most painstakingly complex animes ever made, and also the most well documented. Chances are if you were already watching anime during it's release, or even just started 3-4 years after, you would have already seen Akira, and probably would be as opinionated as I am on the subject. If you have not, I would advise you to do so, as this is one of the true classics of the medium, and you would only truly gain otaku status after watching it.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Ghost in the Shell

2009-11-01T07:12:00.000-08:00

*sorry guys I couldn't find the Japanese trailer for this one :P

Writer: Masamune Shirow (Kazunori Ito for the film)
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Production House: Production I.G
Review Type: Anime Movie
Status: Completed
Genre: Seinen, Science Fiction, Cyberpunk
Vintage: 1995

Synopsis

A few decades from now, nations have been replaced by city-states and mega-corporations, and the world has been tied together by a vast computer network (fancy that). In the Japan of this new world, Section 9, a covert division of the Japanese police, investigate cybercrime and crimes committed by runaway robots.

Ghost in the Shell (GITS) follows the exploits of the cyborg Motoko Kusanagi, a decorated member of a covert operations division of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission Section 9, specializing in technology related crimes. As all the Section 9 members are supposedly equals in rank, Motoko is the leader elect of the team, addressed as 'the Major' in reference to her old rank in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Being a cyborg, Motoko is capable of superhuman feats, as her body is almost all robot, save her brain and spinal cord, making her bionically specialized for her job.

Our story follows Motoko and her partner Bateau in their investigation on what appears to be a hacker going by the nick Puppet Master, who implants people with false memories and manipulating them to do his bidding. It is later revealed that the Puppet Master is actually an AI program, with the codename Project 2501, who had become sentient and now seeks asylum in Section 9. The government agency that created Project 2501, however, is not about to let it get away, and the mystery still remains in its seeking of Motoko in the first place, or it's motives with her.

Chibi's Ghost in the Comments

How do I start with this one indeed. Maybe second only to Akira, GITS has a strong case in being the most influential anime ever. While Akira was the first anime to break through markets outside of Japan, GITS took it a step further, opening doors for many other series to break through internationally, and eventually contributing to the incredible pace of anime seen today. GITS gave viewers a whole slew of thoughts and visualizations that are still to this day borrowed and expanded in almost all of the cyberpunk themed animes that followed. In addition to such a complex plot, we get suspense riddled and realistic action, done with some revolutionary animation techniques that are truly ahead of its time.

GITS portrays a very convincing look of the near future set in 2029. In 2029, people have the ability to replace certain parts of their bodies with cybernetic ones, and in some cases, almost all parts of their bodies are replaced leaving only their brains encased in a cyborg shell, and even then the brain is augmented with hyper intelligent access to knowledge and communication packages. Despite being cybernetically augmented, a person still has a ghost, or soul, separating them from being a total machine, and even though some may have their bodies fully augmented, the person will retain their memories and personality. Basically, a person's ghost is his or her humanity in the series.

In GITS, a cyborg shell is not like a normal robot's in the sense that the limbs and body still communicates with the brain in a digital operation much like a human's nervous system, and apparently even the cyborg's sexual anatomy are fully functional. This however makes the cyborg susceptible to ghosthacking, which means the taking over of someone's perceptual control, or worse, augmenting their artificially enhanced memory.

Detail is the key word to this anime. The art is so vividly striking you are instantly immersed in the world GITS shows you, giving off the feeling that it might just be an accurate glimpse to the future. The battle scenes are also very real, with each passing gunshot having a devastating effect upon impact, regardless of hitting or missing its intended target. The character designs are also awesome, especially with Motoko. I felt that while she looks human, her cyborg attributes are shown very accurately in the things she's physically able to accomplish.

In my opinion, GITS still provides the best examination of humanity in anime history. Humanity is the main issue throughout the movie and the following installments. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be alive? Is Motoko human? The questions just keep coming and coming. Motoko herself doesn't even know if she is human or not anymore, and wonders herself if she even actually have a ghost (how do you tell a fake ghost from yours?). This makes Motoko one of the most conflicted characters we've seen in years, and I truly felt for the dilemma she's facing.

In conclusion, GITS gives us a truly compelling look into the future. We see the amazingly real landscapes of cities inthe future, form its technological wonders to some really dodgy looking areas filled with the most impressive technological horrors. Is the thought of augmenting our bodies with technology that far fetched? On top of that, is it even possible to have our brains augmented? And over time, wouldn't the line between humanity and robots disappear? GITS handles these questions in a way so believable that it actually changed my overall thoughts on the issue altogether. Truly a milestone in the genre, avoid this at your own risk.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5

Character Development: 5/5

Art: 5/5

Originality: 5/5

Blood+

2009-11-01T04:31:00.000-08:00

author: Asuka Katsura
director: Junichi Fujisaku
composer: Hans Zimmer, Mark Mancina
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Action, Supernatural, Shoujo
studio: Production I.G, Aniplex
original run: October 8, 2005 - September 23, 2006
episodes: 50
similiar to: Witch Hunter Robin, Blood the Last Vampire, Hellsing

Synopsis

Saya Otonashi lives a perfectly normal life. She had been adopted by a Vietnam war veteran; George Miyagusuku, and has two adopted brothers; Kai and Riku whom she loves dearly. However, there are noticable traits that are peculiar to Saya; she is an amnesiac and anemic. But her fate changed on the day she met a chiropteran; bat like creatures that live by feeding on human blood.

As she is caugh in a pinch, a mysterious man by the name of Hagi appears to defend her. He tries to ward off the chiropteran with all he has. It's during this tense moment that Hagi tells Saya of what she truly is and awakens her to what she truly is. The chiropteran is defeated. Hagi's real identity takes shape as he is her chevalier; her knight and guardian. She doesn't remember who Hagi is due to her problem with amnesia and begins to learn that her blood has the ability to destroy chiropterans.

Soon after, a man named David approaches Saya. He is a lead agent with a secret task force called the Red Shield; an organization dedicated to killing chiropterans around the world. He beckons Saya to join them in their fight against the chiropterans since she is the only one who could defeat them. Saya at first is reluctant to join them on their crusade. But soon agrees as she begins to embrace her identity. Since Hagi and David would also not cooperate with her in revealing who or what she really is, she begins a quest to find out exactly her true identity. Joining Red Shield would have more than just battling a few monsters for her as after each of her dealings with them, she becomes more aware of her dark past.

As Saya joins the Red Shield with Hagi, she discovers that there is a bigger picture to the plot. She begins to learn of a certain Diva; her evil twin and the world of the chiropterans. Realizing that her painful destiny would not only to destroy the chiropterans but Diva as well.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

I hate to begin negatively, but I am compelled to do so for this. The first handicap to a series like this would be it's theme. It is so cliche. Vampires and monster slaying has been on our screens for decades. And you'd never want another Bram Stoker remake because there's too many out there, you'd just wish that if only vampires could be a real bad ass. But Blood+ survives the cliche and does a pretty good job in reeling you in. So that's a positive one over there.

The story and the plots at first would capture you. Each episode leaves you hanging. And with it's uncanny reputation of unpredictability, you'd just love it. Or at first love it. I began to realize that the deeper this series went, the more tragic, dark and grim it got. Which was totally OK. This is a show about the supernatural and it is fine dining to have a very grim and twisted plot. Some might even consider this a non-robotic version of Neon Genesis Evangelion. But sooner or later you'd might be thinking, alright so now whose going to die? And when a lot of people keep dying, it will wear off on you. And it will be no big deal.

The sad part of this anime would be that it portrayed Saya in a messianic complex. That ultimately her victories are painful and that she would not sit on a pile of gold and laugh at the spoils of an ultimate victory over a very tough opponent. Many people around her will be murdered and she is encouraged by the living few to continue. As she continues she puts on a savior of the world attitude which I do think is a little too much. Because at the end of the day you can just turn off your pc or tv and say well she'll survive and win it.

Another thing about the deaths. I mean it's awesome to be realistic. But it gets ridiculous when reality is exaggerated. As much as it is a dark episode and there has to be the case of people getting murdered brutally, again I'd think if you want tons of people to die than why not just develop Saya and forget about her contemporaries?

Character development is pretty good. She and her contemporaries were portrayed quite well. Each character being developed slowly, steadily in an unpredictable manner. The art is not bad as well, fight scenes were surprisingly good and at least Saya is much cooler than that annoying Shana from Shakugan no Shana ( I can't imagine they even had a second season for this). But she isn't as composed as Robin from Witch Hunter Robin.

So if you'd like vampires and twisted plots, than this would be the one for you. I thought it was on a mediocre scale overall and the ending really disappointed me. It was watching another rerun of Full Metal Alchemist (not the current Brotherhood installation).

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 3/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Witch Hunter Robin

2009-11-01T01:56:00.001-07:00

director: Shukou Murase
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Action, Supernatural
studio: Sunrise
original run: July 2, 2002 - December 24, 2002
episodes: 26
similiar to: Blood+

Synopsis

There exists in the shadows a secret organization called SOLOMON or STN. And their main purpose is simply to eradicate witchcraft. They are high skilled in dealing with those who would utilize witchcraft by possessing a database of witches, those who have the ability through genetic engineering, or even those who would carry the powerful gene called "seeds". Why? STN's main prerogative is simply to kill them before they "awaken."

Witchcraft, is understood to be a genetic trait only dormant to a minority of people groups. Those who possess them are called "seeds". And once these "seeds" activate their powers, they become "awakened." They may possess an array of powers. Some may range from telekinesis to to even mind control. It's STN's duty then to deal with them by employing witch hunters or craft-users; people who are not witches but have special abilities, to monitor those who are "seeds" and to eradicate those who have been awakened. They are those that keep the order among those with the witchcraft trait.

The story revolves around the axis of Robin Sena; a young girl born in Japan but raised by the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. She is a "craft-user" with psychokinetic abilities. She arrives in Japan on a reconnaissance mission, to gather data for the SOLOMON headquarters on a mythical item called the "secrets of the craft" while leading a double life as a witch hunter for the Japanese branch STN-J.

However, Robin notices something fishy regarding STN and their dealings with captured witches at a placed called the "Factory." As she unravels the truth, Robin has now become a subject of conspiracy; she is now labeled a witch. The path Robin chose would ultimately lead her to who she is as a "craft-user" and about certain witches she knew while opening the lid on the real purposes of STN.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Finally, I have been waiting for a supernatural anime with a twist. and Witch Hunter Robin gave me that. Conspiracy theories and investigative themes are a rarity in most supernatural animes and for something brand new? This would definitely be rated FRESH!

The whole concept of witches and witch hunting at first may seem cliche. But why not? With Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I was also very skeptical on this sort of storyline. But after knowing how science was incorporated into it (genes), you can say that this would be a supernatural version of Ghost in the Shell. So again hat's off to the concepts.

Robin by far is one of the best female lead characters that I have come across with. Her abilities and the extra trait she carries with her depicts her as a non-conformist. She is the embodiment of a real investigator searching for the truth and at the same time bearing the pangs of standing up for it. Robin is not spared from any form of blast but instead realistically sustains damage. She is a constant reminder that the truth hurts.

She is also the anti-thesis of some other typical shonen female leads like Lenalee from D.Gray-Man or even Shana from that annoying Shakugan no Shana. Her demeanor and her soft-spoken-ness reminds you of something a little less different from most of the loud mouthed leads.

But besides Robin, there isn't much character development on the whole. The whole story only conforms to a real and original plot midway of the series. Her contemporaries do possess some awesome traits about them and it is interesting to them featured in it. Her partner Amon is one such guy; a witch hunter with the "witch" gene in him. And he becomes the unofficial guardian to Robin. This again somewhat reminds of you of a Buffy-Angel fling, but it is not so don't worry about that either. For now atleast.

The art and action is superb. And the dark and grim setting this finds its feet in will definitely keep you off your chair and you'd be wanting more of Witch Hunter Robin. So a full on recommendation here.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Trigun

2009-11-01T01:41:00.001-07:00

Writer: Yasuhiro Nightow
Director: Satoshi Nishimura
Production House: Madhouse
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Adventure, Action, Western, Sci-Fi
Vintage: April-September 1998
Episodes: 26

Synopsis

Trigun follows the adventures of Vash the Stampede, and the two Bernadelli Insurance Society employees who follow him, in hopes of minimizing the damages inevitably caused by his appearance. The damage is not intentionally inflictied by Vash though, and most of the damage attributed is caused by bounty hunters in pursuit of the 60,000,000,000$ (sixty billion 'double dollars') bounty on Vash's head, seemingly out due to his destruction of the city of July. Vash however is experiencing amnesia at this point, and could not recall the incident clearly due to this. Vash is an advocate of non-violence, and tries to save lives without using force (his gun is even loaded with four bullets to further emphasize this point). Throughout his adventures, he is occasionally accompanied by Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a priest who like Vash is a skillful gunfighter with a mysterious past.

We gradually learn more about Vash's past as the series progresses, and also the history of human civilization on Gunsmoke (the planet where the story is set). The series is mostly light-hearted in the beginning, but the plot shifts to a more dramatic and darker situations toward its conclusion, involving moral conflict in regards of killing other living beings, even when justified (self defense or defending others). Despite all this, Vash soldiers on in pursuit of his goal, which remains shrouded in mystery until it is revealed towards the end of the series.

Chibi's Stampeding Comments

I actually came across a few of the Trigun merchandise before actually watching the anime, buying a Vash the Stampede action figure way back in 1998 (it's still standing proud in my bedroom), and upon doing some research on it a few years later (eight to be exact), I decided to give it a shot.

To my surprise, Trigun is totally the opposite of what I expected. It's an interesting series, and although you would not realize it in the first half of the series, its a deep one as well. Although the hype it generated was for different reasons, it was thoroughly deserved. The story begins like your average run-of-the-mill comedy series with its silliness, and although the characters manage to maintain the sense of humor throughout all but the most serious parts of the series, it has a definite path to where the story is going, building up to an impressive climax. The generic episode progression is merely a distraction to where the plot is heading to, and much like its characters it takes its time to get there.

Trigun is not exactly a quality series, in the sense that it has a compelling back-story and sticks to it from beginning to the end. Some of the episodes are made of unconnected incidents and are absolute no brainers, the overarching plot is not strung along with any precise writing and the drama is not heavy-handed, and it does not really seem to care. Despite this setbacks, Trigun manages to be a lot of fun, and even tackling the true meaning of pacifism in a surprisingly deep and effective manner, partly because of the feeling of the series' honesty in it's less polished production, the earnest emotional storytelling and also that of its characters, and also its apparent refusal to let things work out cleanly in its conclusion. This is what makes Trigun so memorable; it's unpretentious yet brave enough to tackle the really hard questions.

Trigun is essentially more like three series in one with very different stances on each aspect. The first half of the series rubs you off as a more classic comedy anime, with loads of likable characters, with enough depth and funny hi-jinks to keep you glued to your seat. With a feel of the Wild West coupled with an appropriate weird back-story, this series is a reasonably creative one with tons of gun-slinging action. The most appealing aspect in my opinion is the earnest examination of the love of life, forgiveness and redemption.

Trigun does an excellent job of combining the three aspects of comedy, action and moral drama surprisingly well. After a relatively light-hearted first half, it declares a change of mood with it's recap episode (all anime series has at least one to bring the viewer up to speed), reminding the viewer of it's important bits of the main plot scattered throughout the series, and even so, it paces itself slowly enough to make the transition as painless as possible. The end result is pretty enthralling, and provokes deep thought on some issues.

The selling point for me is the unusually interesting array of characters in the series. The two Bernadelli employees Meryl Strife and Milly Thompson, for example, are not your usual anime babe stereotypes, with both being over 20, and a pretty refreshing change of pace. Their target, who is also a target for a whole bunch of bounty hunters, and also the center of the entire mess, is the protagonist Vash himself. In spite of being the ultimate gunslinger, Vash is also incredibly lucky and also a complete dumb-ass. This just scratches the surface on who he really is, and despite all the skill and emotional burden that plagues him, he is really a goofy kid at heart, which I really enjoyed watching.

Vash alone is more than enough to make this a quality comedy anime; with his ability to take a serious situation and turn it into an idiotic mess right before the situation gets sappier is horrendously funny to watch, and thus saves the series from taking itself too seriously. The other aspect which got my vote for Vash being one of the best leads in an anime is his unswerving and stubborn refusal to kill anyone, insisting that anybody could be forgiven for their past. This seems a little illogical at first, but it makes for some enthralling moral drama towards the end of the series.

As a contrasting character to Vash is the travelling priest Nicholas D. Wolfwood, who despite the trappings of holiness, is more merciless in his treatment of life than Vash, and the arguments between them coupled with Wolfwood's struggles with redemption, makes him a really interesting character in his own right.

The series, through Vash, emphasizes on a simple precept of 'thou shalt not kill'. A concept largely ignored, rationalized and dismissed throughout history, Trigun addresses this issue head on, and even though it does provide clear answers to the issue, a variety of differing opinions are raised by certain characters and situations, and the series is hiding plenty of gray areas behind it's obvious philosophies.

The backdrop for all this is the Western world with a sci-fi twist that doesn't come into play until the later episodes. Although the setting doesn't come off as too creative at first with its 30 feet tall mutants walking about, it is later explained how things came to be on planet Gunsmoke, and it was certainly not what I had expected.

Whilst the art and animation isn't wildly creative or spectacular, there are some nice touches in the character designs, and production quality is always good enough to keep you interested. The strong point however, is in the music of the series. From the shred-worthy guitar work in the opening (it blew me away) to a few very mellow Western tunes and a beautiful song that is a factor to the main plot, this anime has a lot of stuff to listen to.

In conclusion, Trigun is first and foremost a comedy series, and a hilarious one, added with real substance in the latter half. There's enough gunfights and goofiness to keep anyone happy with a deep engaging story that is more on a serious note, coupled with a gripping conclusion laden with serious, powerful, and thought-provoking subject matter. Best of all, the themes are comfortably compartmentalized, so it all fits together into a thoroughly enjoyable series with a message that sticks with you after it's over. Definitely worth a look.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 3/5
Originality: 5/5

Samurai 7

2009-10-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

original author: Akira Kurosawa
director: Toshifumi Takizawa
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Chanbara, Action,
studio: Gonzo
original run: July 12, 2004- December 25, 2004
episodes: 26
similiar to: Samurai Champloo, Peacemaker Kurogane

Synopsis

It began with a small rice village, Kanna. Every year during the harvest, a group of bandits would forceful steal their produce. To add salt to their wounds, the bandits have began to rob them off their woman and children. It is a curse they deal with yearly and have finally decided to put it an end to it.

The village Elder has decided that as the safety of the village has been jeopardized, the only way they could attain that freedom is to hire samurai to fight against these marauders. Sadly, the village cannot afford to pay them, but in trade for their services they would pay them with a supply of rice. They send three people to the city. One of them is Kirara; a village priestess of Kanna. Her willingness to search for samurai was substantiated with the fact that she wanted desperately to see the outside world; that which is beyond Kanna.

As the convey reaches the city, they run into trouble. But was rescued by Okamoto Katsushiro; a young and inexperienced samurai. They then bump into Shimada Kambei; the lead protagonist and a war veteran with an awful distaste to war and anything violent. He was reluctant at first, but decides to help out after being persuaded. Together with Katsushiro and Kambei, they search diligently for others who could and would help out the dilemma Kanna is facing. They are successful and five others join Katsushiro and Kambei to form the seven samurai that would aid Kanna in their liberty from the bandits.

But what awaits the fate of the seven is just not the issue of Kanna alone. There would be a bigger and dangerous picture that the seven would need to deal with. The anime details the journey of these "band of brothers"; warriors who were wounded by the tides of war and are searching for a redemptive moment.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Well, this is definitely the anime version of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 hit movie Seven Samurai; the predecessor of the American 1960 Magnificent Seven. The anime however differs from the original by having a steampunk atmosphere and environment to it. Which I think is absolutely cool. Having a healthy dosage of ancient and modern concepts gave the anime the boost it needed.

Frustratingly, there is not much character development. Just that the young Katsushiro would soon discover the life of the battlefield. Which is not an easy one; though many might fancy it. I like the role played by Kambei. Here he not only acts as a mentor to Katsushiro but also we note a more matured lead even though some may argue that Katsushiro is the lead character. He is somewhere in the line of Okita Soji from Peacemaker Kurogane and also Hatake Kakashi from Naruto in terms of mentoring, leading and planning.

Now the other interesting part of this anime is that those who are part of the seven do get their fair share of airtime. Not many would focus on each specific character and their contributions much. Most secondary characters would either be doing something only when it demands them too and would basically be filling up the behind the scenes actions; the gaps and transitions from one episode to another. But here, all seven which is still a big group, are somewhat the lead cast of the show and I think that's a fairly strong concept of the anime; teamwork.

But what marks this anime from the rest is the x factor to why I liked watching it. They stuck to the original plot when some of them had to die in battle. Which of course is familiar to us, but what's the difference? The usual pattern for an anime would be that they would die one at a time, having an epic battle and then die. It is customized for them. But here the for the first time, we have three of them dying at the same time; during the final battle. It is a threshold event. First of it's kind. And I'd have to say that it is definitely a brave move to do that.

There are moments of exaggeration in it, but I guess the good part is that despite things being overdone (like a normal katana slicing through a 10 storey robot in half), it still has its sense of realism. Battle scars, battle wounds, and finally martyrdom; for some of them of course. The art is not bad, typical for any Gonzo production. So you'd have the designs somewhat familiar to some other titles; if you'd notice the similarities of anything Gonzo. I guess it's their trademark.

Well there is one con in the show I totally forgot to highlight. It's their dialogue lines. Some of them are just hilarious. So if you are a fan of the Seven Samurai or would like something modern meets ancient and fast paced, then check this out.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Peacemaker Kurogane

2009-10-31T09:47:00.000-07:00

author: Nanae Chrono
director: Tomohiro Hirata
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Chanbara, Action, Drama
studio: Gonzo
original run: October 7, 2003- March 24, 2004
episodes: 24

Synopsis

Ichimura Tetsunosuke, or fondly known as Tetsu by his peers, is an immature, energetic, and very short 15 year old. He is even sometimes mistaken for a boy because of his attitude and physical stature. Tetsu's past is a grim one. His parents were brutally murdered, leaving him and his older brother Tatsu to fend for themselves. Tetsu still reeling with the bitter wound that has been inflicted onto him, seeks out revenge against his perpetrators.

Tatsu, joins the Shinsengumi; a special police task force consisting of highly skilled men, but as an accountant to earn a decent income. Tatsu's desire of providing bread for the both of them is contrasted with the attitude of Tetsu; who like Tatsu desires to join the Shinsengumi but with vengeful intents.

During his tenure with the Shinsengumi, Tetsu became accustomed to some of the other skilled warriors in the house. He develops a close bond to the prodigious Okita Soji, and even becomes his sparring partner.

The anime chronicles the challenging and trying life of Tetsu, a summon or 'office boy' for the Shinsengumi police corps. He wrestles with the voices that contend for his desire to mete out revenge, to finally seek redemption and to be part of the Shinsengumi as a warring warrior on the side of justice. Tetsu would also learn to understand that the path of a warrior is indeed a crucifying one. And finally realize that the responsibility placed that would be placed on him is not a childish ideology.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Substance. If I could drop a word before this introduction, for such a breathe taking series it would definitely be substance. I began watching this, after being vehemently frustrated with the Samurai X franchise, or at least the mainstream version of the Samurai X franchise. I preceded with caution on Peacemaker. Hoping that, it would be of a different delight. And it was.

Firstly, I would say this would be one of the most interesting historical anime I have came across with. The other would be the Vagabond manga. I do think Nanae Chrono did a fantastic job in portraying a fictional account of the real Shinsengumi police corps and also the characters that have donned the Shinsengumi mantle. So credits to the author.

Now there is a theme that is somewhat overarching the anime. And I am not sure if this was done purposely, but note that contradiction/s is a dominant theme throughout. Let's take Tatsu and Tetsu. Both have gone through the same nightmare and yet are different in views and goals. Each has a different purpose driven life. If you even look at Okita Soji would notice the opposites that primarily feature him. He is a prodigy and would be considered a shinigami (death god), but on the other hand he is soft, kind, femine (in the context of the anime) and is able to attend to Tetsu with pastoral care. And to top that off is the famous disease he was known to have, tuberculosis; which is historically accurate as well. Beyond the characters, this theme is emphasized as mentioned in the synopsis as when Tetsu learns that fighthing for good does not necessarily earn satisfaction or even a positive reward.

The character development is not that thorough, considerably reasonable given the duration of the anime. But I would say that Chrono did quite a good job in playing with the characters because it is realistic. There is nothing fancy about them, each would have a large percentage of getting killed by thugs or vandals during police raids and probably would also be harboring a dark side to them. All are seem to have their own share of struggles and that is supplemented by the risks involved in serving with the Shinsengumi.

The art is amazing and the fight scenes really make my day. Even though there is a lot of drama comparing to the action involved, The plot and its twists and turns could actually keep you glued to your seat.

I am quite surprised this was intended for a shonen audience. Even though Tetsu and the overarching idea of good triumphing over evil is present, you might just have categorized this as seinen if you aren't careful. Actually I do think this leans more towards seinen because Tetsu doesn't have a rival, neither does he grow exponentially strong in the anime. A stark contradiction to Naruto, Bleach, D-Gray Man, One Piece, etc. The anime never fails to highlight Tetsu's contemporaries as not only stronger, but with a good dosage of substance in terms of character development. So there is this break away from just focusing on Tetsu.

If you're looking for drama, with some zen to it and really good depth in terms of plot, action and art and also concept that this is something you might want to check out.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5 (episodes are just too short)
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Beck : Mongolian Chop Squad

2009-10-31T01:32:00.000-07:00

Writer: Harold Sakuishi
Director: Osamu Kobayashi
Production House: Madhouse
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Shounen, Music, Slice of Life
Vintage: October 2004-March 2005
Episodes: 26

Synopsis

Beck revolves around an average 14 year old boy named Yukio, or Koyuki as addressed by his friends, who enters junior high with two childhood acquaintances. Coincidentally one of his childhood buddies is kind of a perv, and ironically the other is one of the most popular girls in high school. Koyuki's seemingly uneventful life takes a turn in the opposite direction when he saves an odd-looking dog going by the name of Beck, from some kids that was bullying him. As it turns out, Beck's owner is a budding rock musician named Ryusuke Minami, who soon influences Koyuki to learn playing the guitar, even giving him his first one to practice with. As time goes by Ryusuke and Koyuki formed a band named BECK, and proceeded to play a few gigs. The plot mainly focuses on the trials and tribulations, and also the hardships of the band, and also Koyuki's relationships with its members, particularly Ryusuke and his sister Maho.

Chibi's Chop Squad Comments

Being a music student, a came across Beck during my first year in college. I didn't come across the anime with people's recommendations though, it was just me trying to link both my loves of anime and music together, and upon shopping for some anime I got recommended by the friendly store owner to purchase a copy.

I was pleasantly surprised at how addictive the anime was. You get a story in the veins of a coming of age of sorts with Koyuki, who was a nerdy little kid who wasn't very popular (what'd you expect? It's a shounen title), blooming into a really good frontman and guitarist for his band, also making a name for himself along the way. For rock music fans, Beck pays homage to a lot of rock icons past, present and future, and many references are strewn about each episode. Even the band itself is an homage to a few rock stars, with Beck's main vocalist Chiba's appearance, style and attitude are based on Zach de la Rocha (from Rage Against the Machine). Ryusuke is a merging of Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers) , and the way Koyuki sings is reminiscent to the pose Liam Gallagher makes when he sings (Oasis). Even the guitar Ryusuke covets, nicknamed 'Lucille', is a reference to blues legend B.B. King's guitar with the same name. With this much attention put into all the little details, I spent many an hour re-watching the anime over and over looking for any reference to any rock icon that I may have missed during my first viewing of the show.

The pacing of the plot is set at a slower pace than most shounen fare, which in my opinion is a wise decision on the director's part. This helps the viewer to ease into the story, and significant developments are well placed in terms of delivery, making the flow more of an easygoing kind of feel than the usual frenetic pace often seen in standard shounen fare. The transition from Koyuki's humble beginnings to enigmatic frontman are also set in a logical pace (where most shounen stuff are highly illogical), and you don't actually see Koyuki getting from zero to hero quickly, rather he has to practice and practice to actually get that good, much like in real life.

Beck's strong point is in the unique focus on rock music, but it might also be it's weakest point. Viewers who aren't fans of rock music (if there are any) might not find this series as interesting or relevant. The sound however in this anime is awesome, the songs are catchy and I would think that most rock music fans would enjoy its soundtrack. It was also quite amusing to see some of the characters trying to converse in English (as Ryusuke and Maho used to study in the States), and most of the English dialogue include a good amount of cursing. The quality of the animation, although quite decent, is pretty questionable given today's standards, but seeing the focal point in this series is actually the music, I guess it is permissible (hey it's not like we're watching Beavis and Butthead here).

All in all, I would recommend Beck to newcomers and also veteran otakus looking for something new than the usual shounen fare. The story and character development are good, and watching Koyuki's social life and musical talent grow are both pretty compelling, particularly when the band starts taking off. A must watch for musicians and music fans alike.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Initial D: Fourth Stage--Project D

2009-10-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

* In an all true Initial D spirit, I have decided to place their opening theme song as the opener to the post. Just like an anime episode. I found this highly entertaining and I so wanna learn those dance moves he does at the beginning! LOL!

author: Shuichi Shigeno
director: Tsuneo Tominaga
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Racing
studio: Frontline, Gainax
original run: October 17, 2004- February 1, 2006
episodes: 24

Synopsis

Ryosuke has finally fulfilled the task of forming Project D; a street racing team featuring the best in the Gunma district. The lineup consists of Ryosuke (leader and racing strategist), Takumi (downhill specialist), Keisuke (uphill specialist), and a staff that compromised mostly of the Red Suns racing team. Their main agenda simply is to be the best street racing team in the region. As they go around defeating them, the race results would be posted up on their website.

Ryosuke, being a master strategist, arranges each race accordingly so that each driver from Project D would be able to improve on their driving skills after each challenge. Takumi, by this time begins to develop into a more mature street racer. His contemporary, Keisuke, begins focusing on the technical aspects of his driving. Ryosuke acts as a mentor for the up and coming Takumi by encouraging him to explore new and unconventional driving techniques during races.

But Ryosuke would also have something else troubling him. This would be his final moments in the street racing arena, as he would be off to medical school. Project D then, would be his last moments of bliss. Before it decrescendos into a more formal and rigid life of a university student.

The experiences Project D would go through are challenging. There would be many tough teams wanting to inflict damage on the maverick attitude brought about by Project D. They would meet tough opponents such as Team Purple Shadow. Takumi, would also undergo a change in perspective when he learns of the capabilities of the Four-Wheel Drive when he was outwitted during his tofu delivering routines by a Subaru Impreza. Takumi would be in for a surprise when he finds out who was that person who creamed him during the downhill of his favorite Mt.Akine course.

With all these, Project D will no choice but to weather through the storm. In order to be the best there is to the Japanese street racing world.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Being the last installation to date; I hope this wouldn't be the finale for the entire series!, I think much has developed through time. And the anime got really good, here in season 4 of the Initial D franchise. This time the only thing that you can afford to complain is still well the typical shonen attitude of win all, lose none. But you must admit, that each race does entitle you to break a sweat here and there. Simply because the races are really good. The challenges are real and the handicaps of the drivers; Takumi and Keisuke are more evident and known to most of their opponents.

Takumi undergoes a real rollercoaster in his pursuit of being the best downhill driver in the region. The character development done on this one, is probably the best among the four previous installments. The fact that he is even challenged to expand his horizon, by an old man, is simply a play of irony and sensibility. Most people would complain and say that well you need to be young to be technologic. But this anime allows some old rusty senior citizens to do the teaching ( I will allow you to guess who's the one who'd teach Takumi on the Four-Wheel Drive complex!). So in the light of Takumi learning from all angles and at times breaking a sweat and coming up with random ways to win, is a delight.

The anime begins to now focus on the bigger picture too. Besides Takumi, you have Keisuke and Ryosuke. I can't help but think that Keisuke is a pure sucker. He got his ass kicked by Takumi on the downhill and now can't help but be included in Project D as an uphill driver? Well I'd say the reasons are more filial and substantial than from my point of view, but it's a shame isn't it. Ryosuke on the other hand delivers some of the most interesting tactics and leadership strategies around. He is a more calmer and nicer version of Hiruma from Eyeshield 21 and again he is the embodiment of many Asian males; forgoing their passions for the workforce.

The races are excellent as I'd mention in the beginning. The graphics and art have improved! Phew! But the characters still possess a bean-shaped fixture which I still find it annoying. But overlooking that, there are interesting bits and pieces of the way the races are depict which would make you think that it takes an absolute genius to get you hooked on to it. Which I do agree.

This anime does well, as the ending leaves you with a "I want more!" feeling. Definitely deserves a sequel at this point in time; which I have been faithfully waiting for. So do watch this one and give it a shot. I think this would have the makings to be one good and exciting anime franchise.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Initial D: Third Stage

2009-10-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

author: Shuichi Shigeno
director: Noboru Mitsusawa
review type: anime movie
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Racing
studio: Pastel
released: May 15, 2002
runtime: 105 minutes

Synopsis

It is a journey that has now demanded a decision for the maverick and prodigious Takumi. Ryosuke, of the Red Suns fame asks him to join a new racing team he is forming featuring the best street drivers from the Gunma district. Takumi, still relishing that bitter moment with Team Emperor's front man Sudou Kyouichi, mentions his desire to only decide after having settled the score with him.

Takumi proceeds to challenge Kyouichi at the Irohazaka pass. The battle format is simple. Kyouichi decides that Takumi should lead. If Takumi loses the lead, than Kyouichi wins. Takumi has the daunting task of preventing Kyouichi from slipping ride out and above him, since a change in leader would ultimately be the penalty for defeat. Takumi bravely fends off Kyouicihi to stay ahead and win the race.

Kyouichi, who's a racer that's absolutely proud in his knowledge of his own home course, concedes defeat and gives the AE86 the praise it deserves. Takumi felt that it could only muster up a draw but was more concerned for the acknowledgement of Kyouichi that the AE86 is a competent race car and not just an antic on wheels.

More awaits Takumi has he would face his father, Bunta's old rival's son, Kogashiwa Kai. This would lead to a finale of epic proportions as Takumi begins to feel the heat of street racing and thus pursuing s more matured approach to racing.

Rempit's Vrooming Review

Finally, Initial D has produced a quality plot. Of course the bitter issue of Takumi and his quest for proving the AE86 was a little immature and typical, but finally Takumi becomes the go-getter. Takumi has largely been apathetic in the first two installments, and to see him react in a different fashion, just tells you that Takumi might be actually real! For once!

And the idea of having him square off with his rival is also yet another typical shonen issue, but then again having squared off with someone so talented that the win might just be out of Takumi's hands is so enticing. So I'd say that these factors are a manager break into the series and it does seem to be an exciting one.

The season challenges Takumi to be a more mature driver, honing not only his skills on the road but also his ability to decide. So character development here is up a notch. As he battles the crossroads of joining Ryosuke's team, Takumi's philosophy might just be a different approach to the more mainstreamed "hard-resolved" resolutions shonen heroes and heroines would normally undertake. Plus, since Takumi does age in the series it is noteworthy that the author did allow that maturing process to transpire into the series. At least he is not perpetually stuck at high school;Form 4 Science Stream, anyone?

The art, well is still the same. I guess I don't have much to complement when people look like kidney beans with a weird triangle as a nose. But I do have to say that in terms of the cars, and the race tracks, then this is promising. Their attempt to 3D-fy the races has gradually improved. So there's quality control going on, and that gives it the point of difference.

I still do think their races are the best feature. Ok, DUH!. But, since the series has travelled this deep, you'd just be worried that the excitement might just die off at the fact that it has become monotonous. But surprisingly, it still manages to keep you faithfully hooked into the world of downhill and uphill street racing.

I do think this installment is an exciting one. And a better one comparing to the 2nd, and on par with the 1st (my favorite's still the first, somehow in a weird way). So give this one a try and you might discover a franchise that may not be as a good as other common titles out there, but simply one that keeps promising and delivering gradually. Maybe it was intentional that we too, the viewers, also grow along with the franchise in terms of like ability? Perhaps. But give this one a shot.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Initial D: Second Stage

2009-10-29T00:18:00.000-07:00

author: Shuichi Shigeno
director: Shin-ichi Masaki
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Racing
studio: Pastel
original run: October 14, 1999- January 6, 2000
episodes: 13

Synopsis

There are a new group of baddies in town and they are none other than Team Emperor, a street racing team that utilizes the Mitsubishi Evolution as their trademark race car. They are well known for their aggressive approach to street racing and for defeating any racer that comes up against them. However, their pride fell short when Seiji Iwaki; a prominent and seasoned racer with Team Emperor, was defeated by Takumi and his AE86.

With Team Emperor's pride and reputation at stake, their leader Kyouichi Sudo decides to challenge Takumi to a race. The avenger decides to teach Takumi a lesson. But the main purpose behind the race would simply be to bait in Ryosuke, his main target for a race.

Kyouichi, a professional racer, unleashes the full capacity of the Mistubishi Evolution during his race with Takumi. Literally, pawning him during the course. Luck runs out for Takumi as during the race, his engine blows. Officially placing him out of the race. Kyouichi however doesn't consider the defeat official and tells Takumi that it was more of a showcase to inform him of a need to drive better suited cars in order to match his own skills.

Kyouichi than successfully proceeds to race Ryosuke. The tide is turned when Ryosuke defeats Kyouichi; shocking Kyouichi dramatically.

Bunta; Takumi's father has always been preparing for the day Takumi would lose. He knew that the engine would suffer a blow out and waited for that day to happen. When it did, he installed a new engine with extraordinary capabilities. Wanting Takumi to learn more about the car, he doesn't inform Takumi on the equipment needed to suit the new engine.

The anime deals basically with Takumi learning to cope with the new engine and a rival AE86 driver whose not only competent with his driving skills but mechanical knowledge, challenging Takumi to a first ever AE86 showdown.

Rempits Vrooming Comment:

So things are finally starting to shape up. Of course defeating a Mitsubishi Evolution is totally bizarre. But the idea of Takumi suffering something that would rule him out is a good twist to the plot. Another good twist is to patch him up with a rival AE86 user. So you'd have a battle of the best and I think that's pretty neat and exciting; but predictable. How? Just pay attention and you'd know how.

Again there's not much character development here. Except that we note more of Takumi's contemporaries being totally skilled and cool. Sometimes you'd just wonder how did Takumi beat Ryosuke; with Ryosuke being a total lean mean driving machine? Takumi on the other would eventually become more knowledgeable about his car and the mechanics that are involved in it. But somehow or the other, it is again through a huge dosage of apathetic- ness which ultimately gave way to the thought of succeeding. Which basically would mean that Takumi is still a slow learner when it comes to things beyond the steering and accelerator.

Well the graphics get better, the art sometimes just pisses me off. But I think for classical anime fans, the art is less than a bother. The races are very well depicted and they still keep you in suspended animation; not entirely but it is fair enough.

So here's the continuation of the life of Takumi as a race car driver. With only the looming thought of victory that keeps him going. And I personally think it is only worth it to watch in terms of the races and the hype that surrounds it. Besides that, it is as a shallow as the Straits of Malacca; where you can even see the nice green algae at the bottom of the ocean.

I recommend this title if you're itchy for a sequel and if you're feeling high and a little less melancholic. And of course it is still a shonen title. A really straightforward and enjoyable one of course; on occasions.

Rempit Rates:

Storyline: 3/5
Character Development: 2/5
Art: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Initial D: First Stage

2009-10-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

author: Shuichi Shigeno
director: Noburu Mitsusawa
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Racing
studio: Studio Gallop, Pastel
original run: April 18, 1998- November 28, 1998
episodes: 26

Synopsis

In the dark of the night, there is an event with cult like following. Many flock to the hills to watch by the railings; speed demons blazing down the hills with ghastly speeds. Displaying a series of intense skills, they race to be the king of the hill.

The story begins with street racers called the Red Suns; a champion street racing team from Mt.Akagi challenging the local Mt.Akina's Speed Stars to a friendly race. The Speed Stars begin doing their homework to only find out that they have a serious job to do in maintaining their pride when they go up against the Red Suns. It becomes a race for pride. However, fate decides to take a twist when the Speed Stars main man and primary downhill racer; Iketani is injured during a practice run. They are left in a bind and desperately search for a replacement.

Iketani learns from Yuuchi; manager of the gas station Iketani works at, that the fastest downhill car at Mt.Akina is a black and white Trueno AE86. And during Yuuchi's younger days that driver was known as the "Ghost of Mt.Akina". And surprisingly the racer who rode the AE86 was none other than tofu seller Bunta Fujiwara. Iketani begs Bunta to race for him; despite knowing that he has passed his prime. Without a confident answer, Iketani remains hopeful that Bunta will come to save the day.

On the race day, the Trueno appears. The Speed Stars sigh and rejoice with relief that their savior has arrived. Only to findout that the driver was not Bunta but his son; the lack luster, slack and boring Takumi! Iketani is reluctant to let Takumi race, but allows him to when he learns that during the Red Sun's downhill practice run, it was none other than Takumi that defeated him; a mere accident as Takumi was just running his daily errands of delivering tofu on time. Takumi wins the downhill battle against the same man he outran previously, Keisuke Takahashi and his Mazda RX-7.

The story continues with others challenging Takumi, the "Ghost of Mt.Akina" and follows the growth of Takumi from an apathetic, goaless driver who succeeds by mere talent to a passionate and skilled street racer.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Initial D, if placed on a scale, would be evenly balanced by positive and negative points that would leave this anime a mediocre one. But this is one of the most decent racing titles that we've come to watch and love, besides Dash Yonkuro (Remember them Tamiya's?).

There's not much to character development. And the only thing you'd probably get is the growing of Takumi from noob to professional. But the character portrayal of Takumi is such, that he learns more about driving and his car with a poker face, lazy attitude. So you don't see that hard working feel of Takumi in pursuing his passion. Here is a character that is lazy, remains lazy but yet succeeds somehow through skill and talent. But at least that's counter balanced by his dilemma and urge to race and keep racing in the later episodes; which you can say it's a sign of working hard, but his face still remains expressionless. So that's actually a fresh take to a shonen character. Which in any case is a good thing to celebrate!

but his other contemporaries would make you go "Owh...right..hmmm". Typical, straight up characters. Nothing to it.

The races now, that's something. You'd feel like pulling off drifts and stunts once watching it! It never fails to depict the races with high speeds and tons of adrenaline. Knowing of course as with any anime, there's the commonsense exaggerated moments being pulled off here and there. But hey, it's action packed. And with that techno, euro beats that keep you suspended in racing world, I would have to say this anime can be a great and inspiring watch.

I also have to add that even though, looking at it we'd laugh at the 3-d attempt to make cars looks real, and real cool during motion. But I'd say it's a brave and fair attempt to utilize 3D motion graphics in it. So applause to a brave move! and not necessarily a bad one too.

But beware if you'd begin to realize that Takumi's winning streak is out of hand. That's the sad part. And I think it would be the biggest mistake the Initial D franchise would have to offer. Win after win after win. I was begging for Takumi to lose, but he kept on winning and winning. In that sense, this anime really blew it by having a ridiculous concept of wins. Even Ippo from HNI had to lose? I mean what's wrong with that?

There is some argument going on if this is a shonen or seinen title. I would say that this would be a shonen title. It can't be seinen simply because of a peek-a-boo tease or a short spout of adult talk in a few episodes. Taking this with everything in it, this remains a shonen title and follows orthodoxly the rules of the shonen world.

Well I liked the anime for it's simply straightforward idea of bringing that rush of adrenaline into you which kept me balanced in my diet for anime/mangas. So I would say, go for it if you're looking for a no brainer.

BTW! I think Jay Chou SUCKED BIG TIME in the Initial D movie. Comeon, what were they thinking. Tsk Tsk Tsk. and to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak; the directors, Congrats! you've successful directed the movie to ruins. Reminds me of Hollywood's take of DragonBall.

Rempit Rates

Storyline: 3/5
Character Development: 2/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Death Note

2009-10-28T08:22:00.000-07:00

Writer: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Shueisha
English Publisher: Viz Media
Review Type: Manga
Status: Completed
Genre: Shounen, Mystery, Supernatural Thriller
Volumes: 12
Vintage: Dec 2003-May 2006

* The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

* This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his or her name. Therefore, the people sharing the same name will not be affected.

* If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.

* If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.

* After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Synopsis

Death Note is essentially a story about Light Yagami, an extremely intelligent young man who resents the growing corruption and crime rate in the world today. One day he came across a mysterious notebook with 'Death Note' written on the cover, and his life took a drastic turn as a result. Inside of the Death Note are instructions, and it claims that if a person's name is written on it, he or she will die. Naturally Light was skeptical of the Death Note's authenticity, and he subsequently proceeds to experiment with it, and it turns out that the Death Note is for real. After encountering the previous owner of said Death Note, a shinigami (death god for u noobs) named Ryuk, Light seeks to become 'the God of the New World', embarking on a mission to eradicate crime and evil, by passing his judgment on those he deems to be just that.

Soon, the increasing number in deaths of reported criminals catches the eye of the International Police Organization (IPO), and garnered interest from a mysterious detective known only as 'L'. After doing a little investigating L discovers that the person responsible for the deaths, known to the public as Kira (which is really what killer sounds like if a Japanese dude said it, honestly), is located in Japan, also concluding that Kira does not physically commit the murders, rather he has an ability to murder them without even being in their vicinity. Light quickly recognizes the huge threat L poses toward his plans, and thus a psychological game of cat and mouse begins.

Chibi's Kira Comments

It was about the time when I just returned from a long time staying away from all things otaku that the Death Note phenomenon had begun. I was certainly curious on what the hubbub is really about, since there was a movie out, a manga series, and everyone sported black notebooks with 'Death Note' on them everywhere I went. So I picked up a couple of volumes on my manga run to find out.

What can I say? Death Note is one right riveting read, indeed. The suspenseful moments coupled with the convoluted reasonings and heart pounding action is enough to tire me out after just two volumes, yet the manga is so compelling that after a short breather I was back for more. With each chapter finished I was compelled to read on to uncover the answers to the questions that just kept coming at me; will Light get caught this time? Who was that guy? How's Light gonna get out of this one? What's L gonna do next? With each pressing question comes the frantic reading to find out what had transpired.

The 12 volumes compiling the Death Note saga are split into two main story arcs. Within those arcs are minor story arcs that lasts about a volume to complete, making it relatively easy to jump in at any point of the series (although I never do this). The first main arc is essentially about the battle between Light and L, and as the IPO closes in on Light, he must find a way to use the notebook to steer attention away from him and eliminate L. In the second arc, Light is now a high ranking government officer locked in a battle with L's predecessor, threatening to expose him and his involvement with Kira.

It's the incredible art that won me over with this series. Obata-san's beautiful character designs to the beautifully detailed covers are what makes this such an enjoyable read, and coupled with Ohba-san's amazingly well written plot the combination is just too good to ignore. Light himself is not actually your typical shounen protagonist, but instead more of an evil sociopath with fascism running rampant in his mind, and despite all this he is so collected in his demeanor that rooting for him is almost second nature. L is an equally obsessive uber-nerd with a holier than thou attitude similar to Light, and they are essentially mirror images of one another except for the sides they are on. As the story moves along we are introduced to a few new characters, later on playing important roles in Light's quest.

Morality is the big issue in this series. There are instances when Light (at one point suffering from amnesia) comes off as a genuine good guy, refusing to succumb to L's methods of willing to let others die in order to obtain evidence, but resumes his role as 'the God of the New World' as his memories return. As Light's futile attempts to subvert the IPO are further exposed, it becomes obvious that Light is a pathetic Angel of Death whose mission on cleansing the world of evil is too often distracted by his megalomania.

In conclusion, Death Note in my opinion is one of the most original mangas released in recent years, and I do recommend it to anyone looking for a surprisingly fresh manga to read. An amazing thriller with an intriguing plot, coupled with the beautiful art, makes this series a must read for any otaku.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Full Metal Panic!

2009-10-28T02:13:00.001-07:00

Writer: Shoji Gatoh
Director: Koichi Chigira
Production House: Gonzo
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha, Romantic Comedy, Action
Vintage: Jan-June 2002
Episodes: 24

Synopsis

Sagara Sosuke may look like a high school boy, but he is anything but your average teenager: hardened by years of battle, he is now one of the most skilled (and humorless) operatives of the secretive and powerful paramilitary MITHRIL organization. All this changes, however, when he, along with the lecherous sniper Kurtz Weber and ornery commander Melissa Mao, are assigned to protect pretty young Chidori Kaname, who may be one of the mysterious and sought-after 'Whispered'. Trained assassins, mech-piloting psychopaths, and booby traps, Sagara can deal with... it's infiltrating a Japanese high school and trying to blend in that's the real challenge. And he will learn that an enraged girl can be the most lethal opponent of all.

Full Metal Panic is a story that combines this romantic comedy with futuristic military combat (mechas included), and it tells the story of a teen-aged army sergeant (Sagara) who grew up as a child soldier that ends up protecting a not so regular high school girl (Chidori). These two really are the reason why you would want to watch this series: even though the series is seven years old by now, they’re still fresh and dynamic, and the relationship between the two of them really grows on you. Sousuke’s socially inept antics will delight any fan of deadpan humour, while Chidori herself quickly sets herself apart from all other overused tsunderes with her wit. The two shine in the comedic part with some fresh jokes, but they definitely impress the most when they get serious.

Chibi's Panicking Comments

I actually came across Full Metal Panic about 2-3 years ago by mistake. I was looking for another series with Full Metal in its title (does Edward Elric ring a bell?) and accidentally picked up the DVD to Panic instead. Realising the mistake I made a little too late (I'd already reached home when I found out), I decided to leave it on the shelf so I could watch it when there's nothing else to do. Finally after neglecting the series for a long time, i decided to give it a shot. Then it dawned on me, I should have watched it as soon as I bought it. Here's why.

Full Metal Panic takes a decidedly fun twist to the mecha genre by blending in a few romantic comedy elements to the plot, with an already amazing story laid out. It's almost unavoidable to not burst out laughing at Sagara's extremely serious demeanor and intent on protecting Chidori through any means necessary via guns, live explosives and also smoke grenades. It's also quite amusing to see Sagara, who never had a proper teenage life trying to cope with the daily routine of high school, and he always comes off as the deathly serious new guy in class. However, it is when the laughter stops that the action begins, and we are treated to some amazing battle scenes reminiscent of Evangelion and a few Gundam OVAs.

The entire setting to this series is just awesome. With mouth-watering animation and character design, Full Metal Panic also has impressive music. As with other Gonzo releases such as Vandread, there is always a catchy song provided to properly capture the mood, from the J-poppy theme song to the background music during battle and even on normal school days, the compositions are truly phenomenal in their conception. As Gonzo had been famous for its emphasis on detailed art and animation, Full Metal Panic does not disappoint, with pleasing character designs and sharp animation complementing the already gripping action scenes.

Although the main plot is pretty well written and ropes you in from the start of the series, the real appeal of Full Metal Panic is the character relationships. Sagara and Chidori are perhaps in my opinion one of the best couples in anime. Seemingly the exact opposites to each other, delving a little deeper into their backgrounds suggest that they are more similar than expected, with their difficulties in integrating themselves into the school populace. Of course this is more glaringly obvious in Sagara, but Chidori herself is noticeably different from the rest of the girls in school, and its this back and forth relationship between the two is what really makes Full Metal Panic such a joy to watch. Think some of the sitcoms' romantic tension between the lead male and female (ala Friends for example) and you kind of get the point I'm trying to make.

As with previous Gonzo titles, Full Metal Panic did not actually reel me in from the get-go, i was still skeptical whether it was just another fan-service title taking itself a little too seriously (ala Vandread) and throughout the first 6-8 episodes it was exactly that, seemingly confused in itself not knowing which direction to take, be it engaging mecha battle royale or fan-service laden comedy, and there were times where I wanted to actually stop watching for fear of wasted time. The comedy, while in itself is very funny, kind of takes away the tense moments during the first half of the series. It's hard to believe that Chidori and Sagara are in danger when they were in a romantic comedy laden episode just before, and there was very little progression in the plot during the first half as it gets broken up with filler comedy episodes (not really a bad thing, but for die-hard mecha freaks it probably is).

Fortunately, the show does makes its mind up and decidedly focusing on the action in the second half of its run. The plot develops steadily, and more personality is further added to the main characters, making them more than just comic relief. The superb animation and well choreographed action sequences are readily present to back up the plot. The final stretch of the series kept me glued to the screen all the way to its end, which made me wish that the series was like this from the get-go.

All said and done, I do recommend this series to mecha fans, even the humorless ones, as the battles are truly something else. Full Metal Panic remains as one of the better mecha anime titles that had been out in recent years, and will provide the viewer with hours of entertainment, provided they approach it with a pinch of salt and an open mind (you know who you are, mecha purists). Great for a weekend filler and also good to watch at your own pace.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 3/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 3/5

Vagabond

2009-10-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

author: Takehiko Inoue
publisher: Kodansha
genre: Chanbara, Seinen
review type: manga
status: ongoing
original run: 1998-ongoing
magazine: Weekly Morning

A vagabond is an itinerant person. Such people may be called drifters, tramps, rogues, or hobos. A vagabond is characterised by almost continuous travelling, lacking a fixed home, temporary abode, or permanent residence. Vagabonds are not bums, as bums are not known for travelling, preferring to stay in one location.^[1]

Synopsis

It is the 15th century Sengoku era in Japan. It is a time marred by war, violence and political strife. Here, a young Shinmen Takezo decides to join the Toyotomi army to fight the Tokugawa clan at the battle of Sekigahara. His childhood friend, Honiden Matahachi joins him on this bloody crusade. Unfortunately, the Tokugawa army stages a dramatic win against the Toyotomi militia. This also marks the infamous 300 year shogunate rule under the Tokugawa empire.

Takezo and Matahachi survive the war. They, with deep resolution, each decide to carve a path of greatness. But that was lived shortly when, Takezo becomes a wanted criminal. He is sentenced to death. However good fate befalls him when he learns of a monk called Takuan Soho; who ironically sets him up for the capture and whose also responsible for his release. He renames Takezo to Miyamoto Mushashi. Takuan believes that by this, Shinmen will not only gain freedom to travel, but to tame that wildness inside of him and evolve as a person; to not be that wild, devil child he was once known for in his village.

Mushashi undergoes a journey that is different. Encountering characters that will inevitably change his life and both his fighting and personal philosophy.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Now where do I begin with this. Again another delicious manga to read. Takehiko Inoue drives so many themes into this manga, that it is so insatiable to resist! Looking at his previous work, Slam Dunk, Buzz Beater and Real, this is by far taken from a different perspective. If you'd note, the titles above are heavily sports driven. Vagabond sets itself in time and history. Miyamoto Mushashi, is a real life swordsman and the Sengoku Period was an actual time in the history of Japan. So to be able to pull something off out of history and make that big genre leap, thats the work of a genius.

Inoue takes chracter development into a deeper level. If you'd think Real had substance; than this takes it down below even more. Mushashi is a classic example of how complex it is to be able to be sane in a world where insanity demands the best of you. His contemporaries; the ones who influenced him come from a variety of backgrounds, provides the anti-violence Mushashi needs to develop into an able fighter. A counter-personality to his wild animal likeness.

You can also find themes of love vs ambition or even the dilemma we go through in playing catching up with life as others we know are scaling new heights in career and personal economics ( can you guess who I am taking about here? *hint definitely not Mushashi).

The cultural influences behind this manga are very Asian. It's very Zen, very Buddhist and has that tinge of Eastern flavor behind it. But why not? Sometimes mangas are guilty of leaving behind such a beautiful Asian heritage. And Inoue takes it back to being truly Asian. Actually, it's so cultural rooted, you can only guess that Mushashi actually undergoes a spiritual journey.Again hat's off to being culturally embedded.

The fight scenes are awesome. You don't have wimps like Naruto flocking around the battlefield singing "my little pony" and killing bigger opponents with a "something no jutsu". Every strike of a sword is fatal, every injury is painful, every victory nothing short but bittersweet. And this gives you the seinen feel to understanding that violence is real business.

So, thinking of a good seinen manga, that has an appetite of say having a hero in a grim, dark and lawless world? or perhaps a lost soul in a grim, dark and lawless world? Than this is the one for you.

Rempit Rates

Character Development: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Path of the Assassin

2009-10-23T02:17:00.000-07:00

Author: Kazuo Koike
Artist: Goseki Kojima
Publisher: Kodansha
English Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review Type: Manga
Status: Completed
Genre: Seinen, Historical, Martial Arts, Mature
Volumes: 15
Vintage: 1978-1984

Synopsis

Path of the Assasin follows the famed Suppa (ninja) Hattori Hanzo Masanari as he is chosen to become the protector and vassal for the Matsudaira clan's future leader, Motonobu, who would eventually grow up to become Tokugawa Ieyasu, head of the Tokugawa clan, and the man responsible for unifying Japan, ushering 200 years of peace during his rule as Shogun. Our story takes place from both protagonists' humble beginnings, and still in their teens; Hanzo then 15 while his master (still known as Matsudaira Motonobu) was 16. While both showed promise, they are still inexperienced and learning about life the way most teenagers do. After a faulty first meeting, master and servant quickly become friends. The relationship between the two quickly transcends the master-servant demographic, and poetically described as 'Lifelong Friends, with the Same Dreams, Striving to Grow into a Rising River.' The quality of their relationship is unforgettably crystallized by Hanzo's fulfillment of a challenging but enticing task Ieyasu sets him, which was to demonstrate how to make love to a woman, which neither youngster has ever done.

Path of the Assassin in essence encapsulates the lives of both Hanzo and Ieyasu as they begin their long and arduous path towards the unification of Japan, and the problems and people they encounter, as well as the women they meet and love along the way.

Chibi's Path of Comments

There was this computer game I used to play endless hours on my PC growing up. It was basically a strategy game based on feudal Japan, and the aim of the user is to get the daimyo he's in control of to conquer all the fief (provinces) in Japan to complete the game. That game was called Nobunaga's Ambition, and was released by Koei in 1989. It being historically accurate gave me insight to how Japan was during the 1500s, and I grew familiar with all the characters (actual daimyos during the time), playing it over and over, and when the company released a sequel, which was more of an upgrade in terms of graphics from monochrome to VGA (damn this sounds really prehistoric), I played it over and over again. So given the knowledge of how Japan's history was during the feudal era, I came across Koike and Kojima-san's historical epic, and quickly rushed to pick up a copy.

I was initially hoping to read more about the namesake of the game I used to be so fond of, which was lord Oda Nobunaga, who actually was the one who laid the groundwork before passing away, giving Ieyasu the opportunity to capitulate and unify Japan. But I was honestly impressed with Koike-san's portrayal of both Ieyasu and Hanzo (Hanzo actually appears in the second Nobunaga's Ambition as one of his generals), giving us a feel of a buddy movie more than an intense political historic drama. Although the politics is abundant throughout the series, he also does balance it out with a few amusing moments and lots of ninja-on-ninja violence.

My favorite aspect of this manga was learning more about the ninja. In other mangas we either get a fictitious view of what a Suppa organization, but in this series we get an extremely accurate view of what they do exactly, and their code of honor. Ninja have long been popular in fiction and especially in American pop culture, but there is very little known about their rumored existence in reality. The ninja code, as it begins to be examined in this manga, is similar to the samurai code in some ways, but in others it is quite different. In short, without giving away too much, there is a level of secrecy about the very existence and performance of ninja that is vital for them to successfully perform their duties, unlike samurai, who perform their duties in the open for all to see. Like all of Koike and Kojima-san's stories, this comic provides a highly engaging, historically accurate look at this period of time in Japan, showing us just what it was like for the Japanese people at that time and teaching us more about the culture.

We are first introduced to Hanzo in the very first chapter of the series, and we are shown why Hanzo was chosen over his brothers to shadow Motonobu (I address him as Motonobu from here on because this is before he changed his name). He has skills that exceed his brothers’, despite the fact that they are grown men. As the story progresses, we meet Motonobu. He is not as mature as Hanzo, probably because of the Hanzo’s extensive martial arts training, but as the story progresses, I became aware that Motonobu is more honorable than I had originally thought. He is young and foolish in many ways (realistically, he’s probably just a bit more like an average 16 year old than Hanzo is), but he does have a samurai heart, and Hanzo realizes this early on as well. The two characters begin to forge a close friendship without even really intending to.

As the story progresses throughout the later volumes of the series, we do get to witness the advice Motonobu seeks from Hanzo for ideas on his new name, and we get to see how their paths towards maturity, although vastly different, would still have very much the same outcome on certain issues. Several well known historical figures of feudal Japan do make an appearance throughout the series, such as the famous Tiger of the Kai Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga, and also a few of the famous generals of the era. We often see how Motonobu relies on Hanzo, from political advice to mundane things such as making his wife happy, further cementing their friendship to be more than that of a master and his vassal.

There is a slight learning curve to this series, however, as readers who are unfamiliar with Japanese history might have problems in recognizing the characters as they are introduced, where more Japanese readers would automatically be able to identify as they are welcomed into the fold of the series' plot. Certain events would also confuse and bewilder the readers who aren't well-read in Japanese history, but in my opinion this is part of the fun. Doing research as you read through the series makes it all the more enjoyable given Japan's colorful and violent history during the feudal era, and it certainly educated me in more parts than most in Japanese culture and tradition, apart from its history.

In conclusion, Path of the Assassin is a more mature story told by the incredible duo of Koike and Kojima-san, and also a kind of a Japanese history lesson in pictures. The only qualm I have on this series is that maybe Dark Horse should have provided a historical overview on some of the events in the manga, to steer the uninformed in the right path and to also give them an accurate understanding of the story. I do think that the duo has surpassed the epic Lone Wolf and Cub with this one, and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat from the start till the end. A must read for history buffs and samurai manga fans alike.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Zombie Powder

2009-10-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

author: Kubo Tite
review type: manga
status: completed, discontinued
genre: Shonen, Action
volumes: 4
original run: 1999-2000

Synopsis

Zombie powder is a substance that is rumored to be highly sort after for it's life-giving properties. It is even believed to be able to endow a person with a limitless life force; eternal life. Those who earnestly seek it are called powder hunters. They are a group of people so fanatically driven; even if it means putting their lives on the line to obtain such powers.

So how does one get a hold of this substance? Simply by collecting twelve rings called the Rings of the Dead. These rings are sentient, with the ability to bring someone to comatose when touched, and parasitic, with the ability to drain the life out of a person. It is when the ring has a host that it begins to produce the highly sort after and powerful zombie powder.

We begin with a character called John Elwood Shepherd. A young boy, working as a thief for a local gang. One fateful day, he meets Akutabi Gamma; a possessor of a Ring of the Dead and a wanted criminal with a handsome bounty on him. Elwood decides to rob him, only to miserably fail. They soon become friends. During this time, a fellow gang member suspects Elwood of turning in Gamma for the bounty and musters the gang towards Elwood's residence. Elwood's home turns into a battlefield with heavy gunfire pouring down from the shots fired by the gang members.

Gamma shows up to the rescue. Only to find out that he is a little to late; Elwood's sister, Sheryl was slain. Elwood decides to follow Gamma on the hunt for the zombie powder with hopes that he could resurrect his dead sister. Soon Gamma and Elwood are joined by C.T Smith; a long time partner of Gamma's and also a highly wanted powder hunter. They soon form a trio and travel with a mission to collect all 12 existing rings.

Rempit's Vrooming Comments

ANN really slated this one and I do think that much credit should be given to Kubo Tite on his first installment as a mangaka. So shame on you ANN! SHAME!!!!

But it is an obvious fact if you can't help but agree with much of what ANN has to say on this title. Does Outlaw Star, Trigun, or even Cowboy Bebop ring a bell? Anyone? The western space cowboy theme was definitely the biggest rip-off or an attempt to rip-off. But then again I think it's the strongest aspect of the manga. Simply because, western space cowboy themed stuff can really get your imaginations going and can definitely tease you in on a particular series. So thumbs up to Kubo Tite for that.

I can't write off the characters as well. Alright Elwood seems normal, like shonen normal, which is OK. I mean we've tolerated Naruto for ages? But focusing on Gamma and his counter part really will remind you why this manga is a sort after, interesting read. Gamma may appeal to be the stereotypical anti-hero hero; basically a bad ass. But take that and hold it with his ability to be a leader and you'll get one of the best characters around. Reminds you a little of Kurosaki Ichigo, from Bleach (Tite's current hit release). But Gamma is a more seasoned and well rounded leader with that lone ranger attitude that is contemplative and reflective of a dark past.

C.T Smith, might have been labelled as Ishida's predecessor; which people might do the same to Gamma but besides having a neatly combed hair style, glasses and maybe a projectile; Smith is another standout character. He doesn't seem to be as rash as Ishida or even in any contempt against his partner. Instead C.T Smith provides the antithesis to Gamma's character; a somewhat of Jin and Mugen from Samurai Champloo.

I really do recommend this manga as a must read. The sad news would be it was discontinued. Why? I am not entirely sure either. But one-hit wonders are always meant to be appreciated and for a manga that had very good reception and was the predecessor to what I think is Kubo Tite's worst title (Bleach), I think Kubo-san really did well and had something going on here. Bleach sucked and still sucks big time, but this might just change your view on Tite as a prolific author.

Rempit Rates

Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Samurai: Executioner

2009-10-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

Author: Kazuo Koike
Artist: Goseki Kojima
Publisher: Kodansha
English Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review Type: Manga
Status: Completed
Genre: Seinen, Drama, Historical
Volumes: 10
Vintage: 1972-1976

Synopsis

The story is set in the Edo period of feudal Japan. The manga chronicles Yamada Asaemon, a ronin who is appointed as the official sword tester for the shogun. Nicknamed Kubikiri Asa (neck-chopper Asa, or decapitator Asaemon), he tests the swords made for the shogun by way of conducting executions on death row prisoners of said era, hence his morbid nickname. Yamada Asaemon's character is based on real life sword testers who served the Tokugawa Shogunate up to the early 19th century.

While the story revolves around Asaemon, the focus is not on him, but more on the people he meets in the course of his work. The stories rather tend to focus on the prisoners that Asaemon executes, and the consequent events that led up to the point where they actually meet him upon facing execution, and most are told as their final words before receiving the fatal stroke. As with his meeting with Ogami Itto (Lone Wolf of Lone Wolf and Cub fame, another manga written and illustrated by both Koike and Kojima-san) such encounters often give Asaemon time to reflect and think, on his life in general.

Although the characters themselves are fictional throughout the course of the manga, each story is written with precise historical accuracy, giving the reader a clear picture of how feudal Japan was during the Edo period, from its laws to monarchy to even its architecture, prompting the English publisher Dark Horse to provide a glossary to help define the many Japanese terms to keep the stories authentic.

Chibi's Kubikiri Comments

When I first came across Kazuo Koike-san's work it was on Crying Freeman way back in 1991, probably about the time when Viz, then still a budding company, started publishing the title under it's small plethora of manga brought stateside. I was instantly hooked by the concept of the story, where an assassin weeps for the victims he kills, and eventually falls in love with one target, making her his wife in the process. I then came across the immensely popular Lone Wolf and Cub, the series that immortalized Koike-san as one of the best manga writers ever, and his resume also included being classmates with one Rumiko Takahashi during his art school years (she's famous for Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, and Inu Yasha). After learning that Dark Horse has published the mini-tankobons (or mini-mangas) for easy reading on both Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner, I decided to give this series a shot.

Putting a little thought into it, it does make marketing sense to associate both Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner on Dark Horse's part. Yamada Asaemon was featured in Lone Wolf and Cub to be Ogami Itto's (Lone Wolf's protagonist) equal at the sword. This prequel (Asaemon encounters Ogami after his sword testing days) even features the same samurai culture, historical references and even the extremely graphic monochrome blood squirting violence that made its sister title so popular. However, delving deeper into the series, I discovered the two protagonists could not be further apart, and in some ways makes Samurai Executioner a better read.

Samurai Executioner, as explained in the synopsis is a series of loosely connected stories centered on Yamada Asaemon, a third generation O-tameshiyaku (official sword tester) for the shogun. The duties of the O-tameshiyaku is to perform the O-tameshi, or official cutting, to test the sharpness and cutting prowess of the swords forged for the use of the shogun, and also extended to other feudal lords or daimyo, and anyone else Asaemon sees fit. The textbook definition of a samurai, Asaemon is adept at martial arts, unnaturally skilled with the sword, and is extraordinarily conflicted about his job. In order to inherit the job from his father, Asaemon had to murder him as his first practice of O-tameshi on a live target, and with tears running down his cheeks, a son grants his father's final wish. This in turn sets the stage for many Bushido morality plays throughout the series.

The first book already shows us three examples of Asaemon's conflicted nature in graphic detail, and much like its sister manga Lone Wolf and Cub, this series is not for the faint hearted, and not exactly violence junkies' cup of tea either. Each of the short stories are musings on codes of honor, ancient morals, and lots and lots of blood and body parts, putting even some of the more graphic horror comics to shame.

Unlike Lone Wolf and Cub's 'high-concept' idea to keep the plot moving, Samurai Executioner is a complete paradox to the concept. Asaemon is not out to avenge his clan by seeking out its destroyers, and readers of Lone Wolf and Cub would know Asaemon's final fate. This manga is in some ways, how Kubikiri Asa got to that point.

In conclusion, Samurai Executioner is an extended character study, where in this world of violence we are introduced to a character essentially the equal to Ogami Itto, who puposely follows a different path. Where Itto teaches his son the ways of murder by bringing him along in his travels, Asaemon refuses to have a family, hoping that the long line of violence and murder in his bloodline would end with his death. While his honor ensures that he performs his duties above and beyond the call, his heart prevents him from passing the 'curse' of the O-tameshi to anyone else. Koike-san's flair in provoking deep thought from reading this series is exemplary, and i do recommend this manga to not only fans of Lone Wolf and Cub, but readers wanting to immerse themselves in ancient Japanese cultures and traditions. Not your standard manga entertainment, but entertaining nonetheless.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Blade of the Immortal

2009-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

Author: Hiroaki Samura
Publisher: Kodansha
English Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Review Type: Manga
Status: Ongoing
Genre: Seinen, Chanbara, Supernatural
Volumes: 24
Vintage: 1994-ongoing

Synopsis

Our tale follows the adventures of Manji, a skilled samurai with a decisive factor against his enemies, no wound would kill him save a rare poison. Manji was an evil samurai before he obtained his immortality, with his past criminal acts involving the death of 100 other samurai, including his sister's husband. Consequently obtaining immortality at the hands of an 800 year old nun named Yaobikuni, Manji is compelled to undo all of his past criminal acts following the death of his sister, accepting a quest that would end his agelessness. Vowing to kill 1000 evil men in order to make amends, Manji is kept alive and virtually indestructible by a rare species of 'sacred bloodworms' called the kessen-chu. These worms are remarkable creatures that are capable of healing any injury and reattaching any limbs severed during battle, even after hours of amputation. The kessen-chu are bred to be as accurate in their genetical makeup to humans as possible, and work by sacrificing themselves to seal or reattach the wound. Although the kessen-chu does experience regrowth in Manji's bloodstream, it doesn't occur on a large scale and takes time to regenerate, and could perform miracles such as reattach an arm or seal a bullet hole in the brain.

The manga starts during one of Manji's travels, where he crosses paths with a young girl named Asano Rin, whose parents were killed by a group of rogue but extremely skillful samurai led by Anotsu Kagehisa. Anotsu proceeded to kill Rin's father and his entire dojo, and upon learning this, Manji agreed to assist her in her plight. Anotsu's quest is to gather outcasts from rival dojos and form an extremely powerful dojo dubbed the Itto-ryu (a school focused on only winning swordfights, regardless of how exotic or unorthodox the technique), and has since started destroying and assimilating other dojos into his own.

Coincidentally, another group calling itself the Mugai-ryu has emerged, with its intent on opposing the Itto-ryu. While its methods are similar to the Itto-ryu's, its true leadership and motives are a mystery. The Mugai-ryu then tried to enlist Manji's cooperation as they seem to have the same motives (destruction of the Itto-ryu), and even though Manji does eventually join the Mugai-ryu, he quickly pulls out after discovering that a fellow member named Shira was too sadistic in his methods for his liking. Soon Manji discovers that the Mugai-ryu are working for the government, with its members being death row inmates who are only allowed to live if they agree to serve the bakufu (or shogunate). While Manji and Shira eventually grow to despise each other, with Shira running off, he maintains a good relationship with the Mugai-ryu.

To put it in a much broader perspective, Blade of the Immortal covers the effects of death and also the consequences of the inability to die, as well as the meanings behind living, and most of the main characters have a purpose in which they discover through a series of events.

Chibi's Immortal Comments

I first stumbled upon Samura-sensei's manga way back in '94 when visiting a local comic book store on my monthly Spiderman run (yes folks, I used to read AMERICAN comics....oh the shame), and although it looked pretty interesting at first, I never picked a copy of it up, due to my idiotic prejudice against black-and-white comics at the time. Cut through to 2006, and it was a time when I was turning into an uber-otaku for the first time in my life, I came across the tankobons (or manga volumes for you noobs) again, and finally decided to pick one up.

So here I am 20 volumes later, still reading intently on the goings on of Manji and co. With Blade of the Immortal probably the only manga ever to win an Eisner award (the Pulitzer of comic books for creative achievement), I had pretty high expectations for this manga. I was not disappointed as it repaid my expectations in spades. Although the Immortal or indestructible thing has been done over and over again in American comics (Wolverine comes to mind) and movies (Connor Mcloud anyone?), Samura-sensei's chanbara epic does give a very interesting twist to the concept by it's settings and plot layout.

What makes Blade of the Immortal so distinct from all the other samurai manga out there is the setting itself. Samura-sensei has laid out a very vibrant and stylistic look of feudal Japan, where every samurai is so individually different, each wearing outlandish kimono coupled with an outlandish weapon, and aren't restricted to the traditional Japanese swords, garments and formalities that other manga of its kind tend to showcase. Samura-sensei's version of feudal Japan is a harsh and corrupt place, much like most slums across the globe today, with the notable absence of the traditional stereotype of the samurai with a code of honor they abide to, instead showing us a more of a dog-eat-dog scenario where they'll take anything they can get in order to survive.

We are also introduce to many interesting and unique characters such as Magatsu (one of my favourites in this series), with his funky hairdo and dressing giving me the impression of feudal Japan's equivalent to Konoha's Hatake Kakashi (Naruto guys....DUH), Giichi, wearing string tied sunglasses and long range circular blades, and even the protagonist Manji, with an arsenal of unique swords, and seemingly able to conceal more than ten of them in his kimono. The harshness of this Japan results in a bloodbath where combatants prefer to slowly hack their opponents to pieces in a display of skill rather than a swift kill often found in standard samurai manga fare, and the authorities seem to just let the criminals kill each other rather than taking them out themselves. The gore in this manga is pretty excessive, but they contribute to the feel of the plot, consequently separating this samurai manga from others of its kind.

The gore is balanced by the colorfulness strewn throughout the manga, where this version of Japan is a dangerous, but extremely psychedelic place. Samura-sensei's extremely distinct style probably had a lot to contribute to this effect, where he seemingly uses pages of rough sketches meshed with beautifully inked ones, with strikingly beautiful results. The rough penciling style gives his male characters a rugged and edgy feel to them, whilst the women characters look much more elegant with his bold ink lines. The whole manga gives off this unfinished feel, like a sketchbook linked together by a story, and you could practically spend hours examining the beautiful panels Samura-sensei has created.

In conclusion, Blade of the Immortal stands as one of my favorite samurai mangas out there, with grizzly action that blends in perfectly with its revenge themed plot. Truly a cut above the rest, I do recommend this to veterans of this genre, and also to newcomers looking to see what a samurai manga is all about.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Samurai Champloo

2009-10-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

author: Shinichiro Watanabe
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Chanbara, Action
episodes: 26
studio: Manglobe
original run: May 20, 2004-March 19, 2005

Synopsis

Having a group of thugs sexually harass you isn't what you'd want to start your day with. But a young women named Fuu; an ordinary 16 year old waitress at a tea shop encountered such. As she is being harassed she stumbles upon a lack luster and slack customer by the name of Mugen. He being broke, decides to take care of Fuu's problems with a simple request that he be rewarded food for his services. But surpassing all expectations, what should have been a negotiation turned out into a brawl.

Innocently, Jin; a young stoic swordsman enters the tea shop. He catches Mugen's attention once being noticed as a formidable opponent. They soon enter into a battle royale. Each pitching technique for technique, flair for flair and an all round sense of style. But unknown to them however, a fire sets ablaze in the tea shop they're fighting in. They both faint from inhaling too much smoke.

When awakened, they find themselves behind the fetters of a prison cell. They are charged for the murder of Shibui Tomonoshina, who just happens to be the magistrates son. And their penalty for the murder; execution. But to their relief, Fuu comes to their rescue. She aids them in escaping but has an important request. They must travel with her in a search for the samurai who smells like of sunflowers. To Jin and Mugen's dismay; Fuu has little clue about who this man is, but she only remembers his scent. They agree to help her. But she has one rule for Jin and Mugen: they can't battle each other until their quest is complete.

And so begins an interesting journey for Jin, Mugen, Fuu; a motley trio in searching of a mysterious man. Welcome to the Edo era, Welcome to Samurai Champloo.

Rempits Vrooming Comments

It takes luck to strike once, skill to strike again. So hats off to Shinichiro Watanabe for being an excellent director and creator of what can be dubbed as one of the best shounen titles of all time ( his previous work being Cowboy Bebop).

The atmosphere and environment which Samurai Champloo is to placed in, is as complexed as Cowboy Bebop. Watanabe again displays the art of mashing the ancient with the modern; having mashed Okinawan, hip-hop, samurai and modern Japanese traditions and styles to create the perfect balance of a world so dysfunctional and ridiculous and at the same time so intriguing, funny and interesting.

On character development, you can't get any better than having Jin and Mugen color your computer/tv screens. Jin and Mugen are what shounen manga's can be at their best, stretching even into touching the borders of seinen yet maintaining that shounen-ness throughout their tenure in the series. Why them again?

If we were to take normal shounen fanfare, you'd notice a pattern. There would be two existing rivals. One would be better than the other. But they are on the same team. The loser will be inspired, would own a super impossible dream and would work hard towards achieving it. The tough one would sense that the loser is becoming stronger and would decide to go rogue. The loser suddenly becomes stronger with a philosophy of peace and reconciliation; something the rogue would never think or pursue while growing logically in terms of skill and experience.

Now doesn't that sound familiar?

You don't have that here. Mugen and Jin are not originally on the same team, they even team up because of a special circumstance. Each are at each other's throats, literally, and they would just want to be the top-fighter. Mugen and Jin are total opposites and their are so antithetical that they are introduced into the scene as top notched fighters; again with themselves being extreme opposites of an orthodox and unorthodox fighter. So you can't place a finger on whose the loser or the all time prodigy. You can even say you can't tell whose good and whose bad.

Fuu on the other hand differs from most shounen heroines simply by being absolutely bimbotic. It's a relief actually, after watching tons of predictable shounen anime. She embodies what a woman can be at times; especially when they want something done. So hats off again to maintaining a striking balance between exaggeration and reality.

This is one anime I could go on and on and on. But hey the art is superb, the plot is interesting, the fight scenes are so tasty and the characters are original. Just that Mugen might remind you a little of Spike from Cowboy Bebop but either way it is just not you're ordinary shounen flick.

Rempit Rates

Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (First Season)

2009-10-15T05:58:00.000-07:00

Writer: Yousuke Kuroda
Director: Seiji Mizushima
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

*Rebirth Begins Through Destruction*

Our story begins in 2307 AD, about 400 years into the future. Following the depletion of Earth's fossil fuels, humanity was forced to search of a new power source, and it was found in the form of solar power collectors around the Earth's orbit, supported by 3 orbital elevators. Each of these elevators serve one of the three 'superpowers' of this era, which are the Human Reform League, consisting of China, Russia, and India, Union, who is in power in the region surrounding North
America, and the AEU, which encapsulates mainland Europe.

An inexhaustible supply of energy only made available to the major powers and their allies, conflicts and wars frequently happen worldwide for energy and fuel. Nations whose primary resource was the economic reliance of fossil fuels have been stricken with poverty, with some nations even going as far as claiming that the solar energy is a threat to the 'promised land of God', and ultimately became the reason for the 20 year Solar Wars. It was through these events that led to the birth of Celestial Being, a private military organization whose sole purpose is the eradication of war and the unification of mankind through four Gundams.

The series follows the four Gundam pilots addressed as Gundam Meisters, Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos, Allelujah Haptism and Tiera Erde as they are thrown into conflict between the 3 superpowers and the various other factions. Our main protagonist is the 16 year old Setsuna, a quiet, passive young man who grew up in the war-torn Krugis Republic, and pilots the GN-001 Exia Gundam, a quick, high mobility Gundam effective in melee combat.

With the three superpowers unable to compete against Celestial Being's superior strength and technology via the four Gundams, they eventually unite to form into the United Nations Army in order to resist Celestial Being's military interventions. The United Nations Army, desperate to defeat the Gundams, employed the assistance of Laguna Harvey, Celestial Being's intelligence officer, who turned traitor and provided the UNA with 30 GN-X, mobile suits with pseudo GN Drives installed in them. As the UNA continues to resist Celestial Being's armed interventions, a second team consisting of three Gundams had introduced themselves. Bearing the name of Team Trinity, they assist the Meisters' in their cause, but their methods are more of a cold blooded nature, in contrast to the Meisters own less aggresive nature of armed intervention.

This then brings us to the story of Alejandro Corner. A former Celestial Being observer who plans to capitalize in the chaos caused by Celestial Being in their quest, who subsequently captured Veda, Celestial Being's supercomputer situated on the moon. Without the aid of their supercomputer in their battles, Celestial Being is easily overwhelmed by the GN-X units' seemingly unlimited numbers.

The UNA then launches Operation Fallen Angels upon discovering the Meisters' mother ship, the Ptolemaios, to destroy the Gundams. This sets us up for an epic finale as the stage is set for a battle royale of biblical proportions, with an unexpected ending to the first season.

Chibi's Meister Comments

Following the extremely disappointing Gundam Seed Destiny, I approached this latest installment a little weary. I had many doubts about the series' ability to entertain, given its predecessor's many shortcomings, and was weary of even the slightest hint of flashbacks, which was kind of my cue to stop watching. Doing a little research before actually picking up the DVD, I found out that director Seiji Mizushima was at the helm, and was famous for his work on Ooedo Rocket and Full Metal Alchemist. So I decided to take the chance.

I was glad I did. From the opening credits that was played by my favorite J-rock band L'Arc En-Ciel to the introduction of the Exia Gundam in the opening half of the season, I was glued to the screen. The setting is basically 400 years from now, and how the world situation has progressed, combined with Gundam's trademark mecha extravaganza. Whilst the concept may be a little too familiar to some, and usually ends up being a screwed up emo-fest with reused cells galore, Mizushima-san's managed to cook up a really engaging political drama reminiscent of the Universal Century sagas. While the verdict is still out on the series as a whole, having watched the first season I've already had a lot to like about this installment.

What I like about the plot on 00 was that it takes a similar, yet different path of its predecessors (the Cosmic Era, Universal Century, and Gundam Wing). I thought putting the story 400 years into our future was a nice touch, rather than some alternate timeline. It also uses 4 main pilots, or Meisters, this time, unlike the staple team of 5, made popular by Gundam Wing. It is essentially a story about a group of four guys with ultra powerful mecha who use them to solve all armed conflicts in the world. This is obviously sounds impossible to achieve, and foolish to attempt, but the thing is that the characters are well aware that the thing they’re doing is naive. This series never claims one side to be morally right or wrong. It just presents us several different views on the world.

One of 00's strength is in the pacing of the story, building up the plot carefully and progressively. It’s got a huge plot and a huge setting that it needs to work with, and despite a few inconsistencies, I could feel that the creators have tried to explain as much as possible. The characters might be a little hard to relate to at first, but every single character develops, and at the end of the season the show had turned into something better and enjoyable. With a cast so large and diverse, you’re bound to have a few favourites. I particularly found the Meister Lockon Stratos a very interesting character, and the concept to his mobile suit the Dynames Gundam was a new twist to how weapons and mobility are controlled.

In conclusion, Gundam 00 took a calculated risk and struck gold, as we are bombarded by beautiful mecha designs, an engaging plot guaranteed at least a second viewing, awesome characters (been awhile since we had that in a Gundam saga), and an awesome soundtrack. I recommend it to anyone looking for an action packed epic.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny

2009-10-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

Writer: Mitsuo Fukuda
Director: Mitsuo Fukuda
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

Gundam Seed Destiny picks up two years after the original series, following pilot Shinn Asuka and the crew of ZAFT battleship Minerva and their role in the Second Bloody Valentine War, as well as featuring some of the returning characters from Gundam Seed. Our story starts when three mobile suits are reportedly stolen from ZAFT by a militant group called Phantom Pain, which is under direct rule of a terrorist organization named the Blue Cosmos. During the operation, an intervention was made by the Minerva and Shinn Asuka but Phantom Pain manages to escape, prompting orders from ZAFT for Shinn and the Minerva to destroy and abandoned space colony in order to prevent it from crashing to the Earth. Athrun Zala makes a return to the series as well, aiding the Minerva in their operation. They soon discover that rogue ZAFT soldiers are controlling the colony's trajectory to make it crash into the Earth. The Minerva and its crew failed to completely destroy the colony, and a second war starts as soon as news broke out regarding the ZAFT soldiers' involvement in the colony's collision course with Earth.

Athrun then decided to rejoin ZAFT and is assigned to the Minerva. This was not to last as Athrun became disaffected with ZAFT, following PLANT Chairman Gilbert Durandal's orders for the destruction of the Archangel and his best friend Kira Yamato. Athrun defected form ZAFT with Meyrin Hawke after Durandal framed him as a traitor. It is during this time whe the leader of the Blue Cosmos, Lord Djibril, orders the super weapon Requiem to be fired upon the space colonies, resulting in countless casualties. This prompted ZAFT's offensive on the Blue Cosmos, and the Minerva succeeds in capturing the Requiem. Following the offensive, Gilbert Durandal announces the 'Destiny Plan', where a citizen's job will be based on their genetics, and will face the wrath of the Requiem should any colony or country disagree.

This brings Shinn and the crew of the Minerva into direct conflict with the protagonists of the first series. Kira returns into the fray with a new mobile suit, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam, and Athrun returning with the ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice Gundam. This sets up a titanic confrontation between the pilots, and a climactic final battle ensues as the series reaches its conclusion.

Chibi's Destined Comments

The first 5 episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny made me feel like I was on another wild ride. The art is glossier, the animation a lot more fluid, and the pace to the story was adequate. I like that Athrun now is one of the good guys, and doesn't pilot a Gundam at first, but taking on a more diplomatic role in this installment. I also liked the introduction of the new Zaku to the Cosmic Era fold, as it was one of my favorite mobile suits from all the sagas. So it's pretty smooth sailing from here on right?

WRONG. DEAD WRONG. YOU COULDN'T BE ANY WRONGER! Once again, this show proves that one should not judge a book by its cover, all the potential the series had disappeared come the sixth episode. Watching this show made me feel like 'Hey, isn't this the Gundam Seed DVD? Did I put in the wrong DVD or what?'. While it is acceptable to pay homage to a series from over two decades ago (Gundam Seed borrowing extensively from the original Mobile Suit Gundam), it is unacceptable to steal from a series made only a year ago, and from the series YOU helped to write!

Sadly, it is not the blatant unoriginality that causes the anime's untimely demise, but it's the obvious lack of character development. Take out the flashback sequences (if you think Seed had a lot of this, think again), recap episodes (there was one even right before the series' finale!), or even take out half of the episodes in this series, and it would still come out relatively unscathed. In fact, i honestly think that it will be an improvement. Due to this lack of development, a lot of the situations seem forced and just too coincidental to actually happen, a flaw seen happen once or twice in Seed, but with this installment it feels as if Fukuda-san's got it down to an art form. While some of the new characters are easy to sympathize with, some are just too unappealing to actually care what happens to them.

This is where the stark contrast between Tomino-sensei's and Fukuda-san's writing becomes blindingly evident. Tomino-sensei knew how to pace things. Whether you liked having a battle scene in every single episode of Zeta Gundam or not, time was always allocated for events to occur other than the battles, like character development. If Seed proved anything from its conception, is that Fukuda-san couldn't pace stories well. Another thing Tomino-sensei would take into consideration is the budget of the series, and making sure it lasts the entire duration of the anime. All the funding Fukuda-san poured into making the Akatsuki (which is a rip-off from the Hyaku Shiki only with more guns because this is the Cosmic Era timeline, where guns ARE a substitute for skill) so grand looking (I mean seriously, this suit doesn't even feature in ten episodes, or even 5 for that matter) , when it could have been used to give the Destiny Gundam more than one animation sequence where it charges with its big sword (which happens more than once, it's like the King of Flashbacks' reputation on the line or something). Taking the sequence from the opening theme and making it the Strike Freedom's debut as well? I mean, Zeta Gundam may have reused launch and transformation sequences, but that's just shameful, highlighted even more by the fact that the whole reason the original Freedom Gundam was destroyed was so Kira could have a MORE powerful Gundam. It's a shame the God Gundam was already used in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, or it'd fit in perfectly, and probably would proceed to kick all the other Gundam's butts in the process.

Now for the biggest gripe I had about this series and why I detest it so much. I, absolutely, positively, ultimately, and murderously HATE Shinn Asuka. Much like where Seed borrows extensively from the original Gundam, Seed Destiny sets itself up to be the Zeta Gundam of the Cosmic Era, hence the likeness between the main pilots, Shinn and Kamille. Whilst Kamille was a brash young pilot with a big disciplinary problem, he did shape up and actually ended up being a war hero, and ultimately won me over as a really cool pilot apart from his predecessor, Amuro Ray. In Seed Destiny however, Shinn never ever shapes up, and kept butting heads with the mature Athrun, and this to me is not the way to win viewers over. Shinn Asuka is just too weak a character to be the main focus point of the story, and while his Destiny Gundam is very attractive, it just feels as if he doesn't deserve to pilot it, as he is an arrogant, angsty. whiny and just plain retarded character. I was actually just hanging on to the series wanting to see something bad happen to Shinn the entire time, and that says a lot about what I think of him.

The return of the older cast to me was also a little unnerving towards the end of the anime. I was certainly dumbfounded trying to figure out what Fukuda-san's motives actually are in bringing them back. This time, even much-loved characters like Kira made me irritated. I just had the sense of the grave mistake Fukuda-san made with the first half of the series, and this was probably a feeble attempt by him so salvage the already pretty looking turkey he had been cooking. A lot of people have likened this show to Zeta Gundam, but in Zeta, Amuro, Char, and the others from the first Gundam, while important, are never more important than Kamille is, as the main character. They never make you question if the director really wanted to make another series about Amuro and Char (well, they did get a movie in the form of Char's Counterattack, but you get my point) and the others from Mobile Suit Gundam, because they have supporting roles. Important ones, yes, but they never shoved Kamille offstage while they RANTED about how war was wrong and then proceeded to beat the crap out of each other with steroid pumped Gundams. And even though at the time, I was happy to see Kira and Athrun and Lacus and Cagalli again, even if you originally liked them, it's possible to dislike them in Seed Destiny.

In conclusion, I honestly think that this was the product of a bunch of executives looking to boost model kit sales rather than actually catering to the fans. Unfortunately, chances are that fans of the original Gundam Seed will enjoy this sequel, but other than that, I would be hard-pressed to recommend this to anybody else. I'd even rate Gundam Wing higher than this. An awful, awful follow up to a pretty enjoyable series. Proceed with caution.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 2/5
Character Development: 1/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 1/5

Wolf Guy: Wolfen Crest

2009-10-14T00:00:00.001-07:00

author: Yugo Yuuki
review type: manga
review status: first 16 chapters
status: ongoing
genre: Seinen, Action, Supernatural

Synopsis

It began one fateful night when, high school teacher Ms. Aoshiki decided to hop by a bar to have a few pints of beer to ease the pains of life. She is the embodiment of a midlife crisis gone wrong, with an underpaid payroll to her status as a high school teacher of a troubled deliquent private high school, a recent divorce with her husband and the monotonous strain of being in the workforce.

As she goes home after enjoying her share of alcohol and ranting at the bar, she stumbles upon a mysterious character. She identifies him as a student of the school. He however ignores her statement, and decides to keep his distance. She pursues and in all things teacher-like, she tells him to go home as it's too late to hang around. He replies her with the same sentence.

Little did she know, they were about to get into a street brawl. The mysterious character is known for his notoriety. A huge gang swarms him and her. At first they pulverize the mysterious one to the ground. He doesn't fight nor flinch at on-coming attacks. After beating him to a pulp, they then move their attention to Ms.Aoshiki; wanting to rape her. At the thought of being rape she passes out. Later she awaken at the mystery of a pool of blood surrounding her. As she awaken; she notices the entire gang dead. What happened?

The next day as she beckons to the school; she is introduced to the new transfer student. He is none other than that mysterious guy she met yesterday. She is shocked that he is unharmed and that he doesn't have a scratch on him. The mysterious guy is known as Akira Inugami; a transfer student with the repertoire of being extremely skillful with hand to hand combat and a diliquent. Little did anyone know that he is infact a werewolf who hates humans and loves to be isolation, minding his own business.

It is a story that revolves around the mystery of Akira Inugami and the world that surrounds this particular high school, its students which inevitably drags Ms.Aoshiki into a world that is completely estranged to the one she knew.

Rempits Vrooming Review

Well I wish I could just put this down in just one sentence. But I guess there's some need to what I think about this manga. It is a major disappointment. Firstly the whole concept is a rip off. Considering the date of publication and with tons of material on werewolves; there should be some breath of difference. There wasn't!

Now if you'd flow with me, think this concept through. What rings? Underworld! Harry Potter!TWILIGHT!!! Exactly. It is a mash of all these with a dose of Japanese art. Another thing, to categorize this as seinen is an absolute understatement. At this juncture, it is definitely falling into the shounen-ecchi category even if it isn't as near as Air Gear or Tenjou Tenge; two famous shounen-ecchi titles. You'd even strike a resemblance with these two when reading it.

Akira Inugami fits almost into a typical shounen routine; except for the part where he is a dark character, a rule of thumb for any seinen type protoganist. He is very similiar to Uchiha Sasuke of Naruto and by far he is what Sasuke can be in a seinen showdown; skilled, talented and downright myterious, with a dose of pure-blooded pride.

Ms.Aoshiki, the deranged mid-life crisis teacher pisses me off. With her nervous breakdowns happening quite frequently in the manga, you would have just wished that her head would be chopped off or something. What a lousy character.

With all said, I would keep reviewing this series after the advent of every 16 chapters. To give it the benefit of doubt and to maintain our desire to provide you good reviews; I would definitely keep a look out for this new series.

Rempit Rates

Originality:1/5
Art: 2/5
Plot: 1/5
Character Development: 1/5

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

2009-10-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

Writer: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime Movie
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

Universal Century 0093, 13 years have passed since the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. But the foundations of peace are once again threatened by a new Neo Zeon Army led by the infamous Char Aznable! Their ultimate goal is to initiate a nuclear winter upon Earth ushering in a new age of mankind into space. Armed with the state of the art Nu Gundam Mobile Suit, Amuro Ray and the Federation Forces are all that stand against Neo Zeon. Torn between vengeance, duty, and love - The final battle between rivals Char Aznable and Amuro Ray is finally at hand!

Our story begins in the year 0093, 5 years after the First Neo-Zeon War. The Earth Federation, having lost the war, has recovered significantly and has founded a new anti-colonial forces unit dubbed Londo Bell. Over in space and we find an older Char Aznable, reappearing from his own self-imposed exile, declares that he now commands a faction of his own Neo-Zeon movement. This movement seperates itself from others in the past by way of Char's intentions of forcing Earth's people into space through means of an apocalypse. The Earth Federation, having presented this new threat of another war, issues an order for Londo Bell to quell Char's uprising before it can gain any form of support and momentum. After an initial battle, Neo Zeon forces had agreed for a conditional surrender in exchange for the abandoned mining colony Axis, and the Earth Federation forces believe that the crisis had then been averted. Londo Bell forces , however, thought otherwise, and when an asteroid starts to inch its way suspiciously towards Earth their convictions had rang true. With the Neo Zeon forces at an advantageous position, and the Earth Federation too corrupt to hold sway on its own conflicting reasons in reinforcing the Londo Bell forces, the fate of the Earth once again rests on the shoulders of Newtype war hero Amuro Ray and his RX-93 Nu Gundam.

Chibi's Counterattacking Comments

Alright, let's take a step back from the anime perspective for a minute. Usually most movies that were adapted from the silver screen (Miami Vice, Swat, Charlie's Angels, Mission Impossible, and even Transformers and GI Joe to name a few) does not always embodies the essence of its predecessor, and would fall flat through one reason or the other. So the arduous task for Tomino-sensei this time round is not only making a movie from an epic tv series (Mobile Suit Gundam), but to provide a suitable ending to the Char-Amuro rivalry once and for all. There's a reason why I always address him as '-sensei', and throughout all his works, Tomino-sensei has never disappointed me (well maybe a little on F91), and I fully believe that when he's at the helm from the start of a project, the end result will be a product of high quality.

Having a little perspective does help when you're watching this movie, as it is the final chapter in the Universal Century saga (okay okay so F91 was supposed to be the last, but as it was condensed we don't get the full essence of the story, so that doesn't count, right?) . Casual viewers might be entertained based on the action this movie dishes out, but to get the true impact of the events in this movie it helps to have seen at least one Gundam series from the Universal Century timeline (which does NOT mean Gundam Wing, folks). Watching all three of the series (Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta and Double Zeta) and also maybe the OVAs as well, will give you an overview how the main protagonists in this movie ended up as they were, and does give you a bit of historical knowledge on the Earth-Zeon conflict. So when I picked up the DVD to this movie after educating myself with all things Universal Century, I wanted to witness firsthand the conclusion to the Char-Amuro rivalry, and what happens to my two favourite characters of all time in the Gundam franchise.

THIS is truly the epitome of everything I'd hoped and envisioned Gundam to be, one of the classic space operas, tons of realistic characters on an epic scale, with enough action and drama to truly fill the screen. There's also a sense of balance, while the mecha, zipping in and out of frame during the epic battle scenes reminiscent of knights battling in some fairytale epic, does not overpower the impact the characters and their ideologies has on you, where they are essentially the heart of the movie.

The beauty of an animated feature is that there's no excuse for shortcuts or cutting costs, and in this instance it is pretty evident. In a TV series the budget is spread across an entire 50-episode run, but this 2-hour battle royale utilizes it's advantage with fight scenes that are fast flowing and so forceful that it'll blow you away even by today's standards (I watched this way back in '04 and it left my jaw open, which is saying a lot since this movie was released way back in '88). Every single mobile suit is in constant motion, and those that are caught napping would most definitely get blasted to bits by the awesome Sazabi or Nu Gundam. The mecha in this movie were designed by veteran designer Izubuchi Yutaka of Gundam ZZ fame, along with Evangelion's Anno Hideaki on his debut.

Being the story that the Gundam saga (well at least the Universal Century part of the franchise) had been building up to, the action, albeit explosive, is just icing on the cake. Throughout the course of the series, whether as Federation soldiers or rebels, Amuro and Bright had finely tuned senses of right and wrong, so it makes sense why they would be fighting to save Earth, despite the scum who infested it. The opposite could be said of Char, who had always been impatient and overly idealistic. This somewhat confused me since the last time we saw Char he was actually part of the AEUG in the Gryps War, and one of the good guys, but i think looking at the picture painted in the original Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam and Double Zeta, kind of helped me understand how he could even think of committing an act as vile as an asteroid drop. These are strong characters made even better as their conflicting values are put to the test. Personally, what struck me was that despite the unacceptable means, in the end, Char was right.

Obviously, a movie based around the rivalry of two men wouldn't have a certain degree of impact if each of their motives are simply unrealistic enough, but i think Tomino-sensei managed to pull it of in spades. We get the feeling that deep down, Amuro and Char purely detest each other. This is probably down to the frequency of their meetings, where if in real life, Char and Amuro would probably be admirals by now commanding their own fleets against each other, given the years they've lived through fighting each other. They detest each other knowing they're equally matched, they detest each other when they had and lost the object of their affections, Lalah Sune, when she died, a casualty of the One Year War, and they probably detested each other when the situation had them working on the same side (in Zeta Gundam), and they probably hate each other now more than ever. If it was me in the exact same situation I would probably feel the same way.

Onward to the characterization. In my opinion, Char is simply the most captivating anime screen presence period, and is the perfect antagonist. He is so convincing in his cause, and so utterly human in nature, that at times, you find yourself rooting for him, even though his plans are so maniacally despicable. Even though his means are utterly wrong, but his cause is just, and you feel just as much for him as you do his arch nemesis. As Char's speeches and ideals are almost like poetry or even prophecies, it is no wonder otaku quote him to this day. Char is simply one of the(two?) best characters ever created in Gundam, but he's on the wrong side of the battlefield.

As with a Yin, there must be a Yang. In this case, that Yang is Char's nemesis and constant disruptor to his plans, ace pilot Amuro Ray. Having a deep sense of affinity with this character, trying to stay unbiased in my analysis is close to impossible for me. What's not to like about Amuro? He's the embodiment of all that is good and just in this world, full of earnest and well meaning, and truly a hero of his side in the war. Amuro was an unintended hero thrust into the thick of the War, initially, but now it seems that Amuro does have a cause to uphold. I got a bigger sense of purpose from Amuro this time around, and what disappointed me the most throughout the entire Universal Century timeline is that he and Char are not featured more in the other installments (Judau Ashta, pffft). Amuro is the personified contradiction to Char's ideals, and neither would work as well as characters without the other.

If there is one character I hate in Char's counterattack, it's Quess Paraya. Her crass (and ultimately murderous) nature irks me to no end. She might be a glimpse of what Zeon's future holds in store for us in terms of leaders and pilots, but i just could not digest the loli influenced design to her character, and I find the way she fawns over Char is too loli for my taste (for you noobs out there, loli means lolita complex, usually represented in animes as the cute and bubbly little girl character. some might find that appealing, i just think it's downright disturbing). The ultimate in childish ignorance is when she has just destroyed her father's ship (with her father aboard) and mutters something to the effect of, 'Ooops, I accidentally blew up dad.' To her the war is a game, and nothing makes me hate her more than this tiny little fact.

Probably the only bad thing i have to say about Char's counterattack is the lack of cameos. Sure certain key characters do get reacquainted with Amuro and Char like Bright Noa, but i was pretty curious to see some old pilots like Camille and Judau, or even Char's sister Sayla and how they had been holding up. I guess that's just wishful thinking as those characters could only be seen in their respective sagas (Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta and Double Zeta).

In conclusion, this is a movie made for Gundam fans, and gives you a little sense of closure to the Char-Amuro rivalry, coupled with the harsh reality of war. In the midst of all the action, there really is something to be said about this movie, and how space, in the future, can be a graveyard of the lost just like the battlefields here in Earth. It is actually a movie that forces you to think about ideals and beliefs and wonder if they're really worth holding on to when all they seem to lead to is self-destruction.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack is a breathtaking look at what Gundam truly is, a very human saga that spans the breadth of human emotion and experience. This is a true classic of mecha cinema, and as such, is one of the best of anime. Gundam fans, please watch this, as I think this movie puts to rest the longtime debate between the old and new school Gundam freaks arguing about which is better, the Universal Century sagas or the new alternate universe counterparts. My vote, clear as day, is in the former.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack was written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise. It was released in theaters in March 1988, running approximately 125 minutes. A manga was released running from September 1988 to January 1999, spanning 1 volume, and was also written by Yoshiyuki Tomino.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 3/5 (what's to develop? you already know the pilots!)
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed

2009-10-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

Writer: Mitsuo Fukuda
Director: Mitsuo Fukuda
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

Mankind is divided over human genetic engineering, with normal humans known as 'Naturals' and the genetically altered humans known as 'Coordinators' (Newtypes anybody?). The series is the first set in the alternate timeline entitled the Cosmic Era. Gundam Seed begins with the Bloody Valentine War between the Naturals who reside on Earth and the Coordinators who reside in the space colonies. The Naturals' army are called the Earth Alliance, while the Coordinators are called ZAFT.

Our story begins with the neutral space colony Heliopolis is invaded by the ZAFT forces, in their mission to seize 5 Mobile Suits the colony had been developing for the Earth Alliance to aid their war effort. Protagonist Kira Yamato was seemingly caught in the middle of the attack, and witnessing his friends in grave danger, pilots the Mobile Suit GAT-X105 Strike (or Strike Gundam for short) in order to ward of the invaders. As the battle escalates and Heliopolis falling apart in the ensuing destruction, the civilians board the spaceship Archangel and they embark on their journey to the Earth Alliance's base in Alaska (sounds really familiar so far Gundam fans? think Jaburo) . During this time, Kira continues to pilot the Strike Gundam to fight against repeated attacks by ZAFT but seemingly killed by childhood friend and ZAFT antagonist Athrun Zala in a battle. With the Archangel arriving in Alaska after said battle's conclusion, ZAFT launches a full scale assault on the Alaskan base, and was seemingly winning the battle when Kira, back from the dead, arrives in Alaska with a new Mobile Suit ZGMF-X10A Freedom or Freedom Gundam turning the tide, and eventually ending the battle. With the hopes of ending the war between Naturals and Coordinators, Kira and the Archangel join the Orb Union, an organization led by Lacus Kleine, who coincidentally gifted the Freedom Gundam to Kira in order to aid him in his fight for peace. Kira's childhood friend Athrun, curious of his motives in the war, decided to search for Kira to find out, and upon listening to him and Lacus, Athrun decides to join their cause to end the war.

This sets up the epic finale to this series, with the Orb Union intervening in the war, in hopes of preventing the Earth Alliance and ZAFT from annihilating each other, imposing their ideology of resolving the war with coexistence among the Naturals and Coordinators.

Chibi's Seeding Comments

Apart from the original Mobile Suit Gundam, the franchise isn't known for its innovation. Almost all of the Gundam sagas fixate on one angst-ridden teenager who suddenly stumbles upon a mobile suit, found out he was able to pilot it, and suddenly thrust into the middle of a huge war, and how said teenager deals with it. Following the rule of 'if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it', this template for the Gundam plotline has either worked or bombed in terms of storytelling. While Gundam Seed brings some new concepts to the franchise, any Gundam fan will quickly realise that originality is not director Mitsuo Fukuda-san's specialty.

Putting that aside, however, it has been a long time since the franchise came up with a truly compelling saga, and ever since the departure from the Universal Century (I still miss it dearly), the Gundam faithful had been subjected to mostly mediocre Gundam shows. Even the best alternate timeline sagas could only hold a candle to some of the worst and corniest works of the Universal Century timeline. With Gundam Seed all this had changed and the Gundam faithtul are treated to one saga that finally did the franchise and the Universal Century sagas justice.

While most old school Gundam fans might notice the astonishing similarities between Gundam Seed and the original Mobile Suit Gundam, in my opinion this series did take a step in the right direction in trying to emulate the past glory of the original. This is done to great effect as the similarities to me seems more nostalgic than a blatant rip-off. Case in point being the two main characters whose path to becoming a Gundam pilot are carbon copies to one another. Amuro Ray (the original) and Kira Yamato (Seed) are both young, inexperienced pilots at first, and both are unintended Gundam pilots, but somehow forced to be one whilst their colonies are under attack, with both protagonists being quickly exposed to the harsh reality of war. The tragedy and irony of conflict always takes center stage in both tales, and in a sense you do see Fukuda-san's intention of paying tribute to the Universal Century timeline with the extensive similarities
before taking the story in its own, different direction.

The similarities begin to fade during the second half of the series and more characteristic factors, such as the struggle between best friends Kira and Athrun, who are on opposing sides of the war, takes center stage. This, however, is when I got to experience firsthand the reason why Fukuda-san's also known as 'King of the Flashbacks'. As more important events occur and more of the cast start to become casualties, more flashbacks occur, making it so annoying that marathon-ing more than 5 episodes in a sitting becomes just to excruciating to endure. Although it is good for an anime to try and explain to newcomers what had transpired (i mean seriously, same flashback sequence 10 episodes in a row?!? geez), it just seems that there's not enough story to support certain episodes and this is a seemingly 'clever' way of filling in the gaps (if i recall correctly there are 2 FULL recap episodes as well as a flashback sequence whenever an important past event is brought up).

Flashbacks aside though, there are more well-choreographed action sequences throughout the entire series than u can shake a stick at, albeit the battle scenes are always secondary to the narrative. With the abundance of flashbacks galore about things that happened from episode 1, the storyline slowly trudges along, especially throughout the middle part of the anime, but i guess it's better than the plot being rushed (ala Gundam F91). This only lasts until the episode count hits the 30s though, where the story drastically kicks into high gear, keeping the viewer glued to his seat all the way to the conclusion of the series.

The characters of this installment, whilst the leads are definitely in a league of their own, the supporting cast seems a little wooden for my liking. It feels like most of them are only created to fill in their specified role in order to keep the flow of the plot tangible. As with most teenaged pilots, there's also the issue of angst, although they are nowhere near the testosterone-fuelled angst loons like the Gundam Wing pilots, it's just evident here as a means to distract the viewer from more pressing plot issues. In this light is where i felt that Kira reminded me so much of Amuro, being particularly angsty (he's gone from student to Gundam pilot for pete's sake), and is a really approachable character with an instant connection to the audience. Very much an exact clone of Amuro save his looks (probably more like Ikari Shinji from Evangelion), Kira is also a courageous young man that always seems to wonder his role in the war and is constantly facing conflicting emotions about himself. Kira's childhood friend and main antagonist Athrun Zala is also similar in character. There's also the complex and tumultuous connection between Earth Alliance officer Muu La Flaga and ZAFT officer Raww Le Kreuze, which raises even more questions with each answer, coupled with Raww Le Krueze's malicious intentions makes it even more meaningful to the overall primary conflict of the series (Char Aznable anyone?). The character development of the leads and their relationships with others in this installment are also very progressive (once again reminiscent of the original Gundam) throughout the course of the series. It is through these reasons that makes the particularly wooden supporting cast's performances forgivable, as the leads and the plot are more than enough to compensate for it.

The visuals in Gundam Seed are anything short of spectacular, which is truly miles ahead of any of its predecessors. There are some hints that the integration of the CGI being less than seamless, but apart from that the animation in Gundam Seed is beautiful and stunning, even if compared to completely CGI rendered features such as Appleseed. The mecha designs in this installment are in a class of its own, making each of the 5 Gundams really individualistic with a unique type of armament exclusive unto itself. From invisibility (the Blitz, my favourite in this one) to wielding beam sabers in each hand (Kira's Strike Gundam, most definitely an homage to the RX-0078) to even launching pods, or funnels that can be utilised either as an offensive or a defensive weapon (Freedom Gundam, with the funnel idea assimilated from Zeta's Quebeley, my favourite and Haman Karn's Mobile Suit). In short, these Gundams are so strong in build that I think nothing would be able to stop them, provided the right pilot is at the controls.

In conclusion, I do feel that Gundam Seed will not be as watchable to everyone the way I described it. The similarities with the previous Gundam sagas will probably anger some of the old school Gundam fans, and the constant flashbacks will also generate a certain degree of impatience for some. But for this author's final sentiment is that Gundam Seed in itself is a very watchable series, with enough flair to seperate it from other sagas, yet familiar enough to net some of the old school with similarities of the much loved older installments. A very enjoyable watch indeed.

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed was written and directed by Mitsuo Fukuda and produced by Sunrise. It aired from October 2002 to September 2003, spanning 50 episodes. An OVA was released entitled Mobile Suit Gundam Seed After Phase: In the Valley of Stars was released in March 2004, spanning only one episode. A manga was written by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino running from February 2003 to January 2004, with 5 volumes released in total.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5

Character Development: 4/5

Art: 5/5

Originality: 3/5

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

2009-10-10T23:05:00.000-07:00

Writer: Fumihiko Takayama
Director: Fumihiko Takayama
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: OVA
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

In the final days of the One Year War, a Zeon special forces group infiltrates a colony to gather information on a new Gundam unit. Alfred Izuruha, a 10-year-old student, befriends Zeon rookie pilot Bernie Wiseman during a brief mobile suit combat. Meanwhile, Al meets up with Christina MacKenzie, his former neighbor and babysitter. Little does he know that not only is Christina a member of the Earth Federation, she's the test pilot of the new Gundam NT-4 prototype.

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is all about a young boy, Alfred, coming face to face with the realities of war and realizing that it's not a game, but a devastating and horrible act of humanity. This is certainly a different take to the franchise, which seems to emphasize duty and honor, over simpler, more down-to-earth human values. One aspect of this series is how both sides of the conflict get equal representation. While the Zeon forces are supposed to be the 'bad guys', it's refreshing to see that the Zeon soldiers are normal human beings, and not evil in nature. Even more interesting was the almost evil shadow cast on the Earth Federation Forces, and in the end the line between good and evil are really blurred. This however is irrelevant, because War in the Pocket isn't about good and evil, or even right and wrong. It's about people, and how their lives are affected by war.

Chibi's Pocketing Comments

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket is the first Gundam installment that takes a drastic turn from the usual plotlines of the other sagas in the Gundam franchise. We do not see the usual indecisive, angst ridden teenagers, nor the usual antiwar sentiments and idealogies, or even invincible mobile suits. With Tomino-sensei not on any creative role in this OVA, the miniseries takes a different and a lot darker view of the franchise and would not be anybody's cup of tea. Whilst Gundam as a franchise is and has always been an antiwar statement, War in the Pocket is the first and only Gundam saga to date that truly questions war without glorifying it.

The battles portrayed in this installment aren't shown as epic conflicts but are shown merely as violence. The best asset to this OVA probably is the portrayal of consequences of one's actions, where it looks back and sees the trail of destruction war begets, like destroyed homes, debris of destroyed mobile suits and countless bullet-ridden bodies. Although the battles are intensely choreographed with beautiful animation, the horrible aftermath of the battles are also vividly shown in this OVA, bringing the realism of the One Year War to even greater heights.

The title to this OVA is exactly what it means, which brings the irony of the tale to great effect. The characters in this installment do not make any significant contribution to the One Year War, and the setting for this story also takes place in an insignificant colony in the middle of nowhere. Win or lose, the result will not affect the grand scheme of things. To top it all off, the characters cannot claim that they are 'saving the world' or doing anything glorified aside from their mission, which was destroying one prototype Gundam, making it even more ironic that likeble characters are dying for such a paltry mission.

Ultimately, War in the Pocket is simply just a chance meeting between two people. Alfred is a little boy mystified by war, whilst Bernie is a Zeon soldier living through the horrors of it. This scenario raises so many questions on the subject that there are mostly no answers to, and instead of the usual tying of loose ends this OVA just simply tells its story and let you decide for yourself. In terms of animation, this OVA is miles ahead of its time as the series could still hold its own against some other shows today, and I thoroughly recommend this installment for any action junkie or mecha freak. The end result would leave a few thoughts to ponder a long time after the OVA's conclusion. A must watch.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket was written and directed by Fumihiko Takayama and produced by Sunrise. It ran from March to August 1989, spanning 6 episodes.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing

2009-10-09T08:20:00.000-07:00

Writer: Masashi Ikeda
Director: Masashi Ikeda
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

It is the year After Colony 195, and war between the Space Colonies and Earth has begun. To give the colonies an edge, they send 5 young soldiers, trained to perfection, to earth in the most powerful of Mobile Suits-Gundams. With their arrival, the tide of the war changes as they battle against the Earth forces and the Colonies of their origin.

Gundam Wing begins with 'Operation Meteor', which incorporates five young boys handpicked and trained by the 5 scientists who conducted said operation, in the hopes of revenge against the military organization named OZ. The boys then are sent to earth via each of their 5 individual Gundams, Mobile Suits constructed from Gundanium alloy (DUH), and each Gundam is sent from a different colony, subsequently sent to 5 different locations on Earth, with each pilot unaware of the other four's existence.

The plot follows the 5 Gundam pilots, Heero Yuy (Wing Gundam), Duo Maxwell (Gundam Deathscythe), Quatre Raberba Winner (Gundam Sandrock), Chang Wufei (Gundam Shenlong) and Trowa Barton (Gundam Heavyarms) . Each of the pilots' mission is to destroy OZ, and each pilot start out on seperate missions, joining up later while on Earth.

After learning the existence of one another, they joined up and take on various missions in teams. Heero repeatedly encounters Relena Dorlian, who's actual identity is Relena Peacecraft of the Sanc Kingdom. Later on the pilots were shocked to learn that the colonies that sent them have already sided with OZ, who then branded the 5 as rebels. Many tragedies occur during this time, with Wufei and Duo even being imprisoned by OZ. Heero runs into OZ's 'lightning count', Zechs Marquise (Relena's brother, Milliardo Peacecraft). Zechs pilots the Tallgeese in battle against Heero on many occasions, with one battle resulting in Heero's self-destruction of the Wing Gundam, almost taking his own life in the move.

It is during these trying times that a new Gundam was introduced, named the Wing Zero, which in essence looks exactly like the Wing Gundam and armed with the same weaponry, with the exception of the ZERO system installed in the cockpit, that directly interfaced with the pilot's brain, feeding the pilot tactical data during battle. There is one side effect to the ZERO system though, where prolonged exposure caused hallucinations or even insanity in some cases. The Gundam was being piloted by Quatre who used it to destroy a natural resource satellite and a colony. The suit was later used by each of the other 5 pilots, and Zechs Marquise.

The Sanc Kingdom, now governed by Relena Peacecraft, took in Heero and Quatre as refugees. The Sanc Kingdom however is under pressure by the Romafeller Foundation, the group that controls most other countries as well as OZ. OZ's former leader Treize Kushrenada had been confined to Romafeller headquarters, where he built his own Gundam, the Epyon. Treize then gifted the Epyon for Heero to fight with. Much like the Wing Zero, this suit was also equipped with the ZERO system. Heero fought once more against Zechs, who was now piloting the Wing Zero, with the two exchanging Mobile Suits after the battle. It is during this battle that the Sanc Kingdom was subsequently dissolved by Relena after increasing pressure from the Romafeller Foundation. She then became the foundation's chief representative under the designation Queen of the World. Later on Trieze was released from confinement, taking control of the Romafeller Foundation and relieving Relena of her crown. It is also during this time that Zechs, whom had returned to space, founded an organization dubbed the White Fang, under his true identity Miliardo Peacecraft. The military faction then siezed control of a battle station OZ was building for the Romafeller Foundation, dubbed Libra, with the intent of demonstrating its military power. Zechs then proceeded to launch the Libra's main cannon on the Earth, causing massive destruction, which prompted Treize to muster all of the military power from the Earth's forces in retaliation, whilst the Gundams remained neutral. The White Fang continued to its offensive on the Earth forces, taking out the remaining OZ base in space, the Space Fortress Barge. This in turn prompted for the 5 Gundam pilots to rally against the White Fang, with Heero once again in a battle with Zechs, only this time their battle was broadcasted to all of Earth and the Colonies. Upon witnessing the battle, citizens from both sides decided to put aside their differences and formed the Earth Sphere United Nations. This sets up the epic conclusion to the series, where all the loose ends throughout the anime is resolved in the next few episodes following the conclusion of Heero and Zechs' final battle.

Chibi's Winging Comments

Confession time. This was the first Gundam series I ever watched, and was the Gundam saga that got me hooked to the other Universal Century sagas, Seed and Seed Destiny, the OVAs, movies and eventually to Gundam 00. Simply put, I indirectly owe it to Gundam Wing for turning me into such a huge Gundam freak in the first place, so obviously my review for this one will be mostly of singing praises for this show and the awesomeness of everything about it, right?

Wrong. Trying to stay as unbiased as I can in my analysis, I decided to give the series another run through prior to writing. I was totally caught unawares of a lot of elements i did not notice the first time round, and after my second viewing of the show, I can honestly say that Gundam Wing is another mediocre offering at best. Picture this, what happens when you take Yoshyuki Tomino-sensei's epic war drama masterpiece, mix it with a gang of stoic bishounen and what do you get? You get a cliche ridden adventure spawning merchandise galore, along with numerous yaoi fan undertones that more than raises an eyebrow for a typical anime fan (or typical GUNDAM fan, in my case) . The kicker to this is that Gundam Wing was the single Gundam saga that revived the ailing franchise at the time and singlehandedly established the franchise outside of Japan. This just goes to show that a popular anime doesn't necessarily mean a good anime, as we have witnessed too often in the past (Pokemon anyone?).

Apart from the bishounen undertones, everything in this 'breakthrough' installment had been done before, making Gundam Wing another preachy war protest show rather than an epic war drama. Even so, the show hypocritically and repeatedly insults your intelligence whilst solving all problems with explosions and violence, with the characters constantly bellowing out their 'peaceful' ideologies in the midst of battle. It doesn’t help that character development is virtually non-existent in Gundam Wing (ohhh how we love character development), but i guess as consolation the audience gets to watch more fight scenes as a result.

They weren't kidding with the fight scenes. The visuals make one wonder if with each passing Gundam project, an even bigger budget is accumulated. Although the art is considerably prettier, the animation is reminiscent to the first Mobile Suit Gundam or even Zeta Gundam. The sheer lack of detail makes the aforementioned predecessors seem even more graphically groundbreaking, since the gap between Zeta and the original is around 15 years from Gundam Wing. There's also the cost-cutting use of the same amount of animation sequences, which are so often used it's hard not to notice (think Voltron's transformation sequence or any other super robot anime's finishing move). The only thing that sets this saga apart from its predecessors is its modern character designs and catchy soundtrack. With the bishounen character design, the pilots look quite suave, and the catchy tunes helped me through the long-winded fight scenes, making it just a little more bearable to watch.

In conclusion, Gundam Wing is great to watch if you're a casual anime or mecha fan looking to have a taste of what the franchise is all about, or if you're 12. While some parts of this installment are without the shadow of a doubt impressive (the 5 mobile suits are truly a sight to behold), too many aspects of this anime are not. Longtime Gundam followers will be a litte disappointed with the lack of flair or substance to the story and characters, while bishounen (you know who you are) fans would probably enjoy the good-lookingness of the pilots and the yaoi implications. Watch it with a pinch of salt and low enough expectations and you might actually consider this installment enjoyable.

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing was written and directed by Masashi Ikeda and produced by Sunrise. It aired from April 1995 to March 1996, spanning 49 episodes. An OVA was released from April 1996 to October of the same year, spanning 3 episodes, and a movie entitled Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz released in 1999 (was originally a 3-episode OVA released the previous year).

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 2/5
Character Development: 1/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 3/5

Mobile Suit Gundam F91

2009-10-08T23:39:00.000-07:00

Writer: Yoshyuki Tomino
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime Feature Film
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

U.C. 0123 - thirty years of peace across Earth and the space colonies is shattered by the emergence of a new faction called the Crossbone Vanguard. The weak Earth Federation is caught off-guard by the attacks due to their complacency. As a result, the Crossbone Vanguard conquer the Frontier IV colony almost immediately. Caught in the crossfire is college student Seabook Arno, who sees many of his friends killed during the skirmish and discovers that his girlfriend Cecily Fairchild is actually Berah Ronah - heir to the Ronah family clan and the Crossbone Vanguard. He then finds out that his mother is alive and has been working on a new mobile suit codenamed 'Gundam Formula-91'. Seabook reluctantly pilots the Gundam at first, but slowly discovers the Newtype abilities within him and uses them and the Gundam to turn the tide of the war.

The movie follows the actions of the Crossbone Vanguard, with its attempt to gain complete control of the Frontier Sides, with the introduction to the movie opening with one of the most awesome battle scenes in the Gundam series. Our hero Seebook's home station is attacked, and we are treated to a bird's eye view of the destruction and carnage caused by a Mobile Suit battle, via civillian's perspective. The huge extent of devastation the attack inflicts on the colony's populace that even a spent shell casing would be a lethal piece of debris for an unsuspecting bystander.

Seebook and his friends try desperately to find any form of transportation to escape the battle. Their group had grown along the way due to them saving children and other civilians, and eventually stumbled upon an appropriate ship to escape. Upon leaving, their friend Cecily was taken hostage by the leaders of the Crossbone Vanguard, who are also claiming that she was the daughter of their organization's leader. Like another family-oriented organization we've seen in previous installments (c'mon do I even need to spell this one out for you?) , the Crossbone Vanguard is an organization centered on the ideals of nobility and heritage, prioritizing leadership by the exceptional over freedom and democracy.

Upon escaping, the refugees heads towards the Earth, ending up in Habitat 1, a natural resource asteroid. They eventually ended up meeting with a test-bed carrier missing most of its command staff, who were carrying a new Federation Mobile Suit, named the Formula-91 or F91. After taking a closer look at the F91's cockpit, it turns out that the computer system was created by Seebook's mother. With Seebook's innate piloting ability, he helps to activate the suit and was subsequently chosen to be the primary pilot for the F91.

Back on Frontier 4, the Crossbone Vanguard wasted no time to accomodate Cecily into their ranks, and she even agrees to become a Mobile Suit pilot for their forces. Since Cecily is the daughter of the Crossbone Vanguard's leader, she had been made a commanding officer and also a member of their special forces division. Cecily's first mission (or sortie for the Gundam faithful) is to help a beachhead of the Vanguard's forces onto Habitat 1. This mission however, was a pretext to the actual motive of the mission, which was to test a powerful new weapon on the station. Codenamed 'Bug', this new weapon is designed to be the perfect anti-personell weapon, which is a swarm of killing machines that relentlessly attacks all humans, including civilians.

This sets the mood for the final battle in the space above Frontier 1, and an ensuing confrontation with Seebook and Cecily, and also the results of the 'Bug' units being tested on civilians, and to top it all off, Seebook's confrontation with the leader of the Crossbone Vanguard.

Chibi's Seebooking Comments

Sigh.....it still makes me feel disappointed thinking about it. Here's the deal why F91 was made into a movie and not an anime or OVA series like the previous Gundam sagas we all know and love. This particular installment in the franchise was to mark Tomino-sensei's BIG COMEBACK into the Gundam universe, but due to certain staff disputes and creative differences, what was SUPPOSED to be a 50-episode epic comeback series by the franchise's creator was scrapped, and the project was stopped after only 13 episodes were written. This was later decided by Sunrise and Tomino-sensei probably to salvage all the time and thought put into this project to make a movie out of it. This was actually a very brave decision as condensing an entire 50 episode storyline into one 2-hour movie is by no means an easy task. When a great storyteller is expected to deliver even under time constraints and sponsorship obligations, it is amazing what they are able to come up with, as Tomino-sensei's proven time and again with his conjuring of an amazing ending to his Gundam series even when cut ten episodes short. He proves it again with the creation of the epic but lesser-known Aura Battler Dunbine. The test of time has demonstrated exactly what wonders Tomino-sensei can pull out of his hat. However, F91 proves that even the greatest have their limits.

With only two hours of screen-time, F91 is forced to tell an entire, 50 episode story, develop its characters, captivate the viewers, and still have time to be socially and morally relevant. Unfortunately, only half of these is really achieved. Most of the characters have pretty stagnant personalities, probably due to the little time they have to be developed, and made considerably worse by the large cast. It’s a real shame considering how interesting many of the characters are, especially the sadistic and emotionless Iron Mask.

Due to the uninteresting characters, most story elements suffer, including the underlying plot. I could only speculate what the Crossbone Vanguard's plans for the future will be as information is so fragmented it's virtually impossible to get the big picture. F91's lack of screen-time is made even more evident in it's pacing of the plot, where certain events just happens off screen and aren't even elaborated deeper, such as certain battles taking place, certain deaths of key characters, we are never thoroughly explained on how and why these things come to pass.

Don’t get me wrong. This is in no way a bad movie. F91 still retains the strong plot based roller coaster that we all came to love about the franchise. We are treated to some of the best animated space-battles seen, even with only 2-dimensional art the movie was able to project a 3-dimensional feel to the battles, and does an amazing job of showing the audience how terrible the tragedy of war can be. That said and done, I still could not help but think how much potential the characters and plot had, and it should have been stretched out into a 50 episode anime instead of squeezed into a 2 hour feature. Seebook himself would have been an amazing character given enough time to develop, and also reminded me so much of how Amuro Ray was in Tomino-sensei's first Gundam series. A great movie to watch for both Gundam fans and casual viewers, provided they didn't know the details. Sadly, I did.

Mobile Suit Gundam F91 was written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, and was released in 1991 by Sunrise, running about 120 minutes long.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 2/5 (because of the condensed storyline, would have scored at least a 4)
Character Development: 3/5 (again, see above)
Art: 5/5
Originality: 4/5

Real

2009-10-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

author: Takehiko Inoue
review type: manga
status: ongoing
genre: Seinen, Sports

Synopsis

"Champions or not...In the end we're still crippled" (Pg.17, Ch 2)

The manga orbits around the lives of three high school teenagers. The first would crippled basketball player Togawa Kiyoharu. He was a prospect athlete, earning a call to his school's track team. And just when things were started to get brighter, his right leg was amputated below the knee due to osteosarcoma; a cancer or bone disease that happens around the knee. He develops a passion for basketball and due to his competitive nature, he takes the sport seriously.

The second would be school dropout, Nomiya Tomomi. He dons an afro and is consistently haunted by the past. He too is obsessed with basketball. But he didn't make the cut for the school team and that left him in circles. He is consistently reminded about the traffic accident he and a girl got involved in. The outcome; inevitably crippling the girl, Yamashita Yasumi from using her legs.

And finally, Takahashi Hisanobu. He was the alpha male-girls, glory, glamor. A sad twist to his story happened when he wanted to give his girlfriend a ride home. He stole a bicycle and rushed down pass the traffic to get there. Unfortunately, he got hit by a truck which left him paralyzed from the waist down. His status and identity was obliterated.

It is a story of how they deal with life the way they are. But with a tinge of passion for basketball. Their fates intertwine and soon realize that despite their short comings they still have to move on, to live life.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

I would say, at first Real doesn't come to mind for a must read. Even on onemanga.com, its ranked at a pathetic spot. But however, again works of art should not only be judged by the opinions of mainstream media. It was definitely worth the read.

Takehiko Inoue was an absolute genius in producing this. Simply with the fact that he could make it an entirely different read from Slam Dunk; his previous basketball endeavor. It was not monotonous and definitely Real has that stand out ability.

Inoue's main focus for this manga is strict character development. That's such a positive feature. Each character is real and just not abstract. They all go through life, coping and yet trying to be just more than conquerors of what would seem to be an unfair twist of fate on their side. In terms of this I would rate it even better than HNI; which also has an astounding detail for character development.

Even the originality of the characters are definitely interesting. To read the manga, remember it's seinen in nature; so you don't have that shounen rivalry going on. So each character has a big part to play; like a big piece of a puzzle. So take note on each of them as you read through. You can't exactly find a hero in this, since each main character is a hero-to-be.

The author's take on basketball can't be pushed aside either. Inoue succeeds in becoming more mature in his understanding of sports philosophy and psychology. He embraces them and produces a much more deeper concept than Slam Dunk or Buzz Beater. Even the art is amazing and when reading it; it definitely gave me that kind of excitement to either pick up the sport or to just go watch a live game. Simply inspirational.

So I would say this is a must read. So move out from the mainstream and enjoy Real. It is different, fresh and definitely one of the best manga's I've read out there to date.

Rempit Rates

Originality: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory

2009-10-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

Writer: Mitsuko Kase
Director: Mitsuko Kase, Takashi Imanishi
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

U.C. 0083 - Three years after the end of the catastrophic One Year War, peace on Earth and the colonies is shattered by the presence of the Delaz Fleet, a rogue Zeon military group loyal to the ideals of the late dictator Gihren Zabi. Delaz Fleet's ace pilot Anavel Gato, once hailed as 'The Nightmare of Solomon', infiltrates the Federation's Torrington base in Australia and steals the nuclear-armed Gundam GP02A 'Physalis' prototype. Rookie pilot Kou Uraki - with the aid of Anaheim Electronics engineer Nina Purpleton and the crew of the carrier Albion - pilots the Gundam GP01 'Zephyranthes' prototype in an attempt to recover the stolen Gundam unit and prevent another war from breaking out.

Chibi's Stardust Comments

The intention of this OVA is probably to bridge the gap between the original Gundam series, and Zeta Gundam. This in my opinion is kind of a hit and miss in this anime's goal. It does give you a better sense of understanding as you learn what happens to the Earth Federation and how it gets to the point it has gotten to in Zeta Gundam, but unfortunately you don’t really get to see what happens to the majority of the original cast from Mobile Suit Gundam such as Amuro and Char (god how i wished it was) , and instead mostly concentrates on the cast created exclusively for this saga. A few cameos from other Gundam characters, although briefly, but does work out pretty okay in terms of the plot consistency.

As rivalries go, Kou and Anavel do have good chemistry between each other, but never really reaches the heights of awesome-ness comparing to the rivalry Char and Amuro had. This is probably due to the short length of the series, although very well written, was just not given enough time to grow into something epic like Char and Amuro's, which in my opinion is still the best Gundam universe rivalry to date. The cast does pretty well to stand out, but I just don’t feel they have the kind of impact that Amuro Ray, Captain Bright Noa, Char Aznable or any cast member from the original Gundam can generate. However, both Kou and Gato are very likeable characters in their own right, and one would find it very easy to relate to the two. Kou just has a point to prove to himself and his peers, while Gato is doing it for his country.

There's also the Nina and Kou story arc, which kind of struck me as surprising since the OVA is only 13 episodes long, and felt that it was thrown in for convenience and for the sake of giving it an all around story, which I felt was unnecessary. Fortunately Nina and Kou do have good chemistry, but it just felt like it was not really going anywhere and doesn’t really contribute to the overall plot of the saga. All said and done, the development is basic with a moderate pace.

As always an unwritten rule in all Gundam sagas, the art design is really excellent and ahead of its time. Being an anime made in the early nineties, this one stands out with it's fluid movement and vibrant colors, and the battle scenes are truly a spectacle to behold. It also seems like a certain transition into how animes are drawn today and how it was drawn back then. As animation was drawn in a more circular style to ensure fluid movement back then, this particular Gundam installment offers a hybrid of circular and angular animation styles, with extremely satisfying results. This is evident in the difference of facial designs where the more angular faced characters are probably to portray said characters' age and maturity.

The mobile suit designs are also quite memorable, and are one of my all-time favourites in the Gundam franchise. Shoji Kawamori (a legend in the mecha universe, was a mecha designer for this anime, Eureka 7, Aquarion, and even a variant of Sony's Aibo to his credit) was at the helm of the mecha designs, and his trademark style is evident in their details and articulation. Though the mobile suits tend to look more packed and bulky, the skills of the pilots that are portrayed justify their agile mobility and fast speeds. My favourite, the GP02A like some other Gundams takes a different approach with it being a very bulky looking Gundam, with the head design being more rectangular without having the grilled mouth, which in my opinion made the Gundam look really intimidating.

I was shocked to find out that Horikawa Ryo, the voice of Vegeta from Dragon Ball Z, happens to be the voice of Kou Uraki! In comparison to Vegeta with this role, he’s more humble, childish, and full of exuberance, and had done amazingly well in portraying the character. Another memorable performance was from Ohtsuka Akio’s role as Gato, who's also famous for playing Batou in the Ghost in the Shell installments, bringing a unique kind of appropriate charisma to the character where you can also feel the passion in his motivations.

All said and done, I could safely say Stardust Memory is more for the dedicated and hardcore Gundam fan. Those not familiar with the Gundam franchise will probably not understand some of the basic concepts such as who Giren and Kycilia are who are briefly mentioned in the intro to the first episode, and about why Sydney is under water. Casual viewers wanting to watch some robot on robot violence will also be satisfied, with a bonus of the tremendously cool mecha on display. Whilst not necessarily having a bad plot, the story in itself was interesting enough to kept me glued to my seat, and I thoroughly enjoyed the 'time' of the show, seemingly to coincide with events after the One Year War. A must watch for all Gundam fans as this is a welcome addition to the Universal Century universe, this is one of the better Gundam OVAs out there, and almost on par with the 08th MS Team in terms of story and art.

Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 Stardust Memory was written and directed by Mitsuko Kase and produced by Sunrise. It was released as a 13 episode OVA that ran from May 1991 to September 1992. A movie directed by Takashi Imanishi was also released on August 1992, probably to coincide with the end of the OVA.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 3/5

Dogs: Bullets and Carnage

2009-10-04T02:14:00.000-07:00

author: Shirow Miwa
review type: manga
status: ongoing
genre: Seinen, Action

*please do read the review for the prequel first. For the review click here.

Synopsis

"In this town that has even lost the seasons, life is a light thing. Despite that the "Dogs" still keep on living." (pg.35, Chapter 1)

The manga begins with a rescue operation by Badou and Heine. They pursue a brothel owner that keeps genetically altered female juveniles as prostitutes. They get into a brawl which leads to the destruction of the brothel. Naoto, the swords woman is also on the move to discover who she really is and the killer of the parents. It is during this process that she is informed of a white hair and eye patch that also asked for such an information. Naoto pursues them and arrives at the church where they frequent.

At the church, Naoto meets Nil; the mutated girl with wings. And then are cornered by a mob that seeks to take back Nil. Naoto gets down on the action. But awaits Naoto, Badou, Heine and not forgetting the melancholic Mihai would be that they are all connected with something called the Deep Below; a place where genetically altered beasts and humans are created and tamed.

So they cross paths and team up; each with commonalities each having a reason to get to the Deep Below; a place rumored to be more terrible than the underground.

Rempits Vrooming Comment

This one is addictive. Action packed, astounding art work and a storyline that reminds you of Quetin Tarrantino. I would say for a first timer, this manga would tantalize that Seinen appetite of yours.

And another Tarrantino trademark that's evident in this manga would be you can't exactly lay a finger on each of them and label them good. It is a dark world, they are dark characters, and they don't seem to seek the light either. Just that they are getting into a more darker area and they just want to keep alive until their questions are answered. Talk about post-modern, this manga is loads of it. Which boils down to the fact that the author did an excellent job in making this a relevant and down right realistic manga. Normally you would have the good ordinary nerd bashing up seasoned gangsters and then before meeting the top boss; he comes up with a philosophy of life, bashes the boss to death with the boss tearing up and admitting that the philosophy is so true, and the either dies or ends up in prison or becomes his best buddy. So this gives you an alternative route.

All four characters have a personality. And at times it is a reminiscent of those shounen or ecchi mangas you read. Badou can be similarly compared to Agito of Air Gear, but with a more shounen-ai form and more zany and wacky character.

Naoto is a breathe of fresh air. She somewhat reminds me of Faye Valentine from Cowboy Bebop. With a lesser sexual prowess. Her character is cool, calm and balanced. Surprisingly interesting for someone whose hell bent on revenge. Which is definitely different than your shounen avenger of sorts.

Basically, this is another manga where you can comfortably slide in your "I can relate to" shoes and at the same time go WOW! I want to read it again. Action packed, stylish and all round interesting.

Rempit Rates

Originality: 4/5
Art: 5/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5

Dogs: Stray Dogs Howling in the Dark

2009-10-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

author: Shirow Miwa
review type: manga
status: completed
genre: Seinen, Action

Synopsis

Capturing an introduction in frames, this prequel to Dogs: Bullets and Carnage focuses on the four main characters of the Dog's timeline. And you've guessed it, its in frames; each frame for a main character.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world the story begins with a certain assassin, Mihai Mihaeroff wanting to confront his protege Ian for the death of Milena; Mihai's love interest. They meet 10 years after the death of Milena to settle the score; at the grave site of Milena. A third party group of assassins are present there, unknown to both Mihai and Ian with the sole intention of killing Ian. The third partisans fail, being killed off by both Mihai and Ian; with the exception of fatally wounding Ian which leads to his demise. Mihai on the other hand realizes later on that he too is fatally wounded by a bullet, he collapses on the snow covered floor. The next scene shows a well and alive Mihai in a bar, where it will soon serve as a prominent place for the introduction of all the other Dogs characters.

Badou Nails comes next with his endeavors of being a spy. He gains attention by snapping a controversial photo of a crime boss. He automatically gets involved in a chase for that picture, then saved by Mihai at a street corner and ends up in a duel with the crime boss.

Sword expert Naoto is next. A brief background of her past is shared with her quest to find the person who gave her a memoribilia. She discovers a world thats beyond what people think as the underground world of gangs. Inevitably, she is ready to venture to that unknown world in her quest of searching for the truth.

Heine Rammsteiner is the last to be introduced. He rescues a juvinile winged prostitute; that looks like a young girl with small wings on her back. Here the relationship between Badou and Heine is established to reflect the partnership they have when Dogs: Bullets and Carnage begins.

Rempits Vrooming Comment

I would think the author did a good job in providing an introduction to a series that can get complicated. The introduction is a must read, if you are to venture into the the realm of Dogs:Bullets and Carnage.

Venturing out into the Seinen world, reminded me of the stark difference it brings comparing it to the mainstream Shounen mangas. Nevertheless, it does take quite a while to enjoy it but it is interesting. So don't quit if your making that transition from Shounen to Seinen.

The story is a mash of Cowboy Bebop and a few Jet Li flicks. Action, Action and tons of drama and identity solving mysteries. The action scenes are first rate and the art is good. The introduction serves well and it definitely gears you up for the main Dogs manga. And did i forget to mention that the characters are pretty original too.

Rempit Rates

Originality: 5/5
Art: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Character Development: 4/5

Fate/Stay Night

2009-10-03T01:05:00.000-07:00

author: Type/Moon
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shounen, Fantasy

Synopsis

Fuyuki City has a big secret unknown to many except a secret group of people. It is the battleground for the Holy Grail. A violent war among competing magi; each staking their very own lives to win the covert prize of having one's wishes granted.

The format is simple.

Each sorcerer is called a Master. They are aided by a spiritual warrior called a Servant. Each Master can only summon one Servant from the following classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer, Berserker, Rider, Assassin, and Caster. The Servants are legendary warriors through time and they possess special powers called Noble Phantasms. There is one catch to obtaining the holy grail; only the Servant can touch, hold and bring it to the Master; which means a partnership is required to win the war.

The story is a biography of the life of a certain Shiro Emiya; whose parents died due to huge fire that set Fuyuki City on fire. He was found as a child by Kiritsugu Emiya; who decided to adopt him. They both maintained a quiet relationship until one day Shiro discovers that Kiritsugu is a mage. Enthusiastically, Shiro asks him if he could also be one. But to his dismay, Kiritsugu firstly forewarns him that the life of a magi is perilous and that he can't be one because he does not possess any talent for magic.

Kiritsugu dies mysteriously, but before that happened he adviced Shiro that if he is bent on helping people, he should then muster up whatever he has and master it in secret because of the apparent danger. At this point, Shiro does not know the secret Fuyuki City is keeping.

But there was a turn of events, when one day as he was cleaning up the archery dojo. He stumbles upon two Servants; Archer and Lancer duelling it out in the school couryard. Lancer notices Shiro, pursues him and stabs him in the heart. Shiro was fortunately rescued by schoolmate and fellow magi Rin Tohaka; who's also the owner of Archer.

Confused, Shiro returns to his home, only to encounter Lancer again. And just before Lancer could finish him off, he is warded off by a figure in armor who introduces herself as Saber.

Rempits Vrooming Review

I would say Fate/Stay night has two good things that make it a worthwhile watch. Firstly, would be the Servants or heroes. The fight scenes were awesome and they all had a sense of valor. Each were original in nature. I would think Type/Moon did quite a neat job in creating them and sticking to parts of history or legend that defined such characters when necessary. Their character development is also not bad either. But as for the Masters, the character development was pretty bad. You would need to be really sharp if you were to piece certain puzzles together.

I wouldn't label this purely shounen, even though we have Shiro who can act like a pre-puberscent adult or with a massive schizoprehenic hero complex. But other characters like Rin Tosaka only comply to the shounen standard to a certain degree in terms of art and character depth (her nature, attitudes, etc).

Saber is a reminiscent of a hero gone wrong; and this is something new. Redemption. Reconciliation. All this as a personal goal. Which i think is utterly superb simply because your average shounen-nite would go for a hero that's seeking to bring all losers to the frontlines on a national scale. Examples include Naruto and Bleach. But here is a hero in regret of being a hero, hoping that at the end of this, she can live a life totally estranged from the life she lived.

It is not an entirely must watch anime, but it isn't bad either. So I would say it is quite a watch.

Rempit Rates

Originality: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Character Development: 3/5

Eyeshield 21

2009-10-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

author: Riichiro Inagaki
illustrated by: Yusuke Murata
review type: anime/manga
status: completed/completed
genre: Sports, Shounen

Synopsis

YA-HA!

The story begins with the forming of a football team called the Deimon Devil Bats, the brainchild two american football enthusiasts; Yoruichi Hiruma and Ryokan Kurita, high school seniors at Deimon High School. As their efforts have proven ill in the past, the story begins with a feeling of excitement from the two as they once again recruit members with "creative" ways to form a motley crew of american football enthusiasts.

In their search, Hiruma stumbles upon Kobayakawa Sena; a junior in high school that becomes a primary target for bullies. During Sena's daily bully routine, Hiruma notices his ability to run and dodge at a supernaturally fast pace; with movements like an american football player. Hiruma then takes this a step further by forcing Sena into the team and disguising him as a famous football player by the initials of Eyeshield 21.

The Deimon Devil Bats with the inclusion of Sena becomes complete and sets its target towards the Christmas Bowl; the prized champion for a high school football team. But there is one catch, for Hiruma and Kurita this would be their finally year to represent their school as Deimon High School does not allow final year seniors to compete in any extra co-curricular activities. So the question would be, will the Deimon Devil Bats make it?

The Deimon Devil Bats would have to meet formible teams including their rivals to get to the top, and it's going to be one hell of a season as they try to make their dreams come true.

Rempits Vrooming Comments

For a sports manga, Eyeshield 21 does a fairly good job. I would rank this below Hajime no Ippo and Slam Dunk. Bringing a sport like american football into the manga scene is a fairly brave attempt and it has certainly paid off.

The main highlight of the manga is its sense of exaggeration. Sena's light speed dashes, Kurita's physical prowess beside being a meatball, Hiruma's super skilled tactics and passes despite having certain physical disadvantages in being a stereotypical quaterback, etc. It gets you off the hook at first, but then it kind of gets a little boring and unrealistic. Hiruma's antics certainly add the funny element to the manga.

The difference here comparing to legendary sports manga Slam Dunk would be that Sena's urge to join the american football team was not entirely based on the precept of liking someone. But Eyeshield sticks true to all things sport by focusing on the development of the team with Sena as the unprecedented anchor that would bring these band of misfits fame and success.

Other characters from different teams also make their appearances and would be a primary feature of the manga. Giving the manga a well rounded focus.

I particularly like Inagaki and Murata's understanding of the sport. Making it even better and it really gives a breather to the super exaggerated-ism of the manga. And one good character they have created would be Yoruichi Hiruma. He is the epitome of a misunderstood misfit with the abilties to lead, coach and direct a team. Here he acts more of a coach to Sena and which would primarily be Sena's inspiration to take the sport more seriously. Alot of focus has been taken away from Hiruma by fans, but my best bet would be to enjoy the manga or anime for its Hiruma-ness, rather than just focusing on the normal low self-esteemed Sena; which undboutly is a typical shounen issue. So here is where this sport serie differs and Hiruma's character is a little distinct even from Takenori Akagi from the Slam Dunk fame.

I liked the concepts and philosophies thrown into the game and well even for being overtly exaggerated there are moments where The Deimon Devil Bats fail; and thats the beauty of it. But it isn't as real as HNI or Slam Dunk but good enough. I think Eyeshield isn't a bad read or watch. For manga lovers, you would probably hate it to the core after the Christmas Bowl arc and also the closure for the Eyeshield manga. That would be the saddest part of it; a good story that would eventually end badly.

But i would watch it nevertheless and would give it a good read right till the Christmas bowl.

Rempit Rates
Originality: 5/5
Art: 4/5
Plot: 2/5 (because of that really bad ending for the manga)
Character Development: 4/5

Shonen Onmyoji

2009-10-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

author: Mitsuru Yuki
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shounen, Supernatural

Synopsis

Chronicles the life of Abe no Masahiro, the young grandson of Abe no Semei; a revered and powerful spirit medium. Unlike his grandfather, Masahiro isn't even close to his grandfather or others in the trade that they were known for. He wasn't even an inch close. His childhood dreams of matching up to his grandfather were crushed with the fact that he can't see spirits.

And here is where the anime takes off. As he was sitting under a tree, a mononoke; a spirit stumbles upon him. He is shocked to find out that he can the spirit. The two form a partnership that is rocky at first. Knowing later that it is all well planned out by the grandfather. The mononoke's name is Mokkun, whose real identity is Guren; a demon who controls the fires of hell. This was due to Masahiro's rash attempt to hunt down a spirit.

From here on, the two formed a strong partnership with Masahiro's new found determination to exceed his grandfather's status as a great onmyoji while discovering the hidden plots and life lessons required to be of high caliber.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Premeiring on Animax, a concept that has historical significance and a glimpse of excitement all vanished after watching the 26 episode anime. The first episode was absolutely perfect for a right starter, but then it started waning down in excitement. Basically the plot was predictable.

Shounen Onmyoji's catch was its concept. Spirit medium, who'd thunk? And its based on historical proprieties even the time line of the anime follows the real period of where onmyojis did really exist: the Heian period in Japan. It follows the same shounen route of finding one's own image. Masahiro practically lives under the shadow of his grandfather and will live under it at the end of the anime. Which is considered OK, comparing it to other animes where the hero would be the all time champ or chump; however you would see it.

BUT! the relationship of Guren and Masahiro is new. Guren acts like a mentor and a friend; not a competitor this time around. Guren is a mix of Hatake Kakashi, Jiraiya and House (WHAT! yea the doctor from the English TV show House). So this is that silver lining. Finally no Sasuke type characters working side by side the hero.

It is an anime that you can't totally brush aside, neither it is something you can herald to with your friends or other otakus. There are some traces of shounen-ai in it. So if your feeling mediocre and would just want to pop something familiar in; then Shonen Onmyoji would feed your appetite better.

Rempit Rates

Originality: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Plot: 2/5
Character Development: 3/5

D.Gray-Man

2009-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:00

author: Katsura Hoshino
review type: manga/anime
status: ongoing/completed
genre: Shounen, Supernatural

Synopsis

D.Gray-Man begins with Allen Walker, the main protagonist joining the Black Order, an association that trains and prepares exorcists; a group of people chosen by a substance called the innocence which enables them to have extraordinary powers while combating demons of different levels. There he encounters another fellow exorcist, Yu Kanda for being mistaken to be a demon. After being recognized as an exorcist, Lenalee prevents Kanda from friendly fire.

As Allen is received into the Black Order, he becomes aware of his destiny; basically being the "Destroyer of Time". A title given to the one who would eventually defeat the Millenium Earl; the series main antagonist and the ultimate root of all evil.

Allen, Lenalee, and Yu Kanda then team up for missions. During this period, they meet Lavi an aspiring bookman and Bookman whose a bookman! The bookmans are basically a group of people who observes the happenings of events and the record them. They comply to a strict code, so as not to get attached to the events to a point where their judgments are clouded. Well for Lavi, he goes from being just an observer to a companion.

Allen and his team discovers the intentions of the Millennium Earl; which is basically to destroy all of humanity. And that he is not in this alone. He is aided by a group called the Noahs; a special breed of demons and a group of humans that are bent on destruction as well.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment:

The concept is definitely interesting. Goth-styled, dark and mysterious. Basically sets a different tone to the common shonen supernatural type. Katsura Hoshino does well in bringing the likable elements of such supernatural ideas to the manga. Krori the good willed, demon combating vampire is one such character.

However in terms of style, she (you guessed it, the author is a girl) still sticks to the shounen routine. Yu Kanda is a reminiscent of Ishida Uryuu from Bleach. Lenalee is also the stereotypical image of a shonen fanfare: short pleated skirt, talented, loving, nice, etc.

A good part about D.Gray-Man would be that it basically lays a plot that is realistic. The daunting task of fighting evil firstly would remind you of Bleach which seems like the old shounen routine at first; you have the big ass clumsy demons that kill exorcists, then you have the smaller in sized stronger demons that somewhat can kill clumsy exorcists, then you have a more able and well trained demon that can almost kill an exorcist, then you have the smart well abled and strong demon that can kill exorcists. But what is realistic would be that the deaths and sadness portrayed involve even characters that can be loveable through time. Now that's realistic enough. Dark indeed.

For subcultural lovers, D.Gray-Man would offer something insatiable. And again here is another shounen story that does not trickle down the line of Naruto. While it may rub shoulders with Bleach, this one is sadistic enough to create that desirable read we want after a huge happy ending dosage of shounen manga.

Rempit Rates:

Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 3/5 ( this is simply because of the similarity with Bleach)

Fairy Tail

2009-09-29T15:16:00.000-07:00

Author: Mashima Hiro
Review Type: manga
Status: ongoing
Genre: Shounen, Fantasy

Synopsis

T.H.I.N.K M.A.G.I.C!

Follow the adventures of the Fairy Tail guild for magicians. The story introduces the young Lucy who aspires to be a famous mage, arriving at a town called Harujon. She embarks on a quest to search for the infamous fire breathing Salamander of the Fairy Tail guild. There her fate is intertwined by another mage, Natsu who owns a flying cat called Happy and has a problem with motion sickness. Later as the manga progresses, she finds out that Natsu is Salamander and joins the guild.

They embark on jobs with bounties, each having its own class to suit the current level of each mage. Natsu and Lucy inevitably pair up for each assigned task. Later they are joined by ice mage Gray who happens to be Natsu's rival and cosplay warrior Erza. The plot thickens as a there would be competitions and attacks from other magic guilds, Natsu's quest in searching for his father whose a dragon! and the issues surrounding a few other mages.

Rempit's Vrooming Review

Well if your a die hard fan of One Piece and Rave you'd first notice the similarity in art. And even though Mashima Hiro is the author of Rave, it wouldn't hurt less to be a bit different. Somewhat with what Inoue Takehiko and his works on Real, Slam Dunk, and Vagabond.

Plus there are overlapping characters from Rave and Fairy Tail. So you've guessed right, Plue the cosmic puppy with a coned nose is also featured in here. And you'd be begging to find out what other similiarities there are, and thats for you to find as you venture into the manga. Even Natsu relationship to Lucy and the ice mage Gray is somewhat in retrospect of Haru Glory with Ellie and Musica. So if you'd hate the similiraties, stop here and source out for a different manga.

The author however does an excellent job in character development. Through the manga, you'd slowly begin to understand abit on each character and would have an idea on their personalities, traits and current struggles. It practically abounds with the common shounen themes and if you'd like some adventure then you can deserve an entertaining read. The characters in nature, too, are originanl in nature; Natsu the fire breathing mage, etc.

Despite all thats said, I would still follow Fairy Tail on a regular basis, because again its shounen-ness is different from the mainstreamed ones of Naruto and Bleach. And if you're a sojourner like myself, than you'd add this into your collections.

Rempits Review

Storyline: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 2/5 ( Because of the similarities it shares with Rave and One Piece)
Structure: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Kekkaishi

2009-09-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

Author: Yellow Tanabe
Review Type: manga/anime
Status: ongoing/completed
Genre: Shonen, Supernatural

*note the color codes for manga and anime.

Synopsis

The understand the story, you need to understand what happened 500 years back in the current manga script.A feudal lord was attacked by demons seeking to harness the inner power within him to control the human world. The feudal lord sought Tokimori Hazama for aid. Hazama brought two of his students to save the feudal lord and the land from rogue demons. The effort was a success but it had its repercussions. Tokimori Hazama and his proteges fell ill and the feudal lord was killed but his power was buried with him at a site called Karasumori.

Now forward to the where the manga begins, Karasumori has become a land of contention. Demons are still drawn to the place for its ability to make them stronger. But now there exists a group called the Kekkaishi or barrier masters. There are two clans responsible for this duty; the Sumimura and Yukimura respectively. They are basically in charge of exterminating demons that would seek to harness Karasumori's power.

Yoshimori Sumimura and Tokine Yukimura color the manga as the main protagonists of the comic as the current ones to guard over the land. The story takes this simple plot a step ahead by introducing Yoshimori's idealistic anthem of gaining the power to not only exterminate demons but to save the world from being entirely controlled by them. It also produces a political flavor by having demon organizations contending with the kekkaishis in a power struggle for ownership of the land and its powers.

Rempit's Vrooming Comments:

The story basically is a typical shonen fair. You would have the ideas of a weak hero for a starter, a trying to get stronger hero with a stronger rival for an entree and a miraculously strong hero for an appetizer. Much like Naruto. Yoshimori fits this description but this time the rival is none other than Tokine; a much more focused and skilled kekkaishi. The relationship here however is not a Sasuke-Naruto or a Naruto-Sakura type. So that would be a breath of difference and relief.

Unlike Naruto's Sakura or Bleach's Orihime, Tokine provides a point of difference by first not being a big-boobed bimbo, but by actually being extremely skilled at her trade. With the fact that she has a mother syndrome, watching over Yoshimori at all times. Though there are hints of romance between the two, the manga hasn't provided us the privilege of a love stint between the kekkaishis.

Yoshimori's character in contrast with Naruto, starts with a lazy, cake loving and not enthusiastic kekkaishi. Naruto on the other begins with a rejected, low self esteemed, i-want-to-be-the-best syndrome.

Other characters are fairly introduced and Yoshimori's contemporaries provide a decent flavor to the manga. They don't introduce this Gambate feeling. Unlike your other typical shonen flicks.

To end it, well give Kekkaishi a try both on manga or anime. It is pretty interesting, especially in the manga as how the story develops. Check the ratings below if you are still contemplating on the subject.

Rempit Rates:

Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Structure: 4/5
Art: 4/5

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

2009-09-27T23:18:00.000-07:00

Writer: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha

Synopsis

The year is Universal Century 0088. Directly after the end of the Gryps War, Haman Karn and her army of Zeon remnants on the asteroid Axis begin their quest of reviving the lost empire of the Zabi's, and proclaim themselves as the Neo-Zeon. With the Earth Federation as hapless as ever, only the Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG) is able oppose the plans of Neo-Zeon. In need of all the help it can get after being decimated in the previous war and losing many of its key members, the AEUG ship Argama enlists the aid of a young junk collector from the Side 1 colony of Shangri-La named Judau Ashta to pilot its newest mobile suit, the Double Zeta Gundam.

Set in UC 0088, this Gundam ZZ (pronounced 'Double Zeta') is part of the Universal Century timeline, taking place immediately after the events in Zeta Gundam. The Titans have been defeated, but the Zeon descendants of Axis are still around and with a seemingly full strength military force whose numbers were relatively unaffected during the Gryps War. With the AEUG and Federation forces suffering heavy losses during the war, Haman Karn moves towards the destruction of the entire Earth sphere in the name of the Zabi family.

The Argama, which had taken heavy damage, carrying seriously injured pilot Camille Bidan, docks at Shangri-la, a backwoods and almost ghetto like colony. Initially one of the first of the colonies constructed, Shangri-la is now largely unmaintained and abandoned, and had become the domain of poverty stricken space junk salvagers like Judau Ashta and his friends. Judau originally planned on stealing the Zeta Gundam and selling it for scrap, but ended up joining Captain Bright Noa in their futile fight to stop Neo-Zeon's plans on annexing the Earth.

Chibi's critique

After Zeta Gundam's heavy wartime drama filled with hardship and tragedy, Double Zeta's 'for kids' character design and storyline is just unbelievably... irksome. The entire first half of the anime just trudges along with the 'Neo-Zeon attacks, Judau comes to save the day' template with no story or character development whatsoever. Everything that made Zeta Gundam such a well recieved anime with its incredibly gritty and dramatic plot gets subverted into a play world for Judau and co, and even incredibly serious characters, like Captain Bright Noa and the ruthless Yazan Gable, are reduced to little more than a couple of gullible bufoons for Judau's hijinks. It pissed me off to no end, which was why the sudden shift in tone halfway through the series as Tomino-sensei got the approval for the Char's Counterattack movie and rewrote Double Zeta to accommodate the movie's mood was a Godsend.

As always, first impressions go a long way, and this anime makes a very poor one. The first quarter insults the viewer's intelligence by giving us a cast of incompetent teenage morons. It is irksome to see a bunch of buffoons eating food whilst being shot at, and it is even more annoying to watch certain characters give 'prophetic' sermons on honor when they are out to kill people. The misplaced comedy might be more suited to other mecha shows such as FLCL or Gurenn Lagann, but in no way whatsoever does this franchise need comic relief, which in turn creates grave situations undermined by misplaced comedy. Due to the poor introduction, it is hard to take the characters seriously for the first half of the series.

The show slowly starts pulling itself out of the fire during the second quarter of the series, but unfortunately the characters do not take definitive roles until the second half. One is still subject to the annoying humor before it finally starts to take itself seriously (which happens only from episode 20 onwards, when i was at the end of my rope trying to comprehend Tomino-sensei's motive in this installment). The anime manages to regain face after the 'comedic' antics are dropped, the characters become easier to relate to, and the drama (a prerequisite to any Gundam saga) picks up. The second half of the show is where it gets a little more interesting, where we finally see the futility of AEUG's fight to resist Haman's Axis forces. A civil war then breaks out between Haman and another Neo-Zeon faction led by Glemy Toto, which was the only thing preventing from Neo-Zeon having absolute power over the entire Earth sphere. Unfortunately, as a result of the anime's dire first half, the development of Glemy Toto from useless lovestruck rookie pilot to ruthless power-hungry warlord happens too fast, and the huge personality changes of characters like Mashima Sero and Chara Soon had to be justified using seriously idiotic brainwashing theories. The action in the second half of the series also becomes more exciting as certain characters begin to love, fight, and die. There's also considerable change in the animation, looking like something from the mid 90s rather than the late 80s, and the aesthetics compliment the fight scenes. To put it simply, the show transforms into a gritty Gundam series during the second half, but after 20 episodes of making a mockery of the franchise, the damage is done.

The mecha designs in Double Zeta are incredibly super-robot like, with the exception of the previous Zeta Gundam designs and the Neo-Zeon ones. The transforming Double Zeta is incredibly block-ish and ugly (honestly, it's an abomination to make the Double Zeta the feature mobile suit of the series) and the control system is absolutely idiotic, with the double beam cannon cockpit actually able to take over control of the entire Gundam (golden rule : all mobile suit cockpits are located in the torso and should be the only place to pilot them). It's a great relief that the Double Zeta is the only new Gundam of the series. The design of the Double Zeta is later borrowed for the blueprint of Gundam Seed Destiny's Shin Asuka's Impulse Gundam, which in my opinion is still visually unappealing.

Tomino-sensei approached Zeta Gundam attempting to create an epic drama, and he succeeded. He then approached Double Zeta Gundam attempting to make people laugh… and he succeeded. This entire idea is heavily overshadowed by the tiny little fact that comedy and war do not mix well. Gundam ZZ had the potential to achieve the greatness of its predecessor, but it fails because it never generates the momentum it needs to become something truly special.

Gundam ZZ is technically the third installment in the Universal Century timeline (or as I'd like to call it the Char-Amuro rivalry series), and this is the only reason to watch it. Neither Char nor Amuro appear in the series (Char was scheduled to make an appearance in Double Zeta in the second half of the series, but Tomino-sensei decided against it after he got the go ahead for Char's Counterattack) so missing it will have absolutely no impact on how well you understand Char's Counterattack.

Do not watch this anime expecting another Zeta Gundam, as the series will never be as engaging as its predecessor. Also, I recommend not watching it without first seeing the original Gundam and Zeta Gundam, while the show boasts a new cast, the historical references and the cameo appearances would be lost on you without prior knowledge. If you could survive the abominable start of the series, you will find that Gundam ZZ is another above par anime that deserves its place in the Gundam universe, although not quite as high as the stars.

Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ was written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sunrise. It ran from March 1986 to March 1987, spanning a total of 47 episodes.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 3/5
Character Development: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Structure: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Ouran High School Host Club

2009-09-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

author: Bisco Hatori
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: romantic comedy
episodes: 26
original run: 2006

Haruhi Fujioka is a student at Ouran High School, and is the only student on a privilidged scholarship to that school. This is because Ouran High School is a prestigious school for children of the elite, super-rich high class society of Japan.

Being in a school where money matters more than brains, Haruhi, being an A+ student, tries to find a moments peace to study, but ends up in a last place any normal student wants to be, except girls, The Ouran High School Host Club.
After a brief encounter with the club members, and an obvious accident incident, Haruhi becomes a servant to the club, doing daily chores to pay back for the damages incurred. Little by little, the club members shows Haruhi the secrets of living of the rich, and they learn Haruhi has a secret as well.

Baboon Bites

Character Development: 4/5
Plot: 3/5
Art: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Cowboy Bebop

2009-09-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Writer: Keiko Nobutomo
Director: Shinichiro Watanabe
Production House: Sunrise
Review Type: Anime
Status: Completed
Genre: Mecha, Shounen

Synopsis

The year is 2071 AD. With the systematic collapse of the old nation-states, a mixed jumble of races and peoples were driven out of their terrestrial Eden and spread to the stars, taking with them the now confused concepts of justice, freedom, violence, and love. New rules were established, and a new generation of bounty hunters came into being. People referred to these bounty hunters as 'cowboys'.

Meet Spike and Jet, a drifter and a retired cyborg cop who have started a bounty hunting partnership. In the converted ship The Bebop, Spike and Jet search the galaxy for criminals with bounties on their heads. They meet a lot of interesting characters, including the unusually intelligent dog Ein, the bizarre hacker child prodigy Ed, and the voluptuous and vexing femme fatale, Faye Valentine.

The crew of the spaceship Bebop are a partnership of bounty hunters, called "cowboys", who travel the solar system trying to apprehend bounties. Jet's the owner of the Bebop, but has partnered with Spike for his diverse combat skills. Though he is reluctant to admit it, Jet has also come to rely on Spike for companionship in the normally solitary field of bounty hunting.

Most episodes revolve around attempts to bring in a specific bounty. Some of the Bebop's varied targets include small time thugs, gangsters, hackers (known as 'net divers') , religious leaders, psychopaths, genetic experiments, mutant creatures and petty thieves. Occasionally the Bebop crews' pasts catch up with them, and the show regularly views the history of the main characters and more general past events, in flashbacks. For example, Spike's past as an assassin for the syndicate appears in a number of episodes.

Chibi's Bebopping Comments

I'll just get straight to the point with this one. As a longtime anime fan who has seen it all, from lengthy chronological series like Naruto, One Piece and Bleach to arthouse favorites like Akira and Tekkonkinkreet, to visually stimulating explosive CGI extravaganzas such as Karas and Appleseed, I can say that Cowboy Bebop is, hands down, one of the finest anime ever produced for the small screen.

The writing in this series (Keiko Nobumoto receives the 'Screenplay' credit, which I guess means that she was the head writer) is just flawless and the translators did a great job of carrying over the feel and expressiveness of the Japanese dialogue in English, rather than just translating it word for word (this applies to the subtitles, I NEVER watch dubs and yes, I speak a little Japanese) . The individual episodic plots are meticulously well written, and there's the ever present shadow of the overarching main plot, which is never truly revealed throughout the story. The characters are very realistically written, interesting and three-dimensional, with the notable exception of Ed, the hacker, whose annoying presence is probably a plan by Sunrise in order to appeal to a particular type of audience (loli, bi-shounen or yaoi freaks i guess). Fortunately, Ed does not feature much throughout the series while the other three, Spike, Faye and Jet, are so cool and appealing that an episode could consist solely of the three of them sitting around, playing Mah Jong and it would still have enough sexual tension and banter to keep it enthralling.

Cowboy Bebop also demonstrates it's versatility in writing with a wide range of character in its episodes. Some are funny, others action-packed and others quietly introspective, or a mix of all three. The anime takes place in a world that is both futuristic and retro, and the realism of the series in making this world believable is uncanny. With so much attention given to detail, watching the show really makes you feel as if such a place does exist.

The direction and look of Cowboy Bebop are just simply cool and breathtaking. If you're a fan of the jazz era, you'll love the color scheme, the inking and the lines. Director Shinichiro Watanabe does an amazing job of creating the feel of coolness from days gone (most notably the Brat Pack's big band era; the Brat Pack being Frank Sinatra and a few of his peers at the time) by while keeping you all the while, decidedly in the future. A bevy of angle shots, rapid cuts, stills with voiceover, extreme close-ups and many other techniques, some of which can only be accomplished in an animated production. The CGI was also executed to great effect, which not only helps the futuristic feel of the series, but also gives Cowboy Bebop certain special effects that few other animes have. You can feel that Sunrise isn't pulling any punches from just viewing the opening credits. It's no surprise that Cowboy Bebop was one of the more expensive anime series ever produced.

Now for the music. It features music from quite possibly the most-talented, versatile and interesting composer in Japanese Jazz and certainly one of, if not the greatest composer for anime soundtracks today; Yoko Kanno. The score to Cowboy Bebop takes all the best elements of jazz, pop, rock, classical and blues and mixes it all up in a score so catchy and wonderful to listen to that it is impossible that any anime series anywhere that had a better one (trust me I've looked, and the closest to come to it is either Naruto or Bleach, and even bleach uses bands and singers and not really compositions) . If you're interested in the feel of the series, but don't want to commit to a DVD, try one of the soundtrack albums and I guarantee you'll pick up the DVD the next day.

In short, this is one of the few animes that I have ever seen that really is cool, fun and never, ever insults your intelligence (Naruto fillers anyone?) . If more animes were like this god only knows how I'd get anything done, much less have a girlfriend. For a good long time since I started watching anime again almost all of my measuring of a good series will be against this one. This is the epitome, the penultimate, the incarnation of everything that is good about anime. Do yourself a favor and buy it, and you'll be gushing as much as I did.

Cowboy Bebop is written by Keiko Nobumoto and directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, and is produced by Sunrise. It was originally aired from April 1998 to April 1999, spanning 26 episodes. A movie titled Cowboy Bebop : The Movie was released in Sept 2001, and was 115 minutes long. It was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and produced by Masahiko Minami, Minoru Takanashi and Masuo Ueda. The screenplay was written by Keiko Nobumoto, while the story itself was written by Hajime Yatate. Two manga series were written following the anime and movie. The first is Cowboy Bebop: A New Story, which was written by Hajime Yatate and illustrated by Yutaka Nanten. It was published by Japan Kadokawa Shoten and Tokyopop for the United States and Canada which ran from April 1998 to April 2000, spanning 3 volumes. Another manga called Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star was realeased around the same time, and was also penned by Hajime Yatate but illustrated Cain Kuga, and also published by Japan Kadokawa Shoten and Tokyopop for the United States, and is still running.

Chibi's Review

Storyline: 5/5
Character Development: 5/5
Art: 5/5
Originality: 5/5