Witch Hunter Robin

Genre: Mystery, Action

Story (8/10): Witch Hunter Robin is a 1 season, 26 episode run created by Sunrise. The narrative is an interesting and refreshing mix of CSI and Men in Black (but with witches in place of aliens). STN-J, the Japan division of a worldwide secret organization, Solomon, which is dedicated to the investigation and hunting of criminal witches. The organization receives its newest member to its small task force. Robin, a young Craft (witch powers, specifically she uses fire) user, assists in catching many dangerous witches with varieties of powers. An encounter with a mysterious old witch soon reveals a dangerous power and many secrets about Robin and the past history of witches. Meanwhile, two mysterious organizations, Factory and Solomon, are soon discovered competing in the war on witches.

The first several episodes are not much more than simple action and mystery versions of CSI, with a kind of “criminal witch of the day” feel. Yet as the story progresses, it grows into a much involved and powerful plot. Overall the story is good, but the series starts to suffer. The middle seems somewhat drawn out. The ending, in my opinion, was also not as dramatic and fantastic as I had hoped.

Characters (5/10): The characters are also not very memorable. The team at STN-J consists of a simple assortment. There is a hot-shot kid, Haruto, a young spoiled but maturing girl, Yurika, a women with a special Craft power, Miho, and Michael, a computer hacker that acts as their main source of information. Even the two main characters, Amon and Robin, don’t quite stack up. Amon is a mysterious, quiet, but strong guy with some secrets that proves an asset to the team. Robin is also pretty quiet and mysterious with some interesting secrets of her own.

I suppose that’s why I can’t warm up to these characters. They say too little of what is on their mind. There is a lack of feeling that an audience needs to really connect with the characters. They do, however, have certain shining moments in a few episodes, including the last couple, which still saves them somewhat.

Visuals (8/10): The visuals of this show, while impressive in certain respects, were not outstanding. I found it cool to watch Robin use her special fire Craft, as well as other witches use their own unique powers. The mood is mostly dark throughout the series with overall little use of color. This may have caused the artwork to suffer a bit.

Audio (6/10): The audio was decent but slightly disappointing. Voices were ok but not very memorable. The music, while setting the mood for the story, became monotonous. But that might just be to match the characters. Yet there are some cool effects, however, when the crafts are used as well as some gunfire from the team’s special Orbo ammunition.

Overall (7/10): This show was fun to watch but overall forgetful. I still rate it a decent 7 for its originality from other anime I have seen. It felt more like a real life TV show rather than an anime. But perhaps this is why I didn’t score it as highly in certain areas. Good, but not great. I still recommend it as a decent watch though.

(In picture: Ayanami=Top, Teito=Bottom)

I just picked up the first 4 episodes from a friend and I watched the first episode now. So far the anime seems very interesting, and I plan on watching the next 3 episodes now. From the opening, and pilot episode it seems like the anime is going to be a magic military drama type show. The episode takes off with main character Teito dreaming of a man speaking to him whom he cannot remember, but his friend Mikage wakes him up from it. The two are in the Empire’s Military school, just about to take their final exam, which has about a 4% passing rate hah, hopefully my calc is better than that. After taking down the prisoner that their team was pitted against, Teito and Mikage are of the 19 out of 500 who pass the exam. Walking around the next day Teito overhears the sound of the necklace the man in his dream wore and investigates. Memories start rushing back and he remembers that Chief Ayanami is the one that killed King Ragg, the man and also Teito father, and Teito tries to attack the Chief, put is stopped but one of Ayanami’s bodyguards. Teito is then taken prisoner, and then Mikage finds Teito surrounded by the grounds limp bodies in the cell and helps him escape the academy. Time for episode two, I want to see where this goes.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Genre: Action, Drama

(Image from: nyannyan.animeblogger.net/?p=573)

Story (10/10): Code Geass is an incredible 2-season series with a complicated yet intense storyline. Try and follow along. The conquering world empire of Britannia has subdued Japan with large mech units called Nightmares, although small groups of rebels still try to carry out terrorism against the empire. Britannian citizens within Japan (now called Area 11) outcast and oppress former Japanese citizens.

The main character, Lelouch Lamperge, is an exiled prince of the Empire who has pledged revenge against Britannia and his father, the emperor, after witnessing his mother being brutally assassinated. Along with his blind and weak sister, Nanali, they attend a prestigious academy within Area 11. Yet one day, Lelouch suddenly becomes in a rebel terrorist plot. There he meets a strange girl, C.C., that will change Lelouch’s life forever. He grants him a power that will allow him to destroy the empire – Geass. This power grants him the ability to force someone to obey his command, but only once. With this new power, Lelouch becomes the hero of the rebellion, Zero, and begins his campaign to destroy Britannia. (Indeed its complicated.)

The plot is extremely deep and branches out through many characters. There is everything from high school drama, romance, betrayal, secrets, death, as well as tons of military, political, and strategic action. Imagine something along the lines of Gundam and Rumbling Hearts. It is a beautiful story with one of the most epic endings (it made me tear up).

Characters (10/10): Each character is played out very well and with great detail. Lelouch, especially, is an extremely deep character on par with many Shakespearean characters in his complexity. He is a mastermind with a strong will, but who still has much of the feelings of a young high school student. Yet he desperately tries to hide his torn feelings behind the mask of Zero. There are many complicated ties between characters that add even more depth to the story. For example, while Lelouch becomes the rebel, Zero, his best friend, Suzaku, joins the military and eventually a knight of the emperor that seeks to kill Zero and end the rebellion. The characters are what help make the story so amazing.

Visuals (9/10): The animation for the characters and environments are all very artistic and eye-popping. And you’ll drool over the awesome, ridiculously powered Nightmares that are seen fighting each other. There are plenty of intense battle scenes. Even the animation of Lelouch using his Geass has remarkable graphics.

Audio (8/10): The character voices are all pretty well selected and tend to match each character’s personality pretty well. Usual everyday sounds up to the explosions and powers of the Nightmares are pretty cool as well. The music is also enjoyable and dramatic when it needs to be. The overll audio is not outstanding in any way though from other anime of this genre.

Overall (9.5/10): This series is one of the best I have ever seen. Everything from the epic story to the unforgettable characters makes it a must-see. If ever you get the chance, watch it.

This would be our first ever, substance filler video post, a quick summation last few days, and what is to come. Took me hoooours to figure out the easy way to do this, and where and blah blah blah, if any of you have seen my facebook, you can see I am unhappy with flash videos. (Notice the time of this post)

The February issue of Japanese trade magazine Kinejun announces a big screen anime version of Namco’s RPG Tales of Vesperia.

The movie version is slated to be released this year by Kadokawa Pictures. Director Kanta Kamei is helming the anime, and seiyu Kosuke Toriumi will be lending his voice to the project.

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Now it is pretty much common knowledge among the anime community that there will be a new FMA show, and that it was set for release sometime in April, well now it is confirmed for April 5th! so mark your calenders, I think I might have to watch the raw, just so I can say I beat you guys ^_^ Here is the new trailer, and then some information regarding the announcement.

In case the previously known “April 2009″ timeframe wasn’t precise enough, the TV debut of Fullmetal Alchemist 2 Fullmetal Alchemist (2009) is now decidely set in stone for April 5, 2009. The announcement is being made in this latest promotional trailer (via Sankaku), and by now FMA 2 looks more like a remake of the original manga, rather than a sequel. In fact, even the title seems to have remained simply Fullmetal Alchemist - with no extra numerals and such. Or Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, if you prefer.

In other FMA news surfacing from this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, FUNimation expressed their intention to eventually license the new anime series. But for now it’s just that, an intention. Meanwhile, FUNi restated their plans to release the Fullmetal Alchemist Premium Collection DVD in late summer 2009. This one was originally released in Japan back in 2006, but its contents will remain the same for the stateside release: a 10 minute long original movie called “Seven Homunculi vs. State Alchemists”, two 6-minute long original anime shorts, and various other videos and features.

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Now I don’t really like basketball animes, or even mechas, but this actually looks pretty interesting. The quality of the art looks great, and the mechas seem to be some kind of CGI, but it seems to work well with the art. The character designs seem kind of kiddish, but flashy, and we all know thats what is important *rolls eyes lol*

Basquash! is a 2009 anime project from Shoji Kawamori (Macross, Escaflowne, Aquarion) and his animation studio Satelight. This sci-fi project combines robots with basketball, and it’s created in collaboration with France’s Thomas Romain (Oban Star-Racers) - who developed the conceptual designs for the mecha and the art direction.

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Get Backers
Genre: Action, Drama

Story: 10/10
This series is about two friends Ginji Amano and Ban Mido. Theses two make up the ultimate retrieval team…the GetBackers. They will get back anything that you have lost with a 100% success rate…for a price. Throughout this series Ginji and Ban find themselves in many tough situations involving many strange allies and enemies. Ginji can control lightning (hence his nickname the lightning emperor)…and Ban has a shocking 200kg vice grip. Ban Mido also has a power called the “jagan”(the evil eye) and can make lifelike dreams for those who stare him in the eyes. Though this story does not kick in until some of the serious bad guys come into play. There are many plot twists and unexpected events which leave this anime unpredictable. The story is mainly but not entirely based around the “limitless fortress” and its numerous mysteries.

Visuals: 8/10
The art for this series was highly impressive in my opinion. The animation quality was also top notch. The only gripe i have with it is that sometimes the characters are a little unproportioned. They will have unusually long neck at times…etc. But overlooking that fact…the character designs were beautiful. Especially when ginji turns all lightning emperor. There are many intense fight scenes which leave your jaw on the floor. And the animation and visual effects on this series make it so masterfully powerful. A lot of sub character designs such as “the transporters”(people who are hired to transport things for people) prove to be excellently designed as well.

Audio: 10/10
The audio for this anime is just plain awesome. It has a mix of intense sounding techno for fast pace scenes. As well as some fun/mellow music for when everything becomes…well…happy. It captures the feel of whats currently going on. Which in my opinion makes this anime more exciting and holds my attention.

Characters: 10/10
The characters in this story all have peronalities you cant help but fall in love with. For example when Ginji and Ban (mainly Ginji) have chibi scenes. They are comepletely hysterical add strange yet perfecrly humor to scenes with strong seriousness. Ban and Ginji and friends who have been through a lot. They create a balance for each other. Ginji having his dark past as the lightning emperor of the “limitless fortress”. He begins to become the lightning emperor all over again when a job leads him to the place he grew up…the limitless fortress.

Overall: 10/10
Besides some small artistic flaws this series was entirely amazing. I loved every episode of it. There are so many dark pasts and unthought of plot twists. This anime will definetly keep you action lovers on your toes. If you have the time…watch a few episodes. And than you will watch the rest involuntarily.

Erementar Gerard
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Romance

Story: 10/10
This anime is about an air pirate named Coud Van Giruet. One dayCoud is inspecting the loot they received from their previous job. He finds a unusual looking box and decides to take a look inside. Lying inside this box is was an extremely beautiful girl. When she wakes up her first words are “i hate humans”. Coud falls in love with this girl and swears to protect her. What Coud did not expect though was that this girl would also become his greatest weapon. Coud and Ren set out with Arc Aire to find the garden of eden. The place Ren subconciously desires to go.

Visuals: 8/10
I personally loved the animtion for this series. The character designs were all done very pleasingly to the eye. There is nothing in this anime that stands out animation wise. But none the less it gets a high rating for wonderful art and great character designs. You wont be dissappointed!

Audio: 9/10
The music and voice acting for this series was amazing. I can’t say i had any complaints. I thorougly enjoyed the background music played. It had sort of a pirate/adventure type feel to it. This completely complemented the show and made it a lot more fun to watch. The voice actors fit their character extremely well. The personalities trying to be portrayed are executed flawlessly.

Characters: 10/10
As I previously stated…the characters in this series made it all the more worth watching. Coud was a lively and energetic hero who feared absolutely nothing. You know you love it when the main character has some pep! Ren seemed like a doll who was trying to find her emotions. Deception, guilt, justice, all of these play a role in the characters of Erementar Gerad.

Overall: 9/10
This series in all honesty captured my heart. I could not for the life of me stop watching. I would recommend this to anyone who loves action yet also loves a little romance entwined. I would highly recommend you check out this series for yourself.

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Story 9/10

This anime is about two vampire brothers Jiro(aka Silverblade) and Kotaro, who set out to find the special zone. The special zone is a place protected by a heavy barrier in which humans and vampires co-exist. On their journey they encounter an escort to the special zone Mimiko. They travel together overcoming many obstacles, whether it be territorial or regulatory. When in the special zone Jiro and others try to exterminate the infectious breed of black blood’s called the kowloon child. The term black blood is commonly used to identify a vampire. This series has a lot of great fight scenes for those who like action.

Visuals 8/10

This anime had a lot of well designed characters and great fight scenes. The fact still lies that Jiro’s hate…is lame. But if you overlook that simple fact it is overall a very visually pleasing anime. Some characters such as the sadistic Zelman were drawn absolutely gorgeously. It takes some getting used to, but after watching the opening scene of the first episode you will be hooked.

Audio 10/10

I must say for this series the voice acting was flawless. The background music, although it wasn’t abundant, was very pleasing to the ear. The sound effects are definitely something that made the fight scenes a little more enticing.

Characters 10/10

I think in the story the characters were done very well. The characters personality as well as the way they are drawn seems to flow perfectly. I personally think the character Zelman was perfect. I did not find any of the characters in this anime to be annoying, so I have no complaints (hence the perfect score).

Overall 9/10

It was overall a worth watching anime. For a series that consists of only 12 episodes it is easy to keep on track. There aren’t any episodes in particular that will leave you bored. So if you have some free time its definitely got my personal recommendation.