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tears to tiara

Tears to Tiara

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Alternate Titles: ティアーズ・トゥ・ティアラ

Original Japanese Release Date: April 5th, 2009

Episode Length/Run-time: 26

Summary:
The Divine Empire is conquering lands from far and wide and in an attempt to prevent this from happening, the Goidelic people are planning to sacrifice the priestess Riannon in an effect to revive the demon king Arawn who they believe can help fight again the Empire.  Well Arawn gets revived but Riannon doesn’t need to be sacrificed after all.  Arawn begins his revolt against the emprie with the help of Riannon, her brother Arthur and many other skilled fighters.

Review:
This is a classic example of an RPG type series.  You have a medieval setting, with castles, swords, knights and magic.  Oh yea, did I mention elves and all of your cliche character types?  You have the tiny childlike character that uses a huge hammer, the swordsman, the knight, the mage, the healer, etc…It’s great fun.

The aesthetics of the series are quite good.  The opening and closing themes are awesome.  “Free and Dream” is a great song.  I actually have that one on a jogging play list.  The animation of the show is pretty decent.  It’s good enough to support the action packed battle scenes.  Also, the character designs are very nice.  I really did enjoy them quite a lot.

There was one thing that I really didn’t care for about the show and that was the pacing.  For the most part the series is just a lot of battles and traveling from place to place.  The actual story of the show doesn’t reveal itself until the last half dozen or so episodes.  That being said, the conclusion has quite an epic feel.  There is a huge battle at the end that makes it worth the wait.

All in all this is a pretty average anime.  It feels a bit like other anime that have appeared throughout the years.  I can think a bit of Record of Lodoss War except this show is obviously a lot newer and has a lot more action.  I suppose its because of the RPG feel that I think that.  It’s a decent show.  If you are a fan of magic and sword battles, check it out.

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mezzo forte DSA

Mezzo Forte DSA

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Alternate Titles: Mezzo Danger Service Agency

Original Japanese Release Date: January 4th, 2004

Episode Length/Run-time: 13

Summary:

Mikura, Kurokawa, and Harada are members of an organization known as the Danger Service Agency.  An agency that will take on any task, no matter how dangerous, so long as it pays!  However, they are about to stumble upon something that may be more than they can handle.
Review:

This is an interesting anime.  First of all, Mezzo Forte, the anime upon which Mezzo: DSA was based is a really hot hentai.  One of the best out there.  Even still, if you can look past the fact that we have already seen the totally hot Mikura getting gang banged, I think we’ll get along just fine.

This is a series that has amazing action and as such the animation is pretty good.  Only Mikura can end up destroying an entire building with only a handgun. It’s just awesome.  That being said, did I say that she is really hot?  Just don’t Google her unless you want to see fat cosplayers and a bunch of porn.  That being said Mikura is quite awesome and the other characters are pretty good as well.  You have the ex-cop Kurokawa who is kind of a a father figure to Mikura, except he bangs her in the OVA, and then the tech geek Harada.

This is a pretty decent show if you you’re looking for a couple cute girls and some really awesome action.  Just remember that this is a show based after a hentai and therefore, you won’t get that much depth out of it.  In fact, I recommend you just go watch Mezzo Forte, the hentai OVA.  It has sex and even better action than DSA.  Enjoy.

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demon city shinjuku

Demon City Shinjuku

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Alternate Titles: Monster City, Makai Toshi Shinjuku (魔界都市＜新宿＞)

Original Japanese Release Date: 1988

Episode Length/Run-time: 82 minutes

Summary:

A really famous demon fighter comes against this powerful demon who is trying to open a portal to hell in Shinjuku.  The fighter loses to the demon who then opens the portal in Shinjuku.  The descendant of the demon fighter gets pulled into the portal headed after a young women who has fallen into the demon world.

Review:

It’s very cool to have this completely normal world with a place that’s inhabited by Demons.  It has a gritty creepiness of an older anime which newer anime just doesn’t have.  It is very good at making the viewer uncomfortable.

The anime is predictable, and you do know what’s going to happen and how things will work out.  Of course it’s frustrating that the girl is so clueless that has to get saved but what else is new in anime?

It’s good if you have some time on a weekend and some darker enjoyable series despite its predictableness.

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arc the lad

Arc the Lad

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Alternate Titles: アークザラッド

 

Original Japanese Release Date: April 5th, 1999

Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes

Summary:

Based after the Playstation RPG Arc the Lad Collections, this anime follows the story of Arc and Elf as they battle to take down the secret organization White House which is striving to research how to transform people into mutated killing machines known as Chimera.

Review:

I watched this anime back in the day because the Playstation game is quite good and one of my favorites.  It follows largely the exact same story as the game but isn’t nearly as good.  The story takes place in a semi-futuristic, somewhat cliche RPG  setting, filled with airships, magic, monsters and adventure.   The characters also ooze RPG as there is a beastmaster, a couple swordsmen, mages, airship pilots, ninjas etc…

The characters in the anime aren’t nearly as good as the game.  Pretty much only Elk gets a solid backstory, which is thankful because he  is at the crux of the story driven drama in the series.  He is the source of the dramatic climax in the middle of the series.  I remember seeing the scene I am referencing.  I was sleeping in my dorm room in college and just sat straight up in bed, awoken from sleep because the scene was so intense.  Good stuff.  It’s a shame though that the other characters don’t get much focus, especially Arc and Lieze, since they DO have backstory, it’s just not presented in this format.  Also, in the anime, Arc is so  ridiculously overpowered that he really takes the tension out of situations that could be otherwise treacherous.

The animation and art in the show is very average.  It’s watchable but for a show that is essentially full of fighting, I don’t really feel like the show has adequate animation.  The character designs were more agreeable than the animation.  They did a decent job, compared to the game.  One area that the show really lacks aesthetically is the music.  This anime has a terrible opening video to accompany the classic theme song from the game.  Sad day.

All in all, Arc the Lad is a watchable anime series.  Especially if you played the game or if you like RPG style settings.  If you enjoyed Tears to Tiara, or Record of Lodoss War, you might have a better chance of enjoying this series.  Just don’t let the anime reflect poorly on the game, it’s much better.

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mitsudomoe

Mitsudomoe

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Alternate Titles: None

Original Japanese Release Date: 2010

Episode Length/Run-time: 13

Summary:

There is one thing that no teacher in Japan ever wants, and that is to be the homeroom elementary teacher of the dreaded Marui triplets: Futaba, Mitsuba, and Hitoha.  Futaba is the youngest, a tomboy, stronger than most grown men, clueless and obsessed with boobs.  Mitsuba the middle child is quiet but filled with quirks such as her obsession with the Gachi Rangers (kind of like power rangers), or the fact that she reads porn all the time and can be more fearsome than the other two when provoked.  Hitoha is the eldest and is the self proclaimed queen of the world, and she is willing to do whatever it takes to see this come to pass.  Satoshi Yabe, a newly hired teacher has his hands full with these three as crazy happenings follow.

Review:

The summary above is really all the plot Mitsudomoe has.  There’s a full cast of main and sub characters that come in and out of the story as the humor requires them.  But the only other semblance of a story is the passing of time through the series.  This show is based entirely on the characters and the funny situations they get into.

That being said, it does it wonderfully.

Every episode had me rolling in side-splitting laughter.  It was the dubbed Shin Chan in Japanese.  These young girls talking about boobs, nipples and more was just too funny.  But they don’t rely too much on the crass humor.  When they do they find a new fresh take.  Or find a new slapstick hyjink to put the characters through.  I kept expecting it to get tired and old, but they kept making me laugh from start to finish.

The animation is child-like and simple, fitting the show.  Flashy things aren’t really needed here.

The main criticism is that it’s not going to change your life. There’s no story and there’s no developed plot.  But what this anime does it does WELL.  And it’s one I highly recommend for anyone looking for a good laugh.  The other plus is each episode is broken into about 3, 7 minute segments, so you can devote as much or as little time as you want to it.

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tokyo magnitude 8

Tokyo Magnitude: 8.0

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Alternate Titles: 東京マグニチュード8.0

Original Japanese Release Date: July 9th, 2009

Episode Length/Run-time: 11 Episodes

Summary:

It was a normal day until Tokyo was struck by a devastating 8.0 earthquake.  The destruction is extreme and in the rubble and brother and sister make their way home.

Review:

Mirai and Yuuki were off having a nice weekend in Tokyo when an earthquake of rare power hits Tokyo, leaving the city in large part destroyed.  These two children are the focal point of the anime as we experience the aftermath of the quake through their eyes.  It’s a shame they aren’t very interesting characters.  Most of the time they’re either crying or complaining about something (though I probably would be too if the world was destroyed).  I suppose they are strong children considering what they’re going through.

The appeal of this anime is in its novel approach.  There may not be a single other anime that is about an earthquake.  The execution if the show was quite good.  The creators hired consultants to actually tell them which structures would and would not remain standing after an 8.0 earthquake and therefore, the anime depicts what is supposedly realistic picture of what Tokyo would have actually looked like.  The animation and art is good as well and so overall, the appearance of the series is very good.

The problem with the show is that its horribly slow.  Unfortunately, earthquakes last a matter of seconds and therefore, the action of the series, which occurs in the first couple episodes, ends with the earthquake.  It’s not like a volcano, firestorm, hurricane, or any other natural disaster that can last hours or days.  Since the earthquake takes place in the beginning of the series, the remainder came off, at least in my opinion, as rather boring.  It’s really unfortunate because the shows concept is really good, but you can only look at debris so many times before it just ceases to be interesting.

The last 10 episodes of the series follow Mirai and Yuuki as they walk home, literally, through the destruction.  They encounter different things along the way, such as a make shift hospital, but it really doesn’t spice the show up enough from being boring.  The end did have a nice plot twist in it but unfortunately it wasn’t a very surprising one.  I imagine that many viewers will have this one figured out long before they actually see the twist happen.  That being said, the show doesn’t suck, but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you like survival type themes, I’d recommend other shows like Mujin Wakusei Survive or something as they are more interesting and certainly have better pacing.

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chocolate undergound

Chocolate Underground

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Alternate Titles: チョコレート・アンダーグラウンド

Original Japanese Release Date: June 12th, 2008

Episode Length/Run-time: 13 episodes (3 minutes each)

Summary:

It’s the Fahrenheit 451 of anime!  The “Good For You” political party has outlawed chocolate and all other foods that are bad for you!  That won’t stop Smudger and Huntley from eating it though!

Review:

I give this anime props for its originality.  You won’t find another anime about chocolate being outlawed and people forming underground groups to not only create the sweet stuff but also to simply eat it.  All in all, the general populace is depressed (clearly chocolate is the answer to fighting depression) and in the end, the children cause a rebellion against the government.   That being said, the story is pretty much the one of the only good things about this anime and even then it is marred with problems.  Namely, the ending is god awful.  One of the worst examples of Dues Ex Machina you’ll find in anime wraps this one up with as much cheese as a bag of Cheese-its.  It was pretty obvious that the creators had no idea how to wrap it up under their limited time constraints.

This shows downfall into mediocrity comes from its format; 13, 3 minute ONA episodes.  In this format, the span of the series’s content is little more than a single regular length anime episode.  This is far too short a time to really develop any kind of cohesive story.  The characters get no development either.  How could they?  There’s no time!

So let’s recap.  Original concept that gets killed off by the short episodes and an ending that’s fit only for the mindless and a lack of character development that could choke a moose.  Ultimately, I gave this a 3/5 because I found its originality refreshing.  If you take this away…it might as well be a hentai, underage kids or not.

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K-On!!

K-On!!

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Alternate Titles: None

Original Japanese Release Date: April 6th, 2010

Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes

Summary:

Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Azusa and Tsumugi are back but trouble is brewing! The girls are graduating and the quintet must find enough new members for the club to replace those leaving Azusa behind.

Review:

So this season of K-On!! is mostly more of the same; tons of cake eating, tea drinking, tons of clumsy moe girls and mostly good rock music. If you want to get the major jist of this show, go read the review of the first season of K-On!. Instead of repeating all the same stuff here, I’ll merely note the differences between the two seasons.

This season has two key differences that I notice. First, it’s longer. In fact it’s much longer. Double the length in fact. I thought that 14 episodes of moe filler was enough but apparently somebody didn’t think so. You’ll get a full dosage of 26 episodes of moe laughs and giggles from this show. Second, this show emphasizes music MUCH less than the prior season. Because there is so much less emphasize on practicing the music, the girls don’t perform their music nearly as much and in my opinion the show loses its identify a little.

In summary, this is a moe series that lost the battle, giving up any semblance of a story for more moe gags. If you want to know what K-On! is all about, I recommend you watch the first season as it is a much better series.

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blade of the immortal

Blade of the Immortal

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Alternate Titles: 無限の住人 (Mugen no Jūnin)

Original Japanese Release Date: 2008

Episode Length/Run-time: 13

Summary:

Manji has a curse for the crass and violent life he’s lived and that is to wander the earth forever.  He’s begun to grow tired of his immortality so he seeks to break the curse.  However, the only way to do this is to slay 1,000 evil men.

Review:

Based off the manga Blade of the Immortal this anime just ends up falling short.  Even though it deals with heavy subject matter it still maintains a light and funny atmosphere. The main character is relatable while still being an interesting character, almost like a Dirty Harry type of person. But unfortunately the anime does not follow.  The characterization is poor and full of the cliche badass.  You have no connection to the characters because they are simply joyless. It’s a lovely mess in which you sit there and go “oh it’s pretty” but you wouldn’t care if every character just up and died.

The anime isn’t even worth watching compared to the manga which is finished now.

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