Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children

*Reviewed by arachidonic

Finally! The sequel from Square has arrived. I was very, very excited when I watched it and it proved successful in awe-ing me.

Firstly, the graphics in "Advent Children" - it was extremely realistic and not a single glitch was found. I specifically loved the way they portrayed the water dripping and other minor effects. Square has once again proved that they won't lose in the graphics aspect.

Now onto the story. Honestly, I didn't find it interesting. It's the normal "save the children" thing and the usual antagonists who want to take revenge on the world. Plus, people who haven't played Final Fantasy VII would find the story confusing as the story continues on two years after the VII story. I'm not putting in any spoilers, so I can't elaborate too much on it but I hope non VII gamers won't feel disappointed if you think you're going to find the story uninteresting to you. This movie has other aspects that will keep you attracted to "Advent Children", for example, the graphics.



Next, how is the action done? I believe there are some real human stunts, but I'm not sure whether all of them are done by human stunt artists. The action in "Advent" might make you question: "How is this possible?! It's so unrealistic!" My answer is, "This is a CGI movie!" The action in "Advent" is the second AWE you could find. There are no glitches at all. After watching it, you might find the fighting scenes are a little too fast but, to be frank, the action is the aspect that make me go "AWESOME, COOL!!!" and it's only until the end of the battle that I found that my mouth was opened wide. In short, it's amazing. I'm not being biased here.

Onto the music. If you're a Nobuo Uematsu fan, I'm pleased to tell you that he's back with his music. Some of them are the original soundtracks from the earlier VII game. Nevertheless, it's inserted with great timing and it suits and blends with the movie and the part of it well.

As to the voice acting, I have no complaints. The voice acting for Cloud in "Advent" is the same as in KH. I believe Aeris/Aerith and Zack's voices in the movie are also the ones for in "Gundam Seed Destiny". I personally liked Kadaj's voice, I thought it suits his character well. In conclusion, not much complaint on the voice acting aspect.

The character and weapon design in this game is done by none other than Tetsuya Nomura himself. You might find that some characters in "Advent" are similar to characters in other games (i.e. KH) but that's probably because it comes from the same artist. Sure, I do hope that there are differences but as long as you like them, no problem, right? Cloud's weapon is the third AWE. I loved it. But, sometimes, I wonder if he is as strong as that? Find out for yourself!



In conclusion, it is up to you whether you want to watch it or not. I personally suggest that you watch it. It is a movie that you should not miss. Yeah, my review here might be a little biased, and no spoilers to read (for those who've already watched it) but, please do try it yourself first.

If it weren't for my exams, I would've watched it tons of times already. Back to studying..
source:www.spcnet.tv

Howl's Moving Castle

*Reviewed by dianas

About the Characters

Howl

He is a very powerful wizard who owns a moving castle. Howl's character is really weird. On the outside, he is aloof and cool, yet he takes long showers and dyes his hair.

Sophie

She works for her mom at a hat shop. A strong willed girl who is able to keep calm on the worst situations.

Calucifer

He is a powerful fire demon. I think he has a soft spot for Sophie as he seems to do what she asks. (Even though she sort of "blackmailed" him). He is actually the power source that allows Howl's castle to move so he is really a powerful demon.

Witch of the Waste

She is so gross! You just have to watch and see to understand why I said that.


Brief Storyline:

Sophie, a young lady, is transformed into an old woman after being cursed by a witch. She escapes to avoid her family and meet a young wizard Howl.

Howl lives in a castle that has legs and walks. Sofie ended up working for Howl as a housekeeper. There, Sofie befriends Calucifer, a fire demon who is bounded to Howl by a contract that cannot be revealed. Apparently, the house is able to walk because of Calucifer. Both Calucifer and Howl are able to look through the witch's spell to see the real young Sophie.

After a while, Howl and Sophie falls in love. The story continues to show how Sophie helps Howl confront his former teacher and the Witch of the Waste.

Thoughts:

The story is actually taken from a book by Diana Wynne Jones. It has been compared with Harry Potter as some of the best children books ever written.

The story is very weird, kind of similiar to Spirited Away. I have ended up opening my eyes wide at various weird creatures that appears in the movie and goes "what is that?"

There are also alot of scenes in the movie where you just burst out laughing. An example would be when Sophie tried cleaning up the house for Howl or when Sophie bullies Calucifer. There's also a scene where Sophie tried climbing up the stairs while carrying a weird dog with the witch struggling beside her, that really had me laughing hard.

The characters are amazingly interesting. You have Sophie, a girl with a really strong character. Then there is Howl, cool external but is actually a sensitive person who will cry because of a bad hairday! Also, you have a cute talking fire who is actually really a powerful demon. And not to forget the witch who after changing back to looking like her age, became like a melted piece of butter. In addition, there is a bouncing scarecrow.

It's funny how Sophie ended up as Howl's housekeeper, reminds me of a Korean drama series. ^_^
I think Sophie is really courageous, I would just cry and be at lost if someone were to suddenly turn me into an old woman. But Sophie did not even shed a tear, she was calm and cool, even packing food before she leave the hat shop.

I think this anime is like a mixture of Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast and Harry Potter. If you are an anime fan, you have to watch Howl's Moving Castle. I have to give five stars, I really enjoyed it.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Naruto

*Reviewed by spcnet

*Note: This anime is still in progress and only 114 episodes have been released at the time of writing this review. The running manga currently has over 220+ chapters.

To say that "Naruto" is one of the latest craze in the anime world would probably not be wrong. In terms of most talked about and most interesting, the only other animes that are really worth mentioning nowadays are "Inuyasha" and "Full Metal Alchemist".

Naruto means "fox ninja" and is the name of our main character, Uzumaki Naruto, a loud-mouthed, mischievous, blond haired kid orphan in the Ninja Academy of Konoha Village. The story starts off with a prologue on the Nine Tailed Fox Demon, causing death and destruction to Konoha years ago. This demon was finally sealed by the Fourth Hokage, who sacrificed his own life in doing so.



Enter the present with Naruto causing mishief yet again--this time, grafittiing the stone carvings of Konoha's Hokages. Iruka Sensei, his teacher and older brother-like friend, punishes Naruto and learns of Naruto's dreams. Naruto aspires to become a great Hokage, a title given to the most powerful ninja of the village, one day and let everyone recognize his worth and existence. Naruto has been shunned by the villagers all his life growing up for reasons unbeknown to him and his rebellious nature was a form of gaining attention.

However, Naruto fails during the junior ninja graduation exam again--having to perform his least favorite ninjutsu (ninja technique), the Replication/Cloning technique. A teacher, Mizuki Sensei, tells him to retrieve the village's Scroll of Seals, mentioning that if he learned the techniques in there, he would be able to graduate.

Naruto does steal this scroll and surprisingly, learns the advanced class Shadow Replication 'Kage Bunshin' technique, which becomes one of his trademark skills. But little does he know is that Mizuki had deceived him to steal this scroll for him. Mizuki lets Naruto know why he is hated by all the villagers at Konoha Village--Naruto happens to be the reincarnation of the legendary Nine Tailed Fox demon that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village years ago! Iruka intercepts and in the ensuing battle with Mizuki, Naruto is gratified by Iruka's faith in him, and defeats Mizuki with Kage Bunshin. Iruka declares that Naruto has passed graduation and is officially a ninja. Thus begins Naruto's training and missions as a ninja. We then are introduced to characters like his new sensei Kakashi, his love interest Sakura, and his rival and friend Sasuke. The Chuunin (mid level) ninja exams come up very soon and this brings in many more interesting characters, along with a new villain that leads the story on with more exciting episodes.



Comparisons have been made between "Naruto" and "Dragon Ball Z", however, I think the similarity between the two only lies in the large range of characters. Fortunately, one fight scene doesn't drag on for more than 2-3 episodes and the characters don't talk and talk during a fight. There is also a lot more character development in Naruto, where you glimpse into the motivations and backgrounds of the characters. Compare "Naruto" with another ninja anime like "Ninja Scroll" and I would say "Naruto" is the PG-13 public version--meaning minus most of the gore and nudity but retaining the same appeal for ninjas and their ways.



The numerous ninjutsus and fighting styles of each character were also a highlight. The characters fight in styles that seem tailored to their personalities and there is a wide variety of skills displayed. Some of my favorites would have to be Lee's gym techniques, the Sharingan eye of Kakashi and Sasuke, the frog summoning techniques, and of course, Rasengan that Naruto learns later on. Let's just say it's enough to make collectable cards and card games out of the character stats and techniques.

You'll also grow to like more than one character as the story develops and more of each character is revealed. This is certainly an appeal, since in most animes you watch, there are maybe one to three characters, aside from the main character, who are truly developed or likeable. There are some great personalities in "Naruto", especially characters like Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Lee who are well defined.

Music is another plus point. The battle scene scores, especially Naruto's theme, has a sort of tribal chant to it and will get you pumped up as a duel takes place. Emotional and dramatic scenes are also nicely choreographed with background music. The intro and ending vocals are mostly rock and fits the anime's punkish image.

The flaws of this anime has got to be the flashbacks in many of its episodes. While it sometimes contributes to the story, at many times it felt almost like they were there just to fill up the episode. This is especially gruelling when one episode is only about 20 minutes long and you are watching so many flashbacks.



"Naruto" also falls trap to some of the typical anime cliches, which can be a good and bad thing. In most animes from Japan, the hero is usually likeable because he never gives up, despite great opposition from external factors. He is beaten, but never beat. That can be said about Naruto. At the beginning of the series, he is not the most endearing of main characters as he makes rash, and often idiotic, decisions. But as the series progresses, you'll really find yourself liking him more and more. It is a great mechanism of character development. Another trend is definitely how there is always a character who is cooler and calmer than the main character--Sasuke in this case. The love triangle exists too in that the girl (Sakura) will love the cooler guy (Sasuke) while the main character (Naruto) will love the girl and of course, the cool guy will not really notice the girl. "Naruto" reminded me of "Slam Dunk" where the three major characters fit that type.

Probably my last gripe about "Naruto" is that there aren't too many favorable women characters, aside from Tsunade. Sakura is the main female character but most of the time, I found her quite annoying. She is also one of the weaker ninjas, with no particular special skills or attacks. Her only redeeming factor so far was when she decided to chop off her hair and finally fight to protect Naruto and Sasuke, but that was quite a number of episodes ago already in the anime. How about some women power and ambition for the girl main character?

"Naruto" is definitely recommended for anime fans. It is one of those animes that have a pretty good package, with enough action scenes, comedy, and interesting storyline.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Samurai Champloo

*Reviewed by spcnet

Total episodes: 26

From Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of "Cowboy Bebop", comes another stylish and creative anime in the form of "Samurai Champloo". "Cowboy Bebop" was a jazz and blues fest of guns, roses, and cowboys while "Samurai Champloo" is the hip-hop and rap mix of swords, sunflowers, and samurais.

Each episode, until the last three, of "Samurai Champloo" loosely follows a single main plot of finding the 'Samurai who smells like sunflowers', sometimes not advancing at all to support this overarching plot. The story is really about three people taking a journey together and discovering something about themselves and finding friendship and companionship for the first time in a lonely life.

Our girl main character is Fuu, a cute girl waitress at a restaurant who has lost her mother recently. She's been wanting to go on a journey for a long time to find this 'Samurai who smells like sunflowers' but never found the courage to leave. In the first episode, she's bullied by some customers. A scruffy looking rogue samurai, Mugen, offers to take care of them for her if she'll pay him. Fuu desperately agrees when she is held down. Mugen makes quick work of the bullies and the outraged leader yells that he wants to bring in someone powerful for backup. Mugen gladly waits.

At the same time, a wandering samurai who dons eyeglasses, Jin, takes care of some local bullies on the streets. When he goes into the restaurant, Mugen mistakens him for the backup and starts a fight. Both duel, Mugen with his hip-hop break dancing style while Jin uses conventional samurai techniques. This battle ends abruptly as the restaurant is torched to the ground and both are knocked out cold. They're captured by the bullies and are set to be hanged the next day. Fuu sneaks in to visit them in prison and offers to save them in exchange for escorting her on her journey. Ultimately, a coin toss decides their path.

There is a lot of subtley in "Samurai Champloo", from the symbolic references made, to Jin's glasses, and to the humor. For instance, does Jin need glasses to see clearly? In an episode, Mugen and Fuu pawn his glasses to pay for food and Jin didn't appear to have trouble seeing. In the ending episodes, he loses the glasses in a duel and is still formidable. In all his flashbacks, he also did not wear glasses. His sensei also made a comment in the anime about how he needed glasses to see the world.

The relationship questions. Does Fuu like Mugen? She is constantly upset whenever Mugen gapes over other women, chooses Jin to leave, and makes a very ambiguous statement near the end about Mugen. She was devastated when she thought Mugen perished in a ship explosion and then anxiously tried to take care of him.

Does Mugen like Fuu? Both times when he almost died, what brought him back seemed to be Fuu. The first time, the last image in his flashbacks was Fuu. Then the second time, it was Fuu's voice calling him that dispersed the death icons. And was that jealousy on his face when he saw Fuu and Jin together near the river?

And might as well, does Jin like Fuu? I think it probably borders more on brotherly love.

The characters in Samurai Champloo have depth, their motivations in life are developed through the anime and they also in turn, develop as it progresses.

Mugen is a very interesting character and my favorite character in the anime. He's different from other main characters in that he's not your typical hero. He is not greatly righteous or honorable, but has his own code of ethics. He is unashamed to show his perverted side in going after women, will rashly kill an opponent, and get on a crazy mood. Growing up on an island where only criminals lived and the cruel survived, Mugen is perhaps the loneliest of all three main characters.

His profile seems very similar to Spike from "Cowboy Bebop", though it's not surprising, considering it's the same creator. A similarity between both Spike and Mugen is that both were part of a dark side of the world that they wanted to leave. Spike was part of the mafia, Mugen was branded as a criminal and both were marginal characters, never quite fitting in.

The music in "Samurai Champloo" woves in well throughout the anime. Most notable, the music played during the scene when Mugen was drowning was both beautiful and sad. It felt spiritual and contemplative. Not sure if I liked the rap intro song though since the vocalist was not a very strong rapper.



The animation is smooth and almost every episode is action packed. The pacing was also well done, 26 episodes didn't feel too long or too short. You may want to watch only a few episodes at a time though since it is episodic and each episode doesn't necessarily tie in with the next. The only gripe I have is that I would've loved to see what happens to these characters at the end of the journey. Hopefully, a movie or OAV will come out since it definitely left room for it. Recommended.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Initial D

*Reviewed by spcnet

Initial D 1st Stage (26 episodes)
Initial D 2nd Stage (13 episodes)
Initial D 3rd Stage (The Movie)
Initial D Extra Stage (Impact Blue Side Story)

Some Spoilers!
"Initial D" is an anime about street car racing and is based on a very popular manga by Shigeno Shuichi. The story is focused on Takumi Fujiwara, a 18 year old high school student who works part time at a gas station with his best friend, Itsuki. Their co-worker, Iketani, is a member of the Akina SpeedStar racers at Mt. Akina and while Itsuki is hyped learning about street racing, Takumi is disinterested.

One day, the Takahashi brothers Ryousuke and Keisuke of the RedSuns team challenge the Akina SpeedStars to a race on Mt. Akina. After seeing them in practice, Iketani realizes that no one in the SpeedStars are in the same league. His boss tells him that a mysterious driver driving an old Trueno 86 (Toyota) car has been seen every late night at Mt. Akina and that its skills are unbelievably fast.

This racer turns out to be Takumi. Takumi's father owns a tofu shop and has made Takumi deliver tofu at night in their Trueno 86 car ever since he was in middle school. Unknown to the unenthusiastic Takumi, his father has been training him to become a highly skilled drift technique driver. Takumi only agrees to race for the SpeedStars when his father promises him a full tank of gas the next day for his date with Natsuki Mogi, a girl he has feelings for. This is the mark of Takumi's racing days.

"Initial D" is definitely catered for car lovers, as a lot of the technical terms can be confusing. However, the racer's excitement is contagious and you'll find yourself watching along at each race with a similar excitement at the outcome.

Takumi is your typical Japanese hero though, he doesn't like to talk much, seems stoned out most of the time, and disinterested, yet has excellent potential and skills. There is also not much character development, except maybe with Takumi, Mogi, Iketani and Itsuki.

All the girls pretty much make the first moves as the guys are either too shy or scared or confused to show their own interest. You notice this in a lot of Japanese animations and games, where the girls are openly flirting or declaring their interest while the guy is still hopelessly confused. A certain gripe I have with "Initial D" is definitely the mysterious relationship between Mogi and her "Papa" which is becomes the cause for her and Takumi's breakup in Stage 2. At the beginning, you think that this is Mogi's father, and that perhaps her parents are divorced, which is why she sees him only 3 times a month. We know that he gives her money too every time she sees him but one just thought that he's giving her allowance money. Then later on, Takumi keeps getting notes in his locker that Mogi is dating someone who drives a Benz. Scenes with Mogi telling her "Papa" that she can't see him anymore because she's interested in Takumi is even more confusing. You don't know whether she's just really naive and innocent about her real father or that it is suggesting something nefarious, such as incest or prostitution. All this confusion just makes one think that this is getting more perverted. Takumi does come to a sort of resolution with Mogi at Stage 3, the movie though.

The progress of the plot is a bit disappointing as Takumi's character seemed a bit less likable when he becomes more interested in racing. The ending of Stage 2 also seems unresolved and unfinished, since Stage 3 is where it all comes together. One might be put off at first too by the analogies of street car racing similar to martial arts battles.

Animation-wise, the characters are hand drawn and do not look very attractive at first glance, as it's 2D, but it does grow on you after a while. The racing scenes are done with CG rendering which is a better. The graphics improve by much in Stage 2, as you can visibly see shadowing and sharper images. The soundtrack for this series is also very nice, with Japanese pop and rock.

All in all, this is mostly a car lover's anime but the story is engaging enough for non-car lovers to enjoy too. Development of romantic relationships are not well-drawn out and you would be left hanging and wondering what will come of the situation. But then, that's how teenage love is.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Chobits

*Reviewed by heroic _rendezvous

26 episodes in total

The Story:
Robots are designed to look exactly like humans and are replacing the positions of humans, that’s the case for the citizens of Tokyo, Japan in Chobits. Cities are pretty much being taken over by persocons (robots) under the commands of humans (Normal, average people, no one evil or insane.) Doesn’t really make much sense to me in a way, ordering someone to take over the position of you, your love ones or your friends, but this thought seems to be able to work out fine in the anime and manga.

Basically, the anime is about Motosuwa Hideki falling in love with his persocon Chii. When he realized that he was in love with his persocon, he wasn’t exactly sure of what to do. Could a human and persocon really fall in love and be happy? And with all the warnings and things that had happened to people he knew who fell in love with their persocon's, he was confused. Also what/who (besides from being a persocon) is Chii? Why does she act so strange and different from other persocons? Having all these questions Hideki was more confused then ever. Thus he tries to find answers, along the way meeting all sorts of new people and encountering all sorts of incidents with Chii. Would humans and persocoms finally be able to love one another happily and truly, despite of all the other relationships between a human and a persocon that didn’t work out?

Thoughts:
One thing that really made me enjoy the anime was the animation. I thought it was done very nicely. Also, I thought that the use of the music was pretty done well. Throughout the whole anime, there was quite a bit of music used, and there were times where I didn’t think that the music was needed.

I also found Chobits a funny anime, which I thought was good. Since the parts that people remembers in a movie, anime, or in anything they watch, are the funny or sad parts. So the funny parts really made me remember this anime. When I say funny, I don’t mean really funny, but just funny enough so that you would have a small laugh and remember the anime.

I wouldn’t recommend this anime to younger people, since there are thoughts and scenes that might not be suitable for younger viewers; also, the manga is rated for older teens. Though for everyone else, I would recommend this anime to you. Many people say that the ending is sad, and that they usually end up crying in the end. Maybe because I knew the ending beforehand, I didn’t cry. Well, I didn’t find it sad at all. But then you might want to have a box of tissue beside you when you watch the last episode, just in case you do.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Fruits Basket

*Reviewed by Lily N.


(26-episodes, July 5, 2001-December 27, 2001)

Creator – Natsuki Takaya

Production Company – TV Tokyo

Director -
Akitaro Daichi

Voices done by:
Tohru Honda – Horie Yui
Yuki Souma – Hisakawa
AyaKyou Souma – Seki Tomokazu
Shigure Souma – Okiayu RyoutarouHatori
Souma – Inoue Kazuhiko
Ayame Souma – Miyamoto Mitsuru
Akito Souma – Wakaba Murasaki
Kyoko Souma - ?
Uotani Arisa – Imai Yuka
Hanajima Saki – Yasuhara Reiko

Fruits Basket is a very touching anime series with 26 episodes and at first glance, the plot is a typical fish-out-of-water story that is doused with beautiful males, and a promise of a lot of love triangles to tangle things up. But that’s not it at all.

Quick Synopsis:
Tohru Honda is high school student who is now homeless because her mother had died a year ago, and the only place she can stay at is now undergoing construction. She is living in a tent in the woods and when walking home, she saw a house and ran into Yuki Souma, who is crowned the Prince at school because he is absurdly handsome and very nice to boot, and his older cousin Shigure there. They talked, and later, Tohru’s tent is destroyed through a landslide, and she faints due to a flu. So Yuki asks her to stay with him and his cousin, Tohru reluctantly agrees and this begins the series.

At the beginning of time, when God is deciding the calendar, he told the animals to show up for a meeting that will decide their order in the Zodiac years. Deceitful that he is, the mouse told the cat the wrong day, and then rode to the meeting on the head of the ox, and ended up being the first animal in the Zodiac, the only one got left out is the cat.

The Souma is cursed by this wrong, so for every generation, members of the Souma family will be borned to represent an animal of the Zodiac, and they will turn into that animal if hugged by the opposite sex. So imagine the fun Tohru has.

Characters:
Tohru – naïve, sweet and kind. A little bit clumsy and dense sometimes, but always says the right thing and a lovely human being all around.

Yuki – the Prince. He is too good-looking for his own goods, and get mocked by Kyou for his feminine looks. His voice is done by a female seiyuu, so when he first appeared, I didn’t know if he was a guy or girl. Because Yuki is the mouse, he is thought to have things very easy in life, so Kyou deeply resents Yuki for this, and they are constantly fighting.

Kyou – He is the cat and is treated badly when he was a child, so Kyou has a loud and obnoxious attitude to people. A lot is not revealed about Kyou until the last few episodes and then, you truly love him because even if he is not easy to love like Yuki, he is worthy at the same time.


Shigure – To say the least, Shigure is very easy going and a constant surprise. At first, he is a bum who wanders around the house in his kimono and does nothing but laugh at Yuki and Kyou, but to have survived the Souma family intact is quite a feat.


Hatori and Ayame – Hatori is a doctor, and Ayame is Yuki’s older brother, also is a cross-dresser with a flair for anything flamboyance. These two together and Shigure are childhood friends that provide support for each other, and the running gag is that Ayame is in love with Hatori and constantly wants to move in with him.

Akito – he is portrayed as the evil guy, and until the end, I am still not sure what animal of the Zodiac he is, or if he is an animal at all. He controls the Souma family, and everyone follows what he says.

Kyoko – she is Tohru’s mother, and through Tohru, we learn that she is a kind and strong woman who raised a child by herself and did a wonderful job of it.

Uo and Hana – they are Tohru’s close friends and defend her from the Yuki’s fan club at school.

Review:
At first meeting Tohru, she is annoyingly cute and so nice that you want to grate your teeth, but as the series progressed, you realized Tohru is nice because she is honestly that way, and she is the only good thing that is happening to these Souma characters for a very long time.

The Souma family is rich and reclusive, so what goes on behind the high walls are kept hush-hush even though the hints are given that they are not very nice things at all. More Soumas keep showing up, and at first look, they are all beautiful creatures with amazing talents, but almost all of them boast a sad past that kept me crying constantly.

The wonderful thing about this series is its characters, they are vivid and real. Yuki might be handsome and a Prince in everyone’s eyes, but to Tohru, he is just a little boy still trying to get someone to love him unconditionally. He once said, “I keep being nice to people so they’ll like me. It’s like giving people candies.” It’s sad and it reveals his vulnerability, making him real. Tohru is wonderful and nice, but she is naïve and at times stupid. Yet she opens her arm and accepts everyone, no matter that they are a cross-dresser or self-destructive and dangerous. This is the girl that everyone should have as a childhood friend or at least meet once in their life. It is easy to understand why both Yuki and Kyou care so much for her, and in return, she makes their lives worthy and bright.

The series is very shoujo in nature, and has little actions. It develops slowly and introduces new character at each episode. There is a sense of peace at the beginning, and humour when you first meet a character, especially Ayame because he’s so out there, and Yuki is so embarrassed at him, but the underlying current is that Ayame is sorry for abandoning Yuki when he was young, and from that point on, Yuki has never reached out for him again. So at the end of each episode, you get to know the new character really well and identify with them some way or another.

"Fruits Basket" is not overwhelmed with love triangles, and even the central love story is not really admitted out loud at all, you just know that Yuki and Kyou care for Tohru very much, and Tohru returns both their affections. The most touching love is Hatori and the woman he was going to marry, only that she discovers his real identity. Normally the girl would be running away or accept him fully, but not here. "Fruits Basket" showed a woman wanting to accept her lover for all that he is, but she is just mentally incapable of it, and the sacrifice Hatori was willing to make just make me cry buckets. He asked Tohru, “What do you get when the snow melts?” Tohru said, “Spring.” And this shows the fundamental characters that they are. Tohru is willing to believe and Hatori has given up on hope.

Fruits Basket is essentially about relationships, about love and our willingness to accept people. Most of the characters are damaged in some ways, and they don’t expect to be whole again. Even at the end, the characters are not wholly happy, and there is no happily ever for them, but you know that they are better and getting there. Although I really want to see a second season so more questions are answered, especially about Akito. He is evil, but he is sad because of his slot in life. He was dealt a crappy card, and instead of taking it like it is, he decided to make others’ lives miserable too, and I wonder if Tohru can save him.

I greatly recommend this series, there is so much more than the pretty characters. There is the humour, especially all the cut screen methods they used and the dialogue by Shigure and Ayame, and the lovely depictions of what acceptance really is. The series is not widely available, and there is
no DVD release in the US yet, so try to get on MIRC and search for it. The manga is beautiful too, with the artwork being very typical for a shoujo audience.
sourcce:www.spcnet.tv

Gensou Maden Saiyuki

*Reviewed by Lily N.

(50 episodes, April 4, 2000 to March 27 2001)

Production Company: Studio Pierrot
Broadcaster: TV Tokyo

Creator: Minekura Kazuya

Voices:
Sanzou – Seki Toshihiko
Goku – Hoshi Souichiro
Gojyo – ?
Hakkai – Ishida Akira

SOME SPOILERS!!!

First off, this anime series is based on the classic Chinese story "Xi You Ji", which has been translated into English as "The Journey to the West". Anyone worth their salt would probably know the basic story of "Journey to the West". I’ve read the original book when I was little, saw the Chinese version on TV, and rented all TVB remakes of this, so, this story is nothing new, but let me just say, a lot of ‘creative freedom’ was taken in the creation of this anime.

Characters:
The biggest difference between this series and anything else that calls itself "Journey to the West" would have to be the characters. Gone are our traditional meek monk, obnoxious monkey (okay, he’s still obnoxious here), lusty pig, or quiet Sand monk. They have all gone under dramatic makeover, and for better or worse, the characters are all new and interesting.


Sanzou – He’s the Tang monk but there is nothing here to remind you of the pious and soft-spoken monk in the TVB series. He’s blonde, purple-eyed, carrying a gun designed to destroy youkai (demons), and yes, he does use it.


He also smokes, drinks, curses, and have no problem with killing. One of his mantras in life is, “If I see my enemy, I kill them. If I see my parents, I kill them. If I see Buddha, I kill him.” Basically, do not stand in his way, or else he’ll get rid of you. Also, Sanzou’s traditional clothing is a white robe with wicker breastplate and a highnecked bodysuit covering his torso, made of either leather or rubber, and long gloves of the same material from the upper biceps to bands at his middle fingers. So in
another word, he’s hot.

Goku – Yes, Goku from "Dragon Ball Z" is related to "Journey in the West". Goku here is depicted as a young eighteen-year-old monkey youkai, and like most eighteen-year-old in anime, he’s rash, always hungry and intolerable. But he’s the best fighter in the group, and when the diadem on his head is removed, he’s an unstoppable killing machine.

Gojyo – Remember the Sand Monk? The guy that follows the group and always carrying the luggage? This is him, except he now has red hair, red-eyed, gambles, and has great luck with women. A drifter, he is the son of a youkai and human and so carries the mark of such ‘tabooed children.’



Hakkai – Maybe the Pig is the one that changes the most. He’s not lusting after women anymore or picking fun at the monkey. He’s now the peacemaker, and carries an impossible past. Of the four, he’s the gentlest but also the most deadly.

Review:
The series opened up with Sanzou taking an order from three talking-heads to go to the West to investigate a disruption. Evidently, all the youkais of the land have suddenly lost control of themselves and turned against their human fellows. So Sanzou head out with Goku toting behind him, and they later meet up with Hakkai and Gojyo and began this long journey.

Like most good animes, what drives this series is the characters and their interactions. Sanzou is at best a cold loner who hangs around the other guys because deep in his heart, he believes they will never rely on him for help, and so being with them keeps him safe emotionally. He’s a natural leader and the others look to him for directions, but it is easy to think Sanzou is just a gun-toting punk pretending to be a monk. Gojyo on the other hand is a total opposite from Sanzou. He’s charming, emotional, and a womanizer. But being a ‘tabooed’ child, he grew up in fear of his life.

The woman who was supposed to protect and love him, tried to kill him instead, and he only escaped with his life when his half-brother killed her to save him. So no matter what, Gojyo is incapable of loving a woman honestly. Hakkai originally was a human, note the 'was'. He turned into a youkai when during a rage to save his lover, he killed 1000 youkais. All of this was when he was still a human, so understand why I said he is the deadliest of the group. He’s very capable to horrible things, but he hid them behind a friendly smile and gentle dispositions. Son Goku is the most innocent of the group, with no knowledge of his past and he only worries about his next meal and keeping Sanzou safe.

So even though this series is based on "Journey on the West", there is very little Buddhist teaching here or any moral teachings for young children either, but almost like a satiric twist on the ‘modern’ "Journey of the West". The group travels in a Jeep that changes into a dragon, and the characters are nothing like their original counterparts. They are dark and damaged, but they are amazing survivors. Their attitudes are just amazingly bad-ass, I mean if TVB ever tried to reinterpret "Journey to the West" like this, Sanzou would have to be played by Simon Yam.

Along with these characters, the story is interesting, with the main evil powers seeking ways to combine youkai magic and technology, a definitely no-no, to bring an end to the delicate balance in the world. The evil guys are not always evil, but are real beings with dimensions and reasons for the things they are doing.

The artwork is beautiful, especially because the four main characters are all males *drool, drool*, with a lot of stark contrast and well-done overlays, but the animation is not as fluid as other shows. The fighting scenes are a bit static when there is nothing moving in the whole scene but the camera, but impressive enough to carry the storyline. I heard somewhere that this show had a low budget, which is interesting because it was very popular and highly successful during its run.

The music is adequate, not as impressive as "Rurouni Kenshin" but had some beautiful guitar solos that worked very well. There are also hard rock pieces and orchestral background music that is worthwhile to check out.

In conclusion, Saiyuki is amazing due to the fact that it is interesting even if it was based on something that most Asian viewers already know. It puts a nice kick to something old, along with the humour and entertaining battles, the characters and their interactions is just very well done, so check it out if you have the chance to.

There is also the manga of Saiyuki, and the Saiyuki Gaiden, which chronicled the party’s story when they were celestial beings in heaven. There was an OVA, which I haven’t seen yet, and a movie that told the story of one of Sanzou’s followers that turned evil. Saiyuki has been released into DVD, but not yet in America?, and its merchandises are everywhere on the Net. Oh, Saiyuki’s creator is a woman.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Hikaru no Go

*Reviewed by spcnet

75 episodes.

Spoiler review!

For the Go fanatic or those unfamiliar with the game of Go, "Hikaru No Go" is an anime that will appeal--from the story development to the sheer passion and love of the game that the characters have for Go.

The story is simple. Shindou Hikaru is a young boy who finds an ancient Go board in his grandfather's attic where the spirit of a great Go player, Fujiwara no Sai, resides. Sai lived during ancient Japan's Heian period and used to teach Go to the emperor. In a game between another tutor to determine who will remain the sole instructor to the emperor, Sai was wrongfully accused of cheating, lost the match, and exiled from the capitol. In his great sorrow, he drowned himself but his spirit still desired to play Go very much and drifted onto a Go board. Similarly discovered by a young boy who played many more Go games for Sai, the boy became known as the historic legendary Go player, Honinbou Shuusaku. Unfortunately, Honinbou died at the young age of 34 and once again, Sai awaited for the day that another person could hear his voice and continue on his quest to achieve the "Hand of God" (aka "The Divine Move")--something like the ultimate, god-like level of Go. This day of course came in modern day Japan when Hikaru happens to come across the Go board.

Seeing Sai's undying passion for Go, Hikaru uninterestedly agrees to play Go games once in a while. They venture to a Go salon for the first game and Hikaru chooses to play against a young boy, Touya Akira, his age. Little does Hikaru know is that Akira is the son of Japan's best professional Go player and possesses great Go skills himself. Unknown to Akira is that his real opponent is an ancient Go master Sai and not the amateur Hikaru in front of him. Sai wins the game easily to Akira's great surprise, at both the high level of skill and ancient style of playing Go.

Akira seeks out Hikaru thereafter as his life's Go opponent and it is because of Akira's determination and passion that Hikaru slowly wants to learn Go and play his own games. Throughout the anime, we meet equally passionate Go players and see Hikaru's and their trials, triumphs, and disappointments.



The highs of this anime is definitely the story set-up and the character development of Sai, Hikaru, and Akira. You can feel the comradery between Sai and Hikaru that grows between them and the influence of Akira's dedication for Go on Hikaru. It is ironic how Akira chases after Hikaru at one point in the anime and then Hikaru in turn, chases after Akira in his footsteps as they are destined to be Go rivals in life.

Hikaru is drawn as a cute, innocent boy and as the anime progresses, the animation artists visibly showed how he matures, from the sharper facial features to the clothes he wears. You grow with Hikaru in his awakening love for Go.

One of the major lows for this anime must be the abrupt ending. On about episode 60, Sai disappears for good. He sees that Hikaru has matured much along in his Go and developed his own unique style of playing. Probably the "Hand of God" will never be achieved by Hikaru either but as Sai put it, each person in life plays a role for another person--that perhaps Honinbou's existence was so Sai could continue playing, but Sai's existence after that was so that he could guide Hikaru in that long quest to the god-like level. Akira's existence was also for Hikaru because as Sai put it in one episode, if Akira had never met Hikaru, he would've continued down his path instead of waiting for Hikaru to catch up. Hikaru too, exists for the next person. This is probably best implied during the online Go match between Sai and Akira's father, Touya Kouyo. Sai wins but afterwards, Hikaru points out that had Touya placed once crucial piece at a different spot during the game, Sai would've lost. Sai is stunned as he did not see it during the game and it's when Sai realizes it is his time to go because Hikaru's potential will probably exceed his own one day and that it is the end of his guidance.

The disbelief that Sai is gone forever is hard to believe for both Hikaru and the viewer. Which makes Hikaru's realization near the end that Sai's influence in his style of Go playing is the only remnant where he could still find Sai inside him that much more touching. However, while there is some kind of closure for Sai and Hikaru (we just have to accept that Hikaru will eventually fully mature into a legendary Go player), there were so, so many threads to the story that are just left open to the imagination, and perhaps fan fictions.



For instance, we don't get to see Hikaru catch up to Akira and win finally. Everyone keeps speaking of the new waves of talent in the Go world and of the excitement this new blood will bring, yet while the viewer is getting hyped up along, the anime ends at that point! We want to see the exciting new match-ups and competitions and see who will win and lose. But then again, it is also unsatisfying that Sai will not be there to witness it either.

Another aspect of the anime that could've also improved upon is certainly the character development of some of the minor characters--some who are quite interesting too. Which goes back again to how the anime set up a great background story for itself but just didn't follow through and ended it too suddenly.

The music arrangement in this anime is done very well, the scores fitting for the various emotional scenes and matches. Many of the instrumentals were very beautiful and some of the ending vocal songs were also some of the best I've heard in anime. Personal favorite has to be "Bokura no Boken" by Kids Alive.

One thought you'll certainly walk away with is that these kids are so serious about Go. They will cry over losses (you'd think it's just a game), and revel over wins. Hikaru was captivated by Akira's seriousness over Go and I think in part, he wanted to understand how a person could be so serious about anything in life. It certainly made me wish that I was as passionate about my own career and loved it as much. Overall, this is a slow moving anime that creates a great back-drop but just didn't follow up to its potential. It is certainly recommended though for its wonderful story-telling and character buildup.

Some interesting notes:
At the end of each episode, there is a short clip that will teach you the basics of playing Go and give some insight into the world of Go. It was quite interesting to discover that there are kids out there in Japan who aspire to be pro Go players like Hikaru and Akira and have similar Go clubs and sessions. It has also been said that with the release of this manga based anime, there has been a revival of interest in Go nowadays.

There are two specials released in addition to the 75 episodes. The specials will tell of the matchup that Hikaru will have against the Korean kid he played.
source:www.spcnet.tv

Shaman King

*Reviewed by rui

Japan Anime Series
# of Episodes - 64

The adventure of Yu Asakura and his power spirit, Amidamaru to become the “Shaman King” and defeat the evil monk who died several decades ago, was reincarnated to pursue his mission in person of Hao Asakura, Yu’s twin brother.

The journey to become the king has won Yu his colleagues and friends. Manta Yamada, who’s unique and has senses like shamans became Yu’s first ever human friend. Their friendship started as he avenged Manta from the outcasts led by Rio who later became one of Yu’s loyal assistants. Manta and Yu faced together the struggles and dangers attached to every shaman and met the ever ambitious, aloof and arrogant Ren Tao, a Chinese shaman. Ren, although showed a hostile impression to Yu, they became friends and even helped him freed from the curse of gloom, inherited from the Tao family. Yu also met Horo-horo whose power was acquired from the nature, Kororo, an ice fairy. Though all fought each other in the shaman fight elimination round, they all earned trusts from each other and bonded as one family.

Their journey continued as Ana, Yu’s fiancée who also obtained the Great Spirit power of shamans pursued hard trainings and motivations to strengthen Yu’s credence to become the shaman king especially after a lost to Faust, a doctor who missed in saving his wife’s life wishing to be the king to resurrect his beloved Eliza. Yu’s trainings became harder each day but with Manta’s presence, he eventually finished the trainings successfully.

After the hard and ghastly elimination round, Yu and his power spirit, Amidamaru together with Ren and his power spirit Bason; Horo-horo and Kororo; Rio and Tokegaru were all set to Patch Village for the serious rounds up to the finals of the Shaman Fight. The test was not as easy as they thought for finding the said village was the half part of it.

The travel to Patch Village opened the door for Yu and his friends to acquire more power; to strengthen their Furiokos and in the long run met the British shaman, Lizerd whose life was devoted in killing Hao Asakura, his parents’ murderer; also Chocolab, a goofy, nonsense and frustrated comedian that joined Yu’s company and the “X Laws” led by Mistress Jean who called themselves as righteous and holy, sentenced other beings that denied to join them, with malice and death. As Lizerd was blinded by his anger to Hao, he was fallen to the beliefs of the “X Laws” left Yu’s company and treated hi old pals as enemies.

The battle of good and evil continued as both parties strengthened their powers and clang on to their respective opposing beliefs; Hao’s to change the world in his own selfish way disregarding the human beings while Yu’s to defeat the devil unleashed and rule the world of shamans in peace and harmony. But what if Yu chose to join his twin? Well, it would be very contradicting as there could only be one “Shaman King.”

Shamans

Yu Asakura – an Asakura descendant, a legendary powerful clan of Shaman that ruled the world of Shamans for million of years. Mastered his power spirit Amidamaru in using the harusame. Yu, though easy going but was never been so careless in facing the fight. Being patient and calm, Yu does not judge a person easily. He accepts everybody as friends and trusts them with all his heart. He maybe the toughest shaman but with Ana’s words, Yu would become very supple.

Hao Asakura – belongs to the legendary Asakuras that once led the Shamans but dismayed for he used his powers to evil and self-interest. He was killed by Asakura ancestors to prevent his wickedness but was just made even powerful to be reincarnated. As the descendant of great power was born, in person of Yu, Hao chose his twin brother to be in flesh again and continue his vanished mission. He used the spirit of fire as his power spirit and mastered to use the nature as his shield. Like Yu, Hao has also his friends with the same belief as him.

Ren Tao – a Chinese shaman, progeny of legendary Tao family. An arrogant and tough, Ren inherited his father’s hatred to humans as their ancestors were once molested and killed. He was raised to destroy and hate people but when he met Yu, Ren started to view the brighter sides of humans. He was partnered by Bason, as his strong power spirit.
Horo-horo – a shaman from Hokkaido raised and trained from the towering coldness of snow earned his cute power spirit, Kororo. He is an easy going as Yu. He gets easily annoyed to nonsense and arrogance. Though he could never top Yu’s power, Horo-horo had showed self confidence and love to nature astoundingly.

Rio – from a gangster to Yu’s loyal assistant, earned his power spirit as he was trained by Yu’s father and acquired Tokegaru and later the powerful spirit of guardian snakes of the mystic river. He joined the shaman fight and aimed to protect Yu Asakura. His identity was questioned for he likeably found attraction to Lizerd.

Ana – Yu’s fiancée. A shaman who can call the spirits anytime she wanted and has the ability to steal power spirits of other shamans. Very possessive and stern- strict, made Ana a very tough character in the series.

Faust – A doctor who pursued the journey of shamans even it was like chasing rainbows to become the shaman king to bring his beloved Eliza back. He became powerful and later Yu’s loyal assistant as Rio was.

Human

Manta Oyamada – Yu’s best friend and the cutest of all the characters in the series. Though he has the same age with Yu, he only stands half of Yu’s height. He’s not a shaman but possessed Shaman’s senses. He viewed spirits that only shamans can perceive. Other than that, Manta became a big help to Ana and the others for bringing them to Yu and arrived together in Patch Village.

Power Spirits

Amidamaru – A legendary Samurai who was known for his fighting abilities using his powerful harusame. Amidamaru played as Yu’s power spirit and later became holy and powerful to defeat Hao.

Tokegaru – Amidamaru’s old foe but later changed and joined Rio to be the power spirit.

Bason – A warrior and Ren’s power spirit.

Kororo – A nature fairy that maintains the balance of natural world joined Horo-horo to be his power spirit of ice.

Shaman King was one of the many successful anime series that was shown in Asia. Though its theme as “good fighting against the evil and heroism” lost its originality as in Ghostfighter and Flame of Recca, Shaman King was still original on its own.

Its uniqueness attracted the viewers and gave the series a higher appreciation. The setting, characters and the design surely sank in to every audience’ memory. The one that is also very impressive was the showing of the reunion of shamans all across the world. What gave me another favorable attention were the terminologies used by the writer such as follows:

Shaman – somebody who acts as a go-between for the physical and spiritual realms and is said to be the nature balancer.

Power spirit – spirit from anything that has life of its own; humans, trees, animals, etc associated with mediums to use as furioku.

Furioku – the shaman power.

Oracle bell – the instrument attached to shaman’s arm as a guide for schedules on their respective shaman fights.

Shaman fight – the holy battle of Shamans to determine their king officiated by shaman elders and the guardians.


I am watching the series as wrote this review. Though I have watched it many times already, I still treat every episode as suspense, feel good and funny. I’m confident to say that this animé series was better than the other drama series that only fooled the viewers with its draggy and boring presentation.

Shaman King was truly a perfection of a traditional Japanese animé which spectacled their specialty. The rocker presentation of Yu Asakura wearing his earphones showed his side as a jolly and cheerful character. On the other hand, using the sword and Amidamaru as his power spirit who was a samurai wholly showed the superiority of his power to all other shamans and at the same time, his sword weapon as we all know is symbol of a great power.

Meanwhile, the fighting scenes were completely stunning as they were showed in details; as they were executed very well unlike the other animé series. Shaman King would perfectly fit for a movie like the success of Ghostfighter, Dragon Ball Z and Cowboy Bebop.

Though this series was not as current as to some animé series, I still reviewed Shaman King to retain the fondness of the viewers to the loved series. A lot of animé lovers looked forward to this review especially to those nosy in having much information about the series.

Who said that animé series are only for kids? Of course not! Shaman King was loved by all ages. It rated so high even it was showed many times. Animé lovers crave for it as many times as it showed on TV.

Note: When Shaman King was showed in the Philippine TV several times, it was never been defeated by its rivals on ratings competition.

The Most Loved Character

You won’t have to guess, Yu Asakura of course! His charm and power plus his gentility and kindness stood out from the other characters in the series. Now, I’m an avid fan of Yu Asakura!

The Most Hated Character

It would definitely not Hao but Lizerd. I hated him for being so lame and cruel. He closed his heart to love and be loved. He was selfish. He chose his anger and left his friends in return for a great power to destroy Hao. He offered his life to Mistress Jean who’s as evil as Hao. I hated him for he just wasted the trust Yu has offered to him.

Overall, there are some familiar scenes from other animé series but I applauded this one for the writer’s great imagination in creating such a unique story; four stars definitely deserved it!
source:www.spcnet.tv

Shenmue: The Movie

*Reviewed by Dagger Lee

This movie based on the video game on Dreamcast which is actually an edited version of the long game turned movie.

Story:

Yokosuka, Japan - 1986
source:www.spcnet.tv

Ryo Hazuki returns to his father's dojo and notices that there's a black car parked outside. Ryo enters the dojo and sees his father fighting with a mysterious man in a dark Chinese dress. Hazuki Sensei gets hurt and Ryo tries to beat the mysterious man but couldn't. The mysterious man asked for the mirror or else Ryo would get killed. Hazuki Sensei tells but gets killed because he was accused of murdering a man. The mysterious man leaves with the mirror and Ryo is left with his dead father.

The next day, Ryo decides to find the man who killed his father. During his investigation, Ryo discovers that the murderer's name was Lan Di and that he was part of a gang in Hong Kong. Ryo receives a letter sent to his father saying to find Master Chen if he ever needed help. Ryo finds this man and discovers that Lan Di is now in Hong Kong. Also, he learns that the mirrors Lan Di were looking for were the phoenix and dragon mirror. Apparently, Lan Di has only the dragon mirror. Then, Ryo leaves for Hong Kong by boat and is supposed to meet Master Lishao Tao when he arrives there. The story continues...

Thoughts:
I really despised the CGIs in this movie because it were really scenes from the video game on Sega Dreamcast. I felt like watching someone play a game instead of watching a movie. The graphics didn't impress me and it didn't have any enhancements at all. What makes me more disappointed was that anyone could've made this movie, even bootleggers! I almost fell asleep because of this.

The audio is actually dubbed in English. The dubbing sounded okay to me but I prefer subtitles. I was disappointed that the Japanese version does not have English subtitles at all. To me, watching movies in its original language is better than watching dubbed versions. The audio is the same from the game and is in stereo. So far, the sound seems okay to me.

The DVD comes with Shenmue 2 on XBOX and is a nice treat. I really liked this since I didn't play the first game before and I own an XBOX. I didn't like the features of the DVD. It only has trailers, Japanese audio, English audio, and Japanese subtitles. I was even more disappointed that there weren't any English subtitles since I wanted to watch it in Japanese. Anyway, I still liked this additional package.

Conclusion: I only recommend this to gamers who are about to play Shenmue 2 and have never played Shenmue 1 on Dreamcast. I really despised a lot about this film and can't recommend this to anyone. I heard that there is going to be a Shenmue 2 movie but I won't watch it.

The Legend of Condor Hero

*Reviewed by Blinx

Finally Jin Yong's classic novel has been turned into an animated gem! The cartoon follows the story of Jin Yong's book, "The Return of the Condor Heroes", but I don't know why they named it "The Legend of Condor Hero".

I think the animation quality of this cartoon is impressive, and the charecters drawn are crisp and detailed. The fighting sequences are cheesy but some fight scenes are good, such as when Yeung Guor and Xiao Lung Nu are using 'tinn lor dey mon sai' against the Golden Wheel Monk.

The music is good, espcially the opening theme sung by Andy Lau; the ending song is a soothing Japanese folk type song but it fits in well with the credits. The storyline portrayed in "The Legend of Condor Hero" is brilliant, compelling and addictive, I just couldn't stop watching it!

I thought the last episode was rather sad because Yeung Guor is poisoned by the 'Ching Fa' (Love Flower). It shows Yeung Gor and Xiao Lung Nu heading back to the tomb on a boat and you get to see all the events which follow up to them now. I thought the music in that scene was touching and emotional.

The total length is a bit short to be honest, 26 episodes, 20 minutes each episode -- which I think is rather dissapointing. But I've heard that this is only the first half of the story and Nippon Animation is producing the second half!

This series has lots of action and love throughout it. At first I thought the love would be all mushy and corny, but it proved me wrong, because this cartoon made me feel Yeung Guor's pain when Xiao Lung Nu ran away.

Animation - 8
Sound, Music - 9
Story - 10

Overall, I think this is a great series, with a gripping story line, smooth animation, and good music to make this an all time classic!

Official site:
http://www.nipponanimation.com/
source:www.spcnet.tv

Endless Waltz-Gundam Wing: The Movie

*Reviewed by Dagger Lee

This OVA and movie takes place one year after the end of the Gundam Wing television series. It contains the same main characters from the series and a brand new enemy. The mobile suits, however, are quite different from the ones in the series.

After Colony 196, the Earth and the space colonies have settled down in peace. Having no use of their Gundams, the Gundam pilots send their Gudams to the Sun to be destroyed. Wufei disagrees and disappears without a trace.

Meanwhile, Relena Darlian has become Prime Minister of the Earth and visits the colony X1899. There, she discusses with the members of the colony on who should be leader. Relena drinks her coffee and falls unconscious. Soldiers arrive to take her away.

Heero learns about this and leaves for X1899 with Duo. Then, Relena wakes up in a bedroom and finds a little girl sitting in a chair. To her surprise, the girl introduces herself as the leader of X1899 and the daughter of Treize. Her name is Maremaia and she plans to start a war beween Earth and the colonies again.

Quatre decides to follow the Gundams and Trowa decides to investigate the colony by going there as a soldier. Wufei appears at the colony as one of Maremaia's soldiers and fights for her beliefs.

So what'll happen? Find out for yourself!

Thoughts:
I was really glad to see a sequel of my favorite anime of all time, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing. I was surprised to see that the mobile suits look different from the ones in the series but this didn't stop me from watching it. I actually thought the designs looked better than before. When I was watching it, I couldn't take my eyes off the television.

What I really didn't like was the plot. It was the same from the series. Couldn't the producers come up with a new plot with the same characters? I really hate it when something good is not done better in later adaptations. I didn't mind this but I still didn't like it. I hope that a sequel to a Gundam series will have a new plot.

The characters were the same as usual. My favorite character, Zechs Merquise, appeared with Tallgeese III and wasn't really dead. I was happy to see this but I was also confused. Didn't he die in the ending of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing? How could he still be alive?! The new characters were okay but I felt that they weren't as interesting as the old ones.

Conclusion:
I recommend this to fans of Gundam Wing. You will be lost if you don't watch the series before this movie, so watch the series!
sourcce:www.spcnet.tv

Rurouni Kenshin

*Reviewed by spcnet

Some Spoilers!
Probably my favorite anime thus far, Rurouni Kenshin (English title: Samurai X), boasts one of the best storylines, character portrayals, and soundtracks. An anime set in Japan's Meiji Period, it tells of the journey for redemption of Kenshin (literally Sword Heart), a warrior who fought in the revolution that brought about the Meiji Restoration. He is the legendary Hitokiri Battousai, a title given to the number one warrior in Japan and also a title that he has won from killing a great many people for the revolution's cause.

The series begins with Kaoru Kamiya, a young girl who has taken over her late father's Kamiya Kasshin Dojo. She is struggling to keep the departing disciples because of a rumor that the legendary Battousai is abound murdering people under the Kamiya Dojo name. Kaoru mistakenly, and ironically, attacks a man, Himura Kenshin, on the streets who has red hair and a "X" scar on his face, seeing that he is carrying a sword. She realizes her mistake when the real culprit shows up and later on, through Kenshin's help she is able to restore her dojo's reputation. Kaoru finds that Kenshin is the true Battousai and when he is about to leave to wander again, she asks him to stay. Tired of traveling, he agrees to stay for awhile.



Characters like Sanosuke the punk haired gangster who becomes Kenshin's good friend, Yahiko the young boy who becomes Kaoru's disciple, Megumi, Aoshi, Saito, and more make their appearances, filling following episodes with a lot of suspense and action.

The way of the samurai, seen as an ancient relic, is no longer needed in the new era, but for many, the warrior code was all they knew and followed. They became outcasts of society and sought their own form of survival in a cruel world. This being a major theme in "Rurouni" made many "villains" in the anime fleshed out and acting with motivation. Each character has a past that is well-drawn out and makes the story that much more engaging.

The suspense build-up and excitement is also terrific before and during major battles--and there are many. One of the aspects that make "Rurouni" stand out is the fact that while there is so much violence, it does not glorify it. Kenshin fights because he has to. It is a story that is wrought around a theme of salvation and hope for many of the characters, and especially Kenshin's.

The animation is sharp and simple, but also very appealing to the eyes. Action scenes are also done excellently.

The music is also beautiful, many of the background music is haunting and fits each mood perfectly. Each major character has a music theme that portrays their personality and inner feelings. Probably this is about the only other show, aside from "Ashes of Time", where I have went out to actually try to buy the soundtrack.



Kenshin's sad past, why and how Kenshin has the "X" shaped scar on his face, and why he gave up his killing and the Battousai, is explained in the OAVs, which is serious throughout, unlike the TV series which throws some comic relief once in a while.

This anime reminds me of how a wuxia story and adaptation should and could be. I could find no flaws with this anime, so I'll make this review brief--if you watch anime and miss this one, it is a great shame.

Fushigi Yuugi

*Reviewed by tiGerPiXie

The Fushigi Yugi series contains 52 episodes. It includes the OVA episodes, which takes place right after the ending of the series. After that there are the Eikoden episodes.

THE GIST:
This a series about a young girl named Miaka Yuki and her adventures into an ancient book called "The Universe of the Four Gods." This book's story is a magical spell itself. When Miaka and her friend, Yui, first find the book at the library, they find that whoever turns the page in the book will become the priestess of Suzaku and will receive three wishes and the story will begin. As you may have guessed, Miaka goes into the book, and finds that she is trapped there in the city of Konan. Her only way of going back into her world is if she carries out her duties as the priestess of Suzaku by summoning Suzaku. By summoning Suzaku, she will be granted three wishes which she can use to go back into her own world. But first, she must gather the seven warriors of Suzaku in order to summon the Suzaku god. A large portion of the story is dedicated to her adventures as she travels to find these warriors. But it's not that simple. Her friend, Yui, also goes into the book and becomes the priestess of Seriyu for the city of Kutou. Since Kutou and Konan are enemies almost at the point of war, this forces Miaka and Yui to become enemies. Nagako, a warrior of the Seriyu, purposely creates misunderstandings between Miaka and Yui. So, Yui begins to distrust and even hates Miaka, even though Miaka still wishes to be friends again one day. Yui's infatuation with Tamahome does not help her relationship with Miaka at all. Tamahome, a warrior of Suzaku, and Miaka had fallen in love early on in the story. Throughout the story, the jealousy-stricken Yui throws many obstacles for Miaka and Tamahome to overcome. Aside from this there are many love triangles in this series. Hotohori, another warrior of Suzaku, and Tamahome both love Miaka. There are plenty of emotions involved. Fushigi Yuugi is story of Miaka and Yui's race to summon their gods to ensure the victory of their empires, Kutou and Konan, which are about to go to war.

OVERALL:
This is truly an amazing story. I LOVE IT!!! Everything about it is great! The plot is very complex with many twists and surprises. There are elaborate romantic relationships between most of the characters. It has everything: humor, action, romance, suspense, terror, sadness, and everything you can think of! Fushigi Yugi appeals greatly to your emotions. (Even I cried at the sad scenes :0) The backgrounds and personality of the characters are so well developed that you feel a real connection with each and everyone of the characters. I love them all, even the evil ones. The art work is fantastic. They are beautifully drawn. The background, clothes and faces are extremely detailed. Each face has a distinctive characteristic so that you can tell one apart from each other.(Except for the twins, of course). I couldn't stop watching the series until I was finished. Each episode made you want to see the next. I seriously couldn't put down the remote! This is my all-time favorite anime! It excels in all areas!

CRITICISM:
There really isn't anything wrong with Fushigi Yuugi. Miaka is really adorable and sweet. She is a strong and good hearted person. I even liked Yui even though she was guided into the dark side for a while. She HAD to act in an irrational way. Otherwise the story wouldn't be as interesting. It's like one of those things where even though you dont want it to happen (like the death of a character), it MUST in order for the story to be solid and complete. So, there's nothing wrong.

I only have one comment for the Eikoden episodes. Miaka wasn't in the story enough. She was barely part of the story! But still, the story was suspenseful and thrilling!!!

RECOMMENDATIONS:
I suggest you start out watching the begining of the series first. (You would be surprised how many people just start watching it in the middle of the story since it came on cable.) If you just jump in, you may be a bit confused with what is going on.

I recommend the book to movie. The movie series is based on the book, so the book IS better. The book is MUCH more detailed and (if you can believe it) the pictures are drawn even better. The pictures in the book are absolutely beautiful with more details and designs in the backgrounds. The movie is GREAT, but you would get more out of the books(mangas).
source:www.spcnet.tv

Grave of the Fireflies

*Reviewed by cherrie

Grave of the Fireflies (Hotaru no Haka)

Directed by Isao Takahata

Sad. Tragic. Tearjerker. Touching. Realistic. These are the words that crossed my mind when my friend asked me how this film was.

This 1988 anime was about the story of two young children, Seita and Satsuko, and how they dealt with the horrors of World War 2. The story started off in a train station when two roaming policemen found several people scattered throughout the station. At last they came upon a dying young lad, whom they regarded as a “lost soul.” They found a rusted empty fruit box and one of them threw it out carelessly. The fruit box was opened and out came several fireflies.

Seita and Satsuko lost their mother during an air raid by American forces. Their father was a marine. Left with no other guardian, both children were forced to live with their vicious aunt. She often referred to the children as her burden and refused to give them good food. Even when their aunt decided to sell their mother’s kimonos, the aunt still got part of the rice (in exchange of the kimonos). Finally, unable to endure his aunt’s continuous taunts, Seita decided to leave the house with his sister and soon found an isolated shack by a river. During the first few days they lived with total happiness and celebrated their newfound freedom. Soon, Seita became worried about their food supply. He did all sorts of things in exchange for food but with no success. He was reluctant to let his little sister know of his problem. But this became obvious even to little Satsuko when she herself lost her energy and became sick. Here we see how pitiful Satsuko was when she showed how thin she had become and how her whole body was savaged by mosquito bites. The poor 4 year old girl died of malnutrition in her beloved brother’s arms. After cremating his sister, Seita himself lost all his hopes of surviving.

This anime successfully earned the tears of many viewers. The sad fates of the two children were so pitiful. At the same time, the film was so realistic that people, especially those who survived the war, could really relate. I heard that when this was shown to old people in a Home for the Aged, majority of the people there cried even before they reached the middle part of the story. This film was created mainly to convey the anti-war pro-peace message of the United Nations. And this was certainly a success. The way I interpret it, the fruit box and the fireflies symbolized the children’s hopes. Satsuko loved the fireflies because of the gorgeous light they emitted even though the fireflies only had short lifespans. The fruit box initially belonged to Satsuko, who loved candies more than anything. When they finished eating the candies, Seita decided to catch some fireflies, kept them inside the empty fruit box, and let them out of their sleeping net. There, they would think of their dreams and aspiration. In the end, the fruit box was thrown away and the fireflies flew away. For me, it was quite a symbol of lost hope.

When I watched this film, I also cried towards the end. I felt extreme sorrow for the two children. At that time, I thought of the victims of war, not only during World War 2, but in the Iraq-US war as well. Just like ancient times, whenever leaders of states declared war on each other, those who would suffer were none other than the innocent civilians. This film was a real tragedy, and at the same time, a sad reality. I am no fan of anime, but I strongly recommend this film.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack

*Reviewed by Dagger Lee

This Gundam movie continues 14 years after the original series Mobile Suit Gundam. The plot still revolves around the rivalry between Amuro Ray and Char Aznable.

Summary:
In Universal Century 0093, Char Aznable has become the leader of the Neo Zeon, descendant of the Principality of Zeon [The bad guys in the original series]. He plans to punish the people of Earth by freezing the planet. In order to do so, he must ram two asteroids to the planet's surface. Opposing him is Amuro Ray, lieutenant of the Earth Federation's Londo Bell unit. Amuro fails to stop Char from sending one asteroid to Tibet and goes off to the moon. There, he meets a worker named Aoi Chan and asks for a status report of his Nu Gundam. It still isn't ready but Amuro ignores that and takes it to Londo Bell for preparation of his next battle with Char. Chan tags along and enters Nu Gundam's cockpit.

Thoughts
I was really excited to see this movie. I was glad to see Amuro and Char fighting against each other again. I thought that this was great since I really liked both characters. The only thing that was annoying was Quess Paraya. She is arrogant and hard headed that I wish I were in a mobile suit and could blow her to pieces! Everything else had what I hoped for: action, drama, twists. I'm really proud that I bought this movie on DVD. It came with other goodies that I liked too.

The action scenes were really good. I liked the mobile suits used in battle. I thought that this is what you would call Robot Wars! The mobile suits looked great and cool as usual. Also, I really liked the cockpit of the mobile suits. It looked like the pilots were actually floating in space! The Nu Gundam is what amazed me. It could survive through the earth's atmosphere, shoot funnels, and be the deadliest Gundam of all. This has the best battles I have seen in Gundam and shouldn't be missed.

The characters were cool as usual. I like Char's personality and Amuro's as well. Unlike other animes, the bad guy seemed likable to me. Char doesn't act like he's crazy and is a cool guy. Amuro seemed different but still likable to me. Now, he is more brave and cunning than before. I'm glad that they got one final battle to end everything. The character that really inspired me was Bright Hathaway. He was willing to look for Quess even if it was too dangerous. This is what I call true love. All the other characters were the same as before in the series.

Conclusion:
I recommend this to fans of Gundam. It has the conclusion to Char and Amuro's rivalry and is the best Gundam yet! Don't miss this at all!

source:www.spcnet.tv