Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto


So, Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto… couldn’t they have picked a longer and harder to pronounce title. I mean it’s not the longest, I’ve seen longer (this ,,I’ve seen longer” talk sounds like I’m gay), but the ideal title is one that you can pronounce 5 times. Try saying Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto 5 times. Well anyway, this is one of the requests we got for the ,,Do you know crappy-shit-ass anime” post, but unfortunately I can’t classify this one as such. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s no masterpiece and it has some critical flaws, but it’s not retarded and I found myself enjoying it, although that started happening after the 6th episode, but we’ll get to that.
The story is about a guy named Youjiro Akidzuki and his destiny. He is an Eternal Assassin and an excellent samurai, and he must find and seal (or destroy) The Head of The Lord. No, not Jesus Christ. The Lord is some guy from China that was killed 2004 years ago and his head haunted and brought chaos, war and death to the land until he was sealed and brought to Japan. So of course now he was unsealed, and he starts spreading chaos. Akidzuki meets a traveling actor troupe that he kind of befriends. I’m not going to start naming them, it was hard enough to memorize them, but they play an important part in the story, especially the girl they call Chief. The story seems simplistic and boring at first, but that’s only for the first 6 or 7 episodes. These are the episodes that start the story. Here you have to struggle memorizing each character, understanding them and their purposes, and figuring out Akidzuki and the Lord’s Head, which is hard considering they don’t talk a lot about that. But if you get past these episodes the story starts accelerating and different twists and turns appear, which aren’t the most genius things, but are unexpected and work out well. Also, what I can promise you is action. The anime delivers good fight scenes, and there is one that I particularly like and that is Akidzuki’s fight with a guy wielding 2 pistols like a cowboy.
What I’d like to address is the ridiculous amount of characters. I mean the troupe alone makes up a quarter of the cast that is presented in the first 2 or 3 episodes, and that list grows every episode. Some of them die, but there is always someone to take his place. While I always welcome big and diverse character casts, here they went a bit overboard because it gets confusing and the fact that you have to memorize their names and background doesn’t help at all. Plus there are a lot of historical figures that play important parts in the story so it gets even more confusing. Reading about it you probably are thinking ,,Oh, he’s just exaggerating” but believe me, if you watch it, then you are gonna see a lot of screens that have names on it. Not like in the subs, but next to a characters face like saying ,,This is him”. And since I’m talking about history know that this is the second fuck up. As the name implies the action takes place in the Bakumatsu era. When is that? ,,Well go figure out yourselves” is what the anime implies. I mean it doesn’t give you a specific number. It’s confusing enough as it is, why not give me a historical time I don’t know about. And how could I? I never learned that at school and I’m sure neither have you. But you quickly see two guys with pistols fighting samurai so… I guess they present different visual clues and auditory facts that obviously hint you to the year 1856 or so. I’m guessing it’s the time that Japan got out of its political seclusion (yeah I know a little history). But… I welcome the fact that they try and mix history with entertainment, but… why in the love of fuck are they presenting me a FUCKING THESIS. I mean the narrator (yeah we have one of those) almost constantly presents you different historical facts that don’t influence the story and you don’t need. I mean it gets annoying, and it just takes up time. It’s confusing enough as it is, and plus if you’re gonna talk about some historical stuff, then present it to the end, don’t just go ,Because of this event, shit happened” cause I’ve no idea what the event consists of. Also there are a lot of historical characters, which is bad, but I think they did a good job with those. The fictional character are uninspired and it seems like the were copied from other anime and only had their shape and personal background changed, but they act and have the same personality as other characters from other anime. I mean this guy Akidzuki is a painfully obvious copy of Himura Kenshin from the OVA Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen also known as Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal. Watch Bakumatsu and Samurai X in parallel and you’ll be convinced. The only difference between them is their appearance and the fact that Akidzuki’s eyes glow a lot like he’s about to go Super Sayan. But the historical characters are better. It’s like… you know they are copies, but they are supposed to be copies, and excellent copies they are. I read about many of these characters on Wiki and was astound of how well they represented these characters. I saw some pictures and they even look the same (the real and the copy). It’s like they made ,,copy paste” from history directly into the anime. There are a lot of useless characters as well. But they try and make every one important. For example there was a messenger who averted a battle thanks to his speed and the message he delivered. But after a couple of episodes, when I forgot about him, they show a scene after a battle and some guy looks for his friend. Turns out his friend was the messenger, and he died in battle and the narrator suddenly comes in and starts talking about this guy saying ,,This guy, who did this, and thanks to that this did or didn’t happen, died like this on this day”. But even worse is when he (narrator) talks about certain characters that haven’t but WILL die. It’s like ,,This guy, know as this, who did this, and thanks to that this happened, will die like this after this much time”. It’s like they are spoiling. You don’t see that happen, but you know it, so it’s something like spoiling. And does this sound like fun, hearing the narrator talk a lot about shit you don’t care ?(unless you’re Japanese, which I apologize for saying such things) It’s like they wanted to include different stuff just to make the series longer.
The presentation is good. Although the characters have copied personalities, their models look good and rich in color and detail. Background is a bit fucked up, but only in night scenes, and those are few and usually have a lot of action going on, so you don’t pay much attention, but it’s like the background has one color scheme and that is a darkish blue. It’s monotonous, but I say again, you don’t pay much attention to it because of the action. The sound department didn’t slack of as well. They deliver believable voice acting, realistic sound effects and nice music, particularly the opening.
In conclusion this one has a lot of flaws but if you get past the first 6 episodes and accept the history lessons, you get a nice and fun experience that you might enjoy. Let’s put it this way… Although I don’t recommend it as a ,,must see", I’m not against you downloading it and giving it a try.


p.s. Although i found the full version of this song on YouTube, it contains a lot of spoilers for those that might be interested in checking this one out, so i put the short version, but know that the full versionn rocks.

Monday, June 29, 2009

First Look: Soul Eater



Ok, so from now, on our blog, we will write 2 (that is TWO, as in one-two) posts per anime series. One of them, from this day on, will be containing our first impressions after watching a couple of episodes. What do we think, what do we expect. I decided to do that because, first of all, I see a lot of anime blogs out there just reviewing every episode of each series, which is retarded if you ask me, but hey, who am I to judge. I guess one during and a review afterward is enough. So the preview posts will be called First Look, and they will have their own category called, yeah you guessed it, First Look. I am going to write the first post from this category about something I started watching yesterday, Soul Eater. I know many of you have already seen this anime, but I never actually had enough time to watch it. I just realized like a couple of weeks ago, that I didn't see it, so that's what I'm doing right now. After watching 7 episodes, I can proudly say this anime is awesome. It has some great visuals, and a compelling cast of characters. The sounds are also nice, and I really cannot imagine them fucking it up. So this is a really good one for my basket of "Seen shit". Comedy, action, comedy, cool stuff, pure awesomeness, and did I mention comedy???

Expectation rating: 9/10

Zombie-Loan


I think it’s time we talked about something other than ,,must see” , classics, legends or horrible and retarded pieces of crap. I think it’s time we show something less known and less talked about, but still worth mentioning. Zombie-Loan is one such anime. It’s not the kind that you would put on any of your "Watch before I tragically die" list or anything. This is the kind that I watched on a rainy spring day without anything better to do. On that day I watched the entire series because it’s not long, only 13 episodes, and let me tell you, even though the entire day rained and I spent the day watching this anime, I didn’t feel like the day got wasted. And I think that already talks a lot about this one. It’s not epic nor does it absorb you in it, but it’s still a fun ride. Although I have to say that in the end it kind of sucks but I’ll get to that soon enough.
So the story is about a girl, Michiru, and her ability to predict when a person is about to die. If she sees a gray line form around a persons neck then that means he will die soon, and if it is black then that means he’s dead. So she wears glasses to counter this sight, but one day she bumps into one of the schools idols, loses her glasses and sees a black line around his and his friend’s neck. These guys are Chika Akatsuki, a guy with a rather lively and extroverted attitude, but he is also short-tempered, and Shito Tachibana, which is seen as an idol by the female students, though he seems not to care and he is generally a much more approachable person than Chika, but certain situations and people cause him to act cold and indifferent. As it turns out, both these guys are zombies that work for the Zombie-Loan office. They dispatch zombies to Heaven or Hell, depending on the weapon used. Ahhh, yes, let’s talk about the weapons. As it turn out each of these guys right hand doesn’t belong to him but to the other. It’s like they switched their right hands. So that means they are linked to one another. If their hand stays too much on the owner, or if too much it stays apart, then the hand will begin to rot. Also, when they switch their hand back to the original owner they form weapons. Chika forms a katana with which he sends souls to Heaven, and Shito ( I just realized he has a fucked up name… Shit-O ) forms a 9 inch revolver with which he sends souls to Hell. So they hook up with Michiru and she starts aiding them in finding zombies for them to kill. This is the plot basically, and beyond this there really isn’t much to say. So yeah, the plot isn’t much complex, but that is good, I didn’t expect for them to overcomplicate things. This is the kind of anime you want the plot to be plain and simple.
What kept me going here are these 2 characters, Chika and Shit-O. The fact that they practically hate each other ( although it is hinted that they think of each other as friends ) gives way for a lot of comic relief, or… tries to. I mean don’t get me wrong the series managed to put a smile on my face here and there, but comedy isn’t its strong point. But still, I think it’s well thought out this idea that they hate each other, but are bonded by this ,,right hand going to rot” curse, and have to work together to correct this mistake and pay out their loan. What else I like about them is that they are… assholes. I mean that is good, cause usually you see these heroes, noble souls that fight for the weak or anti-heroes. But here you see guys that fight only for themselves and if they do something good, it’s only for their cause. They don’t care about anything else, they just want to pay out the loan, and continue with their lives. And the way they treat each other and Michiru, well… I can understand them being dick with each other, but the way they treat Michiru is so asshole like. And don’t forget that she is a girl. And Shit-O is the worst because Chika openly shows his dick-like behavior while Shit-O acts all cool and calm until he just looks at you and says ,,Go burn yourself”. I mean, that is cruel, to act like a gentleman and then say cold-hearted things. But still I think these characters are awesome, and they are the main reason I kept watching this show.
But like I said before, after 7 episodes it kind of feels like they offered all they have to offer and it just drags along. So to end it, they present one final plot, one final boss and then one final happy end. It ends kind off sudden, but it doesn’t leave you wanting some more, it just… ends, and that’s it. You don’t know what to say or what to think, you just start another series without fully realizing it. So yeah, the ending kind of suck, but if they dragged any longer just to make an epic ending then it would’ve sucked even more, so I have no major complaints.
Animation-wise, Zombie-Loan is fairly decent. The character models are well drawn and detailed and the visual effects are good. It’s nothing that makes me touch the screen, but at least its eye pleasing. And the sound is decent, nothing spectacular or memorable, but it does the job right and fits well.
Overall, this isn’t a ,,must see” , but I enjoyed the short experience and if you want something to spend your time on a murky and rainy day then be sure to check this one out.  


The Girl Who Leapt Through Time



I am going to start by saying that "The Girl Who Leapt through Time" was the best anime movie I have ever seen. It doesn't have the best visuals in the world, but it has something that normal anime fail to deliver, and that is entertainment. You will be hooked in the story right from the beginning. With its lively and interesting backgrounds, lush colors and detailed animation, the film is really a joy to look at. Particular mention must be made of the time-leaping effect, which truly offers you a sense of breathlessness. The plot of the film is very simple and it would seem like a boring cliché, although it's not. It has a high school senior named Makoto Konno going through life, hanging out with her two best friends, and trying to cope with the pressures of being a student. So it is the same boring shit. Well until on a day, when everything is going wrong, Makoto suddenly discovers that she has somehow become able to leap through time. She falls over some kind of walnut and it gives her the ability. Seems stupid and retarded but they will reveal everything in the end. The ending is gorgeous. So suddenly able to relive great days or correct past mistakes she thinks she has somehow managed to find a way to make her wishes (and those of her friends) come true. But as all the movies involving time travel always thought as, it soon becomes clear that some of the changes have consequences that she never intended. It is a really a beautiful story that actually teaches us to embrace things the way they are and to try to make thing better but to understand that what has already happened can't and should not be changed or redone. The movie has two parts: the science-fiction part which starts right there in the beginning, and the melodramatic romance which ends the movie. And yes, I almost cried in the end. Almost did.



Graphics 9/10
Sound 9/10
Storyline 10/10
Characters 10/10
Overall 9.5/10

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Love AMV

I am dedicating this post to the most beautiful couple out there in the business. "Bokura Ga Ita" or "We were there". Will do a review of it later, can't now 'cause I have to re-watch it, but for now let's just enjoy the AMVs...





Karas



The story takes place in Tokyo, a city populated by both humans and by ghostly beings. All of them exist in both dimensions, seen and unseen: spirits, demons etc. And the point is that there must be a guy that should maintain some kind of balance between humans and those Harry Potter fans. So that guy is called Karas, some kind of raven guardian of the city. Every city has one. A Karas is created by a female called Yurine. She is some kind of spirit of the city. Every city has a Yurine, and she gives the power of the Karas to some human being. Without her he cannot transform. What we have is another Karas names Eko, actually a former Karas, who attempts to seize power and bring order to the streets through force. So Karas has to battle this Eko dude and save his city. If you see the OVA as 6 episode-pack then you will have no problem in understanding the plot, as the episode succeed one another. However if you download/buy Karas as the 2 movie-set it may be confusing because you don't know which one goes first. There is the first one called The Prophecy, and another one called The Revelation, and those two are considered the released English edition. So make sure you watch them in the correct order, because the story is hard to understand on its own so you really don't want to complicate things with Karas. Karas is great. Confusing, yes. Might give you headache, yes. Might give you a boner from the awesome 2d/3d visuals, yes. You will really need to watch this OVA more than once if you want to truly understand what is going on. So don't be frustrated if by the end of the 2nd movie you don't realize who the fuck is that guy, and what is he doing there. I won't spoil the plot this time, because I really want you to watch this anime. As I have already said the graphics are gorgeous, but also the sound does stand out. It seems they didn't miss anything. The only thing that really pissed me off was, as I already said, the plot. How the main character gets to become Karas. And while you're watching that, you have to understand Eko's plan. Eko and his followers live in the material realm in human form, but to continue doing so they must feed on the fluids of human bodies. Their periodic feasts result in massacres that leave only a single traumatized survivor. And there is a second plot within the main plot that focuses on the human victims that occurred during those feasts. At the end you will find out that someone within the police forces was actually a monster, but again, I am not spoiling who that is, or what role does he play in the final battle between the two Karas warriors. There is nothing much to say about the characters either. We have Eko and his army on one side, on the other side we have Karas and a cool-looking dude with guns, that wants to save his brother from Eko's lair and helps Karas. The dude was some kind of soldier in Eko's army I think. So again, it is really confusing. But you won't mind watching it again just because of all the cool CGI and fight sequences. I promise it makes more sense the second time around.

Graphics 10/10
Sound 9/10
Storyline 7/10
Characters 8/10
Overall 8.5/10

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Violence Jack Evil Town




So like I promised, this is my first review of an anime from my,, Shitty anime” list. If watching drama is a test to prove Animenerdz’s nerdness, then this is my test. So… Violence Jack Evil Town. Wow… sounds original. Actually I can do a 2 word review – Shit Town. But that is no fun, you want to hear ( or read ) more of my thoughts on this, and since I love you all so much I will try and give it my best.
If you want to know what VJET ( the initials of the title, which of course sounds like shit when pronounced ) is then I will describe it like this… it’s a cross-breed between Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and hentai. This movie was made for those that throw all shred of logic and decency aside. But it’s not just the excessive use of gore violence and sex that puts it in my ,,Retarded anime list”, but also everything that happens, which is supposed to have logic, cause and effect and all that stuff I’m expecting from an anime, but doesn’t. I don’t know why, but beyond the veil of blood and sex I expected logic. My wish puzzled me. I knew from the start that this was shit, why did I even bother expecting something. Guess it’s my naïve nature. In order for me to express my frustration and show you the retarded moments that would BEG logic in any other normal anime, I will do a retelling of the movie, like a summary. While some of you might say ,,Oh you shouldn’t bother with these so much” I’ll say ,,If this were any good I just might overlook some moments, but this is not the case”. And know, just because I’m not sane enough to keep away from this, I’m still sane enough to pursue logic in all. And no amount of re-watching this movie will change my opinion. Plus it’s so bad that the picture you see above is the only one that was opening. Now that is… BAD.
So let’s get started. It starts off with an earthquake destroying Tokyo, and then it shows survivors under after 6 months. Those, that lived underground, have named the new city Evil Town and it was divided in 3 zones, or groups. A zone which is all male and children represent the weak, B zone which is all thugs represent the strong, and C zone which is all female represent the women that were with A zone, but after some shit the males did, they run off and no one has had contact with them. B zone remind me a little of Mad Max, but I’ll talk about that in my next movie review. So the A zone tries to dig themselves to the surface and… WHY THE FUCK IF THEY TRY TO REACH UP, THEY ARE DIGGING DOWN? Is this Journey to the center of the Earth?
So as they dig they find an unearth Jack which was buried there for 6 months (please remember this fact). Jack is a 6 foot tall giant that looks like he crushes diamonds between his fingers. So as they dig him up B zone thugs come and Jack kicks the motorcycle of one of those thugs together with the thug, and they run off. Ok… then he goes to the A zone leader and he agrees to help them against the B zone. Ok… now we see the B zone. The leader is also a giant which has a second in command which I also think it’s his lover and… she… he… IT is a BIG fuck up. This character is the HOTTEST character in this movie, but… every time I see IT my brain is like ,,Dude… find a gun, load it, and put it in your mouth cause if you got the hots for a transsexual then all meaning and reason in this life, all which is Holy and Sacred, is gone for you”. But then like most of the characters here, she got naked and my brain said ,,Oh, dude it’s all good, she’s fine, we are safe”. Despite what you might read on wiki or other sources, which state she IS a transsexual, they were all probably thrown off, like I was, by her voice. Yes, she has the voice of a man (and it is the most annoying voice ever). What’s the deal? I thought that no woman wanted to do voice cast for this piece of shit, but no, there are women voice in the cast, for the ,,all exclusive” C zone. So what? Did they run out of women in all of Japan for this one character? Or was it this one guy who said ,,I’ll kill you all and then myself if you don’t give me this role” ? I don’t know, but that is a big minus. So anyway, back to the plot. This… thing, proposes that they have a market for A zone and C zone. Ok… what’s the point? Did they suddenly grow a heart? And everybody there is like ,,Yeah let’s do it. That is the most awesome thing I heard”. They react like dumb shits, which they actually are. So they do a market and guess who shows up? Jack. THAT WAS ONE WILD FUCKING GUESS! To propose a market and for that guy to show up. And they don’t even fight, it’s like they see each other and go ,,Oh, a fine day to you sir” ,,Yes thank you kind sir”. So if they lured him out, why didn’t they do anything? But now true stupidity arises. The secluded C zone comes out. A group of women come and immediately, one of them comes up and says ,,I want to buy you Jack”. Ok… how did she know about someone dug up only recently, in A zone, especially since they were in seclusion? Also… HOW THE FUCK DID SHE KNEW HIS NAME? He only said it to 3 or 4 members of A zone, so how come she knows his name? Not even B zone knew that, and the A zone didn’t mention it. I have to be really drunk to accept this as it is. So they say ,, Come with us, we will pay anything, we will even offer ourselves to you”. And this guy takes a long time to process that info. Guess it’s too much for one brain cell to handle. So after 63 second (yeah I counted) he says ,,Yeah sure” and he leaves those assholes from A zone. Now we get to see the C zone. And those that made this shit really put the women in a comfortable environment with clean water and shit. It’s like the earthquake never even happened here. But all these women are really naive. I mean this guy looks like he eats rhinoceros for breakfast, yet he walks in so casual and everybody accepts him so easily, like he is something not out of the ordinary. Ladies, I love you, I respect you, and I think you’re superior to me in many aspects, but… here you aren’t shown in a good light. Also I have to say that Venus must have lined up with a lot of cosmic shit, because all these women are… Fashion Models. If Heaven on Earth (or under it) exists, then this is it for this guy. Yet he doesn’t give a shit. On a scale of 1 to 10 my respect reached negative 2 for him. So all of a sudden he walks around and stops next to a RANDOM wall and… punches through a SOLID CONCRETE WALL. Question arises… WHAT HAS HE BEEN DOING FOR SIX MONTHS UNDER A SMALL PILE OF RUBBLE? And then he says… I can’t believe it got so stupid… he says ,, This hole leads to the exit, now go”. Are you shitting me? You motherfucker were buried for 6 months, now you walk up to a RANDOM wall, punch a hole through it and claim that this is the exit? Guess they were really running out of ideas here and just wanted to get this over with. And all the women are like ,,Yeah undoubtedly, this is it, thank you”. How trustful can a person get? If I were them I’d say ,,Are you for real you overgrown shaved ape? Why should I trust you? You look like Frankenstein, you’re eyes are glowing a lot and when you open your mouth you freak me out” So anyway, they start going, but instead of guarding the exit this guy goes to kick the shit out of the B zone group boss. What was he thinking? That the rest of the group will sit and watch? Actually the leader of the C zone told him to go, but she isn’t his boss. If he would have a good working brain (or at least if he had it) he would do the most rational thing and guard the exit. So of course the B zone catches up, after they horrifically murder all of the A zone (including the children, the sick bastards), and they proceed to rape the C zone. After Jack kicks the shit out of the boss, he doesn’t kill him, but goes after the rest. And then he rips, tears and cuts the entire B zone to pieces with his knife. Oh, back up. He has a knife? Why the fuck didn’t he use it before? Was it on a lock up timer? And also if this guy is so powerful, what was he waiting for? Some kind of invitation? I mean why didn’t he go from the start to B group, or at least at the market he could have went to the boss, and say ,,Yeah I know from the script I’m supposed to wait for you to kill and rape a lot, but since I have a conscience and more than one brain cell working, I’ll proceed to kill you now with my FUCKING KNIFE !” But that would be asking for too much and besides, the movie would’ve been too fucking short to be considered an OVA, let alone a movie. So eventually C zone goes to the surface and… OK, two possible scenarios: either the earthquake destroyed all of the Earth, or nobody gives 2 fucks about Japan and Tokyo. Where are other survivors? Where are rescue teams and aid centers? Where is all that stuff? Well who cares, the movie is over, and thank God.
So there are other disgusting and retarded moments, but you get the picture. I doubt that any of you will be interested to see it, but the fact that I found seeders for this piece of crap, and more importantly lechers, proves that this shit, which was made in 1988 by the way, still attracts curios minds to it. DON’T GET SUCKERED IN. Seriously. I know you might be thinking ,,This is your opinion”, but the fact that this is from the top 100 worst anime list means that there are others that share my opinion, just didn’t express it yet. Well I expressed it for all of us, and I say… FUCK IT. The rape scenes are disturbing enough, but in terms of gore Leather Face from Texas Chainsaw is a 4 year old chap in a sailor uniform compared to Jack. Jack will rip Leather Face’s asshole inside out. VJET you suck diarrhea through a straw.

So I hope you enjoyed my review and expect future ones like this.

School Days



There is one reason I fucking hate Harem anime series. They make me feel like a loser. Here am I, sitting and watching a dude touching boobs at the beginning of the episode, having sex with another girl somewhere in the middle and then make out with the best friend of the girl he just had sex with, somewhere in the end. I mean, COME ON!!! Another thing I hate is drama. So honestly, this anime series was definitely not for me. It was like a test, for me to prove my "nerdness" when it comes to watching anime. So the story is like this: there is a guy that likes a girl. His classmate (I will call her CM from now on), and one of the most popular girls in school helps them become girlfriend and boyfriend. Pretty normal so far. The problem is that the girlfriend (I will call her GF from now on) is a little too shy for his perverted mind. So what happens is that the CM starts to pity his low percentage of touching the GF's boobs, and starts to make out with him. Then they have sex and he starts wondering who does he actually love. The CM has a best friend (CMBF) that does everything she can so that the guy breaks up with the GF and becomes CM's boyfriend. Somewhere during the 7th episode I think, the boy and CMBF kiss. The CMBF tells him that she will do anything for him, just to make sure that he will date the CM. So he takes advantage and has sex with her. There is some kind of festival somewhere between the 8-10 episodes. During the festival he twice manages to have sex with another classmate (ACM) that secretly liked him. But at the end of the festival he dances with CM and they kiss. ACM is happy that he is giving her some attention and he is happy because....well because they fuck like 3 times per episode for like 2 episodes. So it's kind of messed up. Also the next day a tape is shown by the Audio Video club that shows him having sex with a girl during the festival. Another girl. So he actually breaks up with his GF. But because she is fucking crazy, she goes around telling everyone they are still together. In the 11th episode the ACM leaves him and doesn't want to have sex with him anymore, so he meets with his GF and they become lovers again. During this time the CM that now truly understands that she loves him, comes to him and tells him she is pregnant. He then tells her he loves his GF, and kisses her. The CM goes mad, and in the last episode kills him. Stabs him with a knife. The GF finds his dead body, cuts his dead head off, and puts it in the bag. She then meets the CM on the roof of their school and kills her after making her admit she wasn't pregnant. The anime ends with the GF on a boot, hugging the head of the dude, and saying that she is happy they are together again. So yeah, IT IS FUCKED UP.

ps: you owe me 6 hours of your life I just saved you


Graphics 8/10
Sound 7/10
Storyline 7/10
Characters 7/10
Overall 7/10

Friday, June 26, 2009

Hellsing


If you ask me ,,What is your favorite gun-slinging action anime?” I’ll say … Cowboy Bebop. But if you ask me,, What is your favorite gun-slinging action anime that has vampires?” then Hellsing is a definite winner. I’m talking about the series and not the OVA, which I haven’t seen, but I heard it is better. While Hellsing may not be the most original, it certainly has a good fictional plot and also makes good use of certain real life facts.
So, Hellsing isn’t the name of a person, but a British organization that (you probably figured this out ) hunts and kills undead to protect Queen and Country. Now… the plot in the anime differs a lot from the manga. In the manga there is a certain complex plot with specific antagonists and such. Here it is more like random, but with some elements that give the impression that all the randomness is connected. Personally, I think that the plot in the anime focuses more on how the organization survives different trials. Earlier I said that the anime makes good use of certain facts. Well it shows well how the protestant church is at odds with the Catholic Church. Vatican also has it’s organization for undead extermination called Iscariot (or Vatican Section XIII ). But those guys are real lunatics. They are soldier priests that use, “Holy” methods to kill undead, so they are all exclusively human. So that puts them at odds with Hellsing that not only are they protestant ( which pisses these catholic psychos off ), but they also use vampires to kill vampires. So naturally, the catholics send someone on Hellsing turf, like “Sure, this is your country, you handle things your way, you’re a different religion, we have no business with you… but we still sent someone to kill you all for no reason, so… God bless you”. This is one trial Hellsing faces, but there are more.
Also there is a good variety in cast. It’s not big and you don’t grow too attached to anybody, but it doesn’t need to be big or for you to like them. There are more, but the key characters are Alucard, the badass vampire that is the main character, Seras Victoria, a former special ops member then turned vampire by Alucard ( for a good purpose ), Integra Hellsing, the female leader of the organization, Walter C. Dornez, Integra’s butler and former assassin, and Alexander Anderson, a catholic warrior priest sent to kill Alucard ( but went a bit overboard ). The highlight of the series is definitely Alucard, with his big-ass guns. He morphs out of the shadows like ninja, has cool powers and is a good aim. He also has a complex personality. Even though he is an ancient and powerful vampire who puts himself above humans, he also respects people who are strong willed, have a lot of courage and fight for their honor and pride. So that means he has a moral code and has his principles. Although he doesn’t show, he cares for those he grew attached to, but those are only Integra and Victoria. Also, he dispatches his foes with relative ease. But that also works on his downside, because he is too strong. It’s like you just see him kill some bad guys with his powers like they were flies. They pose no challenge to him and that is bad because you want him to face a challenge. That only happens at the end when he faces his last opponent and when he faces Alexander Anderson. This priest is also one of my favorite characters from the series. He is shown like a kind priest to civilians, but a heartless killer to his foes. No matter if you’re human, vampire, ghoul or panda; he will cut you into pieces like a kebab and laugh or praise The Lord while he does it. He is by far the most fanatic catholic I’ve ever seen in an anime.
What I didn’t like is the ending. Alucard faces someone NOT from the manga ( even though he is a good thought-out enemy ) and he never finds out who actually was behind all the things that happened. Also it feels like it ended abruptly, like they didn’t how else to keep going, so they put an unknown enemy, made an epic battle between him and Alucard, made a reference to Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia, I don’t know why ( guess they are saying that ,,This is him” ), and then all of a sudden he comes to Integra and she says ,, Our work isn’t finished” and he smiles. Ok… so there is a second season right? Well… no there isn’t. Maybe the OVA, Hellsing Ultimate, is the continuation of the series, but I haven’t watched it yet. Be sure that as soon as I see it, I’ll do a review of it.
The presentation here is good. It’s not top notch, even for 2001, but it does the job right. Character models are well detailed and defined, no complaints. But most of the action takes place at night or indoors, so there is a lot of gray and dark. It helps the mood a bit, but it’s monotonous. The sound department is good, all the usual pluses, and the opening is nice as well.
In conclusion, this is a ,,Must see”, and if you like gun-slinging action and a good pass-time then be sure to check this one out.

p.s. Tomorrow I’ll do a review on a piece of shit I found called Violence Jack Hell Town ( uuuuuuu… Hell Town ), so while many of you haven’t seen or heard of it, I have, and let me tell you… you’ll be in for a wild read on my thoughts, on this shit

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Perfect Blue



WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED??? I just finished watching Perfect Blue and I feel raped. I am not kidding. This was not a mind-f*ck, this was a mind-rape. My brain is feeling like a dirty whore that just took it in every hole. Let's just agree that Perfect Blue was made in 1997, in an era where the total mind-f*ck was limited to painfully obvious plot twists and very lame narratives that think they're the shit, like Pokémon and Sailor Moon. The movie is a creation of the dude that a couple of years later created Paprika and Paranoia Agent. So there is really no place left for comparison. Perfect Blue blends elements of the psychological thriller, the horror movies, the adult film with some rape scenes and other dramatic themes so that in the end, it seems to play out as a head-on collision of each genre. The main character of the film is some kind of pop idol Mima Kirigoe, who chooses to end her career as a singer and opts for a career change, thus becoming an actress. This sudden change upsets her fans, and pretty soon those around her start receiving threatening letters and such, and some are even later horribly murdered. And if that is not enough to make things interesting, Mimi seems to be losing her grip on reality, a slip into insanity brought on by her new found actress role on a brutally violent television series. So let me explain that a little bit clearly, so that you could understand, literally understand, how fucked up it is. She is playing the role of a woman that has mental problems confusing the reality with the dream and that is killing people in her life. At the same time, Mimi has the same problem, and starts confusing reality with her dreams and the role she is playing. So she is a crazy woman killing people playing the role of a crazy woman killing people. And the movie doesn't fuck around with letting you know when it's reality and when it's a scene from the movie. Figure it out yourself. Another thing that the movie just drops in the scenario is a copy of Mimi, like a ghost of the past, following her around. So she seems to have two different stalkers, one real and one phantasmal. The first is the typical obsessed fan. The second is her alter-ego who claims to be the true Mimi and it's all really only the beginning of forces that are ultimately out to claim her sanity. The ending, although providing a twist is actually more welcomed for providing the fucking end of everything. I was more happy that it finally ended than that the ***** was the true killer. (Yeah, I am not telling you). Perfect Blue does contain some of the obligatory fashion elements of most anime, not limited to extreme violence and graphic sexuality. The film's narrative works because of its "movie within a movie" theme, a setup that's been done to death in most live-action cinema. Overall it was a good movie, nothing spectacular, but actually worthy to be watched at least once by every anime fan out there. So if you do have a "Watch before I tragically die"-List please do add Perfect Blue to that list. Right between Pokémon and Sailor Moon, 'cause I know you want to see them. I can feel it.


Graphics 9/10
Sound 7/10
Storyline 7/10
Characters 7/10
Overall 7.5/10


Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig



So like I wrote in my previous review Ghost in the Shell SAC 2nd Gig deserves a review apart since it is different from the first and for the better I might add. Off-topic, know from the start that if you’re reading this for a laugh then don’t, cause when I review something I like there really is no point in making fun of it. Know that for funny reviews I prepared a special list of shitty anime ( and the list will be growing ), so be sure I’m downloading a truck-load of shit just for you. So if you’re just interested in my personal opinion on the things I like and why I like them, then please continue reading.
Now on-topic, the plot in 2nd Gig takes place 2 years after the first series. Like I said in the previous review between 2000 and 2032 there were two major conflicts that changed the world. The first is nuclear World War III, and the other is non-nuclear World War IV, also known as the Second Vietnam War ( so I suppose it has something to do with Vietnam ). So because of these 2 conflicts, during 30 years a lot of things have changed like an increase in independent states and sovereign regions. And as with any other war-torn world, there is a lot of chaos and anarchy. How do I know all this? Well 2nd Gig uncovers a significant amount of back-story that was only vaguely talked about during the first series, and that includes information about the last world wars. Also in the first series, they usually refer to events surrounding the Laughing Man case, and they focus on the teamwork observed in Public Security Section 9. Here they discuss more on the issue of War, how it can be conducted in the 21st century. Mamoru Oshii, who wrote the story concept, commented about this new approach by saying ,,… we simply couldn't ignore the way society had evolved since the events of 9-11 : That was the approach we decided to take, and I tried to illustrate a 21st century (near-future) war.”. Also, while in the 1st they focused on Section 9 as a unit, now they focus on each character from Section 9 ( including the Tachikomas ). So there isn’t just world history, but also character history and how they met, and what they did before. That helps for character development. And in my opinion the series focuses more on Major Motoko ( which now doesn’t dress like a female super-hero from DC Comics ), and her personal background. There is also talk about a group called Individual 11, but unfortunately I didn’t quite get it all, but what I did get is the most important member of the group, and that is Hideo Kuze which plays a very important part in the story and (spoiler) Motoko’s life.
Speaking of character there are a lot more people on the cast compared to the 1st series. There are also the Section 9 Forensic team, the Section 9 All-Purpose Female Androids, two new Section 9 members Azuma and Yano-kun, Proto a technician, the female Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki and what I think is the antagonist of the series Kazundo Gouda head of the Cabinet Intelligence Service. You’d best memorize this names and what they represent cause there are others and it can get a bit confusing at times when they talk about them, especially since they don’t always say ,,The Head of…” but they say they’re name, so you can be a little confused. But every character acts like how he is supposed to act. I mean a general will feel like a real general, a minister will feel like a minister and a technician will feel like a technician. It’s hard to explain, but once you see it ( or if you saw it ) then you probably know what I’m talking about. Plus the Tachikomas are still the same self-aware philosophical little rascals that I love and now I kind of had some smiles while I watched them. I mean don’t get me wrong, the comedy sketches at the end still suck, I don’t know why they even bothered. I hope at least the Japanese appreciate they’re own humor cause if not, the jokes are on them. But when it’s in the middle of the episode it’s good, cause they interact with other characters, some of which grew close to them.
Presentation is better then the 1st. Graphics are stunning, character models are sharp and detailed, give personality, background feels interactive ( like real, cause sometimes backgrounds feel more like props in a theater ), and visual effects are realistic. Sound department – flawless. Not just sound effects and voice work are done on a professional level, but the musical score as well. Every action comes with the appropriate musical note, and if you don’t believe how good it is just listen to the opening. One thing about the opening though, I don’t understand why it is sung in Russian then in English. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s not a complaint, but if I didn’t know Russian then I wouldn’t have understood the words which is bad cause these are good lyrics ( I’m one who likes meaning in a song ).
Also one minor thing that puzzles me is the title. I don’t get what Gig means. I thought 2nd meant that it is the 2nd season. But no, it is the 2nd Gig. So where is the 1st? The first season isn’t called Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1st Gig. It’s just Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex. So where is the 1st Gig? I don’t know, and I don’t even bother cause it’s to brilliant a series to get worked up over some title.
In conclusion this one is a must see. It isn’t necessary for you to watch the 1st to see the 2nd so I would recommend this one over the 1st if you don’t know with which one to start. So download it, sit back and have a good 2nd Gig marathon xD

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex



Today I decided to do a review of a great anime, and that one is Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It has a serious political tone filled with action. It has a lot to offer, but it also has its little downsides. GitS takes place in the year 2030, in the fictional Japanese city of New Port. The series follows the exploits of Public Security Section 9, a special operations task-force made up of former military officers and police detectives. The series comprises individual cases and the underlying mystery of the Laughing Man. So as you can see, unlike most anime the plot doesn’t overcomplicate so you can have an easier time following the story. Since it’s the year 2030 you can guess that a lot of shit happened before, like… 2 World Wars. Yeah, WW3 and WW4. Now how cool is that. And the world isn’t shown like it destroyed itself or anything, it’s still intact and the people are rebuilding it. The anime has a good way of showing not just a good sci-fi imagination, but also a good ,,what if” scenario. But the most important thing is how well it shows Section 9 as a secret special ops team. Unlike other anime, when you see special ops members, they are shown like people with irresponsible or carefree or cool and badass behavior, not like a true special ops member should behave. That type of anime usually focus more on action, so you can’t blame them if those members are behaving as they are, because they do so for the sake of the action. But here they are behaving like true professionals. That’s not to say that there isn’t action. But it isn’t as intense as it would be like in Full Metal Panic or Dragon Ball or other action anime, but it feels more realistic. Add the fact that some of the members are cyborgs and you get one good recipe of entertainment.
I also like the cast here. We have the 9 core members of Section 9 and the Tachikomas, cute blue robots with machine guns that become self aware. So first let’s talk about the 9 core members. I already said that they are professionals and that they are members of this special task force, but that doesn’t mean that they are similar. Each individual is an expert in his own domain. I mean, all these 9 aren’t special in the same field, like they all have something in common and that’s why this group was formed, but every one of them has expertise in a certain domain and to accomplish a certain objective, he needs the help of the other members. So it gives the feeling of teamwork and gives importance to every individual. Also the central character, Major Motoko offers sex appeal to the series cause when she’s in uniform she dresses... provocatively. And there are also the Tachikomas. Not only they are a good combat asset, but as the series progress they play more important roles in the story and they become self aware which I believe was meant for comic relief. I say ,,It was meant” because they didn’t quite achieve this purpose. And while I’m at it I’d like to advise you not to expect comedy here. At the end of each episode they have like a small scene of the Tachikomas which are supposed to be funny, but… well I’m not about to criticize Japanese humor, cause a westerner like me doesn’t understand it, but… didn’t they know that shit like that won’t be understood in OTHER countries? It’s not a big flaw, I didn’t pay much attention to it cause I didn’t expect comedy here, it’s not needed, but if you’re gonna do some comedy then do it right.
But even though the series is good, it’s not to say that there aren’t flaws. Fortunately for me there is only one, but one that hampers the experience. There is A LOT of talking. And all of that talk is important. But usually they discuss political factors, or history or philosophy. But all of that is important because that’s how they get to a final conclusion or say a key element in the plot. Or you have to discover it yourself in all that talk. It's hard to explian. But it gets boring, and sometimes you can skip it, but most of the times you have to endure it. Most of the talk is about the Laughing Man and some Stand Alone philosophy, but I didn’t quite get it all, so the Laughing Man still remained a bit of a mystery for me, so I had to read Wikipedia to figure him out and that’s no fun. Others may not ecounter such problems, remember these are my reviews, which mean my opinion, but still, there must be other people who share my view.
The presentation is top level, background has a lot of lighting and gives the feel of a city, character models are all distinctive and give personality, visual effects are great and the Tachikomas are absolutely cute. The sound is also done right. Voice work is professional ( guess they were paid good ), sound effects are real and the music always accompanies the right mood and setting. Plus I like the opening.
Overall this is an awesome anime that’s worth watching. It has the issue of overcomplicated conversations but luckily all of that is addressed in the second season called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig for which I will do a separate review.

Awesome Anime Wallpapers 4

Here comes part 4 of our awesome anime wallpapers collection. I hope you enjoyed the first parts of our collection. It's not like we actually give a shit, but it's nice to see people actually enjoying the wallpapers we show them.

Part 4 contains anime series like Serial Experiments Lain, Macross Franchise, Ouran High School Host Club, Samurai Champloo, School Rumble, Shaman King, Tenjo Tengi, Trigun, Wolf's Rain and you can download it HERE

here are the previews









download it HERE

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Paprika



Look, I know some of you might have seen Paprika and consider it a masterpiece, and I should truly apologize for the next review, because in my humble opinion it was the biggest smelliest vomit ever. Don't get me wrong, the visuals are astonishing. At some point during the movie I was afraid to even blink, so that I wouldn't miss a scene. Madhouse did an excellent job bringing those characters to life in the unpredictable world of Paprika. The synopsis is as follows:

The DC Mini is a revolutionary invention that allows users to access their dreams and perform psychotherapy. Although still in the development stages, the creators have been secretly using it to treat patients, via a mysterious and spunky lady called Paprika. Now, the DC Mini is stolen from the laboratory and believed to be an insider job. It is up to Paprika to find the culprit and prevent him from using the DC Mini that will allow dreams and reality to merge and cause chaos.


The plot sounds simple, but is actually an illusion under which we are kept the whole time. At some point you will discover that what you thought was reality was actually a dream, with parades of freaky dolls and talking refrigerators, flying shit all over the place and stunning effects that present the portals between people's dreams.It is really messed up, and could have never been considered a masterpiece if it wasn't for the breathtaking visuals. The movie is so dumb that the villain who stole the DC Mini is actually the bald dude who owns the whole company that made it. I mean c'mon. There simply must have been an easier way for him to get his hands on this device, like walk (or roll, he's a fucking cripple and looks exactly like Professor X) into the lab and say: "Hello, I own this company and sign your checks. That machine is, technically, my property. I'd like it, please so that I could rule over the world. Now bring me an orange juice bitch and get out of my face."
But then we'd never get a parade of dream things and then a final battle between a 500 foot tall naked man and a 500 foot tall naked woman over the city of Tokyo
Although the idea is original, it actually has its flaws, like how the fuck do you enter other peoples dreams, and if you're there, how come you're suddenly in control? At some point, by the end of the movie you don't even care in whose dream they are in as long as the keep transforming into giant creatures and kill each other. The sound is dull, with the movie missing anything except a great opening and a good ending. It has that fucking circus theme all over the damn city, which is kind of disturbing if you don't like it, or if you hate those fucking parades that keep popping up all over the peoples dreams. It won’t be wise trying to make a sense of every detail in the plot line because this anime was one giant dream and dreams weren’t supposed to make any sense. It is pretty confusing in many places and I'm not afraid to admit being completely nonplussed at points, but it draws you in to its world through a combination of likable characters. Overall this movie is a bullshit. You know what I think the goddamn problem is? To many people out there are to afraid to say it "This piece of shit makes no fucking sense. Why would you even release it?" because they would be misjudged and accused of not understanding the true masterpiece of Satoshi Kon (some bitch-ass creator from Madhouse considered a genius...he did shit like Paranoia Agent, and other bullshit...just google him). Well I tried. I sure fucking did. But there was no room for logic in this garbage.

Graphics 10/10
Sound 8/10
Storyline 5/10
Characters 9/10
Overall 7.5/10

Monday, June 22, 2009

FLCL


Ohh boy… we’re in deep shit now. I can’t imagine I subjected myself to this for 2 hours, 2 fucking hours of my life that I will never get back. At least it stopped were it did, cause if it dragged itself any longer than I think I would’ve had a seizure. Now just for you to know I watched this one to the end ( yeah all 6 fucking episodes ) but only for a reason… one fucking reason… my partner, Animenerdz said he watched 3 episodes. And I thought if he could watch 3 episodes and not turn to drugs and alcohol, while I would back off, then I don’t deserve to work with him. So I endured the 6 episodes.
For those of you that don’t know ( and I’m guessing there are a lot ) our first review was s-CRY-ed, and it is a retarded piece of shit ( you should check the review ). And after s-CRY-ed, when I say about an anime having retarded moments, I say ,,It’s not as bad…” or in worst case ,,It’s almost…”, but here I can firmly say… IT IS AS BAD IF NOT EVEN WORSE !!! Yes, WORSE than s-CRY-ed. If you read that review, then now you must imagine how frustrated I really am. And since I like to discuss even the slightest complaint, here it will be hard to make a review because… there are so many complaints. So let’s start with one by one.
First of all there is the title. It sucks even worse than s-CRY-ed. Not only it doesn’t say anything about the series or make any sense, the most fucked up part is that the CHARACTERS THEMSELVES don’t know what it means and they try to figure it out. Literally, they ask the main character ,,What does FLCL mean, cause you know, you’re the main hero”. How desperate can it get. And if I’m talking about main character and such let me tell you a bit about the plot. The thing is that Naota's life is confined to going to school and living with his father and grandfather. The usually boring life in Mabase is rudely interrupted by the arrival of Haruko Haruhara, who bursts on the scene by running Naota over with her Vespa scooter and hitting him on the head with a blue vintage Rickenbacker 4001 left-handed electric bass guitar. Later, Naota is shocked to find Haruko working in his house as a live-in maid. So you can clearly see it will get really retarded, really fast. But wait there is more. Turns out Haruko is searching for an alien called Atomsk which puts her at odds with Medical Meccanica, a monolithic industrial corporation. At the same time, Naota is being watched by Commander Amarao. The Commander believes Haruko is in love with Atomsk and that Medical Meccanica is out to conquer the galaxy. The combination of circumstances get Naota involved in a three-way battle between Haruko, Amarao and Medical Meccanica.
Now that you have the plot, where do I begin the dissection of this abomination. Let’s start with the names. Like ( yeah you guessed it ) s-CRY-ed, the names are like a joke. Not all, but… come on… ATOMSK. Does that qualify as a name? LARDUS from s-CRY-ed was the name of a group, but here Atomsk is the name of a character which is a giant red bird. Wow… do we also have Quantumsk, or Moleculemsk ?
Now coming back to retarded moments, here these moments are all over the place like roaches. Just the first 5 minutes will give you an idea of how retarded it actually is. A girl talks about conquest, swings a baseball bat, talks some random shit with Naota, then they walk on a bridge and he gets hit on the head by Haruko then everybody freaks out then I commit myself to drinking. So much random, useless stuff is happening in such a short time span. And it never makes much sense. And if you’re expecting some explanation well… fuck it, you aren’t getting any for the first 3 episodes. All chaos, robots and shit coming out of you’re head and everybody acts like it’s so natural, it’s something not out of the ordinary. Then from episode 4 a plot appears, you know like ,,By the way…”. So it’s like ,,Yeah you have something growing out of you’re head, there is a robot with a TV head living in you’re house, it’s all good… By the way I’m from there and I want to say that Medical Meccanica wants to destroy you planet. Just thought you might want to know”. I mean the true plot comes so sudden and they explain so quick that you don’t get the proper time to react. Also it doesn’t build any tension. It’s not like ,,Ohhh, I was waiting to figure that out”, it’s more like ,,Why the fuck are you telling me this, NOW ?”
Medical Meccanica is another story. They’re building looks like a giant iron. Well I thought it was weird a bit at first but… wait… oh my God, it is ! It is a giant iron. It’s purpose ? To flatten the Earth. You have to sniff a lot of cocaine to think this up. I thought it looked like an iron but I thought ,, Nah… they can’t fuck up this bad “ but then I watched episode 6 and I was like ,, Nope, they actually CAN “. And it’s not to say that I was shocked or disappointed cause by the time I watched episode 6 I already watched 5 of them, so nothing could really surprise me now, but still I was frustrated that I thought of the SAME SHIT they did. That put me and my pride on a low pedestal. At least I can say it has some action but… fuck it, it’s not worth it.
The character rooster isn’t big and it’s uninspired. You don’t associate yourself with any of them and you don’t give two shits what happens to whom. So there isn’t any point of me talking about character development here.
The presentation… well they didn’t bother much with plot so why bother with presentation. Actually what I can say is that the presentation reflects the key feature of this anime… it’s retarded. Yeah, is it a surprise? In s-CRY-ed the graphics were outdated, but at least they made sense, but here… total FUCK UP. The background looks like it wasn’t finished, like halfway they were like ,,Screw this” and left it as it is, or facial expressions which don’t correspond to the right mood, or… South Park and Manga style drawings? It got so stupid that the characters themselves got self-aware and said ,, Guys let's stop cause it’s getting retarded”, but wonder of wonders… it only got worse by the SECOND. And the sound department sucks too, cause there is little music, and voice acting… never before in a review have I complained about voice acting and I thought I never would. But here it is God awful. It’s like the voice actors weren’t paid enough ( or at all ) and they decided ,,Screw this”. And that’s what the entire anime is – a major ,,Screw this”.
In conclusion a question comes in mind… who were they targeting with this? For whom it was intended? Young people that don’t make much sense of life? Or perhaps mental institution patients? I don’t know, and frankly I’m not bothering trying to research this more thoroughly. So stay away from this garbage. It’s so much of a piece of shit that you would rather wipe your ass with a hedgehog than with this piece of crap.


Shakugan no Shana



Hey, I’m back from my vacation trip, and I’m ready and able to do some reviews. Now, I know that as a comeback I should do something more popular or something really crappy, but I just came back, so… Shakugan no Shana will have to do. Also, know that the requests you made will soon be ready for viewing and reviewing, so be patient.
Now, about Shakugan no Shana. To start, I’d like to say it’s not the worst anime I saw, but it certainly is one that drags along unnecessarily. The plot is too linier, and there isn’t much mystery. The plot is about a guy, Yuji Sakai who leads a normal high school life. But suddenly on his way home time freezes and all hell breaks loose as Yuji watches those around him being engulfed by blue flames and eaten by a monster. As the monster approaches to eat him, a girl with flaming hair and eyes and big-ass sword appears and kills the monster. She notices Yuji and tells him that he is a Torch, a temporary replacement for the ,,real” Yuji who died sometime ago. He accepts his fate, but latter discovers that his energy is replenished after midnight, which means he won’t disappear, because of some Hogu artifact inside him. So now many bad guys suddenly realize his existence and the power he contains and all want a piece of him and ( I have no idea why ) his city. So that girl with the flaming hair and eyes, called Flame Haze, takes the role of protecting Yuji and killing those out to get him.
So… yeah it’s nothing truly original. Describing in more simple terms will be like this… This guy has something inside him he didn’t know before… everybody wants a piece of him… this girl protects him… they form a bond with each other… THE END. It can’t be any more straightforward than this. And it drags along for the entire 2 seasons. Some elements are introduced in to the plot like character history or some explanations, but they are more like ,,Who cares, I’m not wasting 25 min on this shit”. It would’ve worked out well if they just presented those personal histories or explanations in the form of brief flashbacks and small cut-scenes, NOT ENTIRE EPISODES. Some of you who read this might disagree, saying it’s not that bad or that the episodes are important, but trust me, even without them I can sleep better at night. Also, since the anime focuses on Yuji expect slice-of-life and school. Yeah… this is fucking fun. And all the school life and slice-of-life elements are sooooo cliché. Love triangles… school festivals… BORING SHIT. I think these episodes are meant for character development, but they are unnecessary. In terms of action, Shana delivers some good experience, but it’s not memorable or unique. And if you are expecting some comedy than I would suggest for you to expect a kangaroo to deliver you pizza cause there are a lot more chances of that happening.
Another thing worth talking about is the uninspired character cast. Never have I seen before such boring, stereotypical unlikable characters in an anime. Some of them are ( like most of the episodes and… hell why not… the entire series ) unnecessary. They don’t progress the plot or offer any intrigue. Actually they feel more like excess luggage that you have to drag for some unknown reason. I can even name these rejects: Hayato Ike, who doesn’t do jack shit, Matake Ogata a useless over-energetic bitch, and Eita Tanaka. Oh boy… this guy is as much fun as a decomposing piece of shit. Not only is he the most useless and dull character in the entire series, but he is also the one with the most disturbing feature… NO FUCKING EYES. Now that is really sexy. What was the idea ? Make a shitty character, take his eyes out, and watch as his popularity grows ? Well it didn’t. They were really pissing shit when they thought this guy up. There are other characters, but my opinion doesn’t change much so it is no use talking about the others. The enemies are just as dull, each with a certain fetish, and they don’t change much. In short… they suck. Especially since the enemies from the 1st season come back in the 2nd ( talk about variety ). And talking about the 1st and the 2nd season the only real difference is that in the 2nd season Yuji takes more active roles in combat and at the end becomes stronger. The ending of the 2nd season was good because it doesn’t leave you wanting for more ( not that anything here does ). I mean it wraps everything up, shows which girl he chooses, ends with a nice Christmas setting, everybody is happy, The End ( thank Lord ). But wait… did you know a 3rd season is announced ? HOLY SHIT I can’t wait !!! What other pleasant surprises will it offer ? What other twists and turns in the plot will appear ? Well… I don’t know and don’t give a shit cause I won’t watch it.
Talking about presentation, Shakugan no Shana has some fairly decent visuals, but they are standard. Character models are decent but dull with few distinct features. I guess they wanted to make them look as normal as possible, you know, to show how an average Joe can actually be a hero or monster or something, but the fact that most of the time they are dressed in average clothes in an average way ( especially since most of the time it’s a school uniform ) then it only gets in the way of personality development. And the background is balls because the city is shown mostly like a collection of gray cardboard boxes. The visual effects are better, but… I don’t know how else to explain this… the background changes its color depending on the magical power of a certain character. Like for example if a characters magical power is blue than blue will be the dominant color. So there won’t be much color variety. Sound effects are good, voice-work is Ok but the music clearly isn’t one of its strong points ( not that anything is ).
Overall, this is a slightly below average ( which kind of sucks to be in between ) anime, and I would rather dye my hair in horse jizz than watch this monkey waste again, let alone the 3rd FUCKING SEASON.

BECK - Mongolian Chop Squad



Tanaka Yukio, better known by his nickname Koyuki is a 14 year old who feels disconnected from life in general. Through the act of saving a mismatched dog, he meets guitarist Minami Ryuusuke, and becomes involved in Ryuusuke's new band BECK. Koyuki's life starts to change as the band struggles towards fame. The story focuses on the trials and tribulations of their rock band named BECK, and an important plot that deals with Koyuki's relationship with Ryûsuke's sister, Maho.

Yeah, the plot is very simple, but don't be fooled by it's simplicity because simplicity is what makes the series great. I will admit this, that there were a couple of episodes when it felt like the plot was dragging along, but overall it was a great ride. I actually found Beck to be a cool series and enjoyed its focus on music. The focus is only on rock music which could have been BECK's only flaw. Not many anime viewers actually enjoy rock music, so this could have made BECK not as popular as it would have been with some pop shit flying around. Nevertheless, for me BECK was perfect. It had that strange mixture of rock, love and passion. Let's admit it, everyone dreamed of being a singer. Part of a rock band. I even bought a guitar after I saw BECK, that's how bad I liked this anime. The sound in the series is awesome, the songs are great and I think that most fans of modern rock music will really enjoy it. The animation in Beck is pretty decent. It has nothing spectacular which is truly understandable. Why? Well because they made something about music. There was no point in investing into visuals really. I found the story and character development both to be good as well. There are really no flaws within its core. The only thing that could make you stay away is the rock music and the large amount of slice of life, which I found sometimes misplaced. Overall I guess Beck is a solid series, definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of rock music and slice of life anime.



Graphics 7/10
Sound 10/10
Storyline 9/10
Characters 7/10
Overall 8.5/10

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Maria + Holic



This is the fist review I did as a request that came from one of our visitors. He wanted to know what makes Maria + Holic such a popular anime series among other anime fans. Well, I can tell you this: if you're not into stupid cliche comedy and lesbians, then this is not for you. Let me make things clear a little bit. Look at the poster. The girl in the top left corner is the main hero of the series. She is a lesbian and she enrolls this school for girls only in order to find her true love. Her parents met in that school and she hopes that she could also find her love there. So, we have the lesbian, and a full school of beautiful gorgeous hot girls. What do we get? A piece of shit. So let's make it a little bit more interesting. You see the hot blond on the right? That is the first person that our main heroine falls in love with. The hot blond is a BOY!!!! Yeah, I know what you're thinking but it's true. It's a boy dressed as a girl, that goes to this school because his grandmother was the chairman and he wants to become something like that. I really didn't pay much attention to the reasons. So now that our heroine found out the boy's secret, he uses his connections in order to become her roommate and make her life a nightmare. The animation is decent, sometimes great, with those cliche comedy stupid moments when their heads grow and they have X's instead of eyes. It's full of that shit. They really make it hard for you to truly absorb the fact that the blond chick is a dude, because every episode they make her look even hotter. At one point I was thinking...Is this gay??? To like the blond chick?? And the answer kept popping in my head: YES IT IS, GO KILL YOURSELF!!! Another thing that shocked is that for a series based on comedy, it has no actual LOL-Moments...the most it could get out of me was a smile. Not even a stupid grin. Pathetic. I only watched 5 episodes before writing this review. That's like half of what I am supposed to watch. In the third episode, the narrator (yeah, we have a narrator...like it isn't fucking enough that the whole frigging show is almost 80% made out of sex fantasies the stupid lesbian has) tells us that she is in love. So I am going to take a wild fucking guess: by the end of the series the boy that is a fucking monster and the girl that can't touch boys because she gets a rash will be boyfriend and girlfriend.

ps: I will write an update under the amv tonight, after a watch the final episode to let you know if I was right



Graphics 9/10
Sound 8/10
Storyline 5/10
Characters 6/10
Overall 7/10

UPDATE: episode 6 explains everything..can you imagine that the boy actually has a twin sister that dresses like a boy and attends a boy-only school...they changed places only for the physical exam..and this is when they explain the main hero that the change is actually a wish that their grandmother had...like a game..the first one to lose is the one that is discovered..the winner gets the chairmanship of both schools
FINAL EPISODE UPDATE: The anime is a colossal piece of shit. No actual ending. Nothing happens that actually makes it worthy to keep watching. I fucking skipped episodes 10 and 11 just to see the final one, and nothing changed. I wasn't missing anything. This is by far one of the most horrible series I have ever seen. You have to be blind to endure such atrocity. It's almost as bad as this piece of diarrhea. Seriously, I'd rather have my balls massaged with an Australian cactus rather than re-watching this Maria + Holic.

ps: I really hope this review answers your question, blur

Top 5 Anime AMV's

Today I spent like 20 minutes looking for cool AMV's. Why? Because I am still searching for the best song for an AMV of Soul Eater I will make this summer. No, I didn't want to make this post at first, just like the songs they choose, but then I realized that it would be fair for you to also see what I found. So I present to you top 5 anime amv's I found today on Youtube:


Number 5...some collection of random anime footage...the song is great



Number 4...maybe the best Trigun AMV out there



Number 3...epic song, epic series



Number 2...No effects but awesome slicing and a pretty neat song..Trinity Blood is the anime



Number 1...You know what they say..use one anime, and it will suck..but use 20 series in your amv, and it'S going to be an epic win



ps: if you know any other cool amv's, post the links as comments..or if you have them on your blog or anything, just leave a comment, and I'll have a look

Friday, June 19, 2009

TekkonKinkreet




I just finished watching Tekkonkinkreet and I can only say one thing: WOW!!! The visuals are amazing. I can't put it in any words better than that. If you're an anime fan that enjoys a lot of variety you need to see this film, no questions asked. It's the story of 2 brothers: Black and White, two kids who grew up together, helping each other protecting "their" city. The Yakuza also wants to take over the city and a new enemy appears by the end of the movie. Graphically and wonderfully made, it lacks of some nice guide just for you to follow the story. So it's kind of mixed up and has things you can't understand at all, even when you have had the opportunity of seeing other anime movies or anime in general. At some point I was just lost. Seriously lost in the plot, in the incredible graphics and sound. The relationship between Black and White was awesome, and it is the main part of the story, but I fell asleep because I found it so boring. I even watched the rest of it despite already not liking it.
So you really get mixed feelings about this movie, but I truly recommend it to every anime fan out there. Another confusing thing about the movie is the amount of characters that interact within the plot. It's like the manga was begging for an episodic release rather than a movie. I really think it would have looked better as a 12-episode series than a 2 hour movie. So, seriously, go watch it, and stop bitching around.

ps: here's the trailer...a sample of some awesomeness the movie contains



Graphics 10/10
Sound 10/10
Storyline 8/10
Characters 7/10
Overall 8.5/10

Blood The Last Vampire The Movie



The movie is coming up in theaters...so, the true question on every fan's mind is: will it be good, or just another piece of shit? Well, the trailer looks promising, but hey, all trailer look promising, it's why they are created in the first place..to get you in the seat to watch their shit...I really can't say if the movie will be good or not..all we have to do is head for the theaters and hope for the best


Thursday, June 18, 2009

Evangelion 2.0 - You Can (Not) Advance Trailers

Continuing where Evangelion 1.0 left off, the paramilitary organization NERV continues to defend the world from the return of the Angels. The somewhat pleasant life Shinji Ikari has found in Tokyo-3 is about to take a drastic turn when a new group of Evangelion pilots, including the fiery redhead Asuka Langley Shikinami, are brought in to assist him and Rei Ayanami in battle. Meanwhile, Misato Katsuragi faces a problem of her own as her old flame Ryoji Kaji is transferred to NERV, raising mixed feelings between them. As everyone tries to adjust to each other, and the war against the Angels takes its toll, a series of events will bring the coming end of mankind ever closer.
The film will make its first international release at Animotion Film Festival 2009 in Bonn, Germany. The film festival will run from July 31st to August 2nd 2009 and the film will be subtitled in English.

ps: if you didn't see the first movie yet...SEE IT...seriously..no problem..I'll wait..yeah..I will be standing right here, now goooo