Looking for Anime? - Anime Review Thread

[tehodis]

 

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Genre:

English Dub or Japanese English Sub?

 

**Only one review per post, please

Title:

Genre:

Rating: (Out of five)

E/J?: (English Dub, or Japanese with Eng. Subs?)

Review:

Recommend?: (Do you recommend the anime to others?

 

**Do not double-post

[Jerry OldMaster]

Good thread, tehodis....

 

But the only anime I watch is Yu-Gi-Oh. And Pokemon.

[tehodis]

Title: El Cazador de la Bruja

Genre: Western/Action-Adventure

Rating: *****

E/J?: Japanese w/English Subtitles

Review: Ellis, a young girl suspected of murdering a prominent physicist Heinrich Schneider, is on the run from bounty hunters when she is tracked down by the one of them, Nadie, in a small Mexican town. However, instead of turning her in, Nadie impulsively decides to help her and the two girls embark on a journey south where they hope to find clues about her past. The guiding stars of their journey is the mysterious gemstone "Rosa del Inca" and the "Eternal City" of Wiñay Marka. (Summary from animenewsnetwork.com)
This Anime has great animation with a great amount of action and guns to satisfy most thirsts. It also has humor, that is actually humorous and not forced. The voices are all fantastic - and the Opening and Ending themes are very addictive (Especially the ending theme, Romanesque ([url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=b9cZO4XrbMU][watch it here][/url]) [[url=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ah_nPSlEc2I]Opening Theme[/url]]).

Recommend?: Definetly

**Note: Episodes can be found as Torrents at TokyoToshakon (High Quality) as well as on Youtube(Lower quality)

[TotalObelisk]

Oldmaster, Pokemon isn't anime. It's an American copycat of anime based off a japanese game...

 

Title: Spiral

Genre: Action, Mystery, Detective, Comedy, Drama

Rating: 4/5

E/J?: Japanese with en subs

Review: A very unique anime, it's set in an every day community and has no arcane or futuristic influences. However the anime itself is extremely addictive, the characters are all completely different from one another and add their own part to the anime. Also, Spiral proves that even in an everyday community, sinister things that humans don't understand can still happen, for instance the mysteries surrounding the Blade Children, a group of children modified at birth to have great minds, snake like pupils and one missing rib. The plots are addictive and original, creating a world that borders between everyday life and the sort you see in movies. However, not everything is explained so well in the anime as it is in the manga, and the anime finishes with a lot of questions still unanswered.

Recommend?: Recommended for people searching for an interesting anime, perfect for those who love mysteries.

[Axiom_Nor]

Title: YuYu Hakusho

 

Genre: Action/Fantasy

 

Rating: 4.5/5

 

E/J?: Japanese with Eng. Subs (also available in English Dub and Uncut English Dub)

 

Review:Yusuke Urameshi is a street-brawling delinquent with a tough guy approach to everything. Yusuke's mother Atsuko, an alcoholic, had him at the age of 14 and shows little interest in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor's office, and numerous other delinquents in the city are trying to take him on. Yusuke is pretty fed up with life.

 

However, no one expects a sudden act of heroism on his part: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. In fact, when he arrives in the afterlife, he is informed that no one was expecting him to die that way, and were not prepared for his arrival.

 

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived, and is assigned to work for the Spirit Realm as a detective investigating demonic cases in the human world. He comes into spiritual abilities of his own, and enlists the help of numerous friends from Reikai (spirit world), Makai (demon world, translated in the English manga as the Demon Plane) and Ningenkai (human world) to aid him in his cases, and fight off demons and humans seeking to usurp and rule over all three worlds.

(curosy of wikipedia)

 

Recommend?: Yes, a great anime, if a bit on the short side, but still very interesting with romance in a story, but practical non-stop action.

[Tkill93]

Title: Elfen Lied

 

Genre: Drama, Horror, Romance

 

Rating: 5/5

 

E/j? Japanese, English subtitles

 

Review: If you like action/horror anime, Elfen Lied is a must own. Based on the manga by Lynn Okamoto, Elfen Lied (German for "Elf Song") is a 13 episode action/horror/romance anime that stays fairly canonical to the first 6 volumes of the manga for the first 11 episodes and then diverges to tie up loose ends for the final two episodes.

 

You know you're in for a wild ride when the first 10 minutes of the anime involve a humanoid agent of death escaping her confines in a government laboratory and wrecking havoc. Lucy is a cold blooded killer who takes down 20+ guards in under 5 minutes in a very gory showdown with human limbs and heads flying everywhere. She's also nude when she makes her escape and dives off the facility's cliff to freedom. No, this isn't for small children or the faint of heart.

 

Some background - Lucy is a Diclonius, a genetically altered human with a deadly set of extra hands (or vectors) that can vibrate at high frequencies and cut through just about anything like it was butter. Visually, what sets Diclonius apart from normal humans is a set of horns - that almost look like cat ears - growing atop their head.

 

Two college kids - and cousins - Kouta and Yuka, are reminiscing about their childhood on the beach when Lucy walks onto the shore. Instead of continuing her murderous rampage, Lucy becomes Nyu, a childlike girl who can't say any other word but "Nyu" - hence her name. She wears her emotions on her sleeve and has a very innocent curiosity about her - reminding me of an early Chi from Chobits - so the cousins take her home to live with them in the inn they maintain.

 

Unable to cut their losses, the government soon sends out a special assault unit to retrieve Lucy, and when they fail, Chief Kurama sends out Nana, another Diclonius who looks very similar to Lucy. When we first see Nana, she is naked, covered with blood, and chained to a wall. We learn that she's been tortured and subject to very painful tests - so much so she clings to Chief Kurama as her papa to keep her will to live. Nana cares deeply for her papa, and as the story unfolds, it's clear that he cares deeply for her. He sees her as his surrogate daughter - of the child he lost years ago when his wife died in child birth - and is extremely protective of her.

 

Kouta also has a tragic past. Years ago, Kouta's father and little sister, Kanae, were murdered in front of his eyes. Unable to cope, Kouta no longer remembers the horrific details but lives his life as a protector who is willing to help anyone, especially girls in trouble, because they remind him of Kanae. As the story unfolds, we watch as Kouta slowly remembers and comes to terms with his painful past.

 

While Kouta plays the savior to young girls in need, Yuka, who is deeply in love with her cousin, becomes fiercely jealous of the other females who come to live with them. Often she'll ask Kouta if he remembers something he said or did from his past, and when he doesn't, she grows angry or breaks down into tears.

 

The anime does a fantastic job of balancing the romantic tension between Kouta and his girls with the menacing violence the Diclonius are capable of and engage in. The transition from the loveable Nyu to the chilling Lucy is well done - whenever Lucy emerges, you see a single, glaring eye emerging from behind her hair - and the gore, while explicit, is not overly done.

 

Elfen Lied also has a fantastic musical score, starting with "Lilium," which almost sounds like a Church hymm and is sung in Latin. The theme is interspersed throughout the anime at key points, sometimes as an instrumental piece, other times with a Gregorian chorus. Must of the score is instrumental which can be gentle or intense depending on the scene. Finally, the closing theme, "Be Your Girl" is an upbeat, J-pop/punk tune.

 

I highly recommend this anime. Though it's a bit of an emotional roller coaster - I was in tears through the final episode, and I rarely cry while watching anime - it has some of the most interesting characters, fantastic artwork, a beautiful score, and a compelling plot.

 

Recommend?: Yes, but not to those who cant handle blood/gore, or mild nudity. Recomended for those who are 14+

[tehodis]

This anime has beautiful animation with a fabulous story-line and recurring characters that you can easily just love. You can really come to hate the antagonists in each episode before the end of each episode. The Opening and Ending theme are also beautiful. There are two seasons, and that may be the end of it. They left the end of the second series an actual end, but open for another season.

Recommend?: Definetly, 'horror' fan or not. It's a beautifully made Series.

 

 

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Oldmaster' date=' Pokemon isn't anime. It's an American copycat of anime based off a japanese game...

[/quote']

 

Actually Pokemon is an anime. It was a game made into a manga and anime, in Japan, before anything came here for it.

[KKDW]

Title: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Genre: Comedy, Science fiction

Rating: Five

E/J?: Japanese with Eng. Subs

Review:

(from wiki)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya follows the high school life of Haruhi Suzumiya, a young and very active high school girl, and those who are caught up in her antics. While Haruhi is the central character to the plot, the story is told from the point of view of Kyon, one of Haruhi's classmates.

 

Kyon is an ordinary freshman high school student who has recently given up his fantasies of espers, time travelers, and aliens as he left middle school.[7] When he chooses to speak to Haruhi, he unwittingly sets off a chain of events which drag him into surreal situations; he is drawn further into a world eerily like the fantasies he had just managed to outgrow, with Haruhi at its center.

 

Searching for a group that interests her, Haruhi joins and quits every club in the school, finding only dissatisfaction.[8] Kyon makes a snide remark about her actions and accidentally provides Haruhi the inspiration to create a club of her own. To help start the club, Haruhi forcefully drafts Kyon, who only stays in the club to protect other helpless victims of Haruhi's "voluntary arrests." As the story progresses, Kyon finds that each of these supposedly "helpless victims" has a specific reason to be there.[9]

 

The first of these new members is Yuki Nagato, a silent bibliophile who usually wants to simply be left alone to read. Without Haruhi knowing, Yuki is in fact a "humanoid interface," or an artificial human, created by the extraterrestrial Integrated Data Entity.[9] The next member is the shy and timid Mikuru Asahina, who is one year above Haruhi; she is actually a time traveler.[9] The final member of the SOS Brigade is Itsuki Koizumi, who is almost always smiling and more than willing to give in to Haruhi's strange demands. He turns out to be one of many espers in an organization known as the the Agency.[9]

 

Except for Kyon, the members of the club are secret agents of various organizations who are sent to observe Haruhi. They gradually explain that Haruhi has superhuman control over every aspect of the universe — an ability which she is unaware of. Whenever Haruhi becomes bored or otherwise dissatisfied with reality, she unconsciously creates a new universe — one more to her liking — and attempts to switch over, thus leading to the destruction of the current universe. In order to prevent this, the members of Haruhi's club spend their time attempting to keep their god-like leader entertained, hold her powers in check, and maintain the illusion of a normal life.

 

The series never clarifies whether the club members gathered around Haruhi by their own free will, her subconscious, or were simply created out of thin air for Haruhi's amusement. The question of their origin is a motif seen throughout the series.

(wiki info ends)

 

This is a very good (and possibly unique) series. Based on a series of light novels the first season is 14 episodes long (with a second season in the works). The first six episodes are based on the first novel while the rest are based on short stories from the rest (except for the 14th which is original to the anime). When broadcast the episodes where intentially aired out of order (with the first six spread across the season), if you want to view the series chronologically you should view it in the order of 2, 3, 5, 10, 13, 14, 4, 7, 6, 8, 12, 11, 9.

 

for an video review by Anime TV Go go here

 

Recommend: Deffinately, this is a must for any anime fan (it's the most popular anime in Japan as of December 2006 according to Wiki).

[tehodis]

Title: Romeo x Juliet

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Romance

Rating: 3.7/5

E/J?: Japanese with English subs.

Review: (This is an anime based on Romeo and Juliet of course.)

This is a story of a young and tragic love, set in the aerial city of Neo Verona. Tyranny rules this island in the sky after the Montague family took control 14 years prior. The disparity among the wealthy and poor is apparent in the present state, the earth dries and water stagnates. The sky itself is wrapped in a deep dense fog. Both Romeo and Juliet's lineages are of present and past ruling families of Neo Verona. Romeo is the son of the current Montague dictator, Juliet (a beautiful woman) masquerades as a man (Odin), she's the last descendant of Capulet the previous rulers who were killed by an assassin's dagger 14 years ago. Her true background is not to be revealed to her until her 16th birthday while being raised by one of the Maids of the Capulet family, who she is led to believe is her sister. The cruel hands of fate introduces 2 people who will become "Star Crossed Lovers".

 

This is a very good anime for those who like cute romance, as well as drama and really great animation, iy has wonderful characters (They even have a very...fruity...portrayal of Willy himself...heh) as well as some really awesome horse-like-beasts. One of the only drawbacks that really comes to mind, is the OP and ending theme. The opening theme is the Japanese version of "You Raise me Up" and the ending theme seems very out of place, since it's very "rock". The OP is Juliet's theme, and ending is Romeo's.

 

Recommend?: Yes, whether you really like romance, or at least kind've like it, you should give this anime a shot.

[Quicksilver]

This is good. hmm... Azumanga Daioh needs to be mentioned.

 

Title: Azumanga Daioh

 

Genre: Comedy

 

Rating: *****

 

E/J?: Japanese w/English Subtitles (This cannot be stressed enough. Dubs in general are frowned upon, but this series takes bad dubbing to a whole new level.)

 

One of the more popular animes among the fanboys, This series follows the lives of six students through their life in high school. Each student has a specific trait which makes them unique. With the child prodigy Chiyo Mihama (a 10 year old in high school?) the ever energetic Tomo Takino, her "best friend" and the ever stressful Koyomi Mizuhara, the popular but quiet Sakaki and her enemy "Kamineko", the spacey Ayumu Kasuga christened the nickname "Osaka" because of her origins and Kagura, self proclaimed rival of Sakaki.

 

From the start, the series takes a fun, lighthearted approach to modern school life in Japan. The antics of the students (and teachers alike) guarantees laughs galore, as each character tries hard for acceptance. Perhaps the most well known of the jokes in this series is Sakaki's attempts to get a cat of her own, against a small war between her and the neighbourhood cat they've named "Kamineko" that bites her every time she tries to get too close. Small details like this will keep many a viewer interested to see how the events change over the 3 years that the 26 episodes cover.

 

If, like me, you're looking for a change of pace in your animes, this is the one to pick up. It doesn't rely on gore, violence or crude dialogue to get it's message across, yet it also portrays an interesting message about your years at high school. Though this message isn't mentioned until the end, perhaps the innocence in which it was mentioned shows just how important school life is, and how many of us don't really know what we have until it's gone. Top notch anime that should be in everyone's collection

[chaoserver]

Argh I got the "your account is suspended" message and lost my post. So this one is going to be a bit less detailed.

 

Name: Death Note

Genre: detective, drama, action

Rating:4.5/5

E/J: Japanese with sub.

Download: http://www.deathnoteanime.com/direct_episodes

 

Ah such a great series. For the first half of this anime I can say truly, it is the best I have seen. Such brilliance. The plot details a genius student, Yagami Light, who comes across the Death note which can kill anyone who's name is written in it. Using this notebook Light sets out on his crusade to start a new world, and take the throne as it's god.

 

The first half becomes a game of cat and mouse, and an exciting one at that. Light's brilliant manuevers and the detective who pursues him's attempts are splendid. Music is great. Character's are undeveloped but that is what the writer intended, to focus on the plot and morals.

 

However halfway through something happens that could for many mark the end of the series. After this point the brilliance diminishes nad the theme altogether changes. This is a bad change and I confess that although it is more tastefully handled than in the manga, it is still overall rather boring until the last three or so episodes.

 

Recommended: I would recommend this to anyone open minded enough to watch far enough to get into it. It will dissapoint no one except when it reaches part two.

[tehodis]

Title: Venus Versus Virus

 

Genre: Supernatural/Lolita/Gunslinger

 

Rating: 4/5

 

E/J?: Japanese with Eng. Subs

 

Review: Venus Versus Virus revolves around the life of a young girl named Sumire Takahana who has had the power to see ghosts since she was a small child, though no one believes her. One night while running to her dorm building to make curfew, a broach flies out of no where and she pricks her finger on it and sees a demon. Suddenly, another girl clad in gothic lolita clothing arrives bearing a huge gun and kills the demon. Once the ordeal is overwith, the girl gives Sumire a flier for a local clothing store, Venus Vanguard. When Sumire comes to the store, the girl, whose name is Lucia Nabashi, she explains to her that because she pricked her finger on Lucia's broach, Sumire now has the power to see demons as well as ghosts. Additionally, Lucia now wants Sumire to help her rid the world of these demons called Virus that threaten to consume all of humanity.

This anime has great animation, and the episode-contained stories evolve into a continuing plot around the last 10 or so episodes. The music is fabulous, and the art style is great. The characters are lovable, and the villains are hate-able. Plus there's Lolita girls.

 

Recommend?: Yup, anyone who likes guns, lolitas, or great anime - watch it!

[MikeGallo]

wait pokemon isnt an anime? :(

 

i only watch yugioh

[tehodis]

[/center]

[Death12328]

Title: Hellsing

Genre: Supernatural / Action

 

Rating: 4/5

 

E/J?: Japanese with English Sub

 

Review:

Its pretty much a interesting anime if I say so myself since, you got your vampire name Alucard who's name backwards is Dracula, he meets up with a police girl who is inspecting this old styled town when zombies start attacking and then this whacked up priest who is now a vampire holds her hostage to alucard, alucard shoots threw her and kills the vampire and then makes her a vampiress.

 

Recomendation: Age 15+

[tehodis]

-Bump-

[Quicksilver]

Title: He is my Master

 

Rating: 4/5

 

E/J?: Japanese with English Sub

 

Review:

The plot revolves around two girls who have left their parents house due to their hostile nature towards Poochi, their pet alligator. Upon searching for a part time job, they meet spoilt school boy, Nakabayashi, who gives them a full time job as maids in his house, mainly due to the large debt that is accumulated each episode through the destruction of much of his property. Indeed, at the end of every episode, their is a counter of how much debt they've accumulated in the day The true saving grace of this series, however, is the strange, sometimes adorable, always unpredictable Poochi the alligator:

 

Recommendation: 15+

[Deity Mitsu]

Title: Dragonball Z

Genre:Fighting(Action)/Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

E/J?: English Dub

Review:This show was my childhood. The story takes on many different Saga's and has several seasons based on each Saga. The main character, Goku, believes he is just a normal earthling, until one day, he is confronted by a mysterious male, who claims to be Goku's brother. This mans name is Raditz. He begins to tell Goku of how he came from a powerful warrior race called Saiyans, that originated from the planet Vegeta. This is where the ultimate story begins to unfold.

 

In terms of all around enjoyment, I think that this show has quite a mature feel to it even though it lacks certain qualities that make many Anime shows today easier for older viewers to watch,such as swearing and the occasional nudity. It still includes a decent amount of blood starting at the Frieza Saga, and a very original story.

 

The graphics to this show are very well animated, and improve more and more after every Saga. I believe that it has much better style and animation then the other two parts of this trilogy(Dragonball and Dragonball GT).

 

Recommend?: I definitely recommend this to action fans.

[Jerry OldMaster]

Soon maybe add a review of D.Gray-man.

 

Or someone would do it for me, cuz I'm bored XD

[Guest Supreme Gamesmaster]

Title: The Slayers

Genre: Action/Adventure/Supernatural

Rating: 5

E/J?: Both are reviewed here.

Review:

 

So, here it is. One of the first animes ever to come to the States. One thing's for sure: it left a great first impression.

 

Lina Inverse is pretty much the opposite of stereotypical anime heroines. She's a flat-chested (careful with that) redhead girl with über magic skills and a hair-trigger temper. She's also a mercenary. She can cast the mighty Dragon Slave, an ultimate blast of red energy with a destructive radius that can destroy a city. She uses this to attack and destroy the Dragon's Fang bandits, destroying their base and killing many of them. She is followed by the survivors, however, and meets Gourry Gabriev when she is attacked by the far-less-powerful bandits. He insists on being the more-than-competent Inverse's guardian. Later on, the surviving chimaera that led the Dragon's Fang group, Zelgadis Greywords, joins them, as well as over-the-top Amelia and calm maiden/excellent cook Sylphiel. They must defeat many demons, and Lina later demonstrates her mysterious connection with the ruler of the Four Planes, the Lord of Nightmares...

 

This series boasts many things that tip it in my favor. The huge variety of spells and creative, humorous, non-cliché characters that maintain proportions so far unrivaled by any other anime that has hit stateside. Spectacular dubbing sets The Slayers apart from many other animes, with a true-to-the-original and humorous script and excellent voice actors. The fact that it was an early stateside could have something to do with the effort Software Sculptors put into it, or maybe it's just that they're twenty times better than 4kids, which we're used to today. -.-

 

Recommend?: Hell yeah. Anyone 13+ can watch this, because it does feature some mature content. But if you can, do. It's freakin' awesome.

[Quagmire_jr]

Title: MAR: Marchen Awakens Romance

Genre: Fantacy

Rating: 4 out of 5

E/J?: episodes 1-36 in english. rest in english dub.

Review: Very good. Othe rpeople should try it....

Recommend?: big YES

 

 

this has episodes 1-36 in english

 

and sum1 plz tell em where 2 find episodes 46 +. i cant find them with english subs anywhere, letalone dub.