Rob Kelk
1st February 2004, 06:00 PM
Archive-name: <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/primer/a-primer.html>
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Thu 8 Jan 2004
The Anime Primer
or
WHAT ANIME SHOULD I WATCH NOW?
rec.arts.anime.* and aus.arts.anime edition
Edited by Rob Kelk
Based on the work of Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl
8 January 2004
************************************************** **************
This document is always undergoing revision.
New entries are needed and should be sent to Rob Kelk.
************************************************** **************
This is intended for English-speaking fans who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. While this list
concentrates on North American releases of anime, there is some
information about the availability of translated anime in other parts
of the world mentioned as well.
New or Heavily Revised Writeups This Month:
BOTTLE FAIRY [Robert Sneddon]
GENSOMADEN SAIYUKI [Bill Martin]
YOKOHAMA SHOPPING TRIP LOG [Robert Sneddon]
Other Changes This Month:
* Some availability information updated.
Planned Changes for Next Month:
* Continue clearing out some of the "deadwood" and adding necessary
notes, resuming from titles beginning with "I".
* Update availability information, including availibility in Australia
and the United Kingdom whenever known.
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents
2. Credits and Legal Notes
3. How to Find Anime
4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
5. Other Recommendations
6. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
7. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Credits and Legal Notes
This is a monthly posting intended for those who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. This article can
be freely distributed for non-commercial use, as long as all credits
and notices remain intact. If this is used in any publication,
including APAs & CD-Rom Collections, copies must be sent to:
Steve Pearl
PO Box 11044
New Brunswick, NJ 08906-1044
USA
and
Rob Kelk
(contact FAQ maintainer for address)
Please send all additions/corrections/comments to Rob Kelk.
Contributors to this FAQ:
Past Maintainers:
Bruce Carlson Steve Pearl
Current Maintainer:
Rob Kelk <robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Writers:
Anthony D. Baranyi Chris Meadows
Gerardo Campos Chris "Blade" McNeil
Ben Cantrick Dave Menard
Robin Casady Karl Merris
Anand Chelian Hanno Mueller
David Damerell Mark L. Neidengard
Scott Fujimoto Kyle Thomas Pope
Shawn Granger David Simmons
Bruce Grubb Charlie Smith
Arthur Hansen Robert "Nojay" Sneddon
Jeanne Hedge Andrew V. Tupkalo
Andrew Hollingbury Terrence Walker
Matt "Kosher Pickle" Huber David Watson
Brad Jackson D.Eric Wilson
Derek Janssen "Akodo Bob"
Chris "Chika" Johnson "Antaeus Feldspar"
Rob Kelk "Hana no Kaitou"
Cathy Krusberg "KireiSarah"
Paul Lepant "MimiE"
Ray Li "Royal Orange"
D B Malmquist "Shez"
Bill Martin "Slithy Tove"
Christopher Mattiuz "Sultan Of Swing"
Rob Maxwell
Nicholas A. "QuestionMark" Jalowick
Catherine "Fish Eye no Miko" Johnson
If there is no credit given for an entry, then it was inherited from
the original "Anime Primer" maintained by Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl.
------------------------------
Subject: 3. How to Find Anime
Anime programs come in three flavors: TV shows, Movies, and Original
Animation Video (OAV or OVA - what North American studios call "direct
to video"). In general, movies have the best animation quality, while
TV shows use less motion, and OAVs vary widely between those. Also,
newer shows tend to have better animation than older shows do, since
the state of the art has advanced. But animation quality is rarely an
indicator of how good an anime is.
The vast majority of Japanese animation is only available in Japanese,
of course. Sturgeon's Law ("90% of *everything* is crap") also
applies to anime, so the professionals and fans translating anime into
English tend to work with the 10% that isn't.
Professionally-translated anime can often be found at large video
stores and comic book shops (brick-and-mortar or online). Sometimes,
they are also available for individual purchase directly from the
translation company. Secondhand copies of anime can also be found for
sale on the <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace> newsgroup.
Fan-subtitled items were historically available as tape-to-tape copies
from clubs (see below), individuals, and other volunteer distributors.
Nowadays they are usually found online via the various file-sharing
peer-to-peer systems in formats designed either for viewing directly
on computer screens or for transfer to CD for playing in VCD players.
Since fansubs are "derivative works", they are technically illegal in
most countries (so don't get fansubs if you don't want to break the
law), but this is largely ignored by the copyright holders as long as
nobody makes a profit and anime that have been professionally
translated aren't also fan-subtitled. It is beyond the scope of this
document to describe how to obtain fansubs - please ask on the
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom> newsgroup for assistance.
(There are still some fansub distributors who advertise tapes or VCDs
on the World-Wide Web. Be warned, though, that many of these people
are taking advantage of other fans' goodwill by selling tapes or CDs
at a profit. Worse yet, there are now many people who are selling
fansubs for a profit on eBay and other online auction services. You
shouldn't pay more for a fansub than you would pay for the blank tape
or blank CD, plus postage. Also, some less-scrupulous fansub
distributors sell fan-subtitled copies of anime that have also been
translated professionally. The best defence against being caught by
one of these distributors is to know what shows have been
professionally translated. Read the Grand High License List at
<http://www.animeondvd.com/license/index.htm>, then ask on
<news:rec.arts.anime.misc> if you still aren't sure.)
Most cities of even moderate size have an anime club somewhere. They
probably meet periodically and view the latest stuff, and many have a
decent video library. A good way to find your local club is to ask at
the local stores that sell anime, or to post a question in the
rec.arts.anime.fandom newsgroup if your town doesn't have an anime
store.
Many science fiction conventions have an anime program in a room
someplace these days. An anime convention is probably the best way to
sample *large* amounts of anime at once (if you can tear yourself
away from the Guests, panels, and other activities to actually watch
the stuff).
------------------------------
Subject: 4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
You may have seen an anime that you liked, but isn't on this list.
That doesn't mean your taste in anime is bad!
First, this is not a comprehensive list of anime titles, or even a
list of all good anime. It it simply a list of shows that people on
the anime newsgroups like enough to review and recommend to others.
Please keep in mind that tastes vary, and not everyone will think that
every anime on this list is good. (You could ask twenty different
anime fans what the best anime are, and you'll get twenty different
replies.) But we hope that this list will help you find something
*you* think is good.
Also, if the anime you saw and liked has erotic or pornographic
content, it shouldn't be listed here. Listings for this type of anime
can be found in "The Anime Hentai Primer", a companion to this
posting. The list maintainer chose to split the list so that this
list could be given to people who should not, or do not wish to, watch
erotic or pornographic animation.
If the anime you saw and liked isn't included in either Primer, it's
quite possible that we simply haven't seen it yet. If you think we
should add a capsule description of a title not on this list, please
write the description and send it to Rob Kelk.
<robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Should you decide to write a capsule description of a good anime
title, please also mention who translated the anime. This is
especially important when the show is only available fansubbed!
(Commercially-translated anime can be purchased in specialty shops,
but fansubs are only available from people within the anime fan
community. Knowing who translated a show often helps other anime fans
find the translations.)
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Other Recommendations
Most of these descriptions are sparse, but we can't really offer more
in Usenet posts! However, there are places on the World-Wide Web that
offer more in-depth reviews, including reviews of shows that aren't as
good as these are.
Gilles Poitras, author of "The Anime Companion" and "Anime
Essentials", has a page of recommendations on his website. He also
has pages of recommendations for manga and books about anime.
<http://www.koyagi.com/recommended.html>
Andrew Shelton is building the "Anime Meta-Review" site, which is
already over ten times larger than this FAQ. He also reviews shows
that he *doesn't* recommend, which may be of interest to some people.
<http://www.serc.rmit.edu.au/~ashelton/anime/>
------------------------------
Subject: 6. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
And now, the descriptions:
3x3 EYES (a.k.a. SAZAN EYES): Pai, the last of a race of three-eye
immortals known as Sanjiyan Unkara, desires to become human. She has
been sent to Yakumo by his late father to obtain an artifact called
the Ningun No Zou or Statue of Humanity which is needed to accomplish
this. Unfortunately, one of her demon friends is let loose and Yakumo
is mortally wonded in the resulting chaos. To save Yakumo she pulls
his soul into her, turning him into a Wu (an undead-like immortal).
To become human again, Yakumo must help Pai become human.
Unfortunately there are others who want the Ningun No Zou, the
immortality of being Wu, or Pai herself. Complicating matters is that
Pai has a totally different personality when her third eye manifests.
The North American DVD release by Pioneer combines the two OVAs
"Immortal" and "Legend of the Divine Demon". 3x3 EYES is available in
Australia from Madman.
PARENTAL ADVISORY: The "Immortal" OVA has several violent gorish
scenes - Yakumo gets badly beaten several times and his hand is chopped
off. His girlfriend is used as a hostage during which she is painfully
attacked from the inside by a demon. "Legend of the Divine Demon" is
far
less gory, though there is the death of Yakumo's mentor, a blind Tibetan
priest.
Detailed web page is at <http://www.sazan.net/digest/>
[Entry by Bruce Grubb]
801 T.T.S. AIRBATS (a.k.a. AOZORA SHOUJOTAI): A series based
around a female aerobatic team within the Japanese Air Self Defense
Force, made up of misfits including a gambling addict, an airhead, a
pilot with a major chip stuck on her shoulder and another that is
always at war with her. Oh yes, and one rookie airplane and mecha nut
with whom both of the latter two pilots are besotted with. Available
from ADV Films in North America and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
A
ABENOBASHI MAHOU SHOUTENGAI: 11-year-old friends Satoshi "Sasshi"
Imamiya and Ayumi Asahina are bemoaning the fact that their Osaka
neighbourhood is now decaying, and wondering about the animal statues
on top of some of the shops. When Arumi's grandfather accidentally
knocks down the pelican statue on top of his restaurant, things get
trippy for the two kids, and they end up in various re-settings of
their neighbourhood, based on a different theme in each show (i.e.
sword and sorcery, China, outer space), where parodies of examples of
the genres follow, frequently at blur speed. Add dashes of juvenile
humour here and there (including a young woman appropriately named
Mune-Mune, who supplies the fan service), plus the odd touching
moment, blend, and serve. A collaboration between Gainax and
scriptwriter Akahori Satoru (SABER MARIONETTE J, SORCEROR HUNTERS and
MON COLLE KNIGHTS, among many others).
[Entry by David Watson]
AD POLICE FILES: This series chronicles the (mis-)adventures of AD
Police rookie Leon and his colleagues as they defend the near-future
cyberpunk city of MegaTokyo (and sometimes themselves) from boomers -
humanish andriods. There are three episodes, each with a different
plot line, but each asking the same question - what happens when the
line between man and machine blurs? Forewarned, this series is
extremely dark, violent, gory and sexual. Therefore I do not
recommend it for anyone under 17 years old unless they are very
mature. Well drawn and animated, and certanly engaging to watch. If
you liked Bladerunner, you might like this series. Three episodes.
Subbed. From AnimEigo in North America and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]
[NOTE: There is a recent remake titled AD POLICE, that has been
released by ADV Films in North America. The FAQ maintainer has not
yet seen the remake, and nobody else has yet written a capsule
description of the show. - Rob Kelk]
ADVENTURES OF THE MINI-GODDESSES: Loosely based on a series of
four-panel comic strips that themselves were loosely based on Kosuke
Fujishima's AH MEGAMI-SAMA story, this is a series of short (five- to
seven-minute) episodes featuring cute versions of Urd and Skuld as
they have adventures with Gan-chan, a rat that lives in the temple.
Belldandy sometimes gets in on the fun, too (although not as often,
because her original seiyuu was unavailable when the earliest episodes
were made). While some of the episodes have educational content, most
are simply excuses to tell silly stories from the four-panel comic
strip (such as the "Let's Make a Band" storyline), or parodying
popular Japanese culture (such as the "Gan-chan becomes Godzilla"
stories).
There's little if any serious meaning to this series, but it's
ideal for the times when you're too tired or rushed to watch something
that takes itself too seriously.
Pioneer has released this series on DVD in North America.
(See also OH MY GODDESS! and AH MY GODDESS!)
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AH! MY GODDESS: Set later in the AH MEGAMI-SAMA storyline than the
OH MY GODDESS! OAV series, this movie tells the story of Belldandy's
mentor Celestin and his attempt to go against the will of Kami-sama
for the sake of love. One of the side-effects of Celestin's actions
causes Belldandy to lose her memory, so the goddesses and Keiichi have
two problems to solve at the same time.
This is quite possibly the best animated AH MEGAMI-SAMA story yet.
All of the characters are shown as they are in Kosuke Fujishima's
manga, as opposed to the caricatures of Belldandy and Keiichi in the
OAV series, and the plotline is reminiscent of Fujishima's best work.
(The only real problem some people have with the movie is that Mara
once again doesn't make an appearance, but, given the subject matter,
there's really no logical way for her to have been in the story.)
This movie is available in North America on DVD from Pioneer, and
in Australia from Madman.
(See also OH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.)
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AH MEGAMI-SAMA: see OH MY GODDESS!, AH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES
OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.
AIM FOR THE TOP!: see GUNBUSTER
AKIRA: This anime has held up remarkably over the years. Despite
the fact that it was originally released in 1988, its animation looks
good even today.
Opening with the destruction of Tokyo by what appears to be an
atomic blast, what AKIRA is depends on how you look at it. Is AKIRA a
cyberpunk movie about rival biker gangs? Yes. Is AKIRA a conspiracy
theory movie about the government experimenting with psychic powers?
Yes. Is AKIRA a movie about rebellion against an oppressive
government? Yes. Is AKIRA a deep movie about the nature of the
universe? Yes.
In addition to a compelling story, and astonishingly good
animation, AKIRA also features a truly excellent soundtrack composed
by one of Japan's premier musicians.
It is true that AKIRA has a convoluted plot. There are at least
three major plot threads in the story, and several minor plot threads.
Partially this is due to the anime being condensed out of a 1300 page
manga. Partially this is due to the plot being complex. Some people
have found that Streamline's original dub tends to add to the
confusion.
AKIRA was originally released in the US by Streamline Pictures, but
its North American license has been purchased by Pioneer now. AKIRA
is available on VHS tape in both subtitled and dubbed format. It is
also available on DVD. In Australia, AKIRA is available from Madman.
[Entry by Brad Jackson]
[Parental Advisory: There is one short attempted rape scene in
this movie. - Rob Kelk]
ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU: The Mishima Heavy
Industries corporation wants its prototype android back, to use as a
war machine. Lady Akiko, head of Mishima, wants to take her son
Ryuunosuke from her ex-husband - preferably by force. Ryuunosuke, on
the run with his brilliant and eccentric father, just wants the
friendly kitten he finds on Christmas Eve. When it all comes
together, the result is "Nuku Nuku" Natsume - the brain of a cat, the
appearance of a lovely schoolgirl, and the raw power of a war machine,
living with Ryuunosuke and 'Papa-san' as Ryuunosuke's sister and the
family's protector.
The original six OAV series is nicely animated, delightful
action-comedy. The TV series that followed kept most of the same
characters but changed the situations heavily, and is reported to have
suffered from a Monster-of-the-Week plot. The later OAV series, "Nuku
Nuku Dash," not only changed the situations but changed Nuku Nuku's
character design and her personality from bubbly and upbeat to teary,
and is generally considered disappointing by fans.
[Entry by Antaeus Feldspar]
[The first OAV series is available from ADV Films. - Rob Kelk]
ANGEL LINKS: The second show in Sunrise's "Toward Stars" universe,
but nowhere near as wide in scope as its sister series OUTLAW STAR,
ANGEL LINKS tells the story of Li Meifon, a teenager who is named heir
to a large interplanetary corporation on the condition that she operate
a pirate-hunting serivce for free. This seems simple enough on the
surface, but why does Meifon already have a grave marker?
This is science-fantasy space opera, but not quite in the same vein
as its sister show - the scope is much smaller than what's shown in
OUTLAW STAR. It's also half the length of the previous series, mainly
because the writers didn't have to explain everything to the audience.
ANGEL LINKS is available as a four-DVD box set from Bandai in North
America.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AOZORA SHOUJOTAI: see 801 T.T.S. AIRBATS
ARJUNA: see EARTH GIRL ARJUNA
ARMITAGE III: In the future, mankind has terraformed and settled
Mars. We've also developed a line of human-like androids with
designations of "first," "second" and "third". Ross Sylabus, a police
detective from Earth with an antipathy for androids, has transferred
to Mars. What he finds there is a political conspiracy that covers
two planets and involves his colleague, the child-like female
detective Armitage. Well drawn and animated, with moments of both
levity and action. Some violence. Four episodes, or one movie which
is the episodes edited together with some omissions. Subbed and
dubbed both availble. From Pioneer in North America, and Madman in
Australia.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]
[There is also a sequel movie ARMITAGE III - DUAL-MATRIX, which
contains spoilers for the original ARMITAGE III story. A review of
this movie is being written. - Rob Kelk]
ARSLAN SENKI (a.k.a. THE HEROIC LEGEND OF ARSLAN): 5 part OAV
running approximately 4 hours total. Slow paced historical fiction.
The kingdom of Pars is overrun by a neighboring kingdom, with inside
help. The king is imprisoned and it's up to the young prince and his
loyal retainers to win the kingdom back. The story is more sword and
political intrigue than it is sword and sorcery, not much fighting, no
comedy, full of shoujo-esque character designs, and is unfinished, the
remainder of the story is available in novel or manga form. Original
novels by the same author as LEGEND OF GALACTIC HEROES. DVD box set
includes all OAVs. By U.S. Manga Corps.
[Entry by MimiE]
ASH WINGS ALLIANCE: see HAIBANE RENMEI
ASTRO BOY (originally TETSUWAN ATOMU / MIGHTY ATOM): The first real
Japanese anime TV series aired in 1963, Astro Boy was made by the
anime "God" Osamu Tezuka. It is a story of a little robot boy, who
ages and becomes mature through the series. It was the first anime
which featured familiar things such as continuous story and plot for
the entire series, character development, and so on. And remember, it
was the first TV anime series!
(This dscription refers to the original series, not the later
remake.)
[Entry by Andrew V. Tupkalo]
AURA BATTLER DUNBINE: Motorcycle racer Show Zama is pulled into an
alternate world where he is drafted as an Aura Battler. An Aura Battler
is a person from Upper Earth (our world) that has the aura power to
control the insect-like mechs this world uses to fight its wars. While
the natives can also drive these things they cannot do so with the
proficiency of Upper Earthers. Show finds himself involved in a war of
conquest led by Drake Luft and soon decides he's on the wrong side.
It's quite an epic from the man who gave the world GUNDAM.
Licenced by ADV Films.
[Entry by Kyle Thomas Pope]
AZUMANGA DAIOH: Popular 26 episode comedy series which follows the
fortunes of seven girls, two teachers, and one dog through the three
years of senior high school. Much of the story centres on Chiyo-chan,
a ten year old genius who has been put in their class and whose
combination of cuteness and superior academic ability inspires
ambivalent feelings amongst her considerably older classmates. Each
character is sharply defined and a lot of the humour arises from our
anticipation of their inevitable behaviour, from the narcoleptic Osaka
who lives in a dream to the manic Tomo whose high jinks go a little
too far. The animation is minimal and at times repetitive, but the
images are beautifully drawn with a refreshing look and equally good
background music.
Note: the AZUMANGA DAIOH "Movie" is actually just a five minute
widescreen short which reworks a few scenes from the series.
[Entry by Shez]
B
BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS (a.k.a. COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDRESS or
CAMPUS GUARDRESS): Girl is sister to boy who is the reincarnation of
a man whom the girl's previous incarnation loved. He died last time
saving the world for evil monsters from another dimension who are bent
on world conquest. And now it's happening all over again. How will
the girl ever manage to save her brother and the world at the same
time, how will she deal with her incestful feelings for her brother,
and how can she deal with her mother making moves on her boy?
This is a bimodal show with characters and input from Hagiwara, the
author of BASTARD! DESTRUCTIVE GOD OF DARKNESS. As such, it is a
combination of the sublime and the profane in a very cute mix. The
attack names are a wonderful throwback to some of the spells in
BASTARD!, and have such names as "Thousand Slices of Radish Attack" or
"Puppy Dog Attack".
If you liked BASTARD!, you'll like this one.
[Entry by Anand Chelian]
BASTARD!: It was an age of lawlessness
Of disorder and Chaos
Blood and steel, flesh and bone
An age of Magic
The four kingdoms are under siege from the evil dark armies of
Chaos. The only one who can save them is the evil wizard who nearly
conquered the world 15 years ago.
BASTARD!!
A tale of sorcery and combat, of scantily clad maidens and a more
scantily clad hero. *High Shonen Fantasy at its most extreme. Enter a
world of action, excitement, danger, and ... laundry.
[Entry by "Akodo Bob"]
BATTLE ANGEL (a.k.a. GUNNM): The Scrapyard is the name given to a
large decaying city that exists due to the garbage dumped from the
floating city above it, named Zalem. Humans, androids and cyborgs
live in this dark and dirty place, all intermingling. Living with
each other, trading with each other, sometime mugging each other.
Ido, A brilliant cyber-doctor, discovers the wreckage of an
extraordinary cyborg in one of the city's junk piles, and restores it
to full health with his skills. She has no memory of her past, so he
names her Gally and raises her as his own daughter. However, there is
more to her than meets the eye... Good artwork and animation. From
the much-acclaimed manga of the same name by Yukito Kishiro. Contains
violence, gore, nudity. Was dubbed and subbed from ADV Films, but is
no longer available in North America (possibly due to an expired
license). However, BATTLE ANGEL is still listed in the Madman
catalog, so Australians can still obtain this anime.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick, edited by Rob Kelk]
BATTLE ATHLETES VICTORY: BATTLE ATHLETES VICTORY chronicles the
trials of a 15 year old athlete, Akari Kanzaki. Akari's dream is to
become the Cosmo Beauty, the title given each year to the greatest
athlete in the Solar System. The title is fought for at the
University Satellite, a space station that orbits Earth. Akari lives
in the shadow of her mother, Tomoe Midoh, who was widely regarded as
the greatest Cosmo Beauty ever. Akari's journey begins at a training
school in Antarctica, but stretches past the University Satellite ...
Available on DVD and VHS from Pioneer.
[Entry by Matt Huber]
BATTLE SKIPPER: A new intake and the usual scrap for the best by
the school hobby clubs, but three young girls end up taking the fast
track into the secret world of one particular club, a cover for some
pretty heavyweight mecha in the usual clash of good bot meets bad
bot... apparently the folk who did PLASTIC LITTLE had much to do with
this title. (CPM/USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BIGWARS: Man has colonised Mars and an alien race doesn't much
care for that. This is a tale of Man's struggle against the odds as
the alien, who styles itself as a kind of god, uses awesome weapons to
beat back the expansionist humans. It's now down to one last
chance... (CPM/USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BLACK MAGIC M66: A side story to Masamune Shirow's manga BLACK
MAGIC, this movie tells the story of one of the first combat androids
ever built. Unfortunately, the military scientist who designed it
used his daughter as the test subject for the android to target. Even
more unfortunately, the android has escaped from the aircraft
transporting it from the test facility... If you liked "The
Terminator", you'll probably like M66. The anime is available from
Manga Video, and the collected comic is available from Dark Horse.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
BLACKJACK: He's called Blackjack, and he is a practitioner of
"underground surgery". A Tezuka chara of old, in this story he is
caught up in a mystery concerning the appearance of "Super Humans",
and the lethal secret behind it. Blackjack is based around a manga
where he is a chara that appears, performs surgery that no legitimate
surgeon would consider, charges high fees for it then vanishes.
Released by Manga in North America, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
BLUE SONNET: There have been many stories about making a humanoid
"ultimate weapon". This is one of those, in that Sonnet is a cyborg
that has awesome psychokinetic powers. However it is known to her
creator that somewhere out there is an even greater power lying
dormant. In fact the person in question becomes a classmate of
Sonnet's. While this girl discovers her hidden power, Sonnet
discovers her lost humanity in a background of corporate domination.
(USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BLUE SUBMARINE #6: The world is at war with aliens. Most of the
world is covered in water. But not everything is as it seems. There
is a lot of action in this series and some interesting twists. It's a
combination of hand drawn and computer animation which in my opinion
worked nicely. The episodes are short and only one episode per DVD.
Still cheaper than the old way of buying a dub and a sub version of
the VHS, but in today's DVD age it seems a bit expensive. An single
disk is also available with the violence edited out. Available from
Bandai in North America, and from Siren in Australia.
[Entry by Shawn Granger]
BOTTLE FAIRY: Based on an as-yet unreleased game in Japan, this
thirteen episode TV series was fansubbed by the Hikari no Kiseki group.
It tells the month-by-month adventures of four tiny naive fairy girls,
Sarara, Kururu, Chiriri and Hororo who live in glass jars on the desk of
Sensei-san, a young college student. Each show covers a month in
Japanese life with the fairies learning about what it is to be human,
assisted by Loose Cannon Tama-chan, their highly-opinionated
six-year-old neighbour who is *never* wrong.
In the wrong hands this could have been saccharine beyond belief but
the scripts and storylines bely the basic idea and make each episode
delightful as the girls use their imagination to try and figure out the
world. The equally-delightful ending songs are sung by the fairy
seiyuus, with a different seiyuu and song for the three shows in each
"season".
[Entry by Robert Sneddon]
BROTHER, DEAR BROTHER: see ONIISAMA E
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: A "cyberpunk" style anime that centers around
the mercenary (or perhaps vigilante) group, the "Knight Sabers".
These four women use powered armor to accomplish their missions.
There are eight OVAs in this series, and two major story arcs. The
Genom megacorporation acts as the main villain in the series, but
there is serious question as to whether Genom is actually evil or not.
The humanoid robots, boomers, that Genom produces are used in combat,
and occasionally go rogue, but they also save lives and are
responsible for rebuilding Tokyo after the second Kanto quake. The
plot is interesting and involving, if sometimes hard to follow.
The series owes a lot to the US movie BLADE RUNNER, and includes
several references to the movie. For example, one of the Knight
Sabers, Priss, is the lead singer in a band called "The Replicants".
As in the movie BLADE RUNNER, one of the central issues in the series
is the question of what makes us people, and whether the created life
forms may be people.
The animation is somewhat dated, as is the music. Still, the hard
80's rock sound is not at all painful to listen to, and the animation
holds up well over the years. The characters and mecha were designed
by Kenichi Sonoda, of GUNSMITH CATS fame, and look good even after all
this time. The dub is considered by many to be very bad, especially
the remakes of the songs.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS has spawned several spin off series, a sequel,
BUBBLEGUM CRASH, and the recent remake BUBBLEGUM CRISIS 2040.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS is available from AnimEigo in North America, MVM
in the United Kingdom, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Brad Jackson, edited by Rob Kelk]
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040: BGC2040 is a 26-episode TV series
that "borrows" certain elements from the original BUBBLEGUM CRISIS,
but changes them enough to make it an alternative retelling of the
original story. The basic concept is the same: Four women use
powered armor to fight a secret war against renegade androids
(Boomers) and the shady corporation who makes them (Genom). Some
things (such as Priss being a biker chick and singer of a rock band)
remain the same from the original series, but most other aspects are
completely different, ranging from the personalities of the characters
to the nature of the technology they use. As a result, the show has a
different feel than its predecessor - at times it feels more like
EVANGELION than BLADE RUNNER. Many (but not all) fans of the original
series dislike this show intensely. Much of the criticism has to do
with certain plot twists that strike some as implausible. However,
BGC2040 has its own fans as well. It's probably best to judge the
show on its own, rather than comparing it against its famous
predecessor. Available from ADV Films in North America, and Madman in
Australia.
[Entry by Scott Fujimoto]
BURN UP W: Surrounding a group of specially selected (female)
police who, when called into action, display special skills (and a lot
more in those inevitable skin tight costumes!) This series runs
through a number of side plots but is essentially concerned with an
underworld plot to control the minds of various powerful folk using an
addictive device. Available from ADV Films in North America, and
Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
CAMPUS GUARDRESS: see BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS
CARDCAPTOR SAKURA (a.k.a. CARDCAPTORS): A sweet and charming
'magical girl' show by the popular CLAMP team, built on the framework
of a collectable card game. 4th grader Kinomoto Sakura accidentally
releases a number of magical cards from an ancient book. With the aid
of the cards' guardian, Keroberos, who appears as a winged toy bear,
and her adoring girlfriend Tomoyo, Sakura must recapture the cards and
return them to their book, using the captured cards' powers to help
her. Complications ensue with the appearance of other seekers of the
cards. CARDCAPTOR SAKURA is as much about the joys, vicissitudes and
perplexities of growing up, of what friendship really means, of how to
be brave in the face of danger, as it is about its frame story of the
chase after magical cards. As with all CLAMP shows, the character and
costume designs are utterly charming, and as with all CLAMP shows,
there are hints of homoeroticism.
This show is commercially available in the US (from Pioneer) in two
formats: 'Cardcaptor Sakura' has Japanese language and English
subtitles only, and has not been edited for content; 'Cardcaptors',
with an English dub only, is the version that was shown on American
TV, and is heavily edited. Only the latter is available in Australia
(from Madman).
[Entry by Slithy Tove]
CARRIED BY THE WIND: see TSUKIKAGE RAN
CASTLE IN THE SKY: see LAPUTA
CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO: see the entry for LUPIN III
CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU: see ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU
CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK: see GUNDAM
CHARCOAL FEATHERS FEDERATION: see HAIBANE RENMEI
A CHINESE GHOST STORY: A naive tax collector is surprised to find
that he was assigned to work in the land of ghosts and spirits. Too
late, he already fell in love with a beautiful ghost who wants to
harvest his soul for her mistress. He can resist her spell and wins
her love, but now the two lovers find themselves in the middle of a
battle between the three best ghostbusters of the land. Loosely based
on the same Chinese fairy tale as the popular live-action Hong Kong
movie of the same name. Beautiful character design and 2D animation,
badly mixed with ugly, overdone 3D computer graphics that brings down
the overall experience. Yet the great (very Chinese) humour and a
cute story save the film.
[Entry by Hanno Mueller]
CHOBITS: (Review written after 16 episodes & all 8 manga volumes in
North America) A country boy, Hideki Motosuwa, moves to the big city to
get an education and hopefully one day get into college. Upon arriving
in the big city, he is awestruck by Persocoms. (A persocom is a
computer that looks like a human with weird ears.) However, he is too
poor to be able to afford one, so he struggles and finds a job. One
night after work, he comes across a Persocom wrapped up in bandages and
left in the garbage. He takes it home, and after several hours of
trying to activate it, he finally stumbles on it (definitely in an ecchi
place) and finds out that the only thing it can do is say "Chii", so he
decides to name "her" Chii. He eventually gets help from a computer
expert he goes to classes with named Shinbo (who happens to have a
handheld persocom named Sumomo [Plum in the manga]), and with the help
of Shinbo, Sumomo, and others he comes across he learns that Chii is a
special kind of Persocom, and may even be a legendary Chobit. All the
while Hideki struggles with finances and somehow a book series that Chii
got hooked on somehow tells the story of Persocoms and Humans, and
eventually, even the story of Chii and Hideki. This series is
recommended by Pioneer to be for 16 & up, and I agree, since there are a
few moments that are ecchi. However the series is innocent enough as
nothing truly dirty happens in it. Released by Pioneer in North
America.
[Entry by Bill Martin]
CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT: see RECORD OF LODOSS WAR
COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDRESS: see BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS
COWBOY BEBOP: A jazzy group of bounty hunters meet up and travel
the galaxy. Lots of great individual episodes as well as a main
storyline running through them all. Sharp animation that shows how
well the hand drawn and computer mixed can look. Great music and even
the dub is actually pretty good. Instant classic which appeals to a
wide audience, Otaku and non-Otaku alike. Available from Bandai in
North America, or Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Shawn Granger]
CREST OF THE STARS: CotS (a.k.a. SeiMon from "Seikai no Monshou") is
a
hard sci-fi story set amidst an era of interplanetary empires and
galaxy-spanning war. Humanity has colonized the stars, and the
resulting new order has become one of vast, conflicting empires. The
male lead is the son of a free planet's president who "sold out" his
people to the ABH empire when they came to invade. Now nobility himself
and all but deprived of friends, family, and homeland, Jinto must enter
the ABH military in the hopes of eventually assuming his rightful place
in the nobility. His first contact with the genetically enhanced ABH is
Lafille, a *very* special young woman whose identity and significance to
the political fabric of the empire becomes only gradually apparent.
The show hits all the bases: politics, deeply imagined culture and
futuristic technology, action both in person and between space
fleets ... and most importantly character development, as Jinto and
Lafille grow up as individuals while growing together as people. The
chemistry between them is the focal point of the animators for this
show, and they pull it off with style. Visuals aren't bad at all either,
as expected of Bandai's frontline animators at Sunrise.
If you want something fluffy, something with major fanservice,
something hyperkinetic, or can't take serious sci-fi, SeiMon is probably
not the anime for you. If the above description sounds interesting,
however, I recommend picking up the first volume and seeing what you
think. I find it to be one of the best things to happen to sci-fi anime
in years.
Available from Bandai in North America, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Mark L. Neidengard]
CRIMSON PIG: see PORCO ROSSO
CRUSHER JOE: Old-style comic-book action from the writers that
later went on to create "Dirty Pair": Feature movie and two OAV
episodes availble, from the TV series about team Crusher and their
leader Joe, four mercenaries (and one robot) who'll tackle any job in
the galaxy that needs doing, no matter how impossible...ESPECIALLY if
impossible. Available from AnimEigo.
[Entry by Derek Janssen]
CYBER CITY OEDO 808: In a world dominated by the criminal element,
the forces of law and order turn to setting criminals up to work off
their penalties by becoming unwilling foot soldiers in the march
against crime. Three such criminals are followed in this series, each
with a mission to complete within a given period of time, otherwise a
device locked on their necks will make sure they do not get another
chance. With each successful mission, a portion of their sentences is
erased. (Manga)
[Entry by Chika]
(continued in Part 2)
--
Rob Kelk <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/> robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com
"I'm *not* a kid! Nyyyeaaah!" - Skuld (in "Oh My Goddess!" OAV #3)
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of
childishness and the desire to be very grown-up." - C.S. Lewis, 1947
Posting-frequency: monthly, on the 1st
Last-modified: Thu 8 Jan 2004
The Anime Primer
or
WHAT ANIME SHOULD I WATCH NOW?
rec.arts.anime.* and aus.arts.anime edition
Edited by Rob Kelk
Based on the work of Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl
8 January 2004
************************************************** **************
This document is always undergoing revision.
New entries are needed and should be sent to Rob Kelk.
************************************************** **************
This is intended for English-speaking fans who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. While this list
concentrates on North American releases of anime, there is some
information about the availability of translated anime in other parts
of the world mentioned as well.
New or Heavily Revised Writeups This Month:
BOTTLE FAIRY [Robert Sneddon]
GENSOMADEN SAIYUKI [Bill Martin]
YOKOHAMA SHOPPING TRIP LOG [Robert Sneddon]
Other Changes This Month:
* Some availability information updated.
Planned Changes for Next Month:
* Continue clearing out some of the "deadwood" and adding necessary
notes, resuming from titles beginning with "I".
* Update availability information, including availibility in Australia
and the United Kingdom whenever known.
------------------------------
Subject: 1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents
2. Credits and Legal Notes
3. How to Find Anime
4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
5. Other Recommendations
6. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
7. The List Maintainer's Current Favourites
------------------------------
Subject: 2. Credits and Legal Notes
This is a monthly posting intended for those who are new to anime, and
looking for some suggestions of what to watch next. This article can
be freely distributed for non-commercial use, as long as all credits
and notices remain intact. If this is used in any publication,
including APAs & CD-Rom Collections, copies must be sent to:
Steve Pearl
PO Box 11044
New Brunswick, NJ 08906-1044
USA
and
Rob Kelk
(contact FAQ maintainer for address)
Please send all additions/corrections/comments to Rob Kelk.
Contributors to this FAQ:
Past Maintainers:
Bruce Carlson Steve Pearl
Current Maintainer:
Rob Kelk <robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Writers:
Anthony D. Baranyi Chris Meadows
Gerardo Campos Chris "Blade" McNeil
Ben Cantrick Dave Menard
Robin Casady Karl Merris
Anand Chelian Hanno Mueller
David Damerell Mark L. Neidengard
Scott Fujimoto Kyle Thomas Pope
Shawn Granger David Simmons
Bruce Grubb Charlie Smith
Arthur Hansen Robert "Nojay" Sneddon
Jeanne Hedge Andrew V. Tupkalo
Andrew Hollingbury Terrence Walker
Matt "Kosher Pickle" Huber David Watson
Brad Jackson D.Eric Wilson
Derek Janssen "Akodo Bob"
Chris "Chika" Johnson "Antaeus Feldspar"
Rob Kelk "Hana no Kaitou"
Cathy Krusberg "KireiSarah"
Paul Lepant "MimiE"
Ray Li "Royal Orange"
D B Malmquist "Shez"
Bill Martin "Slithy Tove"
Christopher Mattiuz "Sultan Of Swing"
Rob Maxwell
Nicholas A. "QuestionMark" Jalowick
Catherine "Fish Eye no Miko" Johnson
If there is no credit given for an entry, then it was inherited from
the original "Anime Primer" maintained by Bruce Carlson & Steve Pearl.
------------------------------
Subject: 3. How to Find Anime
Anime programs come in three flavors: TV shows, Movies, and Original
Animation Video (OAV or OVA - what North American studios call "direct
to video"). In general, movies have the best animation quality, while
TV shows use less motion, and OAVs vary widely between those. Also,
newer shows tend to have better animation than older shows do, since
the state of the art has advanced. But animation quality is rarely an
indicator of how good an anime is.
The vast majority of Japanese animation is only available in Japanese,
of course. Sturgeon's Law ("90% of *everything* is crap") also
applies to anime, so the professionals and fans translating anime into
English tend to work with the 10% that isn't.
Professionally-translated anime can often be found at large video
stores and comic book shops (brick-and-mortar or online). Sometimes,
they are also available for individual purchase directly from the
translation company. Secondhand copies of anime can also be found for
sale on the <news:rec.arts.anime.marketplace> newsgroup.
Fan-subtitled items were historically available as tape-to-tape copies
from clubs (see below), individuals, and other volunteer distributors.
Nowadays they are usually found online via the various file-sharing
peer-to-peer systems in formats designed either for viewing directly
on computer screens or for transfer to CD for playing in VCD players.
Since fansubs are "derivative works", they are technically illegal in
most countries (so don't get fansubs if you don't want to break the
law), but this is largely ignored by the copyright holders as long as
nobody makes a profit and anime that have been professionally
translated aren't also fan-subtitled. It is beyond the scope of this
document to describe how to obtain fansubs - please ask on the
<news:rec.arts.anime.fandom> newsgroup for assistance.
(There are still some fansub distributors who advertise tapes or VCDs
on the World-Wide Web. Be warned, though, that many of these people
are taking advantage of other fans' goodwill by selling tapes or CDs
at a profit. Worse yet, there are now many people who are selling
fansubs for a profit on eBay and other online auction services. You
shouldn't pay more for a fansub than you would pay for the blank tape
or blank CD, plus postage. Also, some less-scrupulous fansub
distributors sell fan-subtitled copies of anime that have also been
translated professionally. The best defence against being caught by
one of these distributors is to know what shows have been
professionally translated. Read the Grand High License List at
<http://www.animeondvd.com/license/index.htm>, then ask on
<news:rec.arts.anime.misc> if you still aren't sure.)
Most cities of even moderate size have an anime club somewhere. They
probably meet periodically and view the latest stuff, and many have a
decent video library. A good way to find your local club is to ask at
the local stores that sell anime, or to post a question in the
rec.arts.anime.fandom newsgroup if your town doesn't have an anime
store.
Many science fiction conventions have an anime program in a room
someplace these days. An anime convention is probably the best way to
sample *large* amounts of anime at once (if you can tear yourself
away from the Guests, panels, and other activities to actually watch
the stuff).
------------------------------
Subject: 4. Why would an anime not be on this list?
You may have seen an anime that you liked, but isn't on this list.
That doesn't mean your taste in anime is bad!
First, this is not a comprehensive list of anime titles, or even a
list of all good anime. It it simply a list of shows that people on
the anime newsgroups like enough to review and recommend to others.
Please keep in mind that tastes vary, and not everyone will think that
every anime on this list is good. (You could ask twenty different
anime fans what the best anime are, and you'll get twenty different
replies.) But we hope that this list will help you find something
*you* think is good.
Also, if the anime you saw and liked has erotic or pornographic
content, it shouldn't be listed here. Listings for this type of anime
can be found in "The Anime Hentai Primer", a companion to this
posting. The list maintainer chose to split the list so that this
list could be given to people who should not, or do not wish to, watch
erotic or pornographic animation.
If the anime you saw and liked isn't included in either Primer, it's
quite possible that we simply haven't seen it yet. If you think we
should add a capsule description of a title not on this list, please
write the description and send it to Rob Kelk.
<robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com>
Should you decide to write a capsule description of a good anime
title, please also mention who translated the anime. This is
especially important when the show is only available fansubbed!
(Commercially-translated anime can be purchased in specialty shops,
but fansubs are only available from people within the anime fan
community. Knowing who translated a show often helps other anime fans
find the translations.)
------------------------------
Subject: 5. Other Recommendations
Most of these descriptions are sparse, but we can't really offer more
in Usenet posts! However, there are places on the World-Wide Web that
offer more in-depth reviews, including reviews of shows that aren't as
good as these are.
Gilles Poitras, author of "The Anime Companion" and "Anime
Essentials", has a page of recommendations on his website. He also
has pages of recommendations for manga and books about anime.
<http://www.koyagi.com/recommended.html>
Andrew Shelton is building the "Anime Meta-Review" site, which is
already over ten times larger than this FAQ. He also reviews shows
that he *doesn't* recommend, which may be of interest to some people.
<http://www.serc.rmit.edu.au/~ashelton/anime/>
------------------------------
Subject: 6. Capsule Descriptions of Anime
And now, the descriptions:
3x3 EYES (a.k.a. SAZAN EYES): Pai, the last of a race of three-eye
immortals known as Sanjiyan Unkara, desires to become human. She has
been sent to Yakumo by his late father to obtain an artifact called
the Ningun No Zou or Statue of Humanity which is needed to accomplish
this. Unfortunately, one of her demon friends is let loose and Yakumo
is mortally wonded in the resulting chaos. To save Yakumo she pulls
his soul into her, turning him into a Wu (an undead-like immortal).
To become human again, Yakumo must help Pai become human.
Unfortunately there are others who want the Ningun No Zou, the
immortality of being Wu, or Pai herself. Complicating matters is that
Pai has a totally different personality when her third eye manifests.
The North American DVD release by Pioneer combines the two OVAs
"Immortal" and "Legend of the Divine Demon". 3x3 EYES is available in
Australia from Madman.
PARENTAL ADVISORY: The "Immortal" OVA has several violent gorish
scenes - Yakumo gets badly beaten several times and his hand is chopped
off. His girlfriend is used as a hostage during which she is painfully
attacked from the inside by a demon. "Legend of the Divine Demon" is
far
less gory, though there is the death of Yakumo's mentor, a blind Tibetan
priest.
Detailed web page is at <http://www.sazan.net/digest/>
[Entry by Bruce Grubb]
801 T.T.S. AIRBATS (a.k.a. AOZORA SHOUJOTAI): A series based
around a female aerobatic team within the Japanese Air Self Defense
Force, made up of misfits including a gambling addict, an airhead, a
pilot with a major chip stuck on her shoulder and another that is
always at war with her. Oh yes, and one rookie airplane and mecha nut
with whom both of the latter two pilots are besotted with. Available
from ADV Films in North America and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
A
ABENOBASHI MAHOU SHOUTENGAI: 11-year-old friends Satoshi "Sasshi"
Imamiya and Ayumi Asahina are bemoaning the fact that their Osaka
neighbourhood is now decaying, and wondering about the animal statues
on top of some of the shops. When Arumi's grandfather accidentally
knocks down the pelican statue on top of his restaurant, things get
trippy for the two kids, and they end up in various re-settings of
their neighbourhood, based on a different theme in each show (i.e.
sword and sorcery, China, outer space), where parodies of examples of
the genres follow, frequently at blur speed. Add dashes of juvenile
humour here and there (including a young woman appropriately named
Mune-Mune, who supplies the fan service), plus the odd touching
moment, blend, and serve. A collaboration between Gainax and
scriptwriter Akahori Satoru (SABER MARIONETTE J, SORCEROR HUNTERS and
MON COLLE KNIGHTS, among many others).
[Entry by David Watson]
AD POLICE FILES: This series chronicles the (mis-)adventures of AD
Police rookie Leon and his colleagues as they defend the near-future
cyberpunk city of MegaTokyo (and sometimes themselves) from boomers -
humanish andriods. There are three episodes, each with a different
plot line, but each asking the same question - what happens when the
line between man and machine blurs? Forewarned, this series is
extremely dark, violent, gory and sexual. Therefore I do not
recommend it for anyone under 17 years old unless they are very
mature. Well drawn and animated, and certanly engaging to watch. If
you liked Bladerunner, you might like this series. Three episodes.
Subbed. From AnimEigo in North America and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]
[NOTE: There is a recent remake titled AD POLICE, that has been
released by ADV Films in North America. The FAQ maintainer has not
yet seen the remake, and nobody else has yet written a capsule
description of the show. - Rob Kelk]
ADVENTURES OF THE MINI-GODDESSES: Loosely based on a series of
four-panel comic strips that themselves were loosely based on Kosuke
Fujishima's AH MEGAMI-SAMA story, this is a series of short (five- to
seven-minute) episodes featuring cute versions of Urd and Skuld as
they have adventures with Gan-chan, a rat that lives in the temple.
Belldandy sometimes gets in on the fun, too (although not as often,
because her original seiyuu was unavailable when the earliest episodes
were made). While some of the episodes have educational content, most
are simply excuses to tell silly stories from the four-panel comic
strip (such as the "Let's Make a Band" storyline), or parodying
popular Japanese culture (such as the "Gan-chan becomes Godzilla"
stories).
There's little if any serious meaning to this series, but it's
ideal for the times when you're too tired or rushed to watch something
that takes itself too seriously.
Pioneer has released this series on DVD in North America.
(See also OH MY GODDESS! and AH MY GODDESS!)
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AH! MY GODDESS: Set later in the AH MEGAMI-SAMA storyline than the
OH MY GODDESS! OAV series, this movie tells the story of Belldandy's
mentor Celestin and his attempt to go against the will of Kami-sama
for the sake of love. One of the side-effects of Celestin's actions
causes Belldandy to lose her memory, so the goddesses and Keiichi have
two problems to solve at the same time.
This is quite possibly the best animated AH MEGAMI-SAMA story yet.
All of the characters are shown as they are in Kosuke Fujishima's
manga, as opposed to the caricatures of Belldandy and Keiichi in the
OAV series, and the plotline is reminiscent of Fujishima's best work.
(The only real problem some people have with the movie is that Mara
once again doesn't make an appearance, but, given the subject matter,
there's really no logical way for her to have been in the story.)
This movie is available in North America on DVD from Pioneer, and
in Australia from Madman.
(See also OH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.)
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AH MEGAMI-SAMA: see OH MY GODDESS!, AH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES
OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.
AIM FOR THE TOP!: see GUNBUSTER
AKIRA: This anime has held up remarkably over the years. Despite
the fact that it was originally released in 1988, its animation looks
good even today.
Opening with the destruction of Tokyo by what appears to be an
atomic blast, what AKIRA is depends on how you look at it. Is AKIRA a
cyberpunk movie about rival biker gangs? Yes. Is AKIRA a conspiracy
theory movie about the government experimenting with psychic powers?
Yes. Is AKIRA a movie about rebellion against an oppressive
government? Yes. Is AKIRA a deep movie about the nature of the
universe? Yes.
In addition to a compelling story, and astonishingly good
animation, AKIRA also features a truly excellent soundtrack composed
by one of Japan's premier musicians.
It is true that AKIRA has a convoluted plot. There are at least
three major plot threads in the story, and several minor plot threads.
Partially this is due to the anime being condensed out of a 1300 page
manga. Partially this is due to the plot being complex. Some people
have found that Streamline's original dub tends to add to the
confusion.
AKIRA was originally released in the US by Streamline Pictures, but
its North American license has been purchased by Pioneer now. AKIRA
is available on VHS tape in both subtitled and dubbed format. It is
also available on DVD. In Australia, AKIRA is available from Madman.
[Entry by Brad Jackson]
[Parental Advisory: There is one short attempted rape scene in
this movie. - Rob Kelk]
ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU: The Mishima Heavy
Industries corporation wants its prototype android back, to use as a
war machine. Lady Akiko, head of Mishima, wants to take her son
Ryuunosuke from her ex-husband - preferably by force. Ryuunosuke, on
the run with his brilliant and eccentric father, just wants the
friendly kitten he finds on Christmas Eve. When it all comes
together, the result is "Nuku Nuku" Natsume - the brain of a cat, the
appearance of a lovely schoolgirl, and the raw power of a war machine,
living with Ryuunosuke and 'Papa-san' as Ryuunosuke's sister and the
family's protector.
The original six OAV series is nicely animated, delightful
action-comedy. The TV series that followed kept most of the same
characters but changed the situations heavily, and is reported to have
suffered from a Monster-of-the-Week plot. The later OAV series, "Nuku
Nuku Dash," not only changed the situations but changed Nuku Nuku's
character design and her personality from bubbly and upbeat to teary,
and is generally considered disappointing by fans.
[Entry by Antaeus Feldspar]
[The first OAV series is available from ADV Films. - Rob Kelk]
ANGEL LINKS: The second show in Sunrise's "Toward Stars" universe,
but nowhere near as wide in scope as its sister series OUTLAW STAR,
ANGEL LINKS tells the story of Li Meifon, a teenager who is named heir
to a large interplanetary corporation on the condition that she operate
a pirate-hunting serivce for free. This seems simple enough on the
surface, but why does Meifon already have a grave marker?
This is science-fantasy space opera, but not quite in the same vein
as its sister show - the scope is much smaller than what's shown in
OUTLAW STAR. It's also half the length of the previous series, mainly
because the writers didn't have to explain everything to the audience.
ANGEL LINKS is available as a four-DVD box set from Bandai in North
America.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
AOZORA SHOUJOTAI: see 801 T.T.S. AIRBATS
ARJUNA: see EARTH GIRL ARJUNA
ARMITAGE III: In the future, mankind has terraformed and settled
Mars. We've also developed a line of human-like androids with
designations of "first," "second" and "third". Ross Sylabus, a police
detective from Earth with an antipathy for androids, has transferred
to Mars. What he finds there is a political conspiracy that covers
two planets and involves his colleague, the child-like female
detective Armitage. Well drawn and animated, with moments of both
levity and action. Some violence. Four episodes, or one movie which
is the episodes edited together with some omissions. Subbed and
dubbed both availble. From Pioneer in North America, and Madman in
Australia.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]
[There is also a sequel movie ARMITAGE III - DUAL-MATRIX, which
contains spoilers for the original ARMITAGE III story. A review of
this movie is being written. - Rob Kelk]
ARSLAN SENKI (a.k.a. THE HEROIC LEGEND OF ARSLAN): 5 part OAV
running approximately 4 hours total. Slow paced historical fiction.
The kingdom of Pars is overrun by a neighboring kingdom, with inside
help. The king is imprisoned and it's up to the young prince and his
loyal retainers to win the kingdom back. The story is more sword and
political intrigue than it is sword and sorcery, not much fighting, no
comedy, full of shoujo-esque character designs, and is unfinished, the
remainder of the story is available in novel or manga form. Original
novels by the same author as LEGEND OF GALACTIC HEROES. DVD box set
includes all OAVs. By U.S. Manga Corps.
[Entry by MimiE]
ASH WINGS ALLIANCE: see HAIBANE RENMEI
ASTRO BOY (originally TETSUWAN ATOMU / MIGHTY ATOM): The first real
Japanese anime TV series aired in 1963, Astro Boy was made by the
anime "God" Osamu Tezuka. It is a story of a little robot boy, who
ages and becomes mature through the series. It was the first anime
which featured familiar things such as continuous story and plot for
the entire series, character development, and so on. And remember, it
was the first TV anime series!
(This dscription refers to the original series, not the later
remake.)
[Entry by Andrew V. Tupkalo]
AURA BATTLER DUNBINE: Motorcycle racer Show Zama is pulled into an
alternate world where he is drafted as an Aura Battler. An Aura Battler
is a person from Upper Earth (our world) that has the aura power to
control the insect-like mechs this world uses to fight its wars. While
the natives can also drive these things they cannot do so with the
proficiency of Upper Earthers. Show finds himself involved in a war of
conquest led by Drake Luft and soon decides he's on the wrong side.
It's quite an epic from the man who gave the world GUNDAM.
Licenced by ADV Films.
[Entry by Kyle Thomas Pope]
AZUMANGA DAIOH: Popular 26 episode comedy series which follows the
fortunes of seven girls, two teachers, and one dog through the three
years of senior high school. Much of the story centres on Chiyo-chan,
a ten year old genius who has been put in their class and whose
combination of cuteness and superior academic ability inspires
ambivalent feelings amongst her considerably older classmates. Each
character is sharply defined and a lot of the humour arises from our
anticipation of their inevitable behaviour, from the narcoleptic Osaka
who lives in a dream to the manic Tomo whose high jinks go a little
too far. The animation is minimal and at times repetitive, but the
images are beautifully drawn with a refreshing look and equally good
background music.
Note: the AZUMANGA DAIOH "Movie" is actually just a five minute
widescreen short which reworks a few scenes from the series.
[Entry by Shez]
B
BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS (a.k.a. COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDRESS or
CAMPUS GUARDRESS): Girl is sister to boy who is the reincarnation of
a man whom the girl's previous incarnation loved. He died last time
saving the world for evil monsters from another dimension who are bent
on world conquest. And now it's happening all over again. How will
the girl ever manage to save her brother and the world at the same
time, how will she deal with her incestful feelings for her brother,
and how can she deal with her mother making moves on her boy?
This is a bimodal show with characters and input from Hagiwara, the
author of BASTARD! DESTRUCTIVE GOD OF DARKNESS. As such, it is a
combination of the sublime and the profane in a very cute mix. The
attack names are a wonderful throwback to some of the spells in
BASTARD!, and have such names as "Thousand Slices of Radish Attack" or
"Puppy Dog Attack".
If you liked BASTARD!, you'll like this one.
[Entry by Anand Chelian]
BASTARD!: It was an age of lawlessness
Of disorder and Chaos
Blood and steel, flesh and bone
An age of Magic
The four kingdoms are under siege from the evil dark armies of
Chaos. The only one who can save them is the evil wizard who nearly
conquered the world 15 years ago.
BASTARD!!
A tale of sorcery and combat, of scantily clad maidens and a more
scantily clad hero. *High Shonen Fantasy at its most extreme. Enter a
world of action, excitement, danger, and ... laundry.
[Entry by "Akodo Bob"]
BATTLE ANGEL (a.k.a. GUNNM): The Scrapyard is the name given to a
large decaying city that exists due to the garbage dumped from the
floating city above it, named Zalem. Humans, androids and cyborgs
live in this dark and dirty place, all intermingling. Living with
each other, trading with each other, sometime mugging each other.
Ido, A brilliant cyber-doctor, discovers the wreckage of an
extraordinary cyborg in one of the city's junk piles, and restores it
to full health with his skills. She has no memory of her past, so he
names her Gally and raises her as his own daughter. However, there is
more to her than meets the eye... Good artwork and animation. From
the much-acclaimed manga of the same name by Yukito Kishiro. Contains
violence, gore, nudity. Was dubbed and subbed from ADV Films, but is
no longer available in North America (possibly due to an expired
license). However, BATTLE ANGEL is still listed in the Madman
catalog, so Australians can still obtain this anime.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick, edited by Rob Kelk]
BATTLE ATHLETES VICTORY: BATTLE ATHLETES VICTORY chronicles the
trials of a 15 year old athlete, Akari Kanzaki. Akari's dream is to
become the Cosmo Beauty, the title given each year to the greatest
athlete in the Solar System. The title is fought for at the
University Satellite, a space station that orbits Earth. Akari lives
in the shadow of her mother, Tomoe Midoh, who was widely regarded as
the greatest Cosmo Beauty ever. Akari's journey begins at a training
school in Antarctica, but stretches past the University Satellite ...
Available on DVD and VHS from Pioneer.
[Entry by Matt Huber]
BATTLE SKIPPER: A new intake and the usual scrap for the best by
the school hobby clubs, but three young girls end up taking the fast
track into the secret world of one particular club, a cover for some
pretty heavyweight mecha in the usual clash of good bot meets bad
bot... apparently the folk who did PLASTIC LITTLE had much to do with
this title. (CPM/USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BIGWARS: Man has colonised Mars and an alien race doesn't much
care for that. This is a tale of Man's struggle against the odds as
the alien, who styles itself as a kind of god, uses awesome weapons to
beat back the expansionist humans. It's now down to one last
chance... (CPM/USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BLACK MAGIC M66: A side story to Masamune Shirow's manga BLACK
MAGIC, this movie tells the story of one of the first combat androids
ever built. Unfortunately, the military scientist who designed it
used his daughter as the test subject for the android to target. Even
more unfortunately, the android has escaped from the aircraft
transporting it from the test facility... If you liked "The
Terminator", you'll probably like M66. The anime is available from
Manga Video, and the collected comic is available from Dark Horse.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
BLACKJACK: He's called Blackjack, and he is a practitioner of
"underground surgery". A Tezuka chara of old, in this story he is
caught up in a mystery concerning the appearance of "Super Humans",
and the lethal secret behind it. Blackjack is based around a manga
where he is a chara that appears, performs surgery that no legitimate
surgeon would consider, charges high fees for it then vanishes.
Released by Manga in North America, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
BLUE SONNET: There have been many stories about making a humanoid
"ultimate weapon". This is one of those, in that Sonnet is a cyborg
that has awesome psychokinetic powers. However it is known to her
creator that somewhere out there is an even greater power lying
dormant. In fact the person in question becomes a classmate of
Sonnet's. While this girl discovers her hidden power, Sonnet
discovers her lost humanity in a background of corporate domination.
(USMC)
[Entry by Chika]
BLUE SUBMARINE #6: The world is at war with aliens. Most of the
world is covered in water. But not everything is as it seems. There
is a lot of action in this series and some interesting twists. It's a
combination of hand drawn and computer animation which in my opinion
worked nicely. The episodes are short and only one episode per DVD.
Still cheaper than the old way of buying a dub and a sub version of
the VHS, but in today's DVD age it seems a bit expensive. An single
disk is also available with the violence edited out. Available from
Bandai in North America, and from Siren in Australia.
[Entry by Shawn Granger]
BOTTLE FAIRY: Based on an as-yet unreleased game in Japan, this
thirteen episode TV series was fansubbed by the Hikari no Kiseki group.
It tells the month-by-month adventures of four tiny naive fairy girls,
Sarara, Kururu, Chiriri and Hororo who live in glass jars on the desk of
Sensei-san, a young college student. Each show covers a month in
Japanese life with the fairies learning about what it is to be human,
assisted by Loose Cannon Tama-chan, their highly-opinionated
six-year-old neighbour who is *never* wrong.
In the wrong hands this could have been saccharine beyond belief but
the scripts and storylines bely the basic idea and make each episode
delightful as the girls use their imagination to try and figure out the
world. The equally-delightful ending songs are sung by the fairy
seiyuus, with a different seiyuu and song for the three shows in each
"season".
[Entry by Robert Sneddon]
BROTHER, DEAR BROTHER: see ONIISAMA E
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS: A "cyberpunk" style anime that centers around
the mercenary (or perhaps vigilante) group, the "Knight Sabers".
These four women use powered armor to accomplish their missions.
There are eight OVAs in this series, and two major story arcs. The
Genom megacorporation acts as the main villain in the series, but
there is serious question as to whether Genom is actually evil or not.
The humanoid robots, boomers, that Genom produces are used in combat,
and occasionally go rogue, but they also save lives and are
responsible for rebuilding Tokyo after the second Kanto quake. The
plot is interesting and involving, if sometimes hard to follow.
The series owes a lot to the US movie BLADE RUNNER, and includes
several references to the movie. For example, one of the Knight
Sabers, Priss, is the lead singer in a band called "The Replicants".
As in the movie BLADE RUNNER, one of the central issues in the series
is the question of what makes us people, and whether the created life
forms may be people.
The animation is somewhat dated, as is the music. Still, the hard
80's rock sound is not at all painful to listen to, and the animation
holds up well over the years. The characters and mecha were designed
by Kenichi Sonoda, of GUNSMITH CATS fame, and look good even after all
this time. The dub is considered by many to be very bad, especially
the remakes of the songs.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS has spawned several spin off series, a sequel,
BUBBLEGUM CRASH, and the recent remake BUBBLEGUM CRISIS 2040.
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS is available from AnimEigo in North America, MVM
in the United Kingdom, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Brad Jackson, edited by Rob Kelk]
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040: BGC2040 is a 26-episode TV series
that "borrows" certain elements from the original BUBBLEGUM CRISIS,
but changes them enough to make it an alternative retelling of the
original story. The basic concept is the same: Four women use
powered armor to fight a secret war against renegade androids
(Boomers) and the shady corporation who makes them (Genom). Some
things (such as Priss being a biker chick and singer of a rock band)
remain the same from the original series, but most other aspects are
completely different, ranging from the personalities of the characters
to the nature of the technology they use. As a result, the show has a
different feel than its predecessor - at times it feels more like
EVANGELION than BLADE RUNNER. Many (but not all) fans of the original
series dislike this show intensely. Much of the criticism has to do
with certain plot twists that strike some as implausible. However,
BGC2040 has its own fans as well. It's probably best to judge the
show on its own, rather than comparing it against its famous
predecessor. Available from ADV Films in North America, and Madman in
Australia.
[Entry by Scott Fujimoto]
BURN UP W: Surrounding a group of specially selected (female)
police who, when called into action, display special skills (and a lot
more in those inevitable skin tight costumes!) This series runs
through a number of side plots but is essentially concerned with an
underworld plot to control the minds of various powerful folk using an
addictive device. Available from ADV Films in North America, and
Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Chika]
CAMPUS GUARDRESS: see BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS
CARDCAPTOR SAKURA (a.k.a. CARDCAPTORS): A sweet and charming
'magical girl' show by the popular CLAMP team, built on the framework
of a collectable card game. 4th grader Kinomoto Sakura accidentally
releases a number of magical cards from an ancient book. With the aid
of the cards' guardian, Keroberos, who appears as a winged toy bear,
and her adoring girlfriend Tomoyo, Sakura must recapture the cards and
return them to their book, using the captured cards' powers to help
her. Complications ensue with the appearance of other seekers of the
cards. CARDCAPTOR SAKURA is as much about the joys, vicissitudes and
perplexities of growing up, of what friendship really means, of how to
be brave in the face of danger, as it is about its frame story of the
chase after magical cards. As with all CLAMP shows, the character and
costume designs are utterly charming, and as with all CLAMP shows,
there are hints of homoeroticism.
This show is commercially available in the US (from Pioneer) in two
formats: 'Cardcaptor Sakura' has Japanese language and English
subtitles only, and has not been edited for content; 'Cardcaptors',
with an English dub only, is the version that was shown on American
TV, and is heavily edited. Only the latter is available in Australia
(from Madman).
[Entry by Slithy Tove]
CARRIED BY THE WIND: see TSUKIKAGE RAN
CASTLE IN THE SKY: see LAPUTA
CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO: see the entry for LUPIN III
CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU: see ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU
CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK: see GUNDAM
CHARCOAL FEATHERS FEDERATION: see HAIBANE RENMEI
A CHINESE GHOST STORY: A naive tax collector is surprised to find
that he was assigned to work in the land of ghosts and spirits. Too
late, he already fell in love with a beautiful ghost who wants to
harvest his soul for her mistress. He can resist her spell and wins
her love, but now the two lovers find themselves in the middle of a
battle between the three best ghostbusters of the land. Loosely based
on the same Chinese fairy tale as the popular live-action Hong Kong
movie of the same name. Beautiful character design and 2D animation,
badly mixed with ugly, overdone 3D computer graphics that brings down
the overall experience. Yet the great (very Chinese) humour and a
cute story save the film.
[Entry by Hanno Mueller]
CHOBITS: (Review written after 16 episodes & all 8 manga volumes in
North America) A country boy, Hideki Motosuwa, moves to the big city to
get an education and hopefully one day get into college. Upon arriving
in the big city, he is awestruck by Persocoms. (A persocom is a
computer that looks like a human with weird ears.) However, he is too
poor to be able to afford one, so he struggles and finds a job. One
night after work, he comes across a Persocom wrapped up in bandages and
left in the garbage. He takes it home, and after several hours of
trying to activate it, he finally stumbles on it (definitely in an ecchi
place) and finds out that the only thing it can do is say "Chii", so he
decides to name "her" Chii. He eventually gets help from a computer
expert he goes to classes with named Shinbo (who happens to have a
handheld persocom named Sumomo [Plum in the manga]), and with the help
of Shinbo, Sumomo, and others he comes across he learns that Chii is a
special kind of Persocom, and may even be a legendary Chobit. All the
while Hideki struggles with finances and somehow a book series that Chii
got hooked on somehow tells the story of Persocoms and Humans, and
eventually, even the story of Chii and Hideki. This series is
recommended by Pioneer to be for 16 & up, and I agree, since there are a
few moments that are ecchi. However the series is innocent enough as
nothing truly dirty happens in it. Released by Pioneer in North
America.
[Entry by Bill Martin]
CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT: see RECORD OF LODOSS WAR
COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDRESS: see BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS
COWBOY BEBOP: A jazzy group of bounty hunters meet up and travel
the galaxy. Lots of great individual episodes as well as a main
storyline running through them all. Sharp animation that shows how
well the hand drawn and computer mixed can look. Great music and even
the dub is actually pretty good. Instant classic which appeals to a
wide audience, Otaku and non-Otaku alike. Available from Bandai in
North America, or Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Shawn Granger]
CREST OF THE STARS: CotS (a.k.a. SeiMon from "Seikai no Monshou") is
a
hard sci-fi story set amidst an era of interplanetary empires and
galaxy-spanning war. Humanity has colonized the stars, and the
resulting new order has become one of vast, conflicting empires. The
male lead is the son of a free planet's president who "sold out" his
people to the ABH empire when they came to invade. Now nobility himself
and all but deprived of friends, family, and homeland, Jinto must enter
the ABH military in the hopes of eventually assuming his rightful place
in the nobility. His first contact with the genetically enhanced ABH is
Lafille, a *very* special young woman whose identity and significance to
the political fabric of the empire becomes only gradually apparent.
The show hits all the bases: politics, deeply imagined culture and
futuristic technology, action both in person and between space
fleets ... and most importantly character development, as Jinto and
Lafille grow up as individuals while growing together as people. The
chemistry between them is the focal point of the animators for this
show, and they pull it off with style. Visuals aren't bad at all either,
as expected of Bandai's frontline animators at Sunrise.
If you want something fluffy, something with major fanservice,
something hyperkinetic, or can't take serious sci-fi, SeiMon is probably
not the anime for you. If the above description sounds interesting,
however, I recommend picking up the first volume and seeing what you
think. I find it to be one of the best things to happen to sci-fi anime
in years.
Available from Bandai in North America, and Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Mark L. Neidengard]
CRIMSON PIG: see PORCO ROSSO
CRUSHER JOE: Old-style comic-book action from the writers that
later went on to create "Dirty Pair": Feature movie and two OAV
episodes availble, from the TV series about team Crusher and their
leader Joe, four mercenaries (and one robot) who'll tackle any job in
the galaxy that needs doing, no matter how impossible...ESPECIALLY if
impossible. Available from AnimEigo.
[Entry by Derek Janssen]
CYBER CITY OEDO 808: In a world dominated by the criminal element,
the forces of law and order turn to setting criminals up to work off
their penalties by becoming unwilling foot soldiers in the march
against crime. Three such criminals are followed in this series, each
with a mission to complete within a given period of time, otherwise a
device locked on their necks will make sure they do not get another
chance. With each successful mission, a portion of their sentences is
erased. (Manga)
[Entry by Chika]
(continued in Part 2)
--
Rob Kelk <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/> robkelk -at- jksrv -dot- com
"I'm *not* a kid! Nyyyeaaah!" - Skuld (in "Oh My Goddess!" OAV #3)
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of
childishness and the desire to be very grown-up." - C.S. Lewis, 1947