Baccano! Review

What a rush! It's an endless party of the most bizarre characters and the most out of control plot presented in an outrageous style. Baccano! has many many characters (an uncountable number), yet they all become unique enough to know their names! And the plot, damn! so convoluted in the manner it is presented, yet it all makes perfect sense! And-

Alright, a time out is needed. My style of reviewing is not gonna work here, so I have to review this series step by step. Baccano! is an amazing series. The characters are all amazing. Each one will surprise you with their personal qualities. And there are so many of them. But by the time you finish, you will know the names of each of the characters. Oh, heck, I'll just list a few of those characters. First off is the thieving duo Isaac and Miria. They are as wild as the show gets, and they are the most charismatic of people. They are able to make friends with literally anyone, and that comes in handy when stealing stuff. Then there is Ladd Russo, the most outrageous, emotionally unstable person in the whole show. He goes from happy to killer mode in seconds, and he loves to talk and kill. He's the most happy when he's killing, and he likes killing people that feel like they can't be killed. And then there's more. See how out of control it is already? I'll move on.

The plot jumps from place to place. It is not presented chronologically. Therefore, expect to be damn confused in the beginning. The first episode makes you think "WTF is going on here?" and by the end, you'll be thinking "Ah, that is how everything fits together," The major time periods are somewhere in the early 1700's, and the Roaring 20's transitioning into the Great Depression. Yes, this anime takes place in America, not Japan or any made up place. And what is even more amazing is that the mafia plays a huge role in the anime, much like they did in real life. And moving on.

The music fits the series so well. This is because a whole bunch of jazz music is played (sorry if I'm wrong. Music isn't my strong point). And it sets up a perfect mood. In fact, it's as if (when that one great song plays) people treat all that criminal action like it's just fun and games. And that mirrors how people during the Roaring 20's felt.

And putting everything together, Baccano! becomes one of the most amazing anime that I have ever watched. It has that rush that Death Note gives off, but the way the story is presented surpasses even the rush that Death Note brings. It's like Death Note is second in command when Baccano! is around. The characters are great, the story is amazing, the way the story is told is genius, and the music is fitting. What else can I say?

Rating: 10/10

Anime Review: The Sky Crawlers

If you were expecting an action based anime, like I did, then this film isn't for you. The Sky Crawlers revolves more around the world and how the characters interact in it.

Story-8/10

“Kildren”, young adults that cannot age, fight in an endless war against each other. The film follows a young experienced pilot that transferred into a new air base. It shows how the Kildren reacts to the war and how they endure being thrown into battle every day.

That is all I can say without spoiling the story. The story is really slow. It takes its time to introduce its characters, have development, and hit the climax. If the story was faster paced, it would have received a 9/10.

Animation-10/10

The animation of this film is gorgeous. The way the characters are drawn out, and the environment they interact in, the production team did a good job.

However, the fight scenes are amazing. The perfect use of CG planes and the actual footage of the sky really separate this film from other films about planes.

Awesome dogfight between two large groups of planes.

Music-10/10

Music was really fitting for the film. Epic music for the dogfights and sad music for the emotional moments. So good, I got the OST.

Final Score-9/10

Like I stated before, if you can get over the slow paced story, then this film will be enjoyable. 

Planetes Review

A story about a garbage man in space... boring? Or is it? I honestly gave this anime two tries. The first time, I lost interested several episodes in, and the second time it completely got me hooked.

Story: 9/10

Though episodic at first and linear later, the story follows a space garbage man by the name of Hachirota or "Hachimaki" by his co-workers. The setting is very realistic in spite of the fact that it's obviously a science fiction anime. Hachimaki is part of a team of people who travel in space and collect space debris in order to secure safe space traveling routes for shuttles and whatnot. The early episodes provide you with a background of each character, the middle episodes set up the big picture, and the last third of the series is just wow... The writers obviously put a lot of thought into this piece of work, making sure that everything is not too sci-fi or else it would lose grasp of its realism. The ending is completely satisfying, although it left me seriously wanting more.

Character: 10/10

Every single character has a distinct personality complete with a background story and everything. These characters act very real, not like most two-dimensional shonen hero. Emotions, relationships, and philosophy are all explored whether it has to do with family, a loved one, or an enemy. The garbage team's relationship with each other extend beyond just being mere co-workers into being more like a family. Their personalities will grow on you as you progress through the anime, which will leave you begging for the anime not to end.

Sound: 9/10

The soundtrack is phenomenal. As you've already noticed, the Planetes soundtrack lies in our category of "Best of Anime Soundtracks" for a good reason. The soundtrack is epic when it needs to be, depressed when it is required, and upbeat when it intends to do so. The voice actors also did their job well without being over dramatic. Also no annoying voices is a plus as well.

Animation: 9/10

The animation was pretty good. The animators certainly paid attention to every small detail and you will really notice this during your viewing. Again, being a space anime, they can't get too farfetched with their animation before losing their sense of realism, however they held it out well, making every single piece of those sci-fi equipment look extremely believable. The 2D animation fused quite well with the occasional CGI effects as well.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 9/10.

Death Note Review

Death Note is the story of Yagami Light's attempt to fix humanity. To do this, though, he needs power. And when the Death Note, a notebook that kills whoever's name is written in it, falls into the human world, Yagami Light finds it. He experiments with it to see if it's real, and he is surprised that it actually works. All of this is done for the entertainment of Ryuk, a Shinigami from another world. The story then turns into Yagami Light killing off criminals, but then L, the world's best detective combats Light. Each one tries to fight evidence to kill each other, but they are always equal in smart.



The music in Death Note is good. I do not know the composer's other works, but Death Note's music creates an atmosphere that I can only call "the rush". The term doesn't come from me, but I took it from Scamp, writer of The Cart Driver blog. The music makes me just want to continue watching nonstop. Not many anime can do that, and Death Note is one of those that can.

The characters in Death Note are all pretty smart. They come up with ridiculously complex plans to do simple things (another subject in The Ravages of Time), and they always have backup plans. In fact, Death Note and The Ravages of Time have some of the smartest characters that I know. Moribito has the most reasonable people overall (the Hunters know when to stop chasing), and I am only starting on Legend of the Galactic Heroes, so I can't say for sure about those characters. Actually, everyone except from Light and L (I did not finish the part with Near and Mello yet) are kind of dumb, and they aren't very interesting.

Rating: 9/10 (I wanna say 10, but only Sword of the Stranger can take that spot)

Gedo Senki

Gedo Senki is an animated film based on Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series. It is produced by Ghibli but directed by Miyazaki Goro and not Miyazaki Hayao. This is Miyazaki Goro's first attempt at the director seat, and he does an okay job of it. Gedo Senki does not follow the story set by the books; instead, it forms its own story that has a few scenes inserted. The characters have the same name, but they are not the same. Ursula K. Le Guin said that it was a beautiful film, but it was not her Earthsea.



Gedo Senki follows The Farthest Shore in that magic is dying in the world, and the wizard Cob is the cause of it. Arren, the prince of Havenor, appears, but he is a much different person from the book. The beginning of the movie has Arren stab his father for no apparent reason and then run away. He is then saved from wolves by Ged, but this is not the same Ged from Le Guin. Then they go to the farm of Therru and Tener, characters that are from Tehanu. Tener loves Ged, and Therru and Arren are sort of a couple but not really. At this point, the main characters become Arren and Therru.

Therru is my favorite character in the film. She is, just like in the book, scarred from a fire, leaving the left side of her face burnt. In the anime, though, it is not much of a burn, but it makes her different. Perhaps because she has such a disfiguration, Therru is strong in character, but she also seems lonely. The best scene in the movie is Therru singing her song, and Arren listening to it. There the Earthsea of Le Guin is best expressed. And in that scene, I get the name for my name.

Rating: 7/10

Gundam Unicorn 1

Okay, this is my first episode review, but since each one of Unicorn's episodes is one hour long anyways, it'll probably be the same as ever other review I do. You know, format-less and with all the parentheses (oh good, I still know how to talk in this).

Unicorn (calling it by it's full name happens to be too much work even though I can type Breath of Fire 2 everytime without fail) takes place three years after Char's Counterattack (no, I didn't watch it but I know that Amuro and Char dies at the very en.....oops. Spoilers maybe....too late?), and the object of Zeon and the Federation is something called Laplace's Box. Nobody knows what it is, but it apparently has the power to change the balance of power in the Universal Century. And the key to opening the Box is (come on guess, why else would there be another Gundam release?) the Unicorn Gundam. Yes, and the creator/keeper of the Unicorn happens to have a son that doesn't know the family relationship.

That son is Banagher Links (ahahahaha looks like I stole domodragon53's favorite character name), and he is (at least I think he is) a Newtype, one of those that are able to control funnels and all that complicated weaponry. He pretty much doesn't like war, but, of course, he is forced into combat. He meets Audrey, the princess Zabi of Zeon in disguise, and he instantly does one of those "I gotta protect this girl although I barely know her". It's pretty annoying, but not too bad. Banagher isn't that bad of a Gundam protagonist. There's been worst ones (maybe the Wing boys and Seed, but I haven't seen Seed for a long time...{although I can say the same for Wing<oo, am I using different things besides parentheses now>}?).

But the animation though...Wow! Hold up, I have to do this FluffyBunnyPwn style because he gets more views this way. Ahem!

Animation 10/10

Yes, Unicorn is that good. It has a high budget, and it's released whenever it wants to be (don't take my word on that). The action scenes...damn! Sword of the Stranger and Serei no Moribito has some of the amazing animation that I've seen, but Unicorn is on a completely different level. It's like seeing the animation of 5 Centimeters per Second and comparing it (including the pretty colors and art) to everything before (by this I mean all the dumb stuff that I saw and not the good stuff that I didn't see). Except, its probably just the pretty colors that make me think that Unicorn is good. You know, what counts as animation anyways? Does the artwork count in it? If it doesn't, then I might have to reduce this score.

And here ends the FluffyBunnyPwn style of blogging. That was a bit easier than I thought, but there's no freedom there. So yeah, Unicorn 1 is really good. Oh, and Banagher gets the Unicorn Gundam to use. Can't forget that. Oh, and the awesome voice of Char Aznable (in the form of Full Frontal of course) makes a return. Can't forget that either.

Rating 1/10   9/10 (Dunno why, don't ask)

Summer Wars Review

I was skeptical about this anime at first, heard many good reviews about it, but never had the time to sit down and watch it. Now that I have, I'm sure glad I did.

Story: 8/10

The story is simple. A second place math genius gets hired by the most popular girl at school to be her boyfriend for 4 days to trick her dying grandmother into believing that she has a fiance. Now what made this story interesting is the incorporation of a cyber world called Oz, which acts very similar to our "internet". Oz is basically an information super high way in which most of the world relies heavily on to go on about their everyday lives. Everything from being able to control satellites to texting through mobile phones to shopping is all controlled by Oz. However, someone released a vicious program into the world of Oz and now it's on the loose, stealing everyone's profile information, which leads to disastrous consequences in the real world. Mix this with a family drama and you've got yourself a good anime to watch. The only drawback was that since it was in the form of a movie, the story was not fully explored and left many plot holes. Why did Wabiske create such a program? How did Oz start? This anime would have been a lot better if it was stretched into a mini series. I'm not talking a full flegdge season, just maybe 10-12 episodes would suffice.

Character: 9/10

Now this is where the score could have been a perfect ten if this movie was made into a mini series. There are over a dozen characters, each with their very own personality and their relationship with each other is phenomenol. I just wished that each individual could have been explored more, each with their own back story that contributes to the family theme. For example, Kazuma was a very interesting character. In the real world, he's a small kid who is often bullied at school, but in Oz, he's King Kazuma, standing at the very top of fighting tournaments. If only there was more character development, this category would have been a perfect ten.

Sound: 8/10

There wasn't any piece of music that stood out and obviously these seiyuus are not big name voice actor/actresses either. However, everyone did their job well. The sound effects, on the other hand, are exceptional. Just listening to that bunny rabbit (FluffyBunnyPwn Yo!) beat the crap out of other users is just wow...

Animation: 10/10

Now this is where the anime truly shines. Like a good anime with good animation, no two frames are the same. The world of Oz is extremely colorful and very well done. The mix of CGI and 2D animation were blended together flawlessly to create a fluid experience. The fight scenes in particular are very smooth.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 9/10 overall.

Moribito: Guardian of the Sacred Spirit

Well, now that FluffyBunnyPwn has stolen, backstabbed me, completed the post on Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, I have decided to post on Moribito, another series with excellent animation. The prince Chagum is inhabited by a water spirit, and the palace star readers have foretold a drought if the water spirit is not killed. And so assassination attempts are made on the prince's life. Because of this, the prince's mother hires balsa, a well-known bodyguard, to protect Chagum. From there, the story continues on, but I won't say anymore because it would take too long.



Now, Moribito is produced by Production IG, well known for its excellent animation, and boy does it show! In the battle episodes, the animation is very detail-oriented and the movements are very unique. No repeated actions like in One Piece and Naruto and Bleach. Instead, each movement has its purpose and battle scenes are very well orchestrated.

However good the battles are, Moribito is still ultimately a coming of age story for both Chagum and Balsa. Balsa in the form of seeing things from Jiguro's view and Chagum in the form of being someone different. That takes up the majority of the anime. Because of that, there is a lot of backstory and the culture of the different people living in New Yogo is explored. Now, Moribito is adapted from the novel of Nahoko Uehashi, Moribito:Guardian of the Spirit, and it does a good job of making it into an anime. Some of the culture and events are different, but that doesn't matter.

Rating: 9/10

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Review

This probably the most praised and highest rated Shonen anime of this decade. It's not uncommon to find it in other people's top ten lists, and it's not surprising to see it as their number one anime series.

"The First Law of Alchemy states that in order to gain something, you must give something of equal value."

Story: 10/10

The story is epic in terms of the vastness of its settings, in terms of character back stories, and in terms of overall content. The story centers on Edward and Alphonse Elric, two alchemist brothers who are searching for the Philosopher's Stone which they believe can help them recover their bodies which they lost after a tragic accident trying to revive their dead mother. Reviving the dead is a sin and is considered a forbidden act according to the laws of alchemy. In order to gain access to research files and people who know more about the Philosopher's Stone, they join the army and become State Alchemists. There are many plot twists along with mysteries and fictional historical context to keep you interested. Even though the story involves many elements, it never feels like the viewer is overwhelmed by its world because of it's excellent pacing.

Character: 10/10

The characters are very interesting to say the least, each with their own reason for fighting and each with their own full-fledged back story. The relationships between the characters are very well done and they have great chemistry with each other, whether it be best friends or unmatched rivals. The development of the main characters as the story progresses makes you feel like the life lessons they've learned, you've learned too. Great character progression and development makes for a great connection with the characters and it makes it easy for you to sympathize with Ed and Al and their dilemma.

Sound: 10/10

Voice acting is phenomenal. No annoying voices, no over-dramatic voice acting, and not a single voice that was out of place. Background music is also very notable, although it isn't on par with the original Full Metal Alchemist, it stood its ground very well. Opening and ending songs were also very well done with famous Japanese artists at the helm.

Animation: 10/10

No two frames looked the same. This series looks great in 1080p. Fight animations look crisp and clear and are very fluidly animated. Despite its gritty atmosphere and dark storyline, it actually looks very colorful. As expected of Bones, the studio behind Sword of the Stranger and Soul Eater, this was eye candy to those who cared.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 10/10 overall.

Ghost Hunt Review

The first anime that managed to scare me. It may have its flaws, but it was a fun ride.

Story: 8/10

This story is divided into a few arcs, each one dealing with a certain job that they have to do. The story revolves around a high school girl who ends up working for a ghost hunting agency consisting of a narcacist and his helper after accidentally breaking some of their expensive equiptment. Later, a monk, a priest, a spirit medium, and a shaman join them as well. The writer knows his/her stuff and has done plenty of research in this field. I'd have to say though, the second arc has to be hands down my favorite. The second arc involves a little girl, an old house, and her doll. Put those three things together along with stuff randomly moving by themselves and the doll mysteriously disappearing and then reappearing and you've got yourself one hell of a good scare. Although the ending was extremely inconclusive and abrupt, it was one hell of a ride.

Character: 7/10

The characters weren't developed too far, yet I can't say they weren't developed at all. Mai, the main character, is one of those hated tsundere characters who wouldn't shut up, so expect a lot of yelling from her. She gets annoying at first and after a while she eventually just gets in the way. The monk is an interesting character. When he's not a monk, he's part of a boyband, which is highly unorthodox, but workable. Last but not least, there's Naru. He's one of those genius characters who pretty much know anything that has to do with everything so there's not much development there.

Sound: 7/10

Voice acting for the most part is very average. However, the soundtrack does it's job when needed and there's not a track or opening or ending that stood out. Average at best.

Animation: 7/10

Animation is also very average. However, there were some very good use of light and color in some scenes that made them extravagant, but for the most part, it's average animation. Animation did not contribute to the scary-ness of the anime, but instead the atmosphere does, which you can either take it as a good thing or a bad thing.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 7/10 overall.

Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto

Bakumatsu takes place in Japan during the Bakumatsu era of Japan. It is the last days of the Tokugawa era, and the Meiji Restoration is occurring. A knowledge of this time period greatly helps in understanding the anime, but some information will be provided when you watch it. For example, the great earthquake in Tosa seems unimportant, but Tosa is the province of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the important persons during the time period.



But Bakumatsu is not about those historic events. It is about Akizuki, a young swordsman who is hunting the Head of the Conqueror, a supernatural head that causes destruction. Along the way, Akizuki joins a theater of people who are out to get revenge for their parents. This is where some knowledge of history helps because the Ansei Purge was what killed their parents. At the head of the troupe is Sotetsu who is a mastermind. The possible love interest is Kakunojo, who gets a lot of screentime in the second half of the anime.

The plot is actually a lot more interesting than what I make it out to be. I couldn't make it short because there is just so much going on, especially the historical parts. After all, Bakumatsu even includes Hijikata and Okita from the Shinsegumi. The plot is complex in the first half, but quickly becomes a weaker good vs evil in the second half.

The music is very good here. Composed by Hideyuki Fukasawa, the music blends into the setting because the music sounds like it could have been played during Japan (I'm not knowledgeable in music, so I am probably wrong). Anyways, the soundtrack is good. It plays when it needs to be played, and the quiet pieces go where they belong. In episode 13 (I think), the track Shinnen plays and an amazing feeling surges forth. Because the piece fits that well.

Overall, Bakumatsu is an amazing anime. The characters are mostly well developed, and the bad guys are also believable (except Enomoto). The music is just fantastic, and the storyline is well paced. If I had a category for historical anime, I would rank Bakumatsu as number one.

Rating: 9/10

Gundam Wing

So...it's been a long time since I watched Gundam Wing, but I'll try my best to review it. The storyline is that the colonies have bad living conditions, and they blame the people on Earth for it. Five different professors made five different Gundams based off a blueprint of the Gundam Wing Zero. Five different pilots fly them to Earth, but they don't know about each other. And so, they try to take out the Romefeller Foundation. That's the initial story, but it gets more complex later.



The characters....back then, I thought that this show had some awesome characters. Heero Yuy, pilot of Gundam Wing. Duo Maxwell, piolot of Gundam Deathscythe. Trowa Barton, pilot of Gundam Heavyarms. Chang Wufei pilot of Gundam Shenlong. Quatre Raberba Winner, pilot of Gundam Sandrock. All very underdeveloped characters. Heero Yuy is very irrational in the beginning, and he doesn't get much better later on.

The music is....I can't remember much about the music except when they fight. Heero's theme pops up and he proceeds to kill some soldiers. The openings stand out pretty well, but it does get annoying sometimes. Other than that, I can't remember much.

Overall....Gundam Wing is not one of my favorite shows. It's characters are unlikeable, and that destroys a big part of my experience. As MAHQ says (I think its from MAHQ) thousands of soldiers die in Gundam Wing and you don't care about them. A single person dies in Gundam 0080 and you cry.

Rating: 5/10

Princess Mononoke

For some reason, the majority of my favorite anime are in a movie format. Maybe it's because the story can be told efficiently, and the characters still get enough time to be likable. Princess Mononoke is one of those amazing anime films.



Ashitaka is a member of an isolated clan in Japan, probably set in the feudal era. He is the prince of his people, but he must leave because a demon places a curse on Ashitaka. And so, Ashitaka must try to cure himself or die.

During the journey, he meets a greedy monk and joins a band of miners who are going back to Irontown. They are attacked by the wolf god Moro and her cubs, and my favorite scene occurs here.

While Ashitaka is rescuing a miner who fell down into a river, he also notices the wolf god with a bullet wound. Taking out that bullet is San, the human girl who was raised by Moro. With the music playing in the background (great work by Joe Hisaishi), the scene is inspiring. The contact between two different cultures occurs for the first time. And then, just as fast as it occurs, the scene disappears with Moro and Sans disappearance.

Princess Mononoke is a powerful piece of work. It can easily be seen as a message against deforestation, but I see more of a conflict between two cultures that cannot understand each other. Because of the emotions that it was able to create, Princess Mononoke remains one of my favorite.

Rating: 9/10

Claymore Review

Katanas? Broadswords? Cloud Busters? Who needs any of those when you've got a claymore!!

Story: 8/10

Claymore is an original concept which falls short due to the usual "OMG, the anime is catching to the manga... oh no... it passed the manga... oh well, it's just give it an abrupt ending" syndrome. The first season of Full Metal Alchemist was victim to this as well. claymore centers on a warrior named Claire or "silver-eyed witch" by most people. There's actually 47 of these warriors total, and the lower your number, the stronger you are. Clare stands last at number 47. Clare happens to save a boy named Raki, and thus their adventure begins. These Claymores are essentially hired guns, ordered to kill demons named Yoma who invade villages and whatnot. The story seems pretty straightforward at first, but as Clare come into contact with more demons and more Claymore warriors, twists and turns in the plot begin to occur, leading towards a climatic finish. Unfortunately, the anime ended, yet the manga continues... I strongly hope there will be a reboot like what happened to FMA Brotherhood.

Character: 8/10

Clare did not start off as a bloodthirsty claymore. She used to be a young girl, with parents and siblings, until demons ravaged their village. Clare's life is soon turned upside down as she finds herself traveling with the number one ranking Claymore Warrior named Teresa. After an unfortunate accident, Clare transforms into the bloodthirsty warrior that she is now. Clare's character development is simple, yet comlex which is basically of her trying to remain human while her body slowly turns into a killing machine. Sadly, I had to knock off two whole points for Raki... his character in this series ruined it for me. The episodes that he wasn't present in, were awesome episodes to say the least. However, people say he became better in the manga, but I wouldn't know...

Sound: 8/10

Other than Raki's annoying little bratty voice, everything else is awesome. The soundtrack is brilliant, very gothic and dark.

Animation: 8/10

The battle scenes here rival that of Bleach, and I'm willing to bet it gets even better at certain points. There's a lot of colorless scenes in this movie, depicting lifelessness. Pretty average animation overall, until it reaches the fight scenes at least.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 8/10 overall.

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

I dare say, this one stomps on the Gundam Series and then flips it off, adding insult to injury. This series became one of my most favorite anime series of all time right after I finished the last episode. "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

Story: 10/10

The story is set far into the future where human beings are now forced to live underground by giant mechs who roam the surface. Here in one of those many underground villages, we meet our hero, Simon with his daring leader, Kamina. The story, on an epic scale, is one of the most epic stories ever told in an anime. Simon and Kamina have one goal in mind: to break through to the surface. Then after that? To break through to the heavens. Then after that? To break through to the universe. Many characters join them on their epic journey to fight for their right to live on the surface of the Earth. No spoilers included, but the story soon takes a turn for the worse, leaving Simon and friends to face the whole universe. Every planet, every star, every galaxy out there, is now their enemy.

Character: 9/10

Here's where the anime shines. The most interesting character by far is Kamina. He's the most badass, the most resilient, and the most stubborn character you'll ever witness in an anime series. If you step out of line, he'll punch you right back and yell at you "If you don't believe in yourself, then believe in me. Believe in me, who believes in you!" Then there's Simon. After a huge turning point in the story, Simon finally makes that transition from being a boy, to being the leader of a whole new nation. However, I wished there was more development in some of the supporting characters as well.

Sound: 9/10

The soundtrack here has a little bit of everything. A little bit of hip hop, a little bit of orchestral music, a little bit of rock, a little bit of everything. The voices were greatly done, there wasn't any annoying voice that stood out. Everyone did their job well. The opening song is good, not outstanding, but it signifies the epicness of Gurren Lagann. Also, you absolutely cannot forget "Row Row Fight the Power!"

Animation: 10/10

No two frames are the same. When the developers say that they spent 45% of their budget on the last few episodes, I wouldn't doubt them. The animation could take a little while to adjust to at first, but later on, it just grows on you. The crazy fight sequences are fluidly animated. The anime is quite colorful despite its setting in an apocalyptic era. As expected of Gainax, animation is superb.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 9/10 overall.

Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket

Major spoilers so don't read unless you have seen the series or you want to know what happens. Just skip down to the score.



This is without a doubt my favorite Gundam series. This also happens to have the saddest Gundam ending that I have ever seen. The story is set in the UC universe. The One Year War is close to ending, but not yet. On this one colony, a Federation base is testing a new mobile suit out for Amuro Ray, the protagonist of the First Gundam. Its the NT-1 Alex, and its damn powerful. So the Zeon sends a force in to take care of it before Christmas, or they'll just nuke the place and kill a whole bunch of civilians.

Bernie Wiseman is the main character, and he pilots a Zaku (I'm not an expert on the model and stuff like that so I'll just call it as I see it). Unlike a lot of other Gundam protagonists, he is not an ace nor does he have any Newtype abilities. He's just a new recruit and this is his first mission. The other team members, though, are experienced pilots and they have the newest mobile suits to be made. A Rick Dom, Gelgoog, Kampfer, and Hygogg. All Bernie has is a Zaku.

So they arrive on the colony to destroy the Gundam. On the colony, a grade schooler named Alfred is obsessed with war and knows more about the model numbers than I do. This guy discovers the Zaku after a brief skirmish between Zeon and the Federation. Bernie lets Alfred live, and they become fast friends.

That is where the heart of the show is: making everyone human. Bernie wants to seems cool so he lies that he is an ace, but when they go to the Zeon hideout, the others make fun of Bernie and says that he is a new recruit. Also, Alfred's friend, Chris (a girl), meets Bernie, and its obvious that they like each other. And that's also a reason why the ending is so sad.

You see, Chris is the test pilot for the NT-1 Alex. When the Zeonic force tries to attack again, Chris kills everyone. Bernie was not there. And so, the final days come, and on Christmas Eve, Bernie makes plans to destroy the NT-1 Alex so that Alfred's colony will not be wiped out. In a magnificent episode, Bernie does what everyone else together could not; he destroys the Alex. Knowing that he cannot win in a direct assault, he lured the Alex into the mountains where traps were set.

And thus, the sad scene occurs. The Alex impales the Zaku with a beam saber; The Zaku beheads the Alex with a heated axe. Bernie dies, while Chris is injured and transferred to Earth. But shortly before the fight even occurred, Alfred learned that the ship that was gonna nuke the colony was captured. There was no need to destroy the Alex anymore. All that was for nothing. At the end of the episode, Chris asks Alfred to say goodbye to Bernie for her.

Rating: 10/10

Guin Saga

Guin Saga is a fantasy series centered on the man with the leopard head, Guin. He has no memory except for his name and the word "Aurra". The kingdom Parros is attacked, and the twins (prince and princess of the crown) have to escape. Those two, Rinda and Remus (guess which one is the male and which one is the female), begin off as the most annoying characters. They whine endlessly about their misfortune. Guin receives little character development actually. He is a strong character both in brains and brawns. No one can stop him. He is the perfect person, I guess. There is another character introduced, Ishtovan. He is a rouge-type character, mischievous and full of tricks.

The music is simply awesome. Composed by Nobuo Uematsu, the guy who did much of Final Fantasy's music, the battles are intense, the quiet scenes are quiet, and everything seems to fit.

If you watch Guin Saga, do not look for action. The series focuses on the politics of war, the diplomacy that brings everyone into conflict, and the characters' feelings for each other. Fights are short but beautiful. The big wars are poorly shown, though. Overall, Guin Saga is a very solid series.

Rating: 8/10

Sword of the Stranger

Sword of the Stranger is set during the Sengoku era in Japan. Chinese warriors are chasing Kotarou because only his blood can make the Chinese Emperor immortal. That is the plot of Sword of the Stranger. It's not unique, but it doesn't have to be. It's good enough as it is.

The animation is superb. The fighting is not lazily animated, and every named character's movements are unique. The are some of the best animated fights that I have ever seen.

The music is also good. Composed by Naoki Saito, the music accompanies the scenes beautifully. The main theme is played in various forms to produce different moods throughout the film. The final 30 minutes of the film is especially powerful because of the music.

There will probably only be two characters that you will care about: Nanashi and Kotarou. A lot of the film follows their interaction with each other, and you will care about them. They form a beautiful bond that lasts from the beginning to the end. The other characters are static, but that is not so bad. The movie knows who the important characters are.

My favorite scene occurs early in the movie. When Kotarou returns from stealing some fish (to an abandoned temple), he sees a man laying on what seems to be the altar. That one still scene is awe-inspiring. Nanashi is resting with his hands behind his back and the head of a Buddha statue is in the background, reinforcing Nanashi's image. And the music, what music! The scene would not have been as powerful without the music. With scenes like this, it is no wonder that Sword of the Stranger is my favorite anime.

Rating: 10/10

Turn A Gundam

Turn A Gundam is...perhaps the strangest out of the Gundam franchise. You will either like it or hate it. The designs for the mobile suits are unusual. After all, what Gundam has a mustache?





If you are looking for an action packed Gundam show where main mobile suit can destroy others at an insane rate...this is not the Gundam series for you. Turn A Gundam focuses more on character development than anything else. The basic storyline is that the Moonrace were once people from Earth who went to the moon and are now coming back to the Earth. The people on Earth do not want this, and so the two groups are at odds. The characters from both the Earth and moon are likeable. The main character may seem like a girl, but he is actually a good foil for the warmongering characters.

If you watch Turn A Gundam, look not for the action but for the character development and storyline. The characters...yeah just look for the characters. It's the heart of the show.

Rating: 9/10

High School of the Dead Review

Zombies, high schoolers, and fanservice. what can go wrong?

Story: 8/10

I absolutely love the concept. The legit zombie outbreak concept is always something that I look forward to no matter how many times I've seen it before. The story here is what you'd expect. After a zombie outbreak, several teenagers along with a ditzy school nurse try to survive. A pretty standard zombie outbreak plot. HOWEVER... the overboard fanservice ruins it... It's not that I don't like close up boob shots or random panty shots, but it's that they seriously went overboard. So much to the point that it pretty much gets in the way of the story, sadly. In one episode, there was honestly about a good 10-15 minutes dedicated a whole bathtub scene complete with soap bubbles and naked girls prancing around the house acting like it's not uncommon to be bare-skinned during a biohazard follow up. Loved the concept, extreme ecchi ruined it.

Character: 6/10

There wasn't much character development to be honest. Other than the main character who goes from an angry high schooler to a leader of a small survival group, and the kendo girl's confession of her past, everyone else didn't change much. Two characters I absolutely hated in this anime were the genius chick and the school nurse. The smart chick is as annoying as one can get, one of those tsundere characters most people like to call them. I believe there was one episode where she didn't have much to say... and I believe that was one of the better episodes. The nurse chick, where do I begin. Forgive me, but all throughout the series I was hoping she'd get raped by zombies. Her stupidity astounds me. Her boob size to retard ratio is right on. The gun nerd, on the other hand, was a fun character to watch despite no development.

Sound: 7/10

There's not really any voices that stood out or songs that caught my attention except for the 1st ED. Cool thing was each episode had its own ending song, but only the first one was memorable for me.

Animation: 9/10

As expected of Madhouse, the animation is superb. Unfortunately, most of it is spent towards making bouncing boobs more fluid. Ecchi aside, fight animations, and art detail overall is quite good. Watching it at 1080p will make you appreciate the amount of detail they put into the animation.

FluffyBunnyPwn gives it 7/10 overall.