Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Recently, I picked up  Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye ... Volume 1 Encounter In a devastated world overrun by monstrous bugs and ravaged by outlaws, there's only one person to call when you really need a job done right: Honoka. With a sixth sense for danger, sword skills that are second to none, and a smart-aleck A.I. tank by the name of Bogie, she's ready to tackle any job and solve any problem for her clients. But while crossing the desert one night, she finds a young man alone in the wasteland. It's the first step of a journey that will challenge even Honoka's amazing skills to their very limit! Volume 2 Tending Wounds One Girl. One Tank. No Problem... After their last devastating encounter with Blue Breaker, Honoka and the others try to pick up the pieces, but there's not much time to recover. The cold blue enforcer is closing in fast, and this time, there's nothing holding him back. She may be outmatched and outgunned, but Honoka isn't about

I took to opportunity to watch  Heartwork ... Yuu Asakura was a mild mannered university student - until he found a mysterious duffel bag with a gun and orders for an assassination. He was terrified at first, but when he held the smooth metal of the pistol in his hand he started to become someone else. Capable of anything, Yuu takes the assassination job and enters a world of nonstop sex, blood and guns. The story was quite intriguing and fairly engaging. There's also a fair amount of blood in the series. More often than not, female characters end up being shot in the face during intimate moments. Except for the parts where female characters find themselves on the wrong end of a gun, almost all of the H scenes are fairly conventional. The animation is a mix of traditional animation and CG backgrounds. The animation quality is noticeably poor in places. I was disappointed that Chief Morikawa, the character pictured on the cover box, doesn't actually have any H scenes. Ove

Recently, I picked up Wordsworth ... God created Light and Shadow and separated them with the power of the divine Wordsworth Tablet. One day, the Wordsworth Tablet shall be read and all will be understood, and Light and Shadow will join and become complete. But someone has shattered the Tablet. The Tribe of Light and the Tribe of Shadow each blame the other and war ensues for 100 years. The story revolves around the bumbling but very skilled Prince Astral of the Tribe of Shadow who may be the one to bring the Tribes together and restore peace. Volume 1 The legend has survived for generation. The Wordsworth tablet, which will unlock the secrets of the Universe for the one who can decipher it, has been shattered. The warring tribes of Light and Shadow blame each other, and their accusations lead to all out war! Astral, the undisciplined heir to the throne of the Shadow Forces, lusts for his bride-to-be, Sharon (Jenna Jameson). But Sharon, an accomplished warrior herself, feels

Yesterday, I picked up  Bible Black ... At a harmless looking college, the teachers and staff are practicing a dark religion. By devoting their bodies to perversity, they chant their dark spells and control the lusts of the student body. Everywhere the students turn, they are drawn to acts of perversion, even in public. Perhaps the school nurse has the answer, as she holds special counseling sessions for the female students. In Bible Black , Minase, a student at a harmless looking college, discovers a book of magic spells. Using the dark magic contained within the book, Minase made a pact with the demonic university nurse, Miss Kitami. By devoting their bodies to perversity, they chant their dark spells and control the lusts of the student body. The story is quite elaborate -- spanning four volumes in the first story arc. Most of the H scenes are fairly conventional, but, there are some scenes of torture in the series that may be a bit much for casual H fans. That being said, ther

A few weeks ago, I happened to catch an episode of a new show on Nicktoons called Making Fiends ... The fiends are unleashed in the complete Season 1, 2-disc set of Making Fiends! Gather 'round for fearsome encounters with Clamburg's resident evil, Vendetta, and her fiendish creations including Grudge, a giant hamster, and Giant Cat, a big, red kitty full of rage. Charlotte's along, too, to bring sunshine to this dismal town, giving Vendetta a new purpose - to rid Clamburg of this jovial interloper. With 18 episodes for over 2 hours of wicked comedy, you'll delight in finding humor in the most obscure situations! The animation is crudely drawn -- the quality is on-par with South Park , but, with less color than South Park . The story-telling, which is what attracted me to the series, is surprisingly good. Although, Nicktoons markets the show as a "kids show", the themes and humor in the series are rather dark -- even though there's no blood or gore, t

I was wandering around looking for someone interesting to come home with me and  Hell Girl seemed to fit the bill very well... Season 1 Volume 1 Butterfly Beyond the veil of midnight lies a website. Type in the name of one upon which you desire retribution... And it will be served. If you truly desire to take revenge up on those who have wronged you, just untie the scarlet thread from the totem's neck. Pulling this thread will bind you into a covenant with Ai Enma, who will ferry the soul of your tormentor straight into the depths of Hell. However, once vengeance has been served, you will have to deliver on your end of the bargain. There always has to y a price to pay. When you die, your soul will also belong to Hell. You will never know the joys of Heaven. The decision rests with you. One may feel her pranks are harmless while another feels safe beyond the reach of the law. One blinded by conceit, one heartless and cruel, one who treats life as a game. But all will come wi

I saw an episode of Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit on Cartoon Network over the weekend. While I don't normally have any great interest in samurai-type shows, I found Moribito to be surprisingly good. I came into the middle of one episode and I didn't actually see anything awe inspiring, but, there was enough of a story to hold my interest for a bit. I'm fairly certain that the episode I saw was somewhere in the middle of the series. At a time when the balance of nature still held the civilizations of mankind in thrall, a single drought could spell the end of a society and doom its inhabitants to piteous deaths. Prince Chagum has been imbued with the power to stave off the drought and bring new life to his empire. However, this is a suspicious time, and he is accused of possession by an evil spirit. Court advisors only see one solution. Chagum must be put to death by his own father's hand. His salvation is in the form of Balsa, a spear woman and mercenary from K

The premise for XXX Holic seemed reminiscent of Pet Shop of Horrors , so, I thought I might visit Yuko and Watanuki for a while... Volume 1 The choice is yours. Beware your desires... Watanuki has been haunted by dark spirits his entire life, a curse flowing through his bloodline preventing peace. When his incessant demons drag him to the ornate door of the Dimensional Witch Yuko, he meets a mystical woman of insight and luxury, quick to help those in a bind... For a fee! One might very well end up paying with their soul! To be free of his visions, Watanuki will work in her shop of dreams and wishes. There is always a price to pay... Volume 2 From the day you were born, you have always been different from those around you... For high school student Watanuki, this statement could not be more true! Between rain without end and ghostly visions from beyond, the young man is getting used to not being used to anything at all. His role as Yuko's minion seems as close to normal

I picked up three volumes of Tweeny Witches . They spoke to me and whispered -- buy me. So I did... Volume 1 Arusu In Wonderland Arusu, a young girl who believes in magic with all her heart, one day finds herself suddenly dropped into the middle of a magical world that's beyond her wildest imaginings. At first, it seems that her life's wish has finally been granted, but things quickly change as she finds out more about the less-than-perfect wonderland. Arusu soon meets two young witches named Sheila and Eva, and one wild broomstick ride later, all three girls are blamed for the release of the witches' source of magic: captured fairies. After an unusual punishment is delivered, they are given the task of recapturing the fairies - a difficult thing to do when Arusu keeps freeing them! Volume 2 Through the Looking Glass Arusu, Sheila, and Eva, in order to retrieve captured fairies, travel to the Warlock Realm with the help of the warlock Sigma. Entering Wizard King

In October 2007, in the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup , I decided to let my collection of X's on VHS go. Spending time with the X's is a guilty pleasure that I indulge in from time to time. So, I replaced my VHS collection of X's with the Nick Picks Volume 5 DVD which had one episode of the X's. For some time now, I've been debating whether the one episode of X's that I had on DVD was enough for the archive. Annie Award-winning designer/creator Carlos Ramos (Oh Yeah! Cartoons) presents a new Nicktoon about The X's, a family of spies who are on the midst of being fired due to their inability to keep their secret identity a secret. The four-member clan is made up of Mr. X, Mrs. X, their daughter Tuesday X, and their son Truman X. They work for the top secret spy organization, SUPERIOR. However, this agency is continually involved in conflicts with another secret spy organization, S.N.A.F.U. S.N.A.F.U. is a wicked group known for its malevolen

In October 2007, in the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup , I found myself in a dilemma. I had the entire Farscape series from beginning to end. But, the entire first season was on VHS and the remainder on DVD. I wanted to replace the first season with DVD, but, after visiting sites like Amazon and Ebay and seeing outrageously overpriced used (and "like new")sets going for upwards of $400, I decided to hold on to my VHS tapes for the time being. Farscape is genre television at its most ambitious, inspired both by the cult appeal of Babylon 5 and the continuing success of the Star Trek franchise, but taking a visual and conceptual leap beyond those shows. Making extensive use of CGI, prosthetics, and state-of-the-art puppetry, courtesy of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the Farscape concept has a freshness that makes it look and feel completely original. Among the first season's 22 episodes, "Premiere" introduces the characters and the basic premise

I picked up Batman - Gotham Knight yesterday. I've seen previews for this and it looks really good. I did watch some of the special features, but, I didn't have time to devote to actually watching the feature immediately... Acclaimed screenwriters including David Goyer (Batman Begins) Josh Olson (A History of Violence) and Alan Burnett (Batman The Animated Series) join forces with revered animation filmmakers on six spellbinding chapters chronicling Batman's transition from novice crimefighter to Dark Knight. These globe-spanning adventures pit Batman against the fearsome Scarecrow the freakish Killer Croc and the unerring marksman Deadshot. Using an arsenal of high-tech gadgetry from Wayne Industries Batman's ethical boundaries exist only where he chooses to place them leaving some fearful of his power. The sharp storytelling complemented by stylish art from some of the world's most visionary animators masterfully depicts the blurred lines of Batman as man, myth

Over the weekend I saw WALL-E . After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL-E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots. I have been eagerly awaiting the release date for WALL-E for some time now. I recorded the Starz Inside feature: A Pixar

I came across a trailer for Red Garden in April 2007 and it looked pretty good. But, I guess that's what trailers are supposed to do... Volume 1 Live to Kill An odd string of suicides surrounds a private institution on Roosevelt Island. On the night a classmate dies, Kate, Rachel, Rose and Claire wake with no memories of the evenings' events. The next night, the four girls are drawn together by mysterious red butterflies only they can see. Converging at Central Park, the girls are approached by a strange woman who tells them they are dead. Now, the four girls must work together to learn the secrets of their death - and the means to return to their previous life. Volume 2 Breaking the Girls Under orders from the mysterious Lula, four young high school girls struggle with the fact that they are, indeed, dead. Now, living on "borrowed lives," they are forced to fight glowing-eyed, drooling monsters long after school is over. But when the battles become too terri

With the demise of Geneon/Pioneer, I decided to polish off my Tenchi DVD collection and picked up the second Tenchi movie ( Daughter of Darkness ) and the Tenchi in Tokyo TV series. I also picked up Black Blood Brothers ... Volume 1 Bad Things It's been a decade since the sacred war between humans and vampires. The rise of the Kowloon Bloodline, a new breed of monsters bearing an infectious bite, set the streets ablaze under the reign of their king. Humanity had never witnessed such pure, animalistic brutality. Today, Jiro travels with his younger brother Kotaro to the Special Zone, a place where vampires live freely in peace alongside humans, the troubles of the past long forgotten. But the brothers find themselves in the midst of a battle between human soldiers, vampiric refugees and the re-emergence of the Kowloon Children. Assisted by Mimiko, a negotiator between their species, Jiro will try to make sense of the chaos which surrounds them before they are caught up in it

I picked up all three volumes of Devil May Cry ... Volume 1 His name is Dante. Half demon and half human, he is charged with ridding the world of the demons that plague it... for the right price. The doors to his business, Devil May Cry, are always open to those with money in pocket, and occasionally to some without. Dante is approached by a man named Morrison to deliver a young heiress Patty to her inheritance. He thinks it's a job not worthy of his time - that is, until a group of demons intent on killing Patty crash the party. With guns drawn and sword ready by his side, Dante will have to mow down the opposition to delivery and discover just who is behind the series of attacks. Volume 2 Now you can step deeper inside the bloody truth behind Dante’s most dangerous missions. And these cases are even more lead-filled and blood-drenched than the last. There’s the demonic face behind the Mafia. A rock star siren who’d sell her soul for a hit song. A lowly fisherman who ree

My first anime watching weekend came and went. I watched a bit of Innocent Venus . A mass of violent storms ravages the planet, and over 60 percent of the world's population is wiped out in an instant. What remains of life on Earth is a broken and barren existence - but in Japan, there is an exception. Here, the wealthy rule. They own the war machines, they suppress the masses, and they have a very dark secret. Caught in the middle of this conspiracy is an innocent child, a girl, codenamed Venus. The military has her in their crosshairs, but the rebels are determined to protect her. What is her purpose? What are her powers? Can she offer new hope for a world so drastically changed? In the opening act of Innocent Venus , I've seen some bloodshed and gore. I haven't seen much of the series, but, so far, it looks promising...

I went to see Horton Hears A Who ... The imaginative elephant Horton hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community which thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help. Horton Hears a Who reunites Bruce Almighty co-stars Jim Carrey and Steve Carell as the eponymous elephant and the Mayor of Who-ville respectively. It's all CG with a familiar voice from CBS Sunday Morning (Charles Osgood) as the narrator. I wasn't planning to see Horton, but, all of a sudden the family wanted to go for a drive down to Pat's Steaks . After a quick peek at the movie listings, I determined that we could make the 9:10pm showing with time to spare, if we drove slow enough. It took a good half hour to make our way to South Philly. We stuffed our faces with steaks, fries and sodas and arrived at the theater around 8:40. We picked up some popcorn and some sodas and camped

I picked up the Special Edition of Appleseed Ex Machina ... Deunan and Briareos are both partners and lovers. As members of ESWAT, the elite forces serving Olympus, they are deployed everywhere trouble strikes. The two fighters find their partnership tested in a new way by the arrival of Tereus, who uncannily resembles Briareos before the wartime injuries that led to his becoming a cyborg. At the same time, Olympus finds itself under a stealth attack. Cyborg terrorism, deadly nanotech zealots, and rioting citizens are just some of the threats that Deunan must contend with as she fights to save Olympus! I've seen the previews and it looks like the character animation is MUCH better than the previous Appleseed movie. This, the second  Appleseed  movie, picks up the story where the first  Appleseed  movie left off and the character animation is MUCH better than the previous Appleseed movie. Although, the second Appleseed movie release in the series is a worthy addition, I still pr

Three weeks ago, I ordered the Power Puff Girls Christmas Special - 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas ... It's Christmastime in Townsville, and the Powerpuff Girls are soooo excited to see what Santa brought them! So imagine their surprise when they discover their Christmas stockings are full of.........coal!. Can this BE? There must be some horrible mistake! There is. And her name is Princess! Her fiendishly foul plot: to trick Santa into turning her into the fourth Powerpuff Girl! (And, in the process, make him believe the Powerpuffs have been very, very naughty!). Now, Bubbles, Blossom and Buttercup must explode into a Yuletide tornado of bad-girl-thwarting action to put Princess in her place --- and keep Christmas from disappearing forever! Today, after a three-week trek through the postal system, the Power Puff Girls Christmas Special - 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas  has finally arrived. I was beginning to wonder about the whereabouts of the package, when it appea

I picked up Jinki: Extend  and promptly added it the the pile of unwatched anime. The pile of unwatched anime are titles that I paid good money to have in my collection, but, for one reason or another, have never actually been watched -- some of them haven't even been unwrapped. In most cases, it's not that they are unloved or unappreciated. I'm from the old school of anime fandom which prefer subtitled anime over dubbed anime. In order to thoroughly enjoy reading my anime, I need to set aside some time without any interruptions or distractions and camp out in front of the TV for a while. As it happens, my life is complicated and hectic at times and I haven't had the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the anime that I have. As if that weren't bad enough, the anime industry doesn't seem inclined to wait around for me -- new titles are coming almost every week. As a devout anime fan, I feel compelled to show my support for the U.S. anime industry in the only wa

I discovered to my surprise, that the 1967 Avengers series is available on DVD. In fact, there's an Emma Peel "megaset" on DVD that includes all of Emma's appearances in the black and white version of the show (1965-1966) as well as the color version (1967). None of my local video stores carry it, so, I'll have to order it. The Avengers practically defined British cult television, and it was never better than during the three years that Diana Rigg's Emma Peel character tossed out her witty barbs and karate kicks. The supercool 2006 edition of The Complete Emma Peel Megaset encompasses all 51 episodes from 1965-66 (in black and white) and 1967 (in color) plus a new bonus disc, all in 17 space-saving Thinpaks. Paired with Patrick Macnee as the dapper, umbrella-wielding John Steed, Rigg's Mrs. Peel turned heads with her sexy outfits, then broke skulls of the various would-be world-dominating bad guys who crossed her path. Like the mixed crime-fighting team