Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Recently, I picked up Nyan Koi! ... When cat-allergic Junpei Kosaka damages a statue of a cat deity, the cats don't just get his tongue, they put theirs in his mouth! Now cursed with the ability to understand felines, Junpei must perform one-hundred great favors for cat-kind or face the fate of being turned into a cat himself! Life quickly becomes a purrfect hell as every cat in the neighborhood starts sending Junpei their list of "requests." And if the kitties weren't already whipping him into a cat-atonic stupor, the women in his life are making things even worse. His sister, mom, and the girl he has secret feelings for are all cat-crazy; the local Yakuza's daughter is playing cat and mouse; the local cat-owning monk's daughters are acting catty; and Junpei's childhood best friend is ready to use him as a scratching post! I've seen the first few episodes of Nyan Koi! and, although the premise is a bit on the silly side, the show is surprisingly

I picked up Ghost Sweeper Mikami recently... Volume 1 You say you've got a ghost in your prefecture? In Japan that means you need to call Ghost Sweeper Mikami, the paranormal detective agency that's a little abnormal... Okay, make that a LOT abnormal, but they do specialize in disposing of things that most people don't even believe exist. Run by the visually delicious and even more avaricious Reiko Mikami, and aided by the very perverted (but also very loyal) Tadao Yokoshima, they'll take any case that pays, and Tadao will do anything that might let him sneak a peek at Reiko's magnificent physique. How unfortunate for him that Reiko basically sees him as cannon-fodder, something that's quite useful when your day-to-day business involves exorcising oni, yurei, yokai and anything else you might find in The Illustrated Bag of One Hundred Random Ghosts. Volume 2 When it comes to girls, Tadao Yokoshima has to be the unluckiest guy in Japan. Sure, he works wi

Over the weekend, I went to see Tangled  -- the Disney-fied retelling of the classic story of Rapunzel . When the kingdom’s most wanted -- and most charming -- bandit Flynn Rider (voice of Zachary Levi) hides out in a mysterious tower, he’s taken hostage by Rapunzel (voice of Mandy Moore), a beautiful and feisty towerbound teen with 70 feet of magical, golden hair. Flynn’s curious captor, who’s looking for her ticket out of the tower where she’s been locked away for years, strikes a deal with the handsome thief and the unlikely duo sets off on an action-packed escapade, complete with a super-cop horse, an over-protective chameleon and a gruff gang of pub thugs. In theaters this holiday season, Tangled is a story of adventure, heart, humor and hair -- lots of hair. According to Wikipedia ... The movie's visual style is based on the painting The Swing, by the French Rococo artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard. Because (former) director Glen Keane wanted this to be an animated movie that

I picked up the re-remastered version of Metropolis recently. According to Wikipedia ... Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and owners in capitalism. The film was produced in the Babelsberg Studios by Universum Film A.G. (UFA). The most expensive silent film ever made, it cost approximately 5 million Reichsmark. Metropolis was cut substantially after its German premiere, and much footage was lost over the passage of successive decades. There have been several efforts to restore it, as well as discoveries of previously lost footage. A 2001 reconstruction of Metropolis, shown at the Berlin Film Festival, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in that same year. In 2008, a copy of the film 30 minutes longer than any

I picked up the Secret of Kells recently. According to Amazon ... In contrast to big-budget Hollywood CG features, The Secret of Kells is a welcome reminder of how warm, personal, and compelling traditional drawn animation can be. The story takes place in the eighth century, a perilous time when Viking raiders threatened to destroy Irish civilization. Since his parents were killed by Vikings, 12-year-old Brendan (voice by Evan McGuire) has lived within the walled monastery of Kells under the stern eye of his uncle, Abbot Cellach (Brendan Gleeson). But his life changes when Brother Aidan (Mick Lally) arrives at Kells with a wondrously beautiful but unfinished illuminated manuscript, created to be "a beacon in these dark times." Brendan realizes he wants to become an illuminator and complete the book, despite his uncle's opposition. His decision helps him win the friendship of Aisling (Christen Mooney), a silver-haired wood fairy--and requires him to battle the monstr

Sometime ago, when the Lincoln "Luxury at Lightspeed" ad campaign was in full force, one of the ads featured a 30-second clip from Shiny Toy Guns rendition of Major Tom (Coming Home) . Youtube came through for me, yet again, and I was able to track down a roughly 4-minute version of the song, but, the video, such as it was, left a lot to be desired. Even, so, I added the video to the archive. Recently, while poking around the AnimeNation news board, I came across a post for a new CG music video created by IKEDA , employing the vocal talents of Vocaloid Luka Megurine singing the song Corruption Garden . For those of you who don't know, a vocaloid is a software package that can be used by talented individuals to produce music using the software's own vocal capabilities -- essentially a "singer in a box". The video is quite impressive and the music isn't half bad either. I added the music video to the archive and then took the time to marry the Corru

I picked up Hetalia recently... Seasons 1 And 2 Axis Powers Forget everything you learned in history class, and imagine all the nations of the world as cute guys hanging out on a wildly inappropriate reality show. Now, toss in every stereotype ever and prepare to pledge allegiance to your favorite superpower in Hetalia Axis Powers! Maybe you'll surrender to Italy's charms. He's a sweetie who's always got a noodle in his mouth and he's BFF with blue-eyed Germany and shy Japan. Sounds nice, right? Of course, their friendship sort of causes World War II, but is that really such a big deal? Not if it means those adorable allies France, America, and England will be stormin' the beach! Seasons 3 and 4 World Series The awesome international incidents never stop in Hetalia World Series! All your fave Allied and Axis boys are back, and they've brought a bunch of new guys to the party. You like to party, right? Duh. Feel the tension build as Prussia plots

Recently, I picked up the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Season 2 DVD set... Haruhi continues her search for exciting ways to keep her world from being boring. Unfortunately, for Kyon and the rest of the SOS Brigade, they are forced to go along for the ride. On the night of the Tanabata Star Festival, Kyon is transported back in time by Mikuru Asahina to what may be the source of what led Haruhi to search for aliens, time travelers, and espers. In the last two weeks of summer vacation, Haruhi leads the brigade on a dizzying list of summer time activities, eventually culminating in the brigade experiencing what they think is deja vu but they're actually re-living the same two weeks of summer over and over again. It's up to Kyon to figure out what's missing to get them out of their endless loop. As fall rolls around, everyone prepares for the school arts festival, but Haruhi isn't content with their class's survey project. Instead, she hatches her own plan for t

After seven years being hosted with Verizon and twelve years in existence, Angel's Anime Rating Guide (AARG)  is moving much of it's content to Blogger . It'll take a while to move everything into my new accommodations and there will be some broken links during the transition. This decision is being made, ironically, because I got a new PC. The new PC doesn't run all of my old software, including the custom-built web content management apps that I use to manage the web content. It's really not worth the effort to have the apps rebuilt and continuing to manage the site without the web content manager will prove very difficult. It'll be much easier to take the opportunity to rebuild a new site using the much more powerful features already available on Blogger . Another advantage of the switch is that there will be much more room for me to grow. I'll have about 20 times the space I currently have for images and it's free. Also, I'll be able to manag

I picked up Shigofumi recently... Are some secrets best kept with the dead? For most Shigofumi Mail Carriers, charged with delivering messages from the recently departed to those left behind, the question is purely rhetorical, as most Carriers are dead themselves and past the point of caring about the still breathing. The solemn girl known as Fumika, however, is all too aware of the mortal perspective, for she is still aging: an indicator that she is somehow, mysteriously, still alive. Yet neither Fumika's own personal tragedy nor the knowledge that her mail may be a mixed blessing at best will stay her grim determination to make her morbid rounds. Though the postal scales of fate may be eternally shifted, Fumika will make sure each posthumous posting from the ultimate dead letter office reaches its intended target, even when there's deadly postage due! My set had a few scratched on it, but, it played very well. I started watching Shigofumi and was so engrossed in the s

Over the weekend, I saw Despicable Me ... In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by a small army of minions, we discover Gru (voiced by Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. (Yes, the moon!) Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays, and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad. The world's greatest villain has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes. I enjoyed Despicable Me a lot. I wouldn't mind seeing it again in the theatre, but, it looks like I'

I picked up Vampire Knight recently... Volume 1 At prestigious Cross Academy, there are two sessions of classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. As the school's Disciplinary Committee, Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu keep watch over the Day Class students, who are all infatuated with the beautiful, elite Night Class students. As Guardians, Yuki and Zero must also protect the secret of the Night Class - they're all vampires! Volume 2 A new teacher arrives at Cross Academy with a hidden identity and possibly deadly connection to Zero, whose suffering is driving him to desperation. Yuki's feelings are torn between Zero and Kaname, and her determination to help Zero may lead her to betray the one she loves most. Volume 3 Yuki and Zero have their hands full trying to quell the Day Class's enthusiastic pursuit of the Night Class in anticipation of the upcoming dance. In the midst of it all, the Headmaster asks Yuki to show a new transfer student, Maria Kurenai, around

I picked up Queen's Blade recently... Series 1 Volume 1 A Single Step In a land where a queen is chosen every few years solely by winning a tournament, there can be no short supply of formidable opponents. For one woman warrior however, an early defeat clearly shows her that she is lacking in experience though she may be bountiful in body. Fortunately, while defeat could spell one's doom, her life is saved by a powerful stranger. But unfortunately for this savior, less-than-pure motives and shrewd family members mean her reward is a prison cell. Her release is prompt when the unseasoned warrior she saved, tired of her current lifestyle of nobility, sets off to prove herself. Volume 2 The Beaten Path After her plummet into the raging waters below, Leina's whereabouts remain a mystery to the direct witnesses of the tragedy. At the same time, Tomoe stumbles upon a pyramid belonging to Menace, an ancient queen with a familiar face serving her. The tide then flows to

Many years ago, before Elmo was all the rage on PBS, there were shows like Read All About It! According to Wikipedia ... Read All About It! was a Canadian educational television series produced from 1979 to 1983 by TVOntario that aired during the early to mid 1980s; It also aired in repeats in the 1990s. It starred David Craig Collard as Chris, Lydia Zajc as Lynne, Stacey Arnold as Samantha, and Sean Hewitt as Duneedon, ruler of the galaxy Trialviron. In the second season Michael Dwyer joined the cast as Alex. The main goal of the show was to try and teach viewers about skills such as reading and writing & history in the midst of an entertaining program... Read All About It! focused on Chris who inherited his uncle Derek's coach house after his mysterious disappearance. The show took place in the fictitious town of Herbertville, where Chris and his friends Lynne and Samantha started a newspaper called The Herbertville Chronicle in uncle Derek's coach house. The coach h

Over the weekend, I saw L5: First City in Space ... Set 100 years in the future, L5: FIRST CITY IN SPACE is a story told in flashback by the first child born in space. The film combines incredible computer-generated imagery, actual footage taken of space expeditions and scientific data to create a compelling vision of how humans may live and travel in our solar system in the next century. I was poking around the dial and came across L5 on the Documentary Channel and decided to add it to the archive. At just under 35 minutes, L5 is fairly short. The story-telling is a bit dry, but, is still reasonably entertaining. The special effects are actually quite good -- it would probably be even better on the big screen. Overall, although L5 exhibits some shortcomings, I was still very pleased with the feature.

I picked up the Daria Complete Series box set recently... The people of Lawndale just don't get Daria Morgendorffer. She's cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she's just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities... whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm. Glenn Eichler, Show Creator, wrote in an insert in the DVD bot set... DEAR BELOVED CONSUMER, Finally, the complete DARIA in an officially sanctioned box set. It's the answer to every diehard fan's dreams. Which, given the makeup of diehard DARIA fandom, means it's an opportunity for them to kick off a raging, decades-long debate over the collection's merits and, by extension, each other's validity as human beings. So let's answer the big question right away 99 percent of the music has been changed, because the cost of licensing the many music bites we used would have made

I picked up the Michael Shayne Mysteries box set yesterday. Why? Because it spoke to me and said "buy me"... This very welcome box set turns up the heat on one of detective films' cold cases. Created by Brett Halliday, Michael Shayne appeared in 31 books between the 1940s and '70s. He is not as popularly known as other screen shamuses, but he's good company. As portrayed by Lloyd Nolan (best known as curmudgeonly Dr. Chegley on the groundbreaking sitcom Julia), Shayne is not as hard-boiled as Sam Spade or as sage as Charlie Chan. But, as one shady character observes to someone whom Shayne has just pasted, "You know better than to mix with Shayne." He's a working-class mug ("His office is in his hat, his home is in his car," he remarks), usually "down on his luck" and short on cash. As Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940) opens, the furniture from his office is being repossessed. Still, Shayne has ethics enough to turn down

According to AnimeNation ... Iconic illustrator & painter Frank Frazetta passed away yesterday in Fort Myers, Florida, of complications following a stroke. He was 82. Frazetta’s work included comics, movie posters, and well-known cover illustrations for pulp fantasy novel franchises including Conan, Tarzan, and John Carter of Mars. Animation fans may be most familiar with Frazetta’s work through his 1983 film collaboration with animator/director Ralph Bakshi, Fire and Ice . I have Fire and Ice on DVD and Wizards , another Bakshi production, Frazetta's name is invoked as an incantation by the lead character. Recently, I also picked up Frazetta: Painting with Fire ... For the last half century, Frank Frazetta has dominated the world of Fantasy Art with his images of fierce warriors, helpless princesses, and fantastical creatures set in the most lavish landscapes. Journey to a place where up until now, only the privileged have been able to witness the man behind the le

After revisiting Ralph Bakshi's version of Lord of the Rings , I decided to look into another Ralph Bakshi animation -- Spicy City . According to Wikipedia ... Spicy City was an animated television series which was created by Ralph Bakshi for HBO. The plot was described as a science fiction anthology series set in a futuristic city with a seamy side. Spicy City premiered in July 1997, beating South Park to television by over a month and becoming the first "adults only" cartoon series and lasted for one season which consisted of six episodes. The series does exhibit some risque elements and it is certainly not suitable for the younger animation fans, but, even after more than a decade, the quality of the stories and the animation still manage to hold up reasonably well. I had a handful of episodes from the original HBO broadcast preserved in the archive and for the episodes that I didn't already have, YouTube came through for me, yet again. I would certainly purcha

Recently, I picked up Comic Book Confidential ... As Kevin Smith observes in his 2002 introduction to the DVD, Ron Mann's 1989 documentary Comic Book Confidential hasn't lost a bit of its relevance. It emerged as comics were enjoying a popular renaissance, when Frank Miller was redefining the Batman mythos in the mainstream, and scores of independent artists found their unique voices in the burgeoning aftermath of the underground comics explosion of the '60s and early '70s. Mann's irreverent sensibilities are perfectly suited to this graphically kinetic history of comic books from the early '30s to the late '80s, itself presented as a graphic hybrid of comic art, archival footage, and lively interviews. All of the major players are included from each era, and Mann's masterstroke--having latter-day comics innovators read from their work--makes for some delicious storytelling straight from the source. Comic Book Confidential is a documentary that touche

I saw Avatar on the big screen twice. I've seen the movie with and without 3-D -- the 3-D version didn't work very well for me, but, what little I did manage to see looked AWESOME. Even though the 3-D version didn't really work for me, I was still very impressed. Unlike a lot of CG-rich movies that I've seen in the past, Avatar doesn't feel as artificial. The story is very reminiscent of "Dances With Wolves", where a soldier heads out to the frontier and meets the natives -- hence the term "Dances With Smurfs". But, Mom and I came to be entertained and James Cameron's Avatar didn't disappoint. There's a lot of action -- a bit too much for the youngest viewers -- and at two and a half hours, it's a bit long... A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous Na'vi race in this ambitious digital 3D sci-fi epic from Academy A

I picked up the remastered version of Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings ... Although it was ultimately overshadowed by Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy, Ralph Bakshi's animated adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic is not without charms of its own. A target of derision from intolerant fans, this ambitious production is nevertheless a respectably loyal attempt to animate the first half of Tolkien's trilogy, beginning with the hobbit Frodo's inheritance of "the One Ring" of power from Bilbo Baggins, and ending with the wizard Gandalf's triumph over the evil army of orcs. While the dialogue is literate and superbly voiced by a prestigious cast (including John Hurt as Aragorn), Leonard Rosenman's accomplished score effectively matches the ominous atmosphere that Bakshi's animation creates and sustains. Bakshi combined traditional cel animation with "rotoscoped" (i.e., meticulously traced) live-action

I got And Now for Something Completely Different recently... Monty Python's first feature is essentially a reworking of their best skits from the first two seasons of their cult TV series Monty Python's Flying Circus, shot on film outside the usual studio sets (Nudge Nudge, for example, is set in a tavern filled with passersby). As the TV series was as yet unseen in the U.S. at the time of this feature, And Now for Something Completely Different became for many Americans their first taste of the Pythons' brand of surreal, silly humor and remains a fond favorite. The writing and performances are fine and the film is packed with some of their best bits: How to Avoid Being Seen, Hell's Grannies, Blackmail, The Lumberjack Song, The Parrot Sketch, and The Upper Class Twit of the Year, among others. I wanted And Now for Something Completely Different primarily for the Parrot Sketch and it wasn't half bad, but, many of the sketches have been shortened and, at times,

I picked up Strike Witches recently... The year is 1944 and the world lives in fear of unidentified flying objects called Neuroi. With the old-boy old guard unable to thwart this deadly menace, humanity turns its desperate eyes to an aerial attack force with much nicer legs. Meet the girls of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, better known as the Strike Witches. These darlings of the great blue yonder may not have standard issue uniforms, but they do have all the right stuff. Where the average flyboy falters, these dolls blast aliens to bits in the bat of an eyelash. With a little magic and a whole lot of leg, the girls of the 501st are winning the war on pants, and aliens! On it's face the concept of the series, is amazingly implausible -- young ladies wear special boots that resemble a combination of airplane wings and a helicopter on each leg and fly around like airplanes. But, I've seen the first few episodes and I've found the series to be remarkably entertaining. The

According to Anime News Network ... The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's " Welcome to Tokyo " tourism promotion website has launched. The site features a map of Tokyo tourist spots, a quiz game about Tokyo sightseeing spots, and an original short anime titled " Honey Tokyo ." The streaming anime short film is viewable in high and standard quality in Japanese language with subtitles in English, Chinese, Korean, German, Italian, Spanish, and French. Yasuhiro Aoki, director of the "Kung-Fu Love" segment of Studio 4℃'s Amazing Nuts! music video collection and select episode director on 4℃'s Tweeny Witches and Kimagure Robot anime series, drafted the Honey Tokyo character designs, drew the film's storyboards, and directed the short at Studio 4℃. Reportedly the short was produced at a cost of around 50 million yen ($550,000 USD) funded by the Japanese government. I've been a bit leery of downloading anime on the web for two reasons. First

At some time in the 1950's, Mom happened to see Rapunzel on TV. After some searching, I came across an animated feature by Ray Harryhausen that seemed to fit the parameters of Mom's vague recollection... According to Wikipedia .... A childless couple that wanted a child lived next to a walled garden which belonged to an enchantress. The wife, as a result of her long-awaited pregnancy, noticed a Rapunzel plant (or, in some versions of the story, rampion radishes or lamb's lettuce), planted in the garden and longed for it to the point of death. For two nights, the husband went out and broke into the garden to gather some for her; on the third night, as he was scaling the wall to return home, the enchantress, whose name is said to be "Dame Gothel", caught him and accused him of theft. He begged for mercy, and the old woman agreed to be lenient, on condition that the then-unborn child be surrendered to her at birth. Desperate, the man agreed. When the gir

During this year's Oscar ceremony, I happened to notice an nominee for an animated short called The Lady and the Reaper ... The Lady and the Reaper (La dama y la muerte) is a 3D imaging animated short film created by Javier Recio Gracia and produced by Kandoor Moon. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and won the Goya Award for Best Animated Short of 2009. An old lady, who lives alone in the countryside, is looking forward to death so that she can meet her dead husband. When the Reaper arrives and she is about to reach afterlife, she is pulled away from the Reaper by a smug doctor. The Reaper and the doctor fight fiercely, and eventually medicine wins. The Reaper leaves, but the lady is not willing to postpone the encounter with her husband. I was very fond of this short, so, went to the official site and eventually added it to the archive.

Late in December of last year, I happened to wander into one of my favorite anime hangouts and came across a post for Alma , by award-winning animation director, Rodrigo Blaas ... According to Wikipedia ... Alma is Rodrigo Blaas' first short film as a director. Originally from Spain, Rodrigo Blaas has worked in animation for more than ten years, in Spain and in the United States. Seizing the possibility of directing his first independent short film, Rodrigo Blaas asked some of the best artists in their field to take part in this independent project: French animator Bolhem Bouchiba, character designer Carlos Grangel and Sergio Pablos, art director Alfonso Blaas, music composer Mastretta and sound designer Tom Myers. I've seen Alma several times already and although it's not scary, Alma does exude an aura of creepiness. I like the animation and the story. I'd certainly purchase this title on DVD, but, it remains to be seen if it will be released on archival m

In 1996, I saw the infamous Nissan "Dream Garage" commercial and immediately afterwards, I made an effort to add it to the archive. But, eleven years later, in the aftermath of the Ultimate Otaku Fall Cleanup , try as I might, I couldn't remember which one of the 2000+ VHS tapes had the commercial on it. So, sadly, the commercial went away. According to Wikipedia ... Mr. Nissan - Mysterious man with the terrier dog, glasses, baseball cap and a big grin featured on a series of Nissan automobile TV commercials in 1996. The mystic Mr. Nissan character was loosely based on the former Nissan Motor Corporation U.S.A. founder Yutaka Katayama who reportedly represented "honor, integrity and fun." Nissan North America launched its "Life is a journey. Enjoy the Ride." advertising campaign with a two minute television commercial at the 1996 Super Bowl. The spot featured a "Dream Garage" filled with vintage Nissan vehicles most notably a silver