Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Recently, I came across  Tank Girl ... If you're into in-your-face visuals, outrageous action sequences and non-stop explosive laughs, this is your "rip-roaring power surge of a movie" (L.A. Weekly). The year's 2033 and since a humongous meteor hit earth, the world just hasn't been the same. No Movies, No Cable TV, NO WATER!!! A mega-villain, Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell), the leader of Water & Power, holds the world in his grasp since he controls all the H2O down to the last drop...or so he thinks. Two colossal enemies stand in his way: (1) The Rippers - an army of half-men/half-kangaroo people whose sole purpose is to bring down the W & P, and (2) a chick with a tank and tons of attitude - a.k.a. Tank Girl (Lori Petty). Kesslee had better get a grip on reality and his water jugs because not even a run in her stocking is going to stop her from saving the planet.

Sometime ago, I picked up the VHS version of Night Warriors - Darkstalkers Revenge ... In another world, another time, all the old legends of vampires... of ghosts... of werewolves... and all manner of things that go bump in the night ...are real. And as all the old legends make so very clear, humans are the natural enemies... The Darkstalkers.

After the success of  Ranma 1/2 , VIZ experimented with the VHS version of  Ogre Slayer ... Volume 1 From the fading warmth of his mother's cooling corpse, an ogre in the form of a young human boy is born. His ancestry? Pure ogre. His destiny? To kill his own kind. He bears not an ogre's horn, but an ogre-killing sword. Believing that he will become human once all his kind are extinct, he travels the land, sword in hand, daring to dream. He has no human name. Mankind refers only to his sword, 'Onikirimaru,' otherwise known as... Ogre Slayer.

Before its official U.S. release, I heard of  Ninja Scroll aka Jubei Ninpucho  after seeing a grainy tape of an unfortunate samurai having his arms ripped off in a loop of death and carnage as bootlegs of various anime were being sold at a comic cook convention... Feudal Japan - A time of danger, intrigue and deception. Jubei is a masterless ninja who travels the land alone, hiring his services to those with gold... or a worthy cause. His fearsome abilities have served him well, but a hideous plot to overthrow the government threatens to end his wandering ways and possibly his life.

One of AnimEigo's later releases was the VHS version of  Oh My Goddess! ... Volume 1 Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms College freshman Morisato Keiichi gets more than he bargained for when he goes dialing for dinner and gets an unexpected delivery - Belldandy, a real live, honest to goodness Goddess! Belldandy grants him a wish, and Keiichi decides that what he really needs is a girlfriend just like Belldandy! And that's exactly what he gets. The mysterious 'Ultimate Force' that enforces all Wish Contracts comes into play, and Keiichi and Belldandy are now inseparable. That's when Keiichi remembers that his dorm has a strict rule: NO WOMEN ALLOWED! Can Keiichi and Belldandy find a new place to live? Will everyone buy the story that she's a foreign student? And does Keiichi have the guts to put the moves on a babe who is LITERALLY divine?

AN Entertainment's debut release, Omishi Magical Theater: Risky Safety , has won critical praise from recognized and respected online reviewers including Anime on DVD, Anime News Network, and Anime Tourist; received feature coverage and positive reviews in nationally distributed print magazines including Animerica Magazine, Newtype USA Magazine, Animation World Magazine, and Play Magazine; and even earned praise from mainstream reviews including the Detroit News...

Leave it to AnimEigo to have released one of the rare gems in anime,  Otaku no Video ... A true treat for true fans of any genre, Otaku no Video ("Fan's Video") is an outrageous mockumentary that combines the superb animation' that made Gainax one of Japan's best-loved animation studios with truly strange interviews with "real fans." The result is a thinly fictionalized history of Gainax that segues into a truly strange SF adventure. Sit back and enjoy as a small band of Otaku (fans) set out to "Otakunize" the human race! AnimEigo's special presentation of Otaku no Video contains both episodes: Otaku no Video 1982 and More Otaku no Video 1985.

There are two releases of Ice  -- one from MVD and a different release from Sentai. I picked up both versions. Each release has a slightly different presentation --  the menus are different, the translations are different and the special features are different... Some strange virus, whether planned or accidental, has wiped out most of the population. The survivors? Beautiful women. Faced with the possible extinction of their entire race, some of these new Amazons have decided to live out their final days in the pursuit only of fleshly pleasures. Others choose to use their beauty, their might, and their minds to fight back and reclaim the planet once more.

Years ago, I picked up the L.A. Hero release of VHS version of Outlanders ... Aliens from the Santovasku Empire will purify Earth by destroying all of humanity. But Santovasku's Princess Kahm has fallen in love with a human named Tetsuya. Her marriage to the Earth "primate" would save humanity and this enrages her Emperor father. Kahm is thrust into an intergalactic battle against the mighty fleet commanded by the conniving Counselor Progress. Progress' true agenda is to usurp the throne but Geobaldi, a fun loving wolfen warrior, and the sexy feline Battia aid Kahm in her struggle before the Empire falls. Will Kahm and Tetsuya survive against the power of the imperial fleet? Enter the fray in this outrageous sexual farce SF anime adventure.

A while back, I picked up Saiyuki ... Saiyuki A Japanese anime series that is loosely based on the popular 16th Century Chinese novel attributed to Wu Cheng’en titled Xiyouji, or Journey to the West. Saiyuki’s tale follows the perilous journey of an unorthodox, pistol-packing monk by the name of Genjo Sanzo-Sanzo being the title bestowed upon the highest order of monk who guards the Holy Scriptures of Heaven and Earth. Genjo Sanzo and his three wise-cracking demonic companions must journey to India from China in order to stop the resurrection of a sinister demon of tremendous power known as Gyumaoh, whose rebirth could tear the already chaotic world asunder.

I've been watching and re-watching the trailer for the Sakura Taisen 3 PC video game and what I've seen looks really, really good. I suppose that's what trailers are supposed to do.. OVAs Ecole de Paris An unseen evil lurks in the streets of Paris, and unless something is done, the darkness will unleash its destruction and consume all that is good. The City of Love will be lost to her people forever. All hope rests within the hearts of five young ladies. The only problem is, they don't even know it yet!

Sometime in the late-90s, I picked up the Satanika promotional music video on VHS... The popular Verotik comic character Satanika comes to life in full Japanese animation. Produced by Mad House Studios. ("X". Ninja Scroll, Wicked City) this beautiful anime pilot features story boards by the renowned Rintaro and character designs by Yoshiaki Kawajiri. Also included are interviews with the series creator Glenn Danzig and Mad House staff Rintaro, Takuji Endoh and Mad House producer Masao Maruyarna. Plus a tour inside Mad House Studios. Japanese anime fans and Satanika fans alike will all want to own this fantastic and powerful video.

Recently, I started watching And Yet The Town Moves aka Soredemo Machi wa Mawatteiru ... Hotori Arashiyama loves mysteries, but there's one she just can't solve: why does the solution to one problem inevitably seem to lead to another? Like how when Hotori has to start working at the Seaside Maid Cafe after school to pay off a debt and her friend Toshiko fortunately knows exactly how a Maid Cafe should be run. Which is fortunate since Hotori has no clue. Except that, unfortunately, Toshiko has no interest in working at the cafe - until she discovers that Hotori's childhood friend Hiroyuki is a regular. Which SEEMS fortunate. Except that Hotori doesn't know that, while Toshiko likes Hiroyuki, Hiroyuki secretly likes Hotori, while Hotori secretly has a crush on... No, no more...!

Years ago, I picked up the VHS version of  Shuten Doji ... Volume 1 It turns out that Jiro's parents haven't really told him everything they should have. He's discovered that his parent's aren't really his parents! His 'mom' and 'dad' only raised him because a weird old priest asked them to after a two-hundred-foot tall troll dropped him off at the local shrine. Seems that he's not really human, and that there are all manner of evil creatures out to get him. Meanwhile, another has possessed his high school teacher and kidnapped his girlfriend. Why? Something about planning to offer her as a human sacrifice to open a gateway to another dimension...

One of Streamline's later releases was the VHS version of  Silent Mobius ... Movies Movie 1 In the future a massive earthquake has devastated Tokyo, leaving the barren city to suffer the ravages of the world about it. Despite phenomenon such as acid rain, the true danger lies with the actions of evil beings known as the Lucifer Hawk, creatures bent on the invasion of Earth and total eradication of the human race.

Sol Bianca is an older title, in fact it is AD Vision's second release. I picked up Sol Bianca on VHS sometime in the early 90's... Volume 1 Treasure's a pleasure... ...but a blaster is a girl's best friend. There's only one thing the all-female crew of the interstellar pirate ship Sol Bianca likes more than treasure ...and that's more treasure. So when a young stowaway informs Janny, Feb, April, May and June that the most legendary, and valuable artifact of all, the fabled "Gnosis", is in the evil clutches of Emperor Batros, the despised dictator of the planet Tres, what choice do they have except to steal it? Armed with a dazzling array of power suits, energy whips and the artificially intelligent, dimension warping Sol Bianca herself, this belligerent battalion of buccaneering battlemaids gives no quarter in their non-stop onslaught against the ruthless despot; and while the ensuing liberation of an entire civilization, the destruction of a few...

Way before anime in the form we all know and love had established itself, one of my early VHS purchases was  Space Warriors - Battle for Earth Station S-1 ... AN ENEMY SO DIRTY, THEY'VE CONDEMNED THEIR ENTIRE PLANET! Instead of cleaning up their own nuclear waste, Planet S-1 brings their dirty work to Earth. Their military rulers want to knock us all off so their dying world can relocate here. Flying against fate, an S-1 rebel tries to defect to our side. But can a desperate and divided World Federation welcome him with open arms? Is this young Marlon Radon an ally or a spy? Can his robot ship Baldios and our Blue Strike Force unite to defeat The Red Fighters? And will it even matter if the impending doom arrives ahead of schedule? It's space war, fought on the environmental front. The ultimate battle for survival.

Last week, I picked up Rosario + Vampire ... Tsukune looks to be a typical high school student, but his grades are bad to the bone. Rejected by school after school, he finally gets accepted by an academy that's more than a little out of his neighborhood. Unfortunately, it's a school for monsters and Tsukune is the lone human! While forced to hide his secret, along comes a cute - but hungry - vampire girl named Moka. Beneath her cute and clumsy exterior, she too is not exactly as she seems...

Years ago, I came across Spawn ... Animation Volume 1 It is time for a new warrior to emerge from the darkness. He was once a man... now he's a "hell spawn", battling the forces of evil on Earth - and himself. Using his strange powers, he fights to uncover the truth about his identity and fulfill his destiny. One of the comic book industry's most popular and intriguing characters, Spawn explodes on the screen in a maelstrom of fantastic imagery with action, romance and high-level espionage.

At this point, Speed Racer has been available in one form or another for many years. I've had a handful of VHS tapes, and now with the advent of DVD, I've taken the opportunity to replace my old tapes... In 1967, "Speed Racer" made its debut, igniting the first Japanese anime cartoon to ever succeed in the United States. Originally titled "Mach GoGoGo," the English-dubbed series "Speed Racer" soon became an instant classic. Four generations later, it continues to impact American anime and rev up the hearts and imaginations of over 45 million fans as one of the most beloved animated series of all time. Speed Racer fans can now enjoy the incredible "Speed Racer The Complete Classic Collection" and be thrilled as Speed, the intrepid young race car driver, races for the flag, chases notorious villains, and pursues fast-action adventures. Join the full-throttle excitement with an unforgettable supporting cast including Pops Racer, Trixie, S...

Years ago, I saw untranslated previews for Spirited Away  and I anxiously awaited its U.S. release,.. From Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky) comes the Winner of the 2002 Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture and the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival! While on holiday with her parents, a young girl named Chihiro accidentally stumbles into an enchanted village where ancient Japanese demons go for rest and relaxation. After her parents are unfortunately transformed into enormous pigs, Chihiro is forced to take a job as a cleaning girl in a devil-filled onsen (Japanese bath house), where she contends with eight-legged spider-men, gorgeous sky-dragons and a silent, love-struck wraith.

I discovered Starbirds aka Daimos  in a rental store some time in the late 80s... The Brahmins, the people who are known for their angel wings, have lost their home and have come to Earth in peace. What they seek is a treaty with the Earth people that would allow them refuge and a second home. Brahmin conspirators find an opportunity to seize power from their current king and systematically assassinate two great leaders during a Brahmin-Earth conference. The confusion that follows causes a tragic war between the Brahmins and the Earthlings, forcing Earth to unleash its secret weapon -- The Fighting King Daimos. Meanwhile, Daimos' pilot Ryuzaki Kazuya finds himself falling in love with a girl he rescues from a battle scene. Little does he know that Erika, the beauty who has effortlessly stolen his heart with her charming innocence, has a secret that would cause so much pain and suffering...

Yesterday, I finished watching the first season of Heaven's Lost Property ... Tomoki's life was normal until a wish-granting angelic android named Ikaros fell from the sky and started calling him master! Of course, thanks to his raging teenage hormones, most of Tomoki's wishes have something to do with panties. And that makes things pretty complicated, because one simple wish can lead to a rampaging robot made out of frilly undergarments or turn bloomers into bombs capable of blowing up entire neighborhoods!

At some point in the late 1980s,  Starblazers  became available on video tape in the U.S.... The Earth desperately refits an ancient WWII battleship with alien technology to send a handpicked crew to a distant planet to retrieve necessary materials to save the Earth from slow death by radiation poisoning. On its long journey, this lone vessel battles scores of alien enemies proving time and time again that the spirit of Earth refuses to be crushed, and if the will is there, anything is possible.

Years ago, I picked up  Sukeban Deka ... Anime Volume 1 One flick of her wrist and you're history! If Saki fails this test... ...the next outfit she'll be wearing is a body bag! She survived the streets and the "Big House", but now she's on her most dangerous assignment of all! The last time Saki left school it was to change her school uniform for prison greys, but when the Feds needed someone to infiltrate a ruthless criminal organization that camouflages its activities behind the facade of an exclusive high school, they knew they needed the baddest bad girl of them all! Now Saki's back on the streets for the ultimate final exam, armed with a top secret weapon that only LOOKS like a yo-yo and a license to use whatever force necessary to achieve her goal! With character designs by internationally acclaimed artist Nobuteru Yuki (Battle Angel). Sukeban Deka is an astonishing, thrill-a-minute animated adventure unlike anything you've ever seen b...