Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Several years ago, I thought I was going to get a Laser Disc Player, so, naturally I had to have some Laser Discs. Sometimes I'll see a nice cover and I'll just have to have it. That was the case with Tenchi Muyo . Ryoko was standing there on the cover of the laser disc jacket giving me the finger. Well, actually it wasn't *that* finger, but, it was close enough to grab my attention... OVAs Episode 1 Ryoko Resurrected According to legend, a demon is imprisoned in a cave inside the ancient Masaki Shrine in Kurashiki, Japan. When Tenchi Masaki, a student in the local high school and grandson of the shrine master, accidentally breaks the shrine's seal, he discovers that it is not just legend! Awakened from a deep sleep, Ryoko, the demon, in the form of a beautiful young girl, furious to discover she has been imprisoned for over 700 years, launches an all-out attack on Tenchi. Using her amazing powers, including flying through the air, moving through walls, and h

Originally created as a comic strip by female artist/writer Moto Hagio,  They Were 11  trades on Japanese folklore for its inspiration, Kenji Miyazawa, considered by many the Jules Verne of Japan, once wrote a famous ghost story about eleven children who learned a monster was among them... In the distant future, ten cadets of the prestigious COSMO ACADEMY prepare for their rigorous final exam: an ultimate survival test that sets them adrift in a derelict spaceship for 53 days. During the journey, however, the group of students--composed both of humans and aliens--discover they are actually a group of eleven. One of them does not belong on board! From that moment, the cadets are plunged into mystery. They are unprepared for the anomaly in their mission, and see their lives hanging in the balance. Accusations run rampant as they scrutinize one another for just the right-- or wrong--move. It is a tense situation ripe for bursting and in an explosive climax, it does just that! O

When a spell goes awry,  Those Who Hunt Elves  must find five elves with pieces of that spell tattooed on their skin... Original Series Volume 1 Fishy Beginnings (aka Ready, Set, Strip!) When a spell to return them goes awry, three travelers must find five elves with pieces of that spell tattooed on their skin. Junpei, the fighter, has vowed to strip every elf in the land to find the spell, which doesn't please Celcia, the elven leader and priestess who lost the spell in the first place. Junpei, Airi the clever actress, and the deadly young Ritsuko battle fishy pirates, challenge local legends and eventually con Celcia into helping them find the spell that will send them home. Hop aboard their T-74 tank and join Those Who Hunt Elves on the wildest scavenger hunt ever! Volume 2 Big Showdowns Those Who Hunt Elves strike a deal with an elven mayor to rid her town of an infestation of skeletons. The condition? She must get naked. What they don't know is that this clever e

Years ago, I picked up Tokyo Private Police ... Volume 1 Japan AD 2034. Crime and violence have reached record highs all around new Tokyo City. Every citizen in Tokyo is involved with some kind of crime every minute. The police have become so inept, that they depend on private security companies to maintain the city's safety. Because of the increase of slums and lower taxes, the police force has been severely downsized. As a result, the crime rate continues to climb at an accelerated pace. This is why among the upper middle class it has become common to hire private security companies to protect themselves. One such company is the Tokio Private Police. But just because they're under-manned, doesn't mean they can't take a little time out to enjoy themselves while they rescue their clientele from all sorts of villainy. For example, while Manager Shibata manages his sultry affair with Kieko Yamagami, the new captain of the Mobile Police Force, he continues to prov

Demons run amok in Tokyo in  Tokyo Revelation ... A satanic program is activated aboard a crowded commercial flight headed for Tokyo. It releases a swarm of invisible demons that send the aircraft plunging to a fiery doom. Everyone aboard is killed instantly - except Akita Kobayashi - owner of the devilish program and sworn ally of hell itself! Kojiro Soma, an old elementary school friend of Akito's, is surprised to see him enroll back in school. Kojiro notices how this once lonely boy, has grown into a suave and arrogant teenager. Later, when his classmates are attacked and legendary demons return to stalk the streets of Tokyo, Kojiro begins to truly understand what his old friend has become. Akita has plans for the human race. The plans revolve around magnetite, the mysterious element that forms the living essence of every human soul. Combined with his demonic software, a strong enough source of magnetite would release a plague of devils upon the earth. That source exists

Sometime ago, when anime was available on your choice of VHS tape or Laser Disc, I picked up the VHS version of the Toward the Terra movie (circa 1980) released by Right Stuf ... On this world light-years from Earth, if you are Psychic you are also dead. The MU (as these unfortunates are called) are hunted tirelessly by the great computers that control every facet of life. The MU are evil, the people are told, creatures who could destroy everything that their civilization is based on. For centuries, the Mu have been content to exist in an underground society, helping smuggle other MU out from under the Government's watchful eyes. From the MU perspective, there had been no thought of an act of open rebellion. That is, until now. The prophesies now revealed show that there will be a profound change in the MU society, that one will lead them to a new life. This new existence will be free from oppression... and if that means they must leave their own planet to find it, so be it. Per

Years ago, when all manner of wonderful things were available on video tape, I picked up the VHS version of  Twilight of the Cockroaches ... The story of an impending roach Holocaust in a Tokyo apartment complex, as told from the insects' point of view, wherein the animated insects are the hereos and the live-action humans are the villains. Whether viewed as a diverting action film or as an allegory of genocide, TWILIGHT OF THE COCKROACHES is the most original picture of the year. With its subtle allusions to Hiroshima and Dachau, this comedy has unexpected resonance. You will think twice before getting out that can of Blockade. Twilight of the Cockroaches is a nice mix of live-action and traditional animation. Even though the storyteller would like me to empathize with the roaches and draw a connection to the Holocaust and the use of weapons of mass destruction during the second World War, I found it quite impossible to feel any sympathy for the roaches. I used to have the dub

I recently added Usavich to the archive... Putin and Kirenenko are two odd inmates stuck in a bizarre Russian prison. Being confined to their small cell does not prevent them from causing a lot of trouble. Within a Soviet prison, lived two rabbit inmates. Both have odd behaviors and spend their everyday life in their cell with something unusual happening. Whether it's meal time from the door obsessed prison guards or a golden opportunity to escape from the slammer. According to Wikipedia ... While the first season shows the absurd everyday occurrences of the two rabbits' prison life, the second season tells the adventures of their escape and life on the run. Season 3 revolves around their adventure to the 13th and top floor of a shopping complex in a city. Season 4 deals with Putin putting upgrades on Mechanenko. According to Anime News Network ... MTV Japan has formally announced that Kanaban Graphics studio’s popular CG anime TV series Usavich will get a fifth s

A while ago, Urban Vision attempted to distinguish itself in the anime marketplace by releasing a handful of horror-themed anime including Twilight Of The Dark Master ... From the beginning of time, Earth has been enslaved by the powerful and grotesque Ogres. The dominance these arrogant immortals hold over their helpless victims is challenged only by the noble Guardians. Eons later, in the year 2089, few Ogres or Guardians remain in Neo-Shinjuku. Humans rule the Earth; yet, deep within the dark underworld of the city, the supreme Ogre is still alive and is preparing, once again, to enslave the Human race. TWILIGHT OF THE DARK MASTER's elaborate story will transport you to a world full of ornate imagery and exotic characters. Twilight of the Dark Master is a stylish and dark tale that starts out like your average demon-run-amok story, but, gradually changes into something more interesting. There's lots of blood and gore (people being eaten and smashed), some great visual ef

Twin Dolls bears some similarity to  La Blue Girl , in that they are both examples of the demons-run-amok genre of adult-oriented anime... Volume 1 They may look like a typical pair of young ladies, but sisters Mai and Ai are anything but normal... extraordinarily beautiful, masters of a dozen martial arts and trained since infancy to become professional demon hunters, they are the Twin Dolls! Being warriors for the force of good, however, can get you into more trouble than being bad, and when a jealous classmate makes an oath to beat the Twin Dolls, she is literally possessed by a green-eyed monster! A ten foot tall green demon that is, one with an unhealthy interest in human females! Aided by a horde of scuttling sub-demons, the horned demon quickly builds a harem of Mai and Ai's unsuspecting classmates; his goal: to destroy the Twin Dolls before they can stop his plans of world conquest! Armed with lance, bow and a pair of magic pussy-willows, Mai, Ai and their allies must

Scientific zeal and an ill-timed sneeze leads to  Twin Signal ... Robotics expert Dr. Otoi built Signal to be a powerful companion for his young grandson, Nobuhiko. However, a mishap during Signal's programming led to an unexpected glitch. Every time Nobuhiko sneezes, Signal transforms from a temperamental adult robot into an adorable, chocolate-loving little baby. Despite this little problem, days are usually happy and fun around the Otoi household, where robots, people and animals live in harmony. Except for the occasional feud over house cleaning chores or the affections of the female robot Elara. everything is relatively peaceful. However, one day Signal is attacked by Pulse, one the Doctor's previous creations and the prototype for Signal. Despite being critically nearsighted, Pulse is loaded down with weapons and has been reprogrammed by Dr. Otoi's mysterious rival. He's on a mission to steal the most recent robot technology, and obliterate anything that g

In the early days of U.S. anime industry that we all know and love, Urotsukidoji was the first of the erotic horror anime genre to be afforded a wide mainstream release in the U.S. and as it happened, at the time, some mainstream retailers, not realizing that not all cartoons are for kids, mistakenly thought that this was something that could be sold to children... Oops... Chapter 1 Legend of the Overfiend According to legend, the world consists of three dimensions - the Human World, the World of Man-Beasts and the World of Monster Demons. Every 3,000 years, the Overfiend is brought to life through the body of a human to destroy the existing world and unite these three dimensions into a new world of peace and happiness. However, the new world that the Overfiend is supposed to create may be a sickening place of horrendous violence, uncontrollable lusts and supernatural forces beyond comprehension. Is there any hope for humanity? Will The Legend Of The Overfiend become reality?

At first glance, you might think that  Ushio and Tora  is a cross between  Tenchi Muyo  and  Zenki ... Volume 1 Once, long ago, a small village was terrorized by demon, a horrible monster who gobbled up peasants like rice cakes. (This was, obviously, not a good time to be a peasant.) Then, one day, a mysterious stranger appeared and, with a magic spear, pinned the creature's shoulder to a boulder, trapping it forever! In the village there was much rejoicing and all was at peace with the world. That is, until 500 years later, when the stranger's descendent, Ushio Aotsuki, discovers a very alive and extremely irritated demon still pinned in the family basement! Although Ushio doesn't release the fiend, the awakened monster's aura acts like a beacon to other, equally nasty creatures and soon the whole neighborhood is crawling with demons. Lacking any practical demon-banishing experience (and desperate to handle the problem before his father gets home) Ushio decides to g