Angel's Anime Rating Guide

Recently, I watched Gate ... On August 20XX, a gate suddenly appears in Tokyo's Ginza district, unleashing a portal where monsters, medieval knights and other fantasy beings come from another world and wreak havoc on Tokyo. The Japanese Defense Force take action against these monsters and push them back into the Gate. Third Reconnaissance Team is dispatched to the Special Region lead by officer (and otaku) Youji Itami. On their travels, they are joined by a beautiful elf girl who is a survivor from the dragon's rampage and guide the group across the dangerous new world. The story of Gate revolves around a mysterious portal from another world that suddenly opens onto our world. Our hero, Itami finds his trip to the annual comic convention interrupted by a flight of dragons and hordes of hostile beings rampaging through Tokyo. The invaders have the advantage of surprise until the Japanese Self Defense Force shows up on the field of battle with modern weapons and promptly cut t...

There was something about the animal mascot-like thing in Gleipnir , that said watch me, so I did... Shuichi is an ordinary student with the unusual power to transform into a monstrous dog with a revolver and a zipper down his back. Unsure of where his power came from or whom to trust, he'll risk it all to save a beautiful classmate named Clair. There was something about the cover art featuring an animal mascot-like thing that just attracted my attention. The series starts out on a strange note when the animal mascot-like thing attempts to save a girl in a burning building and takes matters a step too far, when after the save, the mascot-like thing decides to take a free peek at the girl. Things go from bad to worse, when the average guy, behind the animal mascot-like thing, loses his phone and the girl he saved, tracks him down the next day. Oops. It seemed at first, that the series was headed in a weird direction, but, after a while, it's school-yard battleground genre ro...

I took the opportunity to watch Sleepy Princess In The Demon Castle aka Maoujou de Oyasumi ... The Demon Lord Tasogare's castle is a dark and frightening place, filled to the brim with various monsters. Any soul unfortunate enough to be imprisoned here is sure to be terrified by the horrors within. However, the human princess Aurora Suya Rhys (Syalis) Kaymin is a different case. Rather indifferent to her situation, Syalis worries about one thing and one thing only -- sleep. Ever since the demon lord kidnapped her from her kingdom, she has not had a single good night's rest. To alleviate her dozen dozing issues, the princess makes do with what she can find in the castle. Whether it be the fur of fluffy demonic teddy bears or the silky, blanket-like bodies of ghost shrouds, everything is but a means to ensure a peaceful slumber. With so many potential materials to craft items that can help her sleep at her disposal, nothing will stop the sleepy princess -- not even death. In...

Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit looked like something I might enjoy... The world is filled with elves, dwarves, vampires, homunculi, and humans. It’s a time of peace until Nine stirs up chaos. To stop them, the police have created Special 7, and Seiji is a new recruit with ties to Nine's previous airport attack. Recently, I watched Special 7: Special Crime Investigation Unit . The series concerns an elite group of investigators who deal exclusively with crimes involving an organization known as Nine. The series follows the seven members of the Special Crime Investigation Unit as they go about their work. In this world, there are all sorts of beings that go bump in the night, but, magic use has waned in recent times as modern conveniences have taken hold of society. Humans and non-humans live in relative peace in this new modern age. The series has a rather dry, mundane appearance -- it could almost be mistaken for a typical cop drama. In fact, were it not for the oc...

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to watch Angel's Egg aka Tenshi no Tamago ... A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg. The young girl is the sole protector of a very precious, large egg. Her lair is near a large, abandoned, decaying gothic city inhabited by restless shadows. A mysterious young man arrives one day, and eventually wins her trust. I had heard about this rather enigmatic title a while ago, but, not long ago, I decided to venture out into the depths of YouTube to track it down. According to the  Anime Encyclopedia by Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy (page 14). ISBN# 1-880656-64-7... Plotless and highly symbolic with hardly any dialogue, reputedly a stream-of-consciousness exercise by [Mamoru] Oshii, the film features his trademark Christian imagery and an inexplicable passage through the town of soldiers with motorized artillery. Surreal elements recall Oshii's work on URUSEI YATSURA, including spaces...

I watched Monster Musume: Everyday Life With Monster Girls aka Monster Musume no Oishasan ... No one expected the government to suddenly acknowledge the existence of demi-human species like harpies and centaurs, but when a careless Integration Agent shows up on Kimihito Kurusu's doorstep with an attractive Lamia in tow, he suddenly finds himself designated as a Host Family. This might not be so bad, except that while Miia's top half is all girl and quickly develops a crush on her new human host, her snakelike bottom half makes that crush literal with a tendency to squeeze the life out of him! Plus, there's also the little problem that it's illegal for humans and non-humans to have THOSE kinds of relationships. With woman-in-black Agent Smith always sniffing about for improprieties, things only get more hectic in the Kurusu household when bird-brained Papi the harpy and master-seeking centaur Centorea need places to roost and stable. As the house gets crowded with ev...

I waded into the stream once again to see  Akudama Drive ... Many years ago, a Great Civil War ravaged Japan, leaving the country fragmented between two regions: Kansai and Kanto. In Kansai, a group of six Akudama carry out missions given to them by a mysterious black cat, while evading the police. But a dangerous journey is about to unfold when a civilian girl becomes twisted into the Akudama's way of life and witnesses their criminal drives. I took the opportunity to watch Akudama Drive over the weekend in one sitting. The series revolves around an impossible task and a group of criminals known generally as Akudama . The series is a mix of Suicide Squad and Cyber City Oedo 808 . There are superpowered cops, superpowered criminals, heads wired to explode, the promise of a big payday should the criminals succeed, a talking cat is in charge and last, but, not least, there is a random innocent bystander among their ranks to act as a wild card. What could possibly go wrong? In A...

It took a while, but, I finally watched Violet Evergarden ... TV Series Violet Evergarden was raised to be a weapon for a war that has ended. Now she's learning how to heal her mind and body. Working as an Auto Memory Doll, she writes people's thoughts and feelings into letters -- and in doing so, learns about her own feelings. Movie Violet Evergarden: Eternity And The Auto Memory Doll Violet Evergarden is an Auto Memory Doll who writes people's thoughts into letters. But her latest job is to tutor Isabella York into becoming a proper lady. However, Isabella feels trapped and wrestles with grief. How long does it take to truly heal? I started watching Violet Evergarden a while ago, but, at first, there were too many distractions around and I couldn't give the series the kind of attention it really needed. The series follows the exploits of Violet, a former soldier attempting to find her way in the world now that the war is over. Violet is an orphan who was r...

I ventured out into the stream once again to have a look at ID: Invaded ... The Mizuhanome System is a highly advanced development that allows people to enter one of the most intriguing places in existence -- the human mind. Through the use of so-called -- cognition particles -- left behind at a crime scene by the perpetrator, detectives from the specialized police squad Kura can manifest a criminal's unconscious mind as a bizarre stream of thoughts in a virtual world. Their task is to explore this psychological plane, called an -- id well -- to reveal the identity of the culprit. Not just anyone can enter the id wells; the prerequisite is that you must have killed someone yourself. Such is the case for former detective Akihito Narihisago, who is known as Sakaido inside the id wells. Once a respected member of the police, tragedy struck, and he soon found himself on the other side of the law. Nevertheless, Narihisago continues to assist Kura in confinement. While his prodigiou...

I stopped by the local big box store with an asterisk on the front of the building to treat myself to Rising Of The Shield Hero ... Volume 1 Geeky university student Naofumi Iwatani goes from second-class citizen to second-class hero when he’s summoned to the video game-like kingdom of Melromarc. Known as the weakest of four heroes, the Shield Hero, is tasked with defending the world from calamity. But when Naofumi ends up betrayed and belittled from the start, will this hero-turned-cynic still be willing to fight? Volume 2 Journeying to a neighboring country, Naofumi and his party are framed for kidnapping princess Melty. Now on the run, Raphtalia recalls her traumatic past, Filo faces her noble destiny, and the Three Heroes Church sacrifices everything to destroy the Devil of the Shield. When a member of the royal family offers to help, will Naofumi accept it? I heard about Rising Of The Shield Hero  some time ago on an anime forum and thought it might be something I might ...

Last month, I had the opportunity to watch the first half of  Ghost In The Shell SAC_2045 . The producers are calling it season one, but, it's actually half of a story arc that is expected to span twenty-four episodes. According to Wikipedia ... In the year 2045, after an economic disaster known as the Simultaneous Global Default which destroyed the value of all forms of paper and electronic currency, the Big 4 nations of the world are engaged in a state of never-ending Sustainable War to keep the economy going. In this world, Motoko, Batou, and other members of Public Security Section 9 have contracted themselves out as mercenaries under the group GHOST , using their cybernetic enhancements and battle experience to earn a living while defusing hot-spots across the globe. However, the emergence of "Post Humans" and a conspiracy uncovered by former Chief Aramaki force Section 9 to reunite. First off, while I am thrilled to see a new series featuring my favorite full-b...

I picked up Penguin Highway at my local big box store with an asterisk on the outside... Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he finds the source of the penguins is a woman from his dentist's office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure! Penguin Highway follows Aoyama, a 4th-grade prodigy, as he investigates a mysterious outbreak of penguins in his town. One mystery leads to another and soon, Aoyama and his friends find themselves at the center of an epic disaster of magical proportions. There are, of course, no naughty bits, bloodshed or gore to be found. Fan service is kept to a minimum, but, Aoyama does express a fascination with breasts during the feature, but, he states that he tries to limit his focus on that subject to no more than one hour each day. Penguin Highway spends a gre...

After a visit to one of my favorite hangouts, I happened to hear about Dropkick On My Devil . According to Amazon ... Jashin-chan, a devil from Hell was abruptly summoned to the human world by Yurine Hanazono, a stoic college student who lives in a run-down apartment in Jinbocho. They're forced to become roommates since Yurine doesn't know how to send Jashin-chan back. But according to Jashin-chan, she could return by killing Yurine, so she takes action...?! A viperous roomie comedy that keeps you on your toes! By the way, the cover art is from the Japanese DVD release of Dropkick On My Devil . At the time of this writing, the Japanese Blu-ray release which is divided into two sets, runs for about $250 per set in the Amazon aftermarket. Also, at the time of this writing, Amazon is handling the U.S. streaming distribution of the series. Please Die! Dropkick On My Devil starts out with a fairly impressive introduction which is part of an extended opening animation, w...

I saw the Case Of Hana And Alice ... When Alice transfers to a new middle school, she hears an urban legend about a student who disappeared the previous year and is suspected to have been killed by his fellow students. Even worse, Alice discovers that she lives next door to his former house, a supposedly haunted home now occupied by a reclusive classmate named Hana. Hana and Alice decide to investigate this murder case together, but soon find their lack of detective skills may be an obstacle, in this unusual and charming film from famed writer-director Shunji Iwai, in which a shaggy-dog mystery tale ultimately gives way to a wonderfully nuanced story of young female friendship, and the fantasies and thrills of everyday teenage life. One of the more striking aspects of the Case Of Hana And Alice is the visual style of the feature. The backgrounds sometimes have an almost impressionist feel -- like photos that have been rendered to look like cartoons. The character artwork, on the ot...

Yesterday, I took the time to see Familiar Of Zero ... Season 1 Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere's name is so long and her spell-casting skills are so poor that everyone at the Tristain Academy of Magic just calls her Louise the Zero. Louise's humiliation only increases during an important second-year test, where the other students summon up dragons and other mythological creatures as their familiars, and she inexplicably summons Hiraga Saito, a totally normal teenager from Tokyo. Now she's stuck with him and Saito's stuck with the lousy life of being a familiar. Except, maybe there's more going on than meets the eye, because Saito's not prepared to accept the social inequities that Louise and other aristocrats consider the status quo, and he may not be quite as normal as everyone thinks. And the reason Louise is so bad at magic might just be that she hasn't figured out what she's good at yet. In fact, they might even have the makings of a gre...

Not long ago, I waded out into the stream, yet again, to see ACCA 13: Territory Inspection Department ... ACCA is a giant organization formed long ago by the threat of a coup d'état. Now presiding over the thirteen autonomous regions of a kingdom, it has continued to protect the peace of civilians for almost one hundred years. One of the most cunning men in ACCA's history, Jean Otus -- nicknamed -- Jean the Cigarette Peddler -- has taken on the role of vice-chairman of the Inspection Department. Always smoking a cigarette, he wanders the thirteen districts, keeping an eye out for foul play. Little does he know that someone is keeping an eye on him. From peaceful daily snacks to threatening rumors, Jean's quiet life is slowly getting swallowed up by the world's conspiracies. ACCA 13: Territory Inspection Department centers around the activities of a bureaucratic agency commonly referred to as ACCA and a particular member of that organization, Jean, as he becomes em...

I waded back into the stream to see Angels Of Death . I couldn't NOT watch it with a title like Angels Of Death ... When Rachel wakes up in the basement of an unfamiliar building, she finds she’s lost all her memory. As she tries to get clear of the basement, she runs into Zack, a scythe-carrying serial killer wrapped from head to toe in bandages. A bizarre promise brings these two together, and they become irreplaceable partners to each other. The journey of life and death begins... It goes without saying that there are buckets of red ink to be found in Angels Of Death . The story centers on Rachel as she finds herself in a mysterious facility without any memory of how she got there. Before too long, Rachel encounters Zack, who promptly endeavors to kill Rachel. After a brief, but, brutal, game of hide and seek, Zack comes to the conclusion, that Rachel is too boring and unemotional to kill. The two make a pact to help each other escape the facility and Rachel has an unusual re...

Death Parade seemed like something I might enjoy... When two people die at the same time, they're sent to a place that's neither heaven nor hell: a lavish bar between worlds where the stakes are high and the rules are simple: if you win you live again, if you die you're gone for good. Decim is the bartender charged with serving the souls who enter Quindecim. He may make a mean cocktail, but his true profession is to play the role of arbiter: a judge who determines whether or not a soul is worthy of reincarnation. To aid in his judgment, the bar's patrons are forced to play simple games laced with sadistic twists designed to bring their true natures to light. To Decim, judgment has always been black and white -- that is until he meets a mysterious young woman whose fate seems impossible to decide. His indecision shakes the very foundation of the games and raises the biggest question of all: who is fit to judge the dead? Death Parade takes place in an environment...

Around the time that  Urusei Yatsura  was making a splash in the U.S., I had heard about  Dr. Slump ... Senbei Norimaki created Arale, the most precocious little girl robot... which means Penguin Village won't be so quiet and peaceful any more! Possessing super strength and being naive about the ways of humans, Arale explores life with her creator the only way she knows how - with lots of wacky hijinks, puns, and toilet humor! Whether it be searching for the ingredients to a love potion, rescuing Senbei's sweetheart from space, running in a grand race, finding treasure that makes dreams come true, or visiting a mechanical city, there's never a dull moment in Penguin Village with Arale and Dr. Slump! At the time when Urusei Yatsura was starting to be released in the U.S., there was no hope of ever seeing a similar U.S. release for Dr. Slump , but, at long last, a handful of Dr. Slump movies were finally released. Of course, they had to come home with me. I heard abo...

I took the opportunity to watch Durarara!! ... Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Mikado Ryugamine is a young man who yearns for the city like no other. At the invitation of his childhood friend, Masaomi Kida, he leaves his hometown and enters Raira Academy in Ikebukuro. Masaomi warns Mikado about the mysterious organization of unknown origin known as the "Dollars" and some dangerous people in Ikebukuro to watch out for. In particular: the brawling champion Shizuo Heiwajima and hobbyist information broker Izaya Orihara. On his first day out in the city, Mikado, remembering another of Masaomi’s stories, sees a jet-black motorcycle being driven by the fabled Headless Rider. From then on, a series of random attacks and events begins to occur on the streets of Ikebukuro, and a group known as the Yellow Scarves arises as Ikebukuro begins to crumble! Durarara!! follows the exploits of a cast of characters in the city of Ikebukuro. Each story in the series focuses mainly on one character in th...