Tenjou Tenge

From the goofy, shamelessly poppy OP, I had an inkling that this would not be your run of the mill beat 'em up anime; my suspicions proved correct. We are introduced to two likable hoodlums who pick the wrong school to start a rumble at; a ancient academy devoted to the study of martial arts. After getting their asses kicked by a beautiful, shape shifting upperclassman named Maya, they naturally decide to become stronger and enter Maya's club, which is controversial within the community due to its dark, checkered past involving the academy's leaders and Maya herself. It isn't to long before the school deploys its brutal policing unit; the enforcers, which doesn't bode well for our heroes. Despite my summary, one of the most surprising aspects of Tenjou Tenge is how good the plot is, for a fighting series it goes above and beyond the standard. What other action series do you know that could get away with a multiepisode flashback used to explore the characters interlocked pasts? Speaking of which the characters are another surprise for the genre, you really give a damn about some of them, It also features a big, colorful cast with some wonderful supporting roles. But what would a action/ fighting anime be without the elaborate set pieces or the plentiful beat downs? Not surprisingly, Tenjou Tenge excels in this arena, providing quite a few bloody spectacles. Tenjou Tenge stands at the top of the heap of the fighting genre; its violent, sexy, funny and interesting, action fans will not want to miss this one.

Grade: B+

Reviewed: episodes 1-24(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD

Battle Angel

Along with Akira and Armitage III, Battle Angel is one of best anime to come out of the cyberpunk sub genre that enjoyed great popularity in the late eighties through the nineties. The story takes place in the decay of Scrap Iron City, a dumping ground for the higher class who live comfortably in a magestic city in the sky. Gally is a amnesiac android who is salvaged and taken in by a scientist/bounty hunter who found her in laying in a landfill. She discovers early on that she was built for lethal combat and putting her power to good use, she decides to take on the profession of a bounty hunter and clean up the streets of Scrap Iron City. Battle Angel is bittersweet anime, its a wonderful blend of sci-fi, character drama, noir, gruesome action scenes and dark horror elements. Unfortunately this OVA series is very short, with only two hourlong episodes, which to their credit wrap up the narrative somewhat, but still leaving the viewer unsatisfied and wanting more. Indeed it feels like these OVA's were just the introduction to a longer, full length series. What a shame that Battle Angel got cut short because it really had something going. Highly recommended to fans of sci-fi/cyperpunk anime.

Grade:A-

Reviewed: Ova's 1-2(complete) Format: English Dub, VHS

Mahoromatic:Automatic Maiden

Now heres a show feminists will love; a powerful, accomplished war hero female android with less than a year to live decides that the best way to spend the remainder of her days...... is as a maid to her commanding officers son. Obviously this isn't going to be everyones cup of tea, but it manages to be a fun show despite some rather blatant sexist overtones. Mahoromatic also has a copious amounts of fanservice/nudity and ecchi-ish humor, in short its a guilty pleasure, and as that Mahoromatic succeeds with flying colors. It's obvious Studio Gainax did't aim to high with this title, and its shows, epecially as the formulaic proceedings start to wear thin near the end of the series. But for what it is Mahormatic is a enjoyable, short and often funny anime that wears its own ridiculousness on its sleeve.

Grade: B-

Reviewed: episodes 1-12(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.

Outlaw Star

Gene Starwind and his child-genius friend Jim Hawking run a seedy service for hire business. They soon get in over their heads after accepting a job from a mysterious women and they find themselves in possession of a state of the art spaceship and a highly coveted piece of stolen cargo; a female android who possess knowledge of the mythic galactic layline . With deadly space pirates and rival outlaws hot on their trail, Gene and his ever expanding crew set out to find the universes ultimate treasure, the galactic layline, but first he will have to overcome his fear of space travel.

Outlaw Star is a throughally enjoyable, funny and action packed sci-fi adventure that pays homage to other sci-fi giants before it, especially Star Trek (just look at the names of the two protagonists).
Gene is a excellent main character, and he and the rest of the supporting cast are quite memorable and likable. Outlaw Star borrows a little to heavily at times from other anime series,but this is never very distracting, also the series has its rough patches(the pirates aren't the most compelling villains.) Overall, Outlaw Star is up there with the cream of the crop of sci-fi anime and is highly recommended.

Grade: A-

Reviewed: episodes 1-26(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.

Gantz

Kei, a pessimistic teen, along with an estranged childhood friend, are killed while trying to save a drunk who fell onto the tracks of an oncoming train. To his shock, he and his acquaintance are transported to a mysterious apartment filled with people of all ages, whom have just died. In the center of the room lies a giant black orb, who commands its visitors to participate in an ultraviolent "game" where they must run around Tokyo, invisible to the living, and exterminate vicious extraterrestrials, if they fail or try to escape, they die, permanently. Gantz plays out like some unholy hybrid of Men in Black and Battle Royal, its an intense, graphic, utterly engaging and sometimes quite powerful experience. The characters are some of the most realistic i ve seen in anime, they are multilayered and very believable. Take Kei, a complete asshole, he is deeply flawed and nihilistic, but he is a commanding presence, and eventually sympathetic as the lead protagonist. Injected into this lurid sci-fi fantasy is thought provoking social commentary and the study the darker sides of human nature. There are two flaws in Gantz that brings the score down; one is the significant pacing issues the other is the WTF ending which is very unstatisfying. Needless to say, this isn't for everyone, many will be turned off by the extreme violence, gore, gratuitous nudity and strong sexual content. But for those who can stomach it, Gantz is a bloody tour de force.
Grade: A-

Reviewed: episodes 1-26(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.

Bleach Season 1

I put off watching Bleach for over a year, I thought it was just a shallow, over hyped fad. Reviews/comments from some Bleach fans only justified my opinion. In short, I was being snoody.
I finally sucked up my pride/ego and gave the series a shot. I was relived to find Bleach to be greatly entertaining. Yes, it chalk full of the same shonen cliches and plot devices that are the standard for countless other shonen series, the difference between Bleach and most of it's peers is that it has perfected them, making them feel less derivative. While the animation is sub-par, the fight scenes are well done. The characters work for the show, especially Rukia, who is by far my favorite character, her and Ichigo's odd relationship is probably one the best part's of the Bleach. Another strong point of Bleach is its ability to keep you wanting more and employs many a cliffhanger or twist to ensure the viewer will be back. Despite this filler is still an issue, there are several awful episodes that really serve no purpose but dragging out the proceedings to excruciating lengths. Watching Bleach is like eating sugary candy, its sweet, tasty and fun but isn't completely filling, this show is far from the "greatest anime", but what a ride!
Grade:B+

Reviewed: Season 1(episodes 1-20) Format: English Dub, DVD

Rune Soldier

In the tradition of slayers, Rune Soldier opts for a wacky, spirited comedy set in the realm of high fantasy. Louie, a dim witted, rowdy yet good natured oaf who is in training to become a mage, gets hired to assist a band of relic hunters (a priestess, amazon-like female warrior and a thief). To the ladies dismay, Louie isn't particularly good at anything except brawling, but with no other magic users available for hire, the foursome continue to meet up and go on a variety of quests and missions, and encounter many ridiculous complications and set backs. The characters, while not being especially deep each have their own distinct personalities and are likable. They also develop through out the course of the series, which is rare in this kind of anime. Rune Soldier is not a masterpiece, nor does it aspire to be; its a funny, entertaining show that while lacking in some departments, makes it up to us with humorous antics and good, quasi-developed characters.

Grade: B

Reviewed: episodes 1-24(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.

The Familiar of Zero

Ever wonder what Harry Potter might be like if it were an anime? Well look no further then The Familiar of Zero. So much is ripped from the poor boy wizard that certain scenes in the show have a certain surreal, twilight zone effect, or lead to some disconcerting moments such as Dumbelldoors pervy anime doppelganger engaging in some workplace sexual harassment. Needless to say the first several episodes are a bit hard to get into, but fortunatley thats the worst section of the series. Once you get past the shakey, cliched opening episodes, Familiar becomes an enjoyable, entertaing romantic/comedy romp sprinkled liberally with fantasy action and sexy humor as our wizard in traing protagonist deals with having summond a ordinary japenese high school student for her familiar.

Grade: B

Reviewed: episodes 1-13(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.

Trinity Blood

I had my doubts going into Trinity Blood, I'd read quite a few negative reviews and was unimpressed by the small fragments of it I saw on Adult Swim, but once I began watching the DVD'S I was pleased to see my doubts washed away. The plot is set in the future after mankind has waged a devastating war called Armageddon, which ravaged most of the Earth and unleashed a race of Vampires. Many years afterward, mankind is under the rule/protection of the Catholic church and is locked in a shaky truce with the vampires, who govern a large chunk of Europe. We are immediately introduced to the series protagonist, Abel Nightroad, a kind heated, bumbling priest who also happens to be a Crusnik, a powerful being who drinks the blood of vampires. When a mysterious organization appears and threatens to ignite a war between the humans and vampires, Abel and his colleges at the Vatican must uncover the threat before the gears of war are set in motion.

Trinity Blood is an epic sci-fi fantasy with strong horror elements, its boasts a compelling narrative featuring some truly standout moments and several jaw-dropping twists, add to this excellent animation, kick-ass action scenes, some refreshing twists on the vampire mythos, and a memorable cast of characters and you have one absorbing show. Unfortunatley, the climax and ending are simply terrible, not to mention rushed. A dissapointing cap to otherwise top-notch anime.

Grade: A-

Reviewed: episodes 1-24(complete) Format: English Dub, DVD.