LX: "Sailor Moon" franchise

Yeah, I know: a guy talking about a series like this seems kinda... odd. But Sailor Moon was one of my childhood memories, and it still is. In fact, manga is coming back out this year, so it only feels right that I must do this, though it's a few months early. Now then, Sailor Moon is a name you MUST have heard of at least once. It's also quite a long series, so it's nearly impossible to watch the ENTIRE thing for a whole day.

Before I get into the many titles it has, lets focus on what it's about. Usagi Tsukino (Serena in the English Dub) seems to be your normal middle school girl, in addition to being a bit of a crybaby. Of course, this all changes after meeting a cat she saved. This cat has a moon crescent embedded on her head, which surprises Usagi. Later, when trouble rears its ugly head, this feline, named Luna, approaches Usagi and reveal that she is the chosen warrior to save the world. From that moment onward, klutzy Usagi becomes the world's savior: Sailor Moon. Along the way, other Sailor Scouts awaken, namely those that interact with Usagi, more or less. Originally their mission was to find the whereabouts of the Moon Princess, unaware that she was closer than they thought. Along the way, they encounter various enemies, each being more powerful than the last. Despite her initial reluctance, Usagi has her work cut out for her.

The anime series bear a total of 200 episodes, which counts as a really long series (though titles like Bleach surpass even this!) There are also 3 films affiliated with the franchise, as well as video games. Accompanying all of these are stage musicals of Sailor Moon, and a 49 episode live-action series, which is a retelling of the first anime. Each anime title represents a certain ark in the story overall:

• Sailor Moon: Dark Kingdom Ark
• Sailor Moon R: Black Moon Ark
• Sailor Moon S:Mugen/Infinity Ark
• Sailor Moon Super S: Dream Ark
• Sailor Stars: Stars Ark

Differences between localization is clearly shown in Sailor Moon. For starters, the character change up. Like how it is for Usagi, certain characters had name changes, some minor, some entirely altered. An example of the entire change is the character Mamoru Chiba, whose name after localization became Darien Shields (though Tuxedo Kamen was properly transitioned to Tuxedo Mask.) It even got down into personalities, as Sailors Uranus and Neptune of Sailor Moon S were made to be cousins, though the show originally had them as lesbians, something not CLEARLY revealed until later. Next would be the theme. The show's original theme was called Moonlight Densetsu, while in the US, it was altered to become the Sailor Moon Theme. Simply put, the lyrics differed from one another, and a few instruments were heard in one song and omitted from the other, but they generally sounded remotely similar. Lastly, there was censorship. To keep the kid-friendly air about the show, certain episodes were cut, and some were even altered.

Speaking of localizing, the franchise went through different licensing, though not all of the series made it to US shores. DiC Entertainment (owned by the Walt Disney Company at the time) licensed and localized both Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon R, while Cloverway and Optimus Productions localized Sailor Moon S and Super S. Sailor Stars, due to certain elements, did not see a US release. In fact, anime wise, the metaseries creator herself, Naoko Takeuchi, expressed disappointment about Stars. Among other things, the Sailor Starlights, meant to be minor characters, became a major role in the anime, and worse yet, their transformations bore a gender-bender trait, which broke her rule about only girls being the Sailor Senshi.

Even so, the series has its run. The show, as of now, isn't aired anymore, perhaps due to lack of licensing, and the manga, once stopped, is being re-released this year. Sailor Moon gains an 8.5 overall. I initially didn't like it, but it more or less grew on me. Still, I won't be going back to the DiC dubbing anytime soon...

LIX: "Yume Senshi Wingman"

Now this is something out of the blue to me. Yume Senshi Wingman is a title I wasn't in the least familiar with. This alone proves just how much anime is out there.

Shortened sometimes as Wingman, this title deals with Hirono Kenta, a boy who dreams about being a Hero of Justice. It's all a fantasy... until Aoi Yume appears with a peculiar item: the Dream Note (and no, this does not affiliate with Death Note in the least). Drawing that hero out, his fantasy comes to life, and thus comes the rise of the hero Wingman. As crazy as it is, it gets crazier when the dreamscape world Boltereem is endangered by someone wishing to claim the dream note and that world: the evil Rimeru. Accompanied by Aoi and his childhood friend Miku, Hirono must save Boltereen before it's too late, as well as make up his mind between who he likes better...

Granted it is a vintage work, it makes me want to gag for a good reason. Seeing as how this was made under Toei Animation, despite having different authors, I see a bit of Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z mixed in, both of which ALSO made in the Toei studio (for those who didn't catch it, I'm referencing the Great Saiyaman bit Gohan pulls off in DBZ). That said, while I do find it humorous, it's not bad for a vintage piece. The TV anime is 47 episodes long, and the languages are in Japanese and French. To my knowledge, it was never localized for English, so subs are unlikely, adding that this is one of those REALLY less known works.

Can't say it's terrible, because I've seen worse, but after seeing Tatsunoko's vintage works, I kinda expected a bit more. Still, it gets a fair 6 of 10.

LVIII: "Ranma 1/2"

This is perhaps one of my all-time favorites in anime. Created by the same person responsible for InuYasha and Mermaid Forest, Ranma 1/2 is a comical mix of romantic comedy and martial arts. As entertaining as it is, it has quite a length series-wise.

Ranma 1/2 deals with the titlular character and protagonist, Ranma Saotome. A dedicated martial artist, he and his father Genma are practitioners of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. During a training trip in China (which was suggested by Genma), the trained at the beautiful, yet risky Jusenkyo Springs. It bore a legend that anyone falling into one of the springs take form of who ever drowned there many years before. In Genma's case, he turns into a panda, and Ranma's case is a girl (yeah... GENDER-BENDER!)

After retuning to Japan, they meet up (albeit transformed) with Genma's friend Soun Tendo, headmaster of the Tendo household, with the family being another practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts. With both fathers proposing this, Ranma and Soun's youngest daughter, Akane, become engaged to one another, with both children against the idea. This does change over time, yet still there are other people after Ranma's heart in the process (as well as those trying to break his neck!)

Ranma 1/2 goes on for 7 seasons, racking 161 TV Anime episodes, with 13 OVAs and 2 animated movies. Licensing for US was done by Viz Media, and the characters involved were the largest count ever in Rumiko Takahashi's works. The voice actors for Ranma, both male and female, alternated. Sara Strange was the original English voice for male Ranma in not only the movies and OVAs, but also up until season 3. Richard Cox, known as the voice of titular character InuYasha, filled in as Male Ranma's voice up to the end of Season 7. On the flip side of the female Ranma, Brigitta Dau lent her voice for that role for Season 1's first seven episodes, as well as for the first 2 OVAs. Venus Terzo, who voiced X-Men Evolution's Jean Grey, played female Ranma for the rest of the series, OVAs and movies included. Compared to this however, each Ranma has only one seiyuu: Mitsuo "Kappei" Yamaguchi (who is also InuYasha's seiyuu) as Male Ranma, and Megumi Hayashibara (Lina Inverse of Slayers) as Female Ranma.

All licensed by Viz Media, the seasons went as follows:

• Season 1: Digital Dojo (Ep. 1-18)
• Season 2: Anything-Goes Martial Arts (Ep. 19-40)
• Season 3: Hard Battle (Ep. 41-64)
• Season 4: Outta Control (Ep. 65-88)
• Season 5: Martial Mayhem (Ep. 89-112)
• Season 6: Random Rhapsody (Ep. 113-136)
• Season 7: Ramna Forever (Ep. 137-161)

As far as the OVAs are concerned, there were originally 12, but a 13th one was made with a more up-to-date design in 2008. As of yet, this OVA isn't in English language nor official English subtitle. Also, the 9th OVA, that being Team Ranma vs. the Legendary Phoenix, was actually a 3rd film of the series, but somehow or another, due in part by packaging, it's recognized in the Western areas as the 9th OVA of all 13. This title also bore a different name in the Viz release, called One Flew Over the Kuno's Nest.

A long article, I know, but that's how much Ranma 1/2 has. Ranma 1/2 gets a 8 of 10, granted that it is rather old, dating back to 1989. On my list, I'll say that this is my 4th favorite, but that's just my opinion. See it for yourselves and let me know how you feel about it.

LVI: "SoltyRei"

Another title on my list to go back to, SoltyRei was another anime that became an instant favorite. I caught it through Funimation, and loved it from start to finish. It was endearing, but had its dose of action in it as well.

SoltyRei revolves around Roy Revant, a bounty hunter in a city where thousands of humans died simultaneously in a tragic event known as the Blast Fall. Those injured have their lost or broken body parts engineered with prosthetic technology, and the term Resembles are introduced. Even with that, technology can't bring back one thing: a person's life, which can ruin the joy of others. Roy is such an individual, as he lost someone dear to him prior to the anime's pilot episode. Just when he tries to seek a miracle to escape his pain... she appears. A Resemble unlike any other, Solty appears and, after much struggle, moves in with Roy as his "daughter" while they seek out his REAL daughter, believed to have survived the tragedy.

While it is a mecha anime, it is also touching. Gonzo and AIC were the studios behind this 24 episode series, attached with a special episode.In the US, it saw licensing under Funimation, who also broadcasted it on their cable channel. Another channel it was shown on was Animax, which became accessible pretty recently. This is one of the few anime, next to Ai Yori Aoshi, that actually made me cry a little. It has action, it's a police fiction and a science fiction aside from the aforementioned mecha genre. Christopher Sabat plays the voice of Roy, the protagonist of the series, while Solty is voiced by Cassie Savage (who also does voices like Sgt. Frog's Angol Mois, Durarara!!'s Mika Harima, and Ikki Tousen's Hakufu Sonsaku.)

SoltyRei is a series that has me for keeps, and gets an 9 of 10. Surprising that a mecha can also be a bit of a tear jerker to me, but I guess this is why SoltyRei is one of my favorites.

LV: "Baki the Grappler" series

Whichever name you call it, Baki the Grappler, or Grappler Baki, falls in line as one of the several anime dealing with a martial art. In this case, obviously, is grappling. Licensed by Funimation, I was taken aback when I saw this series.

The titular character is Baki Hanma, an individual that trained in martial arts since the age of 3. He is the son of the legendary Yujiro Hanma, known as the King, and chooses to follow in his footsteps to become as strong as him. However, be becomes disillusioned by his father's persona, and admiration turns into resentment. Where Yujiro is ruthless, Baki is instead honorable, and suppresses his instinct to kill, unlike his father. In the beginning, he is seen challenging many fighters in an 100-man battle, but only defeats 37 men. From there, the anime takes its run as it follows the career, training methods, and the life of Baki as a mixed martial artist, employing many styles in his fights. All the while, he strives to challenge, and hopefully defeat OR kill, his father.

The anime was featured as part of the Funimation Channel in the US. It was indeed edited for time, but retained much of the original content. It's assumed that it is 2 separate, yet chronological anime, as one of which follows after Baki's defeat and his mother's death at the hands of Yujiro. To emphasize, Baki sports different looks in the two. When we first see him, his hair is bright orange and short. Later, after being defeated by Yujiro, time passes, and we see Baki with longer, dark red hair. Robert McCollum provides Baki's English voice, who also did roles as Hattori Kyohachiro of Basilisk, and Keisuke Moroto of Birdy the Mighty Decode. The TV anime is 24 episodes long, and is succeeded by another 24 episode anime Grappler Baki: Maximum Tournament. In all, I'll give it an 8 of 10, because the voices were well executed, plus the action was enough to keep me hooked onto it.

LIV: "Lost Universe"

Lost Universe is built as a series around the Slayers franchise. Created by the same author, Hajime Kanzaka, Lost Universe is represented as one of the 4 worlds created by the Lord of Nightmares. While Slayers is classified as the Red World, Lost Universe is the Black World, and the anime primarily deals with space.

The protagonist is Kain Blueriver, the reckless trouble-contractor and pilot of the Lost Ship Sword-Breaker. He is an expert wielder of the Psi-Blade, a weapon that uses a great amount of mental energy to utilize in combat. Some people makes snobby remarks regarding the trademark cape he wears, apparently passed along by his grandmother, who is deceased before the story begins. Canal Vorfeed is the terminal of the Lost Ship, and has a personality that can relate to Slayers' Lina Inverse. She can be pretty petty at times, being selfish about jobs much to Kain's chagrin. Lastly we have Millie Feria Nocturne, though her first name is Millennium. From the first episode, we see her doing undercover work as a private eye, though she accompanies Kain and Canal from the second onward. She has very basic skills as a detective, and her shooting is clearly fearsome. She aspires to be the best in the universe, though routinely blows up the kitchen whenever she tries to cook anything.

Veteran seiyuu Megumi Hayashibara lent her voice for Canal, while she also did so for Slayers' Lina Inverse as well. Jessica Schwartz provides the English voice for Canal (though I can't verify if it's the same one providing the voice of Final Fantasy: Unlimited's Ai Hayakawa) Steve Metz is the voice actor for Cain. As it deals with the worlds created by the Lord of Nightmares, names of the Lost Ships may seem familiar. Unlike Slayers, this series WASN'T licensed by Funimation, instead by ADV Films and Nozomi Entertainment. The second, and most commonly heard complaint, is the production, as every now and then, viewers notice redrawn scenes. This is due to a studio fire that destroyed most of the raw work for the first few episodes. A Lost Universe film was proposed in 1998, but in favor of more Slayers films, this thought was brushed aside.

While it had some faults, I can't say that this was a bad idea, so 6 of 10 should be enough, though I still retain the title as something I would personally go back to. Having said that, this only leaves me curious to what the other 2 worlds are, and what anime revolves around them. Time will tell, I guess...

LIII: "Excel Saga" and "Puni Puni Poemy"

A long while back, I reviewed the anime Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. While it did leave my mind to wonder, I mentioned that the honor of actually destroying my mind was reserved for Excel Saga. Well, today, I'm gonna get into that, along with its spinoff anime, Puni Puni Poemy.

Excel Saga is just one of those anime that just isn't meant to be understood. And people I spoke to can agree. While it is entertaining, it's hard to deal with at the same time. The anime's titular character is Excel, a member of the secret organization named Across. It's leader, Il Palazzo, declares that the world is corrupt, sending his officers to apparently fix it. While the fanatic Excel was the initial sole officer, others make an appearance as well, which ends up assisting her due to zany incompetence on Excel's part. The anime is 26 episodes, made in the J.C. Staff Studio, and licensed by Funimation. However, the final episode is feared because of the violence and obscenity involved in that one alone. For this reason, the final episode was NEVER televised, so if you do find it, and you decide to watch it, you were warned!

I didn't think it possible, but there are 2 English VAs for Excel alone. For half of the anime, her VA is Jessica Cavello, who also does DNA²"s Karin Aoi. In the latter half of it, her VA is Larissa Wolcott, who did other roles, such as Wedding Peach's titular character, Momoko Hanasaki, and Millie Feria Nocturne of Lost Universe (something I'll get into on my next post.) Excel Saga is a mind-screwing anime, nevertheless successful, so I think a 7 of 10 is pretty fair in that regard.

Puni Puni Poemy, the spinoff to Excel Saga, is another story. For one thing, it's banned in New Zealand, with fair enough right, because it contained controversial elements brought up by a native anime fan. In addition, unlike the 26 episode series it's derived from, this only last for 2 episodes. Now I've seen short anime, but this is SHORT!! Finally, where Excel Saga made various parodies, this short title takes it to the next level, even down to the characters themselves! In any case, like how it was for Excel Saga, Puni Puni Poemy has Poemi Watanabe as the titular character (she is, ironically enough, the adoptive daughter of this and Excel Saga's director, Shinichi Watanabe.) After he, and Poemi's adoptive mother are slain by aliens, she is sent to live with her classmate Futaba. Futaba in this instance, is a parody of Cardcaptor Sakura's Tomoyo Daidouji, albeit her personality being far more extroverted than Tomoyo's. In anycase, she is able to transform into the magical girl Puni Puni Poemy by fileting a fish (that apparently talks).

Interesting to note that not only is her English VA, Cynthia Martinez, is that of 'Excel Kobayashi' from the other anime (and was the role of Lina Inverse of the Slayers OVAs and Movies), but Poemy breaks the 4th wall sometimes by calling herself Kobayashi, to reference Yumiko Kobayashi, her seiyuu who does Excel Kobayashi as well for the intro song. I kinda bit my tongue watching the so few episodes it had, but... I didn't enjoy it as much, if at all, so 2.5 of 10.

LII: "DNA²"

There's a bit I can say easy about the anime called DNA². For starters, the name is popular on the net, thanks to a flash dating sim of sorts based off of the name. Second, running into it while searching through Comcast's Anime Selects actually caught my interests. Lastly, it had something to do with sci-fi. All that in mind, to my dismay, it was another harem title.

Typical harem titles usually has some out of luck protagonist, which would be Junta Momonari in this case. He seems to be a healthy male with the common goal of getting a girlfriend. Wait... he's ALMOST a healthy male. I say that because he has a certain disorder which is like a curse to him. He vomits whenever he gets aroused (weird, I know), which adds to his problems for ever finding a girlfriend. The only one he doesn't react this way to is Ami Kurimoto, his childhood friend. After trying to get to Tomoko Saeki, the most popular girl, he falls into depression after another botched attempt. However, an encounter with DNA Operator Karin Aoi changes things, starting with his DNA. In her time, someone called the Mega-Playboy impregnated 100 women, leading to an overcrowded Japan. To prevent this, she travels in time to eradicate the source, which just so happens to be Junta, of all people!

After being shot with a special bullet (that DOESN'T kill him), he tries to speak to Tomoko again. It's then that a costly error is realized by the now-screwed Karin: as opposed to eradicating the trait to be the Mega-Playboy, she inadvertently helped him become it, thanks to being shot with the WRONG DCM bullet! While there are pros and cons for being that, it can't last forever, and Junta and Karin must find ways of keeping it under control, or eradicating that trait, before it's PERMANENTLY aligned to his DNA for good!!

DNA² is short, spawning 12 episodes. To add, there are 3 OVAs succeeding it, making a total of 15. Kotomi's English VA is Rachel Lillis, who also did roles like Misty from Pokemon and Hitomi from the long ago covered Seven of Seven. Liam O'Brien is Junta's Englisn VA, and he is known as the VA of Naruto's Gaara of the Sand, among others. The manga only lasts 5 volumes, and features 2 additional characters not seen in either the anime nor the OVA. I give it a 6 of 10. While not popular, and not very eye catching, it is funny a little. If you decide to watch it, I suggest trying to download any clean possible source, or get your copies wherever they're sold at anymore. Either way, this title has some age to it, so you'd be lucky if you find the episodes available.

 

LI: "My Bride is a Mermaid"

I've seen some unique anime over the few years as a fan, though I can clearly say that anime involving a mermaid as a central character is a rarity. My Bride is a Mermaid (known also as  Seto no Hanayome) is such a title, and it's one I would never hear about much if I had not been informed by a good friend of mine about it. Licensed by Funimation, it came as a fastball to me when I heard of it. Like some titles before it, the manga was publised by Square Enix, the same ones responsible for publishing Pani Poni.

My Bride is a Mermaid hones in on Nagasumi Michishio, a young boy who seems normal enough as the story begins. However, during his trip around the Seto Bay, he nearly drowns to death, only to be saved by a girl named Sun Seto. However, Sun is a mermaid, much to Nagasumi's surprise. To add, there's a law that any mermaid who reveals his or her self to outsiders, or the person that encounters one, must be executed. To avoid fatalites of either party, it was reluctantly arranged that Nagasumi and Sun are to be married. Might not be the best time to add this, but the Seto family is the head of an underwater mafia group. In any case, the arrangement doesn't sit well with the members of the Seto family, more so on the part of Gozaburo Seto, Sun's father. While the majority are ready to wring Nagasumi's neck, Sun's mother Ren, and Gozaburo's right-hand man Masa more or less favors the arrangement.

Throughout the anime, Nagasumi is given hell by the Seto family, as well as his own, serving up doses of comedy throughout the anime. To add, there's antagonists that add to this, including a rival of Sun's and her father. For the general bit, however, Nagasumi fares okay with the help of Sun, though he has some strengths about him on his own when Sun is the one directly in danger. Todd Habberkorn is the English voice of Nagasumi, and covers other roles like D. Gray Man's Allen Walker and Android #19 of the redubbed Dragon Ball Z Kai. Sun's English voice actor, Alexis Tipton, covers roles for Casshern Sins' Niko and Corpse Princess' Flesh Backbone, among others. And common to most Funimation licensed media, veteran voice actor Christopher Sabat, known heavily for roles as DBZ's Vegeta and SoltyRei's Roy Revant, lent his voice as Masa. The studios that made this are Gonzo and AIC. The anime itself is made of 26 episodes, accompanied with 1 OVA.

I had a ball watching this one, and it's clear to say that I give this anime good marks. So, that said, My Bride is a Mermaid gets 7.5 of 10, and for me, it's worth watching again every now and then.

L: "Elfen Leid"

(Heh, 50 already? I must have worked my hand to the bone! Still, I'm sure that there's much more to be covered, so I'm not stopping anytime soon!)

Elfen Leid sounded like a suggestive title, and nearly appeared as such from the first episode, but believe it or not, it's horrific and bloody. Notorious for it's bloodbath, people watching this title should proceed with caution. There was an OVA of this licensed by ADV, but was soon dropped, making the short, 13-episode anime the only thing released on US soil, to my knowledge. Bear in mind that even from the first episode, there is brief nudity and violence involved, so minors aren't recommended to see this.

Elfen Leid deals with Lucy, a human like being known as a Diclonius. The Diclonius are a new strain of humans, bearing horn-like protrusions from their heads, and are mainly different from the genetic level. These beings have telekinetic powers, accompanied by a killer instinct which is said to be initial, but actually stems from traumatic experiences. Lucy, having such experiences, loathes the humankind, and is rather homicidal towards them, as seen in the pilot episode. However, thanks to a .50 BMG shot that ricocheted off her helmet, another personality, named Nyu is made. While in her Nyu state, Lucy is found, injured, by Kohta, a 19 year-old university student who also maintains the Kaeda House Inn while he attends classes nearby. Accompanying him is his cousin, Yuka, whose family allowed him to stay there in the first place. With the Special Assault Team after Lucy, Kohta and Yuka have trouble on their hands as members of SAT and other Diclonii, though there's something about Lucy, apart from her real identity, in which Kohta isn't aware of that dates to his past.

Elfen Leid is another short title, though the manga is much longer. As this is so, the manga not only furthers the plot, but also has more insight about Lucy. The anime itself is violent, but caught my attention all the same. 7 of 10 should do it for me, though a part of me wishes the anime was a bit longer than this.

IL: "Narutaru"

Narutaru, or Shadow Star, is an anime I'm still trying to wrap my head around, even though I've long finished watching it. I never thought I would come around to speaking about this one, for I never really thought much of it. In any case, it's a short anime, lasting only 13 episodes, but deals with the supernatural, drama, and horror.

Shiina Tamai is a young 12 yar-old girl, serving as the anime's protagonist. From the start, she meets a starfish-like being known as the dragonchild. The series progresses as she bonds with this dragonchild, who she names Hoshimaru. While the early part of the series is reminiscent to Pokemon's bonding knack, it get's dark rather quick, getting into the horror portion of it fast. Shiina isn't the only one with the dragonchild, as others have one as well, each with their own dark moments. Shiina ahd Hoshimaru are usually seen in the series interacting with these people, including fast friend Akira Sakura and her dragonchild, Esnof.

While it appears kid-friendly initially, it can get pretty serious and scary, though not to the level of Higurashi/When They Cry. There are situations in there that pretty much relates to life, though some of those may go to extremes. Because of this, it's best to know you can handle this kind of stuff before watching, but if you saw anime similar to this, then it should be fine, because the horror portion is more or less thumbed down from others. While the anime is only worth 13 episodes, the manga has a lot more, and includes some events after the anime, and even the truth behind Hoshinaru.

While I would normally say short but sweet, Narutaru deosn't qualify for the latter, having more of a bitter taste thanks to the plot. Still, it's worth a 6.5 of 10 from me.

XLVIII: "Final Fantasy: Unlimited"

I've seen, and played enough of Square Enix's Final Fantasy games to understand the universe of it. Before hearing of the movie Advent Children (a CGI film adaption of Final Fantasy VII), there was an anime I crossed by sheer chance, titled Final Fantasy: Unlimited. It's fair enough that you will definitely see Chocobos, which serves as mascots of the franchise, I guess. Well those, among other familiar elements taken from the games.

Now, for what I know, it's just simply an anime based on the universe of Final Fantasy, so to my knowledge, it's not based completely off either of the games, so don't expect characters from FFVII or FFIV to appear. Instead, the anime focuses on Ai and Yu Hayakawa, who are searching for their parents. I cannot verify how long this has been prior to the story's beginning. Throughout their adventures into this parallel world known as Wonderland, they encounter individuals like Lisa Pacifist, a C2 Organization member, and Kaze, a mysterious individual who can fire summons via the Magun on his right arm. While they meet them, they also encounter a bit of danger, too. The main stem of trouble comes from Wonderland's ruler, Earl Tyrant. There are also other characters, like Cid, who is a genius inventor.
(Bloger note: I'm not sure it's the same Cid heard from the games.)

While there lie Easter eggs from various games, it bears no relation, at least plotwise, to the games, so obviously, Unlimited wouldn't be considered canon. Still, for the only anime in record to be televised, it was worth watching for a while at least. FF: Unlimited gets a 6.5 of 10.

XLVII: "Pani Poni Dash!"

Okay, now you should already know how much of a sucker I am for anime dealing with the oddest of teachers, right? Well this next one is like that. Okay, while I thank it for not being like Mahou Sensei Negima! (one of my favorites), it does have a child teacher. Pani Poni Dash! is another title picked up by the licensing of Funimation, even though the series it's derived from, the manga Pani Poni, is published by popular game company Square Enix, known for a number of works that became popular as anime, including Soul Eater and Fullmetal Alchemist.

Pani Poni Dash! focuses on Rebecca Miyamoto, a child-prodigy teacher, who takes up the job of teaching class 1-C, with some aliens spying on her. Yeah, ALIENS! To be fair, as young as she appears, Rebecca (or Becky) is an M.I.T. graduate, which leads her to be smart as hell! But beneath her cute and innocent appearance lies an aggressive, sarcastic, and offensive character that is ready to let all hell break loose in Peach Moon Academy. In addition of this, antics ensue throughout the first year classes, the teacher's lounge and other places. Among the people of 1-C are a group of girls in particular who are more or less unruly, if not weird in general. And these are generally the students Rebecca has to deal with. Accompanying her is a rabbit called Mesousa, another addition to the comedy provided.

Not to blow it, but part of its comedy comes from parodying pop culture and anime references, including the cameo of Negima?'s joke character Motsu (this I will cover in due time). In fact, every episodes is of that sort. The lead role's English voice actor is Hilary Haag, known for her other roles, like Chrono Crusade's Rosette Christopher and Devil May Cry: TAS' Patty Lowell. Regarding the animation itself, its design is pretty sound, but there is a mild concern of language in some parts. In addition, it's made from the studio Shaft, so the design of the anime is similar to that of the retelling of Negima!?, made under the same studio (which would explain the Motsu look-a-like...)


Pani Poni Dash! was more or less weird at first to me, but it's a show I can't really bash on very much. Would say great things, but, meh: 6 of 10.

XLVI: "Shuffle!" series

Once again, we have another title that bears the same name as an eroge. This time around, it's Shuffle!, a title I found scoping through Funimation, who licensed it. As it is based off such, it doesn't surprise me at all that this would be a romantic comedy and harem, with a bit of drama and fantasy added. (I gotta find out why I find titles of this genre more often than others...)

Let's see, Shuffle! deals with Rin Tsumichi, the teenage main male character of the series. For 8 years prior to the anime's beginning, he has resided alongside Kaede Fuyou, who lost her mother the same time Rin lost both of his parents in an accident. Because of his affiliation with Kaede, it's not surprising that Rin finds himself in comedic, but problematic issues at times. 10 years prior to the story's events, two gateways opened in the human world: one belonging to the Realm of the Gods and the other being from the Realm of the Demons. Because of this, migration was possible for both gods and devils, who can be told apart by their respective ears: the ears of the gods' are slightly pointed, while the devils/demon's ears are more so pointed than the other. Unlike other media, such as the previously covered Wicked City, this fact is known without much conflict behind it. The other characters who appear and interact with Rin are of those calibers, including two of the female heroines: Sia and Nerine who are respectively daughters of the King of the Gods and Demons. The plot picks up when Rin is announced as candidate to be wed to either of the two girls. Normally, guys would feel lucky, as he gets to mingle with both girls and the possibility to have powers of the gods or demons. In Rin's case, it makes things more so complicated.

As with others like it, this anime doesn't follow a route shown in the eroge title, at least not to the exact path. Licensed by Funimation, it's production was done via Media Blasters. The anime itself has it's dose of comedy, but half of the series gets dramatic, and at the same time serious. There is no set pattern to where there are moody episodes or upbeat ones, but it's generally upbeat at the start. It's fair to warn that though the anime itself ISN'T hentai, it does have nudity, and in some, you may see a little blood as well, so those with weak stomachs or can't handle either of those shouldn't watch it. Just a little warning. Criticized for it's so-called mediocre and unoriginal take on a harem, this series was blasted almost as much as it was praised. The voice actor for Rin is Jerry Jewell, who also lent his voice for Fruits Basket's Kyo Sohma. While the main anime is 24 episodes, there's a series after this known as Shuffle! Memories. The anime in question is basically a recap of the original anime, made to show certain elements from Shuffle! in character specific episodes for the most part, as there is original content here and there before the last episode. Shuffle! Memories, given this statement, isn't as long as the original, only lasting 12 episodes.

The series of Shuffle! was a bit on the soft side, despite how serious it got later in the anime, but to me this series wasn't exactly a bust. I grade the series overall a 6.5 of 10. On a personal note, as much as I don't want to live the life of that guy, a part of me does envy Rin for his kind character, which was one of the things that made me keep watching.

XLV: "New Mobile Report Gundam Wing"

Vastly known as one of the famous anime on Cartoon Network's Toonami, New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, or Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is an iconic series, licensed by Bandai Entertainment (now Bandai Visuals), a subsidiary of Namco Bandai, who are responsible for the games related to the Gundam franchise. Gundam Wing seeked its fans with much applause, despite criticism and harsh remarks pertaining to one of the story's characters.

Gundam Wing centers on the After Colony year 0195, a time where the nations of Earth unified to create the United Earth Sphere Alliance, or UESA. Among this time, citizens have began to live in space colonies. The UESA had become oppressors of those living in space (akin to the EFSF Titans of Gundam Z/Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam), claiming to do so in the name of peace and freedom. Things take a turn for the worst, and to UESA's benefit, when the colonial pacifist leader, Heero Yuy, is assassinated, leaving the colonies in disarray and easily overwhelmed. To counter UESA and subsidiary: Organization of the Zodiac, or OZ, 5 scientists turn rogue after completing the mobile suit Tallgeese, all with ambitions to crush OZ, which came to a movement called Operation Meteor. Within this operation, 5 Gundams are created, and 5 young, but skillfully fearsome pilots boarded them with the mission of eradicating OZ.

Among such pilots was one in particular: a pilot who bore the codename Heero Yuy, after the pacifist. All 5 pilots started by different locations and missions, but their objective to rid OZ from the Earth Sphere Alliance was the same, and this is shown when all 5 come together later. Before they do, a chance encounter happens between a fallen Heero and Relena Darlain, the daughter of Earth's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, after the Vice Minister is assassinated, her true identity is revealed. This is also connected to OZ's ace pilot, Zechs Merquise, who appears as antagonist and rival to Heero, and right-hand man to Treze Khushrenada, leader of OZ's Special Unit.

Gundam Wing was heavily popularized as in the first Gundam anime, even before the original Gundam series, to be shown on Toonami's block. As such, toys were merchandised, and the mechas themselves were featured in various mecha games, more pertaining to Gundam series titles like Gundam Battle Assault series and Dynasty Warriors Gundam series. In 1997, a follow-up OVA series called Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz was made to succeed the plot to the series and close the After Colony Era. A movie version was later made the following year, adding additional footage and different themes. Endless Waltz featured different schemes of the Mobile Suits, the more drastic of changes being Wing Zero's.

Gundam Wing is hands down an icon to the anime televised, and boasts a 7.5 of 10. It's a personal fave of mine as well, but as far as US goes, I think this is the oldest known Gundam series to see airtime.

XLIV: "Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei!" series

Imagine being a Japanese teacher void of all hope, willing to do away with himself at the best chance possible. Not too great, is it? Now imagine being that kind of teacher who tries to educate the class about the despair and darkness in life, while trying to put up with their special personalities. Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei is just that. It's an anime that has the Absurdist and satirical nature.

From the get go, Nozomu Itoshiki is initially filled with despair, as to why the series starts off kinda... horrifying. As to try to solve this, he tries to... hang himself (trust me, I'm not making this up!) Yet an over-eccentric, highly optimistic student who is known as Kafuka Fuura stops Nozomu from killing himself, though her effort to rescue him NEARLY kills him. Later, he is shown to be a teacher to the students of Class 2-6/2-F (2-H in the anime), which has an assortment of students, though the ones that are usually rattling him are the females in the class, each with their own bothersome trait. Among these students is Kafuka, the girl who saved him and gave him the name "Pink Supervisor." Throughout the anime, he tries to teach them the harsh reality of despair and hopelessness in life, in spite of either Kafuka contradicting his teachings with her optimism, or Nozomu being attacked by those very teachings. the series name translates to Mr. Despair, which is, ironically, the title of Nozomu when his name is horizontally written.

The anime has Nozomu teach them a depressing trait of life, as opposed to being the opposite. Alongside this, a certain student is focused on, and her personality, or disorder, is revealed, some being worse than others. Along the way comes its moments of awkwardness, satirical comedy, and even fanservice at times. Some scenes even go as far as to parody various things. A running gag is that he yells whenever he is in despair. Ironically throughout the anime, there are characters seen as part of Nozomu's family, and when horizontally written, normally by Kafuka, their names bear a meaning similar to how Nozomu is identified.

To knowledge, SZS has three main anime series:

• Sayonara, Zetsubo Sensei!
• (Zoku) Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei!
• Zan: Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei!

Accompanying these are OVAs of the second and third sereis, referred by some as Series 2.5 and 3.5 (respectively). Goku: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is series 2.5, while
Zan: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Bangaichi is the promoted 3.5. Okay, so in truth, there are 5 installments of the series. Each one has Nozomu being depreseed, mostly about the trivial things, each apparently takes shots at culture or an anime, and they pretty much have their absurdity and silliness about them.

Sayonara, Zetsubou Sensei!, as a whole, gets a 6.5 of 10. I feel this isn't the best I've seen that deals with an oddball of a teacher, but it did have me for laughs.

XLIII: "Pretear"

Yes I know, feel free to rip me a new one when I say: I've actually watched Pretear, and liked it. But it's true. I did indeed stumble upon this title years ago, and only now I decided to cover it. Pretear is an interesting anime that also bore the name Pretear: The New Legend of Snow White. I don't know if I can go as far as to call it that, but it had me entertained. As it is a magical girl anime, it is also a romantic comedy (something I see a lot of nowadays).

The heroine in question is Himeno Awayuri, a girl adjusting to life after her widowed father remarries another widow, the wealthy Natsue. On her way to school, she encounters a man that turns out to be the Knight of the Wind, Hayate. Initially rude to her, he actually turns out to be an ally to her once she decided to fight as a Pretear, in order to combat the forced of the Princess of Disaster, the series antagonist. More Leafe Knights (which Hayate is part of) are seen and with their appearance, more Pretear forms are discovered as it reaches the climax of the stories plot.

While not my cup of tea, having watched Sailor Moon years prior, as a man, I can say I have no negativity towards it. Published by ADV, it made its cut on the channel Anime Network, which through their On Demand service I found out about it. Pretear gets a 7 of 10. Decent in its own right, I still believe that it shouldn't be paired with the classic fairy tale, but it's still enjoyable.

XLII: "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman" franchise

Gatchaman... to those new to the name, you probably know them from the game Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman has been around since the 70s, with media released under various names. Created under the Henshin boom, this title is pretty much the spark that gave rise to the Super Sentai franchise (known largely as Power Rangers in the US). Gatchaman deals with a team whose aliases are pretty much derived from birds. As follows from G1-G5, they are: Ken the Eagle, Joe the Condor, Jun the Swan, Jimmy the Falcon, and Rocky the Owl.

The TV Anime itself is quite a list. By itself, the first anime series spans 105 episodes. However, this didn't stop sequels from being made. The next in line was 1978's Gatchaman II, which spanned 52 episodes, followed by the 3rd sequel, Gatchaman Fighter, which had 48 episodes. It didn't stop there, however. Localizing the large media, Sandy Frank gained the license to release it in America, but with 85 episodes as opposed to 105, and under a different name: Battle of the Planets, which releaed in 1978, the same time Gatchaman's sequel was done. In 1986, Sandy Frank tried again, with the help of Turner Broadcasting, re-releasing it as G-Force: Guardian of Space. Saban Entertainment, known mainly for the Power Rangers franchise, had one of their own: a 65-episode series titled Eagle Riders, that was pretty much made from both Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter. It was released in 1996, but didn't last a year with only 13 viewed in the US, though all episodes were viewed in Australia. The final localized media was a 3-part OVA released as Gatchaman in 2005 by Urban Vision, later being picked up my Harmony Gold USA after UV's license expired. Armed with updated visuals, this would be a retelling of the original series, and the translated names, for once, corresponded to the Japanese counterparts. ADV films had a license in 2005 to release an uncut dubbing of Sandy Franks work, but was soon expired, leaving both Battle of the Planets and G-Force uncertain about future releases.

In addition to these there are 2 motion films of the series, one being released in 1978, and another still in the works as of July of last year. Gatchaman is entertaining, and it has a place in history. I grade this an 8 of 10.

XLI: "Speed Racer" and "Speed Racer X"

Ah, good ol' Speed Racer. The theme, the Mach 5, the classic music... such good times. Speed Racer is Tatsunoko's work that deals with racing, which I spoke a little about when I covered Speed Racer: TNG in post XXXVI. The original title was Mach Go Go Go, with localization changing the title, as well as the titular character, to Speed Racer. This name has gained a lot of fame over the years, debuting from it's jump to the US in 1967. Since then, the anime gained a lot of popularity, spawning related titles, video games, and a webseries.

If you read the aforementioned post, I've covered a bit about the Speed Racer world, but this is where it begins. Speed Racer (Go Mifune) is a young man who aspires to become a professional racer. His father, Pops Racer does not respect this desire Speed has, and rejects the idea. However, after being declined of the production for the modified engine of his race car, he quits his job. Some time after, he wanted to make his own company, Racer Motors, but acknowledged that he needed funds to set it into motion. Seeing this as his chance, Speed and Sparky, a friend and mechanic, tune up this car, the Mach 5, to be in racing condition. The final touch was the addition of a windshield, though this shield had the plans Pops had for the modified engine. And if this wasn't enough, a corporate gang was after those very designs, putting Speed in quite a pickle. And this is just the beginning. Throughout every race, he finds some trouble on the track that will either beat him to the finish line, or end his career permanently. The final notch I'll add is Racer X, a mysterious recurring character who serves the heroic rival to Speed, but has a past that's connected to the family.

In addition, a follow up manga was made, and also animated as the retelling, Speed Racer X. Due to licensing issues and a lawsuit between Speed Racer Enterprises (who had the rights to bring the series to America) and DiC Entertainment, only 11 episodes was aired in English on Nickelodeon. There are significant changes not only in characters, but more notably in Racer X's story, which alters Speed's motive to begin racing.

Speed Racer is a good impact to what I love about my childhood, and even though I only saw 11 episodes in English, Speed Racer X wasn't bad either. Speed Racer gets and 8 of 10, while Speed Racer X scores slightly lover, getting 7 of 10. Save for the 3rd series, the name itself makes me wanna shout: "Go, Speed, GO!" I would do that everyday, but what does that make me, someone of the Speed Racer fanclub?

XL: "Devil Hunter Yohko"

Another old title, but entertaining nonetheless. The series called Devil Hunter Yohko deals with demons, so it is a horror anime, but with its dose of comedy as well. Yohko Mano, depite her boy-crazy attitude, is a 16 year old girl who is the series protagonist. She becomes the 108th Devil Hunter of the Mano family, suceeding the 107th: her grandmother, Madoka. As a devil hunter, she is assigned to banishing demons that arise in the real world, among which is Tomika, the central adversary to the Mano family. It's difficult balancing her duties and her life, but she is assisted by her apprentice, Azusa.

Note that there are a few mature scenarios at times, so it's not for everyone. I do believe that nudity does occur here and there, so yeah, viewer discretion is advised. The PC engine and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had a game titled roughly as Devil Hunter Yohko: The Seven Bells, though it was only released in Japan. The anime itself is a 6-episode OAV, released in 1990 under ADV Films, and later re-released by them, to mark the tenth anniversary since its release, in 2002.

Not the greatest, but it had me on edge, despite being short. I think a 7 out of 10 should do this series justice.

XXXIX: "Comic Party" series

This is another double post. Before I knew of Genshiken, there was one anime that tied in with the term otaku: Comic Party. The name of this was initially that of a romantic dating sim (to the eroge degree) for PC, but soon bridged onto gaming platforms: the Sega Dreamcast, and later the Playstation Portable. Before the game for PSP released in late 2005, there was an animated series, addressed by some as Comic Party TV. The character of interest is Kazuki Sendo, a typical student who is dragged into the world of doujinshi by his eccentric friend, Taishi. Being dragged to the Tokyo Big Sight, he is found in a comic convention, only to be dragged into the biggest one after it: the titular doujinshi convention, Comic Party. After acknowledging Kazuki's skills as an artist, Taishi tries to talk him into drawing his own doujin, much to dismay of Kaziki's childhood friend, Mizuki. Having bitterness against otaku (based on her views about them), she tries to talk Kazuki out of that possibility, though it serves little effect as Kazuki decides to start his own doujin work.

Throughout the series, plenty of characters are introduced, each with a similar tastes into doujin, and a part in Comic Party. The characters that Mizuki refers to as dirty, smelly otaku does appear every now and then as they serve that role, more so to cause trouble for the main cast. They all return in the follow up in 2005, Comic Party Revolution, with the addition of the hero manga-loving Subaru, among other characters (while Subaru is new in CP Revolution, she is seen somewhere before in the manga, while remaining absent from both the original game and the first anime.) Preceding CP Revolution are 4 added episodes to the original, known as Comic Party Special. Between Comic Party TV and Comic Party Revolution, cast switch ups were done. A few examples of these changes are Kazuki, Mizuki and Chisa Tsukamoto (though for the most part, nearly everyone got a new English voice in CP Revolution.) Here are a few examples:

• Kazuki Sendo -
  In CP, he is voiced by Samuel Grant Oscar Riegel, while Lerado Anzaldua covers his CP Revolution voice

• Mizuki Takase -
  Rachel Lillis voiced her in CP, while her CP Revolution voice was done by Luci Christian

• Chisa Tsukamoto -
  While voiced by Lisa Oritz in the CP dub, Kim-Ly Nguyen provided her CP Revolution voice

While the English voices were changed in it's entirety (for reccuring roles), the seiyuus that provided Japanese voices for the characters reprised their roles.
All and all, good, though it bothered me about the view of otaku shown in both series, though they are not the only ones to do so. Still a 7 of 10 is fine by me, as it hits pretty close to what I love about the anime/doujin worlds.

XXXVIII: "Marmalade Boy"

This one is quite an old title to remember, and only recently did I remember the name of it. Marmalade Boy is a romantic shojo comedy, and quite long running, spanning 76 animated episodes with a theatrical film serving as the prequel. The anime, well series overall, centers on the life of Miki Koshikawa. From the get-go, her life is flipped topsy-turvy when her parents decide to divorce and swap partners with a couple in the western part of the world (to be more direct, Hawaii.) Initially reluctant to accept this change, her views are slowly changed upon meeting the other couple's son, Yuu. Initially a jerk towards Miki, Yuu turns out to be attractive to her, and throughout the series, their relationship grows, but not without it's share of troubles.

Marmalade Boy sounded a bit out of my tastes when I first heard about it, but it's pretty tame. As it is old-looking, I consider myself lucky to even watch any of the episodes, let alone finish it. There is also a live action adaption which spans only 30 episodes in comparison to the animation. If you're not a fan of this kind of thing, then do turn away, because depending on who you may be, you might either be entertained, or easily bored.

Marmalade Boy wasn't the greatest, but it was long, so it kept me busy. That said, I give this a 6.5 of 10.