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The Hunters▲▼
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Rating▲▼
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Comment▲▼
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| 3x3 Eyes (OAV) |
Decent |
She has three eyes. He has none. It'll never work. Seriously nice baddie, though. |
| Akira (movie) |
Decent |
Let's not forget that this *was* epoch-making in terms of Anime's impact in the West. I never much liked it, though, even back in the day. It felt, well, cold. |
| Appleseed (OAV) |
Decent |
The soundtrack sounds so 80s they could use it for a "Cold Case" episode. A routine adaptation of the manga, but it is still better than the new "creepy motion capture" version. |
| Argento Soma (TV) |
So-so |
Yet another take on the "angels keep falling on my head" format. Strict conventional structures are an opportunity for skillful craftsmen to show off their execution skills without worrying too much about conception. Alas, the happy campers at Sunrise, skillful artisans if there ever were, do not quite hit the nails in. The entire series has the feel of an unloved commission desultorily being hammered out by a jaded old master: not a recipe for attention-grabbing. |
| Arjuna (TV) |
Decent |
Holy Bjorn Lomborg, this is very preachy: it could easily serve as a sacred text for the Church of Gaia. Your mileage will vary (personally, I went and got me the first Big Mac I'd eaten in a decade), but it's not as if preachy mysticism is much of a problem for anime shows. However, character development is stunted by the overwhelming force of the Message, and by the end I was not very concerned about Juna's and Tokio's fate: being recycled by giant worms sounded about right. That aside, enjoy the beautiful artwork, perfect animation, and Kanno Yoko's textured score. Winner of the Don King Award for Silliest Hairdo. |
| Baccano! (TV) |
Excellent |
All sorts of fun, all sorts of gory, and all sorts of complicated. The well-written non-linear structure gives this series a significant degree of humph and drive, which keeps the proceedings fun and engaging, silly as they may get. Alas, the much-vaunted variegated characterization is in fact rather unsatisfactory: distinct and fleshed-out they may be, but there are only so many ways to be a "quirky sociopath". Winner, hands-down, of the De Beers Award for Most Extreme Marriage Proposal. Seriously, it's gonna be very hard to top that one. |
| Black Lagoon (TV) |
Very good |
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| Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail (OAV) |
Good |
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| Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (TV) |
Good |
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| Blue Gender (TV) |
Good |
An unparalled willingness to whack its characters is a major asset for this series. And what IS the gender of the Blues, anyhow? Winner of the Hana Yori Nikudango award. |
| Blue Submarine No.6 (OAV) |
Very good |
Gonzo goes all Čapek (and Conrad) on us. This nicely written mini-saga is straightforward and rather shockingly short of plot holes, for its type. It has some of the most substantial artwork that Gonzo has ever used, including some of the best character design. Gonzo’s now-trademark mixed animation is very effective, in particular the exciting (if not very realistic) underwater battle scenes. You know, I’m a little skeptical of stories that depend on the timely application of alternative conflict resolution methods after we’ve been massacring each other for years, so I appreciate the subtle skepticism underlaying the overtly all-you-need-is-love plot. |
| Bubblegum Crisis (OAV) |
Good |
Brings back memories of the blurry-VHS hunts of yesteryear. Sniff. |
| Fafner (TV) |
Good |
Ah, this new & improved EVA has everything that the original doesn't: a clear story with an ending, a mystery that makes sense, characters you don't feel like smothering with a feather pillow. Alas, in yet another victory of brawn over brains, Fafner also has but a fraction of the elan and drive that EVA deployed so irritatingly well. |
| Fafner in the Azure - Right of Left (special) |
Good |
A surprisingly worthy addition to the Fafner main series. It provides useful backstory and clarifies a number of points from the main story. It also explores the theme of sacrificed youth with an even sharper and harsher look. The short-and-tight format keeps the story very taut without sacrificing emotional attachment to the characters. Alas, it does remind us that the youth of Tatsumiya-shima must be the least observant individuals in the planet: didn’t they notice that *something* was missing in their island? |
| Full Metal Panic! (TV) |
Very good |
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| Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (TV) |
Very good |
Showing a great sense of balance, this FMP installment goes for the drama with as much gusto as Fumoffu went for comedy. With great success, if I may add. The romance, adventure and dramatic elements are well balanced, threaded by undertones five shades darker than its predecessor series. Character development is occasionally inspired, and interesting secondary characters are (mostly) well used, even that most boring of antagonists, the unhinged psychopath. KyoAni’s penchant for weird camera angles is very refreshing. Winner of the Vidal Sassoon Award for Most Romantic Haircut. |
| Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (TV) |
Very good |
Gonzo goes all Klimt on us. An object lesson on the use of CGI and proof positive that those who announce the impending end of creative anime are in need of a long holiday in Guam. In Visbakaunt Albert, this series also sports easily the dumbest hero ever deployed. Winner of the Comme des Garçons Funkiest Threads Award. |
| Gantz (TV) |
Not really good |
Ah, cruel word, full of flawed souls filled with bitterness, hatred, and frustrated lust. Oh, poor lives trapped in selfishness, sadism, and stupidity. Especially stupidity. Tremendous stupidity. This series has a very promising premise (very flawed characters trapped in an utterly fubar, utterly cruel situation: self-realization ensues), and some very good artwork to back it up. However, it suffers from an irredeemable and very un-Gonzo-like problem: it has the sense of rhythm of a Mormon missionary. The fight scenes are so botched-up by horrendous pacing that they are almost painful to watch. The abuse of the stop-the-fight, I-want-to-ramble shtick is so inhumane, it almost warrants an indictment at The Hague. And the less said about the ending, the better. More the pity, because the inter-hunt episodes are often interesting character studies. Haven’t read the manga, but its rep is good, and it’s hard to see how it can be worse than this, so yeah, the cliché probably holds: RTFM. |
| Ichi the Killer (live-action movie) |
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!! It will take years to wash away those images from my head. |
| Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade (movie) |
Good |
Not bad, if overrated, bit of pessimism-on-a-stick. |
| Kite (OAV) |
Very good |
Nice film noir, pretty tightly scripted and well realized, although both Sawa and Oburi seem rather maladroit, given their job ranking. Make sure you get the non-hentai version, because the sex scenes are rather extraneous, and rather nasty. |
| Madlax (TV) |
Good |
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| RahXephon (TV) |
So-so |
After a few death threats by "friends," I promise I'll give it a second look. |
| Spiral (TV) |
Decent |
This starts with a strong (and irritating) “Case Closed” feel, but soon settles into a surprisingly interesting fight show, with nicely set-up battles of wit substituting swordplay. Its interest flags after a while, not least because the “why don’t they just put a bullet in ‘em?” question becomes increasingly inescapable. The open ending is somehow pleasing: in a mental-dread piece like this, it’s nice that all threads are not neatly tied up. Chiyono is a peculiar character: she should be very annoying, but isn’t. |
| Spriggan (movie) |
Very good |
No-one, and I mean no-one does landscapes like 4°C. The usual nice artwork and excellent action scenes, packed a little bit too snuggly into way too little time. There is the unmistakable whiff of a pilot for a series that didn't pan out, which is kind of a pity. |
| Tokyo Babylon (OAV) |
So-so |
Frankly, it’s hard to judge this movie. I simply could not concentrate. Subaru’s damn picador costume was just too distracting. Mostly for CLAMP completists and X fans. |
