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Longbow's Anime

take a look at Longbow's Manga
Seen some▲▼ Rating▲▼ Comment▲▼
Darker than Black (TV) Good Hints of many things here (GitS, WHR, Eva) when taken together have a lot of appeal. This may not be a buy outright, but worth at least another volume.
El Cazador de la Bruja (TV) So-so Interesting go at the "girls with guns". Would work better, for me anyway, in an English dub.
Glass Maiden (TV) So-so Not too bad, not a waste of time. I have seen the elements presented here as well as the way they are ordered before. Yawn.
Hellsing Ultimate (OAV) Very good True to the manga and visually stunning. Dub cast came back and reprised their roles well. The earlier TV anime had better character development. I'm sure this will earn me the anger of the mangaphiles out there.
Indian Summer (OAV) Decent Another harem piece, although this is a little different as the protagonist and her "master" are played a little different. Still wish fulfillment fantasy ultimately.
Moribito - Guardian of the Spirit (TV) Excellent This has been said before, but I will echo the sentiment: Kamiyama Kenji has done for Fantasy whay he did for Sci Fi/Cyberpunk. Well done.
Occult Academy (TV) Good Ouirky.
Samurai Girls (TV) Good Visually interesting and the art is excellent. This belongs with both Ikki Tousen and Tenjo Tenge.
Shiki (TV) So-so Did not grab me.
You're Under Arrest: Fast & Furious (TV 2) Decent Cute little throwback to the 1990's.

Seen all▲▼ Rating▲▼ Comment▲▼
Aeon Flux (live-action movie) Good Wow, now it all makes sense...
Akira (movie) Decent Not a terrible piece of filmmaking. I know it is an anime landmark, I just don't get the hype.
Appleseed (movie) Good Good example of CGI done well. A good example when the CGI becomes more important than good storytelling. It's a technique, not a crutch.
Appleseed: Ex Machina (movie) Decent Yet again, CGI and pretty backgrounds are not a substitute for good storytelling. Wow, one great big FF (fill in the number here) cutscene... wait-a-minit... wasn't that FFVII AC? Call it AC with more guns and bots.
Armitage III: Poly-Matrix (movie) Decent "A" list actors as voice talent does not a blockbuster or landmark make.
Azumanga Daioh (TV) Very good Fun romp. A guilty pleasure.
Black Jack The Movie Weak Started well, decended into predictability with a Deus Ex Machina ending.
Black Lagoon (TV) Excellent Off the beaten track as an anime. Reminds me a bit of Bebop, but unlike Bebop the lead characters are not working with the law, but against it.
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage (TV) Excellent Lives up to the first set of episodes as expected.
Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody Decent One has to have an understanding of who is who from the series to follow this, or have a Bleach-Bum at your elbow to provide commentary and liner notes.
Blood: The Last Vampire (movie) Good Like eating only one M n' M, leaves you wanting more. Well executed as a visual "drabble".
Bubblegum Crisis (OAV) Decent Fond, bad old memories of the 80's. Guilty pleasure.
Castle in the Sky (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
(The) Cat Returns (movie) Excellent It's Studio Ghibli...
(Le) Chevalier D'Eon (TV) Very good Historical pieces can be difficult, Gonzo made this look easy. Well done all around.
Cosplay Complex (OAV) Decent Amusing. Cosplay anime is generally an excuse for a lot of gratuitous fanservice. This was no exception.
Cowboy Bebop (TV) Excellent 1998 was a good year. Excellent gateway series into anime. Very approachable from the Western perspective.
Demon City Shinjuku (OAV) Decent Set phasers for dangerously cheesy.
Desert Punk (TV) Very good Fun romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. Infinitely quotable.
Divergence Eve (TV) Good There is a pretty promising story in here supported by some decent CGI. The female lead characters are interesting and need support only the science of the far future could provide. One of the enlistment requirments must be a huge rack as ALL of the military women in this series have a G or better. Oh, what is up with the closing sequence?
Dominion Tank Police (OAV) Decent Cute, funny.
Eiken (OAV) Decent How does one describe this? Risque? Bouncy? A shotgun blast of fanboy fetishes? However it is described, I found myself teetering between cringing embarassment and laughing so hard I snorted.
Elfen Lied (TV) Excellent Horror is not necessarily gore, although violent graphic depictions adds to the sense of the horrific. Horror is that knowing departure from the norm; the further the more horrible. This series does that quite well.
Ergo Proxy (TV) Masterpiece This anime ties in the visual, sound, background music and plot into an entire experience. Well worth waiting for.
Escaflowne: The Movie Decent Good summary of the collection.
Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone (movie) Decent I did not hate this as I did the TV series. This was actually halfway decent and did itself the favor of dropping the Judeo-Christian spiritualistic trappings.
Excel Saga (TV) Very good Loved the first half... the most insane and hysterical I have seen thus far. Lost a little of the insanity midway, but still enjoyable.
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children (movie) Decent Didn't play the game, so the movie felt a little disconnected.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (US CG movie) Decent Pretty decent across the board with an almost "Ghibliesque" environmental message.
FLCL (OAV) Very good Nuckin futs.
Full Metal Panic! (TV) Good Typical line up of characters for a high school set-piece: boy does something stupid/ecchi, gets hit by female lead , hilarity ensues. Difference here is Sousuke is so earnest about what he does. He is very capable and aware; his personality is just so unsuited for the environment. There within lies the humor.
Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu (TV) Very good Lots of fun had here. PONY!
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (TV) Very good Surprisingly true to Dumas (both good and bad). Visually busy, but not too much so.
Gantz (TV) Decent Not quite sure what to make of this. It is very intriguing, but it did not completely hold my interest for some reason.
Geobreeders (OAV) Decent Was a little disjointed for me for some reason. Good fun otherwise.
Geobreeders: Breakthrough (OAV) So-so I am drawing a blank... was this that forgettable?
Ghost in the Shell (movie) Masterpiece This is what good storytelling is all about.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (movie) Excellent Sub was tough to watch, so much going on visually found the subtitles distracting. Dub was excellent, although this does not get the same rating as the film as it was accessable without prior knowledge.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (TV) Excellent Story arc was engaging and well written, visually well done. Definitely the inheritor of the manga. Kusanagi is the strongest female character I have ever seen in any form, truly the "emperor's sword".
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - Individual Eleven (OAV) Weak It hurt to watch this. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO THE DUB? I can accept a new voice for a favorite character, but the VA's here DID NOT EVEN TRY. They read off of cue cards. What an utter disaster and a waste of time.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex - The Laughing Man (OAV) Weak See GitS:SAC-IE, same comment.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG (TV) Excellent Even better than the first season for story, visuals, sound and music.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (movie) Excellent I cannot think of a US release which I have anticipated as eagerly as this movie. I was not disappointed. Tight storytelling with superb and stunning visuals. Consistent with Gits:SAC in characterizations and setting with the added bonus of feature film resources. Anime may have finally grown up...
Girls Bravo (TV) Decent Wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be, although when EACH episode begins with "sad girl in bath/shower" one could be misled into thinking this was hentai. Story was unremarkable but one supporting character made it worth watching: Fukuyama Kazuharu. What a smarmosaur! He is The Smarmosaurus Rex!
(The) Gokusen (TV) Very good Still trying to figure this one out... and that is probably why I like it.
Heat Guy J (TV) Excellent Very pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the characters and setting. Background music fit for each character, J's is a nice touch...
Hellsing (TV) Excellent My first anime love. Good take on the vampire hunter genre.
Howl's Moving Castle (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
Ikki Tousen (TV) Decent Beyond the predictable story and blindingly obvious fanservice, this was pretty funny. This felt like a spoof of the whole shonen fighting anime genre.
Jungle de Ikou! (OAV) Good Fun bit of eye-candy.
Karas (OAV) So-so What exactly is going on here? Looks pretty but not even a sliver of exposition.
Labyrinth of Flames (OAV) Very good Funny stuff. I do love stupid non-sequiturs (look for the towel in the bath scene "whap!").
Last Exile (TV) Excellent Gonzo yet again hits one out of the park.
Lucky Star (TV) Very good Fun little meta-show.
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (movie) Excellent Enjoyable visit with Lupin and the whole cast. You cannot go wrong when Miyazaki is at the helm.
Martian Successor Nadesico (TV) Very good Great send up of Mecha/Space Opera/EVA. Dated but still an enjoyable watch.
Martian Successor Nadesico: The Motion Picture - Prince of Darkness Good Nice conclusion, felt a little forced.
Maze (OAV) Good Shut your brain off and just enjoy it for what it is... shameless fanservice.
(The) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV) Excellent Supernatural events through the eyes of an everyman. Not typical schoolchildren battling evil. VA work is excellent, it would be hard to fail by casting the LA crowd.
Mezzo (TV) Very good Funny, actually found a good story in here. Pleasantly surprised.
Mezzo Forte (OAV) Very good Blood, guns and sex. This comment based on the somewhat edited version. Fun in a shut your brain off and enjoy way.
Misaki Chronicles (TV) Good I find myself eagerly looking foward to each episode. Pacing and story are good, I think the "bounciness" was a marketing decision, not a creative one.
Mushi-Shi (TV) Excellent There is something to be said about the quiet neutrality of the stories. Nature is, and we as humans are part of that "is" whether we like it or not.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) Bad This is a psychoanalytic (in the LITERARY sense) coming of age story. As teens we see challenges and problems in our lives as grand and dramatic. The storyline is that of a teen, Shinji, working through the trials and tribulations as an adolescent exaggerated to the point of the surreal. The Kabbalistic and Gnostic Christian trappings are rather irrelevant, as are the sci-fi. The major problem here is not how the themes were approached, but that too many themes were incorporated in the first place, burying the story. The failure here was that the scope was too broad.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth (movie) Bad This was essentially a two hour recap episode. See comment above for "NGE".
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (movie) Worst ever Sex, gore and hollow pseudo-religious trappings sell like hotcakes to the EVA culties, making this film the ultimate in a "fanjob". I was satisfied with the ending presented in NGE TV; DaR and EoE were an unnecessary waste of resources.
Ninja Scroll (movie) Good Fun T+A bloody violence. Gave anime its "bad" rep. Yay bad reps!
Noir (TV) Not really good When it was good, it was good. The other half was filler.
Origin ~Spirits of the Past~ (movie) Decent Would have made a better series than a movie.
Otaku no Video (OAV) Good A peek into the beginning, almost a documentary into the origins of the fanbase.
Ouran High School Host Club (TV) Good I am not a fan of the Shonen-ai or BL genre, but spoofing it works for me.
Paprika (movie) Masterpiece A fine example of what animation can do that live-action cannot.
Parasite Dolls (OAV) Excellent There are those rare occasions when a spinoff is better than the source material. This ranks with the GitS film and Serial Experiments Lain for dark, involved storylines. Who would have thought BGC could have a "serious" tone?
Perfect Blue (movie) Very good Satoshi Kon screws with our brains again, good stuff.
Plastic Little (OAV) Decent Exactly what I expected, fanservice. "Jiggle Meter" was a nice touch.
Porco Rosso (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
Princess Mononoke (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
Project A-ko (movie) Decent Felt the need to watch, referred back to in many other anime and within the fanbase as a whole.
Puni Puni Poemy (OAV) Good The "magical girl" genre earned this tasteless, yet entertaining spoof.
Read or Die (OAV) Good Fanservice, a plot, good voice acting and a unique premise; the OAV tries to do too much and misses. This would have been better as a 13 or 26 ep series.
Rune Soldier (TV) Good A funny spoof of the fantasy set.
Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture Decent Good introduction to the Kenshin series of OVA and episodes.
Samurai Champloo (TV) Very good What I enjoy the most is the Attitude. The fight scenes are well done, too...
Serial Experiments Lain (TV) Very good Mindscrew. Interesting commentary on our own "Wired" society.
Space Battleship Yamato (movie) Very good A classic... no, the classic sci-fi movie.
Spirited Away (movie) Excellent It's Miyazaki...
Starship Operators (TV) Good Good take on space combat, just a lot of characters to keep track of.
Steamboy (movie) Very good Good story and interesting setting.
Step Up Love Story (OAV) Good For hentai, this was rather charming. It watched much like an instructional video without the stuffy narration.
Strait Jacket (OAV) Very good I hate it when an anime teases but doesn't follow through. I would like to see more.
Trigun (TV) Very good Gee, whoever wrote this read Frank Herbert, huh? Vash=Muad'dib?
Vampire Hunter D (OAV) Very good A bit dated, but holding its own.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (movie) Good Visually stunning, nice update to VHD.
Vexille - 2077 Isolation of Japan (movie) Bad All style and no substance. This was WORSE than both Appleseed CGI films for story content.
Witch Hunter Robin (TV) Excellent The slow pace and dark tone worked well in this series. One could empathize with all of the characters. No "good guys" or "bad guys", just people with motivations.
Witchblade (TV) Very good Working out to be an interesting take on the comic. I like the voice change with the physical change, as fan service-y as it might be. It took quite an emotional turn. I don't know if I can watch the scene when mother explains a hard truth to daughter again.
Wolf's Rain (TV) Good A little melodramatic for my taste, but am going to temper my judgement on this one.
xxxHOLiC (TV) Excellent I like the story concept and the art. I didn't think I would get hooked on a CLAMP title but one never does know.
xxxHOLiC the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream Excellent Superb piece of storytelling. The style and animation work were a joy to watch.

Will not finish▲▼ Rating▲▼ Comment▲▼
009-1 (TV) Decent Interesting retro feel. Not terribly impressed one way or another.
Aeon Flux (U.S. TV) Good Talk about performance art... the point was?
Ah! My Goddess (TV) Decent I expected the usual harem drek here, complete with a cast of female doormats for the male lead to fumble with. Contrary to my expectations, I found this series rather charming.
Air Gear (TV) Decent Pretty typical shonen piece.
(The) Animatrix (OAV) Awful Wow, the Warshawski Brothers know where to rip off from to make a whole pile of money. Tie in to a tie in? Commercial, marketing crap.
Arjuna (TV) Weak Visually well done. I don't mind a message, but I do mind when I am beaten over the head with it.
Bleach (TV) Decent I am not a fan of shonen fighting anime, but I watched this on the suggestion of someone dear. It's not Naruto or DBZ and that is a plus. Characterizations are typical for the genre; fairly generic but distinct enough. Storyline is pretty good and delivery is OK.
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan (TV) Weak WTF?
Boogiepop Phantom (TV) Weak Similar to Lain and Gantz. The non linear nature of the series became very tiring. I was three volumes in and cancelled the rest.
(The) Book of Bantorra (TV) Good Interesting look at the afterlife and the theology behind it.
Burn Up Excess (TV) Decent Exactly what I expected... "Jiggle Meter".
Burst Angel (TV) Weak Another visual Gonzo treat. A bit on the shojo-ai tip, but I'm not going to blush at a little fanservice. Story left a lot to be desired. Bad guy kidaps Meg, Jo has angsty lesbian love moment and an action rescue ensues. Wet, lather, rinse, repeat...
A Certain Scientific Railgun (TV) Decent I like the premise and the lead character, especially the power. I did cringe a lot at the fanservice.
Chobits (TV) So-so Man's relationship with technology is like a teenage boy with a sex doll; all the urges are there without the responsibility, a quick and easy fix.
Chrono Crusade (TV) So-so "Chibified" Hellsing... another girl with a monster on a leash. Pretty typical fare: monster of the week, pervy old man and the cutesy lead. If one was to define this in one word it would be banal. That's right, even Gonzo can screw up; I suspect this was for the paycheck.
Claymore (TV) Very good It is good to see another series with a strong female lead.
Comic Party: Revolution (TV) Decent Pretty cute.
Corpse Princess: Aka (TV) So-so Not impressed but not a total loss.
Crying Freeman (OAV) Awful Met my expectations... awful. Production quality was horrid. As evidence, look for the disappearing "tidy whities" early in the first OVA.
DearS (TV) Good I found this pretty entertaining. It did have some annoying bits, but not a bad watch. The protagonist is not the usual dustmop one finds in the harem-ecchi comedies.
Dragon Ball (TV) Weak I did not care for this at all. I will admit that this is the landmark series for the "Shonen Jump" style action series. This set all of the standards for shonen action.
éX-Driver (OAV) Awful Nice cars. What exactly was the point of this... Reminded me of the "Fast and the Tedious"; pretty cars and no plot.
Flag (ONA) Decent Interesting presentation, through the lens and told by a photographer. I have a problem with generating drama through tactical stupidity; please stop insulting my intelligence.
Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) Very good Well done, just not my cup of tea.
Gatchaman (TV) Decent A blast from the past (as BOTP) remembered fondly, outgrew the series. Watched a bit of the original, not bad for the time.
Genshiken (TV) So-so As the rating says "So-so, didn't grab my attention".
Green Green (TV) Weak Ok, there are tons of fetishes out there... but "Girl flavored bathwater"? It took some strong whisky to get that taste out of my mouth... brrr.
Grenadier (TV) So-so Huh, talk about a "trademark move"...
Gunparade March (TV) Weak Teens in High School fighting "the Bad Guys" with Mecha. Have I seen this somewhere before?
Gurren Lagann (TV) Decent I'm not a fan of the mecha anime, but this isn't too bad. I jumped into the middle around ep. 19-20.
Happiness! (TV) Decent Cute and mostly harmless.
Heaven's Lost Property (TV) Bad Adolescent wish fulfillment.
Hell Girl (TV) So-so The premise is interesting but the execution is poor. A "curse of the week" format repeated over the span of the series. Wet, lather, rinse, repeat...
Inuyasha (TV) Decent Cute. Not my taste, but not bad.
Iria - Zeiram the Animation (OAV) Weak Did not make it through the first episode. Even given that this was done some time ago; Poor, overused animation style and poor, overused dialogue.
Kiddy Grade (TV) Good Visually well done with some interesting character abilities. Bit of "squick" factor with the Lumiere character fanservice.
Legend of Himiko (TV) Not really good Overworked and trite. "Girl finds out past and becomes messiah"... how original.
Love Hina (TV) Decent I'm not a big fan of harem shows, but this was cute.
Lunar Legend Tsukihime (TV) Very good Another take on the western vampire legend.
Lupin the 3rd (TV) Good Cute, dated.
Maburaho (TV) Weak Harem Rom-Com with lots of fanservice. Bleah.
Madlax (TV) Weak What exactly were the writers trying to do here? Noir started mysterious but hooked your attention (when it wasn't filler...); Madlax started mysterious and went to confusing. What's up with the evening dress?
Magic User's Club! (OAV) So-so Fluff, pure unadulterated fluff.
Magikano (TV) Weak Ugh, another harem show. Unlike Girls Bravo, this did not have an entertaining side character.
Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden (TV) So-so What is it with the maids? If I want something that subservient, I'll get a dog.
Midori Days (TV) Bad This would have been better if the writers DID make all of the obvious jokes.
Najica Blitz Tactics (TV) Not really good I'll keep it simple... "Fanboys Love Snatch!"
Naruto (TV) Weak Not impressed, not my age group either. It's a long series of commercials to get kids to buy the merchandise.
Outlaw Star (TV) Decent Not bad. Not quite my cup of tea.
Patlabor the Mobile Police (TV) Good It's always interesting to see where something began, this is no exception. Good watch.
Pumpkin Scissors (TV) Good A little preachy and overwrought at times, but looks promising.
R.O.D -The TV- Good This tries to do what the earlier OAV should have. The three sisters are a fun collection of eccentric characters but what about the earlier cast and their interactions?
RahXephon (TV) Very good Good blend of characterization, story and action.
Ramen Fighter Miki (TV) So-so Yeah, she gets insulted and loses her cool. Whatever.
Ranma ½ (TV 1/1989) Very good Good fun.
RIN - Daughters of Mnemosyne (TV) Good It takes a lot to get me to cringe or turn away. During this piece, I did both at one time or another. I look at "body piercing" in a whole new light now...
Robotech (U.S. TV) Good Vague childhood memories. May return to it.
Romeo × Juliet (TV) Decent Shakespeare hits anime. Not bad.
Saber Marionette J (TV) So-so Old school feel, kind of cool.
Saiyuki (TV) Bad Huh?
Samurai 7 (TV) Good A reimagining of Kurosawa. It was interesting to see how each character was brought over. Ultimately, if I want to watch Kurosawa, I'll rent Kurosawa...
Samurai Girl Real Bout High School (TV) Decent Mildly amusing homage to the samurai films and Street Fighter.
School Rumble (TV) Weak School Mumble?!?! "Oh I have to get him/her to notice me, how can I make the biggest ass out of myself and find the boy/girl of my dreams!?" Neither nostalgic nor funny, just annoying.
Sekirei (TV) Not really good As with any harem piece, I could predict where this was going at every turn.
Shamanic Princess (OAV) Decent A CLAMP artist at her most gratuitously shojo and overwrought. Still, well animated and some interesting imagery.
Shuffle! (TV) Not really good Another rom-com harem outing and yet again the side characters are more entertaining. The English dub was especially fun with Travis chewing up the scenery.
Solty Rei (TV) Weak Is there a story here?
Speed Racer (TV) Decent Sort of a classic, felt I needed to see at least a piece of it.
Star Blazers (TV) Good Childhood memories.
Strawberry Eggs (TV) Decent My excuse is that this is a Crispin Freeman outing as an ADR Director. That and the "Alucard as Gym Teacher" easter egg... PRICELESS!
(The) Super Dimension Fortress Macross (TV) Good Not too bad, I think I grew out of the genre.
Tenchi Universe (TV) So-so The original harem anime. Not quite my cup of tea, but it has a number of things that have been spread all over fandom such as the "cabbit".
Tenjho Tenge (TV) Decent Ikki Tousen at least had the good grace not to take itself seriously. I cannot help but laugh at the attempts at "drama" here.
Texhnolyze (TV) So-so A little dialogue goes a long way; no dialogue and some surreal scenes makes for cheap cop-out to telling a good story.
Thundercats (U.S. TV) So-so Fond childhood memories.
Transformers (U.S. TV) So-so Fond childhood memories.
Trinity Blood (TV) Not really good Premise is interesting but the execution left a lot to be desired. Abel tried to be both Vash and Alucard at the same time, aspects are too different to be "believable" within the context of the piece.
UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie (TV) Weak What a spiteful, nasty little child. A good spanking once in a while may help that, although that would be at the risk of even more lolicon fanservice... ick...
Urusei Yatsura OVA Series Excellent Classic, hysterical.
Wedding Peach (TV) Awful Holy cow!?!?!? What was I thinking? My eyes may heal, but my psyche will never recover.