Synopsis:
An alien race called the Cthulhu (yeah, you read it right) have been wandering the galaxy in search of a new home and have come across Earth. The show opens with the Cthulhu planning their first attack but they have realized that Iczer-1 has already made it to Earth before them and must destroy her in order to proceed with their plan. Iczer-1 is an android created to fight and destroy any who oppose the Cthulhu but has turned on her creators opposing any evil actions that they take. During her time on Earth Iczer-1 has found a partner to synchronize with named Nagisa Kano, when synchronized, Iczer-1 becomes extremely powerful and it also unlocks Iczer Robos, Iczer-1′s giant mechanical robot, full potential when fighting together. But, after a brief encounter with Iczer-1, Nagisa is very reluctant to accept anything that is happening and won’t help. Will Iczer-1 be able to convince Nagisa that she is the only who can help save the Earth from it’s ultimate take over? Continue reading »
Synopsis:
Rin Ogata, the daughter of Yuki Ogata the famous ballet dancer, has devoted her life to following in her footsteps and become a talented dancer. But, during a dance competition, Rin made one fatal mistake and fractured her foot and also destroyed her future in ballet in the process. But, life goes on and when Rin enrolls at Musashino University where she considers joining the theater department but instead happens upon the Rideback Club… a group of enthusiasts of the RideBack, a half motorcycle/half robot machine. Scared and curious at the same time Rin decides to try and ride one with a little encouragement from the other members. Oddly enough she has no problem balancing and riding the most difficult RideBack of the bunch… a fiery red machine named Fuego and experiences one of the most exhilarating drives of her life. Rin willingly joins the RideBack Club not realizing that these machines that are mainly used for casual riding and sporting events, is about to play a major role in the future outcome of the country’s security…
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12
Review:
I’ve said it time and time before and I’ll say it again, I just don’t like mecha anime all that much. But, every once in a while a series comes along and takes me by surprise and RideBack is one of them. The title of the anime is that of the very mech that the show revolves around, a RideBack, it’s kind of like a motorcycle and robot hybrid that is ridden in a piggyback fashion. In the beginning you watch as Rin displays her strange natural talent for driving the RideBack’s and how her ballet training helps her to control the machine in a most unrealistic fashion. Now I don’t know about anyone else, but I found this oddly appealing and while my own subconscious was saying “This is ridiculous!” I couldn’t stop watching. RideBack then starts to take on a racing type sports angle where I found myself silently cheering for Rin to go out and kick some ass and stick it to all the other self-righteous RideBack jockey’s!
About halfway into the series though, the plot takes a 180 and goes in a completely different direction involving terrorism, the government, and of course, the local authorities. When one of Rin’s friends, Shoko Uemura, is caught up in a terrorist attack on a mall Rin decides to use Fuego (her RideBack) to go in and save her but as it turns out… the terrorists are also using RideBack’s and she is mistaken for one of them during her rescue attempt turning Rin into a national outlaw. Bringing this into the storyline seems a little late and may have presented itself better had RideBack been given a longer season or even just used the political angle right from the beginning. But, as it stands things still work themselves out but not in the most satisfactory way leaving you feeling sort of empty in the end.
The animation is decent even with it’s mix of CGI and hand drawn art work, but the character depth is nil because RideBack fuels itself on the plot instead that could have benefited from more episodes. As it is, RideBack is still a good show even though it couldn’t make up it’s mind whether to be a sports anime or futuristic government styled anime but instead tries to put them both together in a measly 12 episodes making for a shallow but entertaining presentation.
RideBack (opening)
Recommendation: |Above Average|
Synopsis:
In the not so distant future humankind is nearly wiped out by an unknown species named W.O.R.M. or Weapons Of Raid Machines which resemble gigantic sea creatures. Through our perseverance the W.O.R.M.s are defeated but the human race is left battered and bruised but victory is ours in the end. However, after the massive fight for existence, the worlds military forces have somewhat diminished not leaving many veterans over the age of 30. In order to build up a strong military force quickly, young recruits of any sex are asked to join ranging anywhere from ages 16 or younger. A new weapon called the Sonic Diver, a powerful mecha-exoskeleton, is developed for combat for any future W.O.R.M. threat that may arise but due to it’s complicated technology only 4 girls show any signs of compatibility with the machines. The military sets out and recruits the young girls, Eika Ichijo, Otoha Sakurano, Karen Sonomiya, and Elise von Dietrich, to prepare for a fight that mankind is not yet ready for.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 26
Review:
Sky Girls takes a somewhat interesting premise and works itself around it in such a way that it’s presented in a light-hearted manner. But, you know what? This is perfectly fine and sits very well with the series overall because what you have is the potential for a story about the bleak survival of existence and military hardships but instead presents you with a story about unity and shows you that when you work together as a team you can achieve that ultimate goal of accomplishment. Now, some may take this as unnecessary fluff that cushions the series way too much but you know what? Not every anime needs to punch you in the gut and toy with your emotions, Sky Girls does the exact opposite and shows you the true power of friendship amongst the girls… even in the midst of battle that not only by relying on each other but also those around them that they can overcome any obstacle.
Although the animation is about average and the plot plays in the shallow end of the pool I still say watch it at least once if you’re in the mood for a feel-good type of anime. Sky Girls presents you with a great story and well explained character depth that won’t have you worrying about the overall outcome because you already know what it will be giving you is a sense of satisfaction and this works to the shows advantage. It’s a great time all around.
Sky Girls (opening)
Recommedation: |Above Average|
Synopsis:
Set in an unnamed futuristic city filled with humans and Resembles, which is anyone whose had a limb replaced with a robotic counterpart, a man named Roy Revant has had life deal him a bad hand and he has become an emotionless bounty hunter that looks forward to nothing more than his pay at the end of a job. Twelve years ago a cataclysmic event took place called the Blast Fall as the sky above the planet has an aurora shell which supplies an atmosphere, but also acts as a prison as anything straying too close to the sky is instantly destroyed by lightning. Due to a scientific experiment gone wrong at the Reestablishment Universe Committee building in the center of the city, it caused the Aurora Shell’s lighting to hit the center of the city and cause massive death and destruction, this caused Roy to lose his only daughter Rita and he has been searching for her ever since. After his most recent bounty though it seems that Roy has made some new enemies as he was assaulted the next night by the criminals partner that is also a resemble that happens to be equipped with a bladed chain whip. Wounded and almost out of ammo it seems that Roy has finally met his match when from above a young girl literally falls out of the sky and lands on his enemies weapon before it strikes Roy saving his life. Even though his enemy gets away Roy’s not about to leave an unconscious girl lay on the street so he scoops her up and takes her home to let her rest, the next day she awakes but can’t remember anything but for some unknown reason will not leave Roy’s side for a second.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 24
Review:
This was a fantastic series and the sci-fi aspect was great since it wasn’t overpowering and yet highly original. I’ll admit I was expecting some cutesy little loli protagonist that spends alot of time in a euphoric stage and giggling for no reason… not so here, Solty doesn’t come across as cute nor is she supposed to be. She does deal with alot of hardships for being quite young, one of them is Roy’s grumpy exterior but lucky for us Roy is the type of guy that puts up alot of emotional barriers but lets everyone around him tear them down resulting in him usually sighing and giving a gruff “fine…”. This results in some great characterization as you’ll start connecting with everyone that comes in contact with Roy and Solty and the plot uses this and does things in a backwards manner of storytelling that, in the end, is just plain sneaky. The series puts it’s lighthearted events first instead of toward the end allowing the viewer to laugh while watching everyone on screen have a great time but after a few episodes the show let’s you know that that’s enough and brings in the suspense and drama and puts everyone in *alot* of emotional distress which has you questioning if anyone will ever get a break. In the end it uses those comical moments from earlier in the series that made you laugh and represents them as memories which is remarkably effective in bringing closure to everything and showing the strength of family ties. Presented with great animation and unparalleled character depth to match a great sci-fi story, Solty Rei is definitely worth seeing if only once.
*Note – FUNimation seriously needs to stop using that angle option on your DVD player. It’s beyond annoying and 75% of DVD players out there don’t have the option to turn off the on screen ‘angle’ notification.
Solty Rei (opening)
Recommendation: |High|
Synopsis:
They say on the moon there is a shrine. Why? Uh… hell I don’t know. This wasn’t really touched upon in the beginning to let’s just skip ahead and meet Himeko Kurusugawa and Chikane Himemiya who are about to share their 16th birthday, on the same day. However instead of being a day to celebrate, an ancient evil that has vowed to destroy the Earth awakens called the Orochi and it’s worshipers whom of each posses a mecha of mass destruction. One of these worshipers is Himeko’s friend Souma who at first is determined to kill Himeko but by some realization he decides to protect her and becomes defiant to the god he unwittingly follows and in turn attacks the other worshipers. After a destructive battle, Himeko is left homeless and Chikane offers her a place to stay in her mansion. After the Earth shaking turn of events Souma’s older brother Kazuki, who is also priest, explains to Himeko and Chikane they are the target of the Orochi because they are the only ones who can summon The God of Swords and stop the Orochi from annihilating humanity. With Souma’s help, the girls start the series of events in motion to save humanity and planet Earth.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 12
Review:
Seems like alot of story there eh? Well, you’re right. That’s kind of the problem you’re going to encounter with this series, it tries to do far too much in too little time. So much to the fact that it almost feels like you’re being jerked around in the story and alot of what you watch starts to become an incoherent blur and doesn’t mesh well with the rest of the story elements that are being presented to you. Kannazuki no Miko wants to be a yuri romance and a mecha action battle anime at the same time and unfortunately fails at trying to mix these together making the mech battles seem practically unnecessary. For one, there are just too many of them for this short run making for roughly one battle per episode which contains nothing more than alot of yelling and fast scrolling backgrounds that ends with a one-two punch resolution. Through this chaos you’re also watching Himeko and Chikane’s relationship blossom but the odd appearance of huge ass mechs out of thin air and causing trouble starts to become more of a nuisance because the romance gets put aside so you can watch some over glorified fight with big robots.
I’ll say this, Kannazuki no Miko is one of the few animes that has a bizarre cast of people bent on destroying Earth as they all had very colorful personalities. The sad thing is that nothing, NOTHING, is explained as to why they hate humanity so much other than a still frame showing some agony in thier life and that really could have been dwelled upon and even showed their side of the story and maybe stir up a little inner conflict in the viewer but alas… you get nothing. This is one anime that could have gone into the 20+ episode region and garnished more interest but as it is, it remains a confusing rush of plot devices that are just being way more complicated than they needed to be. Even the romance aspect between Himeko and Chikane gets sidetracked sometimes and if it were not for the over-dramatized final episode this anime probably would have fallen deeper in the realm of “wait… what?”
Recommended? Not really… even though the animation is decent, the mechs, action, yuri (lesbianism), magic girls, just don’t work together very well here. Other than the catchy opening and closing music by Kotoko… there’s not much here to get you through the series without losing interest.
Kannazuki no Miko (opening)
Recommendation: |Below Average|
Synopsis:
After World War III, the world has become a desolate place save for one nation called Olympus. It’s a technological utopian metropolis but it’s not without it’s fair share of problems. Keeping the peace are E.S.W.A.T. members Deunan Knute, who is one woman you don’t want to mess with, and her cyborg partner Briareos. During a hostage rescue mission Briareos is injured from a blast that hospitalizes him leaving Deunan without a partner. To fill Briaros’s place a bioroid (genetically engineered human) named Tereus is assigned to her that looks exactly like Briareos did before he became a cyborg. Both are then assigned as security for an International Conference that would put all nations’ satellites under Olympus’ control however by doing so the technology that’s used to protect humanity now becomes the tool to destroy it.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Review:
Appleseed: Ex Machina is a CGI sci-fi action flick from producer John Woo and I’ll tell you right up front, he does not disappoint the masses. From the highly detailed computer animation to the magnificently choreographed gun fights Ex Machina is a thrill ride from start to finish that barely gives you a chance to catch you breath before the barrage of bullets starts flying again. With it’s highly original depiction of a futuristic utopia to the intriguing but not overly complicated plot and it’s cast of hardcore action heros this is one movie that is very easy to enjoy and will appeal to you even if you’re not a fan of CGI. However, Ex Machina is a sequel to the 2004 movie Appleseed so you’re not going to get alot in the way of character depth for Deunan or Briareos but in all honesty… you won’t miss it as you don’t even need to see Appleseed to enjoy Ex Machina as a stand alone movie. Simply put, you’ll be so caught up watching these two kick ass and take names, that worrying about their past will be the last thing on your mind. Luckily, Ex Machina doesn’t rely on action alone as it has a fairly decent plot that may be a bit typical but works extremely well in not burdening the viewer to have to think very hard so as the plot can be enjoyed along with the action and characters in equal doses.
Highly recommended even if you have or haven’t seen the original Appleseed, it’s still one remarkable movie and one hell of a great time.
Appleseed: Ex Machina (trailer)
Recommendation: |High|
Synopsis:
Well, while I’m currently watching yet another series I’m gonna go back and reminisce about another great, underrated show… Zeiram: The Animation. A sci-fi anime that is supposedly a prequel to the live action movies that kind of remind me of a Power Rangers episode, Zeiram tells the story of a young bounty hunter named Iria that is following in the footsteps of her brother, Gren, and become a famous bounty hunter.
During a rescue mission of the hi-jacked spaceship called Karma… Gren, Iria, and their partner Bob encounter Zeiram… an indestructible alien and a battle ensues. The spaceship is eventually destroyed and while Iria survives, Gren and Bob disappear and are no where to be found. Even though the authorities turn a blind eye, Iria sets out to track down her brother and what became of the infamous Zeiram.
Reviewer: Endosanity
Number of episodes watched: 6
Review:
Zeiram is an often overlooked series I quite enjoyed back in the day. The plot may seem a little typical, amatuer bounty hunter wants revenge for a family member, but what really stands out is the world in which the story takes place. It has a steam-punk look and feel to it. While everything looks beat up and run down being held together with gauze and duct tape it’s perfectly everyday living for Iria. The animation is above average, especially for 1994, but the characters are somewhat lacking. Aside from Iria and Zeiram no one really stands out other than the fact that they’re there, but these two combined with a decent story dropped into a unique universe makes this anime worth checking out. Yeah, it’s old and the animation is dated but Zeiram tells a great story and has the perfect atmosphere, give it a shot… you might actually like this forgotten title of ages past.
Iria – Zeiram: The Animation (opening)
Recommendation: |High|
