sothis

Story
First of all, I think it's important to clear up what type of show Gunparade March is. I've already talked to a few people who picked up Gunparade March, watched one or two episodes, and promptly put it down. The reason? That they didn't want to see another mecha/fighting series. Indeed, the first episode does make it seem like that will be the focus of the show, but like many series, the first episode can sometimes be misleading. In actuality, the show is very much a slice-of-life series, centered mostly on romance in the vein of Boys Be. Granted, it is set in a very dark and sci-fi setting... See full review

Story
Record of Lodoss War is basically the ultimate fantasy story. You like Lord of the Rings? The Shannara series of novels? This series would be right up your alley. All the traditional characters and monsters are to be found: dragons, kobolds, elves, dwarves, you name it. Magic abounds, the power of good and evil is key, and the power of comradery is the strongest of all. The story itself is an epic tale of all of these things, and more. Unfortunately, it does come off as being somewhat generic, because it is essentially a fantasy staple. If you are looking for something unusual besides the... See full review

Story
Shadow Skill TV is a series which comes across as many things: the foremost being action, but also comedy. The basis, as mentioned above, is definitley fighting and action, with Elle and Gau wanting to fight to become stronger for various reasons. One thing should be noted that although this is indeed a retelling of the OVA, the tone is EXTREMELY different, and many plot points are told differently or in a different order. Character designs are also totally different in many ways. (Check the helpful info blurb for either for more information). So, if you planned on not watching this because... See full review

Story
The first thing I'll say is that the story score would probably be higher if I understood a lot of what was going on. Since this is a standard length 1 episode OVA, you merely see the tip of the iceberg of what the story could be. Many characters are introduced, many names of projects and secrets are given but not explained. But the crux of the story, at least for most of the OVA, revolves around Lily and Kuro, trying to track down the ellusive Demonbane. I must say, this OVA was incredibly entertaining on basically every level, so even though the story was a bit confusing, it managed to... See full review

Story
I have mixed feelings about the plot of Mirage of Blaze. As far as originality, two thumbs up. I have never seen a series or movie that deals with reincarnated souls who exorcise warlords of the past, who still battle in the present for territory. In addition, the whole thing is done under a very dark mood and atmosphere.

However, the plot isn't consistent. At first you think the plot is based around one warlord that wants power... and several episodes are based on the person. Then suddenly, the focus changes to a whole different plotline, which doesn't work well for a series of... See full review

Story
Say this with me: "Done before!" .. and one more time for good measure: Done before!!!! Yes folks, that's right. Yet another plodding and totally unoriginal dating-sim game transition to the big screen. I'd like to talk about features of True Love Story that other dating-sim converts don't have, such as an interesting plot, good animation, likeable characters, etc. Unfortunately, I can't. True Love Story easily succeeds at seeming like a total ripoff of every other dating-sim anime out there, down to the detail.

First of all, we have the same kind of unrealistic love story... See full review

Story
Hmm, where to begin with this one. Well, what kind of OVA *is* Del Power X, exactly? It definitely has mecha, it also has some bits of random off the wall comedy (usually related to parodies, or just wacky like Abenobashi or the like). I'd say the first half of the 40 minute OVA is undoubtedly better than the second, as it has most of the funny comedy (though there isn't a huge amount, just so you know), as well as funny things with the mecha. But the second half is mostly just Manami fighting and not knowing what to do, against all sorts of people-in-mecha-suits that I'm still not sure where... See full review

Story
Puppet Princess easily has one of the most messed up and unique plots I've seen. At first glance, it only seems somewhat unusual... evil sentient puppets, murderous revenge, etc. I won't spoil, but I'll tell you that when the true nature of the puppets is revealed, you will think differently about the morbid level of the plot. ;) For someone like me who loves horror, this was a real treat... not only for the idea, but for the execution of it and the flow. The animation definitely had a part to play in my opinion of the story, so this is a fairly mixed score as far as where it came from... See full review

Story
There are good fantasy series out there: Escaflowne, El Hazard, Record of Lodoss War, Five Star Stories, to name a few. Then there are bad, average, and totally generic series such as Dragon Slayer. The story, to start out with, is unforgettable and boring. Evil demon takes over kingdom, young prince escapes, grows up, comes back to kill demon and save kingdom. Add swords and monsters and mix well. There truly is nothing unusual or unique to mention about the story. You could watch one or more of any of the above series I listed, and already have seen enough fantasy to not have to suffer... See full review

Story
It was difficult trying to figure out what score to give this series in the story category. First, the story itself is mostly a slapstick type comedy involving Apulo and Lateil. There is a ton of filler, and many scenes shown simply for comic effect. Lateil is interested in Marsha, who thinks he's awful because of how "badly" he treats Apulo, who laughs all the way! Hilarious jokes are exchanged, especially between the ship (Lagendra) and the duo, who are obviously "inferior" to him. Like I said, a great deal revolves around comedy, and it really succeeds. I don't like harem comedy humor, or... See full review

Story
Sounds like a fairly entertaining OVA, right? Unfortunately, it doesn't end up being nearly as amusing as it could have been. The only similar series that comes to mind is I My Me! Strawberry Eggs, which I really disliked. But even with that series, it had humor that I enjoyed to some extent, or original type jokes, slapstick humor, etc. Delinquent in Drag, though it could have had a variety of things, really had none of this. The 40 minutes consisted of Bunji trying to shove his face in girls' behinds or breasts, very blatantly, not even in a subtle or humorous fashion. He also managed to get... See full review

Story
Rather than starting out this review telling details of the plot, I feel it would be more appropriate to discuss the type of anime this is. First of all, My Beautiful Girl Mari is Korean, not Japanese. This influences both the animation style and the music, though the story itself could have been something you’d see in a Japanese anime. The most important thing to understand about the story is that it’s a mix of two things: slow slice of life, and mystical fantasy-based wonder. Think of it like Totoro, but more moody and silent and less aimed at children.

As far as plot... See full review

Story
Let me just say that like a few other reviews before this, this will be a very difficult anime to review. There isn’t a great deal of information out there about Shura no Toki. The only major reviews I’ve seen have been the individual DVD reviews, or minor ones on various non-review sites. In addition, the descriptions I’ve read leave a little to be desired (and don’t really tell you the nature of the show), and I could find nothing visually either. It was for this reason that I decided to watch the series myself and add it to the AniRec, and review it. (The description... See full review

Story
When I first picked up Diary of Tortov Roddle, I had no idea what it was about. Studio 4C is my favorite studio and the group JollyRoger has put out many of their works and shorts. Thus, when they released this newfound gem, I knew I had to watch it. Luckily, it was just as good as I had hoped it would be.

Shown with no dialogue whatsoever (except the printed words of Tortov's diary), Diary of Tortov Roddle follows a thin and wiry man named (you guessed it!) Tortov Roddle, on his adventures through whatever mystical land he inhabits. We are treated to six different quiet... See full review

Story
Having never played any of the Growlanser games, including IV, I had no idea what to expect when watching this. Admittedly, I know that the series of games is tactical and strategy in nature, so I suppose I did have an idea that the plot would be mostly political. Needless to say, I was correct, but also ended up being quite surprised at how decent this one shot OVA really was.

Since it's related to the game, and since the length is only around twenty minutes, we are introduced to a whole lot of plot in a whole little time, which can lend to a some confusion. A narrator explains... See full review

Story
From the minds of Studio 4C comes Kimagure Robot, a set of 10 shorts that show us a variety of misadventures involving... robots! There is no plot to be found, for the most part. The only thing that links the episodes is the existence of the Doctor (who creates the robots), and his Hakase Company. Though each episode doesn’t show us the Doctor, they do show us a situation that his robots have been involved in, reminding us that no invention is perfect, to say the least. These short tales involve things like a robot defending the planet (from another robot, of course), a genie robot who grants... See full review

Story
Lions and tigers and demons, oh my! I’m not sure where the roots of demonic horror come from in anime, but it seems like Devilman (the TV series, at least, made in the 70s) must be one of the first. Created by Go Nagai (of crappy anime fame such as Kekko Kamen, Plastic Little, and anything else with excessive nudity), Devilman is actually quite unique in the fact that it isn’t 100% ecchi. Admittedly, it’s quite a bit ecchi, but nothing like the other Go Nagai titles I’ve had the pleasure of watching.

The story is quite simple, so instead of describing it in detail I... See full review

Story
I’ve been putting off this review for a few days now, because I haven’t been able to think of a good place to start. Normally I’d start out the story section with a longer version of the synopsis listed above, but it’s hard to do so without spoiling the twists and turns of Mai HiME. Thus, I’ll have to go about things a little differently this time... Mai HiME starts out feeling like a typical (though darker) magical girl type series. We are introduced to a variety of characters who all attend (or will start to attend) the same prestigious academy. Some of these... See full review

Story
When I first picked up Princess Minerva, I had no idea what it would be about (except that I knew it was fantasy related). My viewing began in a positive fashion, but eventually spiraled down into boring-ville.

The story starts off with a brash and spunky Princess Minerva literally ripping through the title screen (humorous for sure) to announce that she wants a group of bodyguards. Blue Morris (who chooses these names?!), her sidekick, listens begrudgingly and then Minerva begins to laugh... and laugh, and laugh in slow motion while the screen pans away. This is just the... See full review

Story
Sometimes, I think the creators of certain anime series must be fourteen year old boys with raging hormones. Other times, I think they must be 35 year old virgins. Whatever the case, this theory of mine is seemingly proven with something like Ichigo 100%, which easily falls to new levels of crappiness in the realm of anime.

The story revolves around Junpei, and how many women can possibly not only want him, but show him their panties. Err, wait... that’s not really the story, but it sure as hell seems like the point! The loose "story" is related to Junpei and his gang filming... See full review

Story
The Megami Tensei OVA is an interesting one, that’s for sure. Nakajima is a computer hacker of sorts who has bound himself to reviving Loki, a demon he communicates with through his computer. The story begins with Yumiko, a quiet girl, transferring to his school, though she has no idea what she’s getting herself into, to say the least. Loki requires sacrifices, and needless to say, some of the students end up dying in a very graphic manner.

I knew from the beginning that this OVA was based on the Megami Tensei games (of which, to this date, the USA has only seen two released... See full review

Story
I’m a big fan of pretty much anything Studio 4C, so needless to say, I jumped at the chance to watch Higan. Don’t get me wrong, the "story" (if you want to call it that) wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t substantial in any way, so I can’t really score this section highly.

In a nutshell, there are two guys in mecha fighters that are fighting some armored tanks.

... no, really, that’s all there is. With the exception of a short sequence at the end that might be considered "sad" (if it was actually longer than seven minutes and actually had a plot), this is... See full review

Story
I’ve heard about Dragon Half for quite some time now, and have seen it recommended for a variety of series I’ve enjoyed. Thus, I finally decided to pick it up, and I’m glad I did.

Dragon Half follows the life of Mink, a half human/half dragon, as she tries her best to get the attention of Dick Saucer, a dragon slayer with a penchant for music and concerts. Due to her small problem of being half dragon, this of course causes plenty of mayhem to occur including assassination attempts on Mink’s life, rivalry from the princess of the kingdom who herself is half human/half... See full review

Story
Think you’ve seen Alice in Wonderland? Guess again. From the mind of Clamp comes this very ecchi and very... interesting look at the classic tale – but it’s definitely not like you’ll remember it. In this world, pretty much every object or creature has been replaced by a buxom and enticing female, each of whom desires Miyuki -- our protagonist -- in some way. The Cheshire Cat is a sultry cat girl who wants to do naughty things to Miyuki, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum are two dark haired beauties who want to fight her, the tea drinking party of femmes want to molest her, and the Queen... See full review

Story
In addition to the human world, there exists a Guardian world full of magic users and Neutralizers – those who are responsible for protecting the Throne of Yord, the source of their power. Tiara, Lena and Kagetsu are three friends who live in the Guardian world, but their lives become more complicated once the Throne of Yord is stolen. Without spoiling, I’ll just say that the plot involves betrayal, heartbreak, and loss... all related to the Throne of Yord, the real reason it was stolen, and the pains the friends must go through to not only survive, but to solve the mystery of the... See full review

Story
When I first turned on Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, I was expecting a boring and generic magical girl type series that might just put me to sleep. Luckily for me, I was very wrong. Our tale begins with Nanoha, a young girl who attends school and lives with her family (who include characters from Triangle Heart: Miyuki and Kyoya). One day near the woods, she runs across a ferret that is injured, but much to her dismay, this is no ordinary ferret! His name is Yuuno and he hails from another world, and he needs Nanoha’s help. Powerful stones called Jewel Seeds are loose within the planet, and... See full review

Story
I love anything Studio 4C, for the most part. Digital Juice is the only thing I’ve seen that I haven’t enjoyed very much (though I still think I enjoyed it more than this), so needless to say, I was excited to see this had come out. What I walked away with was a feeling of disappointment.

As far as a plot, you’ll have a hard time finding one. Then again, Studio 4C shorts aren’t necessarily known for their high amount of content, but still, I was expecting something a little better. The overall "plot", if there is one, is a hand puppet explaining (or discussing briefly)... See full review

Story
As a big warning ahead of time, this will be a very, very difficult series to assess. Though I had high hopes for DNAngel, there were so many things about this series that tarnish it, that I can't expect giving a high score in most categories. That being said, the story:

Niwa Daisuke is a "nice guy". You know the type: super quiet and shy, a pushover for anything that has a vagina (especially the popular girl he has a crush on), and in general, very... nice. He also has a strange dysfunctional family consisting of mom and grandfather, who constantly turn the house into a... See full review

Story
To say that Five Star Stories’ story is expansive would be the understatement of the year. Based on a manga that has lasted well over a decade, this hour-long OVA covers what leads up to the most massive war of mankind – or so the story claims. I haven’t read the manga, but quite frankly, I might just do so after seeing this a few times. Without a doubt, I’ve never seen many things this epic or compelling, that’s for sure.

Unfortunately, unless you read the liner notes ADV supplies with the R1 release or check somewhere on line, the story won’t make a lot of... See full review

Story
Palme is a boy who is made of wood, who once lived peacefully with his "father", and a woman named Xian, his "mother". Xian fell sick and died, and since that day, Palme stopped moving... until the woman came. She came in the night bearing an orb, and when Palme awakened from his years of sleep, she entrusted the orb to him to bear to the underworld for purposes unknown. The sap would allow him to continue to live, she explained, and needed to be delivered by him to the place she came from. If he brought the sap as she desired, he could finally become human. And thus, with that, Palme began his... See full review