sothis

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In the world of adult anime otaku, there are a few franchises that no "respecting" fan would lay eyes upon: Pokemon, Digimon, and Dragon Ball Z are three such examples. However, there's one franchise that even Pokemon lovers tend to avoid: Hamtaro, the lovable hamster! Since the AniRec didn't have any Hamtaro entries, I decided to track down the movies and OVAs to add them myself, and ran across this rarity. I expected garbage, but what I got was something much better. Hamtaro's Birthday is a delightful yet surprisingly melancholy story for the young ones.Lighthearted and... See full review

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Hello, my name is sothis, and I'm a console RPGaholic - my addiction began with Dragon Warrior 1 at the age of eight, and it went downhill from there. Fellow addicts, rejoice! The 8-bit parody franchise Mahoujin Guru Guru is here to provide you a fix.Mahoujin Guru Guru, in general, follows two young heroes as they embark on a quest to thwart the ultimate evil; and much like an old 8-bit classic, the story isn't terribly important or complex. Instead, the franchise aims at poking fun at all elements of old RPGs, including black box information screens, hit point displays, midi-style... See full review

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Some people envision Hell as a torturous place full of fire and brimstone; others envision it as a room filled with nothing but mother-in-laws. Others, like me, think of Hell as an endless span of time when the only activity available is to either stab yourself in the eyes repeatedly, or watch Go Nagai brainstorm "awesome" ideas for new excessively ugly and ecchi anime. After watching Alice I can successfully say "welcome to Hell."Now don't get excited - Alice is not a Go Nagai title; even Go Nagai's artwork is more attractive than this... BARELY. Alice is a work by... See full review

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I had no idea what to expect with Uchuu Kazoku Carlvinson. At first glance, and based on the synopses out there, I figured I'd be watching a Captain Tylor-esque OVA with the addition of a baby; but what I got was a genuinely hilarious romp through the lives of a very unlikely crew of misfits, and a young and curious child. Don't be mistaken - Uchuu Kazoku Carlvinson is a slice-of-life comedy anime at heart. Most of the humor is derived from watching Andy the robot attempt to parent Corona, even though he has no emotions or programming to do so. For example, he tries to participate in a... See full review

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Moonlight Mile, at first glance, appears to be a ripoff of the realistic slice-of-life space drama Planetes; but at its core, it's much more. At first, Moonlight Mile is reminiscent of Twin Spica - two men have a lofty aspiration of becoming astronauts, in an era when mankind is finally looking to extend its reach into space. As the series goes on, we follow both Goro and Lostman as they become astronauts and hone their skills. However, about one third of the way through the twelve episodes, the tone changes - instead of being akin to Twin Spica, Moonlight Mile's tone is closer to Wings... See full review

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Ai City opens with a bizarre display of blood vessels, DNA strands, and various bolts of electricity; I don't know about you, but to me this pretty much screams "oh man, am I in for a hilariously-bad ride!"It did not disappoint.Ai City has it all - giant floating heads, random explosions of gore, psychic powers, massive eyeball and tentacle creatures, and an ass-kicking bunnygirl who constantly, for no apparent reason, ends up naked on-screen; really, what's not to like?! Seriously though, the story is interesting enough on its own. I can't say too much without spoiling... See full review

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It's short, it's fully CG, and it's seemingly a light fantasy anime that would be perfect to pass the time; but did Hanare Toride no Yonna succeed at stealing my heart? Watching Hanare is less like watching an anime, and more like watching every FMV of an RPG from start to finish. At only thirty minutes in length, there isn't much time for any sort of a story to be developed. What little we know of Yonna is that as a young child, she cursed a boy who looked at her the wrong way - and was thus cast out of the village, along with her brother. Somehow, they end up at a large... See full review

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I'd really like to start out this review with a quirky statement about Hanoka, but I can't; instead, I'll sum up the series in one word: boooooooooring!Hanoka is a twelve-episode series that spans approximately forty minutes in length, with about six total minutes of recap included. The entirety of the story revolves around the rather tired concept of galactic beings who want to destroy the pestilence that is humanity. But wait! Thrown in for good measure is a strongly-implied shoujo-ai relationship between a generic weapon-being and a human - how original! [note: after writing this... See full review

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Poison-spitting nipples? Extreme gore? Monsters whose faces appear to be coming out of giant vaginas? That's right, Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman could only have been created by the illustrious Go Nagai. Amon is a direct sequel to the Devilman OVA, and essentially replaces the latter part of the TV series (with differences in the final battle and other elements). Akira Fudo is still around and still fighting demons - the powerful demon Amon inside of him, combined with his human heart, gives him the ability to control his body and fight as Devilman. However (and I don't consider this a... See full review

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I'm a big fan of Studio 4C; self-described classics such as End of the World and Princess Arete, not to mention various shorts in The Animatrix, are older Studio 4C titles that I feel should not be missed by any anime fans. Thus, when I saw that Tekkon Kinkreet was also created by Studio 4C, I couldn't help but watch it. Unfortunately, Tekkon Kinkreet ended up being an even larger disappointment than Paprika. In a cinematic fashion, Tekkon Kinkreet opens with a sweeping and panoramic shot of a rusty and run-down city - the camera flying through the air alongside a flock of birds. It is... See full review

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Minky Momo in Tabidachi no Eki opens in an almost cinematic fashion, showing us a speeding train on a rain-soaked evening traveling towards its usual destinations. Aboard the train is the pink-haired and kind-hearted Momo, who has a brief conversation with an old man who is trying to reunite with someone after fifty long years. At the station, Momo discovers that the man has left his passport on the train and thus embarks to find him. Along the way she runs across her parallel self and a young and troubled girl who is tied to the station, and needs help of each Momo. The tone of the OVA is... See full review

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Sometimes I wish I could wave a magic wand and be instantly medicated. I'm talking serious painkillers or disassociatives here - something that could put me in a happy place and make me forget what's going on. Case in point, watching Kentoshi. Too bad my patent on a magic wand is still pending...Kentoshi is pretty much one of the most useless fighting anime ever. It takes every bad element of every type of shounen series and combines them into one steaming pile of suck. No really, Kentoshi has it all! There's the endless bystander commentary that gives us a special play-by-play of... See full review

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NOTE: though I was careful to avoid spoilers in the synopsis and screenshots, this anime is just too hilarious to not put specifics into the review.  I don't necessarily think the things I'll discuss are spoilers compared to what every other site says about the anime (not to mention you find these things out in the first 10 minutes), but be forewarned if you are particularly sensitive. Picture, if you will, a morose scene set in 1580 where an invincible and powerful warrior lunges at limber ninja and samurai, striking them down when they stand. In a desperate attempt to bring him... See full review

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I must be honest: reviewing an anime that is a mere thirty minutes in length is a chore. Not only is there rarely enough time to develop strong characters (or any sort of emotional bond with them), but there generally isn't time to develop a complex or compelling story, as well. Now imagine what's it's like to try to review a thirty-minute OVA which has no dialogue and almost no animation! Needless to say, I apologize in advance for the length of this review.Studio Ghibli's Iblard Jikan is comprised of nothing more than a minimally-animated set of paintings by the famous... See full review

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As an important introduction to this review, I have not read the Earthsea novels; in addition, I generally am not impressed with the majority of Studio Ghibli titles. Spirited Away is a classic in its own right, and I did also enjoy Princess Mononoke and Kiki's Delivery Service; most of the other titles, however, did nothing for me. These points are perhaps important as the two major complaints I keep reading about in relation to Gedo Senki are not related to the actual plot, character development, or animation; rather, the complaints are either "It doesn't feel like a Ghibli... See full review

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In a perfect world, one would be able to replace a review's contents with a large eye-rolling smiley face image. Alas, this is not that perfect world.Sky Girls begins with a narrative which is remarkably more epic than the content itself: mysterious beings known as Worms came to Earth, messed shit up, and ultimately kicked humanity's ass so much that it resorted to nuking Earth to save themselves. Unfortunately, this not only submerged 50% of the land mass under the ocean, but also killed off 90% of men aged 20-40. Humans: 1!Dating and sex life of any adult woman: 0!After such an... See full review

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Oh lord.In my endless quest to add as many things to the AniRec, I picked up Angel's Feather. Not only is it a short OVA, but it's also shounen-ai - a genre which usually means no one will add it unless I do it myself. I guess there's one silver lining on the cloud: at least it was only two episodes.See, the title "Angel's Feather" is actually incorrect. I have good authority to say that the real title is actually "BOS Feather" (bag of shit feather), as nothing that is good and pure would have such a putrid stench to it. Folks, this is about as generic as it... See full review

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Ahh, Ergo Proxy. You stole my heart like a thief in the night and promised such visions of grandeur that I could hardly wait to see what came next. Why, oh why, must you have disappointed me so? There are so many things wrong with Ergo Proxy that it's hard to begin. First, the parallels between it and Ghost in the Shell: Innocence are eerily uncanny; both have an empty and vacuous excuse of a story, combined with stunning visuals to distract you from the blatant stench. The problem is that while GITS2 was terrible from the get-go, Ergo Proxy begins with a drool-inducing bang that ends up being... See full review

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I am a rather non-typical anime watcher. I don't strive to watch every romance or harem anime that exists, nor do I enjoy generic shounen fighting series. Intellectual and thought-provoking science fiction and fantasy are my favorites, above all else. Thus, when I saw that another title from the legendary Satoshi Kon was soon to be released in theaters, I was elated. The man who created such gems as Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers and Perfect Blue was sure to produce another masterpiece, right?Alas; watching Kon's newest movie Paprika can be summed up in two words: completely... See full review

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When I was 21 and a great deal more naive, I was in a relationship that I shouldn’t have been in, with a man who was not right for me. He was a player, spoke sweet nothings into my ear and set off multitudes of red flags in my mind; nevertheless, I couldn’t resist, and was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. It ended, of course, in a less than desirable manner, and I questioned myself for some time as to why I let myself become involved. If you are a woman, odds are you’ve had a similar kind of experience. Perhaps it’s for this reason that watching Paradise Kiss... See full review

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This ain’t yo’ mamma’s fantasy series! In a land filled with demons, gods, and jeeps, four men set off to India to defeat the ultimate demon. Along the way they encounter people to save, demons to defeat, and situations that help them to grow and reflect.

As a fantasy tale, Saiyuki doesn’t have much to offer. In the same vein as Kenshin or Inuyasha, the majority of Saiyuki’s fifty episodes are comprised of filler content that doesn’t affect the main story. A typical episode begins with the gang traveling to a new destination in their jeep, and inevitably leads to a... See full review

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On the foundation Stellvia, young people train for the most important mission of mankind: protect the solar system from a devastating shockwave. Close to two hundred years ago, a supernova sent an initial shockwave that destroyed the Earth, prompting the survivors to design the Great Mission that will save humanity from being utterly annihilated. The story of Stellvia follows a bright-eyed and talented cadet who is lovingly known as Shipon, as she makes new friends, experiences life on the foundation, and most importantly, discovers her place in history.

You can think of... See full review

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The front cover of Manga Entertainment's Sword for Truth DVD boasts "the best sword fighting action since Ninja Scroll!". Manga execs, I just have two questions for you: what were you smoking, and where can I get some? It's hard to describe the plot of Sword for Truth, since the plot boils down to a trainwreck full of ninjas. I'll try to sum it up in a nutshell: guy who is so-convincingly-badass goes around killing people (why, BECAUSE HE CAN AND HE'S A SAMURAI, duh). Guy then ends up being hired to save a princess. Along the way, guy encounters 57 different groups of ninjas, most of... See full review

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Ahh, Dual-Matrix. Yet another time the anime industry has milked a series for all its worth, creating something mediocre and yawn-inducing. Why is it that any time a kid enters the picture, things get ruined? Think about all the sequels to real life movies you’ve seen; it’s always the same format: couple who hooked up at the end of the first movie have had a child, then must embark on some sort of adventure to either a) save the child from some sort of malady such as being kidnapped, or b) go on an adventure with the kids as their sidekick. Inevitably, it always ends up sucking... See full review

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I love cyberpunk. I dress like it, read about it, and am enamored with anything related to it. For god’s sake, I’m covered in cyborg tattoos because I’ve been obsessed with becoming a cyborg since I was 10, and since I can’t physically, I might as well look like it superficially. Thus, people have been telling me for years that I’d love Armitage, yet I put it off until today. The moral of the story? Listen to your friends more often.

Armitage III takes place on Mars, in a dark and futuristic city. Androids, amongst other things, serve as housekeepers, babysitters, and... See full review

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What do you get when you cross a bishounen vampire with a gun? Something that should have been a lot better than Legend of DUO!

I had heard nothing but negative things about this series before viewing, but decided to check it out for myself. While not nearly as bad as I’ve been seeing in reviews elsewhere, it definitely has many factors that make it not in my top 50. Story-wise, the best non-spoiling description can be found in the AniRec entry. Basically, humans are dying off and trying to hurt vampires to save themselves (for a reason that DUO shared to the humans, thus... See full review

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If there’s one thing I know, it’s that old school Atari/Amiga/Commodore games kick serious ass. I never played Wizardry (I grew up playing Ultimas non stop), but when I discovered that an anime had been made out of tribute to this old classic, I couldn’t help but be excited. Luckily for me, my excitement was for a good reason!

The plot of Wizardry is fairly standard for a dungeon crawler game: a bad guy is at the bottom of a dungeon and the heroes must defeat him. In this case, the evil wizard of choice has stolen an amulet that protected the king from harm, but no one... See full review

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Ahh, mecha. Like Evangelion and a variety of others before it, the quintessential robot anime has been a staple in every anime fan’s viewing history. With glorious fight sequences, colorful machinery and a variety of angst-filled characters, there’s a lot going for the mecha genre; that is, if the concept hasn’t been done a zillion times already. Unfortunately for Jinki:Extend, not only does it overall feel remarkably recycled in every way, but it also is executed in an incredibly poor fashion.

Jinki:Extend starts out innocently enough: Aoba is a young girl who loves... See full review

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Oh boy... anything in the horror genre, let alone something that blatantly has "horror" in the title, is a must see for sothis. Luckily, with Ayakashi, it wasn’t a disappointment.

Ayakashi, in the same vein as Memories or Cockpit, is a collection of three unrelated stories that all fit into a certain genre; in this case, horror. Though the title boasts "traditional Japanese horror", only the first of the three tales is based on a real Japanese horror story. They are, however, told in a traditional narration style and draw thematic elements from Japanese horror stories. It’s... See full review

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The Devilman series is old, long running and very well known, and was created by the (in my opinion) sexually frustrated Go Nagai. I can’t say I’ve been a fan of any of his series, including Devilman, but I had heard the plot for Devilman Lady was quite good; thus, I decided to check it out. I can’t say I’m too happy I did. Unlike the other series in the Devilman universe, Devilman Lady takes an entirely new approach towards where the demon powers come from. In Devilman, the source is an ancient demon whose soul overtakes the body of its host. In Devilman Lady, without... See full review