sothis

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Having just watched Magical Play, I have to say I was thoroughly let down with Magical Play 3D. The stories are pretty much not related in any way (with only one scene of shared footage). Padadu washes up in a town where she’s promptly thrown in the dungeon. She then meets Nonononn, a fugitive, and they have a fairly terse conversation about magical girls and the like. In this magical world, girls train to be magical girls, earning them the right to go to Earth. This is explained in Magical Play but only given a side note in the OVA. Thus, really, this is pretty much useless unless you’ve... See full review

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Throughout my anime-watching career, I’ve seen a fair amount of hyped/fanboy series. Some of these (such as Witch Hunter Robin, Hellsing, Full Metal Alchemist for a newer one, or Berserk) are damn good; I’m talking good on a variety of levels: plot, imagery, or the core feel and impact it has on you. On the other hand, I’ve also been privy to series that are extremely hyped and loved by pretty much all anime fans, whereas I’ve found them to be quite average and unexciting. Bebop is one of them (yes, I know I am fairly alone on that thought), and Ah! My Goddess is now... 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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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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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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You know, if there ever was a classic case of false advertising, it would be Amon Saga. From the first look at the cover of the DVD, I was excited and expected something interesting and unheard of. Now I know it's unheard of for a reason. Amon Saga is a dark sort of fantasy that is overall fairly generic, with lots of plot points and holes that aren't really explained. We only know that there is a giant turtle creature with a city on its back called Varlhiss, and this thing stomps around, killing random villagers and destroying cities. Its rule is a Darth Vader type guy (who reminded me... See full review

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What do the following things have in common: eating my leg off with teeth that have been ground down to stumps, shoving ham sandwiches in my nose and mouth until I die of suffocation, and slowly peeling my toenails off with toothpicks? Answer: things I'd rather do than come near Angelique again. From the depths of hell comes Angelique, an OVA that reminds us that there truly is not a god for making us watch something this terrible. I feel ill just writing this review, but I feel it's my civic duty to let you all know what a steaming pile of shit this OVA is, so you can avoid it like the... 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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Having seen the original OVA for Appleseed, I was expecting this movie would be nothing more than glorified eye candy with a weak plot and nothing to show up the surely pretty graphics. The original OVA is basically a police show, handling one case. We know about the city and the bioroids, and the hostilities between the bioroids and the military, but not much more than that. We have no idea what Appleseed means or why it has anything to do with the OVA, and there isn't anything deep, per se.

Boy, was I surprised...

Appleseed the MOVIE was incredible. Simply... See full review

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It is true that Archetypes Forces is only 15 minutes in length, but I am not exageratting when I say that the storyline is superb. Think of it like being in the vein of Alien, or some other thriller sci-fi flick. It's difficult to say what it's about without spoiling (the description above doesn't spoil, trust me), so I'd suggest NOT reading the AnimeNFO description. I will say that there is a really big twist at the end which is open ended, but still totally satisfying (I say that as a person who HATES open ended things). Honestly, it would have been great without the twist too... lots of... See full review

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Ariel starts out on a very promising note. A jovial narrator introduces all the main characters (and secondary characters, really). Each of them has something "unfortunate" related to them. For example, one of the girls is unfortunate because she wants to study, and has to pilot Ariel (the All Round Intercept and Escort Lady... I am not joking) instead. We are even introduced to the entire alien staff (who all look like elves, I might add), right down to the budget coordinator. The first scene we see as part of the actual story, is the alien ship launching several alien creatures down to the... 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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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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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

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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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Let's face it, folks. The plot of Ayane's High Kick is really nothing to scream about. There's nothing supernatural or unusual about it -- simply a girl who is training to be the best, under some fairly comical circumstances. But don't get me wrong, the "realness" of the plot is somewhat appealing. Instead of having hadoken type spiritual fireball moves or cheesiness, you get good old fashioned kickboxing moves.

The overall tone is definitely self-empowering and comedic at the same time. Ayane is determined to be the best, but yet is being tricked in funny ways, making fights and... See full review

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Azumanga Daioh is a show about nothing, literally. Think of it like Seinfeld, but with high school girls and more hilarity, and you've got all the bases covered. The episodes revolve around six girls and their daily life at a high school, which always ends up being random in some way.

The comic formula is hilarious, and is almost flawless. Many scenes will make you scratch your head and wonder "eh?" while simultaneously laughing, while other scenes make you laugh by repeating the same thing over and over and over and over, far past the point where you think it should have just... See full review

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Azusa Will Help is a fairly light hearted look at a supposedly futuristic society that has robots as a commonplace occurance. I say supposedly because although the year is 2099, you really can't tell at all, except for the addition of the robots. Anyways, these robots range from maids (no, really?!) to the more important sports playing robots, which vary in skill and power depending on, you guessed it, the cost.
The story focuses on Karu Duck High (wtf kind of a name is that?!), a semi-poor baseball team who wants to make it big. Unluckily for them, Eagle High has already purchased... See full review

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Baby Love unfortunately suffers from the young adult codependant love interest syndrome. While normal and stable adolescents/teenagers might have a crush that lasts awhile, most (at least I hope) don't become completely obsessive and secretive about convincing someone to look their way. In addition, I rarely hear 16 year olds talking about how they would die for someone they barely know, and only met briefly when they were 12. But for anime, especially romance ones? This is totally fair game, as it is in the case of Baby Love. For the obsessive nature it reminded me quite a bit of Fashion Boy... See full review

Just checked out Bakemonogatari 1-4. It definitely piqued my interest, though I'm not sure if its pros outweighed the cons.Pros:Extremely interesting animation - combining all sorts of styles (hard to explain what I mean) in a very symbolic ways. Gorgeous scenery, and very cinematic in a way. Quirky, appropriate musicWitty dialogue (though this is also a negative, see below)An intro that changes depending on the character of the day - I loved the stapler in the intro for episode 2, as an example. Cons:Bakemonogatari is a textbook case of 'too... See full review

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I wanted to like Batman: Gotham Knight; really, I did. When the similarly-constructed The Animatrix was released years ago, I put off watching it only to finally realize how spectacular the collection of shorts really was. Given that success, this time around, I picked up Gotham Knight immediately, eager to see what Studio 4C, MADHOUSE and the other companies came up with. Unfortunately, unlike with The... See full review

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What do space detectives, burly men in jaguar masks, demons from another world, man-eating fairies and tentacles have to do with each other? That's right - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It should come as no surprise, then, that the farce known as Battle Royal High School is as ridiculous as ridiculous can get, comprised of a mishmash of genres and styles so varied that its creators were clearly playing a game of drunken Mad Libs while in the drawing board phase. The first 10ish or so minutes, I kid you not, play out something like this: 1. Guy in jaguar mask fights other guys not in jaguar masks. 2... See full review

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According to external sources, B.B. Fish is based on a fifteen-volume manga of the same name. Generally one-episode anime adaptations tend to be too confusing and don't provide enough of a background on the characters and situations to be enjoyable. B.B. Fish, while gorgeous to the eyes, is no exception. With no explanation of who the characters are or why they're interested in what they're doing, you're dropped into the middle of a deep sea dive with Ushio and Sara. Random nakedness and pseudo superpowers ensue, followed by shots of gorgeous scenery. ...what?! But wait, there's more. A... 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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Let's be honest -- even though Blood the Last Vampire might be a great thing to watch, it isn't exactly swimming in plot. The little we know is that a young woman named Saya is one of the last original vampires, and works for the police department hunting down rogue demons and vampires alike. Her newest assignment places her at a local high school, where mysterious murders have been taking place. Unfortunately, that's about it. Throw in some additional vampires, a school nurse, and some neat chase scenes/fights, and you have the entirety of Blood.

Luckily, even though the plot... See full review

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Taking place in Earth, in what seems to be the 80s, Blue Seed follows the story of a young woman named Momiji as she learns of her fate as the Kushinada. Japan is under attack by Aragami, creatures that appear to be monsters, but the general public doesn’t know much about these occurences. The Kushinada is supposed to be fated to be sacrificed, because only the Kushinada can make all the Aragami disappear. For bumbling Momiji, this means being thrown into a life of monster hunting, as well as being paired up with the unlikeliest of partners: Kusanagi, a part human part Aragami fellow. ... See full review

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After the events of Blue Seed, the Aragami have been destroyed, and the world is safe. Unfortunately, this relatively short period of peace is upset when the Aragami return, this time on the other side of the world in San Francisco! Of course, Momiji and co. go there to check out the threat, and thus the story begins.

Blue Seed 2 has some major, major problems. First of all, I’ve never seen a several part OVA (as a sequel to a TV series) work. From Fushigi Yuugi to DNA to El Hazard Magnificent World 2, these standalone arcs always seem boring and uninteresting, and in general... See full review

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Boys Be is a set of tales that encompass many of a group of friends in high school. With a storytelling that is very similar to Kita-he, each episode or few episodes is dedicated to explaining a new relationship or situation with one of the people of the group. The focal point is definitely Koichi and Chiharu, though... two budding lovers who will experience great joy and sadness. While each story is seperate, they all still remain interconnected through each other's friendship and companionship. This is a step away from Kita-he, where the characters are COMPLETELY seperate. The stories are... See full review

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Burn Up is a 45 minute OVA that definitely feels like the first episode of a TV series, that leaves you wanting more...

In the city, a high tech police force is on the prowl for bandits and bad guys, and three women, Reimi, Yuka, and Maki, are some of the best cops the force has ever seen. A recent rash of kidnappings has been reported -- kidnappings that lead to young girls being forced to become sex slaves. The trio goes undercover, and alas, Yuka is kidnapped! Action and ass-kicking ensues, as the remaining two women try to rescue Yuka AND take down the bad guy.

An... See full review

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Burn Up W takes place in Tokyo, and revolves around a group of girls who make up Warrior, an undercover police force that takes the cases the normal cops can't handle. Unlike some cop shows that focus on different stories, Burn Up W focuses on one arc that involves terrorists who want to do various nefarious things.

After seeing Burn Up (and enjoying it), I was excited to check out the next thing chronologically, Burn Up W. Needless to say I was very disappointed, and hopefully by the end of reading this you'll know why. Let's start with the type of show this is. Burn Up was a... See full review