Arcanum

Story
How long would it take to teach a normal person with little or no exposure to classical music how to understand and appreciate the fine nuances of a Mozart sonata, or a Rachmaninov piano concerto? How much longer would it take to convince such a person that his preconceptions about classical music were totally unfounded and that classical music might actually be...interesting?Apparently, all it takes is 23 episodes of Nodame Cantabile. Actually, in my case, it was far less than that. By the second episode, I was already dusting off my piano, untouched for ages, and digging around for old books... See full review

Story
8 kilometers per second. That is the velocity of space debris orbiting Earth. A single collision between a piece of space debris and a spacecraft in orbit creates even more debris and escalates the probability of yet more collisions. Taken to its logical extreme, this chain reaction, known as the Kessler Syndrome, eventually renders the space surrounding our planet completely impassable, and space exploration and travel would be halted indefinitely. Since mankind's first foray into space, humans have ignored the consequences of littering in space. In the year 2068, a stray screw hit a... See full review

Story
Have you wondered how magnificent it would be to have magical powers?If so, then Someday's Dreamers is the anime for you. It is a mellowed slice-of-life exploration of what the modern world might be like if mages lived side-by-side normal humans. The viewer follows the adventures of Kikuchi Yume, a seventeen-year-old mage who spends her summer holiday training to become a licensed magic-user while learning that magic has it limitations too. The plot and premise are totally uncomplicated, but this is one story that reaches its potential. The anime sets out to tell a simple story with no... See full review

Story
The premise for Yakitate!! Japan - Azuma Kazuma, a Japanese boy who aspires to create a bread which will be forever associated with the nation of Japan - is actually quite promising. All the elements are present for plenty of character growth, difficult trials, and exciting twists and turns in the plot. Unfortunately, the creators of Yakitate!! Japan fail to make use of this potential, and instead disappoint with a plot which is increasingly repetitive and unimaginative. The anime follows the same formula from episode to episode, essentially without variation. There is some sort of bread-making... See full review

Story
Kino's Journey is a brilliant and intelligent exposition of the many facets of humanity. The audience follows Kino and Hermes, her talking motorrad, as they travel through various fictional countries learning of other cultures and peoples. Each of the 13 episodes is one or more self-contained short stories which explore a particular idea or theme through the eyes of Kino. These short philosophical vignettes are shockingly discomfiting, as they push the audience to face up to many unpleasant aspects of human nature.Sigsawa Keiichi deserves much credit for his courageous avant-garde style... See full review

Story
Juuni Kokki (The Twelve Kingdoms) is best described as an epic "world-discovery" anime. Ono Fuyumi creates a vast, and richly detailed fantasy world consisting of twelve kingdoms, each governed by an immortal emperor supported by his or her kirin, a magical beast resembling a unicorn. Even from the first few episodes, it is apparent that exceptional effort is given towards the creation of this fantasy world. The system of government, the dynamics of succession, the consequences of war, the interaction between beast and human, demon and immortal are all intricately woven into one... See full review

Story
Monster is a true gem and a rare anime masterpiece.Despite its daunting length, an exceedingly high standard of quality is consistently maintained in all 74 episodes. And because the writer does not get sidetracked with filler episodes or arcs, a single, coherent storyline runs through. This gives the impression of watching a an excellent graphic novel. Though the story itself is impossibly intricate, a web of intrigue and conflicting motives to tantalize the viewer, Monster manages to conclude dramatically, memorably and without the use of such cheap and overused plot devices as deus ex... See full review

Story
Hotta Yumi's Hikaru no Go is an anime about "Weiqi", an ancient Chinese board game which is now more popularly known in Japan as "Go". Because Go is perceived as neither an easy game to learn, nor an entertaining one to watch, its popularity had been waning in Asia, especially among the younger population. It was beginning to be identified as a game played by elderly men over cigarettes and tea.It is easy to dismiss this anime as uninteresting and dry, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Hikaru no Go was almost single-handedly responsible for the sharp... See full review