The
main character is a likeable loser, a sort of cross between
Keiichi in Oh
My Goddess and Ataru Moroboshi of Urusei Yatsura.
Trying to keep a promise he made in childhood turns out
to be the biggest load of trouble he could ever get himself
into. He has a habit of being in the wrong place at the
wrong time -- within the first few minutes of the first
episode, he's managed to accidentally crawl into the
women's hot-spring! And just wait until you see the fast
and furious action that follows! (No, not *that* kind
of action, get your mind out of the gutter!)
With Naru being (literally) the girl of his dreams, Love Hina is
a formula show with a refreshing twist. While watching the first
few episodes, we often had the urge to play Offspring's "Self
Esteem", because it seemed to relate so closely! For anyone
who's had to deal with unrequited love (and haven't we all), Love
Hina is about a loser with a shot at happiness -- will he get the
girl or screw up? Watch and find out - the journey is the reward!
Escaflowne
- The Series
(Limited Edition Boxed Set)
More words have been written about this series than can be held in
a typical library. It's one of those rare oddities you'll love or
hate, but either way, you'll feel passionately about it. Escaflowne
draws heavily on several different anime genres, such as classic
mecha, sword-and-sorcery,
and magical
girl adventures. The series has a lot going for it -- great art
direction, fantastic character development, and intriguing storyline
that gets more and more elaborate as the series progresses, as well
as a top-notch musical score by non other than Yoko
Kanno (of Cowboy
Bebop fame!). Of interest is that the giant robots battle each
other with swords, essentially, very large medieval armor (shades
of Aura Battle Dunbine!).
Otaku
love to debate this series at every convention. The combination
of teenage romance, fantastic robot-suits ("guymelefs"),
elaborate battles, histrionic villains, and a world-threatening
challenge has made the 26-episode series a favorite among
many. And don't think you saw it last year on Fox Kids
Network -- that was a heavily chopped version.
Ryo
Saeba is a bodyguard for hire, who can perform the typical
anime superhero feats of dodging bullets and jumping
over cars while simultaneously attempting to get into
the pants of every woman he sees.
With a patent-able mix of James
Bond-like action and slapstick humor (mostly revolving around
his attempts to woo women and his partner Kaori's 'Yojimbo
style' sledgehammers doing damage to his skull), City Hunter
will have you glued you your seat, eyes fixed on the screen, while
you aren't snorting Coca-Cola through
your nose in hysterics.
Royal
Space Force -
Wings of Honneamise (DVD)
Most anime features are churned out in less than 6 months. By comparison,
Wings of Honneamise took over 3 years to complete, cost over 800
Million Yen (at the time, the most expensive animated film ever made
in Japan), features a musical
score written by an
Academy Award Winning composer, and one of the deepest, most
realistically conceived and executed alternate worlds ever brought
to the screen. The plot (on the surface) is a little like "The
Right Stuff" from the Russian point of view, but there's
a lot more going on socio-politcal-wise.
Every
frame is meticulously crafted, it's a labor of love by
the highly dedicated team of artists at Gainax and
it shows in every single sequence. You'll need DVD because
there are so many portions of the film you'll want to
pause, study and re-watch. The film was made in 1987
and yet it still looks cutting edge even by todays standards.
There are so many sequences of this film that will "blow
you away" we won't even bother mentioning things
like the assasin, the first flight in a plane, and the
battle before the space shot. Even the newspaper a character
reads idly is well-designed and fascinating. Everything
about this flick screams "masterpiece", and
you will listen. This work of art may forever change
the way you think about anime.
Reboot
- Vol. 1 (DVD)
Reboot was the first computer
animated TV series, and the folks at Mainframe gave
us one of the best shows ever made in the all-cgi genre. With tongue-in-cheek
writing, technical in-jokes abounding, clever characters, cool games,
and a plethora of good ideas, the show was simply a mind-blower on
every level.
Unfortunately,
this DVD, marked Volume 1 is actually the start of the
Third Season of the show, however, it's
a blessing in disguise, as these episodes never aired
on ABC Saturday Mornings. Be prepared for character changes,
as Enzo is now a little more grown up, Bob is missing,
and there really isn't anyone to defend against the likes
of Megabyte and Hexadecimal.
The
Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since
1917
Choosing some of the best examples of anime, the authors review
and detail more than 2000 anime films and TV series. Each entry
includes a short synopsis, commentary, details about key creative
personnel, and evaluation of the work's significance. However,
the editorial evaluations are harsher than McCarthy's The Anime
Movie Guide: some of the most popular anime series in America
-- Tenchi, Evangelion, Ranma
1/2 -- receive sharp criticism. This will cause some fans
to howl with glee, while others will just howl. We hope the
authors don't make public appearances at major anime conventions,
as some fans might want to have a lynching...
Nevertheless,
the end product is the most complete guide
of its kind in any language (including Japanese),
that will be appreciated by anime experts
and neophytes alike. Recommended for all
libraries and essential for film and media
collections. Despite the authors inserting
their opinions far too often within this
book, this is an important work and you should
own a copy.
The
Daria Database Editor's
Note: This
book is out of print but worth buying used for Daria
fans.
Anime isn't the only animation aimed at adults, MTV
managed to produce one of the most intelligent, and poignant
cartoon series ever, when they
created Daria. Now enjoy some of the wit and wisdom from
the show in this epiphemeral tome. A hip and sarcastic look
at life through the eyes of a cynical high school student.
Now that Daria is running again on Noggin (the-N.com),
the show has enjoyed a kind of resurgence, and we really enjoy
it, so The Daria Database is a welcome A to Z dose of hilarity
for those of us that view life from the harsh light of reality.
Featuring notes and insights from most of the characters, along
with biting commentary from our hero, Daria fans will also
learn a thing or two about some of the more peripheral characters,
like the names of Sandi's brothers. If you love Daria, then
this is a must-have, as it's the closest thing there is to
a Daria "Roman Album".
Anime
Interviews : The First Five Years of Animerica,
Anime & Manga Monthly (1992-97)
If you've ever wondered just how Leiji
Matsumoto came up with the idea of a steam locomotive flying
through space, or been curious as to what drives those with
a passionate creative vision, then look no further than this
book. Trish Ledoux has taken the various interviews of the
anime magazine "Animerica", and compiled them into
one volume. This is not about the creations of anime, but a
look inside the hearts and minds of the creators themselves
-- their lives and what inspired them to do what they did.
In
Japan, those who create anime are often as
famous as their creations. If you have heard
of the names "Katsuhiro
Otomo" or "Hayao
Miyazaki", then think how their
celebrity status is in Japan. Anime Interviews
speaks to this, and allows us to see these
creators as the Japanese do. If you own every
issue of Animerica already, then nothing
in this book will surprise you -- but if
you want to really read about what makes
these people tick, then pick this up and
give it a try.