Wolf’s Rain: anime review

Title: Wolf’s Rain
Genre: sci-fi, fantasy, action
Released date: January 6, 2003 – July 29, 2003
Episode: 30 (26 plus 4 OVA episodes)
Director: Tensai Okamura
Animated by: Studio BONES
Comment: What a powerful tale! The anime was set in a post-apocalyptic world where the nobles ruled human society, the monsters ruled the wild, the futuristic technology and most primitive tribes coexisted and the wolves walked among men in disguised. Four wolves traveled through many strange lands in pursue of the paradise with the help from the daughter of flower. The story was engaging and very imaginative, the action scenes were great. The characters were, in my opinion, the most impressive element of the series. They were full of depth, development and almost all of them had tragic past. Nevertheless, the ending was left open for the viewer’s interpretation and might be unsatisfactory for many people because at the end the wolves didn’t really find the paradise they sought and they all died and the journey continued. As for me, I think the anime was mainly about the journey so the ending was appropriate and it wasn’t that sad at the end because, if you have seen it, there was a shot of moon flower in final scene which represented hope. The music by Yoko Kanno was really good. Warning: make sure you buy the OVA before start watching Wolf’s Rain because you will get upset when you reach episode 26 and realize that it isn’t the end.
Rating: B+

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The Cat Returns: anime review

Title: The Cat Returns
Genre: Fantasy, comedy
Released date: 20 July 2002
Running Time: 75 minutes
Director: Hiroyuki Morita
Animated by: Studio Ghibli
Comment: The Cat Returns was rather an extension of Studio Ghibli’s Whisper of the Heart. For those who have seen Whisper of the Heart you’d surely recognize the Baron and Muta (Moon) the fat cat. Haru was a normal high school girl before she was thrown into a magical adventure after she save a cat, later revealed to be the prince, from being hit by a car. She was then taken to the cats' realm where she was forced to marry the prince. Haru had to find her way home and must save herself from being turned to a cat. Similar to Whisper of the Heart, The Cat Returns was a coming of age anime. It had more surreal settings but had less development, less complexity and less emotional variety. The movie was short and didn’t take itself too seriously. I believe it would be much more appealing to younger viewers. The sound and animation was up to Ghibli's standard. Conclusion: The Cat Returns had neither significant flaws nor any distinguish quality. The movie was nice, harmless and fun to watch but when compared to Whisper of the Heart it tasted like desserts not the main dish.
Rating: B

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Burst Angel: anime review

Title: Burst Angel
Genre: action, sci-fi, mecha
Released date: 6 April 2004 – 14 September 2004
Episodes: 24
Director: Koichi Ohata
Animated by: Gonzo studio
Comment: “Guns, girls, ghouls and mecha, what else could you ask for?” I would answer “A decent script, perhaps”. The story followed four interestingly dressed female bounty hunters in their dangerous missions around Tokyo which were mysteriously linked together by monsters with glowing brains. The anime involved many visually spectacular action scenes which were the the anime’s best component. The CGI were smooth and beautiful that it probably could make up for the weak script. Unfortunately, all the good stuffs were incoherently connected. Many events were meaningless and explained too little and many characters showed up and simply disappeared. Even the main characters like Sei, Amy or Kyohei who had considerable screen time had little depth or significant development. Only Jo and Meg had their backgrounds and their relationship explained in one episode 'Wild Kids'. The main plot were hastily told in the last few episodes and offered no satisfactory ending. Conclusion: without good script, the anime could offer only short-term entertainment and superficial beauty.
Rating: C

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Tales from Earthsea: anime review

Title: Tales from Earthsea
Genre: fantasy
Released date: July 29, 2006
Director: Goro Miyazaki
Animated by: Studio Ghibli
Comment: First of all, I am Le Guin’s fan. I read and enjoyed many of her books including the classic Earthsea series. So it’s impossible for me to watch this anime adaptation without comparing it to the books. Because the anime was produced by Studio Ghibli, It was quite reasonable to set my expectation high before watching it and I was greatly disappointed. The weakest part of the anime was the script which tried to include too many plot lines into single movie. There was the story of price Arren who was haunted by his own shadow, Therru the orphan with burn scar on her face, Sparrowhawk the arc mage who was on a journey to restore the balance of the world and Cob the evil wizard who tried to gain eternal life. All these stories were too rushed that all the details and magic where left out. The visuals and music were the only things that met studio Ghibli’s standard. The anime was directed by Hayao Miyazaki’s son, Goro Miyazaki. Conclusion: This was a decent anime but when compared to other Ghibli’s film it became a dark spot in the studio’s record.
Rating: C

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Witch Hunter Robin: anime review

Title: Witch Hunter Robin
Genre: supernatural, action
Released date: July 2, 2002 – December 24, 2002
Episodes: 26
Director: Shukou Murase
Animated by: Studio Sunrise
Comment: The story of witch hunt by an organization with dark secrets that blended dark fantasy with sci-fi action. The plot followed a beautiful young witch named Robin who used her power against those of her own kind. The early episodes were mostly told in “case of the day” fashion but the main story emerged in the second half and the paces never slowed until the end. While the anime had its main plot about the origin of witchcraft, Robin's birth and the secret organization called the Factory, it also contained multiple interesting minor plots about each characters. I liked how it tried to scientifically explain witchcraft and how the relationship of the two protagonist developed from comrades to hunter and prey and, probably, to lovers. The music and animation effectively created the dim and unsettling atmosphere of the anime. Each episode of Witch Hunter Robin was fun, intriguing and often action packed and simutaneously, the main story was slowly built up. It was mostly unstoppable watching this anime. Conclusion: This is a very fine work especially for those who like supernatural stories.
Rating: B+

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Whisper of the Heart: anime review

Title: Whisper of the Heart
Genre: drama, romantic, comedy
Released date: 15 July 1995
Running Time: 111 minutes
Director: Yoshifumi Kondo
Animated by: Studio Ghibli
Comment: If I had to make a list of best anime I’ve ever watched, Whisper of the Heart would at least be in the top three. The anime was produced by Studio Ghibli and was adapted from a manga of the same name (Mimi wo Sumaseba). It might look like a regular coming of age story but it was actually very special and almost flawless.

Shizuku was a common high-school girl who loved reading fantasy novels. She later met Seiji, the boy in the same school. How the two met and became intimate was something only fate could do. Seiji stayed at the violin shop and he already had plans for his future; he wanted to go to Vienna and become violin maker. Seiji's determination inspired Shizuku to ask herself what she wanted to be in the future. As a result, she started writing her first fantasy fiction in order to learn about her ability and her desire. Shizuku learned many valuable lessons in the process. The anime was extremely optimistic about life. It filled the viewers with hope and dreams and many good lessons for both children and adults. The way Shizuku’s parents reacted to their daughters’ behavior like an adult impressed me a lot and the lesson about a gem hidden in the stone was memorable.

Many things in this anime such as violin, writing short story and cats resembled my childhood experience so it had strong nostalgic effect for me and probably made me like this anime even more. Like most of Studio Ghibli films, this anime was rich in details and deserved numerous repeat viewings. It’s amazing how such a simple story of common people could touch my heart like no anime has ever done. Conclusion: This anime is a real gem which could turn anyone’s darkest day into the brightest. My all-time personal favorite.

Rating: A+

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Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: anime review

Title:Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Genre: sci-fi, adventure
Released date: March 4, 1984
Running Time: 116 minutes
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Animated by: Studio Ghibli
Comment: Produced by Studio Ghibli, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind was an epic science fiction with very strong environmentalist undertone. It’s amazing how this anime hardly looked old or outdated despite the fact that it was released more than twenty years ago. Except for playfulness, the anime contained almost every characteristic features of Hayao Miyazaki’s film such as strong young talented female character, bad guys that weren’t really bad, aircrafts and loads of flight scenes. This anime was serious and at times violent so it’s not for little children. Conclusion: entertaining and thought-provoking. A masterpiece.
Rating: A

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Hellsing: anime review

Title: Hellsing
Genre: action, horror, supernatural
Released date: October 10, 2001 – January 16, 2002
Episodes: 13
Director: Umanosuke Iida
Animated by: Gonzo studio
Comment: Hellsing started brilliantly with haunting dark atmosphere, cool fight scenes, well introduced characters and engaging storyline. Seras Victoria was severely wounded by a vampire and was on a verge of death. She would have died if Alucard hadn't save her by turning her into vampire. After that, Seras served under Alucard in several mission which were mostly eliminating evil vampires and demons.

The characters were nicely established; Seras must deal with the fact that she was no longer human, she was scared and confused; Integra and Alucards' past and relationahip were well introduced by using flash backs. The story in most episodes were fun and intrigung. I was so confident that this series was going to be great until it ended so abruptly at the thirteenth episode as if the producers had just decided that they had better things to do and threw in some big action sequences and ending credits. The villains, Alexander and Incognito, suddenly seemed purposeless. The mystery about the chips that turned human into vampire was left in darkness and Seras Victoria character developed no further. The animation was great and the soundtracks which used rock music extensively was really cool. Conclusion: Hellsing was a very good anime that lacked its ssecond half. It was painful to watch bad anime but I’ve just realized that it was equally painful to watch an incomplete good anime.
Rating: C+

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Read or Die (OVA): anime review

Title: Read or Die (OVA)
Genre: action, fantasy
Released date: 23 May 2001
Episodes: 3
Director: Koji Masunari
Animated by: Studio Deen
Comment: R.O.D. was a fast-paced and action-packed anime about a book worm with ability to control papers that kept me at the edge of my seat for full 90 minutes. The story began after the US Library of Congress was attacked. The British Library sent a team to investigate the secret agenda behind the attack. The team consisted of Yomiko Readman, Nancy and Drake Anderson. The story of this OVA was like another episode of the series only longer and involved greater number of characters so it mainly concentrated on action not character development but the eye-popping action scenes, the characters' extra-ordinary powers and many funny moments were woven together so well that they could make up for all that and were the strong points of this anime. The animation was very well done and the music effectively added the energy to the anime's fast pace. The joke about the USA president was hilarious. Conclusion: well directed and a nonstop fun, R.O.D was an extremely enjoyable anime for everyone, even those who were no fans of anime.
Rating: B+

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X/1999: anime review

Title: X/1999
Genre: action, supernatural, fantasy
Released date: August 3, 1996
Director: Rintaro
Animated by: Madhouse Studio
Comment: X the movie, based on CLAMP’s manga of the same title, was a big disappointment especially for CLAMP’s fans. In the manga, the stories of the fourteen characters were the most memorable part and were what actually pushed the whole manga forward. But in this movie all the details of the manga were blindly cramped into a 100 minute-long movie. All the characters practically appeared but they had at most a few lines of dialogue and they were all card board characters killing each other for no reasons. Even the main plot about Kamui and Fuma were incoherently told. The only redeeming quality of the anime was its visuals but that didn't change the fact that X/1999 was a disaster. Conclusion: This is my advice; to the viewers, read the manga or watch the TV series instead; to the producers and the director, sometimes doing nothing is a wise decision.
Rating: D

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