Anime of the Year 1995-I Winter - Armitage III

Since Maruko-chan can't participate in the contest due to absence of subbed episodes, there are no other masterpieces, and among others I favor Armitage III 

1. Romeo no Aoi Sora Romeo and the Black Brothers ロミオの青い空  [Nippon Animation] (Finished 3/33) Tags: Historical Adventure, Drama, Slice of Life Romeo is a kindhearted and courageous boy living with his family in a small village in Switzerland. Unfortunately, Romeo becomes the interest of a man named Luini, known as "The God of Death," who is infamous for buying children and selling them as chimney sweeps in Milan. While visiting the village, Luini burns down Romeo's family cornfield in an attempt to have Romeo as his own. With the cornfield gone and his father sustaining a head injury trying to put out the fire, Romeo bravely sells himself to the God of Death in order to help his family afford a doctor. On his way to Milan, Romeo meets a boy named Alfredo Martini and they quickly become friends. Just as Alfredo is sold to a different master, the two boys swear eternal friendship and vow to meet again. As a chimney sweep, Romeo faces many hardships and abuse, especially from his master's family and a gang known as the Wolf Pack. But after reuniting with Alfredo, the two form a fraternity of chimney sweeps called "The Black Brothers," who will learn to fight against the Wolf Pack and help each other in times of need. World masterpiece series... sigh. It's above average story that teaches kids of friendship and the harsh world that is around... but how it can be of use to adults is beyond my understanding.   Overall Rating: 6/10

2. Kishin Douji Zenki Zenki 鬼神童子ZENKI [Studio Deen] (Finished 3/51) Tags: Shounen Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Ecchi In ancient times, a great battle was waged between a master mage, Enno Ozuno, and an evil demon goddess, Karuma. Unfortunately, Enno didn't have the strength to defeat her alone and was forced to call upon Zenki, a powerful protector demon. After Karuma was defeated, Enno sealed Zenki away in a pillar located inside his temple. 1,200 years after this epic battle, Enno's descendant, Chiaki, spends her days showing tourists around her hometown of Shikigami-cho and doing exorcisms to pay the bills. One day, two thieves enter the town in hopes of opening a seal in the Ozuno temple and releasing the hidden treasure from within. However, what actually pops out is a dark entity that attaches itself to the henchmen, transforming them into demonic beings. After this transformation, they begin a rampage through the temple, terrorizing poor Chiaki. It is now up to this young progeny to unleash her family's powers to summon Zenki and save Shikigami-cho from these demons, as well as the evil entities sure to follow in their footsteps. It feels a lot like Sailor Moon with more focus on Tuxedo Mask who is here played by Zenki. Same looking arcs with a lot of fillers and possessed civilian in most episodes. The approach similarities in details are even more striking. Still, there's more shounen feeling in here, so it's more comfortable to watch that Sailor Moon for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Ninkuu 忍空 [Pierrot] (Finished 3/55) Tags: Shounen Adventure In the war, a group of warriors called Ninku fought against the Imperial Army and almost annihilated it. But in the end, the Ninku lost and got shattered. After the war, the imperial army established themselves as the defender of the people with the help of propaganda. They also managed to get the people to think the Ninku were the villains and had started the war. Fusuke looks like a child but he is the former captain of the first Ninku division. His mother was taken during the war and after the Ninku were defeated, he goes on a journey to find her. On his journey he meets Aicho and Touji, both also former Ninku captains, and together they fight against the imperial army that tries to kill the last remaining Ninkus. The ninku is a clan of extinct ninjas who command esoteric and powerful techniques, hence a lot of other groups are constantly trying to steal their techniques to take over the country. Their primary target is Fusuke, a weird looking kid but one of the most powerful Ninku ninja. Fusuke, together with other Ninku ninja with different specialties must fight those threat that caused the downfall of the Ninku clan. As expected, unlike prequel special, series benefits a lot from more developed characters and much better humor. It does not go further than amusing, though.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Chibi Maruko-chan (1995) ちびまる子ちゃん [Nippon Animation] (Finished 0/?) Tags: Shoujo School Comedy, Slice of Life Momoko Sakura is an elementary school student who likes popular idol Momoe Yamaguchi and mangas. She is often called "Chibi Maruko-chan" due to her young age and small size. She lives together with her parents, her grandparents and her elder sister in a little town. In school, she has many friends with whom she studies and plays together everyday, including her close pal, Tama-chan; the student committee members, Maruo-kun and Migiwa-san; and the B-class trio: 'little master' Hanawa-kun, Hamaji-Bu Taro and Sekiguchi-kun. This is a fun-loving and enjoyable anime that portrays the simple things in life. I'm actually surprised to know there's this sequel that lasts up to our days with over a thousand of episodes. But I hate dub and without subs I refuse to watch it completely. And I agree that prequel is superior to this sequel due to more complex visual style and that prequel deserves translators attention as first priority while this season can wait. Since there are no subbed episodes now, there's nothing to watch or discuss.   Overall Rating: 0/10

5. Ougon Yuusha Goldran The Brave of Gold Goldran 黄金勇者ゴルドラン [Sunrise] (Finished 3/48) Tags: Shounen Mecha Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Goldran follows the adventures of three young boys who are tasked with finding alien robot fighters, or Braves, that are sleeping in the form of crystals. Their major antagonist is the flamboyant and thoroughly incompetent Walter, and the villains that follow him are often similarly humorous. Just stop, Sunrise. You're hurting yourself and everyone around with all these fake shows looking totally the same.   Overall Rating: 4/10

6. Kuusou Kagaku Sekai Gulliver Boy Fantascience World Gulliver Boy 空想科学世界ガリバーボーイ [Toei Animation] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Mecha Action, Adventure, Fantasy Gulliver, a boy born with the ability to use magic was forced against his will to attend a magician school to improve his abilities to protect his city. He manages to escape just to find out that his home town was destroyed by the evil Judau's army. Judau personally kills his father and oaths to kill Gulliver as well. Meanwhile Gulliver and his friend Eddison rescue a girl named Misty who is running away from Judau. Along with a fairy named Phoebe, a lone wolf ninja named Gecko and an ancient ship; Gulliver and his friends set out on an adventure to defeat Judau and to discover the secrets of Atlantis. Only 11 episodes are translated so far. It feels like another Dragon Ball imitation, and not the best one.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Armitage III アミテージ・ザ・サード [AIC] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Detective, Mecha Action, Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi The year is 2046. Detective Ross Sylibus is transferred to Mars when a country singer on her flight is murdered. Making matters more complicated is that the singer is a "Third"—a robot that looks and feels like a human. Sylibus is partnered with Armitage—a beautiful female cop with a bad attitude. As they investigate the murder of the singer and other women on Mars, they uncover a conspiracy that can have them both killed by the Martian government. I love style and stage here, but without a good story it's just aimless development with poor directorship, open lines retained and a rushed unsatisfying ending. I have big hopes for sequels, but this original OVA is surprisingly shallow for a cyberpunk story .   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. DNA² OVA D・N・A2～何処かで失くしたあいつのアイツ～ (1995) [Madhouse] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Time Travel Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi Junta's great granddaughter goes back in time in order to make Junta stay as the Mega-Playboy so she can continue to exist. Along with her comes an old man with the intention of making Junta stay as the Mega-Playboy forever for his own purposes. When Junta starts getting attacked, he has no choice but to return to being the Mega-Playboy in order to protect his loved ones. If series was going downhill, OVA is the bottom point nullifying the whole direction of the series and accumulating all the bad traits.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Iczer-Girl Iczelion Iczelion [AIC] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi  Iczelion, the final entry in the "Icz" series, is a departure from the previous storyline in most resepcts. Throughout the galaxy, two villians destory and pillage anything in their path. Their names are Cross and Chaos, and they are ready to invade their next target: Earth. The only defense against these warriors are the Iczelions, a fusion of young girls, and Iczels, sentient body armor. Nagisa is a typical high school girl who is about to become the next Iczelion against her will, to defend the planet and save the human race! But not if she has anything to say about it... Prequel was horribly plain, but there's no limit to perfection or rather to aggravation.   Overall Rating: 4/10

10. Sotsugyou: Graduation Graduation 卒業~Graduation~ [animate Film] (Finished 2/2) Tags: School Drama Regardless of how students handle the many academic challenges facing them, they all know that there will come a day when they will leave all the hurdles of scholastic achievement behind and tackle the triumphs and sorrows of true adulthood. One thing that many young people don`t realize is that this often means leaving behind the friends that have been with them through their youth. A very simple slice anime based on even more simple visual novel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Makeruna! Makendou 負けるな！魔剣道  [OLM] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Comedy Makenko used to be a normal boy—until he was kidnapped by the brain monster Dr. Mud and transformed into a cyborg capable of destroying both the monster and human worlds! On his quest for vengeance, he is inadvertently joined by Makendo, a fellow monster hunter who would prefer not to be, and her little sister Hikari who would like nothing better! Dastardly demons and wacky monsters abound as the trio fight the bad guys to kick some monster butt, and get Makenko's body back! Since source is a game, no one bothers to explain anything here, and all the ridiculous stuff gets over in just 28 minutes. Oh, and it's ecchi.   Overall Rating: 4/10

12. Utsukushii Chikyuu wo Yogosanai de Cry for Our Beautiful World 美しい地球をよごさないで  [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Drama Nana is a 3rd grader who finds a strange picture book. She's able to jump into the book and be friends with the girl in it as they traveled around the work. She learns about the innocent cries of children all around the world suffering from pollution. The video has some live action segements. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

13. Atashi Tenshi Anata Akuma あたし天使あなた悪魔 [-] (Finished 0/2) Tags: Childcare  - Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

14. Slam Dunk: Shouhoku Saidai no Kiki! Moero Sakuragi Hanamichi スラムダンク 湘北最大の危機！燃えろ桜木花道 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen School, Team Sports After losing the titanic match against Kainan High, Team Shohoku and a newly shaven Hanamichi Sakuragi are challenged to an exhibition match by virtual basketball unknowns Ryoukufu High. Coach Anzai sees this as an opportunity for Shohoku to regain their confidence, but Ryoukufu are revealed to have a newly assembled championship calibre lineup and may give Sakuragi & Co their toughest test yet. Another movie that looks like a paired episode of the series.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. Marmalade Boy Movie ママレード・ボーイ (1995) [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Romance A prelude to Marmalade Boy the TV series. Yuu remembers the day when his parents decided to divorce each other and remarry with another married couple. Troubled by the news, Yuu decides to take a walk, on which he spots a girl he falls in love with at first sight. He decides to follow this unaware girl and falls more in love with her. However he discovers who the girl really is...she's the daughter of his parents' new lovers. 26 minutes makes it a single episode made for series fans.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Junkers Come Here ユンカース・カム・ヒア [Triangle Staff] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Slice of Life  Sixth grade student Hiromi Nozawa leads a troubled life. With her parents frequently absent due to work, one of her only companions is her talking dog, Junkers. Though Hiromi puts on a brave face for the public, the stark reality is that she is heavily stressed, and she shares this side of herself only with Junkers. After hearing that her parents are considering divorce, Hiromi's stress reaches an all-time high; at this time, Junkers reveals that he has the ability to make three miracles occur. Given the potential of this newfound power, Hiromi must wish carefully—as obtaining what she thinks she wants may end up hurting those she cares about most. It starts like Mikan , just with a cute talking dog who has to conceal from grown-ups that he can talk, then he says he can make three wishes come true, and then it's all about parents getting divorced and selfishness. It feels like Triangle Staff thought of itself as of Studio Ghibli, but just made a mess that I can't recommend to anyone for watching .   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Boku no Chikyuu wo Mamotte: Alice kara, Rin-kun e Please Save My Earth Movie: From Alice to Rin-kun ぼくの地球を守って～亜梨子から、輪くんへ～ [Production I.G] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Shoujo Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi Please Save My Earth Movie: From Alice to Rin-kun is a two-hour movie narrated by Alice, reminiscing on the events of the OVA as she is on her way to meet with Rin in a park. The "present day" scenes of Alice and Rin from the movie add scenes that were not present in the manga. Not found and happy about it.   Overall Rating: 0/10

18. Yamiyo no Jidaigeki 闇夜の時代劇 [Sunrise] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Historical Horror Tales include: The Hill of Old Age, which tells of a conspiracy hatched against Japan's unifier, Oda Nobunaga. Seeing the Truth, about the assassin sent to murder Nobunaga's successor leyasu Tokugawa. The broadcast was a part of the Neo Hyper Kids program. Not translated. First OVA episode is not anime despite the title. It's manga strips with voiceover. Second episode tries to use as little animation as possible and often turns into black and white. Since it's mostly talks, kinda useless to watch it without subs.    Overall Rating: 4/10

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