Anime of the Year 1996-III Summer - Akachan to Boku

Rather sour season again, but among the titles I find Akachan to Boku as the most deserving one

1. Akachan to Boku Baby and Me 赤ちゃんと僕 [Pierrot] (Finished 3/35) Tags: Shoujo Childcare Comedy, Drama Takuya Enoki is living a difficult life for a fifth grader. His mother passed away in a tragic car accident a few months ago, forcing him to pick up the slack and take care of his baby brother, Minoru, as his father works the endless hours typical of a Japanese salaryman. He will have to sacrifice his childhood in order to meet the needs of his little brother. Cooking, cleaning, worrying, and trying to discipline Minoru are some of the tasks Takuya will have on his plate, all while their neighbors blame him for Minoru’s constant crying. Meanwhile, he will watch as his friends live their carefree lives, enjoying their free time. It will not be easy and there will be plenty of stumbling blocks, but along the way, he may actually learn the true meaning of family. Spirit is similar to Mama wa Shougaku 4 Nensei, focus is on cuteness , emotions and nostalgy. Sadly , it's not the things that interest me in anime. A very well done anime, and if you choose it voluntarily with appropriate mood,  you'll definitely enjoy it. But without the right mood it's just lots of crying , emotions and simple events with simple thoughts, so not exactly my type.   Overall Rating: 6/10

2. Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所 (1996) [Gallop] (Finished 3/373) Tags: Comedy Adult Cast, Detective, Gag Humor Ryoutsu, being an underpaid policeman, is always coming up with underhanded schemes in order to make a quick buck. But in the end, his plans (which are ridiculous to begin with) always go wrong and land him in big trouble with the chief. Funny enough series, but not so much because of the humor, but just because of the concept of mischievous policeman which is hardly possible nowadays.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Ganbarist! Shun ガンバリスト! 駿 [Sunrise] (Finished 3/30) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Sports First-year high school student Fujimaki Shun has a dream of becoming an olympic gold medalist as a gymnast. Having no previous training, Shun trusts his passion, boldly joins the gymnastics club, and sets out to pursue his goal. Along the way, he meets his share of entertaining and supportive upper classmen, develops a romantic interest in his classmate, and learns about the happiness involved in devoting yourself to a sport. Why Sunrise is always taking most simple concepts that only visionary would be able to save... And Sunrise are diligent conveyor workers and definitely not visionaries. It results in pretty average comedy spokon.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Tetsuwan Birdy Birdy the Mighty 鉄腕バーディー [Madhouse] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Shounen  Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi Tsutomu, an average middle school kid busy studying for the final exams to enter high school runs into a man running from someone and gets caught up in the chase. In all the confusion he gets accidentally killed. Luckily Birdy (an interplanetary agent) knows a way to save him, unfortunately that means joining bodies to become one. So now he is stuck with this officer and along for the ride capturing criminals and saving lives. Last time I watched it many years ago, it impressed me enough for a masterpiece score. Nowadays... it's still sincere and innovative enough, but it's just not enough to enjoy it anymore .   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Slayers Special Slayers: The Book of Spells スレイヤーズすぺしゃる [J.C.Staff] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Shounen Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Supernatural In these three self-contained half-hour stories, Lina Inverse and her partner, Naga The Serpent, take on a variety of jobs for quick cash, food, and/or their own skins. The first episode, "The Scary Chimera Plan," puts them against a lunatic magician who intends to use Lina to create a fearsome, spell-slinging monster. Then, in "Jeffry's Knighthood," they're hired by an overprotective mother to see that her son - a young man barely capable of holding a sword - becomes a respected knight, by "helping" him fight off the marauding soldiers terrorizing the area. Finally, "Mirror, Mirror" puts the two in a race to hunt down and capture (for bounty, of course) a rogue sorceror who's found an ancient artifact that can create loyal duplicates of anything or anyone, including his enemies. Still good, still not good enough.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Byston Well Monogatari: Garzey no Tsubasa Garzey's Wing バイストン・ウェル物語 ガーゼィの翼 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Isekai Action, Fantasy Christopher "Chris" Chiaki is an easygoing guy who keeps failing his college entrance exams well into his mid-twenties. His days are occupied with Kendo practice, visits to his family's shrine, and dreaming of his high school reunion. When his spirit is suddenly transported to the world of Byston Well, Chris becomes Garzey's Wing, a legendary holy warrior. The Metomeus tribe summoned him to help liberate them from slavery, but unfortunately, Chris has no knowledge on how to be a holy warrior, and moreover, only has an incredibly dull sword which he salvaged from a corpse. To make matters more complicated, there is another Chris who is still in the normal world! He cannot control the events in Byston Well, but is tied to the fate of the other Chris. The young man must struggle and adventure in a world of magical creatures and mysterious foreigners. Since it's spin-off of Aura Battler Dunbine, it kinda feels like one, just without mecha this time. But all the other flaws are present - rushed narration, bland characters, needless real-life guy dimension, lack of logic and explanation.   Overall Rating: 4/10

7. Blue Seed 2 ブルーシード 2 [Production I.G, Xebec] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Ecchi A renegade scientist in San Francisco has found a way to create a new creature called a Neo-Aragami without the power of Susanoo. When these monsters start to terrorize California, the U.S. turns to the old members of the Terrestrial Administration Center (TAC) for help. It has become just action with new monsters and a new character. No pressure involved and inferior in all elements compared to original.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Shadow Skill (1996) 影技 SHADOW SKILL [Zero-G Room] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Shounen Martial Arts, Super Power Adventure, Drama, Fantasy In a war torn world of deadly conflict, one small group of heroes stands against the forces of darkness, armed only with two weapons—their unswerving dedication to good and the superhuman martial art known as the Shadow Skill... Perhaps only slightly better than previous Shadow Skill OVA. Same epic fighting action is in the core, hard to even follow the plot as it tags behind .   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Choujin Gakuen Gowcaizer: The Voltage Fighters Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer 超人学園ゴウカイザー　ＴＨＥ　ＶＯＬＴＡＧＥ　ＦＩＧＨＴＥＲＳ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Shounen Martial Arts Action, Sci-Fi, Ecchi It is the dawn of the 21st century. The cataclysmic earthquake which reduced half of Tokyo to a broken landscape of twisted steel and shattered stone was only the first sign of the impending apocalypse. Athletic and popular, Isato Kaiza was an otherwise ordinary student. But nothing could've prepared him for the day he was given a Caizer Stone by fellow student Kash , alias Hellstinger. Armed with the mysterious crystal, Isato now possesses the power to transform into the armored hero: Gowcaizer! To save the Earth, Gowcaizer and Hellstinger must join forces against Omni Exist, the manifestation of all negative human desires, and the force behind the recent disasters, before the entity obliterates the human race! Beat em Up game adaptation, so as usual there's rather simple story and at the same time some alien infodumping. Feels random and just boring.   Overall Rating: 4/10

10. Maze☆Bakunetsu Jikuu Maze: The Mega-Burst Space OVA MAZE☆爆熱時空 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Shounen Magical Sex Shift, Mecha Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Maze has gained incredible powers traveling through time and space, but she has also acquired one rather large problem: every night she turns into a really horny man. Unfortunately, Maze must rescue an equally lascivious princess from a mysterious warrior cult. Still, the male version of Maze would rather be chasing tail than rescuing willing princesses. Ecchi>Comedy>everything else including story in this anime. Without real plot I don't know what to evaluate here.   Overall Rating: 4/10

11. Shin Hurricane Polymar 新・破裏拳ポリマー  [J.C.Staff, Tatsunoko Production] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Martial Arts, Super Power Action, Sci-Fi Remake of old superhero show of the same name. Godawful remake of a trashy ancient series.   Overall Rating: 3/10

12. Twin Signal: Family Game Twin Signal TWIN SIGNAL~ファミリーゲーム~ [Tokyo Kids] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Mecha Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi  Signal, a robot companion built for Nobuhiko, is attacked by Pulse, one the its creator's previous prototypes. Reprogrammed by Dr. Otoi's mysterious rival, Pulse is loaded down with weapons and sent on a mission by Otoi: steal the most recent robot technology, and obliterate anything that gets in his way. Show's super primitive, most of the time is devoted to unsophisticated humor.   Overall Rating: 4/10

13. Jigokudou Reikai Tsuushin 地獄堂霊界通信 [Toei Video] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Fantasy, Horror  Tetsushi, Ryouchin and Shiina are a youthful trio not to be trifled with; they have a fearsome reputation. One day they decide to enter Jingkudou, a store which is rumored to be the gateway to Hell, the storekeeper sure is creepy enough. He tells them a story and after that they decide, with a magical token provided by the storekeeper, to try and find the restless spirit of a murder victim in order to give her release. This is only the start of their supernatural career... Some horror stories with distinctive manga-resembling style, among its rivals above average, but I can't appreciate this genre .   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Eiyuu Banka Koushi-den 英雄挽歌 孔子傳  [NHK] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Historical Adventure, Drama, Romance Born in the Chinese state of Lu in 551 B.C., Confucius is raised by his mother after his father dies when he is only three. He marries at 19 and enters the service of the local nobility. At 32, he becomes tutor to the Prince of Lu's children, eventually becoming a politician at 51. His career peaks are the roles of Lu's justice minister and eventually prime minister. The land prospers for four years, but Confucius grows disenchanted with court intrigues. For the following 12 years, he wanders the neighboring states, offering advice to their rulers. Just a biography, indeed.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. X/1999 X - The Movie エックス, X/1999 [Madhouse] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shoujo Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Supernatural At the millennial edge, the concluding battle for humanity's future is staged. Kamui Shirou's destiny has been decided as he returns to Tokyo to face his ultimate challenge. The Dragon of Heaven, defenders of the Earth, stand ready to protect the world from the Dragon of Earth, the seven angels of legend, who embrace the devastation of the planet to bring about its purification. Now Kamui must decide which side to fight for although he finds the idea utterly unappealing. It isn't until realizing that his two childhood friends, Fuma and Kotori Monou, are in grievous peril that Kamui decides to step into his fated position in the climactic struggle of the Year of Destiny: 1999. 1999 was sometimes referred as the year of the end of the world, and this is eschatological fight with mostly just cool imagery like blood, mass destruction in the night city, angels etc etc. It only has visual value, as for me, because plot is just fighting of someone with someone else through magic, psi or similar means.   Overall Rating: 5/10

16. Slayers Return スレイヤーズRETURN [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy The inhabitants of the village of Biaz, forced to labor in the serivce of the world-domination-happy Zein organization, hires Lina Inverse and Naga The Serpent to drive off the invaders. Lina and Naga agree, lured by stories of Elfin treasure sleeping below Biaz, only to get considerably more trouble -from the Zein and from the treasure - than they ever expected. Can't say I'm impressed with the story, but at least animation quality is probably highest for the franchise.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Jigoku Sensei Nube (Movie) Hell Teacher Nube 地獄先生ぬ〜べ〜 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen School Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Supernatural Kumiko Ijima who is one of Nube's students recognizes that a man in a local park is really a criminal wanted for murder when she remembers drawing his face from the wanted photos posted by the police. Kumiko warns her classmate Kyoko while at the same time the man discovers the drawing with the name initials "K.I." written on Kumiko's drawing portfolio and briefly sees that Kumiko wears a red ribbon in her hair. The cops chase the criminal who crashes his car into a seal where a demon takes control over his soul. The demon is now on a killing rampage to find any girl that wears a red ribbon whose name initials are "K.I.". Just twice longer than usual episode of the series.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Futari no Oujisama The Two Princes 二人の王子さま [Toei Animation] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Fantasy, Slice of Life  On the island of Jambe, Subarna, an introverted boy, is given a magic crown and, with the help of the crown, soon becomes the people's hero known kind heartedness. This enrages Rupia, the island's young prince, who has Subarna arrested. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

19. Maya no Isshou マヤの一生 [Mushi Production] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Drama, Slice of Life Historical - Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

20. Angel ga Tonda Hi エンジェルがとんだ日 [E&G Films] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life  A heart-warming story depicting the day-to-day life full of laughter and tears as a mother copes with her children. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

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