Anime of the Year 1999-IV Fall - Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku

Lots of nice works at the turn of centuries with my choice being Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku , Blue Gender and Seraphim Call ,

1. One Piece   [Toei Animation] (Finished 6/?) Tags: Shounen Action, Adventure, Fantasy Gol D. Roger was known as the "Pirate King," the strongest and most infamous being to have sailed the Grand Line. The capture and execution of Roger by the World Government brought a change throughout the world. His last words before his death revealed the existence of the greatest treasure in the world, One Piece. It was this revelation that brought about the Grand Age of Pirates, men who dreamed of finding One Piece—which promises an unlimited amount of riches and fame—and quite possibly the pinnacle of glory and the title of the Pirate King. Enter Monkey D. Luffy, a 17-year-old boy who defies your standard definition of a pirate. Rather than the popular persona of a wicked, hardened, toothless pirate ransacking villages for fun, Luffy's reason for being a pirate is one of pure wonder: the thought of an exciting adventure that leads him to intriguing people and ultimately, the promised treasure. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, Luffy and his crew travel across the Grand Line, experiencing crazy adventures, unveiling dark mysteries and battling strong enemies, all in order to reach the most coveted of all fortunes—One Piece. I could never understand appeal of action shounens and even had to listen to some anime podcasts to see what's there to like and be excited about. Can't say I got articulate answers - just good visuals, fast pacing, lots of cool special fighting moves, confrontation between parties of extraordinary strength and aura, great character interaction. It all amounts to zero, because, as for me, it's just aimless adventure that develops in cycles with different enemies and character arcs horizontally and keeps attention only by self-reflection or by forged links between characters. Watched three episodes from the start and three newest ones, and it's all really bad. And One Piece does not even provide positive effect unlike Naruto or Hunter x Hunter - it's what appeals to lowly qualities in viewers personalities and as supposed mainstream has a negative impact on the industry overall as it spawns imitators in search for a quick buck. Basically, for me One Piece and similar brainless shounens are the new mecha - artifact of history that clings to some ancient illusionary fame and that just keeps going by inertia, because it satisfies nostalgy feelings of both providing and receiving sides.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Hunter x Hunter HUNTER×HUNTER（ハンター×ハンター） [Nippon Animation] (Finished 4/62) Tags: Shounen Action, Adventure, Fantasy Hunters are specialized in a wide variety of fields, ranging from treasure hunting to cooking. They have access to otherwise unavailable funds and information that allow them to pursue their dreams and interests. However, being a hunter is a special privilege, only attained by taking a deadly exam with an extremely low success rate. Gon Freecss, a 12-year-old boy with the hope of finding his missing father, sets out on a quest to take the Hunter Exam. Along the way, he picks up three companions who also aim to take the dangerous test: the revenge-seeking Kurapika, aspiring doctor Leorio Paladiknight, and a mischievous child the same age as Gon, Killua Zoldyck. Hunter x Hunter is a classic shounen that follows the story of four aspiring hunters as they embark on a perilous adventure, fighting for their dreams while defying the odds. I heard that Hunter x Hunter had healing effect on some people, and it's understandable as HxH has a lot of human dimension and tries to be anti-brainless while still staying shounen. Compared to One Piece, HxH has actual story and ending, does not get to overpowered stage , limits the number of characters rather than expanding eternally, concentrates on relations between main characters , does not try be flashy or cool. It's rather continuation of Yu Yu Hakusho tradition in a new unique world and younger protagonist who still learns things. Of course, for me story is too abstract, protagonist too childish, pace too slow, setting too mundane, attitude too naïve and companions rather average, but I'm not the target audience and it's the genre I don't like overall. Still, I can at least understand the appeal.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Initial D Second Stage 頭文字〈イニシャル〉D SECOND STAGE [Pastel] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Seinen Racing Action, Drama Accumulating an impressive series of victories with his AE86, Takumi Fujiwara has imposed himself as street racing's newest rising star. However, his newly found confidence of winning at his home turf of Mount Akina has been put in jeopardy by a new Emperor team exclusively using a car model favored by most professional racing pilots: the Mitsubishi four-wheel drive Lancer Evolutions—also known as Lan Evos. The Emperor team leader, Kyouichi Sudou, looks down on Takumi and regards him as an inferior pilot for driving an antique car that lacks the makings of a true modern race car. Kyouichi's elitist philosophy is also the reason why his team is only made of Lan Evo drivers. Will Takumi be able to keep his perfect track record intact against the highly skilled and mechanically superior Emperor team, or does his hot streak end here? Only goofy emotionless protagonist duo with super-emotional buddy makes this franchise stand out as special, like manzai comedy. That's not enough to enjoy it, and all the competition part is alien to me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku Now and Then, Here and There 今、そこにいる僕 [AIC] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Isekai, Military Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi Shuuzou "Shuu" Matsutani lives his ordinary life in peace. He has friends, a crush, and a passion for kendo. Dejected after losing to his kendo rival, Shuu climbs a smokestack to watch the sunset where he finds Lala-Ru, a quiet, blue-haired girl wearing a strange pendant. Shuu attempts to befriend her, despite her uninterested, bland responses. However, his hopes are crushed when a woman, accompanied by two serpentine machines, appear out of thin air with one goal in mind: capture Lala-Ru. Shuu, bull-headed as he is, tries to save his new friend from her kidnappers and is transported to a desert world, unlike anything he has ever seen before. Yet, despite the circumstances, Shuu only thinks of saving Lala-Ru, until he is thoroughly beaten up by some soldiers. As he soon finds out, Lala-Ru can manipulate water and her pendant is the source from which she is able to bring forth the liquid, a scarce commodity in his new environment. But now, the pendant is lost, and Shuu is the prime suspect. Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku is the haunting story of a dystopian world, and of Shuu, who has to endure torture, hunger, and the horrors of war in order to save the lonely girl he found sitting atop a smokestack. Watched it as a part of dystopia anime run. It has a lot of Future boy Conan vibes and just like it also strikes as dealing with heights too much. It really impressed me that time, less so now, but I generally don't enjoy rewatching things that I still have enough recollections of. Such short unique dystopia story with enough emotional charge definitely deserves to be pointed out as masterpiece, but the final score should be calculated in comparison with closest rival Future boy Conan... and just can't rate Ima, Soko ni Iru Boku any lower as themes are more serious and grown-up here.   Overall Rating: 8/10

5. Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel♥Saga Excel Saga へっぽこ実験アニメーション エクセル♥サーガ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/26) Tags: Seinen Gag Humor, Parody Comedy, Sci-Fi It's hard to take over the world, and the enigmatic Il Palazzo, head of the ACROSS organization, knows this, so he aims to start small by conquering the city of Fukuoka. Two young officers, the Excel and her partner Hyatt, are tasked with executing this plan, but standing in their way are the City Security workers, a group consisting of three (mostly) normal guys, a very severe girl, and some robots. Regardless of simplicity, Excel and Hyatt always manage to screw up their missions, which usually result in death and lots of destruction. Heppoko Jikken Animation Excel♥Saga chronicles the elaborate troubles that the ACROSS officers get themselves into, as Excel and Hyatt never fail to do their jobs improperly. It might be the best known absurd anime out there. I tried to watch it at least twice, another attempt now did not do any good as well. Just nonsense.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. The Big O THEビッグオー [Sunrise] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Mecha, Psychological Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi Paradigm City, a city of amnesia and a place of belonging. It remains populated by forgotten pasts and the ruins of their labors due to a calamity 40 years ago. Shrouded in a fog-like mystery, it is up to people like Roger Smith to shine a light through the mist. Acting as a professional negotiator and suave agent, Roger is a self-tailored ladies man whose only love is for funeral black. However, as he gets deeply involved with his clients, what often starts as a simple negotiation evolves into Roger saving Paradigm from crime and peril. In the process, Roger stumbles even deeper into the untold folds of the city. As a rule, things are hardly ever as they appear. Serving as gray knight in a gray world, Roger is not without allies. By his side are Norman, a loyal and widely skilled butler, and Dorothy, a human-like android with deadpan snark. Together with the relic Big O, a jet-black mecha of gargantuan size and weight, they help Roger serve iron justice to Paradigm's lurking villains as he discovers the truth about 40 years ago. I see this  show as yet another reinvention of Gigantor with aesthetics coming from Batman. Just episodic stories with detective context. It's difficult to understand what's here to like. And if you like style here, better watch original Batman.   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Blue Gender  [AIC] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Mecha, Military, Space Adventure, Drama, Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi Blue Gender takes place in the not too distant future in a world where things have gone terribly wrong for humanity. Humans have been replaced at the top of the food chain by the Blue, a race of bug-like aliens that have colonized Earth and pushed humans aside. A space station, Second Earth, has been constructed as a safe haven for humans, with the hope of one day reclaiming the Earth once more. Yuji Kaido was cryogenically frozen, having been suffering from a disease known as B-Cells. Once awakened, he joins a team of soldiers that have come to Earth to extract him. Unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan as they make their way back to Second Earth. Yuji will have to deal with the horrors of fighting a bloody war as he and the fighters from Second Earth look to survive. Will they be able to win back Earth without losing their humanity? I watched it all twice now, and I liked it both times, but memory cut the first insignificant half. Episode 1-9 is just getting lost and sidetracked, three more episodes is to reunite again, so real story only starts from episode 14. It's a unique experience of post-apocalyptic full of despair struggle against invaders, something like Starship Troopers on the brink of full conquest of the Earth. I can't even consider it mecha as enemies are monsters and battle suits are just armored vehicles and it could be some tanks, plus there are a lot of battles with just guns and no mecha. Sadly, in the end story goes easy and convenient way rather than hard way that Muv Luv Alternative later went, but that's all the hints I can give. Due to needless first half and quite much mental instability can't give it a score higher than borderline masterpiece.   Overall Rating: 7/10

8. Zoids ゾイド [Xebec] (Finished 3/67) Tags: Mecha Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi In a remote desert on the Planet Zi, a boy named Van discovers an abandoned, dilapidated facility. Inside, he finds an opaque cocoon that breaks on its own, and a dinosaur-like robot known as an "Organoid" emerges from the shell. Van names the creature Zeke and claims it for himself, but a group of bandits come after him to seize the Organoid. The bandits are equipped with "Zoids," beast-like mechanical units that are used for combat. Van is able to fend off his pursuers by reviving and fusing with an old Zoid dubbed the "Shield Liger." Van returns to the facility with Zeke in tow and finds a new cocoon. He is ecstatic that he may have obtained another Organoid, but when the cocoon breaks, a girl emerges from it instead. Unaware of her origins, the girl only remembers that her name is Fiona and that she has to locate an object called the "Zoid Eve." Determined to solve the mystery behind her existence, Fiona ventures out alongside Van and Zeke to uncover what the Zoid Eve truly is. The trio runs across many friends and foes in their adventure, encountering various dangers and experiencing slices of light-heartedness as they travel. It's an easygoing mecha about kid controlling robot pets in forms of CGI beasts and fighting some stereotypical baddies controlling similar mecha... actual episodes are even worse than it sounds.   Overall Rating: 4/10

9. Mugen no Ryvius Infinite Ryvius 無限のリヴァイアス [Sunrise] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Mecha, Military, Psychological, Space  Drama, Sci-Fi The year is AD 2225. Kouji Aiba and Aoi Housen are serving as astronauts in-training in Liebe Delta which is located on the edge of the Geduld Sea. When saboteurs with unknown intents suddenly strike during a routine dive procedure, the space station plummets into the Geduld, a plasma field that links all the planets like a nervous system and crushes any ship that strays too far into it. With all the adults onboard killed, the young astronauts will have to survive this long journey home in midst of the growing tension amongst each other. Meanwhile the organizers of the sabotage look on and prepare to attack once more. Watched it long ago, because it resembled space opera, and those memories are ambiguous at best. In fact it's another interpretation of Vifam, just with teenagers in place of pre-school kids. Some cool teenagers dealing maturely with arising problems sounds like a good concept , but teenagers here are rather bland or stereotypical , and a huge amount of time everyone just shouts at each other or has some emotional outbursts. Such story needs some solid source material to add uniqueness, but Sunrise original is something that guarantees exactly the opposite - all kinds of cliché.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Koutetsu Tenshi Kurumi Steel Angel Kurumi 鋼鉄天使くるみ [OLM] (Finished 3/24) Tags: Historical, Mecha, Military Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance During Japan's Taisho Era (1912-1926), a scientist named Ayanokoji developed the Steel Angel - an artificial humanoid with superhuman physical abilities. While the Imperial Army wanted to use the Steel Angel as a new means of modern warfare, Ayanokoji wanted his creation to be a new step in the future of mankind. Thus, he defied orders from the Army and secretly made the Steel Angel codenamed "Kurumi". Then one day, a young boy named Nakahito Kagura snuck into Ayanokoji's house as a dare by his friends and stumbled upon Kurumi's lifeless body. A sudden attack by the Imperial Army shook the house, causing Kurumi to fall on Nakahito. At that moment, their lips met, and Kurumi woke up from "the kiss that started a miracle". Our usual boy suddenly getting an android girl plot, but this time in the beginning of 20th century, just for a change. Random adventure, attacking mecha and lots of fanservice ensues .   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Majutsushi Orphen: Revenge 魔術士オーフェンRevenge [J.C.Staff] (Finished 3/23) Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy  Orphen and his gang has set out on an all new adventure with many monsters to battle and no peace and quiet. But a new friend has joined the group. Her name Lycorus who was sent to find Orphen. Many mysterious shadows are overhanging over head. Need to like prequel, but I prefer 2020 remake.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. Jibaku-kun Bucky: The Incredible Kid ジバクくん [Trans Arts] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy  Bucky, the protagonist of the history, is a normal boy that lives in the first world. He lives with a single and humble ambition: to dominate the world (in the sense of the whole planet). He is very certain and he would certainly die to reach his dream. One day he meets with Spark, the Great Child of Primas (World One). Spark is known as the strongest Great Child of all of the worlds, and he is a successor's search. After finding Bucky and talk a little with him, Spark without apparent reason choose Bucky his successor. Bucky has just become a Great Child and to win the company of Jibaki, the spirit of the first world. Not translated to English. Has quite a lot of nonsense humor, so does not look like I could enjoy it.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Karakuri Zoushi Ayatsuri Sakon 人形草紙あやつり左近 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Shounen Horror, Mystery, Suspense The dark-haired bishounen is Sakon Tachibana, a puppeteer, and the other is Ukon, his favorite puppet, and best friend. Sakon is the (only) grandson of Saemon Tachibana, a national treasure of Japan famous for his manipulation of Bunraku puppets. Ukon is a child doll puppet made in the early Meiji era by the famous female dollmaker Unosuke. Together they run into murders and solve them. Detective with more exotic coating. Need to appreciate the genre to comment on it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Cybersix サイバーシックス [Telecom Animation Film] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Action, Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi  Anime based upon the original Argentine graphic novel series of the same name. The story follows the titular character who is a genetically engineered super-soldier; one of the creations of Dr. Von Reichter's diabolic experiments. (The fictional) Von Reichter is actually a former Nazi who conducted horrendous experiments during the second world war. He flees to South America where he continues his experiments which culminate in the creation of the "Cybers," one of which happens to be Cybersix. However, since the Cybers exhibit free will at an young age (an undesired trait), Von Reichter destroys all the Cybers to prevent a rebellion. In the present day, Cybersix is one of the Cybers who managed to escape and is living a quiet life under the alias of "Adrian Seidelman"; however, she finds out that her survival is dependent on a special substance that Von Reichter created and thus she is forced to hunt down the "Technos," a newer generation of super-soldiers created by him, in order to survive. Unintentionally, in the process, Cybersix becomes a superhero protecting the world from Dr. Von Reichter's creations and his evil plans. It's more of western show with western roots, western looking animation and designs, only official dub available and no subs. Compared to other typical western action animations, this one is indeed above average, but I'm not fan of western animation and its consistently horrible dub. At all.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. Chikyuu Bouei Kigyou Dai-Guard Dai-Guard: Terrestrial Defense Corp. 地球防衛企業ダイ・ガード [Xebec] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Mecha, Military Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi Thirteen years after their sudden disappearance, an alien race known as the Heterodyne resurface without warning. To combat the Heterodyne, three office workers from the 21st Century Security Corporation operate Dai-Guard - a giant robot no longer regarded as an oversized paperweight. Unfortunately, Dai-Guard is somewhat obsolete and in disrepair. It's a tough job, but salarymen can also save the world. It's basically a parody on old mecha with some interesting findings and character interactions, but it does not stop to be just monster of the week mecha.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Cyborg Kuro-chan サイボーグクロちゃん [Studio Bogey] (Finished 3/66) Tags: Comedy, Sci-Fi  Kuro is just an ordinary cat who only wants to protect his owners who are an old couple that can't fend for themselves. One day while on a date with his girlfriend Pooly who is a dog, he is kidnapped by an evil scientist and turned into a robot. Kuro somehow removes the chip that controlled him and notices that people get scared with his new robotic appearance and that he can now talk like a human. He decides to disguise himself with the skin of a stuffed toy and to continue living as a pet. Partly translated. Rather absurd and simply drawn anthropomorphic comedy that I can't emphasize with.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Wild Arms: Twilight Venom Wild Arms ワイルドアームズ トワイライトヴェノム [Bee Train] (Finished 5/22) Tags: Vampire Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi This anime is based on a playstation game under the same title. The story is about four people who travel the desolated land of Filgaea and carve themselves a legendary story while they're at it. These adventurers are Sheyenne Rainstorm, a gunslinger who holds the legendary weapon called ARMs; Kiel Aromax, a scientist who looks like he should be carrying a sword; Roleta Oratorio the Crest Sorceress, a magic-user who uses cards called Crests to cast spells; and Mirabelle Graceland, one of the Noble Red, which are a family of vampiric creatures who live alongside human beings They also travel with cute little intelligent furry things, from the Popepi Pipepo Tribe, named Isaac and Jerusha. Source material is RPG game, so tempo is horrible and there's a lot of side-tracking from the already inarticulate story. Don't see anything for motivation to cling to.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Trouble Chocolate トラブルチョコレート  [AIC] (Finished 3/20) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi Cacao, a student at Micro Grand Academy, wakes up one morning to find a girl made of wood sleeping in bed with him. She is Hinano, a tree spirit who possessed the body of a wooden puppet after Cacao messed up his magic teacher's spell. Having taken an instant liking to Cacao, Hinano enrolls in his school. Between Hinano, monsters, two strange twins and their four-eyed cat master, a demon boy, odd teachers and students, and the fact that he may have the potential to be one of the greatest magic users of all time, Cacao's life seems to have taken several turns for the worse...and the weird. Another stereotypical boy finds a girl in his house anime. At the very least it's a parody that tries to present stupidity as self-irony.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Seraphim Call セラフィムコール [Sunrise] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi  Eleven young hearts with eleven dreams. Deep in their hearts, each girl has a secret dream of love and sadness. They meet together at Acropolis Tower to see if their dreams will come true. Imagine what happens when eleven average girls with eleven special talents join together to make the world a better place. I usually don't like anthologies, but for some reason I used to call this one 10/10. Now I still appreciate mind play, breaking of 4th wall , crazy stunt in 5-6 episodes, nice life lesson in 3rd episode, just varied cases of overcoming psychological barriers. It all deserves a minor masterpiece, and coming from a person who hates anthologies, that means something.   Overall Rating: 7/10

20. Mirai Shounen Conan 2: Taiga Daibouken Future Boy Conan 2: River Adventure 未来少年コナンII　タイガアドベンチャー [Nippon Animation] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi  An adventure story about "Ooparts Egg" and a huge stone statue called "Oobats" which was excavated from the remains of ancient times around two thousand years ago. Taiga travels around the world with his father, archeologist Dr. Daino. They come to South America to investigate ancient ruins discovered by treasure hunters. There they find a stone statue of a gigantic bird which is more than 50 meters long. How was this statue made more than 20,000 years ago? Who made it and for what purpose? To their surprise, the stone bird wakes up and flies away before their very eyes. They discover that this stone bird is called "Oobats" and that when it has "Ooparts Egg", it becomes a dangerous weapon which could destroy the whole universe. The stone bird in the ruins wakes up and flies away to seek Ooparts Egg! Taiga must not allow this to happen... Just one episode is translated, and - honestly - there's no will to watch it further. It's something like child Indiana Jones with Western drawing now and zero connection to original Future Boy Conan.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Rerere no Tensai Bakabon レレレの天才バカボン [Pierrot] (Finished 3/24) Tags: Gag Humor  Comedy This story contains a lot of humor and edgy jokes that attract an audience ranging from toddlers to adults. Bakabon and his father turn common sense on its head. After all, common sense, that we take for granted, is frequently nonsensical, but comical. Bakabon's father has his own philosophy and he leaves no stone unturned in his quest for answers. Bakabon joins him in his philosophical quests which drive the people in their town crazy. Not translated. It's the best version of Bakabon that I've seen so far, but there are a lot of versions ahead, even with translation.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Shuukan Storyland 週刊ストーリーランド [Satelight] (Finished 2/56) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life This was an anthology program containing several different anime each week along with some non-animated segments. Several of the animated films were short series including: Nazo no Rouba [謎の老婆] (tvss), Meibugyou Bun-san [名奉行・文さん], Jo Keibu Jinguuji Youko [女警部・神宮寺葉子], Remon Suzumori's Soudanjo [鈴森なんでも相談所]. Only two episodes seem to be translated. Both look very much like Laughting Salesman as mysterious item with wonderful power is bought and in the end it turns for the worse.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Gozonji! Gekkou Kamen-kun ごぞんじ！月光仮面くん  [Actas, TMS Entertainment] (Finished 0/25) Tags: Parody Comedy, Sci-Fi  Gekkou Kamen is retired on the moon, so his trusty motorbike returns to Earth to find a new hero to take over the job of defending the Earth from alien invaders. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

24. Weiß Kreuz OVA Knight Hunters OVA Weiß Kreuz ヴァイスクロイツ [Triangle Staff, animate Film] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Action, Drama  Someone out there is determined to see the fall of Weiss Kreuz, and it looks like they have found the perfect plan for it. The four assassins find themselves trapped in a deadly game of deceit, where the question of honor versus duty comes to surface. Now they must fight for their own reasons to survive--and there can be only be one victor in this field of death. Could not tolerate series for long, but why not refresh impression with OVA. Have to say that at such advanced stage action feels much better. It' still a simple revenge story, so far from enjoyable.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran Sakura Wars 2: Return of the Spirit Warriors サクラ大戦 轟華絢爛 [Radix] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Mecha, Performing Arts Adventure, Sci-Fi, Slice of Life The end of the demon wars has ended and now the Flower Division has been able to rest up after their fighting. The second Sakura Wars developes studies on every Flower Division Combatee in every episode while they go on their miscellanious adventures around Japan. So let's wrap it up. First season was useless because it only finalized gathering of the team. Now second season is useless again, because it's a pause now and time to concentrate on the team again. Does it have any story at all? Because I'm starting to have second thoughts. Basically, one more filler season that can be safely skipped.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Pia Carrot e Youkoso!! 2 DX Pia キャロット へ ようこそ!! 2 DX [Garyuu Studio] (Finished 6/6) Tags: Comedy, Romance  Kouji wants to work part-time, so, when he saw a cute girl with the Pia Carrot uniform, he tried to get a job there. When he's on the way, he accidentally bumped Azusa, and with some misunderstanding, they literally hate each other. What is the surprise of Kouji when he finds that she also got a job in the Pia Carrot, facing her daily. But as time passes, he will discover that 'hate' is not the appropriate word to describe his feelings... If fulfils role of easygoing cute romcom just right, but best to approach it in the fitting mood.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Kaitouranma The Animation 快刀乱麻 THE ANIMATION  [animate Film] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Martial Arts, Samurai Action, Adventure It is the late Edo period, and there are many who desire to usurp the Tokugawa shogunate. Shinjuro Tateoka is the unassuming son of a notable dojo's leader. When his father Tessyusai is suddenly sent on a mission by the shogunate, the dojo's management falls into Shinjuro's hands. After losing most of its regular students, the dojo welcomes several young girls into its walls. Despite the changes, life at the swordsmanship school is surprisingly peaceful—until the shogunate calls upon all prominent dojos to patrol the city following a slew of burglaries. Now facing a group of cunning thieves who seem to have greater aims than just stealing a few treasures, Shinjuro struggles to find a balance between his exciting life with beautiful women and the needs of the government. Game had too difficult systems, so I'm glad there is anime. Dojo management story during Tokugawa coup was well within expectations range - decent.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Choushin Hime Dangaizer 3 超神姫ダンガイザー3 [KSS] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Sci-Fi, Ecchi 10,000 years ago, acting as judge, jury and executioner, Dangaizer sealed the fate of mankind by reducing it to ashes. Slowly, mankind rebuilt their civilization and once again stands at its peak. Hiding amongst the survivors of mankind, the evil organization of Goma lies in wait for the return of Dangaizer. This time, it’s a race to stop the awakening of the 3 that can pilot Dangaizer and subjugate the world to their rule. Will the 3rd pilot learn her true destiny and awaken in time, or will the world find a new destiny in the hands of Goma? Can't remember mecha with ecchi elements, so it might be first such fusion. And it looks a bit off as girls have to fight other girls in a flashy way and mecha opposes other mecha.   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. Street Fighter Zero The Animation ストリートファイターZERO THE ANIMATION  [Plum] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Martial Arts, Super Power Action, Drama Ryu, the current Street Fighter champion, must overcome the power of the "Dark Hadou" which consumed Akuma, the brother of his sensei, Gouken. Plus, he deals with the unexpected arrival of Shun, a young boy who proclaims to be his long-lost brother. It should be a treat for fans, but for outsiders rather average and not without drawbacks.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Kouenmae Hashutsujo The Movie Kameari Park Precinct  [Gallop] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Adult Cast, Detective, Gag Humor Action, Comedy, Mystery The wicked multi-billionaire, Shinatora, builds wretched, ugly buildings. The explosives genius calling himself Benten has targeted Shinatora's empire and begins to destroy the monstrosities that are wiping out whole sections of downtown Tokyo. In cooperation with the local police force, the FBI has sent Lisa Hoshino, a bomb disposal expert, and her robot assistant, Dandy, on a lecture tour of Japan. Ryotsu is reluctantly paired with Lisa to protect the people of the Kameari district. Why does Benten only target Shinatora's buildings? What is his next target? Another email warning arrives at the Katsushika Police Station. Benten's next target is the newly built, gigantic amusement park, Shinatora World. Lisa and Ryotsu hurry to the scene. What they find is a huge Soviet-era rocket armed with a massive bomb powerful enough to obliterate the entire area of Katsushika. What can Ryotsu do? Goofy policeman is still funny, and now there are also two more female protagonists. The action part of the film with bombs disarming was not as good.   Overall Rating: 6/10

Share this: