Anime of the Year 2000-I Winter - Miami Guns

No masterpieces and only a few decent anime this season. Among them my preference goes to Miami Guns

1. Boogiepop wa Warawanai Boogiepop Phantom ブギーポップは笑わない [Madhouse] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Psychological Avant Garde, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural  Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core and now the rumors have begun once more. Boogiepop... Everyone knows about Boogiepop: meet her one dark night and you are taken. People tell each other the stories and laugh: no one believes that she can possibly exist in this day and age. Still, strange things appear to be going on and the darkness is taking on many forms. Something is out there. Are you safe? What is this... even if it's a puzzle, why it is so poorly done... Anyway, I don't like mystery hunting and watching something just for the atmosphere with the lack of substance, that's why Lain Experiments got no masterpiece from me. This one is even worse as it's mostly just scenes of someone eating flesh or some face in agony or anything else that is used in horrors. Hits so many red lights for me that any thought of enjoyment is absolutely out of question.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. Megami Kouhosei Candidate for Goddesses 女神候補生 [Xebec] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Mecha, Military, Space Action, Sci-Fi In the future humankind has expanded and colonized other planets. Then an alien species, Victim, attacks the human colonies leaving only one planet, Zion. In an effort to stop Victim from destroying the last planet a training school, GOA, is set up to gather boys from the Zion colonies and train them to become pilots of the Ingrids AKA The Goddesses, five fighting robots that protect Zion. The boys must possess a rare blood type, EO, as well as a special ability, or EX. Zero (Candidate 88) has just arrived in GOA when he falls into the cockpit of the Ingrid Eeva-Leena. Since the synch between pilot and Ingrid are very sensitive everyone believes the Goddess will kill Zero in an attempt to synch. Just before Zero passes out he makes a full synch with the Goddess. Before he can find out more about the incident, his pilot training begins. Pretty generic mecha. Studio uses a lot of cheap CGI, never bothered to buy an opening song for it and probably forgot to order scenario as well as it goes worse with each subsequent episode.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Ojamajo Doremi Sharp おジャ魔女どれみ＃ [Toei Animation] (Finished 3/49) Tags: Shoujo Childcare Comedy At the end of the first season, Doremi and her friends all had to give up their witch powers and be normal girls again. This also meant that they couldn't see Majorika, Lala, and the fairies again. The MAHO-Dou was also deserted and the door to the Majokai was locked. The Queen, having seen all this through her crystal ball, secretly makes it so that Doremi and co. all end up heading into the Majokai again, with the excuse to return Majorika's hair dryer. However they end up stumbling into a garden, and one of the roses reveals a baby! The Queen tells the girls that they must raise the baby for a whole year. To help them, they receive newer and stronger witch powers than before! The adventure isn't over yet! For those who liked prequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Kazemakase Tsukikage Ran Carried by the Wind: Tsukikage Ran 風まかせ月影蘭 [Madhouse] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Historical, Martial Arts, Samurai Adventure, Comedy In the Edo or Tokugawa period (1600–1868), Ran, a female wandering samurai whose skill with the katana is only matched by her taste for sake (rice wine), is joined by a chinese martial artist who calls herself Lady Meow of the Iron Cat Fist. Tsukikage Ran has individual episodes that are just short stories of their adventures. Just episodic stories from adventures... without bigger goal it does not sound enticing unless it's Samurai Champloo. It's ok, but in the end it's just samurai SOL with a very similar formula in each episode.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Mushrambo Shinzo マシュランボー [Toei Animation] (Finished 3/32) Tags: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi  In the world of Mushrambo, human life has all but come to an end. After a deadly virus threatened the extinction of mankind, a new race called the Enterrans was created to preserve life on Earth. However, relations between the Enterrans and their creators did not remain peaceful. Soon a war broke out with the Enterrans fighting against the humans and their robots. Ultimately the Enterrans were the victors of this conflict, renaming Earth as Enterra in honor of their victory. Before the last vestiges of humanity fell, one of the few remaining scientists put his daughter, Yakumo Shindou, into a sleep chamber. His hope was that his daughter would one day reawaken and find the human sanctuary known as Shinzo, reviving humanity and restoring peace between humans and Enterrans. Centuries have passed since the war; Yakumo now awakens and meets an Enterran named Mashura who pledges to assist in her quest. Also joined by the Enterrans Sago and Kutal, the group must now work to locate Yakumo's missing memories and locate Shinzo. But not every Enterran is as kind as Yakumo's new friends and some are prepared to commit any atrocity to prevent the return of humanity. Plot felt cheesy instantly, but learning that it's another fantasy on Chinese mythology Journey to the West put the dots to the right places. So it's another loose travelling adventure with vague goal and lots of nonsense. It's even worse than original Journey to the West anime, seriously .   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Miami Guns マイアミ☆ガンズ [Group TAC] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Shounen Detective Comedy, Ecchi Spoiled rich girl Yao Sakurakouji decides to join the Miami police force to enjoy car chases, gunfights and wanton destruction. The psychotic and not-too-bright Yao is partnered with Lu Amano, the soft-spoken and sharp-tongued daughter of the police chief. Together the dirty duo clean up the streets of Miami and take on a mysterious crime syndicate known only as 'The Organization'. Humor is of medium absurdity, so even I can follow it alright. But if I compare it with Ping-pong club that also had moderately absurd humor, quality of humor here is significantly lower, so can't rate too high.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. Oh! Super Milk-chan OH! The Super Milk-Chan Show スーパーミルクチャン  [Pierrot] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Parody Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi Milk-chan is a drooling, potty-mouthed baby who lives in an apartment with an obsolete robot named Tetsuko, a slug named Hanage, and an uncontrollable pet named Robodog. Whenever the President calls, Milk-chan and the gang rush to the scene to solve any type of problem - whether it's stopping a money counterfeiter hungry for Belgian waffles or counselling a school of drunk fish. At the same time, they have to avoid a nagging landlord, as they're six months behind their rent. Visuals are schematic, and comedy is random , mostly speech-related and with focus on references. The majority of it all can't be called funny.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Track City 트랙시티 [SBS TV Production] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Racing Action Jimmy was a typical boy who liked to play computer games. One day he was playing a game called 'Track City' when suddenly he got transported into the game world! Once he regained consciousness, a woman who apparently is the mayoress of the city explains to him that the world is threaten by a powerful malign virus and her allies and their only hope is to ask for the help of the "Legendary racer", the best player of 'Track City". Things get complicated when Jimmy learns that the game made a mistake and confused him with the Legendary racer! Will Jimmy learn the necessary skills to defeat the viruses that threaten the world? Or will he be erased by the 'big head', the heavenly punisher that annihilates those who cannot achieve victory? Not translated and in Korean. Can't be picky with this small number of anime in the beginning of the year. Anyway, shounen racing with a bit dip into virtual reality is way out my sphere of interests, feels childish and even worse than cyberformula that it probably imitates.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Yuusha-Ou GaoGaiGar Final 勇者王ガオガイガーFINAL [Sunrise] (Finished 1/8) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi Following Gutsy Galaxy Guard's victory over the Zonder Empire and the 31 Primevals, a new threat makes their appearance on Earth. GGG—with Guy Shishio and the newly-constructed GaoFighGar—team up with their French counterpart Chasseur to battle the evil organization BioNet. Among Chasseur's ranks is Renais Cardiff Shishioh, a former BioNet cyborg with the relentless pursuit of destroying those who took away her humanity. But as GGG and Chasseur fight the BioNet, GGG's bases around the world are suddenly attacked, and the recently-discovered "Q-Parts" and the original Gao Machines are stolen by Mamoru Amami, who has been abducted and cloned by an even greater threat known as the "Eleven Kings of Sol." Evicted from Earth by the United Nations, GGG must now travel to the far reaches of the galaxy to battle the Eleven Kings of Sol and save Mamoru before it's too late. I rated original as 5 and in this advanced stage it has become even more creepy and messy. The same word over and over surfaces consciousness every second I watch it - what a cringe.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Karakuri no Kimi Puppet Princess Puppet Princess からくりの君 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Historical, Martial Arts, Samurai Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Horror, Supernatural Princess Rangiku lost her entire family to Lord Karimata, who invaded her home seeking her father's life work, puppets with unique capabilities. As her duty, Rangiku sets out with three of her father's greatest puppet warriors to seek revenge. She can manipulate these to battle the strongest of warriors, however manipulating the puppets leaves her own self vulnerable to direct attacks, so she seeks a ninja warrior named Manajiri to aid and protect her in her quest. A short action story with horror elements about controlled mechanical warriors fighting other mechanical warriors. It's original and memorable, but not sure I can call it good.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Angelique: Shiroi Tsubasa no Memoire アンジェリーク　～白い翼のメモワール～ [] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Shoujo Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi Angelique... ...started as a dating simulation game for girls back in 1994 on the Super Famicom. The player took on the role of Angelique Limoges, an ordinary schoolgirl summoned to the Sanctuary of the Queen of the Cosmos. She had been chosen to compete in a contest to determine the next Queen. Angelique was clumsy and foolish in comparison to her rival, Rosalia de Cartagena, a refined girl who had been training since birth to compete in the Queen Examination. What was this Examination, anyway? The girls had to use the powers, or Sacrea, of the Queen's nine Guardians to cultivate a barren continent. The girl whose population reached the center island connecting the two continents would become the next Queen. But with the nine handsome Guardians around, it was hard to decide between power or love... Made up of 4 OVAs, each of which has multiple parts. Originator of otome games is quite simple, so I don't want to include further OVAs of it.   Overall Rating: 5/10

12. First Kiss Monogatari First Kiss Story ファーストＫｉｓｓ☆物語 [Garyuu Studio] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Romance Moments before her upperclassman, Yoshihiko, left for college, Kana Orikura finally built up the courage to confess her love to him. Sharing their first kiss, the two decided to enter a relationship—a dream come true for Kana. Since that first moment, however, Kana and Yoshihiko have struggled with their relationship, resulting in Kana feeling lonely and depressed. But things take an unexpected turn when Shougo Hayakawa—the young and attractive teacher assigned to Kana's class—starts living in her house! Will Kana betray Yoshihiko for this new contender, or remain loyal to the man who took her first kiss? Yet another simple visual novel adaptation, and with just 30 minutes length only basic story was possible.   Overall Rating: 5/10

13. Sango no Umi to Ouji The Prince and the Coral Sea サンゴの海と王子 [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Fantasy On the island of Okinawa, driven by his kindhearted nature, a boy named Ray determines to stop the destruction of the island's natural forests and coral reef, no matter what he has to give. What will he give to stop a tidal wave from killing the island's people? Length is of one usual episode, so should not expect much of it, just a simple mermaid story.   Overall Rating: 5/10

14. One Piece Movie 01  [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Action, Adventure, Fantasy Many years ago, Woonan, a legendary pirate, plundered one-third of the world's gold and stashed it away on his secret island shrouded in mystery. In the present, Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats continue on their journey to the Grand Line. They are robbed by a group of bandits. Led by their captain, El Drago, these same bandits are headed towards Woonan's famed island. Even though the Straw Hat Pirates must now recover their stolen treasure, they have gained another objective: to discover the lost island, its treasures, and learn about the legend of Woonan. I hoped that movies would be arc summaries, and instead this movie is just a side-story between 18th and 19th episodes. Having second thoughts about the need to watch One Piece movies further. No real difference from the series, so no reason to change score.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. A.LI.CE [GAGA] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Sci-Fi  In the year 2000, Alice Hayashi wins a trip to the moon in a sweepstake. However, when her shuttle launches, something goes terribly wrong, and the next thing she knows, she has crashed somewhere in a frozen wasteland. Before she can get her bearings, strange soldiers begin to attack her, forcing her to flee. Eventually, Alice meets a young man called Yuan, who tells her that she is in Lapland in the year 2030. The soldiers pursuing her belong to Nero, an enigmatic leader who controls the world through his supercomputer. He is also responsible for reducing the Earth's population by over seven billion. Convinced that Nero has something to do with her time jump, Alice, Yuan, and the android maid Maria journey to Kingdom, the shadowy fortress that Nero rules from. CGI is ugly and time travel totally failed, so would not recommend to anyone.   Overall Rating: 4/10

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