Anime of the Year 2002-II Spring - Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai

Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai is the only work I can call a masterpiece this season

1. Chobits ちょびっツ [Madhouse] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Ecchi When computers start to look like humans, can love remain the same? Hideki Motosuwa is a young country boy who is studying hard to get into college. Coming from a poor background, he can barely afford the expenses, let alone the newest fad: Persocoms, personal computers that look exactly like human beings. One evening while walking home, he finds an abandoned Persocom. After taking her home and managing to activate her, she seems to be defective, as she can only say one word, "Chii," which eventually becomes her name. Unlike other Persocoms, however, Chii cannot download information onto her hard drive, so Hideki decides to teach her about the world the old-fashioned way, while studying for his college entrance exams at the same time. Along with his friends, Hideki tries to unravel the mystery of Chii, who may be a "Chobit," an urban legend about special units that have real human emotions and thoughts, and love toward their owner. But can romance flourish between a Persocom and a human? Have to admit that I was quite impressed when I watched it for the first time, and it still delivers. It has become a golden standard of quality for romance comedies with artificial girls, and it provided example of cuteness done right. Still after a few episodes it becomes a habitual fetish comedy, so I'd prefer a shorter size, plus ending is quite disappointing. I refuse to treat it as a masterpiece , after all it has no real story and cuteness is not a reliable fuel for long trips .   Overall Rating: 6/10

2. Azumanga Daiou The Animation Azumanga Daioh: The Animation あずまんが大王 THE ANIMATION [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/26) Tags: CGDCT, Gag Humor, School Comedy, Slice of Life Chiyo Mihama begins her high school career as one of the strangest students in her freshman class—a tiny, 10-year-old academic prodigy with a fondness for plush dolls and homemade cooking. But her homeroom teacher, Yukari Tanizaki, is the kind of person who would hijack a student's bike to avoid being late, so "strange" is a relative word. There certainly isn't a shortage of peculiar girls in Yukari-sensei's homeroom class. Accompanying Chiyo are students like Tomo Takino, an energetic tomboy with more enthusiasm than brains; Koyomi Mizuhara, Tomo's best friend whose temper has a fuse shorter than Chiyo; and Sakaki, a tall, athletic beauty whose intimidating looks hide a gentle personality and a painful obsession with cats. In addition, transfer student Ayumu Kasuga, a girl with her head stuck in the clouds, fits right in with the rest of the girls—and she has a few interesting theories about Chiyo's pigtails! Together, this lovable group of girls experience the ups and downs of school life, their many adventures filled with constant laughter, surreal absurdity, and occasionally even touching commentary on the bittersweet, temporal nature of high school. Only watched couple episodes in the past and was not motivated enough to go on, so I owe it a better treatment now. It's realistic enough, maybe moderately absurd, so I'd compare it with Ping-Pong club. First of all, Ping-Pong club had a lasting plot, and this one is just discrete gags at a set stage. Secondly, I don't find many jokes in Azumanga funny, and eventually those get repetitive. Lastly, I like characters of Ping-Pong club a lot more than this bunch of clutz. Having lost in every way, can't rate Azumanga Daiou equally, and best not even start comparison with some titan like Lucky Star.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. .hack//Sign  [Bee Train] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Video Game Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi A young wavemaster, only known by the alias of Tsukasa, wakes up in an MMORPG called The World, with slight amnesia. He does not know what he has previously done before he woke up. In The World, the Crimson Knights suspects him of being a hacker, as he was seen accompanying a tweaked character in the form of a cat. Unable to log out from the game, he wanders around looking for answers, avoiding the knights and other players he meets along the way. As Tsukasa explores The World, he stumbles upon a magical item that takes the form of a "guardian," which promises him protection from all harm. Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights, along with several other players who became acquainted with Tsukasa, set out to investigate why Tsukasa is unable to log out, and attempt to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets out of hand. I really don't know why I finished it in the past, but I sort of hated it even back then as it's one of the most boring and bland MMORPG concepts that I've seen. It had maybe couple somewhat memorable moments and characters, but those 26 episodes were mostly a pain.   Overall Rating: 5/10

4. Digimon Frontier デジモンフロンティア [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Isekai Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy With five new kids and an exciting new mission in the Digital World, Digimon Frontier brings back all the great action and adventure of the last three seasons. Takuya, Kouji, Izumi, Junpei. and Tomoki meet each other in a train that takes them to the Digital World where a war against evil is being fought. The Angel digimon, Cherubimon, one of The three angels sent to save the World from the power-hungry Lucemon, has turned to the dark side and the entire Digital World is in peril. To fight this great battle, the five CHOSEN ONES must find the Densetsu no Spirit (Legendary Spirit). Can't block series with openings, or I definitely would block this one. Even contemporary more grown-up versions of franchise like game Digimon Cyber Sleuth were still not serious and interesting enough for me. Frontier has a better stage in my opinion, but all those simplifications drive me mad.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Tokyo Mew Mew Mew Mew Power 東京ミュウミュウ [Pierrot] (Finished 2/52) Tags: Mahou Shoujo Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi Ichigo Momomiya expected her date with her crush, Masaya Aoyama, to have a more romantic ending than her falling asleep after she sees a vision of a cat entering her body. Things get even stranger when, the next day, she begins displaying cat-like behaviors such as an intense craving for fish. When Masaya is attacked by a monster, she discovers that she is able to transform into the cat-eared magical girl, Mew Ichigo. After she saves Masaya, two researchers named Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka approach her and reveal they had injected her with Iriomote Cat DNA in order to create a magical girl that can save the world from aliens. Ichigo is tasked with fighting these monsters, but saving the world proves to be just too much for Ichigo to handle by herself. Fortunately, she learns that there are four other girls just like her, and now, Ichigo must find them quickly before the aliens completely take over the planet. Such an evident Sailor Moon imitation, but with elements of parody, more bishounens and side work in a cafe... because Pia Carrot or something I guess. Of course tilt into half-beasts is the main fetish dish. Was too much irritation for me to even stay for the 3rd episode.   Overall Rating: 5/10

6. Juuni Kokuki The Twelve Kingdoms 十二国記 [Pierrot] (Finished 9/45) Tags: Isekai Action, Adventure, Fantasy  Youko Nakajima has only ever wanted to be normal. She does what she is asked, gets good grades, is the class president, and even helps her classmates whenever she can—but because of her red hair, she has never fit in. With her pushover attitude, Youko lets classmates take advantage of her, so she has nobody she can really call a friend. But on an otherwise ordinary day, a man who claims to be from another world barges into Youko's classroom and bows before her. This elegant blond-haired man, Keiki, claims that Youko is his master and belongs on the throne of his kingdom. However, their first meeting is cut short as Keiki has been followed by otherworldly beasts called youma. He is able to escape with Youko into his own realm, but two other classmates—Ikuya Asano and Yuka Sugimoto—are caught up in the madness as well. Unfortunately, their troubles have only just begun, as the youma attack leaves them separated from Keiki. Alone in this strange new land, these ordinary students must learn to fend for themselves or die. Two girls (and one guy who gets lost and forgotten soon) getting into isekai is a cool enough stage, so I liked first three episodes, but it takes its time to unveil, so only in 5th episode we finally see girls ways split. I dragged for some time, because soon after I got angry about some element it was uncovered, that happened with girls connection, with 12 kingdoms that's only explained in episode 6, with Keiki who eventually shows up again, with super weird spirit that sent all kind of madness illusions to Youko. But in the end there's no big story or interesting politics. Youko just wants to get back to Japan, and apparently way goes through most kingdoms, and she is getting constantly attacked by youkai beasts or something. And story goes in cycles as Youko joins new people and eventually gets separated from them. There's a lot of beating around the bush, stupid moves and weird emotional rollercoaster. It did not get better for me with more episodes, and 36 more episodes of such mess is a grim prospect.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. Ai Yori Aoshi 藍より青し  [J.C.Staff] (Finished 3/24) Tags: Seinen Harem Comedy, Drama, Romance Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who lives alone, met a beautiful but bewildered girl dressed in a kimono at a train station. He volunteered to guide her way to the address she was looking for, which happened to be in his neighborhood, but turned out to be an empty lot. Not knowing what to do next, Kaoru invited the devastated girl to his apartment and asked for any additional clues to her destination. She supplied him with a photo of two children whom Kaoru immediately identified as himself and Aoi Sakuraba, his childhood friend. It turned out that the girl in front of him is Aoi Sakuraba herself, his betrothed fiancee who came all the way to Tokyo to marry him. Her revelation was not only surprising but also reminded the deepest part of Kaoru's memory for why he left the Hanabishi family in the first place. It's straightforward deredere romance that would be pretty tiresome to watch over the course of 24 episodes, maybe with the right mood.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Full Moon wo Sagashite Searching for the Full Moon 満月をさがして [Studio Deen] (Finished 3/52) Tags: Shoujo Music Comedy, Drama, Romance, Supernatural Two years ago, Mitsuki Kouyama's friend, Eichi Sakurai, moved to America before she could confess her feelings to him. Though she cannot contact him, they made a promise to fulfill their respective dreams: Mitsuki wants to become a professional singer, and Eichi an astronomer. She hopes that one day her music will reach him across the world with a brilliance like that of the full moon. There is just one catch: Mitsuki suffers from throat cancer, which makes her voice quiet and singing strenuous. Her grandmother, who has a hatred of music, insists that Mitsuki undergo surgery to remove the cancer, but she refuses due to the risk of losing her voice. One day, two shinigami—Meroko Yui and Takuto Kira—appear to tell her that she only has one year left to live. This sudden revelation spurs Mitsuki into action, and she decides that with Meroko and Takuto's help, she will become a professional singer in the time she has left. Full Moon wo Sagashite follows the emotional story of Mitsuki and her shinigami friends as they discover what it means to sing—and ultimately, what it means to live. Seriously? The way to idol through tearjerkers? Life useless without ability to sing? I just wonder how much more stupid it can get. Believe me, it can as there is all kind of nonsense in the sleeve. Mitsuki turning into older version of herself and back with shinigami taking any appearance at will is only the tip of this iceberg.   Overall Rating: 5/10

9. Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai Magical☆Shopping Arcade Abenobashi アベノ橋魔法☆商店街 [Gainax, Madhouse] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Isekai, Parody Award Winning, Comedy, Fantasy, Ecchi Satoshi "Sasshi" Imamiya believes his life is in shambles, as only a 12-year-old can. Having lost his card collection, his childish dilemmas worsen when he learns that his childhood friend, Arumi Asahina, will be moving away. Suddenly, their issues are dashed aside for the surreal, and they find themselves transported away through bizarre worlds of science fiction, magic, and war. Any attempt to escape only catapults them into another alien land. Soon, the two come to a realization: every world is just a reimagining of their hometown. But there are two unfamiliar faces—the voluptuous Mune-mune and the elusive blue-haired Eutus—and they just might be the key to escaping their predicament. Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai follows Sasshi and Arumi's comedic exploits as they desperately attempt to return home. However, when the pair unravel a tale spanning generations, they begin to wonder if the cause of their situation is more personal than they thought. Is returning home truly what they desire? I consider Abenobashi to be an extended take on FLCL with even more freedom and parody - heck, boy protagonist is absolutely the same. Due to episodic nature it's hard to watch it all in a row, but there's enough goodness to rate it at least the same as FLCL.   Overall Rating: 7/10

10. Rockman.EXE MegaMan NT Warrior ロックマン エグゼ [Xebec] (Finished 1/56) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Video Game Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi In the year of 20XX, a young boy by the name of Netto Hikari receives a very special gift as he enters the 5th grade. His very own customized net navi, Rockman! Despite Rockman's small size and far more responsible personality, the two boys quickly become the best of friends. A net navi is designed to guide his operator from the inside of his or her PErsonal Terminal, or simply PET for short. Children and adults alike enjoy friendly "Net Battles", where they spar their navis against each other to prove their worth. Why this ridiculous plot of toy robot sparring repeats over and over again... it's doomed before start.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Ou Dorobou Jing Jing: King of Bandits 王ドロボウ JING [Studio Deen] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Shounen Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi  Jing may appear to be a young boy, but his remarkable skills make him one of the most feared thieves on the planet. Along with his feathered partner Kir, Jing travels from town to town, stealing anything of value regardless of the amount of security. But when he's in a pinch, he has one more trick up his sleeve: Kir bonds with Jing's right arm to perform the effectively deadly "Kir Royale" attack. And because of all this, Jing is infamously known by many as the "King of Bandits." First episode is bandits competition, second episode is new adventure with getting a partner , third episode is a new adventure again... and withou partner, moreover with a new brief acquantance partner. There is no plot here, just episodic stories, so it can be described as fantasy version of Eat-man. Can't rate that highly.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Tenchi Muyou! GXP 天地無用! GXP [AIC] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Detective, Harem, Mecha, Space Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi From crashing his bike to falling in lakes, Seina Yamada just cannot shake the bad luck that follows him. But his fortune begins to change when he is forcibly recruited into the Galaxy Police and ends up capturing the most pirates in the force. Now, Seina is no longer just the unfortunate boy from Earth; he is a man that pirates have come to fear. Despite his reputation, Seina is still the same clumsy guy, but at least he has Amane Kaunaq, a former model, and Kiriko Masaki, his long time friend, to keep him together. With their help, Seina sets out on an adventure in the hopes of becoming a great Galaxy Police Officer. Tenchi and the whole harem except space police officer irritated, so this reinstallment has better and less generic protagonist Souma, that space police officer girl and many busty babes. It's a better stage, but show still lacks substance and normal humor as usual, and change of staff can't fix that.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. Tokyo Underground 東京アンダーグラウンド  [Pierrot] (Finished 4/26) Tags: Shounen Super Power Action, Adventure, Romance, Sci-Fi Under the capital city of Tokyo, Japan, there exists a large, vast, and unknown world known as Underground. There, people known as Elemental Users exist; people who have the ability to control the elements: Fire, Water, Lightning, Magnetism, Freeze, etc. Meet Rumina Asagi and his best friend Ginnosuke Isuzu, two average high school freshmen who reside in Tokyo. When they meet Gravity User, Chelsea Rorec, and the Miko of Life, Ruri Sarasa, their whole lives change into one big adventure. Pilot is great, but there are just new enemies each episode, so it gets stale. Better than average action, but nothing really outstanding, and I'm definitely not sitting through 20 more filler episodes to get the crumbs of the story.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Happy☆Lesson (TV)   [Studio Hibari] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Harem Comedy, Drama, Romance  Hitotose Chitose was always alone and untrusting of people but when 5 female teachers appear and started living together with him in his family's house as his mothers, things started to change and pick up, together with Hazuki-nee and Minazuki (his 2 sisters) everyday is a lesson. Remake of useless OVA about useless cute abusive teachers. Many "jokes" are recycled from OVA.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Tenshi na Konamaiki Cheeky Angel 天使な小生意気 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Shounen Magical Sex Shift Comedy, Romance Megumi-chan is a girl with a secret past. She used to be a boy until she met a person she thought was a magic user. This person gave him/her a magical book from which a genie appears to grant one wish when blood is applied to it. Megumi made the wish to be a man in a man's body but the genie has a twist: he grants wishes backwards so he turns Megumi-kun aged 9 to Megumi-chan. Years pass and Megumi enters High School where she immediately beats up the school bully who of course falls in love with her. She is looking for that book again to be able to reverse the spell placed upon her. Today in gender studies there is a man who is temporarily a girl and who gets harassed by other guys... It's better than it sounds, but seriously... 50 episodes? Concept is executed well, but it's a normal delinquents anime with tomboy instead of a hooligan protagonist, and there's a bit of strange romance on the side. I'm not enjoying this.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Rizelmine りぜるまいん [Madhouse, Imagin] (Finished 3/24) Tags: School Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Ecchi Iwaki Tomonori is an average 15-year-old boy who likes older women. He happens to have a crush on his teacher, but soon thereafter, learns she has become engaged. He heads home brokenhearted, only to find a 12-year-old girl named Rizel at his home, who he learns the Japanese government has married him to against his will. Furthermore, he learns Rizel is no ordinary girl; she is a biochemically engineered human, and her creators (her "papa"s, as they are often referred to) promise to waive multiple bills of Iwaki's parents in exchange to be allowed to stay at their house, and thus Iwaki's life with Rizel begins. Exotic girl at home is a poor concept and Chobits nearly perfected that already. This anime is on the lower end of the food chain as it's baked from average elements.   Overall Rating: 5/10

17. Pita Ten Pita-Ten ぴたテン [Madhouse] (Finished 2/26) Tags: Shounen School Comedy, Fantasy, Romance Kotaro was pretty much supposed to be your average boy, worried about the pressures of education while enjoying a simple life with his friends. Much to his despair, he one day finds the overly cheerful Misha at his door, asking to be friends out of nowhere. Even more shocking is that Misha is an apprentice angel, yet she does more bad then good. Along with Kotaro's school friends Takashi and Koboshi and the so called devil Shia (once again being able to do more good then bad), the group of friends spend their days getting into all sorts of adventures and troubles. Based on the manga by Koge-Donbo. Exotic girl neighbor next door is only slightly better as a concept. It saves from cohabitation silly humor and fanservice, and this anime requires that handicap as it's aimed towards younger audience, some elementary school or so. Cuteness and conventional humor aren't enough to stand out.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Wagamama☆Fairy Mirumo de Pon! Mirmo Zibang! わがまま☆フェアリー ミルモでポン! [Studio Hibari] (Finished 4/172) Tags: Shoujo School Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance Kaede is a cheerful and energetic eighth grader. When it comes to boys, however, she is hopelessly shy. One day, on her way home from school, Kaede walks into a mysterious shop and buys a colorful cocoa mug. When she reaches home, she casually peeks into the bottom of the mug and discovers an engraved note, which says, "If you read this message aloud while pouring hot cocoa into the mug, a love fairy ("muglox") will appear and grant your every wish." The skeptical but curious Kaede follows the directions and announces her wish to date Yuuki, the class heartthrob. Suddenly, the adorable blue Mirumo appears! We soon find out, however, that this cute little muglox would rather eat chocolate and create mischief than help Kaede. Mirumo, it seems, is prince of the muglox world. Horrified at the prospect of having to marry Rirumu, his princess bride-to-be, Mirumo has escaped the muglox world. Hot on his heels, however, are Rirumu, Yashichi the bounty hunter, and a cast of hundreds of muglox ranging from the good to the bad to the nutty. This gang of adorable troublemakers will see to it that school life for Kaede and her friends is never the same... It's amusing enough and thus decent, but I did not find myself smiling even once, and apart of humor and cuteness there's no more strong sides.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Whistle! ホイッスル！ [Studio Comet] (Finished 1/39) Tags: Shounen School, Team Sports  Kazamatsuri Shou's dream has always been to become a professional soccer player, but he has one problem: he's not very good at the game. He was accepted to the prestigious Musashi no Mori Junior High, known for its top rate soccer team, but he was never able to rise beyond the rank of third stringer. After transferring to Sakura Jousui Junior High, he can finally play soccer. And, with the support of his new friends and teammates, his strong determination, and lots of hard work, his soccer skills are developing rapidly and setting Shou well on his way to achieving his dream. One sample episode is enough for most spokons. This piece wants to be Hajime no Ippo for soccer as protagonist starts as a lousy, but diligent player.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Gun Frontier ガンフロンティア [Vega Entertainment] (Finished 4/13) Tags: Seinen Historical Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi It is a harsh and barren wasteland, where the weak aren't allowed to dream. It is also a sacred land for true men, for there is no place a man can feel more alive. This is the Gun Frontier. Sea Pirate Captain Harlock and the errant samurai, Tochiro arrive in the United States on the Western Frontier. Along with a mysterious woman they meet along the way, the two friends challenge sex rings, bandits, and corrupt sheriff. They are searching for a lost clan of Japanese immigrants, and they will tear Gun Frontier from end to end until they find it. Recycled character designs as usual. Less confusion this time, but it's just random adventures in the wild west environment with not interesting enough characters and constant losing.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. Atashin'chi あたしンち [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 3/330) Tags: Comedy, Slice of Life  Outrageous misadventures of an almost normal family with a housewife, her husband, and their two kids Yuzuhiko and Mikan. Wacky humor about this weird family's daily life. Partially translated. There seem to be three stories inside one episode. Visuals are even worse than Yamadas while humor is better.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Bakutou Sengen Daigunder Daigunder 爆闘宣言ダイガンダー [Nippon Animation, Brain's Base] (Finished 1/39) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Sci-Fi Akira Akebono, a young boy who is competing in a robot tournament where many of the robots are capable of transforming into animal forms. Akira wants to win the ultimate prize, the Titan Belt, with the help of his group of robots, all of which are capable of forming into the robot Daigunder. Daigunder is the creation of Akira's father, Professor Hajime Akebono. Together with a girl named Haruka, they compete under the name of Team Akira. However, Team Akira faces opposition from not only their competition, but a robot named Ginzan who is under the control of the evil Professor Maelstrom. A new fantastic toy robot battles concept anime that I skip!   Overall Rating: 4/10

23. Wild 7 Another Bouryaku Unga Wild 7 Another ワイルド7 another　謀略運河 [E&G Films] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Shounen Detective, Gore Action, Adventure, Mystery A big transatlantic ship, full of rich and important people for international business, has been taken by a group of terrorists. The only hope for their rescue is in the hands of a Japanese man known as Japa, but first, he must hire seven companions to help him, and together they will be the Wild Seven. The main plot occurs in the waters of Nicaragua's Canal. As a sequel to ancient movie, it also looks both morally and technologically old. It's a slow and boring gathering of bland team consisting of a big number of characters, then lots of talking with detective mystery elements and finally a bit of action with rescuing. Not impressive, sadly.   Overall Rating: 5/10

24. Forza! Hidemaru フォルツァ！ひでまる [Gallop] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Team Sports  A soccer anime with a cast of wacky animals in sports getup seems far out of its time in the early 21st century, but it was the year of the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and the very young audience sees these tropes with fresh eyes. Hidemaru is a feisty fox; his friends include bunnies, dogs, horses, and a couple of hefty hippo girls. Based on a manga Hidemaru the Soccer Boy by Makoto Mizobuchi, serialized in CoroCoro Comics. Super childish soccer, don't know why it's not marked properly.   Overall Rating: 5/10

25. .hack//Liminality  [Bee Train] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Video Game Mystery, Sci-Fi  While playing the newly released MMORPG "The World," Minase Mai and Tomonari Kasumi collapsed in the real world and were sent to the hospital after hearing a mysterious sound. Only Mai had recovered while her friend Kasumi had slipped into a mysterious coma. Mai is later approached by the creator of "The World," Tokuoka Junichiro, who unveils to her that, just like her friend, six other players across the country had also collapsed while playing "The World" and are now in mysterious comas. What exactly is "The World," what is this mysterious sound Mai keeps on hearing, and why are people slipping into comas from this game? Minase, Junichiro and their acquaintances set off to get to the bottom of this problem before any further harm happens. .hack OVAs are either hit or miss for me as I know at least one definite masterpiece among them. This one is just real world detective mystery around MMO, total miss.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Cosplay Complex こすぷれCOMPLEX [TNK] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Otaku Culture, Parody, School Comedy, Ecchi Meet Chako and her friends from the Cosplay Association at East Oizuki Academy! They're the hottest new cosplay team in Japan...fresh from a winning streak of local battles, they're set to sweep the Cosplay World Series! Yeah, right. In reality, Chako and her friends are barely able to keep their club alive at all. Feeble club membership and a lack of sponsorship might be the end of their cosplay dreams before they can even start. But don't you dare underestimate this group of spunky girls! They'll survive a barrage of pervy newcomers, cosplay rivalries, costume disasters and dating mishaps in order to reach their ultimate goal of competing in the World Series. The clothing flies as the girls suit up (and strip down) for Cosplay Complex! Lighthearted and not memorable.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Gate Keepers 21 ゲートキーパーズ21 [Gonzo] (Finished 1/6) Tags: Mecha Action, Drama, Sci-Fi  Thirty-two years have passed since the initial defeat of the Invaders. A.E.G.I.S is all but dismantled now and has become an underground organization consisting of only a few Gate Keepers left to save humanity. One of the members, Ayane Isuzu, is sick of society as a whole, though she continues to defeat the Invaders out of spite for her father. Suddenly, she learns of the revival of Machine General (Kikai Shogun) and Devil Count (Akuma Hakushaku), but a mysterious ghost girl now accompanies them. It is up to Ayane and the remnants of A.E.G.I.S to stop them and save humanity once again. Since I dropped original midway, and this is sequel, not much to say about it except that it feels more serious and overall better.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Galerians: Rion ガレリアンズ：リオン [Enterbrain] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Shounen Military, Psychological Adventure, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural Six years have passed since Rion discovered his own identity as an artificial being, yet succeeded in destroying the genocidal Mother Computer, Dorothy, before perishing himself. Now reactivated by Lilia, Rion awakens to find that Dorothy managed to execute one final catastrophic program, rendering a new evil crew to finish her goal of human annihilation. It is a fully 3D CGI animated OVA based on the hit PlayStation game, called Galerians, released in August, 1999. CGI is still of poor quality, story is not good and characters pretty horrible .   Overall Rating: 4/10

29. Armitage III: Dual-Matrix アミテージ・ザ・サード DUAL-MATRIX [AIC] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi  A few years after they first met, Naomi Armitage and Ross Syllabus have started a family. Despite their normal lives, they must keep their identities a secret because many people believe that Robots do not deserve equal status with humans. Ross has an opportunity to abolish these ideas on Earth through a vote, but organizations in the shadows are working so that it doesn't happen. Miracle did not happen. Action is still nice, plot still moderately confusing, but simple in the main part. Satisfaction is there, but could not enjoy it. Still loses to everything from Ghost in the Shell.   Overall Rating: 6/10

30. Crayon Shin-chan Movie 10: Arashi wo Yobu Appare! Sengoku Daikassen クレヨンしんちゃん 嵐を呼ぶ アッパレ! 戦国大合戦 [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Historical, Samurai Award Winning, Drama, Romance A full-scale historical drama set in the last days (the year 1574) of the Sengoku Era of feudal Japan. It is the story of the Nohara family, who has been transferred into the Sengoku Era by time warp, and a tragic love between a princess Ren Kasuga (a daughter of the feudal lord Kasuga at the Province of Musashi) and a samurai warrior Matabei Ijiri (a retainer of the Lord Kasuga). Sengoku is always a safe choice, and Himawari got almost zero screen time, but story turned into drama, and that did not suit Shin-chan. No matter how I look at it, it's only decent.   Overall Rating: 6/10

31. Guilstein ギルスティン [ACC Production] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Gore Action, Horror, Sci-Fi The theatrical anime film is a full digital (3-D) action/horror film based on a manga by Tamaki Hisao, best known to Western fans for his manga adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope. Characters were designed by Yasushi Nirasawa, a well acclaimed maker of creature action figures. Monkey Punch (Lupin III creator) served as the film's script superviser. Set in the year 2088, it depicts a dark future in which humans have been transformed into the "Guilstein," creatures with no human souls in them... A chaotic action with super ugly CGI that are used in some battles, story itself is not bad.   Overall Rating: 5/10

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