Anime of the Year 2004-II Spring - Gantz

Gantz is the anime I truly love with all its weak sides. Samurai Champloo and Appleseed (Movie) should be noticed as well.

1. Samurai Champloo サムライチャンプルー  [Manglobe] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Historical, Samurai Action, Adventure, Comedy Fuu Kasumi is a young and clumsy waitress who spends her days peacefully working in a small teahouse. That is, until she accidentally spills a drink all over one of her customers! With a group of samurai now incessantly harassing her, Fuu desperately calls upon another samurai in the shop, Mugen, who quickly defeats them with his wild fighting technique, utilizing movements reminiscent to that of breakdancing. Unfortunately, Mugen decides to pick a fight with the unwilling ronin Jin, who wields a more precise and traditional style of swordfighting, and the latter proves to be a formidable opponent. The only problem is, they end up destroying the entire shop as well as accidentally killing the local magistrate's son. For their crime, the two samurai are captured and set to be executed. However, they are rescued by Fuu, who hires the duo as her bodyguards. Though she no longer has a place to return to, the former waitress wishes to find a certain samurai who smells of sunflowers and enlists the help of the now exonerated pair to do so. Despite initially disapproving of this idea, the two eventually agree to assist the girl in her quest; thus, the trio embark upon an adventure to find this mysterious warrior—that is, if Fuu can keep Mugen and Jin from killing each other. Set in an alternate Edo Period of Japan, Samurai Champloo follows the journey of these three eccentric individuals in an epic quest full of action, comedy, and dynamic sword fighting, all set to the beat of a unique hip-hop infused soundtrack. Of course I watched it in the past and even got a friend who is head over heels over it. Always could enjoy it only slightly. because for me it's primarily an aimless journey with rare bright moments. Still it must be the first road movie that I can enjoy to an extent.   Overall Rating: 7/10

2. Monster モンスター [Madhouse] (Finished 3/74) Tags: Seinen Adult Cast, Psychological Drama, Mystery, Suspense Dr. Kenzou Tenma, an elite neurosurgeon recently engaged to his hospital director's daughter, is well on his way to ascending the hospital hierarchy. That is until one night, a seemingly small event changes Dr. Tenma's life forever. While preparing to perform surgery on someone, he gets a call from the hospital director telling him to switch patients and instead perform life-saving brain surgery on a famous performer. His fellow doctors, fiancée, and the hospital director applaud his accomplishment; but because of the switch, a poor immigrant worker is dead, causing Dr. Tenma to have a crisis of conscience. So when a similar situation arises, Dr. Tenma stands his ground and chooses to perform surgery on the young boy Johan Liebert instead of the town's mayor. Unfortunately, this choice leads to serious ramifications for Dr. Tenma—losing his social standing being one of them. However, with the mysterious death of the director and two other doctors, Dr. Tenma's position is restored. With no evidence to convict him, he is released and goes on to attain the position of hospital director. Nine years later when Dr. Tenma saves the life of a criminal, his past comes back to haunt him—once again, he comes face to face with the monster he operated on. He must now embark on a quest of pursuit to make amends for the havoc spread by the one he saved. Suspence mystery is just not a genre I can appreciate. I remember trying to watch it and even sneak peeking into the last episodes which did no good, of course. I see that there is a shorter version released in 2005, so I'll wait till then before commenting on substance.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Gantz ガンツ [Gonzo] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Seinen Gore, Psychological, Survival Action, Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Ecchi Thought your life was bad? Sometimes, death is worse. There is no salvation, peace, nor god waiting to receive you into their care. But wait, a god? Maybe you are talking about that big black ball stuck in the room with you. Now you are thrown into a game, fighting green aliens and robot monsters for the chance to survive. When Kei Kurono is killed, he thus finds himself caught in such a game—a test of his skills, morals, and will to survive. His life is not his own; his death is spat and trampled upon over and over again. What happens if he does not listen? God knows. A word of warning: Gantz is not for the faint-hearted, but neither is it as simple as it looks. Gore, rape, and violence is rampant, as are portrayals of greed, violence, and all the ugliness that one sees in society today. Gantz had a great impression on me when I first watched it. After all, I only read manga twice in my life - to see the ending of Berserk and Gantz. I'm still waiting for the third season so that you know! At the same time I'm not ready to treat it as genius masterpiece, and there's not much in intellectual department either, quite the contrary at times. lol. Will have to settle with a firm masterpiece score.   Overall Rating: 8/10

4. Tenjou Tenge Tenjho Tenge 天上天下 [Madhouse] (Finished 2/24) Tags: Seinen Martial Arts, School, Super Power Action, Comedy, Ecchi For some people, high school represents the opportunity for a fresh start. You can take new classes and make new friends. For Souichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara, though, high school means something different: the chance to become the top fighters in the entire student body! Too bad Toudou Academy is the hardest possible place to realize their dreams. Their new high school is no ordinary academic institution. Rather than concentrating on classic subjects like math and science, Toudou Academy was created for the sole purpose of reviving the martial arts in Japan! As a result, Souichiro's aspirations to become top dog are cut short when he runs afoul of Masataka Takayanagi and Maya Natsume. The two upperclassmen easily stop the freshmen duo's rampage across school, but rather than serving as a deterrent, it only stokes their competitive fire. What kind of monstrous fighters attend Toudou Academy? Are there any stronger than Masataka and Maya? And why in the world is Maya's younger sister stalking Souichiro? Learn the answers to these questions and more in Tenjou Tenge! Cheesy and ugly. I managed to hate even the so called "epic" fight beginning and can only imagine the depths of despair awaiting further...   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Initial D Fourth Stage 頭文字〈イニシャル〉D FOURTH STAGE [A.C.G.T.] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Seinen Racing Action, Drama Takumi Fujiwara finally joins Ryousuke and Keisuke Takahashi to create "Project D." Their goal is twofold: Ryousuke wants to develop his "High-Speed Street Racing Theory," while Keisuke and Takumi aim at improving their driving skills by facing powerful opponents on dangerous roads. The idea of Project D is to challenge street racing teams from other prefectures to improve both their uphill and downhill records. In order to attract the attention of the best racing teams, Ryousuke creates a dedicated website to announce the future battles of Project D and post the team's results. The fourth season of Initial D details the hardships and successes of the members of Project D as they try to become the best street racing team outside of Gunma Prefecture. It was weird to see third iteration as a movie, good thing it's back as longer series, but it's not my plate.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Midori no Hibi Midori Days 美鳥の日々 [Pierrot] (Finished 5/13) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Drama, Romance, Ecchi There isn't a single person in Sakuradamon High who hasn't heard the legends about Seiji "The Mad Dog" Sawamura's demonically powerful right hand. His reputation makes it fairly difficult for him to approach girls, and after being rejected 20 times straight, he half-jokingly vows to finish high school with his right hand for a girlfriend. Much to his surprise, after waking up the next morning, Seiji discovers that his demon right hand has mysteriously turned into a miniature girl, Midori Kasugano, who reveals that she has had a crush on Seiji for the past three years. Because their situation is not ideal for either of them, Seiji attempts to return Midori to normal. But after causing a big misunderstanding at the Kasugano household, the pair decide to keep their predicament between them until a solution is found. Thus begins an odd relationship, and what could be the only chance for Midori to finally be with the one she loves. Wanted to watch it in full as this anime is referenced quite a lot, but this farce hurts. I'd say it's another attempt to play on the Chobits territory, and it's another win for Chobits.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. Kyou kara Maou! 今日からマ王！ [Studio Deen] (Finished  1/78) Tags: Shoujo Isekai, Mythology Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Kyou kara Maou! revolves around Yuri Shibuya, your average Japanese teenager. One day, Yuri sees a classmate being harassed by bullies. Thanks to this intervention, his friend is able to escape, but unfortunately Yuri becomes the new target of the bullies in the process and gets his head shoved into a toilet. But instead of water, the toilet contains a swirling portal that sucks him into another world, largely resembling medieval Europe. There, he is told that he will become the next Demon King due to his black hair and black eyes, traits only possessed by the demon's royal lineage. Yuri's arrival is met with some skepticism by some of the demons, who view him as unworthy to be their king. However, after Yuri wins a duel by utilizing his magical powers, the demons slowly begin to acknowledge him as their monarch. Yuri must now learn what it takes be a true Demon King, as he tries to keep the peace between demons and humans in this strange new realm. How come this is marked as Shoujo with male as protagonist... some kind of shounen ai with bishounens. I block boys love genre for a reason not to watch things like this.   Overall Rating: 5/10

8. Aishiteruze Baby★★ 愛してるぜ ベイベ★★ [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 2/26) Tags: Shoujo Childcare Comedy, Drama, Romance Katakura Kippei is in every way a high school playboy. Spending his days flirting with any female he can see, responsibility is the last thing on his mind. Life takes an unexpected turn for him as one day he returns home to find himself with the fulltime task of caring for his 5-year-old cousin. Kippei's aunt Miyako had disappeared, appearing to have abandoned his cousin, Yuzuyu. With Kippei's lack of responsibility and knowledge of childcare and Yuzuyu's injured heart with the disappearance of her mother, their time together is in for a bumpy ride. Basic childcare story with Marmalade Boy motives. It has ways to go till Bunny Drop.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Koi Kaze 恋風 [A.C.G.T.] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Seinen Psychological Drama, Romance Saeki Koushirou works as a wedding planner, but his own love life is in shambles. His background makes it difficult for him to commit himself wholeheartedly to love. The child of a divorced couple, he lives with his father. He has a mother and a sister, but he has not seen them in years. After being dumped by his girlfriend, a chance encounter with a female high school student shakes Koushirou's calm and awakens new feelings in him—but he learns that the girl is in fact his sister, who will now be staying with his father and him. Yet, the feelings in Koushirou's heart... Watched it in the past , and it's a platonic romance Lolita story, so to say. It's good and all, but I'm not enjoying this, although there was a time when I did.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Keroro Gunsou Sgt. Frog ケロロ軍曹 [Sunrise] (Finished 2/358) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Parody Comedy, Sci-Fi It is the year 2004 AD, and pandemonium breaks as a mysterious frog-like alien race fills the sky with UFOs—or so 12-year-old Fuyuki Hinata dreams. Coincidentally, Sergeant Keroro, leader of a preliminary squad for the Keronian invasion of Pekopon—the alien name for Earth—begins his mission by invading Fuyuki's home. After subduing the boy and his sister, Keroro plans to reunite with his comrades and return to the mothership to repair his invaluable invasion device, the Kero Ball. Unfortunately, he receives word that headquarters has abandoned his unit's retrieval due to an unprecedented issue that forced the rest of the Keronians to flee. Consequently, Keroro is forced to stay at the Hinata residence together with the friendly, starry-eyed Fuyuki; his athletic, short-tempered sister Natsumi; and their hardworking, attractive mother Aki. Now stuck until further notice, Keroro and his platoon spend each day plotting world domination, but are thwarted each and every time by various unexpected factors. Nevertheless, as they live alongside humans, they learn to treat them as friends and allies, forming comedic yet meaningful connections that make their lives on Earth worthwhile. After a peek into this, I realized that I got immune to mediocre Sunrise comedy by now already. It only feels tiresome now.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Bakuretsu Tenshi Burst Angel 爆裂天使 [Gonzo] (Finished 3/24) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi  In Japan's not-too-distant future, crime has become so common that the government has legalised firearms for citizens to use in self-defence. To combat this new wave of wrongdoing, the Recently Armed Police of Tokyo was established in hopes of hunting down criminals with lethal force. Kyohei Tachibana is a gifted culinary student who dreams of saving up enough money to become a pastry chef in France. When four young mercenaries ask him to be their cook, he's forced into making a tough choice. As Jo, Meg, Sei, and Amy take on the bloodiest jobs in the chaotic city of Tokyo, Kyohei accepts an imminent descent into the world of crime—and he'll do a lot more than just cooking! Why does this resemble Evangelion so much... Asuka has grown up quite a bit! Anyway, there's mostly just action, and it inevitably gets repetitive. Quality is high, but there's not much to enjoy besides fighting that gets dull.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai この醜くも美しい世界 [Gainax, Shaft] (Finished 5/12) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Ecchi  High school student Takeru Takemoto works part time as a (motor)bike courier. During one of his deliveries, he saw a mysterious light passing him and fell into a forest. What he had found was a beautiful girl coming out from a glowing cocoon, calling herself "Hikari." While Takeru was quite embarrassed because of Hikari's nudity, a strange monster suddenly showed up and immediately attacked the two. Both Takeru and Hikari demonstrated the power of their other selves before Takeru had a clue of what's going on. Again Gainax takes the most ordinary plot of Urusei Yatsura and tries to revolutionize things... and it feels different from other anime, but different does not necessarily mean good. It's a slow paced SOL about getting used to life on Earth with friends, and I can't get to like this flow.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. Ragnarök The Animation Ragnarok the Animation  [G&G Entertainment] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Action, Fantasy  A great evil is sweeping over the realm; an evil that the young swordsman Roan and his life-long companion, the acolyte Yufa, must face head on! For these two travel toward their destiny, from the highest towers to the depths of the underworld, through forest and desert alike. With an ever-growing cast of fellow heroes, fate will grasp these travelers by their very souls and propel the band of skilled adventurers towards a noble end. Or ignoble, if they don't watch their step! Monsters are afoot and the way rife with danger and magic, the path forward may be unclear... But where will is strong, there is a way! Lessons wait in the depths of darkness, and good must prevail. The journey starts now! Never understood the appeal of Ragnarok game. This setting is generic and bland, so I think appreciation for the game is must have to like it for details or something.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch Pure マーメイドメロディーぴちぴちピッチピュア [Actas, SynergySP] (Finished 1/39) Tags: Mahou Shoujo, Music Adventure, Comedy, Romance After the final battle against Gaito, Sara had given her life to remain with him. The sea world is now at peace, but only with six mermaid princesses. While Caren, Noel, and Coco have returned to their kingdoms, it should be time for Lucia, Hanon, and Rina to do the same. After all, Mitsuki Tarou is leaving for Germany, and Doumoto Kaito is heading to Hawaii. Lucia is devestated, and when things couldn't get any worse, Kaito is lost at sea! Worst of all, a strange angel named Michel has appeared, wanting the mermaids to join him. But on the lighter side, Sara's spirit tells Lucia of Sara's successor, a young mermaid named Seira. The mermaids are in for another adventure! Having dropped the prequel, can't say I understand much of this idol mahou shoujo with battles, but it does not look good.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Madlax マドラックス [Bee Train] (Finished 9/26) Tags: Military, Psychological Drama, Mystery, Supernatural In the country of Gazth-Sonika, civil war rages. There, a mercenary called Madlax plies her trade, with almost supernatural skill. In the seemingly peaceful country of Nafrece, Margaret Burton lives a tranquil life. As separate as their lives may seem, the two are connected by ties of mystery, and by a holy book that is also sought by the shadowy organisation, Enfant. As Margaret and Madlax follow the path of their destiny, they come ever closer to uncovering the truth - with no guarantee that it is a truth they can bear to learn. I gave it a lot of chances. Slow-paced boring action mystery that in my opinion has the primary aim to kill time as many early 2000s anime did.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Mahou Shoujo-tai Arusu Tweeny Witches 魔法少女隊アルス [Studio 4°C] (Finished 5/40) Tags: Isekai Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Arusu believes in magic. With all her heart, she believes that magic is possible and that it can be used for good deeds and fun games. But suddenly, she finds herself transported into another world, ruled by a mysterious elite of witches—and these witches don't seem to be in it for the fun. They're hard at work capturing sprites, the native magical beings of the world, and forcing them into slavery. Once Arusu realizes that her new surroundings aren't just a dream, she sets out to change things. A pretty good anime about witches, but I seriously lack affinity even to Harry Potter let alone some naïve ambitious witch trainees. And it looks too Western to my taste, probably was created for export.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Mutsu Enmei Ryuu Gaiden: Shura no Toki Time of Shura 陸奥圓明流外伝 修羅の刻 [Studio Comet] (Finished 26/26) Tags: Shounen Historical, Martial Arts, Samurai Legends tell of an invincible martial art known as Mutsu Enmei-Ryu, an unarmed style that allows the user to defeat any number of armed opponents using incredible speed and strength. This is the story of three generations of those who bear the name Mutsu, and their encounters and battles with the strongest fighters of their era. Basically, it's anthology about different samurai stories linked with this unarmed mastery. It's a good anime with enough tension and historical flavor, but too many characters don't add empathy, and historical events are often distorted for the sake of the story which is totally ok for the Japanese who know what happened precisely, but it can confuse foreigners. With that in mind, can't recommend it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

18. Hanaukyou Maid-tai: La Verite Hanaukyo Maid Team: La Verite 花右京メイド隊 La Verite [Daume] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Shounen Harem Comedy, Romance, Ecchi After his mother passes away, Taro Hanaukyo is invited to his grandfather's home. There, he meets a beautiful maid named Mariel and finds out that his grandfather has retired to a remote island and has given him ownership of his estate. Taro also discovers that not only is the estate a colossal mansion, it has hundreds of gorgeous maids ready to serve him 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There was already a worthless bland ecchi maid story Hanaukyou Maid-tai, this one is only a tiny bit better. Not sure if it's worth watching even in case of maid fetish.   Overall Rating: 5/10

19. Saiyuuki Reload Gunlock Saiyuki Gunlock 最遊記RELOAD GUNLOCK [Pierrot] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Josei Mythology Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Supernatural The Sanzo Ikkou continues its westward journey, on a mission to prevent a demonic resurrection. As Genjo Sanzo, Cho Hakkai, Sha Gojyo, and Son Goku fight their way to their goal, their path is fraught with internal strife. When they encounter a formidable pair of adversaries from the west, the cohesion of the group -- and the fate of the mission -- may be at stake. Another reminder of how bad it was. And everyone encountered in each episode is inevitably a demon. So old.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Love♥Love?  [Imagin, Studio Live] (Finished 1/9) Tags: Harem Comedy, Romance, Ecchi  Naoto Ooizumi is the writer of the CosPrayers TV show, although this is a secret known only to the producer of the show, Mitsuki Ikuta. He has a crush on one of the actresses in the show, Natsumi Yagami. As the show proceeds so does their relationship, with many wacky twists and turns along the way. Just an endless spree of flashing, groping and similar ecchi situations. Even worse trash than cosplayers were.    Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Kenran Butou Sai: The Mars Daybreak Mars Daybreak 絢爛舞踏祭ザ･マーズ･デイブレイク [Bones] (Finished 5/26) Tags: Mecha, Military Action, Adventure, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi Mars is now almost entirely covered in water. Humanity exists in large city-ships that float through the open seas. But life is hard for those who live on Mars—the economy is in bad shape, work is scarce, and food is expensive and highly prized. Gram and his friends try to do the best they can, but the work keeps drying up. Some have taken to a life of piracy to combat the corruption in the government; one such group is the pirates of the feared Ship of Aurora. And the Earth government, which rules Mars, has dispatched a new team of military pilots to combat them. In their specialized mecha called Round Bucklers, they must make the seas of Mars safe for humanity. Caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, Gram finds himself on the run with the most notorious pirates on Mars. But here's the thing—he's starting to like them! Reinvention of Harlock, but a rather flat one. There's not much direction in all that, and characters are rather sour for the colorful pirate crew. There are some battles, some mecha, some romance, some not funny comedy, some adventure - a bit of everything for everyone, and with all that not much remains for the substance.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Boukyaku no Senritsu The Melody of Oblivion 忘却の旋律 [Gainax, J.C.Staff] (Finished 24/24) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Psychological, Space Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Supernatural A great war occurred in the 20th century between humans and monsters. Since that time, the monsters rule the world in fear but keep relatively hidden from public view. A boy named Bokka ponders the past and wonders what became of the Meros Warriors who defended the world so bravely against the demons. He soon meets Kurofune and learns of the power of the Meros and the I-bar machines they ride in battle. Warriors are the only ones who can see and hear the Melody of Oblivion, a phantom girl hidden away waiting to be rescued and be the savior of mankind. During a battle between Kurofune and a demon, Bokka discovers something only his wildest dreams could possibly imagine...he too can hear that melody. Throughout his journeys, Bokka meets many monsters and their agents, friends, and companions as he discovers the true extent of his new powers. He must continue to battle evil in the hope of releasing Boukyaku no Senritsu and free a world that has forgotten its once beautiful melody. Gainax still tries to do something different, but miracles have stopped happening to it. It's a very unexpected mix of Saint Saya, Macross, corporation of monsters, vampire hunter D, ecchi and what not. It's a unique blend, but it's still a blend and not something authentic. It lacks really strong points.   Overall Rating: 6/10

23. Hi no Tori Phoenix 火の鳥  [Tezuka Productions] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Historical Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi, Supernatural From prehistoric times to the distant future, Hi no Tori portrays how the legendary immortal bird Phoenix acts as a witness and chronicler for the history of mankind's endless struggle in search of power, justice, and freedom. The Dawn Since time immemorial, people have sought out the legendary Phoenix for its blood, which is known to grant eternal life. Hearing about rumored Phoenix sightings in the Land of Fire, Himiko—the cruel queen of Yamatai obsessed with immortality—sends her army to conquer the nation and retrieve the creature. Young Nagi, his elder sister Hinaku, and her foreign husband Guzuri are the only survivors of the slaughter. But while Nagi is taken prisoner by the enemy, elsewhere, Hinaku has a shocking revelation. The Resurrection In a distant future where Earth has become uninhabitable, Leona undergoes surgery on a space station to recover from a deadly accident. However, while also suffering from amnesia, his brain is now half cybernetic and causes him to see people as formless scraps and robots as humans. Falling in love with Chihiro, a discarded robot, they escape together from the space station to prevent Chihiro from being destroyed. Yet as his lost memories gradually return, Leona will have to confront the painful truth about his past. The Transformation Yearning for independence, Sakon no Suke—the only daughter of a tyrant ruler—kills priestess Yao Bikuni, the sole person capable of curing her father's illness. Consequently, she and her faithful servant, Kahei, are unexpectedly confined to the temple grounds of Bikuni's sanctuary. While searching for a way out, Sakon no Suke assumes the priestess's position and uses a miraculous feather to heal all those reaching out for help. The Sun After his faction loses the war, Prince Harima's head is replaced with a wolf's. An old medicine woman who recognizes his bloodline assists him and the wounded General Azumi-no-muraji Saruta in escaping to Wah Land. But their arrival at a small Wah village is met with unexpected trouble as Houben, a powerful Buddhist monk, wants Harima dead. With the aid of the Ku clan wolf gods that protect the village's surroundings, he survives the murder attempt. After tensions settle, Saruta uses his established reputation in Wah to persuade the villagers to welcome Harima into their community. Over a period of time, Harima becomes the village's respected leader under the name Inugami no Sukune. But while the young prince adapts to his new role, he must remain vigilant as new dangers soon arise and threaten his recently acquired tranquility. The Future Life on Earth has gradually ceased to exist, with the survivors taking refuge in underground cities. To avoid human extinction, Doctor Saruta unsuccessfully tries to recreate life in his laboratory. However, the unexpected visit of Masato Yamanobe, his alien girlfriend Tamami, and his colleague Rock Holmes reveals a disturbing crisis: the computers that regulate the subterranean cities have initiated a nuclear war that will eliminate all of mankind. Phoenix series had to be made to finalize everything Tezuka did. But it's of anthology genre that I dislike. Could not enjoy it even on the same level as Hi no Tori: Uchuu-hen movie.   Overall Rating: 6/10

24. Sensei no Ojikan: Dokidoki School Hours Teacher's Time せんせいのお時間 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/13) Tags: School Comedy Meet Suzuki Mika, teacher at Okitsu High School. Mika-sensei is a good teacher, but she has a small problem... literally. Although she's 27, she is only 148 cm tall, and has the face of a child. As a result, it is often difficult for Mika-sensei to get anyone to take her seriously. It cries of Azumanga Daiou and even copies multiple sketches per episode structure. It's ok as sketch comedy, but loses big time even to spiritual predecessor that I do not evaluate highly either.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Shinkon Gattai Godannar!! 2nd Season 神魂合体ゴーダンナー!! SECOND SEASON [OLM, AIC ASTA] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Mecha Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi, Ecchi The history is placed right after the -cliffhanger- end of Godannar when Anna looks surprised to see Mira driving the Neo Okusaer. Second season of really a poor ecchi mecha.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Kinnikuman II Sei: Ultimate Muscle キン肉マンII世 ULTIMATE MUSCLE [Toei Animation] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Combat Sports, Martial Arts Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Sports The Chojin Crown, the tournament which Mantaro (Kid Muscle) reluctantly participates in. After going along with the obstacles (most of which were created to try and eliminate him), he qualified. Only for long-standing fans.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Hit wo Nerae! ヒットをねらえ! [Imagin, Studio Live] (Finished 1/8) Tags: Comedy, Ecchi  Mitsuki Ikuta works for the Houchiku Corporation, making movies. To all who know her, she is perceived as being a very infantile woman, still wearing childish fashions. A fan of the detective movie genre, she suddenly finds herself chosen to be the main producer of a new film—but it's a "hero movie" (a genre generally considered childish). Determined to succeed, regardless, she takes on the job. Among the whole trilogy, this part is the most straightforward and enjoyable though seriously lacks tolerance. But since it's part of trilogy, it's absolutely not recommended to suffer through three mediocre shows.   Overall Rating: 5/10

28. Tetsujin 28-gou (2004) Tetsujin 28 鉄人２８号 (2004) [Palm Studio] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Shounen Historical, Mecha Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi In post-WWII Japan, Prof. Shikishima has built up Shikishima Industries to be a technological powerhouse, working on developing robots. However, at the heart of their success lurks a dark secret from the war, something that cost the life of Prof. Kaneda, the mentor of Prof. Shikishima. Now Kaneda's son, Shoutarou, is about to learn the truth, and it will change him forever. Pretty sure it's the third iteration of Gigantor already. Material does get less morally old and obsolete.   Overall Rating: 5/10

29. Dan Doh!! ダンドー  [Tokyo Kids] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Shounen Adventure, Sports Dandoh was playing a baseball game with friends Yuka and Kohei and hits a wild fly ball which crashes into the principal's potted plants. Rather than getting mad, the principal admires Dandoh's swing and introduces him to the world of golf. It's now an adventure in golf as Dandoh is under the watchful eye of a former pro-golfer. They enter a tournament together and play for a shot at the national championships. Ordinary spokon about young golf prodigy. Childish.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Legendz: Yomigaeru Ryuuou Densetsu Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings レジェンズ 甦る竜王伝説 [Gallop] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy When a crafty toy company "Wiz" also known in this show as Dark Wiz Company, finds crystals with the faint DNA of monsters known as "Legendz" are found and made into a battle game. A young boy named Shu receives one these crystals known as "soul figures" from his father after a baseball game. Legendz rapidly became popular and more and more children played it. Wiz employeys start to track down Shu for his special soul figure, for his soul figure can revive real legendz not just the little kiddy digital images! How will Shu fight his way to victory and claim this soul figure as his own? It is childish, though maybe borderline and not full-scale childish. Comedy is relatively ok at least, and that's a rarity for a toy promotion anime.   Overall Rating: 6/10

31. Massugu ni Ikou. 2nd Season まっすぐにいこう。第2期  [Yumeta Company] (Finished 1/5) Tags: Josei Pets Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life Mametarou is a Crossbreed and this is about his daily activities and the friends he makes with his girlfriend, Hanako. Never finished original, have not got dogs affinity since.   Overall Rating: 6/10

32. Get Ride! AMDriver Get Ride! アムドライバー [Studio Deen] (Finished 1/51) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Sci-Fi In the future, human beings are attacked by beings called the Bug-chine, which appeared a few years back. No normal human weapon can defeat the Bug-chine, but there is hope. It is the AMDrivers that will save the earth. They are solders using the latest "AM Technology". With overwhelming power, they will beat the Bug-chine one after another and become heroes, as well as capture the hearts of their fans. Partially translated. One of the most pathetic mecha released even compared to titles from 1970s, so bad on so many levels.   Overall Rating: 5/10

33. The Marshmallow Times マシュマロ通信 <タイムス> [Studio Comet] (Finished 1/52) Tags: Slice of Life  The series focuses on 7 children and a sheep-like character. Together, they work together as a team and hang out together. They wear various fashion through the series. They also have different colored hair. Sandy, a girl who has a pet sheep-like character named Cloud and 6 other children, Jasmine, Lime, Basil, Clove, Nattsu, and Cinnamon, became friends, they become a news reporter team. Each episode has the children dressed in various clothes. Not translated. Sample episode consisted of three stories. Humor is not bad, but it's all about elementary school girl, so not really appealing to me.   Overall Rating: 5/10

34. Cossette no Shouzou Le Portrait de Petit Cossette コゼットの肖像 [Daume] (Finished 3/3) Tags: Gore, Psychological, Visual Arts Drama, Horror, Romance, Supernatural Eiri Kurahashi is a Japanese art student who works in an antique shop. His friends begin to notice a dramatic, and rather concerning, change in Eiri, as he becomes more absent-minded and his behavior completely changes. They quickly decide to blame their friend's troubles on a girl. They may be right, however, as Eiri has begun seeing a beautiful, doll-like girl trapped within an antique Venetian glass that his uncle bought in France. She seems to be living in a strange other world, contained entirely inside this glass, but her image refuses to leave Eiri's mind. His sketchbook becomes filled with her likeness, and he realizes he has become completely infatuated with this strange little girl. When he recognizes her in a portrait by the mysterious Italian artist, Marchello Orlando, he learns her name is Cossette d’Auvergne, and that she was tragically murdered along with the rest of her family. One night, as he closes up the shop, he hears a voice asking him not to leave. Finally making contact with the object of his obsession, he makes a deal that he doesn't fully understand. I feel uneasy when blood is shown abundantly, and this experimental work is mostly about blood, gore and some other disturbing elements. Too much accent on visuals, too little substance.   Overall Rating: 5/10

35. Teizokurei Daydream 低俗霊DAYDREAM [Hal Film Maker] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Ecchi Saiki Misaki has been able to see ghosts since she was a kid. Now, working at an S&M club, her spare time goes to sending the spirits off to the other world by having to make them realize they're dead and have to leave. This would supposedly be a little bit easier if you didnt have a background of hardship and loneliness... and a perverted employer. Albino dominatrix esper solves murder mysteries and fights using demon coming out of her... yes. It's an attempt to make the most shocking and provoking story ever. But I'm trying to remember at least something that impressed me or that I could enjoy... and, nope.   Overall Rating: 5/10

36. Shin Getter Robo New Getter Robo 新ゲッターロボ [Brain's Base] (Finished 1/13) Tags: Shounen Mecha, Mythology Action, Adventure, Horror, Sci-Fi Humanity is under attack by demonic creatures called Oni. Unable to fight back by any other means, the scientist Dr. Saotome creates a series of giant robots that harness the mysterious power of Getter Rays, giving them the strength necessary to fight the Oni. The strongest of these is Getter Robo, and Saotome must enlist three very different men to pilot it - martial artist Ryoma Nagare, criminal leader Hayato Jin, and monk Benkei Musashibou. Together, the Getter Team fights to end the Oni menace forever. It's on the brighter side of mecha anime, but too old-school, too shounen in spirit and too schematic for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

37. Natsu-iro no Sunadokei Sandglass of Summer Colors 夏色の砂時計 [Picture Magic, Rikuentai] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Time Travel Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi Makimura Koutarou has made up his mind: during the summer vacation, he is going to confess his love to the seemingly unapproachable Serizawa Kaho. Yet, on the night before, he has a run-in with a strange girl - an encounter which propels him into the future. There, he learns that not only has Kaho-chan become his girlfriend, but she has also died in a tragic accident. Returning to his own time, Koutarou sets out to change the future and save his love. Time slip is only good when it's one-way, as for me. Here it's two-way time slip for the sake of ... just some additional motivation. A very banal visual novel story, sadly, and this time I actually regret I learned this weak cheesy concept as there is not a grain of originality here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

38. Aoi Umi no Tristia 蒼い海のトリスティア [ufotable] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Mecha Adventure An ocean city, Tristia. Tristia used to be prospering playing an important role of the maritime trade, and it was as beautiful as to be praised as "marine jewelry". However, that was a long time ago. The attack of the dragons deprived the city of their original brightness. The people in Tristia worked hard to reconstruct their city, but everything they did went wrong, and the city became desolated on the contrary. At the end of their hope, they asked a Great Artisan for the recovery of the city, Prospero Flanka. Prospero was a legendary inventor who had revived cities that otherwise would have been ruined. The long-awaited day came when the Great Artisan Prosper arrived in the city... However, it was only one girl who stood at the port of the city. Prospero sent his grand daughter, Nanoka, for him. Building simulation turned into two episodes flavor anime was doomed from the start. Basically, it's just fanservice advertisement of the games.   Overall Rating: 5/10

39. Memories Off 3.5 Memories Off 3.5 [メモリーズオフ3.5] [Picture Magic, Rikuentai] (Finished 4/4) Tags: Drama, Romance This series is made up of two seperate stories with a few overlapping characters. The first story, Omoide no Kanata e, is about Shogo and his current girlfriend Neo. Kanata, a former girlfriend of Shogo's shows up one day and causes Shogo and Neo to think about their current situations. The second story, Inori no Todoku Koro, is about girl called Inori and her boyfriend Isshu. They had made a promise to always go to the fireworks festival together, since that was the place that they orginally became a couple. This year, Isshu says he cannot attend because of his work so Inori goes alone and recalls the previous two years. Not the worst SOL romance, definitely not the best.   Overall Rating: 6/10

40. Makasete Iruka! Grrl Power! まかせてイルか！ [CoMix Wave Films] (Finished 1/1) Tags: School Action, Award Winning, Comedy Meet Umi, Sora and Ao, the three hardest working school girls in all of Japan. As the proprietors of the best odd-jobs service around, they'll take on any task and guarantee the result! Unfortunately, spending your whole day doing other people's homework and cleaning sewers doesn't leave much time to go to school yourself, so when the girls take on the task of convincing someone else to go back to school, it may prove to be their hardest job ever! Have these junior Jills of all trades finally met their match? Find out in Grrl Power! Length is just of one normal episode. A nice easygoing comedy about girls and for girls. Nothing outstanding, though.   Overall Rating: 6/10

41. Steady x Study ステディ×スタディ [Idea Factory] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Romance  Nakane Makoto is a freshman in the private school of Kamimori Academy in Harajuku. He enters the drama club because his best friend, Wakabayashi asked him to do so, but it turns out the club is on the verge of dissolution. A girl from Makoto's class, Saitou Koyuki is also a member of the club. In the meanwhile, Makoto's schoolmate since junior high - now a student of the other class - Abegawa Nozomi seeks to launch a so called "study club". Both clubs get into a pinch, as the student council won't finance their activity for this year, and even the day of a performance is approaching... Can the drama club survive this crisis? Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

42. Appleseed (Movie) アップルシード [Digital Frontier] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Shounen Detective, Mecha, Military Action, Drama, Sci-Fi Growing out of the chaos of a global war, the city of Utopia is populated by humans and bioroids (artificial humans). On the surface, everything is harmonious, but tensions lurk. Into this seemingly perfect society comes a survivor of the wars, Deunan Knute, who carries a legacy that will turn out to be of critical importance to the future of humanity. Last time I watched it I was rather impressed. 3D here is not repulsive, but it would feel a lot better if drawn normally. It's more about unique setting and action, although there is also a story dimension alongside with races rivalry line. As for me, it deserves a borderline masterpiece score anyway, but not higher as it's not without controversies.   Overall Rating: 7/10

43. Crayon Shin-chan Movie 12: Arashi wo Yobu! Yuuhi no Kasukabe Boys 映画 クレヨンしんちゃん　嵐を呼ぶ！夕陽のカスカベボーイズ [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Historical Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy A fantasy action set in a world of Western films. One day the Nohara family, Kasukabe Defense Forces (Shinnosuke Nohara and his mates: Kazama-kun, Nene-chan, Masao-kun and Bo-chan), and other people living in Kasukabe City get lost in a world within a Wild West film, which is a city ruled by an evil governor named Justice. The time progression has been stopped there because the film is unfinished but people are losing their memories about the past little by little. To go back to their former world, the Kasukabe Defense Forces tries to defeat Governor Justice and finish the film before everyone loses their memories. Another thematic story, but a rather unfunny one this time.   Overall Rating: 6/10

Share this: