Anime of the Year 2005-II Spring - Hachimitsu to Clover

Lots of decent works, none is good enough for me. If I really needed to choose, I'd probably go for Hachimitsu to Clover as with all its flaws it can still be nice at times.

1. Koukyoushihen Eureka Seven Eureka Seven  交響詩篇エウレカセブン [Bones] (Finished 3/50) Tags: Mecha Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi  In the backwater town of Bellforest lives a 14-year-old boy named Renton Thurston. He desires to leave his home behind and join the mercenary group known as Gekkostate, hoping to find some adventure to brighten up his mundane life. However, stuck between his grandfather's insistence to become a mechanic like him and the pressure of his deceased father's legacy, the only excitement Renton finds is in his pastime of riding the Trapar wave particles that are dispersed throughout the air, an activity akin to surfing. Everything changes when an unknown object crashes through Renton's garage, discovered to be a Light Finding Operation—a robot capable of riding the Trapar waves—specifically known as the Nirvash typeZERO. Its pilot is a young girl named Eureka, a member of the Gekkostate, who requests a tune-up for the Nirvash. Their meeting sparks the beginning of Renton's involvement with the Gekkostate as he takes off alongside Eureka as the co-pilot of the Nirvash. Eureka Seven is of high quality, so it's watchable and easy to watch. But it's just not interesting for me as it's a slow mecha without big aim. Compared to contemporaries, it has many benefits, but the newer anime titles, even of the same genre, put the whole enterprise of Eureka Seven to shame as they actually know what they are doing and where they are going for a change. It's too immature. And seriously... 50 episodes of this drag?   Overall Rating: 6/10

2. Hachimitsu to Clover Honey and Clover ハチミツとクローバー [J.C.Staff] (Finished 6/24) Tags: Josei Adult Cast, Love Polygon, Visual Arts Comedy, Drama, Romance Yuuta Takemoto, a sophomore at an arts college, shares a cheap apartment with two seniors—the eccentric Shinobu Morita, who keeps failing to graduate due to his absenteeism, and the sensible Takumi Mayama, who acts as a proper senior to Takemoto, often looking out for him. Takemoto had not given much thought to his future until one fine spring day, when he meets the endearing Hagumi Hanamoto and falls in love at first sight. Incredibly gifted in the arts, Hagumi enrolls in Takemoto's university and soon befriends the popular pottery student Ayumi Yamada. Ayumi is already well acquainted with the three flatmates and secretly harbors deep feelings for one of them. Hachimitsu to Clover is a heartwarming tale of youth, love, soul-searching, and self-discovery, intricately woven through the complex relationships between five dear friends. I generally like such college dormitory anime like Silver Spoon, but this first representative could never involve me. All female characters here are too weird. And there's no even distinctive theme to revolve around despite the fact it's art college - compare that to Blue Period, for example. Without some glue it all falls apart to pieces, and rather irritating characters make it all obsolete under pressure of time.   Overall Rating: 6/10

3. Tsubasa Chronicle Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE ツバサ・クロニクル [Bee Train] (Finished 4/26) Tags: Shounen Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural During an excavation at the mysterious ruins in Clow Country, Syaoran discovers his childhood friend Princess Sakura appear on the site with wings that disperse into many feathers. As the feather's disappear to different dimensions, so does Sakura's memory. In attempts to save Sakura's life and restore her memory, Syaoran travels through to another world to find a solution. There's only one thing left he can do. Travel through to different dimensions to collect Sakura's feathers. Helping out with the quest is Kurogane, an exiled ninja from Japan Country who wishes to return to his world, the runaway magician, Fay, who desires to jump between each world never to return to his own and the white meat-bun shaped creature, Mokona. Tried to watch it before, and it inevitably irritated me with simplicity and stupidity as well as bland protagonists and horrible mocking villains. It's not bad, but it's worse - it's plain, and has aged poorly.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou Basilisk バジリスク 甲賀忍法帖 [Gonzo] (Finished 4/24) Tags: Seinen Historical, Samurai Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural For centuries, the Iga and Kouga ninja clans have engaged in a bitter war. But when a ceasefire is ordered by the powerful warlord Ieyasu Tokugawa, the two clans are forced to put down their arms. Years later, Gennosuke Kouga, heir of the Kouga clan, and Oboro Iga, heir of the Iga clan, have fallen in love. Through marriage, both heirs aim to bring peace to the clans. But their hopes are dashed when flames of rivalry between their clans are reignited, and they are dragged into another war. Ieyasu's two grandsons have both claimed to be the next heir to the shogunate. To resolve this dispute, both the Kouga and Iga are ordered to send their 10 best warriors to fight in a bloody battle royale, with each clan representing one of the potential shogunate heirs. Two scrolls with the names of the fighters are given and are to be marked in blood upon the given fighter's death. The prize for winning is the favor of the Tokugawa shogunate for a thousand years. Torn between their love for each other and duty to their clans, Gennosuke and Oboro must ultimately decide the fate of their clans. It's pure fighting action between Iga and Koga, canonical and gory, but not to my liking.   Overall Rating: 6/10

5. Trinity Blood トリニティ・ブラッド [Gonzo] (Finished 24/24) Tags: Vampire Action, Supernatural Following Armageddon, an apocalyptic war, mankind faces yet another menace: vampires. The continuous confrontations between the races have split the world into separate factions. The race of vampires, Methuselah, are affiliated with the New Human Empire; whereas the humans, deemed Terrans by the vampires, make up the Vatican Papal State. Furthermore, extremist groups like the Rosenkreuz Order strive to rekindle a war, despite the factions' attempts to avoid direct conflict. To combat terrorist organizations, the Vatican has implemented the AX unit. Led by Cardinal Caterina Sforza, the AX agents investigate vampire-related disturbances with hopes that the Terrans and the Methuselah will one day achieve peaceful coexistence. Amongst the AX unit is priest Abel Nightroad—a seemingly disoriented but gentle-hearted fellow who is a fierce vampire slayer on the battlefield. Joining the unit as his partner is agent Sister Esther Blanchett, a brave and gentle young nun troubled with a tragic past. As the two grow closer, they begin to uncover signs of malicious schemes and dark forces working in the shadows. But the path they walk is riddled with misfortune that might just force them to confront the memories that plague their hearts. It had all the chances for a solid vampire story, but execution is poor. And unlike Hellsing or Vampire Hunter D this one is more about world, politics, mystery rather than action. Basically, need some kind of vampire affinity to like it as story itself is lacking.   Overall Rating: 6/10

6. Eyeshield 21 アイシールド21 [Gallop] (Finished 1/145) Tags: Shounen Team Sports Shy, reserved, and small-statured, Deimon High School student Sena Kobayakawa is the perfect target for bullies. However, as a result of running errands throughout his life, Sena has become agile and developed a skill for avoiding crowds of people. After the cunning Youichi Hiruma—captain of the Deimon Devil Bats football team—witnesses Sena's rapid legs in motion, he coerces the timid boy into joining his squad. As Hiruma wants to conceal Sena's identity from other clubs, Sena is forced to hide under the visored helmet of "Eyeshield 21," a mysterious running back wearing the number 21 jersey. The legendary Eyeshield 21 can supposedly run at the speed of light and has achieved remarkable feats in the United States during his time at the Notre Dame College. Accustomed to avoiding his problems in the past, Sena's specialty might just help him become the new secret weapon of the Deimon Devil Bats. As he interacts with his teammates, Sena gradually gains more self-confidence and forges valuable bonds along the way. Quality is higher than average, but that's as far as I'm willing to go for spokons.   Overall Rating: 6/10

7. Ueki no Housoku The Law of Ueki うえきの法則 [Studio Deen] (Finished 2/51) Tags: Shounen Super Power Action, Adventure, Supernatural Unbeknownst to most humans, a bizarre tournament is held to decide the next ruler of the Heavenly World. In this tournament, 100 Heavenly Beings known as the "God Candidates" are required to search among the middle school students on Earth, and transfer their powers to a student of their choice. The chosen ones will then battle each other, representing their God Candidates. The victor of this tournament will be awarded the "Blank Talent"—allowing them to choose any one unique ability they so desire—while the God Candidate they represent will obtain the position of "God" and become the king of the Heavenly World. Participating in this grand tournament is Kousuke Ueki, a middle school student who is given the power to turn trash into trees by his homeroom teacher, Kobayashi. Despite the concerns of his classmate, Ai Mori, Ueki embarks on a journey to pursue his own sense of justice after witnessing the people around him misusing their powers for selfish purposes. But as he encounters talented power users such as Seiichirou Sano, Rinko Jerrard, Robert Haydn, and Hideyoshi Soya, he realizes that achieving his goal might be harder than it seems. One of the bland superpower battle royales imitating Shaman King. Very irritating.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Ichigo 100% Strawberry 100% いちご100% [Madhouse] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Shounen Harem Comedy, Romance, Ecchi One day, Manaka Junpei walks to the roof of his school and encounters a beautiful girl falling down from above him and accidentally exposing her strawberry panties. The embarrassed girl runs away before Junpei can find out whom she is. He wishes to become a filmmaker, and this whole experience seemed like it would make the perfect scene in a movie. And so he goes on a search for the girl with the strawberry panties in order to reenact it all on film. But he will soon discover that finding that one girl will not be that easy... A memorable ecchi, but mostly because of the concept stupidity.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Speed Grapher スピードグラファー [Gonzo] (Finished 24/24) Tags: Adult Cast, Super Power Action, Mystery Ten years after the Bubble War, the dichotomy between the rich and the poor in the world becomes more prominent and Japan is no exception. The rich seek to satisfy their desires and derive pleasure for themselves, and Tokyo has materialized into such a city as a result. Saiga, once a war photographer, works for Hibara Ginza in the capitalist state of Tokyo. He infiltrates the Roppongi Club, a secretive base located in the red light district of the city, to collect information about them. However, he was caught in the process and brought forward to a girl called Kagura who was in the midst of a ritual. His contact with Kagura awakens his special ability: the power to make things explode when photographed. In order to unravel the mystery behind the Roppongi Club and Kagura, Saiga begins his solitary battle. It's just a weird and senseless mess with actual adult themes that I could not believe it would not develop into something normal by the end. And it did not. Same pursues, trap cabaret and with just more fighting action towards the end. It's such an inarticulate story that I don't want to recommend it. But at least it tries to experiment, still better than all those generic schematic adventures we get more often than desired.   Overall Rating: 6/10

10. Erementar Gerad Elemental Gelade エレメンタルジェレイド [Xebec] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Shounen Super Power Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance After a routine raid, the rookie sky pirate Coud finds a most unusual cargo in his mates' cargo hold: Ren, an "Edel Reid", a race prized by humans for granting special combat power to their partners through "Reacting". He quickly discovers, however, that Ren is even more prized than he expected. The pirate ship is visited by three members of the Edel Reid Complete Protection Agency "Arc Aire", who try to purchase her. When Coud refuses, the ship is suddenly attacked by a mysterious force, and Coud's captain charges him with Ren's protection. A most tasteless fantasy travel adventure to some Shangri-la again. Since plot is generic, only characters could save it, but characters are nothing but a bunch of irritating stamps as well. The flow and slapstic comedy obviously imitate Slayers.   Overall Rating: 5/10

11. Kore ga Watashi no Goshujinsama He is My Master これが私の御主人様 [Gainax, Shaft] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Shounen Comedy, Slice of Life, Ecchi Izumi Sawatari and her younger sister, Mitsuki Sawatari, have run away from home and are in need of employment. The only jobs available are as maids in the mansion of 14-year-old millionaire, Yoshitaka Nakabayashi. What seems like simple work is soon revealed to be far more than the girls bargained for when they find Yoshitaka to be an authoritative employer who demands they call him "Master". Gainax actually made maid fetish work watchable, but there's mostly fanservice and affiliated humor.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Sousei no Aquarion Aquarion 創聖のアクエリオン [Satelight] (Finished 3/26) Tags: Mecha, Super Power Action, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi Once upon a time, a race known as the Shadow Angels attacked Earth to harvest the life force of all those who inhabited the planet. Thanks to some outrageous miracle, the Shadow Angels went dormant, and humanity was able to live another 12,000 years without fearing their presence. But 11 years after a catastrophe dubbed the Holy Genesis brought ruin to the Earth, the Shadow Angels were stirred from their slumber and resumed the attacks once more. To give humanity somewhat of a chance, an organization known as DEAVA was formed, and use of a robotic weapon named Aquarion has been authorized. In order for the Aquarion to be brought to full power, three pilots must combine their hearts, bodies, and souls into one—a feat few can hope to accomplish. Thus, the search for so-called 'Element Users' was prioritised, hoping to ensure humanity's future. Sousei no Aquarion follows the story of Apollo, a near-feral young man brought up in poverty, who is believed to be a legendary hero reincarnated. After his best friend is taken by the Shadow Angels, Apollo chooses to become an Aquarion pilot. Will he be able to turn the tides of the war, and free humanity from the threat of the Shadow Angels for once and for all? A decent mecha with mediocre characters. And it's more interesting to watch than any Gundam series because of tension, to be honest.    Overall Rating: 6/10

13. Eikoku Koi Monogatari Emma Emma: A Victorian Romance 英國戀物語エマ [Pierrot] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Seinen Historical Drama, Romance Emma has been a maid for most of her life. Working for a retired governess—the strict but compassionate Kelly Stownar—Emma has grown to love her work and has long since accepted her place in society. Beautiful, hardworking, and exceptionally kind, Emma has captured the hearts of many of London's working men—but their feelings always remain unrequited. Emma is waiting for love, and she finds it in the most unlikely of places. William is the eldest son of the wealthy Jones household—a family that has only recently been accepted into the gentry, securing their position in high society. He is also the former ward of Mrs. Stownar, and on his first visit in years, he falls madly in love with her maid. His earnest attempts to win her affection, coupled with his good nature and warm personality, have captured Emma's heart. But the polite society of 19th century England does not take kindly to the rejection of tradition. As a result, Emma and William's relationship could not face more opposition. In a world where the class lines are as strongly defended as the borders of nations, does their love have the strength to survive? A normal victorial novel. Definitely not for me.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. MÄR メル [SynergySP] (Finished 5/102) Tags: Shounen Isekai Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy Dreaming of a magical world every night, the young Toramizu Ginta yearns to be able to go there. With only his friend Koyuki believing in his dreams, Ginta remains positive despite the slander he receives from others over his dreams. But his wishes are answered, as one day a large door appears in front of Ginta, summoning him to the land of MAR Heaven. In this land, the weapons known as ARMS exist. While initially Ginta greatly enjoyed the discovery of this magical world, he soon learns of the terrible wars that have once plagued MAR Heaven and the upcoming war that may soon appear. A generic shounen, I'd call it a mix of Dragon Ball and Shaman King, but it surely has many more sources of inspiration.   Overall Rating: 5/10

15. Glass no Kamen (2005) Glass Mask ガラスの仮面 (2005) [Tokyo Movie Shinsha] (Finished 3/51) Tags: Shoujo Performing Arts, Showbiz Drama Two Girls. One Dream. And the entire world for a stage. At 13 years old, Maya Kitajima seems destined to spend the rest of her life toiling in a crowded restaurant alongside her bitter and unstable mother. But when her incredible acting talent is discovered by the legendary diva Chigusa Tsukikage, Maya finds a new future filled with both golden opportunities and terrifying risks. For Ayumi Himekawa, success has always been assured, yet she longs to be recognized for her own talents and skills, not her famous parents' connections. For both, the ultimate prize is the role of The Crimson Goddess in the play of the same name, a part created by Chigusa. To achieve this goal, both Maya and Ayumi must seek out and conquer every acting challenge, pushing the limits of their talent and endurance to the utmost, until they are worthy of the part… But for one to win, the other must fail! They took their time preparing this classic remake, and it's indeed decent. For me this shoujo still lacks complexity of Nodame Cantabile and some other psychological or twisted shoujo titles.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Futakoi Alternative フタコイ オルタナティブ [ufotable, feel., Studio Flag] (Finished 2/13) Tags: Comedy, Drama, Romance  The Futaba Detective Agency, being run by Rentarou, who has taken over the family business, after his father's death 3 weeks ago. Along w/ Sara & Souju, his live-in identical twin assistants. He ends up running afoul of the local Yakuza. Lots of ridiculous nonsense action akin to R.O.D. . It's not funny as parody, not engaging as story , not serious for anything deeper, so just some surface scratching comedy .   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Zettai Shounen 絶対少年 [Ajia-do] (Finished 11/26) Tags: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi  Oftentimes, people are most vulnerable when they are lonely and unable to get along with those around them. Isolation is felt more keenly amongst a crowd, so some will try to find solace in the strangest of places, where the unknown lurks. Such people include Ayumu Aizawa, a former city boy now living in the countryside of Tana, and Kisa Tanigawa, a young girl who has a hard time relating to others. What these two share in common is a feeling that their life has gone astray. Zettai Shounen tells a story of strange phenomena affecting two different settings, with no explanations of their origin or sudden appearance. All that is known is that these phenomena seem to center on individuals with mixed emotions toward themselves and others. As most mysteries, a total bore with the essence being a 99% filler. So pissed.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Gokujou Seitokai Best Student Council 極上生徒会 [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/26) Tags: School Comedy, Slice of Life Randou Rino is a young girl with a head full of air and a talking puppet on her hand. She is accepted into the illustrious Gokujou all-girl's school, and is summarily, almost curiously, accepted as part of the even more illustrious Gokujou Student Council, who has more power and business ventures than most large businesses. Now a part of the student council, she befriends the talented members of the Gokujou Student Council, leaving one to wonder how a girl with seemingly no talents or redeeming qualities would get chosen for such a group. It's sort of parody on girls love academy stories. It's funny enough, but there's no story, just setting.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Koi Koi 7 Koi Koi Seven こいこい7 [Studio Flag] (Finished 2/13) Tags: Harem Comedy, Romance Tanaka Tetsuro is excited at getting a full scholarship at a new high school, far away from his family. What he does not know is that he will be the only boy in an all girl school, and that there is a girl head-over-heels in love with him, waiting for his arrival. But his special friendship with the very cute and dynamic Asuka also causes him to get into a lot of trouble with the powerful student council leadership, as they are at open war with Asuka and her five friends, a group of super amazon warriors called the Koi Koi Seven. Longs things short, there's hardly anything but constant fanservice.   Overall Rating: 5/10

20. Zoids Genesis ゾイド ジェネシス [Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment] (Finished 1/50) Tags: Mecha, Military Action, Adventure, Comedy Natural disasters have devastated planet Zi, killing off almost all life. A thousand years later humans have gradually re-established civilization, salvaging ancient Zoids through diving and mining efforts. In a village whose most previous item is a giant sword which they worship as a holy symbol. A teenage boy discovers an ancient Liger-type Zoid while on a deep water salvage operation. Suddenly the village is attacked by skeletal Bio-Zoids intent on stealing a powerful generator located in the village. Our teenage hero awakens the Liger and discovers that the town`s sacred sword is the Liger`s weapon, together they fight off the mysterious Bio-Zoids. At least for now... I lost any remaining interest in the very first season.   Overall Rating: 5/10

21. Onegai My Melody おねがいマイメロディ [Studio Comet] (Finished 3/52) Tags: Comedy, Fantasy  My Melody arrives on Earth much to the surprise of her rival Kuromi. Together with one of the junior high school students, Yumeno Uta, they decide to protect the dreams of the people with the help of magic. Childish humor, simplicity and episodic nature, young girls problems. It can be enjoyed by the target audience, but this audience seems to be very narrow.   Overall Rating: 6/10

22. Izumo: Takeki Tsurugi no Senki Izumo: Flash of a Brave Sword IZUMO -猛き剣の閃記- [Trinet Entertainment, Studio Kyuuma] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Martial Arts Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural Yagi Takeru has been living in the Touma family's house since his parents are gone. He was raised by Touma Rokunosuke, the head of the house. He is surrounded by many people such as Yamato Takeshi, his best friend-cum-rival from the kendo club, the Shiratori sisters, Kotono and Asuka, and his childhood friend, Oosu Seri. Life has been blissful until one day, an earthquake strikes the school and everything changes. Takeru awakens to find that the school looks as if it has been abandoned for centuries and reduced to ruins. He also realize that all the teachers and students have disappeared as well. He meets up with Seri and Asuka and they fled from the ruins, only to realize that the town they used to live in is completely empty. Subsequently, people wrapped in cloaks appear before him. They were told that they have been brought to another world. Sat through this horrible bore about flirt and some fighting of a school boy in a fantasy land. It had better stayed as a game without serialization.   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Fushigiboshi no☆Futagohime ふしぎ星の☆ふたご姫 [Hal Film Maker] (Finished 2/51) Tags: Mahou Shoujo Comedy, Fantasy In the hollow Mysterious Planet, seven kingdoms co-exist, all of them lit by the Sun's Blessing from the Kingdom of the Sun, in the middle of the planet. The light of the core sun is necessary for the continued existence of all the kingdoms. Yet, something is causing the Sun's Blessing to weaken. If something isn't done, it will be the end of life in the Mysterious Planet. Fortunately, the twin princesses of the Sun Kingdom, Fine and Rein, have been endowed with the magic of the Prominence, and are looking for a way to fix things. Feels like a fusion of Do-Re-Mi and Precure in fantasy kingdom setting. Humor is nice, but not finding it outstanding.   Overall Rating: 6/10

24. Comic Party Revolution こみっくパーティー Revolution [Radix, Chaos Project] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Otaku Culture Comedy, Drama Sendo Kazuki, failed the entrance exam for the art college he was applying to, His childhood friend, Kuhonbutsu Taishi forced Kazuki to enter the doujin (private publishing) world. I hated OVA since it was fanservice spin-off about two female heroines, and this second season is actually same spin-off episodes with addition of some glue ones that have original protagonist. There are couple episodes that can be considered plot development, but overall impression is poor as it's one big filler for the most part.   Overall Rating: 6/10

25. Yuki no Joou (TV) The Snow Queen 雪の女王 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 2/36) Tags: Shoujo Adventure, Drama, Fantasy Based on the children's story by Hans Christian Andersen. Gerda and Kai have been neighbors and best friends since childhood. Gerda is eleven, Kai twelve. They were happy children who worked and played as they should. All that changed when the Snow Queen's mirror broke. The shards spread all through the world, each containing evil. If a shard went inside your eye, it would turn your heart to ice. A shard went into Kai's eye. After that, he grew cold to those he loved. One night, the Snow Queen came in her carriage and took Kai back to her ice castle at the farthest north point of the world. Everyone in Kai and Gerda's village didn't know where he went and believed he died from drowning in the frozen-over lake. Gerda doesn't believe this, for she dreamed of seeing Kai enter the carriage. When a drunk man admits that he also saw this, Gerda starts realizing that maybe what she saw wasn't a dream. She packs her things and goes on a journey to save Kai and bring him back home. I seriously dislike it when short fairy tales are turned into some huge series. Lots of useless SOL, antics and slow-paced fiddling details... too irritating to go on.   Overall Rating: 5/10

26. Yuusha-Ou GaoGaiGar Final Grand Glorious Gathering King of Braves GaoGaiGar Final Grand Glorious Gathering 勇者王ガオガイガーFINAL Grand Glorious Gathering [Sunrise] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Mecha, Super Power Action, 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. Childish Tarzan-themed beast transformers are back for those who care.   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Kouchuu Ouja Mushiking: Mori no Tami no Densetsu Mushiking: The Guardians of the Forest 甲虫王者ムシキング ～森の民の伝説～ [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 1/52) Tags: Fantasy  The story begins with a spaceship struggling to return to its home world, which crash lands onto a dying planet, triggering an explosion of pure energy, generated by the powerful and mysterious life forms that are piloting the craft. This outburst of energy infuses the dying planet with a life-generating force. Popo, the main character of the story, lives happily with his mother on this planet in a remote part of the forest that is populated with praying mantises, ladybugs, beetles and many other insects. Popos greatest desire is to grow up and become stronger, so that he can search for his father who left the family several years before and has not been heard from since. His father was known as the Guardian of the Forest, as he was passionately dedicated to his research on the planet and on the forest in which his family lives. One day, while walking through the forest, Popo witnesses an ominous event. A strange flowing mist appears, completely covering the forest. A mysterious and sinister character, Passer, also appears, condemning Popos father as an enemy of the forest people and the source of all their trouble. Popo races home only to find to his shock and amazement that his mother has been transformed into a half-plant, half human creature. Confused and dismayed over what he has seen, Popo decides that only his father will be able to restore his mother to her human self and rescue the forest from harm. He decides to leave his home in search for his father. However, the evil Adder and his henchmen plot to prevent Popo from achieving his goal with the help of giant beetles who attack the young boy at every turn. Fortunately, Popo has an ally, Mushiking: The King of Beetles! With his overwhelming strength and overpowering fighting style, Mushiking always comes through at the nick of time to save the young boy from defeat and to set him back on his quest. Is Popo able to find his father and to save his mother and the forest? Discovering his destiny as the next Guardian of the Forest, and protected and guided on his journey by Mushiking, Popo's epic quest to reunite with his father now begins! Setting is childish - just having adventures with bugs etc.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Shinshaku Sengoku Eiyuu Densetsu: Sanada Juu Yuushi The Animation 新釈 戦国英雄伝説 眞田十勇士 The Animation [Group TAC, G&G Entertainment] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Historical, Military, Samurai Action, Comedy In the Fifth Year of the Keicho era, the Tokugawa clan sought to solidify their control of Japan. Hidetada Tokugawa has come to the doorsteps of Ueda Castle with the intentions of having the Sanada clan open its doors to him. But the Sanada and their retainers have other plans... Not translated, only movie special is. With great NHK taiga about Sanadas having subtitles this one hardly matters till it gets subs.   Overall Rating: 6/10

29. Eien no Aselia The Eternal Aseria 永遠のアセリア [Studio Matrix] (Finished 2/2) Tags: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy  Yuto Takamine and his younger sister-in-law Kaori, were at their parents' grave, when they were suddenly summoned into another world, Phantasmagoria. The King and a woman named Restina took Kaori as a hostage, and ordered Yuto to fight against their enemies. Then, the King gave him a sword called Motomeh to protect their kingdom from enemy spirits. Kaori will only be freed if Yuto helps protect Phantasmagoria. Thus, Yuto's journey begins... Short and rather unimpressive advertisement for the game.   Overall Rating: 5/10

30. Mezame no Hakobune Open Your Mind めざめの方舟 [-] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Fantasy The plot of Open Your Mind follows the extraterrestrial origin of life, coming from outerspace as six deities (Intermission act), evolving into water (Sho-ho) then emerging to the air (Hyakkin) and to the ground (Ku-nu). Each one of these creatures rules one of the six elements of the godai philosophy, i.e. Earth, Water, Fire, Wind (referred to as kaze in the Hyakkin chant), Sky and Consciousness (referred to as "Awakening" in the movie's title). Another weird experimental something, more like music with random imagery.   Overall Rating: 5/10

31. Kirameki☆Project きらめき☆プロジェクト [Studio Fantasia] (Finished 5/5) Tags: Mecha Comedy, Sci-Fi, Ecchi In a world where giant rude robots are common and used to fight wars appears a giant Handcrafted robot that defeats the major armies of the world. Meanwhile in a kingdom where three sisters reign in peace and harmony there is a secret that they keep from the rest of the world until they must use a Doll-looking robot to protect their nation, even when her creator refuses to put her friend in danger. A ridiculous fanservice mecha with poor plot.   Overall Rating: 5/10

32. Haruwo ハルヲ [CoMix Wave Films] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Action In a violent post-apocalyptic Japan, a reckless juvenile delinquent named Haruwo takes on the Yakuza, but their new bouncer may be more than he can handle... Over a year in the making, this half-hour short was entirely the work of one person--even the music! "Haruwo" animator Shao Guee writes, "I didn't make this film for money, just for fun. I hope people all over the world will have a chance to see it. If you like it, please tell your friends about it. That's all I want. My thanks to everyone who helped me make this project a reality." Just a small simple revenge story, and the fact that it's done by one person does not justify it in any way.   Overall Rating: 5/10

33. Crayon Shin-chan Movie 13: Densetsu wo Yobu Buriburi 3 Pun Dai Shingeki 映画 クレヨンしんちゃん　伝説を呼ぶ　ブリブリ　３分ポッキリ大進撃 [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen School Comedy, Slice of Life, Ecchi An action comedy including parodies of tokusatsu monster/hero genre, such as "Godzilla" and "Ultraman." A time-space conditioner from the future, Miraiman, suddenly appears before the Nohara family, and he requests the family to fight against giant monsters who appear from time-space distortion one after another, in order to save the world from destruction. Every time monsters appear, Shinnosuke's parents, father Hiroshi and mother Misae go to the world three minute later, transform themselves into righteous heroes and defeat them within the time limit of three minutes. Hiroshi and Misae become wrapped up in getting rid of monsters, and Misae stops doing the housework. Then, a strong monster appears, and he cannot be defeated within three minutes. Shinnosuke rises up against the monster. Superhero family themed movie with kaiji is more dramatic than funny. I don't like this change.   Overall Rating: 6/10

34. Ark  [Skouras] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha, Military Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural Ark takes place on a dying alien world in which a global war between two technologically advanced human civilizations has reduced the planet to a wasteland. The only way to escape the world is by activating the Ark, an ancient giant robot capable of supporting a human city as well as traveling through space. A surprisingly well done machinima with a nice small story.   Overall Rating: 6/10

35. Ashita Genki ni Nare!: Hanbun no Satsumaimo Tomorrow Will Become Better!: Half a Sweet Potato あした元気にな～れ!～半分のさつまいも～ [AYCO, Studio Kelmadick] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama  The story is about a 5-year-old girl who lived in just after World War II when people were struggle for living. Not translated. Basically, 5-year-old girl cheers up and helps people. There's not much substance or drama, just some more or less touching episodes from war aftermath life.   Overall Rating: 6/10

36. Kumo no Gakkou 雲の学校 [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Drama, Slice of Life  Near the end of the 19th century, a young boy loses his father and has to move from a comfortable city to a poor village in Saitama. There, living with his mother, elder sister, and a dog, he learns valuable lessons about what's truly important in life. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

37. Yin Shun Daoshi Fu Ven. Yin Shun [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Historical Drama The story begins in 742AD, when Japanese monks Yoei and Fusho, pay a visit to Jian Zhen, the abbot of Daming Temple in Yangzhou, China, and implore him to help implement Buddhist precepts in their homeland. When his disciples shy away from the task, the abbot volunteers himself. From 743AD, he tries to sail to Japan several times and only succeeds on his sixth attempt. By then he had already lost his eyesight, yet not once did he lose sight of his aspiration nor did he allow his determination to falter. Bringing along with him several Chinese artisans, Jian Zhen, himself a medical practitioner, went on to make major contributions to the development of Buddhism in Japan, as well as to its culture, architecture and traditional Chinese medicine. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

Share this: