Anime of the Year 2007-III Summer - Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei , Stranger: Mukou Hadan and Piano no Mori all got minor masterpiece scores from me. Don't want to choose, so series wins over movies.

1. Baccano! バッカーノ！ [Brain's Base] (Finished 13/13) Tags: Historical, Organized Crime Action, Comedy, Mystery, Supernatural During the early 1930s in Chicago, the transcontinental train, Flying Pussyfoot, is starting its legendary journey that will leave a trail of blood all over the country. At the same time in New York, the ambitious scientist Szilard and his unwilling aide Ennis are looking for missing bottles of the immortality elixir. In addition, a war between the mafia groups is getting worse. On board the Advena Avis, in 1711, alchemists are about to learn the price of immortality. Based on the award-winning light novels of the same name, Baccano! follows several events that initially seem unrelated, both in time and place, but are part of a much bigger story—one of alchemy, survival, and immortality. Merging these events together are the kindhearted would-be thieves, Isaac and Miria, connecting various people, all of them with their own hidden ambitions and agendas, and creating lifelong bonds and consequences for everyone involved. Baka no? Baka da yo! This is a more suitable title for this eclectic gore filled silly detective mystery anthology mess. It combines so many elements that I detest that I absolutely can't understand its appeal, but I never liked Darker than Black as well.   Overall Rating: 5/10

2. School Days スクールデイズ [TNK] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Harem, School Drama, Romance High school student Makoto Itou first notices Kotonoha Katsura at the start of his second semester, freshman year. Immediately, he becomes entranced by her beauty, but his bashfulness doesn't allow him to approach her, even though they ride the same train every day. Instead, he snaps a photo of her in secret and sets it as his cell phone's wallpaper: a charm that, if kept under wraps, would supposedly help you realize your love. However, classmate Sekai Saionji spots the picture, but instead of ratting him out, she offers to help set him up with Kotonoha—going so far as befriending her just for him. Thus, the trio begins a rather impromptu friendship. School Days follows the lives of these three teenagers as they traverse the joys and hardships that come with being a high schooler. In a story alive and brimming with romance and melancholy, the tale of these three students will linger in memory long after the momentous conclusion. Remake.   Overall Rating: 5/10

3. Zero no Tsukaima: Futatsuki no Kishi The Familiar of Zero: Knight of the Twin Moons ゼロの使い魔 ～双月の騎士～ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 1/12) Tags: Harem, Isekai, School Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Ecchi Revered as heroes for their role in defending Tristain, Louise Françoise and her familiar Saito Hiraga face heavy pressure to continue protecting the Kingdom. With an uneasy peace now established within Albion, the newly crowned Queen Henrietta must deal with a political struggle brewing on the horizon. To make matters worse, a new villain has begun plotting in the shadows against the Crown. With the continuing threats that face the Kingdom, Louise and Saito are compelled to work together once more. No longer "Louise the Zero," the young mage's newfound aptitude for Void magic gives her enough power to wipe out an entire village; however, wielding these abilities comes with its share of challenges. As more conflicts arise, the idea of placing honor above oneself is put into question—regardless of their answer, their only choice is to see it through until the end. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

4. Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai Higurashi: When They Cry – Kai ひぐらしのなく頃に解 [Studio Deen] (Finished 1/24) Tags: Gore, Psychological Mystery, Supernatural, Suspense In the small village of Hinamizawa, Rika Furude and her friends live together in relative harmony. Beneath this mask of peace, however, lies a hidden darkness, one that Rika understands all too well. In this eternal summer, she has been witness to unspeakable horrors. Every time the clock resets, Rika must try to find the villain behind these senseless deaths before tragedy strikes again. However, trying to decipher a mystery when only half the clues are present proves time and again to be disastrous, and each time she believes that things will change, she inevitably fails. As the annual festival approaches, Rika begins her descent from hope to despair in her struggle to break the chains of fate entangling them all. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 5/10

5. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei さよなら絶望先生 [Shaft] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Shounen Gag Humor, Parody, School Comedy Nozomu Itoshiki is a high school teacher so pessimistic that even the smallest of misfortunes can send him into a pit of raging despair; some of these "catastrophes" even lead to suicide attempts. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei is a satirical slice-of-life comedy set in the modern day, covering various aspects of Japanese life and culture through Nozomu and his interactions with his students: Kiri Komori, a recluse who refuses to leave the school; Abiru Kobushi, an enigma who frequently arrives to class with severe and mysterious injuries; the hyper-optimistic Kafuuka Fuura, Nozomu's polar opposite; and several other unusual girls, all of whom are just as eccentric as their teacher. I think I watched all seasons, but never grew to like it after initial novelty charm was gone. But still first season can actually be called borderline masterpiece.   Overall Rating: 7/10

6. Mononoke モノノ怪 [Toei Animation] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Adult Cast, Historical, Mythology, Psychological Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Supernatural  The "Medicine Seller" is a deadly and mysterious master of the occult who travels across feudal Japan in search of malevolent spirits called "mononoke" to slay. When he locates one of these spirits, he cannot simply kill it; he must first learn its Form, its Truth, and its Reason in order to wield the mighty Exorcism Sword and fight against it. He must begin his strange exorcisms with intense psychological analysis and careful investigative work—an extremely dangerous step, as he must first confront and learn about the mononoke before he even has the means to defeat it. The Medicine Seller's journey leads him to an old-fashioned inn where Shino, a pregnant woman, has finally found a place to rest. The owner has reluctantly placed her in the last vacant room; however, as she settles in, it quickly becomes clear that the room is infested by a lethal band of mononoke, the Zashiki Warashi. With his hunter's intuition, the Medicine Seller begins his investigation to discover the Form, the Truth, and the Reason before the Zashiki Warashi can kill again. Ever wanted to watch a psychedelic aquarelle geisha fantasy with spirits? I did not...   Overall Rating: 5/10

7. Devil May Cry デビル メイ クライ [Madhouse] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Gore, Mythology Action, Fantasy Patty Lowell—the lost heir of a prestigious family—is found at an orphanage, and J.D. Morrison brings her to his acquaintance Dante, the owner of a business called "Devil May Cry." Dante takes on so-called "odd jobs," and at Morrison's request, he agrees to become a bodyguard for Patty. Begrudgingly, he sets out to deliver Patty to her family, though he is a bit annoyed with a job that essentially amounts to babysitting. While Dante seems like a lazy good-for-nothing, he is actually a prolific demon hunter, which comes in handy when demons begin pursuing Patty. Soon enough, Dante realizes that there is more to this case than meets the eye, and he makes use of his particular skill set in order to keep Patty safe. Only familiar with the game series by reviews, so anime is a good opportunity to delve into. I'd say anime is done at a minimally accepted level. Fashion, fighting action, coolness, supernatural elements - nothing unexpected.   Overall Rating: 6/10

8. Zombie-Loan ZOMBIE-LOAN ゾンビローン [XEBEC M2] (Finished 11/11) Tags: Shounen Action, Horror, Supernatural Do you know when you are going to die? Michiru Kita does, as she has the ability to see a "ring of death" on the necks of those around her—and the darker the ring, the closer one is to death. One day, she notices that two boys in her class, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, have completely black rings. Seeking to warn them of their impending demise, she stumbles onto their secret: they are already dead, but are kept alive due to a contract with Zombie-Loan, a mysterious loan office. Of course, nothing comes without a price, as the boys must hunt down and kill zombies in order to pay off their debt. And once they learn about Michiru's "Shinigami Eyes," they drag her into their crazy world. Despite seemingly fresh concept the essence is quite normal - some comedy, some fanservice, some fighting. Characters are better than average, but plot is not conceptual despite the weak attempts by the end, so watching for plot is a waste of time.   Overall Rating: 6/10

9. Shigurui Shigurui: Death Frenzy シグルイ [Madhouse] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Seinen Adult Cast, Gore, Historical, Martial Arts, Psychological, Samurai Action, Drama At the beginning of the Edo Era, when people enjoyed a time of peace, Lord Tokugawa Tadanaga holds a fighting tournament. In the past, matches were fought with wooden swords. This time, real swords will be used. One-armed Fujiki Gennosuke and blind Irako Seigen will fight each other in this match. Both are disciples of Iwamoto Kogan, who is known as Japan's greatest swordsman. Each of them are determined to prove himself the successor of Iwamoto's school. However, there can only be one champion. So begins a story of intertwining fates, conflict, and strange destinies. The first of a kind samurai horror as it gathers all the dirt and gore and prejudice possible to find in that environment. It's so sickening that not a glimpse of enjoyment is possible for me here.   Overall Rating: 5/10

10. Wangan Midnight 湾岸ミッドナイト [A.C.G.T.] (Finished 1/26) Tags: Seinen  Racing Action The story gets its roots from the actual street racing that occurs on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, one stretch of which is known as the "Wangan", literally meaning "bay side" (although it is generally used to refer to the freeway), the longest, straightest road in the entire country. Of course, there's also lots of traffic to contend with, including a fair number of heavy trucks. Because of this, the action is inherently hazardous, and wrecks are common. Blown engines are also a frequent hazard, especially with the extreme-high power engines. One day, Akio Asakura, a third year high school student, is driving his Fairlady Z (Z31) and is challenged by Tatsuya Shima, a doctor, in his black Porsche 964 Turbo (nicknamed the "BlackBird"). With a friend in the passenger seat and two girls in the back, Akio pitifully tries to win, but is defeated. Determined to become faster, he goes to the junkyard to buy parts for his car, when he sees a pristine, unscratched midnight blue Fairlady Z (S30) in the junkyard. Intrigued as to why such a machine is about to be junked, he buys it. He soon finds that the car is unnaturally fast due to a tuned L28 engine, bored and stroked to 3.1 liters combined with twin turbos, which produces 620bhp. He also finds that all of the car's previous owners had unfortunate accidents in it, starting with the first owner's death. The manga follows Akio's various encounters, though the central plot revolves around his constant battle with the BlackBird for superiority. Old racing series adaptation that diligently mimics Initial D as if made specially for its fans.   Overall Rating: 6/10

11. Kenkou Zenrakei Suiei-bu Umishou ケンコー全裸系水泳部 ウミショー [Artland] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Shounen School Comedy, Sports, Ecchi Kaname Okiura, a student of Prefectoral Umineko Shougyou High ("Umishou" for short), joined the school's swimming club in order to learn how to swim, but the club is filled with weirdos, let alone who can teach him swimming. Then, a sunny, happy-go-lucky girl named Amuro Ninagawa who transferred from Okinawa joined the club. Her extraordinary underwater speed and unorthodox swimming style (plus her personal habit of nude swimming—a powerful magnet to teenage boys) surprised every club member, especially Okiura, because she reminds him of a mermaid-like creature he saw only once in his early childhood. It's rare for ecchi to have something besides fanservice, but this title at least tries to play in comedy and romance, so it's better than the bulk of similar ones.   Overall Rating: 6/10

12. Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpucho: Tou Dai Ni Maku 東京魔人學園剣風帖　龖（トウ） 第弐幕 [AIC Spirits, BeSTACK] (Finished 1/12 Tags: Martial Arts, School Action, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery  The battle against Tendou Kodzunu is over, and the Magami Five begin to look forward to their senior graduation, hopefully planning for their adult futures. However, life in Tokyo is not at peace... The underground assassin group known as the Twelve Heavenly Generals of the Martial Fist begin to move against those protecting the city from demons. Normally rumored to kill criminals that the mundane law was unable to bring to justice, the Martial Fist now set their sights on Tatsuma Hiyuu, Kyouichi Houraiji, Aoi Misato, Komaki Sakurai, Yuuya Daigo, and Hisui Kisaragi. What is the purpose of this cruel turn of events? And who ordered the hit? New threats emerge as others awakened to powers unleashed by the Ryumyaku seek out the Magami kids - and old friends now return as enemies. Destinies will collide as the Stars of Fate begin to merge; Yin and Yang will meet. And soon the shadowy figure pulling the strings will reveal himself, in an effort to raze Tokyo to the ground and awaken the Vessel of the Golden Dragon. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

13. Moetan もえたん [Actas] (Finished 3/12) Tags: School Comedy, Ecchi Ink Nijihara is a girl in high school. Unfortunately her crush Nao Tezuka barely recognizes her. To make matters worse, she is very short. Now Ink meets a duck and becomes a "mahou shoujo" and teaches Nao english in disguise. Moe... humor is so-so, still amusing enough.   Overall Rating: 6/10

14. Doujin Work Dojin Work ドージンワーク [Remic] (Finished 4/12) Tags: Otaku Culture Comedy, Slice of Life Doujin Work follows the life of a young girl named Najimi Osana and her exposure into the doujin world. She was first tempted into becoming a doujin artist after seeing how much one of her friends can make at a convention. Najimi loves to draw, though soon learns contrary to what she expected that this new world is anything but easy. As she attends more conventions and meets more people, Najimi eventually manages to find a group of very interesting friends. These friends already have some experience in the field and help her out along the way so that she can someday make a name for herself creating doujinshi. Yonkoma source usually means good comedy and less integrity, and that's true here as well. So it's momentarily forgotten as is made just for some laughs.   Overall Rating: 6/10

15. Sky Girls スカイガールズ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 4/26) Tags: Mecha, Military Sci-Fi In the near future, Earth is at war with aliens called Worms. The war leaves the population of Earth decimated, with young men the main casualties. The Worms were beaten back but their re-emergence heralds the creation of a mecha unit called the Sonic Divers, piloted by 3 young girls to counter this threat. Four episodes in, and girls are still only learning to control mecha. With this kind of pace, I won't be surprised if they don't master it even by the end of the season.   Overall Rating: 6/10

16. Nanatsu-iro★Drops ななついろ★ドロップス [Diomedéa] (Finished 3/12) Tags: Mahou Shoujo, School Romance Tsuwabuki is a normal student, though not very social. One day he meets a new transfer student, named Sumomo Akihime, and another girl, both the only members of the gardening club. Tsuwabuki is forced by a teacher to join this club. But then he bumps into a strange guy with dog ears, switching his drink with they guy's by mistake. Drinking it, he is turned in a stuffed animal. The teacher tells him that the only way to turn back to normal is to find the chosen girl and let her catch the seven stardrops. This girl is Sumomo, that accepts to help him, though she's not allowed to know the animal's true identity. For some reason anime on visual novels always stand out for its super slow pace and lots of beating around the bush. Typical fluffy romance anime with some mahou shoujo tilt, but at least execution is rather good, so would stand out back then, yet by today's standards too cliché.   Overall Rating: 6/10

17. Code-E  [Studio Deen] (Finished 3/12) Tags: School Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi Chinami Ebihara is girl with a strange ability to generate electromagnetic waves when her emotions run high. However, since this "ability" affects anything electrical, it resulted in her having to transfer from school to school when she was younger. As Chinami, now 18 years of age, transfers to a new school, she once again affects the electronic devices in the school, but this time, when another student, Kotaro Kannagi, sees her do this, he becomes obsessed in studying her "TYPE-E" ability. Synopsis is far from exciting, and no miracle happened.   Overall Rating: 5/10

18. Mushi-Uta ムシウタ [Beat Frog] (Finished 12/12) Tags: Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi  Mushi-uta's story takes place in the near future. Ten years before the story's opening, strange insect-like creatures known as "Mushi" began appearing. The Mushi are able to consume peoples' dreams and thoughts in return for supernatural powers. At the end of episode one, protagonist Daisuke "Kakkou" Kusuriya encounters a young girl named Shiika Anmoto. The two, in time, become quite close. However, unbeknownst to Kakkou, Shiika is an escapee from a secret prison known as GARDEN where those posessed by the Mushi, known as the Mushitsuki are held. GARDEN's military force, the Special Environmental Conservation Executive Office, dispatches its finest killer to track down Shiika. However, they are faced with resistance from the Mushibane resistance organisation, led by the secretive "Ladybird." What a bunch of weirdos as characters. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be melodrama genre rather than anything else. Unique and not bad, but definitely not a masterpiece.   Overall Rating: 6/10

19. Potemayo ぽてまよ [J.C.Staff] (Finished 2/12) Tags: Seinen School Comedy Sunao Moriyama finds a strange but cute creature that he names Potemayo. Potemayo starts following him everywhere, usually riding on top of his head. His discovery becomes the center of attention in his class at school. Soon after, a similar creature appears, and is named Guchuko by one of Sunao's classmates. However, Guchuko doesn't seem to be as good-natured as Potemayo. That's cuteness overdose for me. Can't rate it too high though, as with only situational humor and no conceptual humor it tires me way too fast.   Overall Rating: 6/10

20. Buzzer Beater 2nd Season BUZZER BEATER 第2期 [TMS Entertainment] (Finished 3/13) Tags: Action, Sci-Fi, Sports  After being drafted into the Earth Team, a basketball team comprised solely of humans, street-punk-turned-pro Hideyoshi couldn't be more cocky. The team is still up against the Gorons, a physically superior race of aliens who have dominated the game for some time. New challenges and problems stand in their way. Hideyoshi is unhappy with the team and the Gorons have new tricks up their sleeves. Sequel.   Overall Rating: 6/10

21. Tetsuko no Tabi 鉄子の旅 [Group TAC] (Finished 2/13) Tags: Seinen Comedy, Slice of Life The "story" is that a manga artist is asked by her boss to accompany him and a travel-writer on various train trips around Japan and draw a manga about it. The kicker though, is that it's completely non-fiction —the creator really did go on all these trips, and the manga simply records what happened, with no embellishment. There's a little disclaimer at the front that says "This is non-fiction, so I apologize for the lack of drama," and indeed, it mostly is just about them riding trains from place to place, waiting on platforms, etc. The "travel writer" turns out to be a super train-otaku who has vast knowledge of the train network, but also micro-manages all their trips, planning every detail down to the second. He cares mostly about following the schedule and successfully achieving his planned goals (e.g. visiting all stations on a line in a completely bizarre order to accomodate infrequent trains). The mangaka doesn't really care about trains; she's cynical, sarcastic, and rather lazy (she mainly just looks forward to the next eki-ben); he's completely gung-ho as long as he's following the schedule, and the inevitable conflicts are pretty entertaining. Throughout, though, it feels real —if you've travelled by train in Japan it will all seem very familiar, not just the scenery, but also the atmosphere and feel— and the artist does a great job of pacing and applying little tweaks to keep it consistently entertaining. In an additional bit of recursiveness, some of the characters who show up in the manga (who of course are real people, who really did show up) do so because they (really) read previous episodes of the manga! In addition of course, you can learn about various out of the way and interesting Japanese train lines and stations; some of them really do look cool. There's always this vague sense of surreality about it however, the trips are all planned by the train-guy (goal: visit all 9,843 stations in Japan) who seems to consider everything as part of a checklist rather than an experience to be enjoyed. You learn a bit about train-otaku culture too; there's really only the one guy in the story, but train-otaku culture is a sort of constant peripheral presence. A whole series about trains... is this for real... and I thought OVA about train travels was crazy.   Overall Rating: 5/10

22. Iblard Jikan イバラード時間 [Studio Ghibli] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Fantasy  Much like looking through a window, Iblard Jikan explores the fantastic and beautiful world of Iblard by panning through art created by Naohisa Inoue. Iblard shows itself to be nothing short of amazing and will wash serenity over your mind. Just succession of mostly still aquarelle pictures. What's even to evaluate here...   Overall Rating: 5/10

23. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone ヱヴァンゲリヲン新劇場版:序 [Khara] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mecha, Psychological  Action, Award Winning, Drama, Sci-Fi In a post-apocalyptic world, the last remaining human settlement in Japan is the heavily fortified city of Tokyo-3. Fourteen-year-old Shinji Ikari is brought to the headquarters of NERV, an underground organization lead by his estranged father, Gendou. He requests that Shinji become a pilot of an "Evangelion," a colossal android built to fight against monstrous and destructive alien creatures known as "Angels" that wreak havoc on the planet and threaten the survival of the remaining human race. Although initially reluctant, Shinji is swayed by the idea of reconciling with his father, and agrees to aid in mankind's perilous endeavor against its alien threat, as the pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. Thrust into the midst of a dangerous battlefield, Shinji must find the necessary courage and resolve to face against the Angels' incursions before it is too late. Another retelling, now for first half or so... after a movie that was already a retelling... only holds value for those who never saw the series...   Overall Rating: 4/10

24. Stranger: Mukou Hadan Sword of the Stranger ストレンヂア -無皇刃譚- [Bones] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Historical, Samurai Action, Adventure In the Sengoku period of Japan, a young orphan named Kotarou and his dog Tobimaru steal from unsuspecting villagers in order to make ends meet. However, Kotarou is forced to remain on the run when he finds himself being hunted down by assassins sent by China's Ming Dynasty for mysterious reasons not involving his petty crimes. Fortunately, the duo run into Nanashi, a ronin who has taken refuge in a small temple, when Kotarou is attacked and Tobimaru poisoned. Although the samurai saves the helpless pair from their pursuers, he feels that there is no need to help them further; but when offered a gem in exchange for his services as a bodyguard, he reluctantly accepts Kotarou's offer of employment—just until Tobimaru is healed and the two reach their destination. As the three set out on a perilous journey, it soon becomes evident that their path is riddled with danger, as the Ming Dynasty has now sent a terrifying swordsman after them to capture Kotarou and fulfill a certain prophecy. A nice samurai movie almost for family watch if cut limbs don't count. Can't say it's too advanced, but it's entertaining enough for a borderline masterpiece.   Overall Rating: 7/10

25. Piano no Mori The Piano Forest ピアノの森 The Perfect World of Kai [Madhouse] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Seinen Music, School Drama Piano no Mori tells the story of Shuuhei Amamiya, a transfer student, and Kai Ichinose, a problem child from the rough areas of town. Upon transferring to Moriwaki Elementary and telling the other kids about his talent for piano, Shuuhei quickly finds himself as the victim of bully Daigaku Kanehira. Daigaku dares Shuuhei to find and play a cursed piano in the forest, which leads him to meet Kai, who claims to be the owner of the piano and the only one who can play it. Intrigued, Shuuhei follows Kai to the hidden piano in the forest and listens to him play a beautiful medley. Earning the respect of not only Shuuhei but school music teacher Sousuke Ajino as well, Kai now finds himself formally learning how to play the piano. Not a work to my taste, but can't deny it's serious and good, so see no reason to deny it a decent score.   Overall Rating: 7/10

26. Genius Party ジーニアスパーティー [Studio 4°C] (Finished 7/7) Tags: Mecha, Music, Psychological Action, Avant Garde, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi A collection of seven individual and unique shorts which range from touching to downright bizarre. With each story different from the last, we encounter monsters going to school, a man who has a hard time dealing with himself, and a child who learns the hard way about the circle of life, as well as many other unique characters and experiences. A journey through the minds of the most prolific artists in Japan, this compilation truly is the setting of a Genius Party. You know how I like nonsense anthology stories...   Overall Rating: 5/10

27. Vexille: 2077 Nihon Sakoku Vexille ベクシル 2077日本鎖国 [Oxybot] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Military Action, Sci-Fi  In an alternate 21st century, the robotics industry undergoes a period of rapid advancement worldwide. By the year 2050, Japan has firmly established itself as the leader in robotic technology and manufacture with Daiwa Heavy Industries. As the technology evolves to include robotic enhancements to the human body, the blurring of the line between man and machine triggers a sudden shift in world opinion. In response, the U.N. passes a unilateral ban of further research and development on robotics in 2067. Japan fiercely objects to this ban, but is unable to prevent its passage. In protest, Japan withdrew from international politics and chose to pursue a policy of high-tech national isolation. While only trade continues, Japan disappears from the world scene. Ten years later, a series of bizarre incidents lead the American technology police agency SWORD to believe that Japan has concealed extensive development of banned technologies through the use of the RACE network. SWORD dispatches a unit of special agents to infiltrate Japan and gather intelligence on the country. Vexille, a veteran agent among the group, uncovers the horrifying truth behind the ten years of isolation. 3D sometimes looks nice here, but more often ugly. The most important element is story, and it's ruined here failing to come out of dualism limitations and becoming something decent.   Overall Rating: 6/10

28. Kappa no Coo to Natsuyasumi Summer Days with Coo 河童のクゥと夏休み [Shin-Ei Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Mythology Adventure, Award Winning, Fantasy Kouichi Uehara is a fourth grade student living in the suburb of Tokyo. One day, he picks up a large stone which turns out to be a fossil of a baby "Kappa" who has been sleeping underground for the past 300 years, and names it "Coo." They become good friends and Coo starts living with Kouichi's family. However, Coo has a hard time adjusting to life among humans and misses his kind. What a cringy and rather unappealing kappa story, also super long.   Overall Rating: 6/10

29. Dai-chan, Daisuki. 大ちゃん、だいすき。 [Tama Production] (Finished 1/1) Tags: School Drama, Slice of Life Main character in this film, Mai, has a handicapped brother, who is totally deaf, called Dai-Chan. He is like a younger brother for Mai yet he is actually her older brother because Dai-Chan always asks Mai to hold him up with smiling all over. One day, an elementary school Mai goes to and a handicapped school Dai-Chan goes to start to communicate each other. And then, Mai's class mates started to make fun of Mai and draw a funny portrait of Dai-Chan on black board in the class. Mai gets shocked and hurt at that mischief. And moreover, their mother gets sickness at the same time. That's why Dai-Chan should enter in an orphanage for handicapped children; however, Mai really wants to take care of him by herself, so she tries to stop it. This story is written about a love of family, close bond, and relationship between human and human. We definitely have a common warm heart and a moment we have to use it with honest feeling. This film could remind us some important things we should never forget about our life. I don't like works about disabled people, can't do anything about it.   Overall Rating: 6/10

30. Bogeul Bogeul Bomulseon 보글보글 보물선 [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Adventure, Fantasy  A bunch of dreamers and treasure hunters go hunting for a legendary dragon treasure. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

31. Tetsu no Ko Kanahiru 鉄の子カナヒル [-] (Finished 0/1) Tags: Fantasy  There came a time when iron vanished from Okinawa. A Cana baby called Kanahiru arrived at the shores of Okinawa. He was from a far away land called Iron Hills. A place far beyond the seas. He was baffled by the deformity of Gana Hill, even teased the citizens, but he decided to stay. Years later ferocious demons capture Gana Hill and take Kanahiru to the demon island. Not found.   Overall Rating: 0/10

32. Miyori no Mori Miyori's Forest ミヨリの森 [Nippon Animation] (Finished 1/1) Tags: Drama, Fantasy, Slice of Life  After being deserted by her parents, 11-year-old Miyori shuts her heart from the rest of the world and denies any form of human relationships. She was entrusted in the care of her grandmother who lives near a forest. Miyori will take a walk in the forest where she felt a strong sense of loneliness in the forest which seems to have nothing. However, she soon encounters unbelievable things and gradually realizes that the forest is more than what it seems... A rather childish story, though not as much as my neighbor Totoro. Essence is lacking and execution is average, so need to at least like all this youkai stuff.   Overall Rating: 5/10

Share this: