Anime Reviews

Alternative Name: サムライチャンプルー
Years of Released: May 20, 2004 – March 19, 2005
Episodes: 26
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Martial Arts
Favorite Characters : Jin, Mugen
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: A

Summary:
A young lady named Fuu is working as a waitress in a tea house when she is harassed by a band of ruffians. Another customer, Mugen, offers to take care of them in exchange for food, but ends up instigating a brawl. Jin, a stoic young ronin in samurai garb, enters the tea house in the midst of the fight. Mugen attacks Jin after he proves to be a worthy opponent and they begin fighting one another, ignoring a fire that started during the brawl. They both faint from smoke inhalation. When they awaken, they find they have been arrested for the murder of Shibui Tomonoshina, the magistrate's son who had burned to death in the fire, and are to be executed. With help from Fuu, they escape and Fuu asks them to travel with her to find "the samurai who smells of sunflowers," a mysterious man Fuu can give little description of, but whom she insists she must find. They agree to join her, with Fuu making only one condition: they are not to duel one another until the journey is done.

My review:
Very well done. I like characters and plot. Very interesting. Animation was quite impressing. I liked how animators used very odd angles for some shots. It added to animation. Loved Mugen's fighting style. The ending though was a bit disappointing. I expected something more but beggars aren't choosers, right?

Recommend:
highly recommended. good humor and fighting

Alternative Name: セブンゴースト
Years of Released: April 6, 2009 – September 21, 2009
Episodes: 25
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Josei, Supernatural
Favorite Characters : Frau, Mikage, Castor, Hakuren, Teito,
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: A

Summary:
Teito Klein is a former slave sent to attend the Barsburg Empire's military academy due to his ability to use Zaiphon, a type of supernatural power. The ability is rare, and thus highly prized. Teito is an amnesiac and doesn't remember anything of his origins—what he does learn of his past comes from his recurring and often traumatizing dreams...

My review:
Very beautiful colorful drawing style. Lots of cute boys and this anime is just a dream for a yaoi fans. There is no yaoi in it but it was made to be SO slash-able!! So many hints of shounen-ai!!! So yeah,  I enjoyed it a lot! I guess they didn't make it shounen-ai so that boys could enjoy this too and I know many guys who've seen 07 Ghost.

Recommend:
For slashers and shounen-ai and yaoi fans

Alternative Name: Alchemist of Steel
Years of Released: October 4, 2003 – October 2, 2004
Episodes: 51
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen
Favorite Characters : Mustang
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: B

Summary:
Edward and Alphonse Elric are two alchemist brothers searching for the legendary Philosopher's Stone, a powerful object which would allow them to recover their bodies (which were lost in an attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy)....


My review:
Well, it was pretty good. I liked all that alchemist theme and Philosopher's Stone and all but somehow I got a bit bored. I made myself to watch it till the end and I really liked the ending (and the fact that it finally ended). I even wanted to watch the next season but decided to wait for awhile. The plot is really good. I know the reasons why I wasn't attached to it. But I know a lot of people like it and I can see why but I guess it's just not my thing )))

Recommend:
You should definitely try it.

Alternative Name: ファイナルファンタジ
Years of Released: March 21, 1994 - July 21, 1994
Episodes: 4 (30 min each)
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Favorite Characters : none
My Rating: PG-13
Grade: C+

Summary:
The story takes place on the same world as Final Fantasy V, named Planet R, set two hundred years in the future, where three of the four crystals have been stolen. The original heroes in Final Fantasy V are now legends of the past, and a new evil, Deathgyunos, has risen on the Black Moon and must be dealt with. Mid, a recurring character from Final Fantasy V, contacts a new hero and heroine: Prettz (Pritz) and Linaly (a descendant of Bartz). They eventually meet the sky pirate Rouge and Commander Valcus, commander of The Iron Wing.


My review:
Here is the story. I watched it awhile ago but totally forgot about it. I wanted to watch Final Fantasy and decided to start from the beginning. It was kinda fun but not too much. It gave me the feeling that I'm playing some old game. Not much more I can say about this anime.

Recommend:
....don't know

Alternative Name: NARUTO
Years of Released: October 3, 2002 – February 8, 2007
Episodes: 220 (9 seasons)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Martial Arts, Shounen
Favorite Characters : Kakashi, Itachi, Shikamaru, Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Neji
My Rating: PG
Grade: A

Summary:
Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy who has the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within him. Twelve years before the start of the series, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konohagakure, slaughtering many people. In response, the leader of Konohagakure – the Fourth Hokage – sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside his own son Naruto when he was a newborn. Konohagakure, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the Third Hokage forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone. Years later, Naruto was tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll, but was stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino. That encounter made Naruto realize he was the container of the demon fox.

My review:
I love Naruto. Now I can see why it is so popular. I took me awhile to get into all that ninja stuff and now I'm completely cool with that. It got so intense starting from 110 but too bad it didn't last long. If not all the fillers(which are 80 episodes) I would give it an A+. I bet Naruto fans agree with me on that one. But things the way they are so can't do much about it. I love Kakashi! He is one of the funny elements in Naruto. I think I will LOVE Naruto even more when it's over because it has been dragging on for so long now in Naruto Shippuden and I simply don't have enough patience to wait for episode every week. I'll watch the whole thing again when it's over. But anyway I'd say go for it. I know kids love it. I was talking to my 10 year old nephew using Naruto language and I was given that look from his father as if I'm insane. If poor guy doesn't know what is SHARINGAN or BYAKUGAN mean it's not my fault, right? He just doesn't get it...


Recommend:
Worth watching if you have time and patience...

Alternative Name: Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūutsu
Years of Released: April 2, 2006
Episodes: 14
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, School Life, Science-fiction
My Rating: PG-16
Grade: C-

Summary:
The story is told by Kyon, one of the members of SOS Brigade, and is centered around Haruhi Suzumiya, a first-year high school student, and a group called the SOS Brigade, which she formed in order to look for and play with aliens, people from the future, people from alternate worlds, and other such extraordinary entities. The club name is actually an acronym of: Suzumiya Haruhi's Brigade to greatly enliven the world. It is described as an unusual school story .

My review:
I disliked it. It's not that the idea was bad or something but the main character Haruhi just drives me nuts. She is such a spoiled BRAT and watching how everyone indulges her childish caprices was more than I could bear. Seriously. I would give her a good punch for all those things that she has done. Arrrr!!!... I was so annoyed...

Recommend:
The idea was very interesting so you can check it out.

Alternative Name: Mononoke-hime
Years of Released: July 12, 1997
Time: 134 min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Martial Arts
My Rating: R
Grade: D+

Summary:
Set in feudal Japan, a time of upheaval of samurai warriors and isolated villages, Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince,[2] Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown (Tataraba in the original Japanese), and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it.
The film begins with Ashitaka receiving a curse during a battle with a demonic giant boar called Nago which is threatening to destroy his village. During the fight, Ashitaka receives a wound on his right arm; the cursed wound will spread to the rest of his body and eventually kill him. Ashitaka resolves to journey to the boar's origin, the lands to the West, and find a cure for the curse. He cuts his hair, signifying his permanent departure from his village,[3] and rides out with his steed Yakul, his loyal red elk. On his journey, Ashitaka passes by a village suffering a samurai attack. Some samurai attack him, and Ashitaka defeats them with the supernatural strength of his cursed arm. In a nearby town he meets Jigo, a wandering monk impressed by his feats of arm, who informs Ashitaka that the god of the forest in the mountains of the west may be able to help him....

My review:
Ok. It was one of the worst anime I've seen so far. I really didn't enjoy it at all. The plot was really weird. Definitely not my taste. There was also blood but it didn't do anything to the movie... Anyway, I gave it D (and + for forest creatures. they were funny looking and cute)

Recommend:
Would not recommended it.

Alternative Name: Hauru no Ugoku Shiro
Years of Released: November 20, 2004
Time: 119 minutes
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
My Rating: G
Grade: A

Summary:
Eighteen-year-old Sophie, who runs her late father's hat shop, has a chance encounter with the mysterious wizard Howl who takes a liking to her. The meeting attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who has been seeking Howl's love for her own, and the Witch places a curse on Sophie, turning her into a 90-year-old woman with the inability to tell anyone about the curse. Sophie decides to seek out Howl in the Wastes, encountering and befriending an animated scarecrow she names Turnip Head. They eventually come across Howl's moving castle; inside, Sophie is greeted by the fire demon Calcifer that powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie has been cursed. Calcifer offers to break the curse in exchange if Sophie can break the bond between Howl and Calcifer. When Howl arrives, Sophie claims that she is the castle's new cleaning lady...

My review:
I really really loved it when I was watching it for the first time. The first thing I thought was "Howl's so cute" ^_^ I love this story.

Recommend:
I think everyone could enjoy it. Recommended!

Alternative Name: Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away
Years of Released: July 27, 2001
Time: 124 min
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance
My Rating: G
Grade: A

Summary:
Chihiro and her parents are moving to a new town. While driving, her father decides to take a shortcut, but gets lost, stumbling across what appears to be an abandoned theme park. The family crosses a tunnel and explores the park, finding the stalls are full of freshly-cooked food. While Chihiro's parents are eating, Chihiro wanders off and meets a boy named Haku. Haku seems to be familiar with Chihiro and warns her urgently to escape with her parents; she returns to find her parents have turned to pigs and that the way back has become a deep river. Spirits appear and go about celebrating in the park. Haku secretly takes Chihiro to a large bathhouse, careful to avoid alerting the spirits to the presence of a human. Haku then tells her that she must get a job from the witch Yubaba, the owner of the park's bathhouse, until he can help her recover her parents and escape.

My review:
I was impressed. Nice plot. Interesting characters. Very extraordinary and captivating. Definitely worth watching.

Recommend:
Kids will enjoy it and so will their parents. I would recommend it.

Alternative Name: Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon; Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon;
Years of Released: 1992
Episodes: 200 + 3 movies
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Romance, School Life,Maho Shoujo,
My Rating: G
Grade: A+

Summary:
The protagonist of Sailor Moon is Usagi Tsukino, who lives as an ordinary middle school girl until she is found by a talking cat named Luna. Through Luna, Usagi learns that the world is about to be attacked by a Dark Kingdom that had appeared once before, long ago, and destroyed the kingdom of the moon. Her dormant powers are then awakened to defend the Earth against the coming onslaught, and she is led to a number of friends who join her in the battle.
Usagi fights using the identity of Sailor Moon, and as the story progresses she learns more and more about the enemies which face her and the evil force that is sending them. Gradually she discovers the truth about her own past life, her destined true love, and the possibilities for the future of the Solar System.

My review:
This is an anime of my childhood. I love Sailor Moon. Very very KIND anime.

Recommend:
Definitely for kids. But grown ups can join them as well. There are some things only adults can understand.