Anime Reviews ⇢ Contributors ⇢ rocklobster
Contributor Report: rocklobster

The following is a list of all ratings and reviews submitted by rocklobster. The links below can be used to quickly scroll down to a specific title.
.Hack//Sign (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 0
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Ah! My Goddess (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 3
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Ah! My Goddess (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 3
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Azumanga Daioh (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 2
- Nudity Rating: 4
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Review: Azumanga Daioh is one of the funniest comedies I have ever watched. It has a cheerful feel to the backdrops and colors, as if celebrating the joy, wonder, and insecurities of adolescence. Let’s meet the cast:

Chiyo: (“Chiyo-chan”) a precociously cute ten-year-old prodigy. Despite her smarts and uber-rich status, Chiyo is humble, cheerful, and kind. I was never annoyed by her.
Tomo: is the poster child for Ritalin. She also has an occasional mischief streak. Let me put it this way: that line about “with friends like you, I’d never need an enemy”? It fits Tomo to a T.
Yomi: One of the tallest characters and the only one who wears glasses. She and Tomo have been friends for years and they make an excellent comedy team, with Yomi playing the “straight woman”. She’s also somewhat concerned about her weight.
Sakaki: The tallest and quiet girl with extremely long hair (and very pretty to boot). All she wants is to pet a kitten, unfortunately every cat she meets has a tendency to bite her.
Ayumi: (Osaka) In one word: weird. She will say some of the most random things and seems to have a bad case of ADD.
Kagura: The resident jock. She’s a member of the swim team and has a competitive spirit, particularly toward Sakaki. Although she is introduced early on, she doesn’t become an important character until the class enters their second year. I think the show does an excellent job of giving us time to get to know her in spite of this.
Kaorin: Shy little girl who obsesses over Sakaki (who wouldn’t?) almost to the point of lesbianism. She’s a rather weak character, but it’s not like she needs much depth.
Yukari: the homeroom teacher. She has a hot temper and can speak English very well (in the dub, she’s just a language teacher). She seems to never have mentally matured past adolescence, judging by her temper, crass attitude, and her attempts to compete with Minamo’s popularity.
Minamo (“Nyamo”) is the P.E. teacher and a former classmate of Yukari. She’s quite popular with the other students. Like Yomi, she plays straight woman to Yukari most of the time.
Kimura is the only male teacher we meet. He has borderline pedophile tendencies toward female students, much to Kaorin’s chagrin. He’s pretty creepy and I found him very annoying.
It may seem hard to believe, but this show does have a plot. It does a great job of following the girls throughout their high school days. I noticed a few subtle changes in character design as the girls matured, which I thought was a nice touch. What I liked best was that I felt as though I knew them all personally–we’ve all met people like them in every high school.

All in all, this is an excellent comedy. There are some cultural references that you might not be able to get, but if you want to know what life is like for a typical Japanese student, this is a great series to pick up.

Music/Score: Addictive. The themes have never left my head, and I doubt they will leave yours. I’ve even found myself humming Chiyo’s cooking song when I use the microwave.



Sub/Dub: Although the dub isn’t that bad (I’ve heard quite a few complaints, particularly toward Kira Vincent Davis’s portrayal of Osaka), I feel the sub is better. The jokes really require them to be heard in their original context, which is lost in translation. Not only that, but Yukari actually does slip into English in the sub, and this is not as easily conveyed in the dub. To be fair, the dub’s standout voice would definitely be Christine Auten (Sakaki) and Mandy Clark (Tomo).

Language: (5/10) Both Yukari and Tomo are heavy on the bad language. While the official release doesn’t have F-bombs, I saw some fansubbed versions back in the days before legal anime streaming became more common that had lots of F-bombs. I’m not sure if all of these have been removed from Youtube, but it’s worth noting.

Violence: (2/10): Only the occasional slapstick.

Nudity: (2/10) There’s three beach episodes with a few of the characters wearing bikinis. Tomo, Yukari, and Kagura, tend to wear some pretty skimpy ones.

Sexuality: (4/10): There’s quite a few scenes where jokes are made about breast sizes, particularly the fact that Sakaki’s are noticeably bigger than the others (I would hesitate to classify it as fanservice because I remember in my high school days, quite a few girls were “early bloomers”. In one “beach episode”, Minamo gets drunk and gives the girls an implied “lecture” on sex, but we only get vague ideas about what was said. Kimura’s obsession with schoolgirls is intended for laughs, but to be honest, I was not amused. It’s also pretty obvious that Kaorin has a slightly homosexual attraction toward Sakaki, but we never see it go above platonic and it’s certainly not meant to be offensive. I actually wasn’t even bothered by it.

Religion: (1/10): Just two episodes where the girls visit a local shrine for New Years. (the second visit is more elaborate) There’s also a Christmas episode.

Related Media: This is based on the manga Azumanga Daioh. Kiyohiko Azuma also created Yotsuba&!
Batman: Gotham Knight (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 6
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Review: I'm a Batman fan from childhood, so when I learned of this, I had to check it out.

Here're my thoughts on each short:

1: "Have I Got a Story For You"--A group of kids swap stories about Batman, and each has a different take on what Batman's like. Then the real Batman shows up. (Review: 5/10--I liked the different takes, but the ending was weak)

2: "Crossfire"--Commissioner Gordon gets two cops to transport a criminal to Blackgate. Prison. They argue about Batman's M.O. and whether or not he's trustworthy. Then they're caught in a gang war and Batman saves them. (Review: 3/10--ended too quickly)

3: "Field Test"--Lucius Fox and Bruce test out some new gadgets Fox has been working on, which Batman later uses in an infiltration. (Review: 4/10--nice animation, but kind of boring)

4: "In Darkness Dwells"--Scarecrow and Killer Croc cause chaos at a church. (Review: 6/10--I'm biased. I never liked Killer Croc, but this was a nice take on the little-known villain.)

5: "Working Through Pain"--Batman remembers when a fakir taught him how to deal with pain. (Review 5/10--I've always liked the human aspect of Batman, and the animation was great.)

6: "Deadshot"--Batman tangles with one of my favorite villains--Deadshot, a mercanarious marksman. (Review 10/10: Great animation and story. Plus, a villain who's never been animated!)


Comments


Music
Some great music throughout with a nice gothic feel. Batman needs a gothic score or it's not Batman, so I liked it.

Sub vs Dub
I didn't check out the subbed version because I wanted to hear Kevin Conroy, one of the best people who've ever played Batman.

Mod Note: I can vouch for the sub quality in Japanese; it's well done.

Manga
The closest thing to a manga is a short story created by Kia Asamiya (creator of Silent Mobius and Steam Detectives).

Related Movies
Nothing Japanese, however Batman's been done as a cartoon countless times.

Violence Details
Rather gritty, but nothing I didn't expect from Batman. Some blood, but nothing too graphic.

Mod Note: One character does lose a head in an early short film; however, it is noted as "making the story more colorful," and the story continues with both character and details of the story in-tact.

Language Details
none

Nudity Details
Mod Note: A woman walks by in a skimpy bikini, but other than this, nothing objectionable.

Sexual Content Details
none

Religious Material Details
Batman trains with a Hindu fakir, but the religious aspects are unexplored.
Beast King Go Lion (Jump to title)
- Overall: 7
- Violence Rating: 7
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Studio: Toei
Note: This anime is available from Media Blasters. It also currently streams on www.crunchyroll.com and youtube.
Review Beast King Golion is probably one of Japan’s most famous anime exports–we know it as Voltron. Voltron was actually the first anime I ever watched, but at the time I was unaware that the show was even Japanese. So, when I learned that Crunchyroll had the original, unedited version, I had to see it.

So, is it worth it? Well….I have reservations, even though I did enjoy it. The characterization is so flat, that it’s difficult to really care about the cast. You have your courageous leader; your hot-headed big guy; your teen genius; your smart-aleck; you get the idea. The villains are also just as stereotypical. The Galra emperor Daibazzal is really not that different from Roman emperors. His son, Sincline, is only more interesting because he’s flashier and keeps attempting to usurp his father.

Another problem is that the show is repetitive. After our heroes succeed in reuniting Golion, every episode always has a mech battle that Golion usually wins, usually after weakening it enough for its finishing move. This pattern is fine when you’re a kid, but now that I’m an adult, it actually got kind of boring.

Music/Score: I was really surprised by how cheesy the music was. It really didn’t fit what was happening, and I didn’t much care for it.

Sub/Dub: You’re better off with the original version. Voltron was edited for American TV, cutting out much of the violence and rewriting the entire plot. Some episodes were so problematic that World Event Productions (WEP) didn’t even bother to translate them.

Related Media: Golion never really caught on in Japan, so there was no manga. Here in America, however, there was a short-lived small press comic book.

When WEP ran out of Golion episodes, they took another Toei mech title, Dairugger XV, and tried to pass it off as a sequel to Voltron. Because this version had vehicles rather than lions, it’s often nicknamed “Vehicle Voltron.” In 1998, WEP made its own sequel to Voltron using CG and called it Voltron: The Third Dimension. Sprite also ran an ad campaign in the 90′s as well, using rappers as pilots. There is also a new series as of June 2011 on Nickelodeon, and talk of a live-action movie.

Violence: If you grew up with our version, you will be surprised at the violence. Many innocents are brutally murdered or vaporized by Galra soldiers if they rebel.

Language: 2/10 Just a few curse words here and there, nothing above PG-level

Sexuality: 1/10 Sincline has a harem. SPOILER: In the second to last episode, we learn that Daibazzal raped an Altean woman, resulting in Sincline’s birth.

Religious Material: (2/10) According to the pilot episode, Golion became a robot when it challenged the “goddess of space”. Also, the Galra empire has a witch working for them, who even has a cat for a familiar. However, she isn’t that different from the witches we see in fairy tales.
Beck (aka Mongolian Chop Squad) (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 5
Review Genre: Slice of Life

Studio/Creator: Madhouse/Harold Sakuishi

Distributor: FUNimation

No. of Episodes: 26

Age Rating: 16+

My Rating: 9/10

Summary: Koyuki is an ordinary Japanese student until he stops a group of kids from beating up a strange dog. When he meets the dog’s owner, an American-Japanese immigrant named Ryuusuke and his hot teen sister Maho. When Maho discovers Koyuki can sign, she convinces Ryuusuke to let him into his band Beck, which he’s named after his dog. But can they become a Japanese and American sensation, especially with Ryuusuke’s shady past?

Review: This anime is two stories in one: it’s Koyuki’s coming-of-age story and the story of a band’s rise from obscurity to fame. At times the story almost feels like a docudrama as we watch Koyuki mature from an awkward teenager into a man. I truly enjoy the chemistry between Ryuusuke and Koyuki, as well as the rest of the band. You really feel as though they care for each other. As his friendships with them mature, he gains more confidence, as evidenced by his interactions with the school bully. When his band-mates begin standing up for him, he’s no longer a coward. I also liked his friendship with Saito, an old man who becomes his swim coach and guitar instructor. Saito is somewhat crass, but he has an amiable side to him that almost allowed me to overlook his flaws.

The artwork for this show is great. What I really like is that it showcases Japan’s fascination with American pop culture. If you py attention, you can see it in the anime everywhere, from the music to the clothing (although the band logos are often mocked up in order to avoid copyright infringement), to even the character designs (Taira, Beck’s bassist, is basically Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, right down to the constant shirtless shots) The animation flows very nicely, even the rotoscoping is excellent.

The only real flaw is the pacing. There’s some filler moments early on that bog things down a bit. I do like the backstory for Ryuusuke that explains how he acquired his bullet-holed guitar, which is named Prudence. The story also introduces Leon Sykes, a thug who has a vendetta against Ryuusuke that I don’t want to spoil. He’s not an overdone villain, but doesn’t need to be. The vendetta even manages to drive a wedge between Ryuusuke and the band, causing some good tension.

Music/Score: The music is excellent. Beat Crusaders does most of the songs, and this anime really made me a han. My favorite songs are “Spice Up Your Life”, “Brainstorm” “Face” and “Hit in the USA”



Sub/Dub: I highly recommend skipping the sub. Because Ryuusuke and Maho spent time in the US, they actually learned some English. Neither of their Japanese VA’s sound convincing when they speak in English, so it’s more comical than it’s intended to be. I have heard some complaints about how the lyrics were altered for the English version, but I feel that’s to be expected with the differences in grammar between Japanese and English.

Violence: (3/10) I saw some light fist-fights, mostly between Koyuki and the bully and Ryuusuke and Leon’s “associates”.

Language: (7/10): There are a LOT of F-bombs in both versions. I really didn’t mind it because to me, it added some autenticitiy. I’ve met lots of crass people in real life.

Nudity: (3/10) There’s an episode where Maho and Koyuki skinny-dip. It’s also no secret that Saito is into porn.

Sexuality: (2/10)Saito and Chiba do make mildly sexual humor at times, but that’s it.

Religion: (0/10)

Drugs/Tobacco: (1/10) Since the band does get some bar gigs, drinking is a given.

Related Media: Tokyopop originally had the manga, but it’s been cancelled. I believe FUNimation also released a couple soundtrack CD’s. There was also a live-action movie.
Berserk (Jump to title)
- Overall: 7
- Violence Rating: 9
- Nudity Rating: 7
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 3
Review Main Review
Gutts the Black Swordsman joins up with an ambitious man named Griffith, who wears a mystical pendant called the eye of God. "In this world, man's destiny is controlled by some outside force, or the will of God. At least, man knows he has no control." The anime only covers up to the 12th volume of the manga, ending with Griffith sacrificing his soul and his troops to a pagan cult. There are at present no plans to continue the anime, although the manga is still being published here and in Japan.


Comments
I normally do not like anime this violent, but I tolerated this one because the story is presented well. This is a very difficult one to recommend, and like the manga, requires a mature viewer. If you can handle dark fantasy, this might be a good series to check out. There's also a series of "dub out-takes" included with each volume, all of which seem more improvised than anything else. The best gag is when Gutts faces off a bunch of soldiers and starts freaking out, saying "What am I doing here? What are any of us doing here?" My favorite character in the story was Kjaska, who is a woman that is quite self-sufficient and brave. I liked her personality and her chemistry with Gutts provided great romantic material.

Music
The music for the most part, is decent. However, I could do without the opening theme, "Tell Me Why" by the Pen Pals. Grunge and dark fantasy just don't mesh well in my view.

Sub vs Dub
I only watched the Subtitled version on Youtube. The dubbed version was unavailable.

Manga
The Berserk manga is published in the US by Dark Horse

Related Movies


Violence Details
Almost Ninja Scroll-level in violence. Definitely not for the faint-hearted

Language Details
A few curse words are uttered throughout

Nudity Details
The only nudity occurs during a couple bathing scenes and the rape scenes

Sexual Content Details
There are rape scenes with Kjaska and Catherine, but they are quite brief.

Religious Material Details
Not as bad as the manga, but there are some pagan religions and a human sacrifice occurs in the unresolved cliffhanger.
Blue Seed (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 3
Review Genre
Sci-fi,Drama,Action,Horror,Comedy

Main Review
From Animenfo.com:
Fujimiya Momiji is a descendant of the Kushinada clan whose women possess the power to defeat the Aragami, an alien plant-like race, by sacrifice. After centuries of slumber, the Aragami have awakened and are invading Tokyo en route to conquering the world. In their way are the hapless schoolgirl Momiji, who becomes infected with one of the "Blue Seeds" - magatama beads that are the heart and soul of the Aragami - the TAC, a government agency whose sole mission is to stop the Aragami, and Kusanagi Mamoru, a young man infused with Aragami blood who swears vengeance on those who took his family away from him. Like the heroes of the past, this ragtag band of misfits must work together to defeat an ancient menace from the past, and one far closer to home.


Comments
I love this show! I got it at the library one time and watched the whole thing. The show's best feature is Momiji, a character you immediately sympathize with. At times she is willing to save the world, condemning it, and even suicidal. In short: she's human through and through. She's a great heroine. I should also point out that included with the series is a collection of shorts called "Omake Theatre." These shorts, a feature often included in both manga and anime, offer out-of-character moments with the cast such as Mamoru challenging one of the villains to a game of Mah Johngg or "outtake"-style scenes. At first, I was rather confused, but as the show progressed, I began to consider them a great escape from the mounting tension of the program. (Not a complaint) Some of them were pretty bad, though, and I suggest that you not watch them if you are not into sexual content as most of the sexuality is in them.

Music
The music was great. I loved the themes, both of them.

Sub vs Dub
I watched both versions on alternate viewings, and I must say the sub version is better. The dub isn't bad, per se, but I think the VA cast could've been better. Sakura, for example, got an annoying English VA.

Manga
There is a Blue Seed manga, but I'm unaware if it's been licensed yet.

Related Movies
A Blue Seed OVA called "Blue Seed Beyond" is also available from ADV and as the title suggests, it picks up where the original left off. I haven't seen it, though.

Violence Details
Lots of blood, but not in buckets. What I mean is that the violence level is far from gratutious.

Language Details
I did hear a few curse words, but nothing above a PG-13 rating.

Nudity Details
I think I saw a bathing scene. I'm not positive, as it's been a while since I've seen it.

Sexual Content Details
A few of the Omake theatre shorts have sexual content. In the first one, it implies that Mamoru is a Peeping Tom. This is implied again in the final one. In the 11th one, we see Momiji's grandma in a bikini (UGH!) at a night club. There's also a few panty shots.

Religious Material Details
The story is based on a Japanese folktale. Also, there are many references to Shintoism. But the story in no way promotes Shintoism and is actually compatible with Christianity: Momiji makes the ultimate sacrifice and wins not only the day, but the viewers' hearts as well.
Blue Seed Beyond (Jump to title)
- Overall: 6
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 4
- Theological Themes: 3
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Comments
What could have been a great sequel is ruined by fan service. While the fan service was avoidable in the TV series (you could just skip the Omake Theatre), that's not the case here. I'm disappointed that they decided to do this, as the TV version didn't need to go that far. Also, the hot springs episode is a real downer. Talk about cliched plots!

Music
Not as good as the previous installment. The music is actually forgettable.

Sub vs Dub
I didn't watch the dub, but I saw the credits and they had the same cast as the TV version (except for Valencia, of course). I prefer the subtitled.

Manga
The Blue Seed manga is still untranslated as far as I know. Yuzo Takeda also created 3X3 Eyes, which is carried by Dark Horse.

Related Movies
The Blue Seed TV series and the anime version of 3X3 Eyes.

Violence Details
The level is not very graphic at all. Just a few bloody moments.

Language Details
The language is quite minimal. Just a few curse words.

Nudity Details
When Valencia transforms, she is, of course, naked, but this isn't a "silhouette, Sailor-Moon-esque transformation. Detailed views of her breasts are shown.



Also, in the "hot springs episode" at the end, sometimes some of the girls' towels fall at just the right amount so we can see some cleavage or the girls' bare backs.

Sexual Content Details
In one scene, Momiji is relaxing in a pool. Sakura comes up underneath her and squeezes her breasts.

Religious Material Details
Like the TV version, the OVA is inspired by Japanese folklore. Also, Sakura actually flies in HUGE exocorism sutras to dispatch some Aragamis.
Chobits (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 1
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Genre: Sci-fi/Romantic Comedy

Studio/Creator: Madhouse/Clamp

Distributor: FUNimation, streaming on FUNimation’s website, Hulu.com, and youtube.com

No. of episodes: 26 (if you count the exclusive DVD-only episodes, which I was unable to watch)

Age Rating: 16+

My Rating: 8/10

Summary: Hideki Motosuwa is a prep school student who wants tow things: a girlfriend and/or a “persocom”, an android that acts as a personal computer. On his way home one evening, he stumbles across a female persocom thrown in the trash. He takes it home and inadvertently turns it on. She’s had her memory wiped and can only say “chi”, which Hideki calls her. And thus our story begins.

Review: When I started this show, I almost thought I wasn’t going to like it. Hideki is quite perverted and he got on my nerves quickly. So what changed my mind? Chi. Chi is such an adorable character, I fell in love with her. I loved her cherubic face, her super-long blonde hair, and her child-like personality. I laughed at how she constantly mimicked Hideki in attempts to understand him. And I laughed at Hideki’s attempts to educate her. It was just so much fun to watch the two of them interact.

The art style for this story is quite soft, especially for a sci-fi story. I’m used to a grittier approach, but I liked this style, as for the most part, this is a much more light-hearted story than say Ghost in the Shell. It really fit the story well.

Another thing I like is that the show explores one of my favorite themes: if we create artificial humans like Chi, can they still be human? Can Chi learn to love, even though she cannot even procreate? And how does this affect her as a person?

Music/Score: Chobits’ opening, “Let Me Be With You” is a very funny song and fits the show. The three ending themes also reflect the mood as well, with the first having a cheerful approach and the second having a more somber feel.



Sub/Dub: Either version works, but I like the dub best. Crispin Freeman and Michelle Ruff really show their ranges as Hideki and Chi, especially since they usually play more serious characters. [for instance, Freeman's role as Alex Rowe (Last Exile) or Michelle Ruff's most recent role as Rukia (Bleach)]. Sandy Fox really steals the show as the precocious persocom Sumomo.

Violence: (1/10): mild slapstick

Language: (5/10): A few curse words and some slightly sexually suggestive wordplay here and there.

Nudity: (3/10): When Hideki first turns Chi on, she’s covered bandages and they fall off, slowly revealing her naked body. Hideki also has some porno mags.

Sexuality: (4/10)

spoiler In one episode, Chi decides to get a job in order to pay the rent. She meets a rather sleazy man who tricks her into working at his peep show. When she gets confused and doesn’t cooperate, he accidentally touches her power switch, which is located right where her vagina would be. Yeah.



Religion: (0/10)

Drugs/Tobacco: (0/10)

Related Media: This is based on the Chobits manga created by CLAMP. It supposedly ties in to their Angelic Layer anime and manga. Having seen both Angelic Layer and Chobits, I really don’t see the connection.
Cowboy Bebop (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 3
Cowboy Bebop: the Movie (AKA Cowboy Bebop: Knocking on Heaven's Door (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 10
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 7
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Main Review
The crew of the Bebop hunts down a terrorist named Vincent who wants to blow up a Martian city. They are assisted by Elektra, a former comrade of Vincent's. Vincent plans to release a virus that will infect everyone "right down to the marrow", and is assisted by a hacker named Lee.



Comments
Even if you've never watched this series, you can still enjoy the movie, if you can handle the content level above. The movie is quite humorous, especially the sequence where Ed tracks down Lee by trick-or-treating. The characters are just as funny as you remember them (if you watched the show of course). It's almost like meeting with old friends.

Music
The music in the series was definitely its best feature -the movie is no different. It has a great soundtrack throughout, especially the closing song, "Gotta Knock a Little Harder."

Sub vs Dub
Both versions are done well. Steve Blum really brings out what makes Spike so cool. Ed's English VA does a great job with her unique personality, and ditto for the Japanese version (for some reason, the Japanese version seems funnier).

Manga
There are two separate Cowboy Bebop manga series from Tokyopop. One is called Cowboy Bebop and the other one is Cowboy Bebop: Shooting Star. I've seen mixed reviews on both.

Related Movies
none. Well, there is the ultra-popular Cowboy Bebop series.

Violence Details
Typical for the show it's a sequel to. Nothing too gratuitous, but there are some explosions, and a couple intense gunfights. Faye does get tied up in one scene.

Language Details
Nothing above the d, s, or bast-words.

Nudity Details
Actually, there is none, not even with Faye's usual attire

Sexual Content Details
Faye's usual attire definitely qualifies here. Vincent cuts open Faye's shirt and intentions of rape are implied. And there's also a scene where Ed encounters a drag queen. But it's humorously dealt with.

Religious Material Details
Vincent thinks Purgatory's doors are opened on Halloween. Halloween figures into the plot quite strongly, so if you don't subscribe to it, this may put you off.

Durarara!! (Jump to title)
- Overall: 0
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Genre: Action/Romance/Supernatural

Studio/Creator: Brains Base/Ryohgo Narita (writer) Suzuhito Yasuda (illustrator)

Distributor: Aniplex USA, streams on Crunchy Roll and Crackle

No of Episodes: 24 +2 specials

Suggested Age: 13+

My Rating: 8/10

Summary: When Mikado moves to the Ikeburo District, he is reunited with his childhood friend, Kido Masaomi. He also learnes that the district is home to headless motorcyclists, street gangs, superstrong bartenders, and Russian sushi chefs.

Review: This was actually better than expected. I liked how realistic the setting looked. Even for a gritty urban setting, the city was well-drawn. I thought it was great that Celty, the headless motorcyclist, wasn’t even as evil as you’d expect–in fact, most of the time it seems like she’s the true hero of the story.

The closest thing the show has to a villain is Izaya Orihara, a “knowledge broker” who lives to manipulate others. He not only plays chess, but he also plays shoji, go, and Othello along with it–all at once. And sometimes, he even lights the board on fire! Yeah, he’s a little nuts.

My main problem with the show stems from its pacing. The show’s plot goes by way too fast and the big surprises come out of nowhere. I won’t spoil them for you, but I will say there’s practically little, if any, buildup to them. I watched it twice, and saw no clues. I believe surprises work better if there’s buildup, so I was slightly annoyed by that. Other than that, this was an enjoyable series.

Sub/Dub: I watched the dub on Adult Swim and thought it was pretty good. Crispin Freeman played Shizuo very well. The biggest surprise for me was learning that Johnny Yong Bosch, who plays Izaya, actually knows Russian. And since Izaya also knows Russian, this adds some authenticity to his portrayal–more than his Japanese VA, who doesn’t even sound convincing.

Music/Score: I didn’t much care fro the show’s background music, but I did like the first opening and the two closing songs.




Violence (5/10): Because the show involves street gangs, there is inevitable gang violence. We also learn that one character is a victim of child abuse. And there’s a serial killer.

Language: (6/10) Considering Cartoon Network had to bleep out some of the language in the dub, I’d say watch out for this.

Sexuality: (3/10) There’s a character named Anri who has somewhat big breasts. Kida often makes sexist jokes about them, often with her right there to hear them. Izaya has twin teen sisters who french kiss each other in one of the special episodes.

Nudity: (0/10)

Religion: (1/10) Celty is a modern-day version of the headless rider from the infamous Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Her motorcycle even whinnies like a horse when it does wheelies. Also, the serial killer in this story has a possessed sword and SPOILER: can control her victims.

Related Media: This is based on a series of graphic novels. The writer and illustrator also wrote the novels that inspired Baccano!, which is also connected to this series. However, you don’t really need to have watched Baccano! first.
Eureka Seven (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 0
FLCL (Jump to title)
- Overall: 1
- Violence Rating: 0
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Geneshaft (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 4
- Theological Themes: 4
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Comments
The series is done in both CG and traditional styles, and the styles mesh so well, you almost want
a pair of 3D glasses for the CG sequences. It is superbly written and a great commentary on the
subject of cloning. If you like Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", you'll probably find this series
enjoyable as well.

Music
Mostly, the heavy metal music is pretty good. The ending theme is pretty bad, but that's a minor problem. There are a few times when the music gets kind of intrusive, but for the most part it accents the action very well.

Sub vs Dub
The subtitled and dubbed versions are equally watchable. In the dub, we get to hear Crispin
Freeman as the sauve Mario, and he does a phenomenal job here. Other good performances in
the dubbed version include Amanda Winn Lee as Mika Seido, Valerie Arem as Beatrice Ratio,
Jamiesoh Pierce as Sergei Sneak IV, and Sandy Fox as Mario's sister Tiki. The only voice I didn't
like on either version was Dolce. In both versions, it sounds like they sped up her voice way too
much.

Manga
None.

Related Movies
None.

Violence Details
A few of the deaths get pretty graphic, but it's not that bloody. This is mostly because the victims get sucked into the vacuum of space when they get killed.

Language Details
A few curse words are heard here and there, but nothing above the d-word, s-word or the bast-word.

Nudity Details
A few of the characters wear skimpy clothes.

Sexual Content Details
Actually, in this probable future, much like the future of "Brave New World," sexuality is basically
frowned upon and virtually unknown. This is demonstrated in episode 6 when one of the
astronauts from the past open-mouth kisses Sophia, and she mistakes it for mouth-to-mouth.

Religious Material Details
Because the series focuses on cloning, your opinions about cloning may make it difficult to enjoy
this title. The general Christian stance on cloning is that it's a bad idea, and actually, this series
does seem to imply that it agrees.



Also, in the second episode when Mir Lotus wants Hiroto to make her the Shaft's driver, her
partner Remmy says "Even God Herself bows down to worship her".
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 8
- Nudity Rating: 4
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Review: Before I begin, I want to note something. This is not the original Ghost in the Shell movie I am reviewing. This is a completely redone version. The animation is sleeker than the original production and more modernized. Even the sound has been revamped, courtesy of Skywalker Sound.

Ghost in the Shell is one of my all-time favorite anime movies. I love how different this world is from our own. Cybernetics are so commonplace in this world, that it seems completely alien to our own. Now the age-old question is even more complex–what makes humanity unique? What sets us apart from the mere animals? We have souls, but really where do these souls even come from? Do we even know that answer? If we take a human brain and put it into a cybernetic body, how can we know that person is still human? These questions are the central theme of the anime. Even though the story takes on an agnostic approach, it is still a philosophy that I find intriguing.

Motoko is one of my favorite anime heroines. She’s superhumanly strong and intelligent. I love to watch the fluidity in her motion–it’s almost as if no motion is wasted. She meticulously uses both her brains and her brawn to defeat her enemies.

The Puppet Master is a scary villain. He truly lives up to his name. I liked the fact that his victims had no idea what they were doing. Even their minds were altered. One victim in particular believes he has a wife and children, but Motoko discovers that the man has been single for years! That is the extent of the Puppet Master’s abilities: he can completely alter your perception of reality.

The animation is flawless. I could see the sleekness added by the C.G. I’ve heard some complaints from those who’ve seen the original Ghost in the Shell that this approach is too bright, but I feel that is not the case. It enhances the animation and does a great job of drawing you in because it is so unique.

Ghost in the Shell is a milestone in anime history. It created a cult following that gains new followers every time. I feel that this is one of the best anime movies ever, and I highly recommend this movie.

Sub/Dub: I really think this is a movie that must be watched subbed. Manga Video is notorious for bad dubs, and this is no exception.

Music/Score: The music has a somewhat haunting feel to it. It’s not as good as the music in the TV series, but I liked it.

Violence: (8/10) There’s a headshot right before the opening credits. Spoiler: Towards the end, Motoko literally pushes her body to the breaking point while fighting a tank.

Language: (2/10) Manga Video is known for profanity-laden dubs, but this is actually not as bad as others I’ve heard.

Sexuality: (0/10)

Nudity: (4/10) Motoko has a passion for wearing skin-tight clothes, and during the opening credits, we see a nude female cyborg.

Religion: (1/10)–Throughout the movie, various characters talk about their “ghosts” which could be interpreted as a soul.

Related Media: There was a sequel to the movie called Ghost in the Shell II: Innocence. There was also a two season TV series called Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex. I’ve also heard of a few Playstation games.

Trivia: The Wachowski Brothers, who also directed the Matrix trilogy, have gone on record as saying that Ghost in the Shell was one of the inspirations for the Matrix trilogy.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 6
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 3
Review Genre
Sci-fi,Mystery,Cyberpunk

Main Review
Ghost in the Shell 2 is the second of the Ghost in the Shell movies. In this one, Batou and Togusa investigate some killings committed by androids. Because robots don't normally kill humans, it's an unusual case indeed. Matters are complicated by the fact that Motoko has all but disappeared, having gained consciousness on the Net.

Comments
I've been a Ghost in the Shell fanatic ever since the TV version first aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, and this movie doesn't disappoint. The animation is mesmerizing, and even better than the TV version, which is an accomplishment in itself, since the TV version has good animation to begin with. My only beef with the movie is that Motoko Kusanagi only shows up near the end, and, even then, the appearance is only for a few moments. To me, she is the heart and soul of Ghost in the Shell, so to have her reduced to supporting cast felt a bit wrong. Other than that, I truly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to any Ghost in the Shell fan.

Music
The music is great. It has a haunting feel to it, much like the TV version and sets the mood very well.

Sub vs Dub
There is no dub. The subtitles read like closed captioning, so expect stuff like "[footsteps]" to appear.

Manga
Ghost in the Shell is based on the manga published by Dark Horse. There are two different series. The original series was adapted into the first movie. The second is subtitled "Ghost in the Shell: Man Machine Complex" and has nothing to do with the movies or TV shows. I have not read any of the manga.

Related Movies
Ghost in the Shell, and the 2 season Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex TV series. There's also a forthcoming TV series called Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society

Violence Details
There is a pretty grisly shootout between Batou and some Yakuza (Japanese mafia), and he, basically, turns the Yakuza into human swiss cheese. That was the most violent moment. Aside from that, there's very little graphic violence.

Language Details
A few curse words are featured.

Nudity Details
All the "sexroids" are seen nude, but undetailed.

Sexual Content Details
There's some "Sexroids", which are androids used for prostitution, and there is some discussion of sex-related crimes.

Religious Material Details
Like the previous movie and the series, the movie mentions "ghosts". It's unclear what they mean, but I take it to mean their souls or intuition.
GOSICK (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 6
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review This was certainly a surprise for me. It is a very beautifully drawn story with a splendid Victorian backdrop. The pacing of the story is slow, but I didn’t mind because the characters developed with it. As their friendship grows, you start to learn about both Victorique and Kujo’s pasts and the country itself. It seems as though everyone has his/her own story and enjoyed finding out the secrets of each character. My main beef, however, is that Victorique solves the mystery via deus ex machina–you never actually get a chance to see how all the puzzle’s pieces fit. I like to play detective when I watch a mystery, so it kind of frustrated me. Other than that, I think this is one of Bones’s best titles, right up there with Rahxephon, Full Metal Alchemist, and Eureka Seven.
Gunslinger Girl (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 8
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review This was not an easy series for me to watch, mostly because it was so sad. What I found most interesting was how different each girl was. Henrietta is the focal character. She is quiet and very emotionally attached to her handler Guise (pronounced “Jose”) . My favorite girl was Triele. Don’t let her pigtails and stuffed animal collection fool you–this girl is someone you don’t mess with! The weak link in the group has to be Angelica, who is not only clumsy, but also a bad shot.

This has to be one of Madhouse’s best looking titles in terms of background art. In episode seven, the girls have a mission at a museum, and we get to see some very well-done depictions of Renaissance art. As a fan of this era of art, I thought this was neat. We also get some nice shots of Italy’s architecture.

The only flaw is that I really feel that the show was rushed and didn’t spend enough time on its story. It was nice to have all those character-centered episodes for the first half, but we need more plot for this kind of story too. Everything felt like a setup for the second season (which I will also review in two weeks). Even though I’m a character-oriented person, I think more story would’ve made it better. This really should have been 26 episodes.

Sub/Dub: An online friend of mine reviewed this series as well and watched the dub version. She told me that she thought the dub was very well done and had some great acting.

Music/Score: The music is very tragic. The opening theme was quite fitting, and I love the English lyrics. The closing theme, I didn’t like much. Maybe it’s because I don’t speak Italian.


Violence: (8/10) There’s a lot of gun-related violence, so much that I wondered if the girls would ever run out of ammo. The fact that these are children makes this even more disturbing. If you don’t like graphic violence, skip this series.

Nudity: (0/10)

Sexuality: (3/10) Spoiler: In episode 4, we learn that as part of Henrietta’s conditioning, the SWA removed her uterus. (Interestingly enough, she’s the only one they did this to)

Religion: (0/10)

Related Media: There’s a sequel series called Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, which was done by Artland Studio (makers of Mushi-shi) Both series are based on an ongoing manga in Japan. It was originally published in America by ADV, but when ADV changed to Sentai Filmworks, they folded their manga division. Then Seven Seas took over.
Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino (Jump to title)
- Overall: 7
- Violence Rating: 8
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 4
Review Review: When I heard this was done by a different studio, I have to admit I was concerned. However, Artland did impress me greatly with Mushi-shi, so I thought it might not be too bad. One thing I should point out is that Artland is a much smaller studio than Madhouse (who did the first version) The difference in studio does matter. There are lots of still images in the first opening, and it’s kind of boring to watch. The character designs, while not bad, are a little off. (I liked Angelica better with black hair instead of purple hair) This show is much more plot-driven than the first season. Because of this, you should watch the first version before watching this, as it assumes you already have watched it and are familiar with the characters. Once again, the same flaw appears in both: 13 episodes is clearly not enough time to get the story going. Instead of being too slow in the previous installment, now it’s too fast. But the plot keeps moving very good throughout, and I liked the pacing. This isn’t as good as the first, but it’s not terrible either.

Sub/Dub: Both versions are pretty good. I should point out that a few of the voices in the sub version are different from the ones in the first season.

Music/Score: The opening song isn’t quite as good as the first version’s opening, but I thought it was ok. I actually got a nice surprise. In episode 8, one of my all-time favorite songs, “Scarborough Fair”, is played at the end. (It’s also a plot point.)


Violence: 8/10–Same as before. Triele and Pinocchio are also quite handy with knives as well as guns.

Language: 2/10–also similar

Nudity: 0/10

Sexuality: 0/10

Religion: (0/10)
Heroman (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Studio: Bones
Note: This title is currently streaming on www.crunchyroll.com. It currently is unavailable on DVD
When I learned Stan Lee was involved with Heroman, I had to check this show out. I'm a huge fan of his work. It's easy to see the parallels between this and some of Stan Lee's comics. For example:
It takes place in America. Stan Lee is a firm believer in "write what you know". It's why all his stories take place in New York City. He spent most of his life there.
Joey is a teen hero. Most of Stan Lee's heroes started out as teenagers.The hero has an alliterative name.
Joey has an alliterative name. Stan Lee gave many of his heroes alliterative names in order to make them easy for him to remember. (Okay, maybe that's not all that relevant)
I really enjoy most, if not all, of the cast. Here are my five favorite characters.
Joey is an admirable boy who wishes to be as heroic as his father, who sacrificed himself to save his fellow miners. He has a courageous heart like any true hero.
Next is Simon (aka Psy), Joey's best friend. What makes him so cool is even though the kid's on crutches, that doesn't stop him from helping out Joey and fighting alongside him. He's the kind of friend everyone wants.
Then there's Lina, a blonde cheerleader that fits another type found in many superhero stories: the plucky girlfriend. Lina is essentially the Mary-Jane Watson of the show. She has a cheerful personality and even though she gets kidnapped once or twice, she's courageous enough to prevent her from being annoying. There's only one thing preventing the two of them from hooking up: Will, her older brother. He's like Flash Thompson from Spider-man: a jock with a bad attitude (to be fair, Flash and Peter's relationship did eventually mellow out).
The last character I like is Holly, Joey's big sister. At first, I thought she was obnoxious because of her crass personality and her penchant for beer. (definitely not ladylike) However, as her character developed, I saw her as a foil for Joey in that their opinions on their father differ. While Joey admires their father, she feels as though he abandoned them. In fact, when she discovers Joey is controlling Heroman, she's understandably angry about it.
The Skrugg are definitely a scary race. They kind of remind me of the aliens in the Alien movies, and with the exception of their leader Kogurr, all have a hive mentality.
This is an excellent series, even if you're not a Stan Lee fan, although it's easier to appreciate if you like his stuff.
As for the plot and pacing, I think the show did it well. It moved at a quick pace, but it still took enough time to show us how the characters were reacting to being invaded. Some actually tried to negotiate with the aliens, while others saw them as a threat and joined Joey in the fight against them. And for once, Washington DC was brought into the story and we didn't get a George W. Bush clone, since it was being done during his tenure! This time, although the president does seem to vaguely resemble him, we aren't made to see him as a stupid person, just someone who makes rash decisions because he's concerned about the citizens. The plot didn't come to a complete halt when it was time to develop characters, which I enjoy.
Music/Score: The music was not what I expected. I'm used to a more stirring score in superhero stories, like in the Superman or Batman movies. This was a little too cheerful.
Sub/Dub: Because there's no dub yet, I can't give a comparison. I thought the voices were okay, but I felt Joey's voice was a little high for someone who's on the cusp of puberty.
Violence: 4/10: For the most part, the show's pretty mild, except for the fact that Kogurr eats those who fail him.
Sexuality: none
Religion: none
Nudity: none
Other potentially problematic themes: Joey's older sister is a bit of an alcoholic.
Katsuhiro Otomo's Memories (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Genre
Sci-fi,Cyberpunk,Comedy

Main Review
Memories is a trilogy of three shorts, all written by Katsuhiro Otomo of "Akira", "Steamboy", and
"Rojin Z" fame. The three shorts aren't connected to each other other than the fact that they
were written by the same person.



"Magnetic Rose": A group of outer space salvagers come upon a spaceship that uses holograms
and tries to kill them.



"Stink Bomb": A man suffering from a cold gets an experimental drug that causes him to emit a
stench that kills anyone around him.



"Cannon Fodder": A war-torn town with cannons on every house prepares to face an enemy.

Comments
"Magnetic Rose" -This one has some intense moments and could scare some younger audiences.
But the story is quite well done and a classic horror piece. It became my favorite of the three.
(10/10)



"Stink Bomb" - This one is hilarious, but should only be viewed by those who can understand
black humor. It's rather Looney Tunes-ish, meaning no one really gets hurt badly. I thought it
was a bit much at times. (5/10)



"Cannon Fodder" -Not much happens in this one. I got kind of bored with it, but it wasn't that
bad. A few scenes made me laugh, but when we didn't even see the battle that was being lead
up to, I felt kind of cheated. (2/10)



All in all, I felt this DVD was very nice, much better than that other anthology, "The Animatrix",
that I feel is being over-hyped. . If you liked "Metropolis", I highly recommend Memories.

Music
The music fits each short. "Magnetic Rose" is stirring and dark, while "Stink Bomb" was rather jazzy
and comedic.

Sub vs Dub
There's only a subtitled version available.

Manga
None

Related Movies


Violence Details
Most of the violence is actually quite light. There's some explosions and stuff, but nothing graphic.
In the second short, "Stink Bomb", most of the violence is played for laughs.

Language Details
None.

Nudity Details
None.

Sexual Content Details
None.


Religious Material Details
None.
Kiki's Delivery Service (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 1
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Review: This was the first Miyazaki movie I ever watched and it still has a place in my heart. I love how industrious Kiki is and she captures your heart almost instantly. The movie, like every Studio Ghibli movie, is very beautiful, and I'd recommend this movie to anyone who wants a quiet, relaxing movie. People of all ages will most likely enjoy it.
Music/Score While the original music is fine, I want to point out that the dub has original songs. I feel these songs really capture the spirit of the movie and I really like them, especially the opening song, "Soaring".
Sub/Dub: The dub is great, mostly because Phil Hartman steals the show as Jiji.
Religious themes: Although Kiki is a witch, she does not use incantations in order to fly. Instead she uses her spirit and emotions. The story really feels like a fairy tale, so if you like those, this shouldn't bother you.
Kurau Phantom Memory (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Note: This anime is available from FUNimation. It is also currently streaming at Youtube in dubbed format.
This is one of the sweetest titles I’ve ever watched. What I like best is how character-driven the story is. There is a great dichotomy between Kurau and Christmas. Christmas is every bit as naive as Kurau was at twelve. Kurau, on the other hand, has all the experience that Kurau lacks. It’s quite similar to the relationship between a mother and her child. Another interesting dichotomy exists between former GPO agent Doug and current GPO agent Ayaka. Doug sees Kurau and Christmas as actual people and attempts to help them keep as low a profile as possible. Ayaka, on the other hand, sees them as targets and a menace. I truly enjoyed this title and would recommend it to any anime fan.

Music/Score: The music is very poignant. Although I wouldn’t call it spectacular, I did like it. Sometimes it’s nice to have music that just establishes the mood without trying to stand out.

Sub/Dub: I was only able to watch the dub, which was very well done. Jessica Boone in particular was adorable as Christmas.

Violence: 3/10. For the most part, this is very mild. Spoiler: In a late episode, we meet a Ryna-sapien who has lost his pair and attempts to make Christmas a replacement. After Christmas refuses, he goes off to be alone and attempts suicide.
Nudity: There is silhouetted nudity in the pilot episode and the final episode. Nothing is detailed.
Related Media: The show is based on a light novel of the same name. According to Wikipedia, there was a manga, but it was never published in the United States.
Last Exile (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 6
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Distributor: FUNimation
ReviewLast Exile is one of my all-time favorite titles. The animation is an excellent blend of CG and cel animation. I love the characterization, especially on Alex Rowe. Claus and Valca are excellent heroes and have a great chemistry. I love how Lavie stays by Claus, even when the story causes them to start drifting apart. Maestro Delphine is an excellent villainess. We see so little of her, but what we see of her makes her an icy, classy villain. She doesn't need to make grandiose scenes, she just stays in the background, manipulating everything.
I've heard that the show is quite slow to some poeple. But I don't mind the slowness because to me, it needs to be slow. The story is really like a chess game, with a slow-moving approach theat quickly builds to some pretty cool events. I think the pacing is just fine.
Music/Score: Just beautiful. The string ensemble accents the scenes well. I love both the opening and ending themes.
Sub/Dub: The dub is great. Crispin Freeman is in top form as Alex. In fact, it's my favorite role of his. Karen Strassman lends a vey silky, icy voice to Delphine, which really gave me some shivers. I also like the fact that Bosch is showing his range as Claus. He rarely does kid heroes and I actually didn't know it was him til I looked it up.
Violence: Some pretty intense dogfights throughout and mildly graphic violence towards the end.
Language: (2/10) Some mild swears.
Nudity: (0/10)
Sexuality: (2/10) A few lewd comments are made in one episode over a misunderstanding.
Religion: (0/10)
Drugs/Tobacco: (0/10)
Related Media: In 2011, Gonzo began airing Last Exile, Fam the Silver Sky an alternate-universe sequel to Last Exile
Legend of the Millennium Dragon (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 6
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Genre: Fantasy

Studio/Creator: Pierrot/Takafumi Takada

Distributor: Sony

Running Time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Age Rating: 13+ (MPAA rating: PG-13)

My Rating: 9/10

Summary: (from back of DVD)A spectacular journey of an unwilling hero thrust into a mysterious past full of monsters, dragons, and strange hidden powers. Through a series of out of this world adventures, Jun, a shy middle school boy is transformed into a hero destined to battle evil and ensure harmony and tranquility to the world.

Review: This has some pretty nice artwork. It makes me wonder why Studio Pierrot doesn’t do stuff this good all the time (for those who don’t know, this is the same studio that makes Naruto and Bleach). The story is kind of formulaic, with Jun pulling the ”chosen one” cliche early on. I did like the people he was protecting from the nobles who were oppressing them and how the story tried some twists here and there. Jun was a great reluctant hero and was a great character all around. The animation was really cool at times, particularly on the white dragon Jun befriends. However, I really felt the story was too formulaic to earn the full ten points. But if you overlook that, the movie is actually very good. It’s the best I’ve seen from the studio since Saiyuki. I actually found out that a good portion of this is hand-drawn, which I find very impressive.

Sub/Dub: The dub is pretty good. I think I heard Liam O’Brien, who played Dr. Tenma in Monster. Actually, both versions sounded great.

Music/Score: The music’s pretty good and has an epic feel. I couldn’t really find a good video for the music, so I can’t provide it here.

Violence: 6/10–I saw some mildly bloody moments. Definitely not something I’d recommend to young children. It’s probably on par with Princess Mononoke.

Language: 1/10: Only one curse word.

Sexuality: 0/10: none

Nudity: 0/10: none

Religion: 5/10 There’s both good and evil people controlling monsters. The village people use magical mask to appear as “oni”, a Japanese word for demon. One villain believes he will acquire godhood through power. Jun also develops a bond with a magical dragon early in the movie.

Drugs/Tobacco: none

Related Media: none
Lucky Star (Jump to title)
- Overall: 7
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review This is just pointless fun. It's really like an anime version of Seinfeld. The opening theme will really get stuck in your head in no time flat. I see two flaws that really ruined my enjoyment:
1. No real plot. I like stuff that actually has a transition of events, not just random stuff happening for twenty minutes.
2. Halfway through the show, we're introduced to a whole bunch of characters who weren't there before. We're expected to get to know them without given any spotlights on them so you're sitting there confused because you didn't get as much time as you did with the original four characters that started things off.
My main warning to you folks is not to watch this if you know very little about Japanese culture. You really need to know basic stuff like how festivals are celebrated and why people in Japan behave like they do. If you don't, you won't be able to follow this series easily. But if you need a break from a high-energy action story or something to unwind with, this is actually a good way to kill time.
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Genre: Action/Comedy

Studio/Creator: TMS/Maurice Leblanc

Distributor: Manga Entertainment

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Age Rating: 10+

My Rating: 10/10

Summary: Master thief Lupin III and his pal Jigen are on the trail of a counterfeiter who swindled them. They soon find out the counterfeiter has actually kidnapped the lovely Lady Clarisse in order to marry her. Can Lupin save the day?

Review: This is one of Hayao Miyazaki’s earliest movies, made before he founded Studio Ghibli, which is why I was interested. You can certainly see his trademark style–the backdrops are pretty, even for back then. The castle was well-detailed and although the style was dated, I thought it looked very good.

As for the story, it was good too. Lupin was a charming “hero” and I laughed at how easily he foiled everyone’s plans. The story had a great James Bond-feel to it. I should probably point out this is one of Steven Spielburg’s favorite movies.

Sub/Dub: I only saw the Manga Entertainment dub. I liked it, but I wish they had Wendee Lee voicing Fujiko, like she does in the Lupin III TV series.

Music: It was nice, but not memorable.

Violence: (4/10) Some gunshots and such, but nothing over the top.

Language: (2/10) Heard a couple curse words at the beginning, but that was it.

Sexuality: (0/10)

Nudity: (0/10)

Religion: (0/10)

Related Media: There’s out-of-print movies from Manga Entertainment, and FUNimation also has more recently made movies. Geneon carried the TV series, but I am unaware if the license has been picked up. There’s also an out-of-print manga from Tokyopop.
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 0
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review eview: I am a huge fan of the Gundam franchise, and this is one of the reasons. I love the political intrigue, the dynamics in the characters, and the robot fights. Especially the robot fights.

My favorite characters are Quatre Winner and Duo Maxwell. I like Quatre because he’s actually a pacifist. He believes he fights so others don’t have to. He fights for peace. Duo is the show’s comedy relief. He tends to be the voice of reason in dialog, mostly because he does great snarks.

Because it has nothing to do with Yoshiyuki Tomino original vision, you don’t need to know anything about his version. This is a completely independent work. The story is told in a very clear way. There are no uncertainties about why our heroes are fighting and we get to see how evil the villains really are–this anime really believes in “show, don’t tell”.

There is one major flaw–when I got to the finale, I didn’t really feel a sense of closure. In fact this is the only time I’ve felt no closure from Gundam.

But if you’re new to Gundam and you want to see just why it’s so popular, this is one I’d recommend to you.

Sub/Dub: The dub is okay, but not great.

Music/Score: The show has 2 opening themes, and they’re both awesome. The ending theme…is not. In fact it sucks.







Violence: (5/10)Lots of explosion and some intense fights all throughout the series, but very little gore.

Language: (3/10)

Nudity: (0/10)

Sexuality: (0/10)
Mushi-shi (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 4
Review ReviewIf I could describe this anime in one word, it would be: gorgeous. The backdrops are splendidly drawn and vibrant. I really felt as though I was in another world. This is almost as good as anything Studio Ghibli tends to produce.

Ginko is an interesting character because even though he is human, he seems very alien due to his gifts. He is slightly unpredictable, but he has the best intentions of his clients at heart. As the series continues, you want to know more about him and the people he encounters.

What truly makes this show unique is that it’s actually episodic. Each story is complete in itself and is not connected to an arc like most anime. In fact, it should be noted that the stories are actually out of order. Despite this, the stories are not confusing because there is no evidence of the depiction of time and the separation between stories makes them feel independent. There are no other recurring characters besides Ginko, so it’s more like an anthology.
Sub/Dub: I’d say the dub is really good here. Travis Willingham is excellent as Ginko and this is one of his best performances.

Music/Score: The music gives the show a very spooky feel. At times, there is actually very little music at all. The opening song is sung in English and very relaxing.
Violence: (3/10)[spoiler For the most part, there is very little violence, despite the show’s spooky feel. In one episode, however, there is a mushi who burns down a house in order to save itself from Ginko.

Language: (2/10) A few curse words, but nothing dramatic.

Nudity: (0/10)

Sexuality: (0/10)

Religion: (7/10) As I stated, this series focuses chiefly on nature spirits. It’s indicated that Ginko had to sacrifice his eye to the spirits to gain his knowledge, similar to Odin in Norse mythology.

Drugs/Tobacco: (1/10) Ginko is never seen without a cigarette in his mouth.

Related Media: There is a manga and the stories in the anime are from this version. They are actually in a different order from the manga. Katsuhiro Otomo of Akira fame directed an award-winning live-action adaptation as well.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (anime) (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review ReviewBefore I go any further, I must tell you–I love Studio Ghibli! They truly know how to tell a story using every aspect of the medium. The backdrops are lush and colorful; the animation is fluid; and the story is excellent.

The film has a slight environmentalist feel to it, but is not nearly as preachy as most films with this theme. My favorite characters are Nausicaa, Lord Yupa, and Lady Tolmekia.

Nausicaa is a heroine who is very easy to admire. She is a compassionate woman with indomitable courage. Although she has a strong temper, her anger is justified because of the pollution and destruction she has encountered.

Lord Yupa is also an excellent hero. He is an aged warrior, and his best years are clearly not behind him. He’s the kind of person you clearly wouldn’t want to mess with.

The villain, Lady Tolmekia, is an excellently-written villain. Conquest is her only desire and she feels all her actions are justified. In fact, she is one of my all-time favorite villains.

Sub/Dub: Although the sub is okay, I think the dub truly surpasses it. My main problem with the sub is that Nausicaa sounds too young to my ears. The dub is thanks to its star-studded cast: Patrick Stewart, Chris Sarandon, Uma Thurman, and even Shia Labeouf (yes, that Shia Labeouf) all have excellent performances.

Music/Score: Joe Hisaishi is one of anime’s best composers and here he doesn’t disappoint. He does an excellent job at giving the movie an excellent, haunting score. I love both the opening theme and the leifmotif given to Nausicaa.
Violence: 4/10 A small amount of blood and some mild shooting scenes. If your children cannot handle intense violence even when it is not graphic, you should be aware of this.



Nudity: (2/10): A quick blink and you miss shot of Nausicaa’s breasts when she coaxes her pet fox-squirrel to hide in her dress is all you get.

Religion: (2/10): Spoiler: It is believed that a messianic figure will one day restore the valley. The movie seems to suggest that Nausicaa is that figure. However, it is obvious her people do not worship her, nor does she wish them to.

Related Media: There is also a manga. Although the story in the manga is similar to the anime, there are some distinct differences, or so I’m told. (I sadly have yet to purchase it) I have seen some of the artwork, and it is excellent.
Noein: To Your Other Self (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Main Review
The world of Lacry'ma is becoming unstable. It's only hope lies in the Dragon Knights, a group
of warriors who are searching for the Dragon Torque, an object they believe may bring
salvation to Lacry'ma. But when Kurasu, one of the Dragon Knights, meets Haruka, a girl who
possesses the Dragon Torque, he is reminded of her counterpart in his world. Will this
complicate the mission? And what is Haruka's role in this cosmic play?
Noein is one of the most enjoyable series I have ever watched. It has beautiful animation and
the story is well-told. Every character's motivation is described so well that you fully
understand why they are acting the way they are. If you like stories that have rich complexity,
check this out. I doubt you will be disappointed.


Comments


Music
Nicely done. The opening theme is mesmerizing and the battles are accented by gothic chants.
The music is a cool as the show itself.


Sub vs Dub
The dub a hit or miss. Some characters sound good, but others sound horrible.


Manga
none

Related Movies


Violence Details
There is very little blood. It should be noted that because their world is fading, the Dragon
Knights' bodies are unstable. They are able to transport between worlds using a "pipeline" that
helps them to maintain stability. But if they separate themselves from it, they risk literally
disappearing or losing body parts. Two members of the Knights die, but they do not lose
blood. (They literally fall apart)


Language Details
The show itself contains rare bad language, but the outtakes have much more.
(see Sexual Content)

Nudity Details
none

Sexual Content Details
An Easter Egg which can be accessed by selecting the “Noein Volume (insert volume no.
here)” circle on the main menu in included with each volume. It provides a collection of
humorous alternate dialogue outtakes, many of which are actually quite funny but most of
which are definitely not PG-rated in content. The show itself contains no sexuality.


Religious Material Details
A god-like being called Noein is attempting to bring all worlds into his world, called Shangri-La.
Although Shangri-La does have something to do with Paradise, the void Noein inhabits is a a
place where nothing exists and all is illusion.
Only Yesterday (Jump to title)
- Overall: 0
- Violence Rating: 1
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Main Review
Only Yesterday is about a 27 year old female office worker named Takeo, who volunteers to work at an organic farm run by a relative of her elder sister-in-law in the country to help with the safflower harvest and get away from city life. During her trip and time on the farm, she reminisces about her past as a bratty child in 1960's Tokyo.


Comments
This story is by far one of Ghibli's most quiet films. While very little happens in this movie, it's still a well-done piece. I found it quite enjoyable and could easily see it as live-action. The movie will most likely bore all children younger than the audience I specified. The reason I specified 12 is that, by this time, most children will at least begun puberty and will, therefore, understand the discussion of it.



Only Yesterday is very nice, poignant film. I recommend it for any Ghibli fan.

Music
It fit the movie well. It's not a bad musical score. The highlight, though, was easily the closing song, The Rose.

Sub vs Dub
There is no dub, and, therefore, there's no comparison

Manga
Only Yesterday, by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. I don't know if it's available in the US.

Related Movies
Isao Takahata also directed "Pom Poko" and "Grave of the Fireflies".

Violence Details
Taeko's father slaps her for being a brat and not wearing shoes outside (a taboo in Japan) at one point.

Language Details
None, unless Disney changes it, subtitle-wise.

Nudity Details
There is a short scene in a bathhouse, but, because Takeo is so young, nothing more than some very undetailed rear nudity is seen.

Sexual Content Details
Several schoolgirls are teased by their male classmates about their periods after the girls take a sex-ed class.

Religious Material Details
None, except that which you would expect to see in typical Japanese life
Ponyo (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 1
- Nudity Rating: 1
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Review: If this sounds familiar, it should. Ponyo is Miyazaki's modernized version of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. I found this spin on the classic story enjoyable and adorable. The story has a whimsical quality and I recommend it for anyone with very young children.




Music
The music set the tone well and was quite whimsical. My favorite bit was when Ponyo was running on the waves and a piece that was vaguely reminiscent of "Ride of the Valkyries". There's also a cheerful piece of music that serves as Ponyo's theme.

Sub vs Dub
Either version works, but I prefer the dub. Oh, and I want to get this out right now, since I've heard some outcry: Frankie Jonas was just fine as Sosuke.So what if he's a Jonas brother? And yes, the ending song was kind of annoying, but I guess children would like it.

Manga
none

Related Movies
Unless you count the other films by Studio Ghibli, there aren't any.

Violence Details
There is hardly any violence in the story

Language Details
No bad language. It's rated G

Nudity Details
none.

Sexual Content Details
When Ponyo gives a mother some milk for her baby, the woman explains that she makes her own because her baby isn't old enough for milk yet.

Religious Material Details
For the most part, the magic in the story is of the typical fairy-tale variety. Ponyo's mother is actually the goddess of the sea. Ponyo tastes human blood when she licks a cut on Sosuke's thumb, which gives her the ability to become human (although she has to revert to an in-between chicken-like form to perform magic). There is a slight environmental theme, but it's not as pronounced as Princess Mononoke or Pom Poko.
Princess Mononoke (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 7
- Nudity Rating: 0
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Genre: Historical/Fantasy

Studio/Creator: Studio Ghibli/Hayao Miyazaki

Distributor: Miramax

Running Time: 2 hours, 14 minutes

Suggested Age: 13+ (MPAA: PG-13)

My Rating: 10/10

Summary: Set in feudal Japan, this is the story of a young warrior named Ashitaka who becomes cursed when he fights a boar that has attacked his village. He exiles himself and that’s when he meets San, a girl raised by wolves, and Lady Eboshi, a woman who wants to oppose the forest gods. Which side will Ashitaka choose?

Review: This is my number two favorite Ghibli movie, right behind Spirited Away. What’s really interesting about it is how different it is from the rest of Ghibli’s filmography. Firstly, it has a male lead rather than a female lead. Second, it’s the only Ghibli movie without a flying sequence.

Lady Eboshi seems like the villain of the story, but you can actually sympathize with her. You can see that her village benefits from her. All the women are from brothels and owe her their freedom. She’s also taken in lepers and treats them like people.

The animation is vivid. I love the lush greens of the forest. Even though there is an environmental subtext, it’s clear that both sides of the issue are presented fairly.

Sub/Dub: The dub is really hit-or-miss. Some of the actors clearly haven’t had enough experience in voice acting to do it right. The ones who do have experience come off very well, like Keith David, who plays the boar demon. I’d urge you to stick to the sub.

Music/Score: Joe Hisaishi once again composed a great score. It accents the story well.

Violence: (7/10) Ashitake’s curse gives him superhuman strength. In some battles, he is capable of beheading enemies or removing their limbs.

Language: (2/10) Just a few curses.

Nudity: (0/10)

Sexuality: (0/10)

Religion: The forest is the home to several spirits. There is also a huge deer-like spirit who serves as the protector (a genus loci actually), and kodamas, who are like the dryads in Greek myths. If their trees die, so do they.
Rahxephon (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 7
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 4
- Other Negative Themes: 2
Review Main review: I love this anime! It is one of the most beautiful titles I have ever watched, and one of the best characterized. Each character is more than he/she appears on the surface. Just when you think you’ve understood a character, another layer is often revealed. For instance, Ayato seems to be someone who’d rather be a pacifist. But when he discovers someone he wishes to protect, he becomes a good fighter, despite the fact that he clearly does not wish to participate in the war. Another favorite character of mine is Megumi Shitow. She seems like a cheerful teenager, but under the surface is someone who is unsure of her abilities and purpose. Overall, the anime has a mystery feel to it, and you just want to sit back and watch so you can see if you can develop your own theories about what is going on.

Music/Score: Music plays a big part in the story. The music in the show is very pretty to listen to. The opening and closing are among my all-time favorite opening themes.
Sub/Dub: Either way works excellent. This is one of the best dubs ever!

Violence: (7/10) Some bloody moments, but nothing truly graphic

Language: (2/10) Some mild language, but nothing above PG-13.

Sexuality: (3/10) I heard some suggestive dialog, but nothing above that.

Nudity: (3/10) Some symbolic mild nudity. There are some scenes where a girl named Quon is seen in somewhat revealing clothes, but it’s actually a plot point rather than fanservice.

Drugs/Tobacco: (3/10) Two women are very heavy drinkers.

Religion: (4/10) Some references to the Mayan calendar toward the end.

Related Media: There is a movie and a manga based on the anime.
Slayers (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 5
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Review: I love this series! It starts out like a parody of the fantasy genre (in fact, it was originally created as a parody of Dungeons and Dragons-style board games), but unlike some parodies, it actually has a story and not just jokes. The heroes are great subversions of what we normally see in fantasy.

Lina is anything but virtuous–she’s only a sorceress for money and food. If she helps you, she expects a reward. She’s easily annoyed and very careless with her magic. Her speech during the opening song pretty much sums her up, making the song an “I want/I am” song: “Where monsters rampage, I’m there to take them down! Wherever treasure glitters, I’m there to claim it! Wherever evil rises to face me, victory WILL BE MINE!”

Next is Gourry, the only hero who can’t use magic (because he’s too stupid). Gourry wields a magical sword called the Sword of Light (the sword is literally made of light). He’s basically the team’s muscle and he and Lina argue a lot.

Zelgadis is kind of the show’s lone wolf. I’m already treading into spoiler territory just mentioning him here. I’ll just say he goes through a good deal of character development and leave it at that. He’s the most stoic member of the team and pretty much the Spock of the cast.

Amelia acts and seems as though she’s from a Sailor Moon-style show, right down to the speeches. She’s an amateur sorceress who often idolizes Lina. Of all the heroes, she’s the only one who seems the most virtuous, that is until we meet Slyphiel.

Sylphiel is the team’s “white mage”. She is a shrine maiden and a childhood friend of Gourry (she’s also quite smitten for him, but he never seems to notice). I found her an enjoyable character because she is kind and has a selfless zeal. I just wish she wasn’t introduced so late because it seemed like she joined at the last minute just so we could have a team of five heroes. (However, she turns up in most of the following seasons, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much) She’s clearly meant to be the heart of the group, admonishing Lina when she uses black magic and acts in an unheroic manner.

The villain is Rezzo, the red priest. His sly smiles makes him quite creepy, and he’s very devious and arrogant. He spends a lot of time lurking in the shadows, like any main villain should.

The show’s only flaw is that it doesn’t focus on plot much. It does have shonen roots, so there’s a considerable amount of filler. However, the filler was so funny that I wasn’t really bothered by it. It is worth bringing up, though.

Music/Score: The opening and closing are sung by popular Japanese VA Megumi Hayashibara, who holds the record for most voices by a Japanese voice actress. They are both very catchy.

Sub/Dub: Either way is excellent. (I actually alternated between the two) I recommend the sub because Lina’s voiced by Megumi Hayashibara. The dub’s cast is also great, with Lisa Ortiz playing Lina’s emotional range very well and Crispin Freeman is in top form as Zelgadis. The biggest surprise for me was that Amelia is dubbed by Veronica Taylor for FUNimation’s dub. Veronica Taylor is best known for her role as Ash Ketchum in Pokemon. I had no idea she’d done other roles and honestly didn’t know it was her until I saw the credits.

Violence: (5/10) Some fantasy violence and slapstick reminiscent of Looney Tunes. I also saw some scenes where spells do cause some bloody moments. It’s not gory, though.

Language: (2/10) Mild, nothing above PG level.

Sexuality: (3/10) Gourry often criticizes Lina’s breast size. There’s also a sequence in episode 17 where Gourry is in drag and the costume fools both a man and an effeminate dragon (who’s actually male.)

Nudity: (2/10): A few bathing scenes, usually involving Lina. Most of the time, the details are obscured, though.

Religion: (4/10) The show uses Sailor Moon and Final Fantasy-style magic and Lina is often criticized by Sylphiel for using black magic against her foes. As someone who’s enjoyed these kinds of stories, this didn’t bother me.

Related Media: Hoo boy! Slayers has quite a few sequels, each one considered a separate season: Slayers Next, Slayers Try, Slayers Revolution, and Slayers Evolution-R. It was based on light novels. There’s also mangas, OVAs (which I can’t cover at the present time because I can’t watch them legally for free), and Japanese-only video games.
Slayers Next (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 5
- Other Negative Themes: 1
Review Review: I loved the first season, and I'm pleased to say that this series is even better. The animation quality has noticeably improved. The new characters, Xelloss and Martina are welcome additions. I love how Xelloss constantly drops hints but never tells them everything they need to know. Martina is also a good addition. In any other anime, her constant bumbling would be annoying, but because this is a parody, she fits right in.
Sub/Dub: The dub is still as good as before. Crispin Freeman even gets to sing (and does so very well!) David Moo is hilarious as Xelloss and just the right touch of smart-aleck.
Music/Score: Megumi hayashibara contributed two great songs again. I'm really beginning to enjoy her music.
Violence: (5/10) If you could handle the vilence in the previous installment, it won't bother you here either. The violence isn't gory, but there are some occasionally bloody moments, along with lots of slapstick.
Language: (2/10)Mild swearing at best.
Sexuality: More breast jokes from Gourry in a flashback. Also

spoilerThere is an episode where all the male members had to go in drag because they were entering a village where men are prohibited. (And then they discover that several men in drag live there.)


Nudity: (3/10) There's a hot springs episode with a little nudity. Also, Martina's outfit shows a fair amount of cleavage.
Religion: Same as before, with Lina using Final Fantasy-style black magic against her foes.

Tenchi Universe (aka Tenchi Muyo TV) (Jump to title)
- Overall: 8
- Violence Rating: 3
- Nudity Rating: 3
- Theological Themes: 2
- Other Negative Themes: 3
Review Tenchi Muyo is what started what is known as the “harem” subgenre of anime, including such titles as Negima, DearS, Ah! My Goddess, and Sekirei. They’re known for being comedic and having varying levels of fanservice. Simply put, Tenchi Universe is a guilty pleasure. However, it’s not without substance. What makes the series work is not the fanservice but the comedic elements. The girls all have diverse personalities and not all of them are romantically interested in Tenchi.

Tenchi is a basic kid. He’s quite clumsy and unlucky. Despite the annoyances caused by the girls, he manages to keep a somewhat firm grip on his sanity.

Ryoko is flirtatious, rowdy, alcoholic, lazy, and untrustworthy. And those are her best qualities! She has a soft spot for Tenchi and can be seen to have a heart…somewhere.

Ayeka is your typical princess, charming and dignified…as long as Ryoko isn’t around. Ryoko just loves to push her buttons and it’s fun to watch them fight.

Sasami is Ayeka’s sweet little sister. She sees Tenchi more like a big brother and spends most of her time helping with the housework. Ryoko’s pet cabbit (half cat/half rabbit/100% spaceship) Ryo-ohki quickly takes a liking to her and you can often see her resting on Sasami’s head. Washuu is a mad scientist. Her experiments do all kinds of logic-defying goofiness and it certainly doesn’t help that this version of her has two puppet cheerleaders to encourage her.

Mihoshi and Kiyone are Galaxy Policewomen. Mihoshi is inept as can be (and very annoying), while Kiyone is obviously the smarter and more business-minded of the two. She and Mihoshi seem to see Tenchi only as a friend.

One big flaw is that the show thakes a pretty long time to get an actual plot–in fact, it’s not until the show is halfway through that we actually get one. For those who can’t stand that much filler, it will certainly annoy you.

Music/Score: The music’s not great, but I enjoyed it. The opening is quite catchy.
Lobster Quadrille Anime Review: Tenchi Universe
November 6, 2011
by rocklobsterjwt
.Tenchi Universe

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Romantic Comedy

Studio/Creator: AIC/Kajishima Masaki

Distributor: This anime has been relicensed by FUNimation as of July 2010

No of episodes: 26 Age Rating: 13+ Rating: 8/10

Summary: Based on the OVA series Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Masaki may be a 17-year-old young man in rural Japan, but little does he know how bad his day will be getting. When a space pirate chased by a pair of Galaxy Police officers crash-lands at his grandfather’s temple, Tenchi is sucked into a new adventure that will literally blast him off into outer space and beyond.

Review: Tenchi Muyo is what started what is known as the “harem” subgenre of anime, including such titles as Negima, DearS, Ah! My Goddess, and Sekirei. They’re known for being comedic and having varying levels of fanservice. Simply put, Tenchi Universe is a guilty pleasure. However, it’s not without substance. What makes the series work is not the fanservice but the comedic elements. The girls all have diverse personalities and not all of them are romantically interested in Tenchi.

Tenchi is a basic kid. He’s quite clumsy and unlucky. Despite the annoyances caused by the girls, he manages to keep a somewhat firm grip on his sanity.

Ryoko is flirtatious, rowdy, alcoholic, lazy, and untrustworthy. And those are her best qualities! She has a soft spot for Tenchi and can be seen to have a heart…somewhere.

Ayeka is your typical princess, charming and dignified…as long as Ryoko isn’t around. Ryoko just loves to push her buttons and it’s fun to watch them fight.

Sasami is Ayeka’s sweet little sister. She sees Tenchi more like a big brother and spends most of her time helping with the housework. Ryoko’s pet cabbit (half cat/half rabbit/100% spaceship) Ryo-ohki quickly takes a liking to her and you can often see her resting on Sasami’s head. Washuu is a mad scientist. Her experiments do all kinds of logic-defying goofiness and it certainly doesn’t help that this version of her has two puppet cheerleaders to encourage her.

Mihoshi and Kiyone are Galaxy Policewomen. Mihoshi is inept as can be (and very annoying), while Kiyone is obviously the smarter and more business-minded of the two. She and Mihoshi seem to see Tenchi only as a friend.

One big flaw is that the show thakes a pretty long time to get an actual plot–in fact, it’s not until the show is halfway through that we actually get one. For those who can’t stand that much filler, it will certainly annoy you.

Music/Score: The music’s not great, but I enjoyed it. The opening is quite catchy.


Sub/Dub: The sub is better in this case. Ayeka’s original VA does her noblewoman’s laugh better than the dub version does and in general it feels easier on the ears in Japanese this time.

Violence: (3/10) Until we get to the second half, there’s quite a lotof slapstick. Later, we get typical sci-fi style violence.

Language: (4/10) Ryoko has quite the potty mouth.

Drugs/Tobacco: (5/10) Ryoko gets drunk very easily. There’s also a scene where Tenchi’s father and grandfather drink to the memory of Tenchi’s mother.

Sexuality: (3/10) Aside from the cohabitation factor, there’s also Ryoko’s rather flirtatious attitude towards Tenchi.

Nudity: (3/10) Early in the show, Washuu creates an interdimensional bath for the girls, but in most cases the girls are wearing towels.

Religion: (2/10) Tenchi’s family owns a Shinto temple, but we don’t see any rituals performed.

Related Media: There’s the original OVA and three movies: Tenchi Muyo In Love, Tenchi Muyo: Daughter of Darkness, and Tenchi Forever. Of the two, only Daughter of Darkness doesn’t tie in to the TV show and has its own separate approach. There are also three spinoffs: Tenchi Muyo GXP, Pretty Sammy, and Sasami Magical Girls Club and a second TV series called Tenchi In Tokyo.
The Big O (Jump to title)
- Overall: 9
- Violence Rating: 4
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Main Review
No one in Paradigm City has no memories of the past. Megadueses (mechs) appear all over the city, deepening the mystery of what happened forty years ago. Roger Smith, an expert negotiator, protects Paradigm City along with Big O - a giant mech. Roger and friends keep searching for the truth behind all the strange events.


Comments
The Batman parallels are part of the reason I like both the anime and the manga. Roger Smith is Batman, R. Dorothy is Robin, Officer Dastun is Commissioner Gordan, Norman is Alfred, Gabriel is Joker, Angel is Catwoman, Beck is the Riddler, Schwartzvald is the Scarecrow. It's great for those who were fans of the anime or are fans of Gundam and/or Batman (my fave superhero!)


Music
The music's kind of cheezy, but it suits the series pretty well for the most part. The only bad part is the music we hear every time Big O starts a fight. I much prefer the drumbeats in Evangelion better.

Sub vs Dub
The subtitled version's okay, but I found Norman's voice too deep for my taste.

Manga
Big O is available as a manga from Viz. There are vast content differences between the anime and manga.

Related Movies
none

Violence Details
This series has a lot of your typical mecha style violence.


Additionally, in episode 12 there are a string murders, in which we see some murdered characters with a fair amount of blood. Later on there’s a bit of blood on some of the characters during intense action scenes, but there’s really no gore or extreme violence in Big O.



Language Details
The first “season” of Big O (episodes 1-13) contain no coarse language, in the dub. The second season, however, does contain a small amount of language. Nothing beyond PG-13 level, though.


Nudity Details
We briefly see Angel's back in episode 7 but there’s no actual nudity in Big O-- just a bit of fanservice from Angel. Still, I wouldn’t say it’s something to be concerned about

Sexual Content Details
In one episode Roger and Angel are trapped in a building together. They make a few tame jokes that reference a bit of sexuality, but it’s nothing raunchy. Also, in this scene Angel is in some skimpy clothing. Throughout the series she tends to show some cleavage, and wear some short cut clothing, especially in the “second season”.

Religious Material Details
To be totally honest, there is a LOT of religious material in Big O that most tend to overlook. It’s similar in a way to Neon Genesis Evangelion, with some Judeo-Christian symbolism, but wouldn’t really be considered offensive (to some) like NGE.
The recurring phrase that is shown on Big O’s (and other mech’s) screens is “Cast in the name of God, Ye not guilty.” While the meaning of this is never actually stated, it can be debated.



In one of the early episodes, the giant serpentine mech is considered an “electric god” by the city it invades. Also, during the murders in Act 12, the murderer leaves the “Cast in the name of God…” phrase at the crime scenes.
There’s not very much religious symbolism in the first season, but it starts to get pretty heavy in the second half. In the second season we see a lot of symbolism, like Alex Rosewater becoming a sort of “anti-Christ” and proclaiming to be the “Son of God”. His father seems to take a sort of “God” role himself. There are some references to the number of the beast, 666, near the end. Roger in a way becomes the savior to the people. If you look, you’ll notice a lot of symbolism. All of the “Big” robots are designed after creatures from Jewish mysticism. There are various other things one could analyze, but they really shouldn’t be a turn off, nor considered offensive in any way.
Whisper Of The Heart (Jump to title)
- Overall: 10
- Violence Rating: 1
- Nudity Rating: 2
- Theological Themes: 1
- Other Negative Themes: 0
Review Main Review
Whisper of the Heart is about a girl named Shizuku, who falls in love with a boy named Seiji, who wants to become a violin maker. His passion inspires her to try her luck as a writer, and she writes a story about a girl and an English-accented cat named The Baron, which is also shown at times.


Comments
This is another one of Ghibli's more "quiet" titles. Because it's a drama, it will probably bore young children, which is why "5" is the age rating I selected, rather than "any". I found this film to be enjoyable and poignant, and consider it among Ghibli's best. The only reason I don't really call it a romance is that, to me, there's no obstacles that stand between Shizuku and Seiji getting together. Both their families seem to approve of their relationship, which is handled very innocently. The parts concerning the Baron are surreal and beautiful. The music is a pleasant surprise (see music), and I think it'd make a great live-action piece, although I doubt anyone'd be able to find a clock like the one in the movie.

Music
The John Denver song, "Take Me Home Country Roads", appears in the film.

Sub vs Dub
The dubbed version has a great singer for Shizuku. I don't really know how to compare the two since I didn't watch the sub, but I found it among the best Ghibli titles of all time.

Manga
耳をすませば; Mimi o Sumaseba, literally "If You Listen Closely", by Aoi Hiiragi. Also, "The Cat Returns" features The Baron as well.

Related Movies
The Cat Returns, which also features The Baron.

Violence Details
None.

Language Details
None.

Nudity Details
None.

Sexual Content Details
Shizuku's older sister takes off her shirt, revealing her bra. This scene isn't particularly procavative, but it was worth mentioning, in my opinion. Additionally, the ending for this movie may surprise many Western viewers, but a study of Japanese culture will reveal that the ending is not so odd when viewed through the lenses of the native culture.

Religious Material Details
None.
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