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At first glance, any series of 100+ episodes requires a real commitment on the viewers behalf, in many ways its a big gamble (with their time). If the series sucks then you feel like you just wasted an enormous amount of time on nothing, when its a success you walk away with a great sense of enjoyment and that it was time well spent. Galaxy Express 999 (pronounced the 3-9 in the series) delivers in every category.

Galaxy Express 999 is one of the chief anime that created the foundation for the space opera genre in anime, the vast majority of new series since ... have their foundation stem from this (among the others such as Harlock, Yamamoto, etc.) series. What most newer viewers might think about new and recent anime as being riveting and ground breaking, is usually a remake of an older series; back when everything was still done by hand, and without all the eye candy available today. Creators had to rely on their stories and the characters to make a successful anime. Matsumoto does that in GE 999 without having the recycle plotlines in any of the 113 episodes and tie all of them together into a deep insight into the human condition and reminds us of many things we take for granted.

Story:

GE 999 is set far into the future (around the year 3000) where people can achieve immortality through the use of mechanical bodies. A person's mind is put into a purely mechanical cyborg body giving them an infinite lifespan. The story starts out with one of the main character's Tetsuro being chased by cyborg hunters. One of them shoot and kills his mom, where its her dying wish for Tetsuro to become strong and live a long immortal life in a mechanical body.

Tetsuro meets up with Maeel who helps him board the legendary galaaxy express 999; where one can travel to a planet where mechanical bodies are given away free. Through the use of space trains (mass transit with a touch of romantic old style) Tetsuro and Maetel travel to dozens of different worlds; each unique in its own way.

Art:

For a show that's over 30 years old, the animation and artwork quality are very good. Matsumoto has his own unique style for character designs (much like Miyazaki). Throughout the series he often borrow other characters from his other anime's either as the character themself (like captain Harlock) or uses character design very similar to his other characters from other series.

Sound:

Creating realistic sounds to match all the different environments and planets that they (Tetsuro and Maetel) visit throughout the series is done very well. While its nothing spectacular on its own, the soundtrack never sounds out of through the course of all the stops the 999 makes.

Characters:

The meat of the series is built up largely in the characters, each character has their own agenda/purpose in the grand scheme of things. There's really 3 main characters, though the series is focused around Tetsuro and his journey. You have Tetsuro, a homeless, poor and very confused character at the start. Maetel is his traveling partner that acts as a guide/escort/protector during his journey through space. Then you have the conductor, at times he can play a key role in the story; though somewhat comedy relief as he's more like a ghost with clothes on.

The development of the characters is a large part of the series. Tetsuro being new to space travel and cruel world that lies ahead relies on Maetel for guidance. When he first boards the 999 he is a really weak person with no skills or experience. Much of the series is about him learning how things really work out there, and becoming a real man. It could be said that its a coming of age story, but there is much more to it than just watching Tetsuuro mature. Along the way he see many different types of people, and what it means to have a mechanical body.

Enjoyment:

At the beginning Tetsuro is a naive, annoying pest that never does what he's told despite what dangers he might face. In the beginning of the series it can be tough to watch him make stupid mistakes to the point you want to reach into the screen and strangle him for making such stupid judgment errors. As he travels to more and more planets he really learns what it takes to survive out in the harsh reality of space; many of these lessons are done the hard way with him doing exactly what he's told not to do, usually requiring Maetel to come save him.

Some characters/character designs might show up several times throughout the series, but each episode is truly a new adventure - Matsumoto never recycles a storyline. You never feel that you're watching recycled scripts/plots like other long series like Inu Yasha, Ranma or Urusei Yatsura are guilty of doing.

There is also a big element of mystery throughout the whole series in the character of Maetel. From her detailed knowledge we know she's traveled the same route on the 999 several times before. While she is always looking afterTetsuro, at times you get the feeling that she's got a hidden agenda and is stinging Tetsuro along for an anterior purpose. And no one really knows what exactly she is, throughout the series she is somewhat an enigma of mystery as she frequently knows what's going to happen beforehand.

Overall:

GE 999 is a great series once you finally settle in with it. The character development and depth is enormous and spectacular. There's a number of episodes that are 2-parters; aside from those each episode brings something new. While frustrating at times, many of the mysteries and odd things that go on during the series don't get tied up till the very end (last few episodes) leaving you guessing the whole time as to what or who Maetel is, and what unique value there is in being human.

With Harem type anime being a dime a dozen now even the good ones fade into the crowd of all the mediocre/poor ones. Harukoi Otome really stood out in many positive ways, while only having one real negative aspect - it was too short.

Story:

Basic storyline is very similar to Da Capo and Shuffle; with the focus of the story being around a brother-sister pair that fall in love with each other, but aren't related by blood. The relationships are near xerox copies of the ones with Naru in Da Capo, and Kaede in Shuffle down to the same circumstances that brought them together. ... The beginning starts out with Umi getting really mad at her brother for reasons he can't understand. Throughout the anime he speaks with his friends and many of Umi's friends to figure out what's going on.

While there are still plenty of h-scenes and the animation is very well done, they take a backseat really to the actual story. I frequently found myself more interested in what the characters were talking about during the h-scenes than the actual action.

Art:

Character designs are beautiful, though not distracting in any way its struck me as strange at how exceptional the artwork was for an ecchi anime. There are plenty of hentai/ecchi anime out there with good animation quality, Harukoi Otome has that but its the character artwork itself that is a real treat. Was a real surprise, usually only see this level of artwork in bigger budget OVA's or movies.

Sound:

Character voices are all really well done and are a good fit with the character's personalities. Much of the anime is plot drive, but doesn't have much background music of note. Much of the story is revealed during the h-scenes while the characters are speaking to one another. Everything is clear despite what other actions they may be doing at the same time. Didn't find myself having to pause or playback scenes in order to hear important information that was muffled or otherwise obscured by moaning.

Characters:

There really aren't any two characters that are alike, some are similar but the cast is very diverse. For an anime so short there is a lot of character development (though it happens rapidly) with the main characters. Several of them have really painful secrets revealed that I found touching. Not something that normally happens in any anime so short.

There were a few places that really made my scratch my head thinking this makes absolutely no sense: "Take my virginity and I'll give you the information you're looking for". Had there been a few more episodes those character relationships may have developed to the point where that would've made some sort of sense, instead some things come out of left field completely unexpected.

Enjoyment:

Eroge to anime adaptations don't have that great of a track record. There are a few exceptions out there which can be counted on one hand though. After the first few minutes and seeing the amazing artwork the story became more interesting than the hentai aspect of it. The h-scense aren't bad or distracting by any means, just not the main focus.

Overall:

Harukoi Otome (loosely translated 'A maiden's first love') is one of those rare hentai anime that I found myself watching primarily for the plot. The main downside is that its too short and you're left wanting more. I think this series would be perfect to expand to a full length series and adapt it in the same manner that Da Capo and Shuffle were.

The title and story background while accurate, are a bit misleading; or at least incomplete. When the second episode ends it has a too be continued at the end for which there weren't anymore episode made. To evaluate this based on plot seems unfair as its unfinished, as is though the final product is more like an all action kind of hentai with little bits of the plot here and there.

Story:

The story starts out through the lens of a video camera videotaping a couple in the act. Afterwords its revealed that the main female character is now a widow, her husband having ... just recently died. Her daughter is living with her, and she's got two tutors that come over on a daily basis to teach her. The main female (the widow) is fond of 'slipping a Mickey' into people's drinks which acts as a delayed story aphrodisiac that turns the person into an insatiable lust monster.

Art:

Characters are well drawn and the animation quality is very good. H scenes may bit a tad longer than normal but are full of action. One aspect that I find particularly bothersome, though others might find it heavenly is that all the females have extremely large breasts for their size. Even the daughter that is being tutored (presumably she's either in the first year of college, or last of high school) has at least DD's.

This will likely be a large selling point for most men, though as a female it gets to be redundant and annoying. One, or two depending on the cast size, characters with large chests is to be expected; when they all have them and each is larger than the others is a big turn off for me.

Sound:

Voices are well done, they match well with the characters personalities (at least as far is revealed). Background music is non-existent or otherwise not worth noting.

Characters:

Each character has their own personal tastes which is nice for variety. With the storyline being cut off its hard to really say much about them beyond the stereotypical mold they start out with. The widow and one of the tutors (apparently a childhood friend of hers) are the only ones with much character development. The foundations are laid for some good roles but we never know what the final intentions of anyone is. When things finally start to happen the door gets slammed shut and we're all left hanging.

Enjoyment:

There's enough of a story to hold what's there together well enough, without any kind of conclusion it ends up being more of an all action type of hentai. Since the art and animation is well done it makes for something highly re-watchable when you're all you want is action.

Overall:

Widow isn't something that you watch for the plot; which is a shame since it has the potential to be really interesting if finished. By no means is it something dirty on the scale of something like Dark Chapel, the action scenes don't have a lot of foreplay and focus more on h-play making it very enjoyable when that's the kind of video you're looking for.

Background :

Fans of Daft Punk and AMV in general will easily enjoy this. There is a lot more history behind this particular anime than most realize. For classic anime fans (and I use the term classic to refer to anime pre-1980. Albeit a surprise to many, all anime made before 2005 is not 'old', shows like Testsuwan Atom (black and white version), Kimba, or Gigantor are old anime) this is a trip down memory lain, and for many a dream come true. This is (and sadly will probably be) one of Leiji Matsumoto's last works of anime. To get the ... full effect of the story, characters and what the hell is going on at times you should be familiar with his work.

Story:

Storyline is pretty basic, its execution is what makes it stand out. A worldwide popular band is kidnapped by THE MAN in order to fulfill his evil plan for global domination. THE MAN needs something special from the band in order to complete his plan, which of course he doesn't ask nicely- he just takes them Aeon Flux style.

Art:

Largely depending on your age and or what works of Matsumoto you've seen the look will either feel retro or modern. All the main characters are straight out of Captain Harlock, Spaceship Yamato, and Galaxy Express 999. Despite Matsumoto being an incredible artist, animation quality in the 80's (especially for TV series) wasn't at the same quality level you're used to seeing (save for Studio Ghibli's movies); being able to see characters like Matel, Emeralda and Harlock done with the skills and techhology of today are amazing.

Sound:

The soundtrack is either Daft Punk or basic environmental noise. Even for those that aren't (or never heard of) Daft Punk fans should find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting with the animation.

Characters:

As discussed before, all the characters come from Matsumoto's old works - even the side characters! They are beautifully drawn and really bring to life the old series that they represent.

Enjoyment:

The storyline is a bit stock, but anything that involves THE MAN is never ordinary. He is full of tricks and the story largely revolves around his ambitions to take over the world through the use of the band. The script is well executed and never feels artificial in regards to something being there just for the sake of being there, everything ultimately has a purpose.

As a big Matsumoto fan this was a real treat (saying much more would really spoil it more than what's been said already); for those unfamiliar with his work its a chance to see one of the masters and pioneers of animation at hs best. Though his anime series tend to be on the long side, they're worth your time if you enjoy Interstella5555 and/or want to learn more about the history/development of animation check out Galaxy Express 999 and Space Pirate Captain Harlock.

While many will come of saying that this story's been done a million times, its FROM people like Matsumoto that these ideas originated from; and everyone else COPIED HIM afterwards The majority of the plotlines that get recycled or remade in today's animation had to come from somewhere. Most of these were once the original ideas of such people as Matsumoto, Tezuka, Miyazaki, Monkey Punch, Takashi and Takada just to name a few of the most heavily used ones. Just because their works aren't eye candy (in comparison to what can be made today) they make up for it in spade with writing. Much like the original 8-bit NES games they had to rely on plot to keep the viewers attention and not a bunch of jiggly flashy animation with no real substance.

If you're a hardened hentai fan looking for something that doesn't hold back, this one delivers. I won't comment/make judgment on people's personal taste's, but do want to warn the more casual, and even the adventurous viewers what to prepare for. This is one of those that blindly downloading it and hitting play can be traumatic if not forewarned, for most I see this falling into the love or absolutely hate/abhor category.

That said, the tags that best describe this particular anime (that go above and beyond what you would expect from any hentai) would be extreme content, anal, enema, multiple partners, groupsex and ... scat. You would normally expect bondage to fit into this type of hentai anime but is surprisingly absent.

The content aside, the artwork and animation are exceptional. Each scenes is very well done; the animation is really well done and doesn't rely (much) on recycled frames. H scenes (and the plot) are enjoyable and keep your interest. Admittedly some of the material isn't what I like to see and would look away when necessary.

Many of the elements present will only make a short appearance in most hentai anime (or are just hard to find at all), this one makes them the main course. Save the items I personally don't agree with, everything else was quite enjoyable and well done.