Back to gidoran's Profile gidoran's Profile

Tokyo Ghoul feels like a show that really wanted to be something dark and grown up, but had to be pulled back into it's shonen roots. I'm unfamiliar with it's origins, so I can't comment on that, but the show itself has a decent premise - the idea that there is another breed of humanity (?) called Ghouls. These ghouls have enhanced strength, speed, durability, an odd power-signature called a gleam, and an overpowering hunger for human flesh. They HAVE to eat it - and I like that the story has built in reasons as to why. At first, I thought this was just going ... to be another take on the "vampire who chooses not to drink blood" trope, but no, a ghoul who starves themselves will inevitably go mad/rabid from hunger. Their tongues develop different taste buds, making natural foods taste rancid, and eating human food can even poison a ghoul.

However, what, exactly, a ghoul is isn't explained very well. Are they like mutants, just an off-shoot branch of human evolution? I'd buy that, but then what is their gleam? The show has several gleams manifest throughout and they're all slightly different. They all originate from the back of the ghoul, and many appear to be tails of bright colors, but there are also wing-gleams or more blade-like gleams. Just what are these supposed to be? And there's the fact that they're apparently removable.

This hidden society is policed by the Doves - as they're nicknamed by the Ghouls - and the Doves use weapons called qinque. A qinque appears to be the gleam of a ghouls removed from their body. How this works without the body, I don't know. How the qinque, which often change shape or move according to natural instructions, function without their natural form, I don't know. It's never addressed in the body of the show.

The series itself features a number of ghouls and (largely) two Doves, but our star is a Normal, Quiet, Average Young Man named Kaneki. He's pretty boring and largely uninteresting until he has ghoul parts put into his body and thus, he becomes half-ghoul, and we follow him into this world.
I have to say, I didn't like Kaneki all the way through the show. He's too quiet and too withdrawn for a lead character. He falls into each situation, barely manages to make it out alive, and makes no decisions. Everything he has in the show is handed to him and that REALLY bothered me - until episode 12. I won't go into details, as the Guidelines say to avoid spoilers, but episode 12 explains Kaneki's motivations from the beginning. It also breaks those motivations and suddenly I'm much more interested in where he's going. It's actually a shame that the change in character happens only at the end because New Kaneki suddenly has a bite to him.

The show also throws in the "he's a half-breed, so he's more powerful!" trope, which only bothers me because the nature of what creates a ghoul is never explored in this. Given that Kaneki is the first human turned into a ghoul by science (it appears), that would make me think that he should be critical to the ghoul/human situation. Isn't there some kind of gene test to see if someone is a ghoul? I would think that if a body can only process human flesh, there HAS to be something going on with that. But again, we get no explanation, just that Kaneki tastes better than any other human and when another ghoul eats some of him they get super-charged and on and on.

There are a smattering of side-characters that are vaguely interesting. For me, Amon - who is one of the Doves - is the most interesting character in the show. He's a lawman, looking to bring the ghouls to heel, but the loss of someone close to him pushes him further. I don't quite buy the logic of this drive, as the character who dies is kind of insane and really unrelatable, but at least Amon makes decisions and CHOOSES to do something about it.

As I said at the start, the show really starts to push itself into darker themes - ghouls predation on humanity, how hunting ghouls affects the Doves, how ghouls interact with each other, and how both sides tend to view the other as something less than human. But then it also pulls back at nearly all of these story points. Amon's partner, Mado, comes off as a ghoul-hunting-psychotic, but we're never shown why, and it's hard to care for him when he laughs as he kills people that the show goes out of it's way to make you care for. The show seems to be presenting neither side as right, and positions Kaneki to be the bridge between the two, but he's so busy getting the crap beaten out of him and being indecisive that nothing ever comes from this.

The show LOOKS good for the most part. Character designs are clean and effective, no two characters look alike, and the fighting animation looks good. The visual effects for the gleams were really well done and often pretty neat looking.

Despite my overall complaints about the show, it's watchable, although I did have to kind of drag myself to the finish line once I got to the last three episodes. There are a lot of interesting concepts brought up in the show, but it fails to explore those satisfactorily. I'm hesitant to say that maybe if it ran for longer, it would have, but I kind of get the feeling that it wouldn't have. Thankfully for it's narrative, an interesting world and interesting side characters make the show entertaining enough to string the watcher along. I wouldn't ever put this on my Top Ten list, but it isn't horrible either.

After typing up my review for Angel Links this morning, I realized that most of the time when I review an anime, I tend to focus on the ones I dislike. It's MUCH more fun to complain about a bad show than it is to extoll the merits of a good one, but that's also highly biased. So let's do one that I love.

This show might be called "Tiger & Bunny", but honestly, this is Tiger's show. A middle aged, single father, Tiger is our lead character. He's a bumbling, honest, hard working guy and at first I was a bit dismayed. All the other ... heroes in the show are so much more visually interesting or have cooler powers. Tiger gets increased strength, speed, and endurance when he activates his powers - but only for 5 minutes. Wow. But the power fits his personality so well. And it also puts him into a unique position amongst the rest of the heroes, whose abilities last forever. Tiger's powers give him a time limit and that makes any situation he gets into that much more intense. Outside of his powers, it's Tiger's relationships with his partner, Bunny, the other heroes, and his family that push the show forward, and that focus makes for a united narrative.

Naturally, Bunny plays a large role. When watching the first few episodes, I figured we'd get a series of episodes featuring the extended cast - setting up the world - and then we'd go into a Tiger based story and a Bunny based story. But interestingly, the show uses Bunny's quest to kind of frame the entire show. You see, Bunny is the Batman of this world, seeking justice/vengeance for the death of his parents. I thought this was going to be the over-arching plot for the WHOLE show, but no, the writer's actually end this plotline relatively quickly. I was totally taken off my feet and after that, it was near impossible to guess how the show would move forward. I loved it.

Artistically, T&B is a VERY well executed show. The city in which it's set, Sternbuild, has this amazing design to it, evoking the urban landscapes that I've come to know reading Marvel Comics, but also the over-the-top architecture of Batman & Robin-era Gotham City. ENORMOUS statues litter the city and are worked into buildings or support columns, creating an very interesting visual. All of the characters have very unique designs, both in costume and out, which also helps ground the show. Tiger looks like an older guy when he stands next to Bunny, enhancing the fact that he's supposed to be middle aged.
Rather than being all animated though, the heroes are CG models when in costume. At first it was a bit jarring - especially when Tiger lifts his facemask and there's an animated face combined with a CG body. But that quickly moves into the background as you move further into the show and pretty soon you don't even notice it.

I have only 3 complaints that I can think of, so I'll make this simple.

1) The initial fight with the first "BIG" villain. When he's introduced, we're unsure of the Villains powers or plan, but he challenges ALL of the heroes while holding the city hostage. I was absolutely impressed by not only his chutzpah, but the idea that he would take on all the heroes at once! Or even more interesting, how all of these rivals would work together to take down such a powerful foe. Instead, he proposes the classic anime tournament and I had to sigh.
2) Fire Emblem. Give the gay guy flame powers. HOW VERY CLEVER. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to laugh at this or cringe. Emblem is actually a pretty cool character in show, I loved how much he teased the rest of the cast while still keeping a "den mother" type feel.
3) The fact that Lunatic's plotline wasn't further addressed. I got a bit giddy when they introduced this Punisher-esque character and I love how he was used in the show. However, we never got any real plot for him. I understand that there is only so much the writers can fit in without sacrificing SOMETHING and I'm happy with the show as is. I just wish that this story could - or will? - be told somewhere.

This show looks good, has excellent pacing, and is incredibly well written. Tiger & Bunny manages to focus on it's characters without sacrificing it's plot movement or vice versa. Well executed acting helps sell the characters drama and modern, clean visuals convey both the drama and actions scenes well. Absolutely a show worth watching.

I watched Angel Links largely to scratch an itch that I've had for years. When I was first discovering anime, I remember seeing ads in Wizard Magazine for various animes, one of which was Angel Links. I didn't think much of it at the time, but as I watched Outlaw Star and then expanded into the world of subs, it always kind of lingered at the back of my mind. Outlaw Star is one of my personal faves, so even if this show isn't as good as that, it couldn't have been THAT bad.

Unfortunately for me, it was that bad.

Angels Links is a very ... sombre and oddly paced sci fi show. Most animes tend to follow a basic formula - the first episode introduces everyone, they spend a few episodes getting to know the cast, and then we move into the Main Plotline. Links follows this pattern...to a degree. Main cast members Kosei, Valeria, and Duuz all get episodes based around them, but they're really sparsed out, add nothing to the characters, and feel just odd. None of the characters feel like well rounded individuals; they're just a cool visual, and this is especially true of lead character Meifon Li. She's close to being a "standard" shonen lead - she's violent, quick to anger, flaunts convention, and a bit dumb. And she has a mini-skirt and boobs, which I think are meant to literally round out her character. It isn't until the last few episodes of the show, literally episodes 8-13, that we get ANYTHING interesting happening with her character. Even then, it's handled in such a ham-fisted way that it just hurts to watch.

Which isn't to say that it's ALL bad. When the background of the anime is revealed, along with Meifon's secret, the show jumps up a notch of Interesting. The reveal could have added so much more character depth to Meifon and would have worked better as a starting point than an ending point. Even if the show had been shortened - perhaps into a 3-episode OVA or a pair of movies - I think it could have conveyed it's story in a much better way. As is, Angels Links is drawn out, meandering, and lacks impact. We spend 2/3's of the show watching the Angels Links defeat pirates and it's mind-numbingly cliched.

There are slight plot holes which may or may not affect viewing. They bugged the crap out of me, but I'm a detail guy, so not knowing those things kills me.

The show looks fairly good otherwise. It's a late 90's show - 99 specifically - so it just started to integrate computer work into it, largely for explosions or laser blasts. Our lead characters DO stand out in that they're all very odd looking. They make you want to learn more about them, IMO, and that's why I'm disappointed that we get so much nothing on their personalities or lives. I loved the design of the Angel Links ship; just as odd a standout as the Outlaw Star. The animation looked good for the most part; the episode that featured Kosei is perhaps the only one that I remember looking particularly bad. There are some REALLY nice hand-to-hand battles and sword fights in the show as well if laser blasts aren't your thing.

Overall, I feel like I got what I thought I'd get - a sub-par sister show that's all flash, no bang.

I actually watched this movie accidentally, thinking it was something else entirely. However, having full enjoyed the movie, I got on the Internet and started poking around - where did this come from, what was the vision behind it, that kind of thing. And everywhere I go - whether it's Anime News Network or here on MAL, every says that the story is about the main characters battle for freedom at their school.

That isn't true at all. This anime is about the characters, period, and the plot only works to emphasize their relationships. All of the cast are very simple characters - there really isn't ... anything in their personalities that we haven't seen anywhere else. But the motions, acting, and their depth of feeling come across extremely well. Natsuki's continued annoyance at being unable to tell Kenta about her feelings; Kenta's omni-present inability to understand the people around him; Harukawa having to deal with falling in love for the first time - they are presented earnestly and really got under my skin. Every time Natsuki fought with Kenta, I braced for the break-up and my heart dropped. When Harukawa sneaks into the music room to listen to Kyogoku play the piano, my own feelings when I first fell in love came back to me. Despite having a plot that revolves around time-travel and psychic abilities, it's the characters emotions that resonate most deeply.
It's not all dramatic though. There are lots of moments of levity, mostly revolving around Kenta. I won't lie, he's a stereotypical shonen type - stupid, but honest and true - and his simple nature helps keep the movie from taking itself too seriously.

As for the specifics of the plot, I really liked this movie because it's all there, it's just never spelled out. After finishing the movie, I walked to my local grocery store (literally a five minute walk) and talked out my confusion to myself. And yeah, you WILL be confused. Nothing about the plot is very well explained, but for someone who is paying attention and is willing to draw the lines, the background story adds so much. Small revelations - for example, Kenta's dog, Shiho - made me appreciate how well thought out the story for this was.

Artistically, holy cow. Nerawareta is full of bright colors, lushly painted scenery, well-animated characters, and MOVEMENT. One of my personal problems with anime shows is that there are a lot of stiff, standing characters who just talk. Or even worse, the director just focuses in on the eyes for a five minute speech - AND THE EYES DON'T EVEN BLINK. But not here. Characters bounce, and shift, and blink, and even something as simple as slapping a person's face has extra movement added to make it more dynamic and impactful. When Kyogoku plays the piano, there are not only shots of his hands on the keys, but matching animation for the reflection in the wooden surface. That is the focus on quality and realism that I came to appreciate about this movie.

Ultimately, Nerawareta Gakuen is a love story - and even better, it's TWO love stories. I can't say that everything makes perfect sense. This is a time travel story and I feel like there is a lot left out in regards to the time travel stuff. But at it's core, this story is about Natsuki and Kenta and their struggle to find each other despite being neighbors forever.

I just finished watching From Up on Poppy Hill and, despite enjoying the film overall, I'm also having a hard time settling on an opinion.

Artistically, the film has the same high level of production that the audience has come to expect from Studio Ghibli. Simple, yet stylized characters are surrounded by a world of captured beauty, whether it's Umi's house on Poppy Hill or the Latin Quarter building, everything looks amazing. When the Latin Quarter was first being shown, I actually had flashbacks to the bathhouse from Spirited Away - only where the bathhouse was immaculately clean, the Latin Quarter was disgusting. In that very ... guy-ish good way though. I felt right at home there and wished I could have gone to a school with a building like that, surrounded by people who love what they do.

The story is perhaps the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around. I enjoyed the film, no doubt about it. The slowly budding relationship between Shun and Umi was well handled; the characters felt real; even side-characters had a lot of life to them. But reading the synopsis here on Anime List, I get confused. The movie does open up with this idea of "tradition VS progress" - both in Umi's opening narration as well as the students struggle to save the Latin Quarter building. While that does act as the backdrop for the main part of the story - that of Shun and Umi's relationship - it doesn't drive the story. By the time the movie ends, there's no final note to this. The point of presenting a versus is to pick a side - in Mononoke is was humanity's greed VS the natural world and Ghibli picked the natural world. But Poppy Hill doesn't choose a side or a make a point.

Unless the point is that hard work will eventually pay off, in which case, fine, but I don't feel like that ties back into the "core" idea. And this bugs me. Most of the Ghibli films have clear points or core themes - whether it's nature, family, or growing up. But Ghibli seems to be bucking these trends with their past few films - Earthsea was pretty much a straight up adventure movie and I honestly have troubles remembering Arietty at all.

The movie otherwise is very laid back and I think that's just director Goro Miyazaki's approach to things. It's one of the reasons Earthsea bombed as hard as it did - it was an adventure movie with no sense of adventure. Much the same, Poppy Hill takes it time presenting itself to us. There are no dramatic builds, no last minute revelations - everything happens at a nice. Slow. Relaxed pace. And then eventually things end. I do feel like Goro was more successful with Poppy Hill, thanks to it being a strict drama, but there definitely needs to be an increased sense of tension during the climax of the film. Rather than being worried about how Umi and Shun would work things out, I just knew that they would and hey, that's alright. I don't necessarily think that Goro's style is a bad thing, but it is a slightly awkward thing. He's just a TEENSY bit off where he needs to be in order to be the kind of story-teller his father is, in my mind, and I really want to see him succeed.

For the most part, From Up on Poppy Hill is a very strong film. Built around well-written characters, the movie utterly succeeds in presenting it's cast well, despite a rather relaxed atmosphere throughout. Beautiful to look at and touching to experience, I think that this movie is a strong addition to Studio Ghibli's always impressive line-up and a step in the right direction for it's director.

A show with a lot of promise, BTOOM! does little to showcase that potential depth.

BTOOM! features a slew of characters who were selected by those closest to them to participate in a game called BTOOM! It's a survival challenge, where the participants are armed with miniature explosives called BIMS (basically small bombs with varying effects) and then must kill the other players. Each player has a green gem imbedded in their hand. In order to get off the island, a player must gather 8 gems (seven including their own) and in order to get the gem, that player must first die. For the most ... part, the show follows a guy named Sakamoto, a NEET (not-in-education or work training), who endeavors to escape the island without killing. As the show goes on, Sakamoto meets other players, some who are willing to kill and others who aren't.
The basic concept of 'kill or be killed' is nothing new, although I like the video game spin on it. The BIMS themselves are neat, making the battles more than just people shooting at each other. I originally wasn't impressed with them as the first few you see are just standard "time-delay" or "explosive" types. As the show goes on though, more complicated/powerful BIMS are introduced. This makes the confrontations MUCH more complicated and force the characters to think on their feet.

I also really dig the idea that the people who have been forced into this game are being 'punished'. Sakamoto, as a jobless NEET, just plays the video game version of BTOOM! all the time. When his parents try to talk to him about getting a job, he flips out - and so his mother, at her wits end, chooses to just get rid of him. That is some hardcore stuff man. Ultimately, a situation like this really highlights a persons morals and beliefs and, as the audience, I find it very interesting to see people that flawed. No one is perfect and I think BTOOM! generally does a good job of showcasing this.

Except in regard to our star, Sakamoto. When the show opens, it takes several episodes for Sakamoto to accept his situation. I know, part of this can be written off as shell shock. After all, who would believe that you were kidnapped and are now forced to kill people in order to survive? That's some weirdo crap man. But given that Sakamoto is #3 in Japan for the video game, I can't help but think that he should have acclimated a bit more quickly to the circumstances. During the first confrontation, he continually tries to talk down his opponent, fighting back only by accident really. Eventually, he does kind of find his footing, but he still decides NOT to kill - and I'm not sure why. Thinking back on the show, I see no reason why Sakamoto won't kill anyone else. He's shown to be cold and cruel to his mother during flashbacks and these people are nothing to him. Other than "killing is wrong and I'm morally above that", I don't see why Sakamoto is so unwilling. I don't believe that there is any time spent on explaining this - he just decides not to kill.
I also find that Sakamoto feels very...plain...at the start of the show. I feel like he is literally just a stand in for the audience and so lacks any and all depth. Why doesn't he kill? Dunno. When he learns that people are chosen to participate in the game, he immediately realizes why he's there and chooses not to be a jerk anymore. When one of his fellows turns on him, he immediately realizes why - without talking to the other player - and vows to change. There is no learning, there is nothing to him. He just reacts and gets better and better because he's the Main Character. I almost feel like the show is a message to the NEET population of Japan - "Hey, you can be a better person, just stop playing video games and do something with your life! You might even be able to get a hot blonde with boobs! C'mon kids!"
Otherwise, I like the job done with Sakamoto throughout the show. He ends up working with two other characters, which both benefits and comes back to bite him in the ass. But I feel like his relationships with these two was very well done. A bit one note, but the acting comes through and makes me believe in them.

There are a few coincidences that line up too perfectly for me in terms of the plotting and that bugs the crap out of me. There are also, in my opinions, a few really dragged out parts of the show that I just wanted to move beyond. The first few episodes really take their time, explaining the cast members and the concept (which should have taken like five seconds), and just dragged. I really didn't find myself engaged until about the second half of the show.

That said, BTOOOM! is a pretty good show. I don't think it's any amazing or ground breaking, but the characters are interesting, if a bit stiff at the beginning; the conflicts - both with BIMS and with people - are thought out and intriguing; and overall the execution isn't bad. A show worth watching, but nothing special.

I'm half-way through Gundam X and I'm still working out my thoughts on it. Reading through the reviews on MAL, it's got a pretty good reputation - one that kind of amazes me. I've always been a fan of the alternate Gundam universes, Wing and G being my personal faves. Knowing that, I was really hoping to find another gem in X.

I'm not quite sure whether I have or not.

The concept is great. Whereas the other AUGundams are re-inventions or re-interpretations of the Gundam idea, Gundam X actually spins out of the set-up from the original MSG. Having that background familiarity, and having that background ... to build off of, its pretty cool and should open up a lot of doors for story-telling.
Instead, we get lack-luster characters; a slow, drawn out plot, and sub-par animation.

To be fair, the main character - Garrod Ran, a rambunctious young scavenger - is the best written character in the show. His core personality remains much the same throughout, but he does slowly grow. Going from a loner to someone who can work with a team, someone who can trust in his skills, someone who is willing to fight for what he believes in, but not at the cost of his soul.
That said, the rest of the cast has little background and less personality. Much of the staff of the Freiden, the main location for the series as well as their transportation, are little more than place-holders. The other pair of Gundam pilots have a lot of potential at the start of the show - after all, unlike Garrod, they've had their Gundams for some time and as such, should have a more complex and interesting history. However, in the space of 20 episodes, we only get one based around them - and even then they share the episode. I'm not saying that episode was bad, it's just a shame that it's ONLY one episode.
The main female of the show - and Garrod's love interest, Tifa Adill, is an Ayanami Rei; quiet, withdrawn, and perpetually alone. This works at the opening of the show, as she's a Newtype and as such, she has mental powers that - in a post-apocalyptic landscape of murder and pain - would cause her to pull away from people. But once again, 20 episodes in and we're only just NOW beginning to see her open up. TWENTY EPISODES. That's more time than most anime get to tell their WHOLE STORY and it just seems like a drawn-out waste.

Despite my complaints, the show isn't all bad. In fact, the thing I love the most is the exploration of what it means to be a Newtype. A staple of the UC Gundam's, Newtypes are generally just low-level psychics, able to lightly scan minds and anticipate events. Here the depths and varieties of their powers are explored - Newtype brothers, Newtype enemies, strange and interesting concepts. After the show got the rather obligatory and standard ideas out of the way they've started to stretch their feet and that I'm loving.

I've been trying to keep an open mind as 1) this is a Gundam and I love me some Gundams and 2) it's an AUGundam, which means a lot more freedom for story-telling. So far it hasn't been bad, but it HAS been drawn-out, lacking in depth, and only just barely touching upon innovation. I've still got another half of the show to go, but so far Gundam X is nothing special.

With all the recent hubbaloo about the Hunger Games and it's similarities to Battle Royale, I felt my need to re-read the manga growing. It's been an interesting experience going back and re-discovering the series and I'm surprised about my feelings towards it now.

Battle Royale takes place in a totalitarian Japan, where the government's #1 tv show is the Program. The Program consists of kidnapping a random class of high school students, dropping them in a secure location, arming them, and then encouraging them to kill one another. Last man standing is the winner!
This year, we've got a varied and diverse class, but our main ... man and eyes into the series is Shuuya Nanahara, a rock-and-roll rebel without a clue. The series then follows Shu on his quest to not only protect his crush Noriko, but to also NOT kill his classmates, as well as survive the game. Tall order.

In terms of story, BR is impressive just in the sheer size of it's cast. Each and every character - both the good and the bad - get some kind of moment to shine and some kind of focus. Sometimes this is to evoke sympathy, sometimes this is to explain their behavior, and sometimes it's to set us up for the fall. The author of the manga, Takaguchi, makes sure to take his time with each student and I love that. It's INCREDIBLY hard to create an interesting character (and to be fair, a large portion of credit must go to the original author, Koushun Takami), much less a whole CLASS of them. Props there.

However, on that note, I have to admit how much I didn't like Shu or Nori the second time around. Both of the characters are so extremely one-note that any scene with them ends up being the same conversation OVER and OVER. I ended up hoping that maybe this time, someone would pop out of a bush and shoot them both just to save me the speeches. When you've got such well-built characters like Hardcore Souma, or Shogo, or Mimura, or Sugimura - all of whom have diverse, interesting backgrounds and intriguing ongoing plotlines - characters like Shu and Nori end up being just boring. I get that they're a stand-in for the audience, but they just lack everything.

Takaguchi's artwork is incredible, but also not without flaws.

Amazingly to me, Takaguchi is capable of drawing EVERYTHING. Urban landscapes, natural landscapes, soldiers, various types of guns, elaborate karate scenes, body gore, car chases, and character moments. There is no one note that Takaguchi excels at, EVERYTHING looks good. His page layouts are generally simple, but they explode when they need to. As an artist who's still growing himself, I find myself amazed by the time and skill that Takaguchi puts into each page. Simply amazing.
However, as I said, it's not all good. Takaguchi's male characters are all so well built it's stupid. I get that this is a comic, and hell, I read American comics, where everyone is built, but there's a difference between a teen with super-powers and a teen without. There's also a difference in the type of story being told. We're supposed to believer that the Program could exist - and that WE could be a part of it. It's hard to imagine that when every male character's chest and arms are ripped like Jesus. Shogo looks like a body-builder for Heaven's sake! I can understand Sugimura (a martial artist) or Mimura (an athlete) to some degree, but Shuuya has no physical talent. He's a good looking guy, no doubt, but he has no reason to be THAT ripped. I'm not saying we needed more fat characters (there were fat characters), just that I think a bit of a control wouldn't have hurt.
My other artistic gripe is head sizes. There are several shots in the comic were someone's head is a large as their chest - which just isn't the way the body is built. This isn't terribly overwhelming, but it does happen. It's just odd enough to notice, but not enough to mar my enjoyment of the book.

Overall, Battle Royale is something amazing and it MUST be read. The characters are diverse and interesting, the book looks great to the eye, and it reads so well. Even having read it before, I still found myself wondering what was going to happen or how the series would play out. THAT is a good sign. This series isn't perfect by any means - and good luck finding Tokyopop's out-of-print editions - but Battle Royale is a must read book.

Another is an anime with a LOT going for it. We open the show through a young man named Sakakibara, who has moved in with his grandparents/aunt now that his father (an archeologist) is out of Japan. This means that Sakakibara has to transfer to Yomi Yama North, the local high school, and while there he meets a mysterious young woman with an eye patch. One that the rest of the class doesn't seem to know exists.

It's hard to go into the plot without fear of spoilers, so I'm going to have to be as vague as the show was - and that KILLED me. ... The show is a mystery-one, where as the viewer (and the characters) solve one problem, there's another, greater problem lying just beneath it. The problem with this is that it takes FOREVER for them to start. Approximately four episodes are spent solving the mystery of eye patch girl (Misaki Mei) and having the extended cast dodge the question. Whenever Sakakibara asks a question, the other students just look around nervously and give some vague reason as to why they can't answer. AND HE LETS IT GO. Where's the drive? Where's the need to solve this mystery? Why is Sakakibara so passive about this? You might be seeing a ghost or something and you're just gonna let it pass by? What the hell is that?

Other than the shows "taking forever to get to the point"edness, Another is an intriguing, entertaining anime. The main thing pushing the show is the mystery and the atmosphere - and boy, Another has some GREAT atmosphere. The surrounding environments are realistic, yet bleak - even a stereotypical beach episode isn't light and bright and airy. The sky is grey, there are no bird calls, and the beach is abandoned, save for our cast. It really hits home the feeling of dread that fills the students, as well as the tension.

My only other gripe is some of the detailing in the final episode, but that's not enough to deter from this show. If you're looking for a good mystery and don't mind some blood (i.e. tons of blood), then Another is a solid show. Nothing that special, but solid.

Bakuretsu Hunters is a fantasy story that largely stars five characters - the idiotic and perverted Carrot, the muscular Gateau, the pretty Marin, the spectacled Tira, and the red-haired Chocolate. Together they are the Sorceror Hunters, hired by a mysterious woman called only Big Mama to police the Spooner Continent.

By and large, the bulk of the series are stand alone episodes. The Hunters recieve a job from Big Mama, they go to some new town, find a new evil sorceror, kick his ass, and then move on to the next episode. These things are light and really empty. They aren't bad, they just aren't ... that good either. Since each episode features a different bad guy - as well as different side characters - there is very little chance for anything to feel like a threat or for the audience to get attached to the side characters.
As the series moves on, it does develop a larger, VERY epic-in-it's-scope, story, but even that feels hollow. The show's main villain is totally one-note, his motivations are lacking, and the conflict between him and the Hunters is almost never touched upon.

The characters themselves are really just empty and that's what bothered me most about the show. The basic idea of the cast is nice - there's a love triangle going on between Carrot/Chocolate/Tira, but with the caveat that Carrot isn't interested in either of the girls. They grew up together and so he thinks of them as sisters, but this isn't stated until the show is practically over. Given that Carrot spends 90% of the show chasing after women, it's hard to understand why he doesn't just give these ladies what they want when no one tells you WHY he won't.
Gateau and Marin have a sub-plot in that it seems like they're an item - or at least that Gateau has feelings for Marin - but again, this is never touched upon or developed. Perfectly good drama, wasted!

When it's all said and done, I'm really torn on this show. If this was something I had seen when I first got into anime - if this ever aired on Toonami - I'm sure I'd be a fan. The comedy is there, there's a touch of ecchiness, there's action, and the animation in most episodes is clean. There are the usual animation shortcuts - namely repetative transformation sequences - but that's standard for anime. The twists at the ending were interesting as well. But I feel like I've seen all of this before and seen it done better.

If you have nothing better to watch, then I'd be fine suggesting this. Otherwise, pass this up.