Year: 2006
-
Mushishi – 24 – Bound for Bonfire Field
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 24 – Bound for Bonfire FieldAnother episode that was only average in comparison with Mushishi’s previously sky-is-the-limit standards, “Bound for Bonfire Field” showcased one of the more deadly mushi Ginko has come across but failed to deliver the profound human empathy I’ve come to expect of this magical series. The main problem is this episode’s frustrating central figure; a female…
-
Honey & Clover II – First and fleeting impressions
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Honey & Clover II – First and fleeting impressionsHoney & Clover is said to epitomise the ambiguous “slice of life” genre – a typically slow, ambling style of story telling with no true narrative direction. Indeed, Takemoto’s impulsive journey around Japan is all about finding a definitive meaning to his existence only to discover that ultimately, there is no set path for us…
-
Mahou Shoujotai – Magical girl anime done good
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Mahou Shoujotai – Magical girl anime done goodHaving stumbled across the passionate rants and pretty pictures over at the Star Crossed anime blog, I decided I’d take a chance on a magical girl anime called Mahou Shoujotai (also known as Tweeny Witches or Magic-Girl Squad – Alice). Up until checking out Mahou Shoujotai, my only other experiences of the traditional magical girl…
-
Black Lagoon – 10 – The unstoppable chambermaid
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 10 – The unstoppable chambermaidThere are many ways to settle a score and none better than an old fashioned dust up; I think this qualifies as the first time I’ve ever seen two women literally beat the shit out of each other with their bare knuckles. None of this pulling hair and scratching with their nails nonsense; if Black…
-
Welcome to the NHK! – 2 – Crazy-otaku neighbour to the rescue
/
Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 2 – Crazy-otaku neighbour to the rescueSato meets with young Misaki to talk about her “how to take the hikomori out of Sato” project. Though with his trademark destructive hiko-nature, Sato immediately tries to deny his shut-in ways by proving to Misaki that he does have a part to play in society after all. In embarking on this mission, he ends…
-
The Alabasta Arc of One Piece
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: The Alabasta Arc of One PieceThe Alabasta Arc of One Piece sees this fine series at the top of its game, juggling dynamic character drama, explosive political upheaval and some eccentric body twisting action. Despite falling into a few classic Shounen Jump cliches (not least of all a super villain in Crocodile who unwittingly reveals his devious plans to his…
-
Neon Genesis Evangelion – Why is it classic anime?
/
Read More →: Neon Genesis Evangelion – Why is it classic anime?Neon Genesis Evangelion is considered by many critics to be a “classic” anime series. Loved and loathed in equal measure, its polarising reputation for invoking a distinct reaction from its viewers endures (inside and outside fandom) even today- an impressive feat being as it is a decade on from its Japanese TV debut. But what…
-
Mushishi – 23 – The Sound of Rust
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 23 – The Sound of RustIn a village where humans are literally rusting away and being physically covered in (ever worsening) scabby brown marks, only this one girl (Shigure) appears to be immune from the disease. The bitter villagers blame Shigure for their ill-health, curse her existence and treat her as an outcast, and for her part, racked with the…
-
The most influential people in your anime fandom
/
Read More →: The most influential people in your anime fandomThe ever reliable ICv2 recently posted up a list of the “ten most powerful people in the North American anime industry“. The run down makes for interesting (if a little predictable) reading and sitting at the top is Gonzo’s bestest buddy Gen Fukunaga (of FUNimation), who managed to visciously kill off any competition with his…
-
Welcome to the NHK! – 1 – Salvation lies within
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 1 – Salvation lies withinI admit I was initially turned off by the pretty poster girl heavily pasted all over the promo art (much like Black Lagoon) and yet still, my interest in NHK has rapidly grown over the last 4-5 weeks. Being an anime fan it’s always fun seeing otaku culture lampooned by the big screen; but unlike…
-
Coyote Ragtime Show: Superficial entertainment primed for mass consumption
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Coyote Ragtime Show: Superficial entertainment primed for mass consumptionCoyote Ragtime Show is everything I expected it to be. This first episode is generic, “cute” and painfully uninspiring. I’m sick of seeing cute girls dressed up in colourful, frilly dresses jumping around wielding impossible strength. It’s so formulaic, cold and calculated; you can imagine the money men sitting around in their leather boardrooms, smoking…
-
Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal – Jaded no more
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal – Jaded no moreI was suffering from anime burnout earlier this evening and rather than try to watch something new (and inevitably hate it with this jaded perspective), I decided I’d dip back into my ever-growing DVD collection, pull out a classic I knew I’d love and rediscover my passion for anime. Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal is…
-
Mushishi – 22 – The essence of individuality
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 22 – The essence of individualityBy following the mysterious legend of the Uminaoshi, Ginko finds himself on a secluded island. Here it is said that when people die, if they so wish it, they can be born again; in a certain part of the sea, where the light shines even at night, the Uminaoshi mushi lives. What in essence defines…
-
Soundtracks that stand alone
/
Read More →: Soundtracks that stand aloneGreat music and great anime usually go hand in hand, but the sign of a great song is that anyone can enjoy it, irregardless of their love (or lack there of) for anime. I remember thoroughly enjoying the music used in Honey & Clover, but on its own it is a disappointing, minimal experience I…
-
First look at: Legend of the Galactic Heroes
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: First look at: Legend of the Galactic HeroesIn a universe far, far away from Earth, an intergalactic war between two political systems has enveloped its peoples for centuries. The Free Planets Alliance (democratic) and the Galactic Empire (imperial) regularly clash in battles that claim millions of victims. Leading the Galactic Empire ever onwards is Reinhard von Lohengramm, a relatively young admiral (20…
-
Jyu-Oh-Sei – 10 to 11 – Die, Die My Darling
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Jyu-Oh-Sei – 10 to 11 – Die, Die My DarlingBy becoming the Jyu-Oh, Thor transcends the planet of Chimera in search of the bloody truth hidden beneath the bodies of his murdered parents; after years of waiting, he gets his answers, though it’s not the happy ending he had wished for, and with the thin veil of reality now utterly torn from his shattered…
-
Densha Otoko TV – If Looks Could Kill
/
Read More →: Densha Otoko TV – If Looks Could KillTsuyoshi Yamada is an otaku… a lonely otaku. He throws away his free time watching anime and surfing the net, dreaming of one day falling in love, but alas, he is merely an awkward, shy bloke who lives in his bedroom with nothing but dolls and figurines for company. One non-specific day, riding the train…
-
Black Lagoon – 9 – T:1000, unstoppable maid edition
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 9 – T:1000, unstoppable maid edition“You should have paid more attention to Rock’s joke, Benny-Boy.” Quips Dutch, a sweating shadow of his composed former self, having just seconds before been subjected to the vicious blood lust (and impossibly strong arms) of an ass-kicking maid from hell. “Imagine her as an invincible killer robot.” The set up for this story arc…
-
Jyu-Oh-Sei – 7 to 9 – Blinded from the truth
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Jyu-Oh-Sei – 7 to 9 – Blinded from the truthIt’s taken a while, but I’m finally starting to twig that Jyu-Oh-Sei has an absolutely stellar voice cast. Young Thor was played by Minami Takayama, whose best work comes in the form of the insane, eccentric Dilandau of Escaflowne. Thor’s love interest Karin is handled by none other than Romi Paku- in other words, the…
-
Summer season preview: the good, the wet and the moe
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Summer season preview: the good, the wet and the moeBokura ga Ita – Artland – Love-Romance, School Life Artland were behind Mushishi. Mushishi is a masterpiece. If Artland can maintain these standards within the “slice of life” genre, we may just have a show to equal the melancholy, inspiring brilliance of Honey & Clover and the heart wrenching drama of Fruits Basket. Kemono Zume…
-
Black Lagoon – 8 – Best.maid.ever
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 8 – Best.maid.everI write this post in lieu of discovering that Black Lagoon, surely the best anime airing in Japan at the moment, will only last a measly 12 episodes, and although I have heard rumblings that it should be continued in OVA form (no doubt adapting as yet unwritten manga chapters), 12 damn episodes just isn’t…
-
One Piece – Pacifism and crocodiles don't mix
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: One Piece – Pacifism and crocodiles don't mixHaving marched across endless miles of desolate landscapes and lifeless desert, Luffy finally snaps at Vivi and in his own unique way, lets her know a few important home truths; while admirable, her selfless pacifism can not save lives. Villains like Crocodile care not for reason and act not out of compassion, but rather their…
-
Dr Who inspired by Naruto, eh?
/
Read More →: Dr Who inspired by Naruto, eh?Now this is something quite bizarre but looking at the evidence (images above), a recent villain from (the staple of UK sci-fi) Dr Who could well have been inspired by Sasuke’s (from Naruto) “cursed seal” form. It’s easy to dismiss this all as a mere coincidence, but you should note the red eyes (mirroring Sasuke’s…
-
Naruto – 188 – Fear the piranhas of death
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 188 – Fear the piranhas of deathAs much as I want to be surprised by these Naruto episodes, as much as I want to watch some gripping drama, desperate sacrifices and shocking deaths, it’s not going to happen. I know that, you know that. To complain any more would be a waste of time. With your expectations so low, it is…
-
Black Lagoon – 7 – Personality clash
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 7 – Personality clashThe ticking time bomb of Revy’s personality finally explodes in the face of Rock, though gratefully he also snaps back and unfurls a passionate rant all of his own. It’s easy to imagine Rock being your typical male doormat, but here he stands up for himself and proves he too has an unbreakable steely quality…
-
Black Lagoon – 5 to 6 – Nonchalant massacre of Neo-Nazis
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 5 to 6 – Nonchalant massacre of Neo-NazisIt’s clear by now that Black Lagoon will be Rock and Revy’s show; the action scenes in these episodes are as expected absolutely kick ass, though the majority of what Black Lagoon is driving at is Revy’s humanity (or lack there of). Having slaughtered dozens of Neo-Nazi bastards, she nonchalantly explains to Dutch that she…
-
Mushishi – 21 – Animalistic tragedy
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 21 – Animalistic tragedySince the last few episodes of Mushishi left us in upbeat and melancholy moods, this was a timely reminder as to just how heartless a series it can be. I don’t mean heartless in a sadistic sense, rather how a mushi can cause such great tragedy to a couple of people who are quite clearly…
-
The Third – 1 to 3 – Far-reaching Fantasy
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: The Third – 1 to 3 – Far-reaching FantasyI’m not usually one to bother with such knowingly cute anime, but for whatever reason, I today found myself taking in the first three episodes of The Third. Of course, it turned out to be (much) better than expected. In a world torn apart by war, our saviour would appear to be a talented young…
-
Ergo Proxy – 9 & 10 – Behemoth of confusion
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Ergo Proxy – 9 & 10 – Behemoth of confusionScience fiction and confusion often go hand in hand, but Ergo Proxy is close to reaching the kinds of befuddling heights scaled only by behemoths like Mamoru Oshii. The dialogue, the action and even the damn visuals are so frustratingly cryptic and symbolic that only vaguely am I able to follow what is going on…
-
Naruto – 187 – Taste the Flower Ninpo
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 187 – Taste the Flower NinpoThe problem with these Naruto fillers is that while they are not particularly good, they are not particularly bad either – they are just by-the-books action adventure. Over this past year Studio Pierrot have become the masters of just filling 22 minutes with the most inoffensive, straight forward ninja action you are ever likely to…
-
Angel Cop – Repulsive, Uncomfortable, Anti-Semitic
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Angel Cop – Repulsive, Uncomfortable, Anti-SemiticGrowing up as an impressionable teenager in the mid-90s meant that my first taste of anime came through Manga Entertainment’s infamous VHS releases; sex, violence and science fiction were the orders of the day and as cheap and nasty as this kind of anime often was, I must admit I still think back on that…
-
The declining Western anime industry
/
Read More →: The declining Western anime industryThe imminent bankrupsy of Central Park Media (CPM) forecasts a bleak year ahead for the US anime industry, but given there are more fans now than ever before, one would assume that the opposite should be true. The Anime Almanac has an answer, though I’m not sure whether they are right; it seems fansubs are…
-
Tobira O Akete (Open the Door)
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Tobira O Akete (Open the Door)Being a big fan of the works of Koji Morimoto (Memories: Magnetic Rose, Animatrix: Beyond), I was quite pleased when I managed to track down one of his lesser known shorts – Tobira O Akete (Open the Door). Imagine a decidedly more colourful version of British animation classic The Snowman; a young girl is swept…
-
One Piece – Episodes 78 through 91 – The Chopper Arc
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: One Piece – Episodes 78 through 91 – The Chopper ArcMuch like a snowball rolling down a mountain, my outright love of One Piece is now out of control, ready to smash anything that dares stand in its way. I’d seen images of Chopper before this arc, but never did I expect his history to be so frightfully tear jerking, so utterly heart breaking and…
-
Naruto – 186 – The episode where Shino laughs
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 186 – The episode where Shino laughsThis episode makes a mockery of everything Naruto stands for and as a hardcore fan, there is a guilty voice saying I should be completely offended by it, but honestly, this episode was so off the wall and slapstick funny that I could not help but love every minute of it. The premise is brilliant.…
-
Jyu-Oh-Sei – 5 through 6 – Lost Love
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Jyu-Oh-Sei – 5 through 6 – Lost LoveTo my frank and utter bemusement, we are now over half way through the 11 episodes of Jyu-Oh-Sei and although a part of me is glad to see every episode crammed full with so much story and character development, I can’t help but lament a narrative which is clearly moving a bit too fast for…
-
Reigniting the flames of fansubs
/
Read More →: Reigniting the flames of fansubsIn an interview with ActiveAnime, Viz Media’s director of PR Evelyn Dubocq slammed all forms of internet piracy. Despite the generic corporate style of her responses (which show little-to-no knowledge of the anime community as a whole), Dubocq’s remarks have inevitably reignited the flames of debate within the anime community. On one side we have…
-
Naruto – 185 – Grotesque Pet
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 185 – Grotesque PetAnd so begins another 23 minutes of pure time filling anime, Naruto-style. But despite it’s stupid premise, episode 185 wasn’t too bad; at least it was funny. These one-shot episodes are surely more suited to absurd comedy than say last week’s rushed mess of unoriginal drama. I’m sure we all have a mild fear of…
-
Black Lagoon – 4 – Neo Nazis
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 4 – Neo NazisThe beauty of Black Lagoon is that it knows exactly what it is; pure action, and then forcing the volume way past maximum. If last time flying submarines weren’t enough for you, how do Neo-Nazi’s sound? The Black Lagoon is after a precious Nazi painting (commissioned by none other than the Fuhrer himself, Hitler) that…
-
Kiba – 7 – Hollow Defeat
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Kiba – 7 – Hollow DefeatAs insane as it may sound, the last two episodes of Kiba were actually quite good! If you then stop to consider that they also didn’t feature its main character, there is something undoubtedly wrong. To keep me interested, a show has to have an interesting, involving and immersive story; Kiba doesn’t have that. Likeable…
-
Tokko – 3 – When Phantoms from Hades attack!
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Tokko – 3 – When Phantoms from Hades attack!The mysteries behind Tokko are slowly starting to unravel amidst yet more greasy siscon innuendo and extreme blood letting. As blunt as Tokko often is, it makes a refreshing change to watch such a traditional horror show for once. It is said that the monsters (or as they will now be known; phantoms) have “literally…
-
Jyu-Oh-Sei – 3 through 4 – Nature bites back
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Jyu-Oh-Sei – 3 through 4 – Nature bites backAgain I get my hit of Jyu-Oh-Sei in double dosage, and again I’m left feeling completely intoxicated by it. It’s the story that I love; so thick with detail, almost every scene contributes something new or shocking, continuously building on the already heavy narrative with yet more helpings of tribal politics, social commentary and romantic…
-
Naruto – 184 – Ad nauseam
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 184 – Ad nauseamThe filler wasn’t supposed to go on for this long. A black hole of 48 straight episodes, 18 hours of pure nothingness; it would be funny if I didn’t love Naruto as much as I do, but as it stands this is a damn travesty. And the frightening thing is, an end to this utter…
-
Greetings and Salutations
/
Read More →: Greetings and SalutationsAs is the proper tradition for us newbs, here is my belated introduction to the hectic world of blogsuki. If this is the first time you have come across BATESZI; HI! I hope you stick around! Of course, that’s entirely down to your (and indeed, my) tastes in anime- I’ll give you fair warning though…
-
Kiba – 6 – The price of freedom
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Kiba – 6 – The price of freedomIt’s easy to take kids anime for granted, but compared with Western cartoons aimed at the same young viewers, the difference in conviction and themes is exceptional. Through out episode 6 of Kiba, several (old and young) characters die. It’s not gory, but the intent to kill is clear from the outset. There are no…
-
Ergo Proxy – 8 – Larger than life
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Ergo Proxy – 8 – Larger than lifeI read a few weeks ago that somewhere along the line, Ergo Proxy gets a bit like X-Men; mutants against mutants and all that. I guess episode 8 is where it started. This episode was just weird. The people Vincent meets, the way the monstrous finale plays out- it was just utterly inexplicable in places.…
-
Black Lagoon – 1 through 3 – Adrenaline Rush
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 1 through 3 – Adrenaline RushIt took me a few weeks to catch onto Black Lagoon, but now I’m fully convinced of its (loud) qualities. I had avoided it up until this weekend because the reviews I’d read gave the impression that it was another typical girls with guns anime. I was wrong and it’s much more than that. I’m…
-
My long winded countdown of the top 8 spring anime
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: My long winded countdown of the top 8 spring animeIt’s been a while since I’ve watched so much anime. This spring season is quite remarkable in that not only is there an unprecedented number of new series, but also because a lot of them are actually quite good. And I’m not a fan of harem, loli or whatever other genre is “hip” right now.…
-
Kogepan – Living the life of a burnt piece of bread
/
/ ReviewsRead More →: Kogepan – Living the life of a burnt piece of breadJust when you think you’ve seen it all, a show like Kogepan comes along. This short series follows the everyday adventures of the titular Kogepan, a burnt piece bread that no one wants to buy. Try as he might to be sold, he’s destined to live out his life unwanted, unsold, uneaten. Each episode of…