Author: bateszi
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Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebook
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Death Note – 2 – Hiding behind a notebookI’m surprised by just how fast Light is losing grip on reality. In only this second episode he coldly considers killing his family if they were ever to piece together his part in the (now world famous) mass-murdering case, while later he shows no signs of regret upon murdering (using the Death Note, obviously) a…
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One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punch
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/ ReviewsRead More →: One Piece – Winning without even throwing a punchIt’s funny how we spend hours upon hours watching anime, often only for but a few short minutes of absolute pay off. I watch One Piece for these transcendental moments; don’t get me wrong, it’s a consistently fun show but every so often, it raises itself to a rare point of pure emotional resonance with…
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D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nigh
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/ ReviewsRead More →: D.Gray-man – 2 – The end of the world is nighEpisode two is our first proper introduction to the spiritual world of D.Gray-man and clear references are drawn from Christian religion (“Noah’s ark”) to better illustrate the show’s strong supernatural themes with an interesting theological substance. To believe in exorcists, ghosts and demons, the obvious truth is that one must then also believe in god.…
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Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberance
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Red Garden – 1 – Colourful teenage exuberanceMany people couldn’t be bothered with Vision of Escaflowne because the character designs sported big noses. The almost-ignored Fantastic Children suffered from this same shallow discrimination. I dare say both of these are modern classics, and now Red Garden will face the exact same battle against a community that largely considers the likes of Kanon…
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Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Blood Brothers – 1 – Elegantly swift bishounen attacks!I was quite determined to find fault with Black Blood Brothers – I took my fair share of melodramatic bishounen-horror in Night Head Genesis and eventually rejected it, so I feared more of the same from this show. Typically I was wrong. While it won’t win many end-of-season plaudits for originality, Black Blood Brothers at…
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Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally deranged
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Death Note – 1 – Wicked, manipulative and morally derangedDeath Note is a Shounen Jump anime, but forget the generic conventions those two words invoke. Just like Bleach, this is a story that depicts the soul reaping world of “Shinigami” but where Bleach’s version of the afterlife is jammed with pouting pretty boys and nothing else, Death Note’s vision is dark, cold and lifeless.…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressing
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 13 – In a word, depressingFor some odd reason, I was expecting Satou to be the hero of this episode, but today I doubt he will ever be a hero – just like Yamazaki says, people “like him” aren’t suited to dramatic ends. In a word, depressing. Hitomi is selfish and cruel, her reasons for coming back into Satou’s life…
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Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflex
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 13 – People call it spinal reflexMadhouse Studios have an exceptional talent for adapting manga – BECK, Monster and now Black Lagoon, they clearly devote a lot of careful thought to developing a specific style for their works; almost inevitably, they craft absolutely unique anime. I feel safe in saying that Black Lagoon’s flair for attention grabbing will never fade, such…
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Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after all
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Pumpkin Scissors – 1 – Faith in humanity after allI’m getting worried about the fall anime season; there is too much to watch. Putting aside the immediate favourites like Death Note and Black Lagoon (these two are unmissable in my eyes) the likes of Pumpkin Scissors and D.Gray-man have proved just as fun and action packed, so where does one (desperately trying to be…
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D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmospheric
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/ ReviewsRead More →: D.Gray-man – 1 – Completely coherent and mysteriously atmosphericAnyone remember Pierrot Le Fou from Cowboy Bebop? How can we forget that floating fat man, screaming with insane laughter as he tears his way through the landscape. I know D.Gray-man may not have the kung-fu style of Spike Spiegel, but “The Earl of Millennium” looks just like Pierrot Le Fou, and also happens to…
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Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermath
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Honey & Clover II – Wallowing in the aftermathIt was always going to be one of those dreaded moments when Honey & Clover finally finished up – an empty feeling, my mind swirling in miscellaneous doubt and irritating confusion. What do I watch now? I had my ups and down with this second season, perhaps borne from episode after episode of frustrating romantic…
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New layout, same person
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Read More →: New layout, same personDeveloping in the background for a fair few weeks now, I’m pleased (though… perhaps relieved is a better word?!) to finally unveil the colourful new layout of “Bateszi Anime Blog”! In an attempt to break away from my conventional (boring) grey style, I’ve ended up with a “passionate” red colour scheme – gasp – if…
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Welcome to the NHK! – Anime or manga? Yawn
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Read More →: Welcome to the NHK! – Anime or manga? YawnAnime or manga, one is inevitably better than the other – whether it’s just another case of elitism or not, you can always bet on the jumped up manga fans hating the anime adaptations of their favourite stories. This is because the voices you hear in your head will always sound better in comparison with…
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Naruto – 201 – Weapons of mass destruction
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 201 – Weapons of mass destructionIt’s those damn terrorists again! As we’re all aware, the war on terror knows no bounds, and now, not even our anime is safe! The beloved hidden village of the leaf (known to gurning locals as Konoha) has become the target of crafty suicide bombers – who could have suspected berserk eagles with explosives strapped…
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Hunter X Hunter – First Impressions
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Hunter X Hunter – First ImpressionsI make no secret of my affection for Shounen Jump anime, from Dragonball Z to Rurouni Kenshin, by way of Naruto and One Piece, it’s a genre – incredibly formulaic though it is – that I drag myself back to again and again, pumped and ready for another sweaty training montage and trash talking decidedly…
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Naruto – 200 – Filling time with ninja
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Naruto – 200 – Filling time with ninjaIt has been a while since I last caught up with Naruto – still its a series I treasure deep within my heart, but these ever enduring “filler dark ages” are even dwindling the concrete enthusiasm I once felt for master Rock Lee and his “spring time of youth”. True to Naruto’s emphasis on fighting…
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Sci-Fi Harry – Does exactly what it says on the tin
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Sci-Fi Harry – Does exactly what it says on the tinUneducated and ignorant, my first taste of this most leafy of seasons is the earnestly dubbed “Sci-Fi Harry”. I knew absolutely nothing of this show before today and the only reason I figured I’d give it a try is because of the wonderfully unprentious name. It is literally what it says on the tin –…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 9 – Sparkling festival fireworks
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 9 – Sparkling festival fireworksAn unusually positive and uplifting instalment of NHK!, I wasn’t planning on commenting on this episode but the sparkling festival fireworks always get me. So bright, so beautiful, so romantic. Even Yamazaki gets some lovin’. This is so far the best episode, a dizzy mixture of jilted love and romantic despair, it astutly comments on…
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The sudden realisation of a tired anime fan
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Read More →: The sudden realisation of a tired anime fanI’ve had so much fun watching Giant Robo for the first time this weekend – an impossibly epic, jaw dropping spectacle set against frame after frame of sprawling neon-lit cityscapes and the kind of fluidic action packed excitement you just don’t see anymore in modern anime – it has again sparked that raw enthusiasm for…
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Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears run
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Mushishi – 25 – Even without eyeballs, tears runAlthough it would be harsh to say Mushishi had been in the doldrums of late, I must admit that the episodes succeeding number 20 have often flattered to deceive. It still looks as gob-smackingly beautiful as ever, but feels like more of a remote beauty, something I can admire but hardly love. I’m rejoicing then…
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Elitism within anime circles
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Read More →: Elitism within anime circlesFor many people being an anime fan is like holding on to precious secret deep within one’s soul – and if said secret were suddenly revealed, it would lose all value and be cast aside like last weeks old news. Mirroring the music scene when the underground trendy band signs for a major record label…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 8 – Meet the parent
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 8 – Meet the parentIt’s time to meet the parents, only Satou doesn’t have a girlfriend, or a job, or a life outside of his apartment, making the whole arrangement pretty awkward from the get-go. If only Robert De Niro was his Dad – what laughs we would have! Judging by his mother’s phone call in the previous episode,…
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Trapped in an ice cold back log hell: September
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Read More →: Trapped in an ice cold back log hell: SeptemberSuch is my addiction to the routine of watching anime – I horde a ridiculous amount of fansubs, promising myself I will catch up with them sooner or later, yet knowing deep down that it may never happen. As I enviously cast my eyes across the blogsphere, I usually get the urge to write one…
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Elfen Lied – 8 through 10 – Subverting the cute
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Elfen Lied – 8 through 10 – Subverting the cuteAgain Elfen Lied defies it’s pretty style and delivers a trio of episodes that are anything but. Subverting the look of its cute characters, it clearly delights in extreme mental and physical abuse — the disgusting bludgeoning of a helpless young puppy aptly symbolises how innocence and weakness is exploited in Elfen Lied, and that’s…
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Night Head Genesis – Psychic bishounen, brotherly love
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Night Head Genesis – Psychic bishounen, brotherly lovePsychic bishounen, brotherly love – Night Head Genesis is quite clearly aimed at the yaoi fan girls, yet an over abundance of melodrama and an almost laughably over the top collection of villains fails to render this completely unwatchable. It’s trashy, homo-erotic and somewhat dull, but for now I do intend to watch more of…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 7 – Is Misaki Real?
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Welcome to the NHK! – 7 – Is Misaki Real?Although it’s not nearly the “best” series airing at the moment, I often watch Welcome to the NHK! as soon as it’s downloaded. I have the first 6 episodes of Bokura Ga Ita stocked up, another four of Legend of the Galactic Heroes and even the most recent Honey & Clover- but it seems (whether…
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Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovation
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Kemonozume – 1 – Delicious gut-munching innovationThe moment I clapped eyes on its highly evocative promo art, I knew I’d love Kemonozume. It just looks so damn cool, completely in another league to the typical “doll face” anime style; here characters look and move like real people, the fluidity of movement and facial expression oddly fascinating. Forget following the narrative- simply…
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Black Lagoon – 12 – BOOOOOM! HEAD SHOT!
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 12 – BOOOOOM! HEAD SHOT!So that’s it then, no more Black Lagoon for (at a guess) a couple of years. I really loved watching this series; after a hard day at work, when it’s a tough ask to even keep your eyes open let alone watch and read anime, Black Lagoon shone like a bloodied beacon of hope. I…
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Honey & Clover II – 7 – Bleeding with a flickering hope in life
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Honey & Clover II – 7 – Bleeding with a flickering hope in lifeAs far as hyperbole goes, this was quite possibly my favourite episode of Honey & Clover II. No doubt I could say that after every episode- but this seventh instalment particularly deserves praise for violently jamming the second season in a completely different (and darker) direction. It’s not that I was getting sick of the…
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Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnage
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Black Lagoon – 11 – The prelude to carnageAfter the previous couple of unrelenting maid bashing episodes, the eleventh instalment of Black Lagoon was always going to seem a tad watered down in comparison. And so it proves- the penultimate “Lock’n Load Revolution” has more talking than shooting, and is almost entirely aimed at building up an initially convoluted race between an ambitious…
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Noein – And so we reach the end
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/ ReviewsRead More →: Noein – And so we reach the endI feel like I’ve been watching Noein for years now and writing this entry is daunting. Complex multi dimensional time travel, heart breaking tragedy and gut wrenching friendships. Here is a series bursting with ideas and without breaking into an essay length review, it’s hard to do justice to the sheer narrative majesty of Noein.…
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Mushishi – 24 – Bound for Bonfire Field
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/ 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…
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Honey & Clover II – First and fleeting impressions
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/ 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…
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Mahou Shoujotai – Magical girl anime done good
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/ 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…
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Black Lagoon – 10 – The unstoppable chambermaid
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/ 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…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 2 – Crazy-otaku neighbour to the rescue
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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…
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The Alabasta Arc of One Piece
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/ 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…
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Neon Genesis Evangelion – Why is it classic anime?
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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…
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Mushishi – 23 – The Sound of Rust
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/ 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…
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The most influential people in your anime fandom
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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…
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Welcome to the NHK! – 1 – Salvation lies within
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/ 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…
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Coyote Ragtime Show: Superficial entertainment primed for mass consumption
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/ 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…
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Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal – Jaded no more
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/ 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…
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Mushishi – 22 – The essence of individuality
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/ 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…
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Soundtracks that stand alone
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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…
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First look at: Legend of the Galactic Heroes
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/ 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…
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Jyu-Oh-Sei – 10 to 11 – Die, Die My Darling
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/ 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…
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Densha Otoko TV – If Looks Could Kill
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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…
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Black Lagoon – 9 – T:1000, unstoppable maid edition
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/ 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…