What are you watching?

[Sakura]

Elfen Leid, which despite the high fan-service content is actually decent. Sort of. It would be decent if Lucy stayed Scary Lucy and ripped the #&@( out of everyone. The 2nd episode on the beach! Freaky! I cried tears of terror!!
....which, admittedly, isn't saying much, since I cried from fear the first time I saw "Shawn of the Dead". Yes, I know it's a comedy....

Dear Dinky, I'm very emotional. I cried listening to Peter Cetera's "Glory of Love" if you happen to know the text.
I can cry for watching what these Squirrels (what's their english name?) do with Donald Duck. I cry all the time. And I really hate it.
I just cannot watch that. I really cannot.

[oldwrench]

We do understand Sakura, the violence gets a bit intense for some people. By the way, Dinky is a really emotional girl too. She cried over the Beach Boys song, Sloop John B. when she was little. She still cry's over anime and movies. But then....... she has this small, ah, sadistic side.......... when she was in school, she might have been the smallest in her class, but the boys were afraid of her.

[oldwrench]

I just finished a very cute series Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety. The series is really fun and cute. I had a lot of laughs viewing it. The episodes are really short 10 minutes, so the 24 episodes end up shorter than 12 episodes of other series. It does have a nice little schoolkids love story going on in it, with some ups and downs. THere are a few side stories mixed in too. It does come down to a fun and happy ending. I really like the ending song, one of the best in my opinion. This set was selling at such a low cost I couldn't pass it up, I'm glad I didn't. One of the great thing in the set is the production notes on the box inserts, they had some interesting things about the show.

Plot Summary: An apprentice shinigami (Japanese Death God), Risky, is determined to take Moe's life. However, Risky is magically joined with an apprentice angel, Safety, so Risky turns into Safety whenever someone says something nice. As an apprentice shinigami can only take someone's life when that person is really depressed, Risky has quite a problem taking Moe's soul, while dealing with Safety, who often cheers Moe up.

[oldwrench]

Saw the anime Straight Jacket on scifi channel Monday night. Monsters and mayhem.... oh my! Seems people are using magic, but after they use it for a while, a virus turns them into a monster. A corps of people where armor and brave turning into monsters themselves by using magic to destroy the monsters. One monster hunter is a rouge, not licensed by the corps. He has a half demon girl with him. Of course he and one of the guys in the corps get into a fight in the end.
It's not to bad if you like the if you like the japanese bulging oozing blob like monsters and giant magic gun wielding hero's. There is a fair story going on, but nothing exceptional.

Plot Summary:
It is a world where magic and science coexist. Rayotte Steinberg, a lone wolf "tactical sorcerist", fights against monsters. They used to be human beings, but they have overused forbidden power, magic, to turn into monsters. What he wears is "mold", the straitjacket that keeps him human. He carries an explosive magic wand. If he casts magic, he moves one step closer to being a monster. If he doesn't, he will be killed. Among the harsh battles, he will face a sin he committed in the past.

[Sakura]

Hm a 'tactical sorcerist' ... that sounds like one of my Professors..

[oldwrench]

Finished three series and started a third this weekend. SHE was off to a quilt retreat.

First, finished Princess Tutu. This is actually a really good story. The second season was a better story than the first. A lot of things get explanations as the story inside the story unfolds. There are a few surprises, some moral lessons, and a satisfying, if somewhat unexpected ending. The musical score is still one of the high points, some great classical stuff. If you like a good story, a fairy tale, and a romantic drama, you'll probably enjoy this one. http://www.madman.com.au/wallpapers/pri ... 0_1024.jpg

Coyote Ragtime Show: Good old scifi space opera adventure. Let's see........ Pirate king hid billions in treasure on the planet Graceland before he was assassinated. Infamous criminal "Mister" breaks out of prison to go after the treasure, along with the king's young daughter and his old crew. Problem is, the government is going to blow Graceland out of the sky, because of an insurrection. So they have to beat a time limit, sidestep government goons, dodge a hostile, if beautiful, investigator, and fend off a dozen android lolitas programed to kill.......... Now where have we heard a plot like that before?????/ Oh, ya, in lots of anime. But it still makes for an interesting show. 12 episodes. Nothing outstanding, nothing exceptional, but a good story, good bright animation and a pretty good soundtrack. "Beauty, Blades, Bombs,Bullets, Boobs".......... What's not to like?? http://www.madman.com.au/wallpapers/coy ... 2_1280.jpg

Otogi Zoshi: This is a very good, historical type, drama, set during the Heian era. Done by studio IG, the animation is very good. The story is deep and engrossing, I got started and had to finish all 13 episodes. There is plenty of intrigue going on. Famine and disease are ravaging the capital, and the samurai, Minamoto is sent to recover the five magatama, which can restore the balance and prosperity to the kingdom. But Minamoto has fallen ill, and his younger sister disguises herself ans Minamoto and takes on the task, along with her protector. They pick up a few other companions on the way, and the quest turns into an epic struggle. But will the Magatama actually heal the kingdom, or destroy it. The ending is both unexpected and interesting. I really highly recommend checking this out if you're into historic style anime. http://www.madman.com.au/wallpapers/oto ... 5_1280.jpg

[oldwrench]

I got through the first dvd of My-Hime. I bought the series because it was only $3 a disc on rightstuf bargain bin. It's pretty good so far, magical girl vs. alien monsters. The animation is pretty good, and the story, though old stuff, is pretty good. There's been some really good humor, especially the episode where someone is stealing the girls bra's and panties. No, there hasn't been a lot of fanservice, more the implied kind, but quite funny.

The series didn't take long to get into the fast action. The first episode, Mai and her brother are on a ferry boat to their new school, the boat is attacked and a fight breaks out between two strange girls. The ship ends up cut in half, and Mai and one of the girls, a very strange one, end up on the school lawn the next morning. Of course there is a boy involved in it all. I'll report more when I get a chance to watch more.

[oldwrench]

I didn't realize how historical Otogi Zoshi actually was till I saw this review of the first DVD http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/ ... oshi/dvd-1

Here is the opening paragraph:
Otogi Zoshi is set around 970 A.D. at the heart of Japan's Heian Era (794-1185). Many of the key characters in the series actually were prominent figures of the time; Abe-no-Seimei, for instance, really was a renowned scholar and onmyoji of the mid-to-late 900s. Minamoto no Yorimitsu (aka Raikou) was a famous warrior from the same period, and his four retainers, known as the Shitennou (the precursor of the “Big Four” seen in many modern stories, perhaps?), did include Watanabe no Tsuna, Usui no Sadamitsu, and Urabe no Suetake, all of whom appear in the series and join Hikaru/Raiko's quests. The fourth retainer, Sakata no Kintoki (aka Kintaro), hasn't appeared by the end of the fifth episode but it's a safe bet that he will eventually. Minamoto was most famous for killing the demon Shuten Doji, whose name pops up in the series as a villain who may eventually have to be confronted. Minamoto was also known for subjugating the Tsuchigumo, who have a prominent role in the first three episodes. Never mentioned in the old stories is any hint of Minamoto having been replaced by his sister, which is the point where this series diverges from history and legend. Another point of divergence is that the historical Minamoto was a renowned swordsman, while the Minamoto of this series is instead a renowned archer—though archery is a specialty is more in tune with what was typical of samurai at that time. (Samurai didn't actually specialize in swordplay until later in Japanese history.) And of course there's the whole business with the Magatamas, though the court intrigues are probably accurate. The result is a solid work of historical fiction which plays around with the real history about as much as the movie Braveheart did in telling its story.

The set came with three dvd's of extras, containing a history lecture about the Heian era, I'll have to watch those disks. There is a second season, centered in modern Tokyo, with characters from the first season reincarnated, I'll be watching for it.

Oh, by the way, this really has a few tragic love stories in it, so if you like that, you'll enjoy this anime.

[Zeratul2k]

Hey, hey, let's revive this, this is supposed to be an anime forum!

So, anyways, I just finished watching True Tears, good school drama, not great, but good.

Also watching Requiem For Phantom, it's very Noir-esque, but it's lacking something... haven't been able to tell just what it is.

And on the queue is Toradora, which I should have watched ages ago, but didn't :p

[oldwrench]

Well, I finished the first season of Spice and Wolf, I really highly recommend it. The Story lines are great, even if they were intended to be lessons in economics. The characters are just great, love the wolf girl, Holo, or is it Horo, depends on where you're from I guess. The artwork is good, the music good, just a bit of romance, it's a really solid series. I think Sakura might like this one.

Other one I finished, Strike Witches..... (or, winning the war on pants?) This is actually a pretty cute series, just has a lot of rather silly fanservice. Seems every female in this world doesn't wear pants. Don't let it get in the way of a cute story though. The witch girls have to save the world from the attacking aliens. Each time the witch girls use their magic, they grow animal ears and a tail. One problem though, some in the military don't like witch girls fighting the war, and go about trying to disband the girls. Lots of action and nice character development.

Right now Ive been watching Madlax, another girl assassin type series from the makers of Noir, and I'm watching Shuffle, a rather humorous harem genre anime. I'll tell you about them when I get done.