Matt's Anime Reviews Page

New and Forthcoming Releases

8 Man After

The original 8 Man was a bit of a 60s anime classic, predating Robocop by two decades with it's resurrected cyborg cop hero. However, this lacklustre attempt to update the story into a more modern action series doesn't really do it any favours. The styling is neither particularly fashionable nor retro, falling uncomfortably between the two, and the storylines fail to grip. Fans of the original might possibly enjoy this a little, but seeing as it never made it to the UK I doubt there are too many of them. [2 Stars Fairly average action.]

801 TTS Airbats

Despite some racy cover blurb, the PG rating you see on the cover is the right one and ADVs copywriters are presumably making some sort of feeble attempt at humour. The plot here is about a young man who joins, as a mechanic, a Japanese Self Defence Force squadron where all the women are pilots. As you might expect, we're talking serious teenage male wish fulfilment here. Still, there's some pretty artwork, the comedy has its moments and there are a few moments where it approaches drama. That said, the plot never really goes anywhere. The first tape of the dubbed release contains all three episodes of the original subtitled one, so is pretty good value. The subsequent dubbed episodes were never released subtitled. [2 Stars Fluff for fanboys.]

Adventure Duo

There are a few candidates for the worst anime ever released in the UK but this series, newly resurrected for DVD release, is most certainly among them. After the huge commercial success of Urotsukidoji, Kiseki were looking for something similar that could follow in its footsteps. They hit upon this, a series from the same creator Toshio Maeda about a boy who unleashes a demon from an old computer. However, it lacked the better qualities of Urotsukidoji (the artwork and the story) and its content proved so excessively pornographic that the resultant BBFC censorship cut so much out as to reduce what little plot that was there to an incoherent mess. Still, given the way that smut usually sells, this still hasn't stopped it from being one of Kiseki's more succesful titles, hence the re-release. Sensible viewers will avoid this and wait for something better to come out on the format. [ An excessively gross porn film with most of the sex cut out.]

Akira

Katsuhiro Otomo's adaptation of his own long running manga, about a group of psychic children in a nightmarish future vision of Tokyo, turned many heads when it was first released in the UK in 1991. Amongst its many other achievements, it was the first anime to be released in a subtitled format and being released uncut with a 15 rating marked a shift from pitching animation entirely towards the U/PG rated children and family market. Being a cult success, it played a large part in kickstarting the video market of the past decade and the grown in anime fandom that surrounded it. Ten years on, the animation still holds its own against just about anything else you might see. The artwork is perhaps a touch less refined than the likes of Ghost in the Shell or X, but thanks to Otomo's very individual style hasn't really dated at all. If the film has one achilles heel though, it's in the storyline. It was compressed from a sprawling 2000 page manga that wasn't even finished at the time of the production so many details had to be ommitted and an ending improvised that is rather different from the course that the manga eventually took. Still, this film was and still is a remarkable achievement. Just don't take it as too representative as to what anime has to offer as it is in no way typical. [ Still outstanding.]

Ambassador Magma

Osamu Tezuka was one of the most highly regarded manga artists of all time, however you wouldn't know it from this desultory effort made after his death. Made from one of his lesser manga titles, this features a family of giant robots pitted against some demons. The look of the series is somewhat different to the Tezuka norm but what really lets it down is some abyssmal characterisation and storyline. To top it all off, there's some truly awful voice acting in the dub. For example, instead of using realistic dog sounds, a voice actor takes the part of a killer robot attack dog with effects that will have you rolling on the floor with unintentended laughter. Take a random saturday morning kids cartoon (and not just Pokemon!) and you'd see better than this which doesn't exactly make it the greatest advert for anime around. [ Retro anime gone horribly wrong.]

Amon Saga

This is a fantasy anime from the mid 80s whose chief selling point is some character designs by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy fame. Like with the Vampire Hunter D anime, his original artwork doesn't really translate to animation that well so don't expect things to live up to the beautiful cover artwork which is far and away the best thing about this. The plot is similarly nothing to shout about, with the young warrior of the title fighting an evil sorcerer to avenge the death of his mother. Still, this isn't a bad little effort for its time, and there's some striking imagery (such as a fortress on the back of a giant turtle) that wouldn't look out of place in a Final Fantasy game, so if you're a fan of his work it's well worth picking up. [ A reasonable if dated fantasy anime.]

Astro Boy

Astro Boy is a robot created to help humanity which he usually achieves by hunting down villains and solving crimes, much like a mechanical version of Superman. Although this was pretty much the starting point for anime in general, it's not really comparable to most of the more modern stuff being released, so I won't attempt to do so. Known as Tetsuwan Atom (The Mighty Atom) in Japan, this was the first ever regular animated series on Japanese television, dating back to 1962. Consequently, don't expect any great animation, however this series is still a lot of fun, and for anyone who caught the original series (not that it ever made UK television, alas) it's a guaranteed nostalgia trip. [ Dated, but still a classic.]

Battle Angel Alita

This adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's cyberpunk manga series is an enduring favourite of mine, detailing the adventures of a group of unfortunates who struggle to survive in a post-apocalyptic junkyard, whilst dreaming of finding their way to the heaven-like city of Zarem which floats overhead offering a better life. Only to those who could afford it though. Alas it flopped in Japan and never made it past the second episode which is a shame as it wasn't until that point in the manga that it really started to take off. Still, the anime does reach a meaningful conclusion and has its own strengths some of which are rather different to the manga. Despite a low budget some of the visuals are stunningly good, notably the backdrops of Zarem, and the characters are well developed in the meagre running time of an hour in total for both episodes. Although there's not that much action, it's well animated within the confines of the budget, but the main strength here is the story and the characters. If only there could have been more. [ A classic cyberpunk fantasy.]

Battle Arena Toshinden

Forget the -inden, this is pure tosh. As will be apparent to regular readers of this site, I'm no great fan of anime that's based on computer games, but by my reckoning this has to be one of the worst ever even amongst that bunch. Yes, you'll get to see every character in the game fighting, but frankly there's not a lot else. The plot is woeful, often going straight from one fight to the next with little in the way of explanation As an example of another piece of non continuity: At one point, a naked character jumps through a window only to appear fully clothed on the other side! Quite how that one got through, I'm not sure. So, just in case it's not already apparent, this is for die hard fanatical followers of the game only, and even they're bound to feel a little cheated given the lack of quality here. [ Extremely bad]

Battle of the Planets

Being only the second anime I ever saw (the first was Marine Boy) and the first one that I avidly followed in my youth, I've something of a soft spot for this title. It's adapted from Tatsunoku production's classic Science Ninja Team Gatchaman series, which was amongst the first anime to inspire a dedicated fandom in Japan and proved very influential on the "sentai" series that would later develop into the likes of Power Rangers. It also features the early work of Yoshitaka Amano who later went on to design for Angel's Egg, Vampire Hunter D and the Final Fantasy games amongst other work, so its pedigree is impeccable. However, it must be stated that it was one of the most heavily edited TV adaptations of an anime series ever. Character names, music and storylines were changed and vast amounts of footage was excised to be replaced by poorly animated American animated sequences. Also, with the original anime being made in 1972 it's looking decidedly long in the tooth, so if you're not familiar with the original you should approach cautiously. [ Old and a hack-job, but still a huge fan favourite.]

Big Wars

The big budget sci-fi anime of 1993, this is a bit of a film of two halves. At the start, it's a tense spy thriller as a Martian base has to hunt down an alien infiltrator. The action then starts to heat up as a battleship is sent out to hunt down and destroy the alien mothership somewhere on the sands of Mars. Although the two halves never quite gel together, the artwork is truly excellent and there's plenty of action to enjoy as long as you don't have the brain too firmly engaged. [ Well animated action.]

Blackjack

Osamu Tezuka is regarded by most people as the father of modern manga and anime, having created such classics as Astro Boy (see above) and Kimba The White Lion. Blackjack, who is a maverick surgeon who shuns the rest of the medical community, was one of his most popular manga creations but it was never animated until after Tezuka's death. Given that build up, this film is something of a let down. The artwork is rather nice and catches the idiosyncratic art-style of the manga well, but the story line (about superhuman olympic athletes) veers from pedestrian to preposterous. My advice would be to give this a miss and instead take a look at Space Firebird, an early Tezuka Film, which captures his styles of both art and story telling in a much better fashion. Or indeed, take a look at Astro Boy itself. [ Watchable, but uninspired]

Black Magic M66 / Plastic Little DVD

Two old fan favourites get brought back for the DVD treatment here. Black Magic was the first anime from Masamune Shirow (who later went on to create Dominion and Ghost in the Shell amongst others) and has a very hands on approach as unlike with the later titles, he directed it himself and also did much of the design work. The story, about a military robot that gets accidentally sent on a mission to kill its inventor's daughter, is action packed and engaging, even if it does borrow a little too much from The Terminator at times for comfort. Plastic Little is the creation of another great artist, Satoshi Urushihara, and is easily the most.succesful transition of his artwork to animation. However, it's distinctly shallow on the plot side and whilst never truly explicit, there's more gratuitous nudity than you'd have thought possible to cram into a mere 45 minutes. On the whole, very good value for money and the only quibble is that little use seems to have been made of the extra features available on DVD. [ Two old favourites, now on DVD]

Blood - The Last Vampire

A story of a vampire turned hunter in modern day Japan, this is the latest film from Production IG who are most notable for having produced the Ghost in the Shell and Jin Roh films. This releases carries on their tradition of excellence with some of the slickest and most stunning animation I've ever seen. A distinctive art style adds to the visual flare with some downright creepy looking characters, and they're just the humans let alone the vampires. Unfortunately the film has a paltry running time of only 48 minutes which means that you get thrown straight into the thick of the action with little explanation and things end rather too swiftly. It's all as though it's a trailer for a longer series, indeed I'd love to see more. If nothing else there's a lot of background that's hinted at but never filled in. [ Great animation. If only there was more story.]

Bubblegum Crash

After the original Bubblegum Crisis ran out of steam after eight episodes, the producers picked up the pieces and knocked together this three episode sequel. It's somewhat lighter in tone and the characterisation is a little different to the original, but it's still very much the same mixture and much more faithful than the TV rehash series that came later. [ A reasonable sequel.]

Bubblegum Crisis

Long regarded as a classic of cyberpunk anime, this is an old favourite getting a much needed re-release. The story revolves around the Knight Sabers, ordinary women by day, but a high tech vigilante group at night pitted against the evil Genom mega-corporation. Although not up to the same standards as Ghost in the Shell or even Armitage III, the animation holds up pretty well considering it was made in the mid to late eighties. A few episodes do have rather formulaic plots too, but generally there's a good balance between an ongoing storyline and self-contained episodes. The dub is a little weak, most notably because the audio track had to be remade, losing a the original songs which is a shame because the series is built around a lot of them. The replacements aren't too bad, but they're just not quite the same although I suppose this will only matter if you're an afficionado of late eighties J-Pop (and a lot of anime fans seem to be.) On the plus side, it's now rather cheaper to collect on three tapes than the original subtitled release was on eight. Oh, and just see how many Blade Runner references you can spot. The Hurricane Live tapes aren't part of the re-release, but the original releases may still be around. If you can find them they contain music videos set to the sountrack to the series and as such are only worth getting for the hardcore fans out there. [ A classic cyberpunk anime.]

Bubblegum Crisis 2040

This is a recent made-for-TV rehash of the classic Bubblegum Crisis. Like Dirty Pair Flash it attempts to update the original with some nineties animation techniques and a thorough image makeover but again with rather mixed results if you're a fan of the original. So much that the series has been dubbed "Bubblegum Flash" by cynical fans. Kenichi Sonoda's design work is nowhere to be seen, and the characters bear little resemblence to the original as well leaving only the names and the scenario behind. Still, it's quite watchable when taken on its own merits, but you're going to need to be a dedicated fan to pick up the entire run as it's going to run to 12 tapes. [ Not bad, but nowhere near as good as the original.]

Burn Up W

Yet another light hearted futuristic cop show, directed by Hiroshi Negishi (Tenchi Muyo), this starts off as an entertaining parody with the first two episode, but develops a bit more of a plot for the latter part much to its credit. Amongst its best moments are a hilarious Ghost in the Shell parody and some rather bizarre ransom demands from a bunch of hostage taking terrorists. Still, it never quite succeeds on the serious side where it remains a rather average cliched story. Despite this, it proved succesful enough in Japan for a spinoff TV series, Burn Up X, to be produced. Needless to say, this has yet to make it to the UK. [ Fairly entertaining comedy police show.]

City Hunter: The Movie

Another old fan favourite finally makes it to the UK here. Ryo Saeba is a smooth talking lecher who does a bit of detective work on the side, who is charge with hunting down a master criminal going by the name of "The Professor" who threatens to destroy Tokyo. This is very much in the mould of James Bond films, and indeed the Lupin III anime series although it rarely achieves the same heights of both action and humour that the latter does at its best. Still, this is very much worth watching if you like plenty of action with a fair smattering of laughs thrown in too. ADV are also releasing a series of OVAs which pretty much stand on their own, and are worth a look if you like this. [ Enough thrills and spills to keep you watching.]

The Cockpit / Digital Devil DVD

This is another mixed bag on DVD from Kiseki. The better half is The Cockpit, a trio of war stories based on a manga written by Leiji Matsumoto (Starblazers, Galaxy Express 999, etc.) and directed by such luminaries as Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Ninja Scroll) and Ryosuke Takahashi (Votoms.) The storylines are the stuff of gripping yarns, yet the running theme of the futility of the war nicely offsets this producing something far more profound than it might seem at first. On the other hand, Digital Devil isn't up to much. It's a typical "boy unleashes demon" story based on the same computer game that produced the rather prettier looking and more entertaining Tokyo Revelation anime. Digital Devil is, however, mediocre in all departments. Still, this DVD is worth having for the Cockpit alone. It's just a shame that Kiseki don't seem to be using the format to anything like its full capabilities though. [ One of the finest animated war stories, and some filler.]

Dancougar

This is a direct to video spinoff of an TV mech show from the mid 80s. However, unlike such seminal series as Macross, Votoms and Gundam which exemplify the finer virtues of the genre, this is a fairly undistinguished effort. Indeed it has more in common with 70s shows like of Battle of the Planets in its stereotypical characters and animal-style mechs. To complete the experience there's some atrocious period J-pop they lyrics to which will probably have you laughing for all the wrong reasons. Although this series is reputed to be a bit of a fan favourite in Japan, it's hard to imagine why. [ Eminently forgettable.]

Debutante Detectives Corps

This is a direct to video releaese that never got beyond the first episode. It's fairly easy to see why given the lack of originality here. Five super rich schoolgirls fight with ridiculously powerful weapons in an unfunny "comedy" that still manages to get utterly tiresome despite the short running time. Finally, my last gripe with this is that ADV are asking nearly £13 for a 30 minute tape. Considering other companies are selling full length movies for that it's very poor value, especially for inferior product like this. [ Pointless fluff.]

Devil Hunter Yoko

A schoolgirl finds herself to be the chosen guardian of the world against evil demons. Yes, you've heard it all before, but this anime predates Buffy the Vampire Slayer by a number of years. The first episode is a bit heavy on the gratuitous nudity and some of the humour is rather crass, but it does settle down into a fairly enjoyable series after that. [ Entertaining Horror/Comedy. ]

Digimon

First and most succesful of the shows to follow in the footsteps of Pokemon, this does have it's own distinct identity that can be traced back to the Tamagotchi virtual pets which were a predecessor to Pokemon. The art style is very cute, and the animation quality somewhat above its rivals. However, it doesn't really have much to offer to those without much of an interest in monster collection, hence the low rating. [ More monster collection.]

Dirty Pair (Original Series)

Following hot on the heels of Dirty Pair flash comes the original video series. Again it's not quite on a par with the Project EDEN movie and the other full length videos which are still yet to hit the UK market, but most fans would agree that this is much more faithful to the concept than the later Flash series. On the other hand, it's showing its age a little, but once the action hots up that shouldn't be a problem. [ Essential for the DP fans out there, especially the ones that didn't like the look of DP Flash.]

Dirty Pair Flash

The original Dirty Pair series was one of those big fan favourites that for mysterious reasons somehow never managed to get a release in the UK. However many fans will be familiar with Adam Warren's comic adaptation that was serialised in Manga Mania magazine. For this new series, the "lovely angels" as they prefer to be known, have received a make-over updating their look to a more modern style of character design that will doubtless displease purists and probably have just about everyone else scratching their heads as to what was wrong with the old ones. Cute (that's kawaii for the technical minded) sells big-time in Japan, so I expect that dictated the change. Still, in the plot department it's business of the usual with the same mixture of space opera, cheesecake and wanton (albeit purely accidental, of course) destruction. So, a tentative thumbs up here, although for those who can get their hands on it I'd still rate the Project EDEN movie as their best outing to date. [ A long awaited favourite.]

Dragon Half

The title refers to the character Mink, who is half-dragon and half-human. She developes a crush on the idol singer Dick Saucer, who just happens to be a dragon hunter in his spare time. Romance is never going to be easy. Then there's an evil sorceress who view with Mink for Dick's affection and her father, a King with an assortment of incompetent henchmen. The show also makes copious use of super deformed animation where the characters are cuted-down for empahsis on the humour. Sadly, the series only runs for two episodes, but it's very good while it lasts. [ Hilariously funny.]

El Hazard

A group of Japanese schoolchildren and their teacher get transported into an alternate universe that's best described as a cross between the Arabian Nights and Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars. This is a very stylish series from the makers of Tenchi Muyo that's similarly very inventive and provides an execllent mix of comedy and action adventure. The English dubbing is particularly notable with this series as many fans rate it as highly (if not better than) the original Japanese voice acting. Much like Tenchi, this series has spawned many inferior spinoffs, but they shouldn't detract from the excellence of the orignal work. [ Excellent fantasy adventure comedy.]

El Hazard: Series 2

Rather like Tenchi Muyo (see below) El Hazard has become a bit of a victim of its own popularity in that this series seems to have been made to get some product out for the fans, rather than the creators having anything particularly new in terms of plot ideas. I suppose it's passable and will draw a few chuckles from fans of the original but there's no urgency to the proceedings and again I'll have to direct newcomers back to the first series to see what all the fuss was about. [ A patchy followup to an excellent series.]

Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals

Computer game spin-offs are usually a bit of a let down, and this is no real exception. Actually, I'd say it's better than most but this is mainly for the reason that it seems to have little to do with the original game. So, my advice even for die-hard Final Fantasy fans would be to not get your hopes up too much. Still, for what it's worth, you get a couple of hours of madcap roadrunner style chases and some bold and garish artwork which will pass the time happily for undemanding viewers. [ Fun, but nothing special.]

Fist Of The North Star: Movie

One of the first titles to be released to the UK market after Akira had set the ball rolling this has long been a top seller, much to the chagrin of many anime fans who regard it as having soured the market and coloured people's perceptions of anime. Its failings are many: The artwork dates it squarely in the mid 80s, the animation very patchy and although extremely violent it was never really aimed at anything other than the kids market in Japan. Still, it's hard to argue that it delivers the goods for its particular market in the UK. Those being a constant string of fights, the aforementioned extreme violence, and a very lightweight plot to string it all together that's only really fleshed out in the longer TV series and the manga. In isolation, the film is best considered a "beer and curry" anime, to be enjoyed whilst under the influence where you can laugh at the sheer deadpan delivery and unintentional humour of it all. [ A definitive, if rather dated, beat 'em up.]

Fist Of The North Star: TV Series

The feature length Fist of the North Star has been one of Manga Video's mainstays ever since they entered the UK market, so it's no surprise that this is their first foray into releasing a full length TV series over here. People expecting this TV series to follow the same pattern as the film though, might be in for a few surprises though... First off, the animation isn't up to the quality of the movie: with it being a typical mid-80s anime TV show there's not room for a lot of action. This leads on to the second surprise: instead of the non-stop fights of the movie the series follows the pattern of a bit of plot each episode leading up to a big fight at the climax. All of which means the story flows a lot better than in the movie. Still, at only three episodes per tape, this series is going to take a long time to collect so any potential viewers should ask themselves whether they've got the commitment to go the whole way. [ Like the movie, but less action and more plot]

Fly Peek: Peek The Baby Whale

A group of children see a baby whale in a circus and want to return him to the sea so he can be with his mother. If this sounds a bit like Free Willy, you should note that it came out in Japan quite a way before that. Still, it makes you wonder whether Disney executives had seen it. There's nothing special here, but being U rated this might appeal to younger children. However, given that it's subtitled it might not. [ A fairly average children's cartoon.]

Galactic Pirates

This is a somewhat surreal space adventure series. A space going policeman assisted by a cat like creature (given a rather irritating Eddie Murphy-esque voice in the dub) are on the trail of the aforementioned Galactic Pirates who have their hands on a bizarre reality altering device. Despite being quite original and having some good moments of comedy, the series largely fails from having rather unintersting characters and perhaps being just too silly at times too. [ Quirky, but flawed.]

Genesis Surviver Gaiarth

Yes, it really should be spelled "survivor" but then again English attempts to spell Japanese correctly are often similarly bad, so I shouldn't make too much of it. Anyway, this is a fairly likeable post-apocalypse series with a few ecological overtones from the makers of Bubblegum Crisis that's well worth watching and is good value now that the three episodes are on one tape. The dub is passable, but purists may still prefer the three tape subtitled release from Anime Projects if they can still find it. Inevitably I have to compare this to the similar Green Legend Ran, and it comes off a clear second best, but it does have enough ideas of its own to be worth a look at. [ An entertaining science fiction series at an excellent price]

Ghost in the Shell DVD

Another classic resurrected for DVD. Mamoru Oshii's (Patlabor, Urusei Yatsura) film takes a few liberties with Masamune Shirow's (Dominion, Appleseed) original designs, yet still provides some stunning visuals that, five years on, are still very much the mode in anime. The plot, whilst rather more faithful to Shirow's original, concerns the attempts of a top secret police organization to track down a cyber-terrorist who has the ability to reprogram people's brains via cybernetic implants. There's plenty of action, yet it's balanced with a fair bit of philosophising too: The boundaries between human and machine will be much less well defined in future, it seems. The DVD itself is also crammed with extras including menus, a surround sound track and a documentary on the making of the film. [ Classic Anime Cyberpunk]

Giant Robo

With the final part of this series having been stalled in production for so long, it's a great relief to see it finally released. And, mostly it doesn't disappoint. Made for an audience who likes their anime loud and action packed, with ludicrously over the top characters and overblown heroics, plus enough in-jokes to sink the Yamato, Giant Robo is always going to be a bit of an acquired taste. Still, it's one to take a look at, in my opinion. And yes, they've left room for a sequel... [ A new classic of the giant robot genre]

Gigolo / Rei Rei DVD

Another couple of oldies from Kiseki here, but this compilation is more aimed at the adult market. Gigolo is possibly one of the worst anime videos to ever hit the UK market, having a truly risible plot about a male prostitute who gets involved with a female hitman, and nothing special in the animation department either. Yet, in a typically smut-sells way, it's also been one of the most succesful. To be frank though, it's fairly pedestrian porn: The animated equivalent of a bad late night Channel 5 film. Rei Rei is a little more succesful, being a rather more imaginative and witty piece about an angel (if that's the right word) who helps people with problems with their love life. That said, it's still aimed squarely at the market for trashy smut, so don't expect anything too intellectual. Again, the DVD offers no extra features over the video releases. [ Smut]

Grey

In an an apocalyptic lanscape in the far future a war is being fought but who is on the other side, if anyone? Grey is a soldier fighting his way up the ranks to gain citizenship who begins to question what is going on. The animation on this series is rather dated and wasn't exactly high budget to begin with, but carries a minimalist charm with it that goes rather well with the grim plot. [ Worthy post apocalypse adventure.]

Gunbuster DVD

Made by the Gainax studio of Wings of Honneamise and Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, with the added talents of the same character and mechanical designers (Haruhiko Mikimoto and Koichi Ohata respectively) that later gave us Macross II, this is regarded by many fans as their finest hour and in any case is a huge fan favourite. It all starts off innocently enough in a school full of would be giant robot pilot girls with much silliness and slapstick, but develops into heavy space opera in the mould of (if not borrowing liberally from) the likes of the Forever War and Ender's Game. The emotional grand finale comes in pseudo-widescreen black and white just to emphase the fact that this series matures rapidly in its six episodes. As well as this, there's the usual Gainax collection of in-jokes and homages. A nice bonus is the super deformed science lessons.
Just don't believe any of the "science" in them though! [ Classic giant robots.]

Gunsmith Cats

This is a quasi-sequel to Kenichi Sonoda's earlier Riding Bean and features the same mixture of girls and guns. Apparently, the film crew took a trip to Chicago and based many of the locations in the anime on real places there to give it a more authentic feel. It all works rather well, as the realisation of Sonoda's characters is excellent and it's a very polished production all round. The story is a fairly ordinary cop-show standard though, and serves to bring the whole thing down. A cynic might say that Sonoda's skill as a writer fall well short of his ability as an artist. [ Girls with guns.]

Hanappe Bazooka

Coming from the creators of Kekko Kamen (Go Nagai) and Mad Bull 34 (Kazuo Koike) you might expect this to be a bit racy and in that respect it doesn't disappoint. The story, about a boy who summons some demons who then proceed to get on well with the rest of his family, but not him has it's moments, but never really rises above the bawdy. [ Typical smut.]

Hummingbirds

You'd better disengage your brain for this one as, believe it or not, idol singers have taken over the Japanese Self Defence Force! If you like J-pop, cuteness and a totally ludicrous plot this will be for you. If, on the other hand, you thought 801 TTS Airbats was a bit silly your mileage may vary. [ Idol pop fluff.]

Kama Sutra

In case you've not guessed, this anime was inspired by the legendary Indian sex manual of the same name. Created by Go Nagai, this is typically crude with a plot that contrives to throw the main characters into the sexual positions, but aside from a bit of violence at the start he manages to keep his grosser side in check so this might appeal to those looking for a sex comedy. It never aspires to anything greater than that though. [ Lewd and crude.]

Kimagure Orange Road OVAs

Kimagure roughly translates as "whimsical" and that's a good word to sum up this romantic comedy from the 80s that's widely regarded as a classic. The art and animation is looking a little dated, but that shouldn't really trouble fans of the genre as the main strength of the series lies with its characters, three schoolchildren in a love triangle., The added twist is that one of them is from a family with psychic powers, not that it helps him much when he gets caught in the middle of the two girls vying for his affection.. All of this makes for some excellent moments of comedy. On the downside, there's little in the way of an ongoing plot progression as these episodes were created after the original TV series (which is unlikely to ever get a UK release although it can be imported from the USA) had finished. [ Recommended for fans of romantic comedy]

Kimagure Orange Road Movie

This was originally the grand finale of the series (although another film has subsequently been released in Japan and the USA) in which the three children finally grew up and left school and the love triangle was resolved. It takes a much different approach to its predecessors taking a straight and serious tone througout.which makes it a powerful and engaging movie especially for those who've seen the TV series and the OVAs before and strongly identify with the characters and decisions they face. The ending is bound to draw a few tears from all but the most hardened cynics. [ Kimagure Orange Road grows up.]

Ladius

Director Hiroshi Negishi later went on to greater fame and fortune with series like Burn Up W and Tenchi Muyo. This one off OVA was one of his earlier and somewhat undistinguished efforts though in which a group of adventurers equipped with a token giant mech are pursued by evil mercenaries through a post apocalyptic wilderness. It's never particularly bad, but quite predictable and lightweight. [ Average mech stuff.]

Legend Of Crystania

Following on from Lodoss Wars, this is another highly D&D influenced anime. So, fans of TSR inspired product will lap it up. For the rest of us, it's the same mixture of highs and lows as Lodoss: The artwork is fabulous at times, but woefully lacking in fluid animation at others. Similarly the grandiose plot is peopled with characters so cardboard you could practically freeze frame them and cut them out. In some places you wouldn't strictly even need to freeze frame due to the aforementioned animation... Still, I think this one will be a hit with much the same people who like Lodoss for much the same reasons. The story is later continued in some direct to video releases that have some inferior artwork although they're faithful to the plot so fans should enjoy them. [ Fantasy fodder]

Love City

An artificial girl holds a secret genetic code and flees through a nightmarish future city with some renegades from a psychic police force. If this sounds a bit like Akira, then you're right. However, this film came first and so scores points for originality. However, it's a distinctly low budget affair by comparison and has a labyrinthine plot that defies logic at times. The title is a bit of a bilingual pun as the Japanese for "love" is "ai" which can also stand for Artificial Intelligence. [ Surreal psychic thriller.]

Lupin III - The Castle of Cagliostro

The Lupin III series is a long running and succesful franchise in Japan where it has been delighting audiences for the past two and a half decades with a mixture of madcap farce and James Bond style espionage. This is, for most people, the pick of the films. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki who later went on to establish himself with future hits like Laputa, Totoro and Princess Mononoke it's invested with a solid storyline where the master thief has to foil the plan the evil Count Cagliostro and save Lady Clarisse to gain her rightful inheritance, all the while avoiding the attentions of the obsessed Inspector Zenigata who has been chasing him since time immemorial. [ Excellent fun.]

Lupin III - The Fuma Conspiracy

Another excellent Lupin III film, this sees him in conflict with the notorious Fuma Clan. Watch out for the excellent ongoing car chase, which is the film's highlight. This is rather less plot driven than The Castle of Cagliostro, however that makes it rather more faithful to the Lupin III series and as such many fans regard it as the suprior film. [ Excellent fun.]

Lupin III - The Gold Of Babylon

Arguably the weakest of the Lupin III movies to get to the UK so far, this is a rather disjointed effort that's good in parts but still has a few entertaining moments. The main highlight is to see Lupin III disguising himself as Fumiko to get near her boyfriend. [ Entertaining.]

Lupin III - Goodbye Lady Liberty

Created as a TV special in 1987 this is the most recent of the Lupin III movies to have made it to the UK, however it suffers from a noticeably lower budget so doesn't really look much more modern than the rest. Still, you get to see Lupin III pull one of his most audacious heists ever by stealing the statue of the title in order to get his hands on a priceless gem. [ Entertaining.]

Lupin III - The Secret Of Mamo

Created in 1978 this was the first of the many feature length Lupin III movies. It has dated rather badly over the years, but still has its moments largely with the copious stunts. [ Entertaining.]

Macross: Do You Remember Love?

This was the big budget retelling of the original Macross TV series that was adapted as part of Robotech, so is a must for fans of that series. It takes a few liberties with rewriting the storyline, but that's generally for the better as the characters are re-introduced and the drama unfolds nicely. Also, the animation and artwork are far better here, holding their own against many more modern films. There are no fancy Macross Plus style computer graphics here, but the cel animation is extremely slick and the artwork, especially on the backgrounds, is excellent. Fans of J-pop will enjoy Mari Iijima's many songs throughout the film. The dubbed version was released under the title of "Clash of the Bionoids" and is a very poor effort, with some of the dullest voice acting I've ever heard, so I suggest people go for the subtitled version. [ The greatest mecha story ever told, perhaps?]

Macross II

This was the first of many recent sequels to the original Macross TV series. However, it was made without many of the original creative team (the notable exception being Haruhiku Mikimoto whose character designs are well up to his usual standards) so it's subesequently been cast aside in the official continuity. Still, that shouldn't detract from any enjoyment of this series that you might have, as it's very much in the same mould as the original Macross with its mixture of giant transforming robot fighter aircraft action and Japanese pop music. There are some great mechanical designs from Koichi Ohata to enjoy and plenty of space operatics too as vast alien armadas converge on an unsuspecting Earth largely defended by the aformentioned fighters and music. Just don't expect the animation to be anything like as good as Macross Plus though. [ A worthy follow up to a classic mech show]

Magical Girl Pretty Sammy

This is a spinoff of the Tenchi Muyo series in which Sasami becomes her alter ego, namely the magical girl of the title. Basically, it's a light-hearted spoof on popular magical girls shows such as Sailor Moon, although it fails somewhat as if anything it's less amusing than the shows it's supposed to be parodying. Given that Tenchi Muyo was such a big hit in Japan, you can understand Pioneer wanting to squeeze as much mileage out of it, but they've gone a little too far for their own good with this. [ Only worth getting if you just have to have a full set of Tenchi Muyo videos]

Martian Successor Nadesico

Another TV series from AD Vision, and easily the best they've released since Evangelion. The plot? A huge alien armada is rapidly advancing through the solar system and only the battleship Nadesico can save humanity from defeat. If this sounds a little banal, then that's partly the point. Nadesico is heavily loaded with parodies of a wide range of anime classics from Yamato(Starblazers) to the more recent Irresponsible Captain Tylor (still yet to be released in the UK) and its cartload of in-jokes, including a stupid-mech-show within the show that a number of the ship's crew are die hard fans of, have made it a firm favourite amongst fandom. Still, even if you won't get all the references, this is still an entertaining if predictable sci-fi show. [ An excellent recent TV anime]

MD Geist

This was Koichi Ohata's first feature as director. It became famous in the west as the title character became the logo of Central Park Media's US Manga Corps line. Ohata is an excellent mech designer, as evidenced in Macross II and Gunbuster, however his storytelling does leave a lot to be desired. This is basically one long gory action fest with an almost inexplicable conclusion, so for maximum enjoyment turn your brain off before viewing. The sequel, financed partly by Central Park Media, takes up where the original left off and in much the same manner. [ Plenty of action, but empty.]

Metal Angel Marie

Another take on the super-girlfriend theme, as seen in fan favourites Video Girl Ai and Oh My Goddess! Like them, it's mostly played for laughs, although there are a few serious notes in Marie's awareness of her own consciousness and the inevitable love triangle that develops. [ Worth a look for fans of romantic comedy seeking a new video girl.]

Moomin

A Japanese/European co-production based on the books by Tove Jansson. This is aimed at younger children, but quite well made and enjoyable for those who are familiar with the books. [ Good for younger children.]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

It's a rare thing for a TV series to be released in it's entirety in the UK market, and this is one of the better ones. Produced by the Gainax studio, famous for Wings of Honneamise, Gunbuster, Otaku No Video, etc. this series binds together such influences as giant robot shows of the 70s and 80s, Ultraman, and even a hint of Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds. If you can get into the spirit of it all, this is nothing less than addictive. Although many may find the anticlimactic ending a let down, the End of Evangelion movie will hopefully follow soon, which provides a more fitting finale. [ Outstanding]

Nightwarriors

Yet another computer game spinoff and the usual caveats apply. i.e. That you'll probably like this if you're a fan of the game but otherwise it's got little to offer. In the absence of anything else to say, I suppose the character designs are rather reminiscent of the sort you get in the Streetfighter II games rather than the usual for anime, but that's about it. [ Game fans only]

Ninja Resurrection

I've a slight quibble with AD Vision's marketing on this one, namely the box art, logo and blurb all seem designed to make this look as though it's the long-awaited sequel to Ninja Scroll. That, unfortunately, is not the case, as it's only loosely related in that the central character Jubei is based on the same legendary figure. However, once that is out of the way, this is a high-quality piece of historical fantasy with a pretty good style of its own. The one drawback is that only the two episodes on this tape were ever made, so the series ends with a mighty cliffhanger. [ Good martial-arts action.]

Ninja Scroll

Ninja Scroll is directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri (Cyber City Oedo 808 and Wicked City) and produced by the Madhouse studio. It is set in 17th century Japan, bringing violently to life some of the country's ancient mythology as legendary swoardsman Jubei faces off against the devils of Kimon. The artwork and animation are of the highest quality with a very distinctive style, and combine with the historical background and some excellent characterisation to provide depth to what otherwise might only have been a straightforeward beat 'em up. Still, it's the action sequences that truly impress the most as some of the finest swordplay ever animated is on display here. If Akira Kurosawa ever made anime films, they'd probably look something like this. [ An excellent action movie.]

Oh My Goddess

A long awaited DVD release beckons for this anime based on Fujishima Kyosuke's manga. It's a popular fan favourite, but has rather paled on me over time. The artwork and aniation is great, but romance doesn't come much more slushy than this as typical hopeless student Keiichi luckily manages to find himself waited on hand and foot by the immensely powerful, yet rather ditzy, goddess Belldandy and her sisters Urd and Skuld. Still, if you're a hopeless romantic you could do far worse than picking this up. [ Enjoyable, if somewhat fluffy, romantic comedy.]

Panzer Dragoon

Another computer game spinoff but this time it's a dragon riding shoot-em-up rather than the usual beat-em-up. You don't get much of a storyline in these affairs and veterans of the UK anime scene will have seen the same thing before with the Salamander anime. This predictably leads to some rather spiffy action sequences but not a lot in the way of plot or characters, a deficiency capped off by it having a running time of a mere 30 minutes. [ Game fans only]

Patlabor

Set sometime in the future, this is the adventures of a police force designed to deal with crimes involving labors, the giant robots of the future. The two movies released in the UK are actually the end of a much longer TV and video series that's only available on import. This is a bit of a shame really, as the characters and their relationships are established during it. Still, the movies both stand up well in their own right with some excellent artwork and animation. They were directed by Mamoru Oshii who later went on to make Ghost in the Shell which shares many of the same qualities. It's a testament to his directoral skills that he can transform what's basically a children's TV series into tense political crime thrillers. Akemi Takada (Urusei Yatsura, Kimagure Orange Road) provides the character designs. [ The thinking man's giant robot show.]

Perfect Blue

A piece of psychological horror about the life of an idol singer who has to deal with a sudden career change into acting, threats from a mysterious fan who isn't so keen on this move and a terrifying descent into madness, this has to rank as one of the most powerful films I've seen in my life whether animated or otherwise. I first saw it back at the Shinnenkai 98 convention over twenty months ago now, but the indelible marks it made on my psyche are still there. Taking a radically different approach to animation, this film has more akin with a live-action suspense movie in terms of plot and style, but uses the power of animation to break into surreal dream sequences with a force that would be extremely difficult to create in that mode alone. [ Innovative and powerful]

Pokemon - TV Series

Based on the computer game of the same name, this title needs little introduction as you can hardly cross the street without seeing a Pikachu doll these days. To it's credit it avoids many of the pitfalls of computer game spinoff anime with a continuing storyline and some good humour. The dubbing and adaptation for the Western markets are largely excellent too when you consider the fate that befell series like Gatchaman and Sailor Moon. However, even with all that said, I still can't see this being much more than a very popular fad in the long run. Hopefully it will be one that will open a few eyes to the larger world of anime in general though [ Monster collecting at its best.]

Pokemon - The First Movie

Whilst I'd grudgingly admit that the TV series has its merits, it's hard to see this film as anything other than a fairly ordinary product churned out to fill out the demand for Pokemon on the big screen. Still, the rather bizarre Pikachu's vacation short thrown in as an extra just saves this from being given a one star review on account of it's sheer oddity. [ More fodder for Pokemon fans]

Power DoLLs

Yet another computer game spinoff, this is a fairly half-hearted effort that goes somewhat akin to an episode of Bubblegum Crisis minus the characterisation. [ For fans of the computer game.]

Princess Minerva

This is based on the computer game of the same name, and will mainly be of interest to its fans, but it just about passes muster as a light hearted fantasy show with some fairly decent artwork. [ For fans of the computer game.]

Princess Mononoke

The most succesful Japanese film ever, animated or otherwise, this is an ecologically themed fantasy tour de force that recalls director Hayao Miyazaki's earlier films Nausicca of the Valley of Wind and Laputa: Castle in the Sky. After a fight with a rogue forest spirit, Prince Ashitaka finds himself mortally wounded and decides to use what remains of his life to set off on a quest to discover what enraged the spirit so. One of the nicer points about this film is that there are no obvious villains. The characters all have their good points, yet the conflict arises because they don't entirely understand each other.  [ Magnificent.]

Queen Emeraldas

This new release brings new life to the art of Leiji Matsumoto renowned for seventies classics like Galaxy Express 999 and Starblazers with some state of the art comuter enhanced animation. The plot is typically grandiose space opera, that unfortuantely seems a little cramped in the mere hours running time, but still provides for plenty of spectacle and heroics. Aside from that, my only complaint is that there isn't more of this than the two episodes presented here. [ Excellent space opera]

Riding Bean

Another re-released oldie from MVM. This was Kenichi Sonoda's first anime where he wrote the storyline as well as doing the character designs, so it's a must have for fans of his work.Bean's sidekick is also none other than Rally Vincent from the Gunsmith Cats although she did have a bit of a redesign for that later role. That said, it is a bit of mish-mash of car chases, gunfights and the odd bit of gratuitous sex and violence gaining it an 18 rating. Still, providing you're prepared to leave your brain out of gear it's an entertaining ride. [ Worth a look for action fans]

Rail Of The Star

It's a bit unusual to see anime that's not of the fantasy/horror/science fiction mould over here, so this should be a treat for anyone looking for a bit of variety. Set in Korea just after the second world war, this is the story of a family who must escape from what is now enemy territory. Highlighting the horrors of war, this is an intelligent piece of film making whether just regarded as anime or otherwise. It almost begs comparison with the classic Grave of the Fireflies, but lacks the artistic mastery of the latter. Still very good though. [ A refreshing alternative]

Rayearth

A rather cuter series from the CLAMP team that created X, Tokyo Babylon and RG Veda. This is a fantasy series about three schoolgirls transported to a strange land where they become magic knights fighting to save the world from evil. Superficially it resembles Sailor Moon meets Dungeons and Dragons although there is a fair bit more to it than just that. This release is of the direct-to-video follow up to the TV series which as usual probably won't see the light of day in the UK although can be imported from both the US and Japan. [ Superior Fantasy]

Robotech II - The Sentinels

This is an American follow up to the original Macross series that was commissioned by Harmony Gold after the success of the TV series in the US under the name Robotech. It was originally intended to be a complete TV series although due to escalating costs this plan was dropped and the footage that had already been made was hastily assembled into a straight to video movie. Given that it should come as no surprised that it's a perfunctory space opera with mediocre animation and not much of a plot. Although Macross fans may be pleased to see new adventures of their favourite characters, I'd expect they'd be just as likely to be annoyed at this third rate effort. [ A very poor effort indeed]

Sakura Wars

Very much of the same retro-mech school as Kishin Heidan and Giant Robo this video series takes anime back to the steam era. While it isn't nearly as entertaining as its more illustrious predecessors, this isn't too bad for a spinoff from a computer game. People who, unlike me, have actually played the game will probably love this. [ More retro-mech fun]

Salamander

This is another spinoff based on the computer game of the same name which itself was a fairly popular follow up to the excellent Gradius (known sometimes as Nemesis in the West.) As you might expect the plot is wafer thin filler between slices of shoot 'em up action and the only highlight is some character designs by Haruhiku Mikimoto (Orguss 02, Macross, Gunbuster, etc.) Alas, the storyline does little to bring them to life, so even that is largely wasted. [ For fans of the game, if there still are any.]

Samurai Gold

In their short life Western Connection managed to release plenty of poor anime titles, but this one surely has to take the cake. Yet another all powerful computer has mankind in its thrall and it's up to our eponymous hero to reclaim our future. There's some truly cringeworthy attempts at comedy along the way, but this one is largely forgettable. [ Cliched and unfunny.]

Samurai X OVAs

This is the direct to video spinoff of Ruroni Kenshin, a very popular TV series in Japan that's based around historical legends. It's more Dragonball than Ninja Scroll though, although this release does pump up the action somewhat with a story from swordsman Kenshin's youth. Hugely popular in fandom at the moment. [ Worth a look at for Ninja fans]

Samurai X Movie

This movie represents, for my money, the best of the Kenshin stories. It is much closer in style to the TV series with more of the comedy slapstick feel of it, and set quite a while after the OVAs so don't expect it to tie into them too much. Still, it does get quite violent at times, so don't be taken unawares by this. The animation quality is rather good, and although some footage is obviously recycled it's done in a fairly inventive way. The story starts of fairly pedestrian but does build to quite an exciting climax. Still, I can't see what all the fuss is about over this series as it has little of the flare that makes Ninja Scroll and the Hakkenden stand out from the crowd. [ Worth a look at for Ninja fans]

The Sensualist

Whilst most anime erotica is rather crude, this is a somewhat more sophisticated piece based on a seventeenth century novel "The Life of an Amorous Man" by Saikaku Ihara. The artwork is markedly different to the usual in anime, drawing inspiration from the traditional art of the period. The film combines two interweaving stories that finally coincide at the end. All in all this will appeal more to those looking for culture than bare skin. [ Stylish.]

Slayers: The Motion Picture

Another highly D&D influenced anime here, although this is a lot more light hearted than Lodoss and Crystania. Cute sorceress Lina Inverse and her ludicrously attired sidekick Naga battle evil, but without really so much as a hint of danger. In places it's somewhat reminiscent of Dragon Half although it rarely achieves the same levels of humour and silliness. Worth a look for fans of the cuter end of the fantasy genre. [ More fantasy fodder, but cute this time]

Slayers: Dragon Slave and Explosion Array

With these releases the mileage in the Slayers franchise is starting to show. Lacking anything resembling a plot, the story is driven along only by a series of weak gags with some not-particularly character building filler scenes. I'd recommend getting the (currently unreleased in the UK but available as an import from the US) TV series instead if you require more of a Slayers fix after the movie than these desultory efforts [ Slayers fans only]

Slow Step

Being a rather straightforward school drama with no sci-fi or fantasy elements this series was a bit of a departure for Western Connection and the UK anime market in general. However, rumour has it that this title was one of the worst ever sellers with only 800 tapes sold, so this didn't exactly broaden the market much. The anime is based on a manga by Mitsuru Adachi who is best known for the Touch series. As such this is one of his lesser efforts and only merited five episodes whilst the character animation doesn't do his artwork many favours. Still, it's entertaining enough on the plot front and has enough eye openers to suggest that it's not entirely typical of life in a Japanese school. [ High school drama.]

Space Firebird

The Earth seems doomed to disaster as it's mineral resources are almost exhausted and the one hope for the future lies in capturing the mysterious Phoenix which offers a potentially limitless source of energy. Only one man who has been trained from birth can take on the task, but even he has some qualms about the mission. Creator Osamu Tezuka was arguably the greatest manga artist of all time with such pioneering titles as Kimba the White Lion and Astro Boy, however the sprawling, multi-threaded Phoenix Saga was his own personal favourite and this 1980 movie represents part of it on the big screen. At the time it was made, it was the most expensive anime movie made and features some truly lavish sequences. However, it now looks very dated, even more so than some of it's contemporaries as the Tezuka art style is much more synonimous with the 1960s. The characters are also somewhat two-dimensional, a fact that's not helped much by a poor dubbing effort which appears to have been done in the early 80s to help sell the film aboard. Still, if you can overlook it's flaws, there's much to admire in the artwork and animation. The storyline has a truly breathtaking scope and offers a rather philosophical view on the role of humanity in the universe. [ Dated, but a classic.]

Sol Bianca

Another old favourite that Kiseki have decided to re-release for DVD, and the big shock is that they've actually included some menus and extras this time rather than just converting the video release over to the new format. The storyline is a starfaring science fiction adventure about an all girl crew of a hugely sophisticated spaceship. The first episode is excellent and stands well alone, but the plot rather flags a bit in a silly second episode that ends in a cliff hanger that was never resolved. A new series was released in Japan and the US but is more of a rehash than a continuation. [ Excellent science fiction adventure.]

Sonic the Hedgehog

Yet another bad computer game spinoff presumably prompted by the release of the Dreamcast re-hash of the game. I suppose if you've still not managed to shake off your addiction to the furry blue hedgehog over the years, this'll be the thing for you. For anyone else though, it's not even worth a look. The animation is dire for a movie feature these days, I've seen better in many recent TV series, and the plot bears all the hallmarks of something cooked up just for the sake of it. [ Avoid unless you are a die hard fan]

Starblazers DVD

Originally made for Japanese television in 1974 as Space Cruiser Yamato, this series was instrumental in kickstarting Japanese anime fandom. A few years later it was dubbed and re-edited for American television as Starblazers and did much the same there. Sadly it never made it to UK television, however it was one of Kiseki's first releases on video and now they're bringing it back out again on DVD. To compare this to more mordern anime is a little unfair, as it's a contemporary of the likes of Marine Boy and Battle of the Planets, however once you look beyond the simplistic animation and rather dubious science, there's a gripping plot with plenty of heroics. [ A classic, albeit a very dated one]

Street Fighter Alpha

Released as Streetfighter Zero in Japan, this is yet another rehash on the familiar theme. It has much the same strengths and failings as the others with perhaps slightly weaker animation than the movie version but rather better than the TV series. As ever, unless you're a huge fan of the games, you're not going to be picking this one up for the plot. [ Fans of the game only]

Street Fighter II: TV Series

This is another of those computer game spin-offs that pretty much falls into the category where fans of the game will enjoy it, but others will find it a yawn. The plot is rarely less than ridiculous and the only real reason for watching this is if you want to watch the characters fight each other without having to lift your joy pad. Other people seeking cheap beat-em-up thrills might be better advised to take a look at the Fist of the North Star TV series instead. [ Fans of the game only]

Street Fighter II: The Movie

Being based on a hit computer game, this has been one of the biggest selling releases in the UK market for anime. However it's far from the best and in terms of the quality of the plot it's amongst the worst: There's little more than a feeble excuse to string together fights involving every character featured in the game. Throw in a few Bruce Lee and James Bond cliches and that's basically it, although if you're a fan of the game and just want to see your favourite characters get into a fight, you might possibly see this as as good thing. The Western release also had the soundtrack completely changed. Whilst the likes of KMFDM, Alice in Chains and Korn are generally much more to my taste than the J-pop soundtrack, they're just not the originals. To add insult to injury the forthcoming DVD release looks as though it will be one of the few not to feature the Japanese soundtrack as an option. To list the film's merits: There is no shortage of action, the animation is quite good, and the artwork is very faithful to the game. Director Gisaburo Sugii's talents are criminally wasted here though. If you really want to see what he can do with a free rein, I suggest you check out the magnificent Night on the Galactic Railroad or the Tale of Genji, both based on classic Japanese novels. On the other hand, if all you really just want to see lots of fights you know where to look. [ Fans of the game only]

Takegami: Guardian of Darkness

Yet another entry in the bunch-of-schoolkids-unleash-a-demon stakes here. I think it's a fairly decent effort with some nice if not outstanding artwork and a well-handled romantic subplot, but frankly there's nothing I've not seen done elsewhere before. Often a lot better too. Anime fans may be pleased to note that this release is subtitled, which is getting to be a bit of a rare thing these days, although given that they'll also probably have watched a fair number of similar horror tales, they still might be inclined to give this a miss. [ Nothing special]

Tekken: The Motion Picture

Yet another computer game spin-off here, and this one is quite frankly appalling. I've seen even die hard fans of the game lose their lunch over it. For the record, there's no discernable plot, the art is second rate compared to the game, most of the more interesting characters (Yoshimitsu, etc.) are conspicuous by their absence, and even the fighting animation is lacklustre. [ Avoid]

Tenchi Muyo OVA series

This show follows the familar dorky-teenage-boy-gets-lots-of-girls path established by the likes of Urusei Yatsura. However, unlike many others, it rather trancends its humble origins. Firstly it provided a fresh and original art style, plenty of action and adventure and some side splitting moments of comedy. There are some wonderful characters too: Aeka, a prissy alien princess; Ryoko, a sexy demon space pirate; and not least Ryo-oh-ki, the cutest transforming spaceship this side of the galaxy. The first six episodes that formed the original series and progress nicely to a climax where Tench is pitched against the evil space pirate Kagato. Being a huge success, it was spun off into many sequels however few of them live up to the original dropping back to the famililar formula of an alien-babe-of-the-week show. Start here if you want to see what the fuss is about though. [ A great comedy space adventure.]

Tenchi Muyo - Movie 1: Tenchi Muyo In Love

After it looked as though the Tenchi franchise was starting to run out of steam, along comes this movie, Directed by Hiroshi Negishi (Burn Up W, Shadowskill, etc.) and featuring music by Christopher Franke (Babylon 5), to liven things up again. The artwork and animation are considerably better than the original video series and with yet another rehash the plot has something to offer other than a succession of alien babes who fall in love with Tenchi. Arch-criminal Kain escapes and, after trashing the Galaxy Police HQ, goes back in time to try and kill Tenchi's mother before he's even been born. Tenchi and friends have to go back in time to put a stop to this, the irony being that Tenchi never knew his mother as she died when he was young. Pretty gripping stuff. [4 Stars Almost back to the heights of the original video series.]

Tenchi Muyo - Movie 2: Daughter of Darkness

Whilst nowhere near as bad as Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, this also suffers somewhat from trying to get as much mileage out of the Tenchi series as possible, while it's still at the height of its popularity. Still, the animation is nice, albeit not quite in the same league as the first movie, and while nothing new, the plot (about an alien girl cloned from Tenchi's DNA causing havoc in the Masaki household) is engaging enough to keep you watching. For any newcomer to anime who wants to know what made this series so popular though, I'd recommend going back to the first movie or the original video series. There's also a rather better third movie, but it has yet to find a UK release. [ Marking time in the Tenchi Universe.]

Urotsukidoji - Legend Of The Overfiend

Newly scheduled for DVD release this is a title which should require little in the way of introduction. Put simply it's the most infamous of the, albeit relatively few, "tentacle porn" anime titles that hit the UK market in the early 90s. Creator Toshio Maeda throws adolescent sexual fantasies, mythology, horror and some rather striking imagery together into a potent cocktail which had no trouble finding itself an audience on these shores. The plot is rather incoherent and often inconsistant, which isn't entirely surprising when you consider that the movie was largely spliced together from three seperate video releases. BBFC censorship also adds to the general confusion removing a number of key, if rather sickening, scenes. Although this turned many heads when first released and isn't entirely without its merits, I'd say there are many better and more worthy titles out there to consider now. [ Absolutely not for the squeamish.]

Urotsukidoji II - Legend Of The Demon Womb

For those of you out there watching it for the story (I know there are some) this is more of an aside to the first film than a direct sequel. Unlike its predecessor, this actually managed to stick to a coherent plot throughout the duration of the film. Although being based around a demon rape machine invented by an insane Nazi scientist it's not exactly going to convince everyone, myself included. It's a thoroughly nasty piece of work as you might expect. [ More of the same for those that want it.]

Urotsukidoji III - Return Of The Overfiend

Kiseki managed to jump in front of Manga Video to grab the rights to this third part to the series, hence it made it out on DVD before the others. It's much the same mixture of horror, pornography and outlandish fantasy as before, and by various twists continues the story from the first two films. BBFC censorship hit this segment particularly hard removing nearly ten minutes from some of the episodes. [ If you're still watching this series by now, I suppose you'll want it.]

Urotsukidoji IV - Infernal Road

The final installment in the series was far too graphic to get past the BBFC so it sat in limbo for many a year before this final embarrasing release. In an effort to extract something back for the fair amount of money they must have shelled out for the license, Kiseki have released the few scraps that survived censorship strung together with stills and narration to fill in the copious gaps. If you really must see this series to the conclusion, this is probably the only way you're going to get it legally in the UK for quite some time, but on the whole I can't see too many people finding this in the least bit satisfactory. [1 Star An inchoerent mess.]

Urusei Yatsura TV Series

Although MVM have been re-releasing the Urusei Yatsura movies, it appears that they won't be doing the TV series. Still, it does represent the start of the series and tapes of the old Anime Projects release occasionally turn up, so I thought I'd better include this for completeness. This is a rather old show that first ran in Japan in 1981, so don't expect too much on the production side, however, it's still an enduring fan favourite. As you might expect, there's some hilarious slapstick, although this is nicely balanced by a touch of pathos as the characters develop. This was based an original manga by Rumiko Takahashi who later went on to create many other popular series including Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku and Inu Yasha. Character designs were provided by Akemi Takada who later worked on Kimagure Orange Road and Patlabor. Mamoru Oshii (Patlabor, Ghost in The Shell, etc.) directs and also scripted some of the later episodes of the series which take on many of the themes which became prevalent in his later work. A few of the episodes in this series were dubbed and shown under the title of "Lum The Invader Girl" on BBC Choice. The Anime Projects tape release however, is subtitled, and comes with some very good liner notes detailing the background of the series and the elements of Japanese culture in it that don't translate well. [ A classic anime TV series. Worth getting, if you can still find it.]

Urusei Yatsura Movie 1: Only You

After the series had been running on TV for a couple of years it made its first outing on the big screen. This first film pretty much follows the same formula as the TV series making use of the better animation available in the format, although it doesn't really use its running time to innovate nearly as much as some of the later films. We do get to see Ataru abducted by alien princess Rose, much to the chagrin of Lum, who must then round up all her friends and come to his rescue. Not that he wants to be rescued too much, it seems. Mamoru Oshii again directs, but it wasn't until the second film (Beautiful Dreamer, not released in the UK) that he really hit the mark with his own style. [ A good movie but there was better to come.]

Urusei Yatsura Movie 3: Remember My Love

After Mamoru Oshii left the series to concentrate on other projects (most notably Angel's Egg) Kazuo Yamazaki took up the reins and did a fine job too. This is my favourite of the more straightforward plotted Urusei Yatsura movies as Lum must travel through time and space to avoid a curse placed up on her at birth. Ataru is none too happy about the affects it has on him either. [ Excellent.]

Urusei Yatsura Movie 4: Lum The Forever

Having established himself with the previous feature, Yamazaki set out to try and beat Oshii at his own game and produce something truly surreal and pretty much succeeded. This film takes a look at the characters through their dreams and builds nicely on the sentiments established earlier in the series. Because of this, it's probably not the best place for people new to Urusei Yatsura to start though. [ One of the most bizarre and beautiful anime films ever.]

Urusei Yatsura Movie 5: Lum The Forever

All good things have to come to an end, and Urusei Yatsura was no exception, well for a while anyway. As you can see they still made a few side stories after this one, but the relationship between Lum and Ataru is finally tied up here. Will Lum and Ataru live happily ever after, or will meddling aliens ruin it all? You'll have to watch and find out sometime. [ A fitting finale.]

Urusei Yatsura Movie 6: Always My Darling

Having supposedly finished off the series in the previous movie, it was decided to make this film as a tenth anniversary special. This time it's Ataru's turn to yet again get kidnapped by an alien princess and Lum and friends must rescue him. It follows the same formula as the TV series, and enjoyable though this is there is nothing particularly new here. [ Made for the fans and it shows.]

Urusei Yatsura OVA Series

After the TV series had finished, there were still many fans of the show around, so it continued in the form of these video episodes for a while. For the most part they're quite watchable, but rarely as good as the best of the TV series or the movies. The interesting one is Inaba The Dreammaker which provides an alternate "ending" to the series to the one provided by Lum The Forever. [ For UY fans who have everything else.]

Ushio And Tora

An excellent fantasy series based on a popular manga. Ushio is the typical schoolboy who releases yet another demon in the shape of Tora. Tora is a rather surly beast who superficially resembles a tiger, but deep down he develops something of a fondness for his human friend and watching the relationship between them grow through the series is most entertaining. There follows plenty of comedy and adventure, but be wary as some of the later episodes are rather violent so this might not be quite so suitable for children in the West as the original was considered in Japan. The final installment is a "comedy deformed" special featuring three cuted down vignettes and a couple of music videos. [ Superior fantasy adventure.]

X

One of the most eagerly awaited anime films of recent years, this is based on the long-running apocalyptic manga series from the CLAMP team (RG Veda, Rayearth, Tokyo Babylon) and directed by Rin Taro (Harmagedon, Galaxy Express, Doomed Megalopolis) with character designs from Nobuteru Yuki (Escaflowne, Lodoss Wars, Battle Angel Alita) and animated by the renowned Madhouse studio. Given such a creative team and a healthy budget to work with the quality of this release should come as no surprise. The film does suffer from serious plot compression though, having to cram eight volumes of manga without an ending into just eighty minutes of animation in a manner reminiscent of the Akira movie. So, you'll see characters introduced and dying within minutes giving the impression of a beat-em-up film that too often glosses over the complicated background plot. However, given the limitations of feature length anime, it's hard to see how else it could have been made and it does provide an incentive to get the manga so you can read up on what you've missed. [ Visually stunning.]

Yotoden

This is a rather stylish fantasy series loosely based around Japanese history. It's not quite in the same league as The Hakkenden or Ninja Scroll when it comes down to production values, but the central plot is very much on the epic Kurosawa scale and based around a genuine Japanese legend. The let down is some distinctly below-par action sequences, which look more like offcuts from a computer fighting game spinoff, but as long as you're interested in watching it for the plot, that shouldn't deter you. I first saw this series about a year back, and despite my initial disappointement, it's grown on me a bit since then. Also, it's another rare chance for fans to pick up a series subtitled. [ Worth a look for ninja fans.]

You're Under Arrest

This is a light hearted cop show based on a manga by Fujishima Kyosuke of Oh My Goddess fame that largely centres on a couple of female police officers. It's hardly gripping drama, but the artwork is very nice, and there are some mildly entertaining moments of comedy. (e.g. On her first day in the job one of the heroines arrests someone for dangerous driving only to find out it's her partner. You get the idea?) Like the earlier series though, it's pretty much a case of style over substance. [ Pretty but largely uninteresting.]

Wings of Honneamise

Set on a world rather like our own, this tells the story of the struggle of a small underfunded team to put at rocket into space, and the man who must transform himself from an unlikely slacker to be their first astronaut. Unlike most anime, this is quite a serious work with strong emphaisis on the characters, and a realistic approach to the science of space flight. Indeed it can be heavy going at times, although the patient viewers will be rewarded by one of the most spectacular finales ever animated. This was the first foray of the Gainax studio (who later went on to produce Gunbuster and Evangelion amonst other anime) into full-scale production and at the time was the most expensive anime film that had been made. This is evidenced by superb attention to detail, and some great animation and artwork that holds up well against subsequent films. Although it flopped at the time of release due to the lack of a sufficient market to support its very expensive production, it subsequently became a huge cult favourite and finally broke even a decade later in a manner rather akin to the movie Blade Runner, which similarly came along somewhat before its time. [ Intelligent science fiction drama.]

Back to Matt's anime page


This document was last updated on 25th September 2001

If you have any suggestions concerning this page, please contact: Matt_Barber@hotmail.com