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mrwuggs's Anime

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3x3 Eyes (OAV) Excellent The most accurate way to describe this anime is Ah! My Goddess meets Devilman.
3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu (OAV) Excellent The sequal to the first 3x3 eyes OVA. The title is translated as "The Divine Demon." The most accurate way to describe this anime is Ah! My Goddess meets Devilman.
Adieu Galaxy Express 999 (movie) Good Entertaining sequal to Matsumoto Leji's classic Galaxy Express 999. Interesting Star Wars parallels. Was this where they lifted the plot for Dark Empire? Faust the Black Knight is a blatant Darth Vader knock-off, mask and all. Knock-offs aside, for fans of Leji or the 999 this is not to be missed.
Ai no Kusabi (OAV) Good Hot yaoi boys in a Brave New World. Amusing Soylent Green referance to "Furniture." A touch on the angsty side, but you can't begrudge a little drama.
Akira (movie) Decent Famously bad dub. Also famously confusing adaptive screenplay. The manga is a masterpiece, but this is at best a spectacle. Amazingly high-quality animation. This is the comic book/movie that broke manga/anime to the US commercial market.
Alien Nine (special) Masterpiece From the screenwriter of Cowboy Bebop and most of the staff of the Excel Saga anime comes a bizarre and disturbing tale of encroaching adulthood, child sexuality, and the power adults casually wield over young people. Alien Nine shares many of the key ideas surrounding FLCL and Sky Crawlers.
Amon - Apocalypse of Devilman (OAV) Good So, this OVA picks up in the middle of the fifth volume of the original Devilman manga. It's based on a more recent manga which was also written by Go Nagai, but not illustrated by him, which fills a large gap of time that the original covers by simply stating "twenty years passed." What the aim of its creators was is not really clear; the original Devilman OVA ended with volume two, so this cannot really be seen as a continuation of that series. It doesn't really do much to explain the circumstances of the original manga before jumping into that 20 year gap, so it would be a disorienting way for new fans to jump into the Devilman series. It doesn't even stand alone very well, because it was originally supposed to have a second episode that never came out. All in all, Amon: The Apocalypse of Devilman is probably only of interest to those fans of the original manga who cannot get enough.
Angel's Egg (movie) Excellent This is one of the greatest pieces of animation ever made. Tense and breathtakingly rendered from start to finish, it has less than a minute of dialog and only two characters. However; its philosophy's obscurity surpasses even the notorious Ghost in the Shell, and is far less cohesive. Therein lies the movie's only real failing: that it is not so much thought provoking as puzzling and creepy.
(The) Animatrix (OAV) Excellent The matrix sequals that should have been. This DVD contains nine eyepopping short films from the then unspoiled world of The Matrix. Although the Reloaded and Revolutions totally blew, one can take heart in these miniature masterpieces. Highlights include an absolutely steller contribution by Yoshiaki Kawajiri of Ninja Scroll fame with his animated short, Program. The only thing that keeps the whole collection from being a complete work of art is a stupid interlude of trippy CG that I can only guess was specifically meant to be seen on acid.
Appleseed (OAV) Worst ever This really has nothing to do with Shirow's classic manga. Idiotic from start to finish. Although this is the more boring than Witch Hunter Robin, it is not as painful as Zetsuai or Digetal Target. (Though few things are.)
Appleseed (movie) Masterpiece High-quality CG animation from Masamune Shirow. Brilliant, breathtaking, everything I hoped and more. Can't wait for the sequal. It's so good to finally see Appleseed done justice.
Armitage III: Poly-Matrix (movie) So-so If you want to see a movie about the diminishing line between machine and human, see Ghost in the Shell.
Bastard!! (OAV) Not really good Three words: Stupid echi fanservice. It's like Record of Lodoss War with gratutious panty and nipple peeks.
Battle Angel (OAV) Not really good It's sad to see one of my favorite mangas ever turned into such a mediocre anime. This unimpressive OVA rushes through an entire volume of manga an episode, leaving little time for any of the plot elements and character developement that made the manga a masterpiece. Time is also wasted fivolously on Dr. Ido's evil girlfriend, a character invented solely to drive the lame, reworked story of this crummy 50 minutes of anime. There is a glimmer of emotion at the end of the second episode, but to be honest, this is hardly even worth seeing.
Battle Royal High School (OAV) Very good GAINAX did for this OVA what Johnny Depp did for Pirates of the Caribbean: without their involvment, this would have been forgettable fluff; with it, a memorable must-see. The farcical story includes demons, Power Rangers, Karate champions and samurai converging at a highschool to battle it out. As silly as it is, attention to detail and consistantly smooth and imaginative animation make it not only worth seeing, but worth forcing on friends.
Battle Royale (live-action movie) Excellent This movie, based on the same japanese novel as the manga, is everything that the manga is not: well done, sincere, and bearable.
Black Jack The Movie Awful This movie is completely disgraceful. Totally unworthy of Tezuka's legacy.
Black Magic M-66 (OAV) Decent This highly divergent anime adaptation of Masamune Shirow's early work, Black Magic is watchable and at times fun, but never a good representation of the original author's genius. However, his early style is fairly well represented. Fans of Shirow should see it, but not with the expectation of another Ghost in the Shell or Dominion.
Bleach: Memories in the Rain (OAV) Good Basically, they took episode 14 and edited out Kon's obnoxious antics. There is some new footage with higher quality animation. They edited out most of the Shinigami who comes to take back Rukia, and but they put in a confusing little bit where she talks to a differant shinigami we haven't even met yet. It could have been better than the original episode if not for that, but re-editing this tiny segment of the series was kind of a moot point.
Blood: The Last Vampire (movie) Bad *beats head against the wall* SOOOOOO BORRRRRRING!!! *dies* Why in the world do so many people like this crappy movie?!?!
Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan (TV) Very good Excel Saga episode 26: "the series."
(La) Blue Girl (OAV) Very good "Sexcraft" ninjas, evil demons, graphic violence ... what's not to like? One of Rob Zombie's personal favorite animes, This is the one that started a time-honored anime tradition with its famed "naughty tenticals."
(La) Blue Girl (live-action OAV) Bad This was so disappointing I cannot even say. It really has nothing to do with the original manga and barely has any sex. There isn't a single shot of penetration; the whole affair is like an episode of Power Rangers turned soft-core porn. Ugh.
Boogiepop Phantom (TV) Very good This smart and scary series blends horror, mystery, and science fiction to unravel the story behind a shinigami named "Boogiepop." Each episode is told from the point of view of a different character. This is an idea that has been tried with unimpressive results before and since, but for some reason, it works here. Most impressive is the strongly developed theme of otaku issues which runs through the series. When this series was created in 2000, there were very few people talking about these things. Boogiepop is not as slick looking as Paprika, but it definitely has better things to say on the subject of the inner child. Don't miss it.
Bubblegum Crisis (OAV) Good This soundtrack is right up there with God Mars and Gravitation.
Castle in the Sky (movie) Masterpiece Perhaps not only the best film by Hayo Miyazaki, but the best feature length animated film ever made.
Cat Soup (OAV) Very good A surrealist film in which a little boy kitten goes searching for the other half of his sister's soul. Unique and unsettling.
Chibits (special) Good This is six minutes of Chobits filler. However, it is six minutes of Chobits filler consisting of Sumomo and Kotoko running around and screaming about Chii's panties. If you are someone who loves Chobits, don't miss it.
Chobits (TV) Masterpiece At times there is off the wall silliness, at times this is a total tearjerker. The most sophisticated foray into the "Magic Girlfriend" genre yet.
Chobits (OAV) Good This recap episode is a fine way to wind down after the emotional conclusion of Chobits.
Cowboy Bebop (TV) Masterpiece Widely considered to be the best anime series of all time.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie Excellent Although this is certainly filler, this is the movie component to what is widely considered to be the best anime of all time.
Crying Freeman (OAV) Good Crying Freeman is James Bond with tatoos and the Chinese mafia. A rotating cast of girls and villians prove time and time again that nobody fights or fucks like Freeman. Characters introduce themselves by dropping their clothes to reviel giant Yakuza-style tatoos. Stunning visuals. Boobs and blood galore.
Cutie Honey (TV) Masterpiece Created by Go Nagai.
Dark Cat (movie) Bad This OVA seems like it was either originally intended to be a porno or part of a larger series. One big WTF from start to finish.
Death Note (TV) Not really good The hype was huge. The first six episodes were excellent. If this anime had been able maintain the tension for 37 episodes, it would have been a bona-fide masterpiece. Unfortunately, what starts as an incredibly tight and quick moving anime slows down from there on out and grinds to a screeching halt at episode 17. Episodes 18-23 are awful, barely watchable crap. Watching them was like sitting through Naruto filler. Although they appear to have been in the manga and are therefore "cannonical," you could easily skip the entire, miserable Yotsuba arc they cover and go straight to episode 24. After that, you can stop watching again, because the story sort of piddles around for twelve more episodes before calling it a day. Death Note is utterly disappointing, and a mixed bag at best. I really wish I had done something better with my time.
Detroit Metal City (OAV) Very good This is one of the funniest things I have ever seen ... and the most stressful ... and the most metal.
(The) Devil Is a Part-Timer! (TV) Good What happens when the devil loses his powers and has to get a job at McDonalds? Apparently, an uplifting, motivational anime about how a part time job can be a personal growth experience. I definitely did not see this one coming. The ending kind of trails off with a filler episode, so don't expect a dramatic conclusion, but this is a very entertaining (and occasionally a painfully real) ride.
Devilman (OAV) Excellent The 2nd animated adaptaion of the legendary Go Nagai's crowning masterpiece. When demon invasion threatens the world, two teenage boys hold a drug, alcohol, and heavy metal fueled black mass in thier basement in an effort to get posessed and use the demons' unholy powers against them. Though the original has plenty of graphic violence, gratuitious nudity, and bad language, the English dub throws in some extra random swearing to make it even more hardcore. Could this anime be any more totally sweet? The answer is no.
Devilman (TV) Excellent The 1st animated adaptaion of the legendary Go Nagai's crowning masterpiece.
Devilman (live-action movie) Worst ever One would think that the cult camp of the animated Devilman would lend itself easily to a Japanese live action movie. However, this couldn't be further from the truth. Once you realize that they have thrown the plot out the window, watching Akira (occasionally) transform into Devilman becomes the sole from of entertainment in this two hour bad-CG nightmare. The two most obvious villians, Ginmen and Selene, both of which feature prominantly in the OVA, appear only for brief cameos. In fact, there are almost no demons in this whole movie! Other than a couple of brief CGI interludes, most of this film is about humans killing humans as anti-demon histeria breaks out. Most of this film seems to have been shot in totally unrelated one minute segments with no bearing on the overall story. The real touble with this film is that it gives almost no backstory before it rapidly launches into the Apocolypse of Devilman story arc, leaving the viewer grasping blindly for the plot as Ryo somehow becomes posessed by Satan himself and concludes the movie by destroying not only Devilman, but himself, along with the whole rest of the world. This film is one big "WTF?" from start to finish.
DEVILMAN crybaby (ONA) Worst ever There are so many things wrong with this anime that it is hard to list them all. First of all, the style of animation is horrifically ugly. It is flat, limited, and unimaginative. The scenes that it rips off from the classic 90s OVA look like a shitty trace. The plot has been distorted by an inexplicable attempt to make this into a hybrid horror/sports anime, and what it retains from the original misses the point at every turn. There are fanservicey send-ups to the manga and the kids cartoon, but these really only serve to point out how far this show is from its better predecessors. They also create weird problems within the world of the series, because the Devilman television show and its merchandise exist at the same time that the alternate events of Devilman crybaby are going on. In a particularly perplexing moment, Akira performs a Google search for his name and nothing comes up. A search for Devilman turns up the old television show. There are a lot of self-conscious attempts to make sure the audience knows that it is set in 2018, including embarrassing scenes of beatboxing, gratuitous use of smartphones and social media, and the illogical insertion of sex and nudity that would not have been possible in years gone by. Even the sex is disappointing though, as it fails to even be slightly attractive. The violence is similar, being casual and somehow in even worse taste than the original, which was already on the edge on insanity. Who knew that going past that limit could be so boring? Said violence results in lot of character deaths that seem more abrupt and random than sad or dramatic, and don't help the many tears that are shed throughout the show seem anything other than completely unmotivated. I was really ready to like this new telling of Devilman no matter how different it was, but it is just garbage. Hopefully the fact that there has been some good critical response will allow more money and effort to be poured into a version more loyal to Go Nagai's original.
Doggy Poo (Korean movie) Good The main character is a pile of dog poop searching for the meaning of life. What?
Dominion Tank Police (OAV) Excellent Another Shirow treasure. Skillfully animated and more true to Shirow's style than anything before or since.
Eat-Man (TV) Very good WTF.
Elfen Lied (TV) Good This distressing anime switches back and forth between syrupy moe and completely fucked up scenes of child abuse and gore. The plot is contrived but interesting--it is ostensibly horror, but rather than suspense or scares there is a sort of creeping dread of moral horror.
Elfen Lied (OAV) Decent This is an odd side story that takes place during the course of episode 11. It contains references to information that is only revealed later in the series, so it cannot really be watched in chronological order. A somewhat awkward and unnecessary addition to the overall narrative.
Excel Saga (TV) Masterpiece This inspired piece of satire simaltainiously lampoons and tributes every genre of anime at once. One of the funniest things I have ever seen, anime or otherwise. Hands down, the very best parody anime ever.
Fight! Iczer-One (OAV) Excellent This is a short and very stylish OVA about an invasion of tentacled aliens called "the cthulu" that take over people's bodies and turn them into a writhing mass of tentacles. The commanders of this effort to colonize the earth are a handful of space babes with yuri desires. The defenders of earth are a defected space babe and a schoolgirl, who pilot a biomechanical robot. Despite the absurdity of its premise, there is something pretty special about this one. The Go Nagai influence is apparent, and the horror elements here may be favorably compared to Devilman. In some ways, it also anticipates Neon Genesis Evangelion, both aesthetically and in its efforts to take mecha in a more unsettling and psychological direction. The animation, sound design, and music are all incredibly well done, and have acquired a very appealing retro flavor since 1985. Although the plot occasionally a bit perplexing, this is a wild ride that I would recommend to anyone.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (US CG movie) So-so The 2nd effort to translate the Final Fantasy saga into anime form. This disappointing flop was all eye-candy and no substance. With its inexplicable lack of huge swords, magic, and chocobos, it barely even qualifies as part of the long-running series. Disappointing and a half, lame and three quarters.
Final Fantasy: Unlimited (TV) Good The 3rd effort to translate the Final Fantasy saga into anime form.This childlike incarnation of the long-running series pulls off with relative style and ease what the CG movie could not: making an entertaining and true-to-the-games adaptation to the longest running videogame/anime series ever.
FLCL (OAV) Masterpiece A middle school boy struggles with loneliness and his budding sexuality, as represented by robots, alien girls, and a series of mysterious ailments and injuries. There are only six episodes, but one can watch this series 100 times and get something new out of it with each viewing. This is the one to own.
Fullmetal Alchemist (TV) Excellent This anime is a meditaion on personal grief, set in a world where alchemy is considered a hard science and has been developed in the place of technology. Nearly every character in the show has lost a loved one, and attempts to bring them back to life create horrific consequences. The plotting is tight--there is no filler, and there are very few loose ends.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (TV) Good The first Full Metal Alchemist series starting airing before the manga was completed. When they caught up with the manga, the plots diverged. That series had a somewhat more relaxed pace, and as a result, the character development is superior to what we see in Brotherhood. I enjoyed spending time in this world enough to watch both series, but mostly because I had grown attached to the characters from the earlier version and could carry my investment in them over to the remake. Brotherhood follows a much more straightforward shonen formula, but was still good, if not exactly meditative.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conqueror of Shamballa Very good Picks up where the series left off.
Galaxy Express 999 (movie) Masterpiece This movie does an excellent job of summing up Matsumoto Leji's most exciting and memorable series. A masterpiece in its own right.
Ghiblies (special) Very good A humorous look at look at the people who bring us Studio Ghiblie films.
Ghost in the Shell (movie) Masterpiece (dub & sub) One of the finest works of one of the the finest directors in anime, Mamoru Oshii's cyperpunk masterpiece explores the nature of identity as a woman in a cybernetic body flirts with the idea that she is no longer a real human being.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (movie) Masterpiece One of those rare sequals that leaves you wondering whether it might be better than the first.
(The) Girl Who Leapt Through Time (movie) Not really good Prerequisite for Haruhi season two. By the way, you will first need to see the 1983 live action film that this is a remake/sequel of in order to understand the animated version completely. That said, this is a deeply frivolous movie.
Grave of the Fireflies (movie) Not really good This movie just wallows in pain from start to finish. I could never watch it again.
Gravitation (TV) Excellent This series is emotional and well plotted with exceptional animation, well acted voices, and a killer soundtrack. It also chronicals the struggle of an up and coming J-Rock musican as he tries to balance his band and confused sexuality. This anime/manga is groundbreaking in that it features a romance between two boys in a way that is not overtly sexual fan service. It is much more than just shonen-ai, and even those who are not fans of the genre in general will enjoy it greatly. Several episodes feature fully animated J-Rock music videos as the band performs. A personal favorite of mine. Shuichi holds a special place in my heart.
Gravitation: Lyrics of Love (OAV) Excellent A very well done two episode side story set after the anime.
Grey: Digital Target (movie) Worst ever There is usually the argument that you can't cram an enite manga series into one 114 minute videotape, but with "Grey," that just wasn't true. This little known two volume masterpiece could have easily fit into one OVA. However, the nearly two hour OVA doesn't leave things out. In fact, the dispasionate dub sounds like a cold read straight out of the book. The major problem is what they put in: at the end of the first hour, there is a drastic divergence from not only the story, but the point of the entire manga. I was remined of the movie ending of "The Two Towers," in which Farimir makes the oppiste decision as he does in the book. I could only watch open mouthed as the story derailed itself into one of the most laughable conclusions in anime. Oh, and stay tuned after the credits for more jaw dropping idiocy.
Gundress (movie) Worst ever Is this really Masamune Shirow? This sucks! A lot! I really can't impress enough upon you how uncommonly atrocious this movie is! This is a perfect example of why people hate anime! It's like a bad rip-off of Charlie's Angels, but a mecha, and really really really terrible!
Haibane Renmei (TV) Excellent Beautifully crafted extended metaphore wrapped in mystery and religous imagery. Thought provoking, with touches of emotion in all the right spots. A perfect companion to Wolf's Rain.
Hellsing (TV) Excellent A riveting vampire anime that is far too short and way too cool. It is unfortunate that there was never a second season to wrap up the FREAK chip mystery. It weakens the series a little because the antagonists seem sometimes to have come out of nowhere. We know that the various antagonists which appear throughout the series are somehow connected behind the scenes, but we never actually find out how, making the overarching plot of the series seem at times disjointed. Though each individual episode works well, the lack of closure causes the series to appear more like a chronicle of loosely related incidents which are used as a framework on which to hang the character studies of Seras, Integra, and Arucard. This, I will add, is done to great effect. Hellsing is cool and stylish on the surface, but there is a dark undercurrent of private struggle in each of the principle characters that oozes out and overwhelms the series until it becomes its primary focus. Even supporting characters such as Walter and Fargason are developed with impressive depth. The only flaw here is incompleteness, and it is one that can easily be overlooked. One of my favorite animes ever.
Hellsing Ultimate (OAV) Excellent There is a sense in the first episode of this OVA that what you are about to see is a shallow, CG-slicked overview of the best battles in the original Hellsing TV series. In some ways, this is true. Nothing is held back; Arucard's true nature is revealed immediately and all but the most essential plot elements are stripped away to streamline the story and push it ahead three times faster than in its predecessor. By the end of the second episode, we have reached the same place were were after the sixth episode of the original. What we loose is, for the most part, the very thing that made the original great: Seras' struggle to adjust to her new place in the world is barely even addressed. However, we do gain a few things as well. The battles here, especially with Anderson, are more natural, motivated, and coherent. There isn't time for any build up, so the OVA is forced to succeed without any, making every fight's importance immediate. In Arucards battles with both Anderson and the Valentine brothers, Integra becomes involved in a way that is much more dramatic and personal, setting up for deeper explorations of her character. After the first two episodes, the recap of the original series ends. The question of who is responsible for the FREAK chips is answered, and we begin the Millenium story arc of the manga rather than the Incognito arc of the TV series. Overall, this is an accurate enough protrayal of the manga, and it share's the manga's weaknesses: namely, inappropriate shifts in tone into a jokey style that undermines the dramatic impact of some scenes. This said, Hellsing is great fun, and it is a pleasant surprise that anyone ever had the balls to animate the Millenium arc. If they ever get around to animating "Hellsing: The Dawn," I will watch it eagerly.
Howl's Moving Castle (movie) Decent Is it just me, or has the fact that Miyazaki is now signed to Disney taken the balls out of his work? This film isn't a total loss, but I am still waiting for another gutsy picture like Mononoke, Naussica or Castle in the Sky.
INTERSTELLA 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (movie) Good Ha ha, whatever.
Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade (movie) Good Fans of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade may or may not be aware that it was not Mamoru Oshii's first foray into the dystopian society portrayed in Hiroyuki Okiura's film. In fact, the Kerberos Panzer Cops, the organization that officer Kazuki Fuse belongs to, appeared three times before, in a manga series and two live action films. The manga, entitled Kereberos, (first published in 1991) was written by Oshii and drawn by Kamui Fujiwara. It was later translated into English and published by Dark Horse under the name Hellhounds Panzer Cops. The two films, The Red Spectacles (1987) and its prequel Stray Dog (1991), have recently been issued for the first time in the U.S. by Bandai Entertainment, owing no doubt to the success of the anime. This anime is the prequal to Stray Dog.
Juden Chan (TV) Masterpiece Parody fanservice out the wazoo. Deft, inspired, and completely hilarious. Like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, this one is built to massage pleasure center of an otaku's brain. Unlike Haruhi, it is totally satisfying and wonderful every single minute. PLEASE GOD LET THERE BE A SECOND SEASON.
K-ON! (TV) Good There should be a rating of "very good, wish I had done something better with my time." K-ON! Is complete fluff from start to finish, but like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, this one is built to massage pleasure center of an otaku's brain. There is little continuous plot happening here though, and nothing more serious than a bad cold threatens our characters. As a consequence, the story never really intensifies to the point that it leaves left gasping for more in the way that Haruhi does, but perhaps this is a good thing. In any case, it a sequel seems inevitable. With luck, it will consummate the tantalizing suggestions of shojo-ai that provided the most engaging moments of character investment in the original series.
Kiki's Delivery Service (movie) Decent Like Spirited Away, this one is pretty much for the kids, but it has soul and demension that Spirited Away did not. As always, the animation is delicious. Miyazaki is always a pleasure.
Kite (OAV) Good The most graphically sexual and violent anime of all time, Kite was banned from release or sale in America until it was edited down into a half hour of choppy, nonsensical, poorly dubbed action sequences. The actual film was later released as Kite: Directors Cut. Worth seeing if only just to say you have.
Kujira no Chōyaku - Glassy Ocean (movie) Very good Fans of Cat Soup will enjoy this.
Level-C (OAV) Very good Hot yaoi action. Yummy boys drawn in obnoxious shojo style, invisible penises, etc. The drawing style definatly detracts from what would otherwise be a masterpiece, but fans of the genre won't mind. This is a sex filled forty-five minute romp that is blessedly (and unusually) angst-free and doesn't spend too much time on the lame plotting. Highly recommended.
Little Nemo - Adventures in Slumberland (movie) Very good I saw several times when I was little. I remember it being awesome.
M.D. Geist (OAV) Not really good Utterly forgettable.
M.D. Geist II - Death Force (OAV) Not really good Utterly forgettable.
(The) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV) Excellent This is a remarkable series, with a lot of interesting commentary on anime cliches, fanservice, and wish-fufillment fantasies. It was aired out of chronological order; only episodes 01-06 are story episodes. The rest are filler. So, you can watch it chronologically and get the whole story right away, or you can watch it in the order it aired on televison: 00, 01, 02, 07, 03, 09, 08, 10, 13, 04, 12, 11, 05, 06. If you really want to watch it chronologically, don't watch 00 first. Watch it between 10 and 11. In any case, this is a very well animated and thoughtful series full of parodistic fanservice that is so spot-on that it has had the effect of actually attracting the kinds of fans who love the kind of fanservice-filled anime it sets out to lampoon. My one gripe about this series is that though a non-chronological viewing might disguise it, there is not a lot of actual story in this anime. Though every episode was a pleasure to watch, I was left wanting more. As well as this anime has done, it seems that we can probably expect a second series sometime soon. With luck, it will have less filler and resolve the loose ends that keep this excellent anime from being a masterpiece.
(The) Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV 2009 renewal) Masterpiece The new episodes of Haruhi begin immediately to address any misgivings viewers of the original may have had about filler and loose ends. In Haruhi, nothing is ever exactly what it seems, as proved when the first filler episode of the renewal turns out to be anything but. Completely brilliant at every turn. That said, you will get very close to nothing out of this season if you do not watch Toki o kakeru shojo (live action, 1983), followed by the the 2006 animated remake/sequal. In the first season, not having seen these films meant that you would miss a few jokes about Mikiru. The 2009 renewal has a string of nine episodes consisting of nothing but references to these films. Prepare to be mindfucked.
Memories (movie) Decent An interesting collection of animated shorts from the creator of Akira.
Metropolis (movie) Weak Despite superficial similarities, this work was not at all influenced by the pre-World War II German movie entitled Metropolis (1926). In fact, Astroboy's creator had not seen the movie at the time when he was working on this story. However, he created the character of "Mitchy" based on the only still picture of the movie that he had seen, which depicted the birth of a female robot.
Millennium Actress (movie) Excellent The animator of Jin-Roh and the Ghost in the Shell movies does it again.
Monster (TV) Awful This anime is a drawn out, haphazard mishmash of a few notable animes which I never imagined anyone would attempt to combine. We are talking 25 hours of pretty consistent boredom. Even worse, the series is made to seem even longer by inserting usually irrelevant lapses of time that range between months and years. In any case, the outright theft of character and plot elements is so obvious it is sometimes mind boggling. Anyone who isn't lifted straight out of another anime is a completely two-dimensional stock character with a single defining characteristic, including "I'm a gruff old man with a heart of gold," "I'm a child," and "I'm a rascally thief who only cares about money." The wildly branching plot meanders along unconcernedly chapter after chapter, confident that with 74 episodes there is plenty of time to solve what little mystery the series has to offer later. Plot threads are picked up without warning and abandoned just as quickly, leaving so many loose ends they're not even worth counting. A quick abstract of the plot reads something like this: (Warning, spoilers for Chobits and Trigun ahead. It's that derivative.) Knives from Trigun gets shot in the head when he is ten years old. Somehow, he lives long enough to make it to the hospital. Tezuka's Black Jack operates on him and saves his life. Of course, when Black Jack realizes ten years later that the person he saved was totally Knives from Trigun (only he is a superpowerful amnesiac with a twin sister), he goes all "Vash the Stampede" and decides to chase him down with a gun he refuses to fire. After episodes and episodes of tangentially related filler, that weird storybook from Chobits shows up and everyone wonders if it could hold the secret to the mystery surrounding our amnesiac character and his twin sister ... sound familiar? Later, a man with a dark past who smiles even though he is hurting inside encounters Dr. Vash Jack while they are both traveling. He is carrying a conveniently symbolic heavy object on his back. To add insult to injury, the guy's name is Wolfgang. It seems like he and Vash Jack are perfect foils for each other, only our burdened antihero has a mysterious connection in his past to Knives-chii. You won't believe your eyes when you see Wolf(wood)gang walk away from the camera and wave with his back turned. You'd swear they traced the cells from Trigun. This takes us only about halfway through the series. It kind of levels out from here and nothing interesting happens for about twenty episodes. There are plenty of other jaw-droppingly weird misappropriations, not least of which is the insertion of the gunfight-in-the-rain flashback that opens Cowboy Bebop into the middle of episode 58. If this had been a 26 episode series, it might have been watchable. Had it been a thirteen episode series, it might have even been good. As it is, Monster is, more than anything, a complete waste of time.
My Neighbor Totoro (movie) Masterpiece More brilliant animation from Hayo Miyazaki.
Nandarou (special) Very good A series of short TV spots by the Ghilblie team.
Naruto Special: Battle at Hidden Falls. I Am the Hero! (OAV) Decent What is it about Naruto Movies/OVA's that makes the villians suck? Regardless, this is a decent piece of filler in which Naruto's courage, indominable spirit and dumb luck inexplicably beat a yet another idiot Jounin.
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow So-so Like all Movies/OAVs for any long running anime, this amounts to an hour and a half of filler. Satisfactorily entertaining filler, but filler. See it and be amazed at how stupid Ice Country ninjas are as they are throughly trounced by three genins.
Naruto: Akaki Yotsuba no Clover o Sagase (OAV) Weak Konohamaru searches for a Crimson Four-leaf Clover rumored to grant wishes. Mildly amusing filler with lots of lazy animation and recycled frames from the series.
Naruto: Konoha Sports Festival (movie) Bad Naruto really has to take a crap, but he is made instead to participate in a sports festival. Jesus, this is bad.
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie) Masterpiece Miyazaki's post-apocalyptic fantasy masterpiece. Based on his classic (and only) manga.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV) Masterpiece This anime is mind-blowing and life-changing. The series' incredible popularity is largely due to the fact that, like other true classics Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, Evangelion is not only visually stunning, superbly voiced and well plotted, but also easy to appreciate. The final four episodes are so good that you may die of amazement.
New Cutey Honey (OAV) Good
New Dominion Tank Police (OAV) Bad This OVA completely lacks the charm or interest that made the original a classic. The animation is awkward, not to mention flat and uninteresting in comparison the style and flair of the original. Recycled frames, badly timed mouth flaps, and uninteresting backgrounds make it painfully clear that this is low buget rehash, not a new season. The downright crappy plotting makes the most boring, convaluted episode of Stand Alone Complex seem lucid and full of excitement. Die hard fans will be sorely disappointed, casual viewers will be totally uninterested.
Ninja Scroll (movie) Masterpiece Flawless animation. Non-stop, Edge-of-your-seat ninja battles. That would be enough right there, but Yoshiaki Kawajiri adds graphic sex, unbelievably graphic gore, and brilliant character writing to make this one of the most memorable, thrill-a-minute anime experiances you will ever have.
Noiseman Sound Insect (movie) Very good Interesting idea; good animation; mostly nonsense.
Now and Then, Here and There (TV) Decent Dispite its abrupt and bumpy start, good writing and Kouji Ishii's inspired performance could have made this a masterpiece. However, the limited animation detracts from the overall experiance and the cartoony style is totally inappropriate for a story about genocide and pregnancy by repeated rape.
On Your Mark (movie) Excellent A beautifully done short film by Hayo Miyazaki.
Otaku no Video (OAV) Very good Anime about anime.
Paranoia Agent (TV) Excellent The Buddhist cocept of samsara is explained by placing Hello Kitty at the root of all evil. Curious, sad, thought provoking.
Patlabor The Mobile Police (OAV 1/1988) Very good Although Patlabor was released in 1985, the same year Appleseed and Dominion, it seems that even here Oshii is channeling Shirow Masamune. Alphonse, the giant Patlabor robot, bears an unmistakable resembelance to Briareos, the giant cyborg of Appleseed. Furthermore, Izumi is a carbon copy of Leona, the spunky, machine crazed police-girl of Dominion. Such coincidences might indicate the true identity of the mysterious Shirow: could he be Mamoru Oshii?
Perfect Blue (movie) Excellent This acclaimed psychological thriller is every bit as good as everyone says it is. If you enjoyed this, you will enjoy Paranoia Agent.
Pet Shop of Horrors (TV) Good The writing and voice acting are good, but the animation is lacking; I would love to see this remade on a higher budget.
(The) Place Promised in Our Early Days (movie) So-so The first full length motion picture from the creator of Voices of a Distant Star. Almost no movement within the frames other than that of the light sources. The story is sparse and deals mostly in symbols which will be very familiar to frequent viewers of Japanese animation, including nostalgia for childhood, impending war, and the atomic bomb.
Pokémon 2000 - The Movie (movie 2) Weak The most watchable incaration of the Pokemon franchise, this movie nearly leaves you ready to admit that Pokemon is actually anime ... really weak anime ... almost.
Pokémon: The First Movie (movie 1) Bad Mewtwo concludes that fighting is bad. Ummm ...
Princess Mononoke (movie) Masterpiece The first of Miyazaki's motion pictures to reach a wide American audiance. A landmark film for animation and a well-done (and star studded) dub to boot.
Record of Lodoss War (OAV) Bad D&D the anime. Boring as hell.
(The) Red Spectacles (live-action movie) Masterpiece First Panzer Cops movie, directed by Oshii.
Ring (live-action movie 1998) Decent A flagship film in the new wave of Japanese cinema, this odd little film (based on the first in a series of Japanese novels) is historically important, but not terriblly impressive. As surprising as this may be, the American remake is far better done, with more depth, better plotting, and more interesting visuals.
(The) Ring (live-action movie 2002) Good An American remake of the landmark japanese film Ringu, which was based on a series of Japanese books.
Roujin Z (movie) Decent A silly little OVA from the creator of Akira.
Royal Space Force - The Wings of Honnêamise (movie) Not really good There is some great Gainax animation here, but it isn't really groundbreaking. There is nothing going on here that Miazaki wasn't already doing better. The ending is a mix of clunky, preachy, and heavy handed. This was one classic that did not live up to its name.
Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei (TV) Good Incredibly funny, somewhat episodic, and difficult to understand unless you can read Japanese fluently. A basic understanding of traditional Japanese culture is also helpful. In any case, you will have to pause every few seconds if you want to catch all of the jokes written in the background.
Serial Experiments Lain (TV) Decent This anime had an engaging start; in the first two episodes it built up relationships between Lain and her friends and family. In the next few, we see how they change as she begins to use the internet. This plot climaxes at episode #8, when her more outgoing internet personality begins to take over her life. Unfortunately, everything past this point consists of vague, derivative philosophical musings lifted from its betters. (Read: Ghost in the Shell, Evangelion, and Akira.) The animation also lost its charm after a while. Their use of stylization to cover limited animation was innovative at first, but slowly they began to reuse the same cells to the point where the original charm was ruined. Too bad-- this show could have been great.
Sex Demon Queen (OAV) Good This is what La Blue Girl Returns should have been.
She, The Ultimate Weapon (TV) Not really good This one is a mixed bag. The tone is one of consistent pain and despair. The character animation is highly stylized and is sometimes lazy to the point of distraction. Viewers have to work very hard to suspend disbelief until they accept the ridiculous premise of this anime: on her way home, a tiny 17 year old girl is transformed into "The Ultimate Weapon" by the Japanese government. Her parents and schoolmates fail to notice that she is constantly running off to fight wars while in her school uniform (which she destroys at least once a day) or that the military, complete with a number of tanks and helicopters, follows her around calling her "commander." The first several episodes mostly feature perpetually blushing, noseless people emoting fitfully to the great discomfort and disinterest of the audience. By mid-series, viewers will alternate between cringing and laughing out loud at them, especially as an engrish speaking soldier straight out of Excel Saga guns down a main character. However, towards the end the series picks up significantly. Though the sheer misery of this anime is for the most part too omnipresent to really empathize with, there are moments where it hits its mark with stinging accuracy. As the story comes together a few of the characters improve, but not enough to salvage them entirely. Some people love this anime, but I can't really say I recommend it.
(The) Sky Crawlers (movie) Masterpiece This is some of the best work Oshii has ever done. It is also his most brutally devastating mindfuck ever- not to mention the most insightful look at otaku alienation since Murakami's seminal work. That is probably the reason why garbage like Spirited Away wins Oscars and this will barely even chart at the American box office.
Sora Iro no Tane (special) Good A series of short TV spots by the Ghilblie team.
Space Battleship Yamato (movie) Awful A feature length recap episode of Matsumoto Leji's groundbreaking Space Battleship Yamato: The Quest for Iscandar. (season 1) It will be boring and incomprehensible to anyone who has not seen the series, and appalling in its inadequacy to those who have.
Spirited Away (movie) So-so Well, the animation is brilliant and the germ of an idea is there, but the plotting is loose and fails to measure up to Miyazaki's typically mindblowing work. Though this is arguably Miyazaki's best recieved film, its obscure and often frivolous screenplay seems aimed at the show-off-ish garnering of animation awards rather than focusing on any meaningful story elements. Disappointing.
Star Blazers (TV) Masterpiece One of the greatest and most influential works in anime history. Yamato is an incredibly emotional, brooding, and filmic anime. It follows the journey of a Japanese battleship sunk during World War II which is refitted as earth's first faster-than-light spacecraft and sent to the planet Iscandar. Their mission: retrieve a radiation purifier needed to save an Earth which has been ravaged by interstellar atomic warfare. A rigid chronology and dated captains log at the end of each episode counts down from 364 days, growing ever closer to the end of the world. This subtle touch gives the whole show an incredible sense of urgency. Viewers who cut their teeth on slick-looking, modern anime may be put off by the comparatively crude techniques used to animate the hand painted cells here. Indeed, Yamato is hardly flashy. It is the way in which the animators effortlessly mimic the editing and camera work of a live action film which makes this series so striking. Notice also how the characters move, making the kind of small, unconscious gestures a live action actor might. The crew of the Yamato breathes with life in a to a degree which is truly astonishing, especially considering the limitations of the medium at the time. Yamato does more with less, and it established Leji not only as a truly great director of anime, but as one of the greatest Japanese filmmakers to ever live.
Steamboy (movie) Bad (dub), Decent (sub) After all these years, I expected more out of Otomo. The whole project is clumsy and uninteresting. The dub is unwatchable. The animation isn't even as good as Akira. What a disappointment.
Stray Dog (live-action movie) Masterpiece Prequal to the first Panzer Cops movie, directed by Oshii.
Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie Bad Two hours of dramatic music and approach footage. The entire movie is (nearly) saved however, by a totally sweet ninja-battle between a barely dressed Chun-Li and the psychopathic badass, Vega.
Summer Wars (movie) Very good A quality family drama with a speculative science fiction twist.
Tachikomatic Days (OAV) Excellent A series of shorts featuring Shirow's kawaii AI spider tanks.
Talking Head (hybrid movie) Masterpiece This movie proves it: Masamune Shirow's true identity is Mamoru Oshii.
Teacher's Pet (OAV) Masterpiece The greatest hentai of all time. The side splitting dub sounds like a melodramatic radio-play as the characters describe aloud exactly what is happening to them in every scene. The final episode closes with the greatest hentai scene ever animated. Funny, sexy, rediculas.
Trigun (TV) Masterpiece I cry every time I watch episode 25. Every. Single. Time.
Urotsukidōji: Legend of the Overfiend (OAV) So-so Seriously confusing, sometimes boring, always completely fucked up tenticle porn. One of Rob Zombie's favorites.
Uzumaki (live-action movie) Bad Maybe the plot made sense in the manga. I wouldn't know; I haven't read it. But after seeing this movie, which is mostly a collection of weird, badly acted scenes that had nothing to do with each other, I have no desire to. Definitely not recommended.
Vampire Hunter D (OAV) Very good The dub is good and the ultra-violence looks so sweet in that crazy '80s style.
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (movie) Excellent The long awaited sequel to the 1985 classic is even cooler than the first. Once again, the American dub is surprisingly good, and the story and animation are better than ever.
Video Girl Ai (OAV) Good This magic girlfriend anime is a wonderfully dated tribute to the VHS format, with a very strange ending that seems to make reference to genuine mystical ideas regarding the state of divine union, as described by Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.
Violence Jack (OAV) Very good The anime is considered to many to be Go Nagai's follow up to his climactic Apocolypse of Devilman. In the aftermath of the apocolyptic "hell quake" that destroys Tokyo, three factions trapped underground battle their way to the surface. When one team's excavations uncover the hulking giant, "Violence Jack," the conflict escalates into all out war as they vie for Jack's loyalties. Sex, and of course violence, ensues.
Violence Jack 2 (OAV) Decent You would think that in a three part OVA they wouldn't need filler. The only really badass part of this totally frivolous episode is seeing Jack use a moronic "stand and get shot for about five minutes before seemingly dying but then survive and go kill everyone" stratagy.
Violence Jack 3 (OAV) Very good Although done by the same studio as the other OVAs, this episode as a slightly differant approach. Characters get nametags as they are introduced, and the begining has some sidesplitingly badass narration that sounds like it was ripped from an old explotation-movie poster. Out of all three episodes, this one is probably my personal favorite.
(The) Vision of Escaflowne (TV) Very good I admit, I was sceptical at first. Up until Escaflone, I cant say I'd ever seen a Sword & Sorcery or Mecha anime that was really good. Now that I have seen this series, Visions of Escaflowne has changed the way I view both genres. In fact, episode #14, "A Dangerous Scar" is one of the great moments in anime. The series certainly has its flaws, but its strong points heavily outweigh them. Highly recommended.
A Wind Named Amnesia (movie) Excellent Wow, what a great movie. Smart, good visuals, deftly plotted. Shades of Galaxy Express 999? "Maeteruuuuuuu!!!"
Wolf's Rain (TV) Very good Although this is the long awaited second effort from the creator of "Cowboy Bebop," Watanabe Shinichiro, I never expected it to live up to Bebop's legend. Admittedly, it doesn't. Even so, "Wolf's Rain" is breathtaking and impressive in it's own right. With a far more ambitious plot and nearly a dozen highly central characters, the series remains very stong throughout. Supassing my expectations and keeping me guessing until the last thirty seconds, the final five episodes in this series of thirty make up one of the most dramatic finalles in the history of the medium. This is also the only anime besides the super-long-running Naruto I have cried at more than once. (26-30, I think it was every episode.)
Wolf's Rain (OAV) Excellent Episodes 27-30. Released on OVA instead of TV for reasons of budget and scheadualing.
X (movie) So-so *rolls eyes* This anime is more of that trite "the-end-of-the-world-is-coming-unless-angsty-teens-save-us-from-some-ancient-god" bullshit.
Zetsuai 1989 (OAV) Worst ever This is an unwatchable abomination. In fact, this is probably the second worst animated film of all time, after its sequal. Actually, this is probably the second worst film in history, also after its sequal. You have been warned. I don't know what kind of masochist who, knowing what this is, would willingly put themselves through the agony of watching this.