×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more
Seen some Rating Comment
3D Magical Play (OAV)
Agent Aika (OAV) Worst ever 100 panty shots per episode or double your money back. Recommended.
Alakazam the Great (movie)
Appleseed (OAV)
Bible Black (OAV) Worst ever Hilariously gory, one of the best hentai I have ever seen. It's just a coincidence that "gory" is an anagram for "orgy."
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (TV)
Boys Over Flowers (TV)
Case Closed (TV)
Chobits (TV)
Colorful (TV)
Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san (TV) Awful This is a rediculously boring magical girl show. Even though this show is about an alien princess who comes to earth searching for her runaway prince, it is a more "slice-of-life" type anime. Episodes revolve around events such as Comet trying to find room and board and taking children to school. I watched this show for several episodes just to see if anything of consequence would happen. Though I probably shouldn't be so hard on a show that is obviously for kids.
Cosplay Complex (OAV) Awful I don't like cosplayers in general, but animated cosplayers are ten times worse. Plus, it is unforgivably inaccurate. Pretty much all the cosplayers in this show are cute girls. Where is Sailor Bacon?
Cromartie High School (TV) Cromartie is quite a bizarre show. It plays with high school hoodlum stereotypes and mixes them with some of the weirdest stuff you can imagine. There are quite a few funny moments in this series.
Cyborg 009 (TV/1968)
D.N.Angel (TV) Awful Even though I like shows such as X and Haibane Renmei, angels in anime are not always a good thing. This show quickly degenerates into a romantic comedy of the worst kind. There would be no story if the characters were able to communicate with each other. I just can't stand that kind of stupidity.
D4 Princess (TV)
Daicon films (special) Very good
Di Gi Charat Nyo (TV)
Dr. Rin ni Kiitemite! (TV)
Dragon Ball (TV)
Dragon Ball Z (TV)
Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (movie 1)
E's Otherwise (TV)
Fancy Lala (TV)
Fullmetal Alchemist (TV)
Galaxy Angel A (TV)
Gigantor (TV 1963)
Gungrave (TV)
.hack//Liminality (OAV)
Hamtaro (TV)
Hand Maid May (TV)
Haré+Guu Deluxe (OAV)
Hareluya II Boy (TV)
Harlock Saga (OAV)
Heat Guy J (TV)
Hellsing (TV)
Hitsuji no Uta (OAV) Hitsuji no Uta is an anime about vampires. However, even though it has vampires, it is not exactly right to compare it to shows such as Hellsing or Vampire Hunter D. Sure, it is a show about vampires living in modern-day Japan, but it does not have the stylized gun and sword battles of either of those shows. In this respect, this show is more similar to another recent anime, Shingetsutan Tsukihime. It has vampires, but it focuses on characters more than action.

The main characters, Kazuna and his sister Chizuna, are vampires. To them, their vampirism does not give them superpowers. It is actually treated like a disease. As their bodies grow weaker, they are driven away from their friends and family. They only have each other to rely on. Kazuna's classmate, Yaegashi, wants to help him, but it becomes more and more difficult for her to reach him. This anime focuses on the human elements of vampirism much more than the average vampire story.

Comparing Hitsuji no Uta to Tsukihime in general themes is fair, but these two shows could not be more different in terms of style and design. Both shows have a somewhat dark color palatte, but Hitsuji goes even further. Oftentimes, the screen is almost monochrome, the only colors showing up being black, white, and red. All of the characters are very pale and sickly-looking. All of this works well in setting up the vampire themes. The character design may not be up to par on all of the recent bishoujo anime coming out, but overall, this show is aesthetically pleasing.

This show explores elements that are not often explored in the vampire genre. Rather than making the vampires villians or antiheroes, they become sympathetic characters. To them, vampirism truly is a curse. It may not deliver in the action area, but this anime more than redeems itself in the depth of its characters.
INTERSTELLA 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem (movie)
Kasumin (TV)
Key the Metal Idol (OAV)
Kino's Journey (TV)
Kodocha (TV)
A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (TV)
Little Women (TV) Very good Yes, this is the anime adaption of the novel "Little Women." Naturally, the creators of this show make a few changes to the plot.
Love Hina (TV)
Lupin the 3rd (TV)
Magic Knight Rayearth (TV)
Magical Meow Meow Taruto (TV)
Magical Play (ONA)
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi (TV)
Mobile Suit Gundam (TV)
Mobile Suit Gundam - The Movie Trilogy
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (TV)
Mon Colle Knights (TV)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV)
Nine O'Clock Woman (OAV) Awful
Ojamajo Doremi (TV)
Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety (TV)
Oruchuban Ebichu (TV)
Panyo Panyo Di Gi Charat (TV)
Pokémon (TV)
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (live-action TV)
Queen Emeraldas (OAV)
Rave Master (TV)
Requiem from the Darkness (TV)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (TV)
Run=Dim (TV)
Rurouni Kenshin (TV 1996)
Sailor Moon Sailor Stars (TV)
Saint Seiya (TV)
(The) SoulTaker (TV)
Speed Racer (TV)
Stellvia (TV)
(The) Super Milk-chan Show (TV)
Texhnolyze (TV)
Tokyo Mew Mew (TV)
Transformers: Armada (TV)
Transformers: Robots in Disguise (TV)
Turn A Gundam (TV)
(The) Twelve Kingdoms (TV)
Urda (ONA)
Usagi-chan de Cue!! (OAV) Bad This is a soft core hentai show about bunny girls who fight mechanized school bullies. That's pretty much all there is to it.
Wandaba Style (TV) Worst ever This is either the best anime I've ever seen, or the worst anime I have ever seen. I find some parts of the show to be hilarious. I especially like Susumu's brilliantly stupid plans to rocket to the moon without using rocket fuel. Probably the worst part of this show is the way the characters can spontaneously break into song like they are in a musical. Not that I don't like musicals, but these are perhaps the worst songs I have heard since Gackt's latest single.
Wild Arms - Twilight Venom (TV)
Wolf's Rain (TV)
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou: Quiet Country Cafe (OAV)
Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (TV)
Yu-Gi-Oh! (TV 1/1998) Awful This is probably the worst dub I have seen on TV. Listening to Yugi talk in a deep baritone for a minute or so was enough to make me change the channel.
Zaion: I Wish You Were Here (ONA)
Zatch Bell (TV)
Zoids (TV)
Zoids/ZERO (TV)
Zone of the Enders (TV)

Seen all Rating Comment
3x3 Eyes (OAV)
3x3 Eyes Seima Densetsu (OAV)
Akira (movie)
Alien Nine (special)
Android Kikaider - The Animation (TV)
Angelic Layer (TV)
Animation Runner Kuromi (OAV)
(The) Animatrix (OAV)
Aquarian Age - Sign for Evolution (TV)
Azumanga Daioh (TV) .
Azumanga Daioh - The Very Short Movie
Azumanga Web Daioh (ONA)
Bartender (TV) Masterpiece
Berserk (TV 1997)
Betterman (TV) Very good If I had to describe Betterman in one word, I would say "horror-mecha," which is one word as long as it is hyphenated. It has elements of both of those genres. Not only does it have giant robots, but it also has a geniunely dark and creepy atmosphere. This combination works well in this series.

Our hero is Keita, a Japanese high school student. He is a bespectacled military otaku, in other words, the show's target audience. In school one day, there is a transfer student newly assigned to his class. The teacher introduces her as Hinoki, but before she can be assigned a seat, she gets a call on her cell phone and excuses herself from class. As Keita sees Hinoki's multicolored punk hair-do, he realizes that he has met her before. They were formerly childhood playmates, but he hasn't seen her since then. After school, Keita sneaks into an amusement park known as Bottom World (because it is underground). The opening of the park has been delayed by of the mysterious deaths of 200 workers. Keita gets lost in the park and gets attacked by animatronic robots. He manages to escape, but then runs into a giant robot being piloted by Hinoki. The robot is a two seater, but the other pilot, Cactus, simply ran off without saying anything. So, Hinoki lets Keita on to the robot. Per giant robot tradition, our hero is able to synchronize with the robot with no prior training. Fortunately, from here it gets a lot more interesting.

Our heroes manage to destroy the animatronic robots that Keita ran into earlier, but the robot runs out of juice just as they run into a giant version of the park's mascot. Just in the nick of time, the mysterious Betterman arrives and saves the day. Betterman is a lanky guy wearing a leather jacket, with multicolored hair similar to Hinoki's. As he arrives on the scene, he eats some sort of seed and transforms into a dragon-like creature to fight the giant mascot. The theory behind Betterman, as it is explained later, is that he is a creature that can change his form to suit the situation he is in. This type of biology-oriented science fiction really makes the show interesting to watch. Rather than leaving Betterman as some sort of supernatural phenomenon, the scientist character in this show, Asami, explains the evolutionary origin of Betterman almost plausibly. It's not often that a mecha show goes into such detail.

Speaking of mecha, the robots in this show are interesting too. If you are used to Gundam or any other more mainstream robots, the ones in this show might look a bit clunky. Unlike Gundam, these aren't designed to be military robots. The first robot in the series, the Kakuseijin, is designed to be a research robot. It was commissioned by a corporation known as Mode Warp (pronounced "Mo-dee Warp") and built by Akamatsu Industries. Its purpose is to investigate a new disease known as "Algernon," which has taken the lives of the aforementioned 200 workers at Bottom World and the former robot pilot Cactus. The most prominent features on the robot are the sensors, and the robot looks somewhat reptillian with its long tail. It even has the added mobility of roller skates, just like the robots in Blue Gender. Of course, it wouldn't be a giant robot show if the robot didn't have an ultimate attack, but this "synapse attack" as it is called, is far from a one hit kill on any enemy. Either way, you would never mistake this robot for a Gundam.

The characters are a mixed bag. As I said before, some of the characters are cliche. Keita looks like your average teenaged robot pilot, Hinoki is the girl with the mysterious past, etc. What caught my eye were the designs. They are actually, quite cartoony with large eyes and big busts. You would think that character designs like that would work against the horror aspects of the series, but it doesn't hurt to have a bit of comedy. At the very least, the designs are unique to this genre.

The voice acting in this series is great. I listened to the whole series dubbed and loved every minute of it. My favorite part was Mariette Sluyter as the bed-ridden psychic girl Sakura. Her eerily-prophetic, semi-nonsensical mutterings were always spot on. Her part added an extra layer of creepiness to the series. If you like dubs, definitely give it a try.

In the end, the Betterman anime is more of a shapeshifter than Betterman himself. It has strong ties to both mecha and horror anime. The characters are somewhat cliche, but the show makes up for that by having an interesting science fiction oriented plot. If you are interested in mecha or horror, Betterman is worth checking out.
(The) Big O (TV)
Birdy the Mighty (OAV)
Black Magic M-66 (OAV)
Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma (OAV)
Blood: The Last Vampire (movie)
Blue Gender (TV)
Blue Seed (TV)
Blue Submarine No.6 (OAV)
Boogiepop Phantom (TV)
Bubblegum Crisis (OAV)
Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 (TV)
Cardcaptor Sakura (TV)
Cardcaptor Sakura The Movie 2: The Sealed Card If you're a guy who watches too much mahou shoujo, you will turn into a girl.
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie
Cat Soup (OAV)
Cowboy Bebop (TV)
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
Crest of the Stars (TV)
Di Gi Charat (TV)
Di Gi Charat - A Trip to the Planet (movie)
Di Gi Charat Christmas Special
Di Gi Charat Summer Special
Di Gi Charat Summer Vacation Special
Dragon Half (OAV)
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure (TV)
Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventures Special
Escaflowne: The Movie
Excel Saga (TV)
FLCL (OAV)
Fruits Basket (TV 1/2001)
Full Metal Panic! (TV)
Galaxy Angel (TV)
Galaxy Angel Z (TV)
Geneshaft (TV) Geneshaft is a show that, at the time of this writing, is airing on Tech TV. It is a science fiction themed show set in a future where everyone is genetically engineered. There is a mysterious object in space that the cast is investigating called "the ring." After watching episode one, this "ring" reminds me of the monolith from 2001. Only this show has more cute girls and less psychotic computers.
Gunbuster (OAV)
Gunsmith Cats (OAV)
.hack//SIGN (TV) Hack Sign is kinda slow paced plot-wise. It doesn't have much action. It is more of a mystery-type story. It takes place inside of an online computer game. The game itself is brilliantly realized. This series has very colorful fantasy backgrounds. The characters themselves are interesting to see too. They look like they came right out of a fantasy themed video game. All the BGM in the series is composed by Yuki Kajiura. The music is like a mixture of orchestral and techno, which blends very well with the themes of this anime. This series is a little dull, but its sense of artistic and musical style redeem it.
Haibane Renmei (TV)
Haré+Guu (TV)
His and Her Circumstances (TV)
Idol Project (OAV)
Immortal Grand Prix (TV)
Inuyasha (TV)
Jin-Roh - The Wolf Brigade (movie)
Kikaider-01: The Animation (OAV)
Kiki's Delivery Service (movie)
(The) Legend of Black Heaven (TV)
Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (movie)
Macross Plus (OAV)
Magic User's Club! (OAV)
Magical Girl Pretty Sammy (OAV)
Magical Project S (TV)
Mao-chan (TV)
Millennium Actress (movie)
Miyuki-chan in Wonderland (OAV)
Mobile Fighter G Gundam (TV) Excellent This is the type of show that you have to be age 15 to fully appreciate. It has tons of awesome robot battles, cool characters, and an engaging story. The mech and character design is kinda retro, which is fine by me. The show is also full of hilarious racial stereotypes. Check out the American fighter, Chibodee Crocket and his cowboy/boxer/football mech. This show may not be part of the Gundam Universal Century timeline, but it is required viewing for any fan of Gundam as far as I am concerned.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (OAV)
Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory (OAV)
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (OAV)
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (movie)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team (OAV)
Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Miller's Report (movie)
Musashi (TV) Masterpiece
Nadia - The Secret of Blue Water (TV)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (movie)
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (movie)
NieA_7 (TV)
Noir (TV)
Now and Then, Here and There (TV)
Ocean Waves (movie)
Otaku no Video (OAV)
Outlaw Star (TV)
Patlabor 2: The Movie (movie 2)
Patlabor: The Movie (movie 1)
Perfect Blue (movie)
Pet Shop of Horrors (TV)
Pilot Candidate (TV)
Pita-Ten (TV)
Princess Mononoke (movie)
Psycho Diver: Soul Siren (OAV)
Puni Puni Poemy (OAV)
RahXephon (TV)
Read or Die (OAV)
Reign: The Conqueror (TV)
Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie
Roujin Z (movie)
Sailor Moon R (TV)
Sailor Moon S: The Movie
Samurai Deeper Kyo (TV) Awful This show starts off pretty average. Kind of like Kenshin with multiple personality disorder. But I'd say it's notable for having one of the most hilariously non-sensical endings in the history of anime.
SD Gundam Force (TV)
Serial Experiments Lain (TV)
Silent Möbius (TV)
(The) Slayers (TV)
Slayers - The Motion Picture
(The) Slayers Next (TV)
Slayers Premium (movie)
Sol Bianca (OAV)
Sorcerer Hunters (OAV)
Super Dimensional Fortress Macross II: The Movie (OAV)
Tenchi in Tokyo (TV)
Tenchi Muyo! (OAV 1/1992)
Tenchi Muyo! The Night Before The Carnival (OAV)
Tenchi Universe (TV)
Tokyo Babylon (OAV)
Tokyo Babylon 2 (OAV)
Tokyo Underground (TV) Weak Typical shounen action show, except for the fact that it takes place UNDERGROUND.
(The) Transformers: The Movie (U.S. movie)
Trigun (TV)
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (movie)
Violinist of Hamelin (TV) Masterpiece Even though it looks like the animation buget for this show was five dollars and a wooden nickel, I'm a sucker for musically themed shows. This show stars a reluctant hero, Hamel, who fights demons using classical music. It also has hints of angsty romance and a bit of graphic violence. The voice acting is also worth mentioning, especially Megumi Ogata as the fallen angel Sizer. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, this show has yet to be licensed for American distribution. This is one of the few fansubs, along with Kodocha, that I would highly recommend.
(The) Vision of Escaflowne (TV)
Voices of a Distant Star (OAV)
Witch Hunter Robin (TV)
X (movie)
X (TV)
X OAV
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (OAV)