Soul Eater is about basically the Grim Reaper who creates an organization to police souls.  He calls it the Death Weapon Meister Academy.  Here Meisters and Weapons train to be partners and seek out evil souls that if left unkempt may transform into evil Kishins.  Meisters are human warriors while their counterpart Weapons are actual weapons which morph into a weapon that the human Meister uses to defeat evil souls.  After the Meister defeats the evil soul, the weapon then disposes of it by eating them.  By doing so, they prevent evil Kishins from appearing and wreaking havoc on the world.

I told you an original concept.  While the storytelling and character development are top notch there are a couple things that I though could have been done better.  The character designs are too quirky for me and the animation goes from well done to choppy, even throughout an individual episodes.  While I do like clean consistent animation, the stories and characters make up for the flaw.  I would recommend if you are looking for something different.

The way the characters move during the action sequences is very fluid.  The wirework is almost inconceivable.  The framing of the shots are all done in the way an anime is constructed.  I can’t say enough good things about this movie.

Goemon is a cross between Robin Hood and Ninja Scroll.  It is about a bandit named Goemon, played by Yosuke Eguchi, whose past is shrouded in mystery.  He is actually the son of a high ranking political figure whose family is assassinated.  He is rescued by the assassins by Lord Nobunaga.  Lord Nobunaga takes him under his wings and he becomes part of the royal family training under the legendary Hattori Hanzo.

As he gets older and he is assigned to protect Lord Nobunaga’s niece, Princess Chacha, played by Ryoko Hirosue.  When he thwarts an attack on Princess Chacha, he receives the royal double blade as a gift from Lord Nobunaga.   After Nobunoga is killed, Goemon leaves and gives half of the double blade to his best friend Saizo.  Years later Goemon becomes a famous bandit.   Goemon is then drawn into a conflict that will shake the entire Japanese government.  I won’t reveal the details of the ending but it is well done.

If you liked Shinobi Heart Under Blade you will love this movie.  The cinematography is superb.  Definitely a movie you should add to not just your anime collection but film collection as well.

The plot revolves around a young man named Akira Takizawa, who has his memory wiped and finds himself in Washington DC naked with a pistol and a weird cell phone.  He meets a girl named Saki Morimi together they escape DC and board a plane to Japan. Once back in Japan Akria tries to unravel the mystery of who he is, he is helped by an operator on his cell phone, named Juiz.

Eventually Akria finds out that he has 10 Billion Yen and he has to use the money to the betterment of mankind.  Also he is one of twelve other Selecao, as they are called, we have the same mission.  Only one can fulfill the mission and those that do not are killed.

The best part of the series is discovering clues about who he is while he is doing it.  It’s like taking the journey with Akira.  The animation is also top notch.  I would say the best work Production I.G. has put out to date.  Although the story is not fast paced every episode makes you want to see what happens next.  Even fans of action packed and fast paced anime should like this series.  At least I do

It’s about a strange girl who comes out of the ocean and claims to be an invader sent here to take over mankind.  Unfortunately it is only her with no abilities other than her hair is made of tentacles and she can spit ink.  She is befriended by the local beach vendors and as she learns about mankind she comes to realize that we are not all that bad.  There are a lot of traits that her new friends have which she cannot experience in the vast ocean, like working at a seaside café.  There are plenty of great supporting characters and they each have distinct personalities.

The episodes are broken up into 2 twelve minute mini episodes.  Each episode is well contained and there are flashbacks so anyone jumping in, in the middle will have an idea of what is going on. The writing is very well done and the animation is pretty good too.  One of the better anime for younger fans I have seen thus far.

On the moon is a shrine no one knows about.  Two priestess who are reincarnated as two high school girls must protect the shrine with magic.  They are the Solar priestess Himeko and the Lunar priestess Chikane, who seem to be lovers in their previous life.  There are eight evil Orochi who want to destroy humanity and create a realm of darkness.  Despite the fact that there are mystical arts involved the villains use huge robotic mechas they pilot.  Although the series does not explain how these giant robots were created, the battles are pretty awesome.  The two girls regain their former memories when the Orochi attack the Earth.  The girls have a protector in an Orochi who does not become evil named Ogami.

I did like this series although it does have some flaws.  The animation is very generic.  There are a few plot holes and some of the dialogue seems rushed.  Maybe because it is only a 13 episode series.  The action is well done and the characters are also distinct.  If you are looking for a short anime series and can stand a little girly drama, Destiny of the Shrine Maiden is for you.

It revolves around a young teenage girl, Tenma and her secret admirer, Harima.  Harima is a bungling idiot while Tenma is naive and clueless.  Harima tries his best to impress Tenma but to no avail.  Everything he does goes awry and Tenma is none the wiser.  Tenma is in love with a boy named Karasuma who doesn’t even know she’s alive.  As the series progresses the writers start focusing on the supporting cast.  Tenma’s sister has a crush on Harima and one of Harima’s classmates is also in love with Tenma.  Yeah it does sound confusing but the writing is smartly done and the stories mesh into each other well.  The humor is mostly slapstick but works well with the series and plot.

Not really an anime I would recommend to my fans of the action/fantasy/sci-fi anime type.  But it is a real good change of pace.  The sexual overtones are tongue in cheek and I have no problem letting my 7 year old watch it.  I recommend it to young pre-teens and those who like anime comedies.

Vandread is about what would happen if men and women were separated and placed on different planets and were at war with each other. Now you would think that is a pretty stupid idea to start with, but Vandread somehow makes it work. It takes the differences between men and women and really makes them alien to each other. A really cool concept and I was intrigued by it.

It follows a young man named Hibiki who is fairly low on the totem pole on the men planet.  During an attack by the women he and a couple of his peers, Bart and Duelo are kidnapped. Their battle ship and the women ship somehow merge together. Hibiki pilots a small Mecha known as Vanguard that can also merge with the women’s space fighters.  When they merge they each transform into a different configuration. The series follows them as they learn that men and women are the same species and follows their voyage thru the galaxy. They are attacked by strange biomechanical creatures as they try to make it back to their home world.

The episodes are well written and the interactions between the men and women are very funny.  I found it hilarious when one of the women is pregnant, and Duelo, the man doctor, thinks she has a parasitic organism inside of her.  The Mechas are CGI, but work well with the traditional cell animation.  A lot of the Mecha sequences are duplicated, but still well done. The first season is only 13 episodes and I have yet to start the second season. If it is as good as the first I look forward to seeing them and giving you a review in the future.

A must see!

The series revolves around a young girl named Hitome, who is from Earth, but gets transported to a different dimension, to a planet called Gaea. On Gaea the Earth can be seen in orbit and the people there call it the Mystic Moon. Hitome meets Vaughn the young king of a kingdom called Fanelia. They go on adventures as they try to protect Gaea from the evil Zaibach Empire.  There is lots of action, adventure and a love triangle revolving Hitome, Vaugh, and a knight named Allen Schezar, who comes to their aid.

One of the best anime series I have seen.  I really love the world that is created.  It is quite original and the stories are well written.  Definitely a must see!

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