Anime

It is the present day. Jun Sakurada is a somewhat troubled boy who abandoned school, and seems to be an orphan. To make a living, he decides to test products of companies, and providing them with opinions in written form as it seems. His sister Nori however seems to have a more normal life. Something happened along the way, and Jun tries to distance himself from her, wants to be left alone. He spends most of the time in his room in front of his computer, surfing the web or playing games.

However, one day he receives a somewhat strange piece of letter that arrives with one of the boxes with products he is supposed to try out. It only asks a question: “Will you wind? Yes / No”. He decides to circle “Yes”. He then finds a somewhat strange box. Intrigued, he opens it – to find a beautiful doll inside, with a key. Apparently to wind the doll up. He does so… and that’s where the life of Jun and Nori takes a big turn.

The doll he winded up introduces herself as Shinku, one of the Rozen Maidens. Made by a mysterious doll maker, only known by the name of Rozen, a long time ago in an attempt to compensate for a loss he experienced. It doesn’t take too long for the other dolls to show up at his doorstep, and soon enough Jun is increasingly annoyed about talking dolls in his house with – seemingly – childlike minds.

However the rabbit hole goes a bit deeper than just talking dolls who fight each other all the time in a desperate attempt to get sweets. Jun soon learns about Suigintou and her plans, and decides to help the dolls at all costs.

Each of the Rozen Maidens appear to have a mystical power of sorts, that can be useful in one way or another – mostly though to serve or help their “servant”, which Jun is often referred to as by Shinku – the first one to arrive in his house.

Brimming with unparalleled comedy and humor that will make you laugh out loud with eyes wide open, the show is most certainly funny and entertaining. It has incredible scenarios and scene designs, making you watch in awe. The show is deep and leaves a message behind for all of us, making it definitely a very special anime event which you should not miss out on!

Rozen Maiden
Director: Kō Matsuo
Studio: Nomad
Original run: 7 October 2004 – 23 December 2004
Episodes: 12

So to conclude, Suiseiseki in a nutshell

C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!!

A song that would somewhat go perfectly with this anime, is this one.

Lia
Doll
Gunslinger Girl OST 2

We find ourselves in a not too distant future, maybe 2015, in Japan. A secret government organization named Solomon (precisely “Solomon Toukatsu Nin’idantai” – something like “Solomon Executive Organization”) was created to fight the harmful use of Witchcraft all over Japan. As such, the branch the show focuses on, is the STN-J. Their goal is to arrest or eliminate witches who, for some reason, have a gene referred to as “Seeds”. These “Seeds” make it possible to use witchcraft in some shape or form – and STN-J tries to prevent the harmful use of that, or prevent that it’s ever been used, as they hunt witches who don’t know that they have these powers. In other words, they also hunt people whose powers have not yet awakened.

From left to right: Yurika Dōjima, Amon, Robin Sena, Miho Karasuma (top beside Robin), Haruto Sakaki (bottom beside Robin), Michael Lee

It all starts when Robin Sena, technically a witch and “craft-user”, arrives in Japan to assist the STN-J in their hunts. Robin was trained to hunt down witches ever since she was a little girl, and uses her craft of fire to do so. It is stated that Robin is a replacement for a hunter that had either gone missing or was killed in action prior to her arrival. Robin is only 15, but seems to have gotten a basic grip on what is going on in her and what she is really capable of doing.

She is assisted by an interesting variety of people, most notably a man named Amon. He is a 25 year old S-class hunter. While not displaying any witchcraft, he is able to absorb and reflect a number of attacks involving witchcraft. This is possible with the use of a substance called “Orbo”, seemingly a gree-ish liquid that is in fact able to deflect and neutralize witchcraft directed at him. While Robin understands the basics of this substance, she denies to have it on herself, describing it as “disgusting”. Every member in STN-J has Orbo on them on missions, or more precisely (witch-) hunts.

An unsung hero and colleague of Robin: Michael Lee. Expert hacker and technical support of the STN-J.

Once a witch has been hunted and successfully neutralized, there’s always a black, seeminlgy extremely armored and shielded truck arriving on the scene. Witches are only disabled and not killed, when a Orbo bullet is fired. This appears to give enough time to put the witch into some sort of cargo container, and then being placed into the inside of the truck. After the cargo container is placed in the truck it drives off into the distance… to a mysterious place only referred to as The Factory.

When not on duty or getting a break from everyday life, the crew meets in a place named “Harry’s” – a small diner apparently not too far away from the STN-J office. As it always is in those places, our heroes exchange gossip in there, but sometimes also important information that otherwise would not be obtainable in the office.

What at first seems to be a Monster-Of-The-Week show, gets far more sophisticated and deep once the relationship between all characters is established. At certain moments it will just click in your head and you start to see parts of the bigger picture that is drawn to you… as the pieces fall into place.

Yurika Dōjima. A friend and colleague of Robin, seemingly only doing a very minimal job. But is that really all? Or is there more to her then you think?

It is safe to say that this show ties in perfectly with shows like X-Files or MillenniuM. Even if you don’t like Anime or have not seen it before, but like the two shows I just mentioned, then this is without a doubt a show you HAVE to get your hands on right now.

Without a doubt, this is a more unique Animes and its style compares to that of Ergo Proxy – when speaking of pace, animation, and storytelling. The performances were pretty good – but I can only speak for the Japanese version, as I have seen it with subtitles. The soundtrack is pretty amazing, and plays a huge part, undoubtedly. All in all, this is a pretty amazing show, very well produced and executed. As I said – if you like mysteries of this kind, you will most definitely not regret the choice of getting your hands on this one.

Witch Hunter Robin
Genre: Occult detective
Director: Shukou Murase
Studio: Sunrise
Original run: July 2, 2002 – December 24, 2002
Episodes: 26

Bana
Shell
Witch Hunter Robin OST 1

We find ourselves somewhere in Tokyo’s Shinjuku, in 1970. There, a somewhat hot woman is doing, what you could call, detective work, for her clients. She does that with her partner Mimi. Together they have been solving cases for quite a while now, but things take a twist when Rin runs into someone who claims that he cannot remember his past, or he says, it doesn’t feel real. You see this strikes a very special note in Rin’s and Mimi’s memories – for they are both immortal.

However Rin feels compelled to help this man as his dispair sounds strangely familiar. Rin’s and Mimi’s immortality appears to originate from something referred to as Time Fruits – some sort of capsule, able to essentially halt the aging process, but also freeze everything of the condition your body is in. Meaning if you’re sick at the time of inhaling the Time Fruit, not only will you live forever, you will also stay sick forever. Rin and Mimi though were lucky.

As the story progresses we cover a timespan of 1970 – 2055, everything happening in or around Shinjuku. The story concentrates primarily on Rin and Mimi and their cases – however their cases then more and more uncover the plans of someone, and, as always that cannot be good. But also, I cannot tell you more than that.

For the most part, I also cannot post some of my favorite scenes or snapshots of them, I kinda wanna keep this place… clean. All I can tell you is that the story is brimming with sex and violence – STRICTLY OVER 18!!!!11!1!!eleven

However it is incredibly impressive, although too short in my opinion. This could and should have been a standard 26-episode-show. Nonetheless I encourage you to watch it, it is… unique. Because it’s so short I can’t write much else about it… just watch it! It’s awesome.

RIN ~Daughters of Mnemosyne~
Director: Shigeru Ueda
Studio: Xebec, Genco
Original run: February 3, 2008 – July 6, 2008
Episodes: 6 (Cats Don’t Laugh, Angels Don’t Cry, Flowers Don’t Shed Tears, Ghosts Don’t Scream, Holy Nights Don’t Shine Brightly, And Then To The Door Of The Kingdom…)
Episode Runtime: 45 minutes

We find ourselves in modern-day Italy, just outside of Rome, to be precise. Out there, a government branch that is known to practically the general population, the Social Welfare Agency, has one of its buildings. What most don’t know is their true objective and agenda. The Social Welfare Agency, or just The Agency, is in reality a Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Intelligence sort of branch. It has two special ops divisions – Section 1 and Section 2, and our story mostly focuses on what’s happening in Section 2.

The Agency continually looks for heavily injured and/or orphaned girls, and brings them into their facilities. They are subjected to a number of operations, in which the girls are ‘augmented’ if you will, with all sorts of implants. This results in better reflexes, heightened strength, faster movement, be more precise overall. The government uses these augmented children in operations in the field. Each child gets assigned a “handler” as it is called, and together they are referred to as fratello – Italian for siblings.

To achieve total loyalty and obedience of the children, a certain proecdure of brainwashing is used, called “conditioning”. The level of which can apparently be increased or decreased as desired. It is, apparently, sometimes used if a child has failed to complete a job or was not good enough at it.

The show is set in a very real world with very real places and very real money – no superpowers or superstitions. The currency used in the show is the Euro (20, 50, and 100 Euro notes can be seen throughout the show). Actual places and landmarks were also used and drawn, such as the Colosseum, and Pantheon.

The show is divided into two parts. Where as the first 13 episodes concentrate more on the characters and their differences, the second part – Il Teatrino – has a story arc and focuses basically on an ongoing operation to bring down a terrorist cartel operating in Italy. As thw two parts are produced by different studios, differences in the drawing and animation is heavily visible – although it does not impact the overall experience. It should also be noted that the two parts have entirely different openings and endings. I have to say the Il Teatrino opening and ending is better than the first part.

It does raise ethical questions as to how far one can go with utilizing children for whatever purpose. At one point it is stated that ultimately The Agency tries out new things and it has to be tested somewhere, and by doing this with the children, they’d be helping a lot of other injured and ill people who could, otherwise, not be saved. Of course it is not further explained how true this is – so it is up to you to believe them and hope the kids do more good then harm.

Deep down they are children and as such have a child-like mind. They have questions, feel love and hate, wonder about things. How deep the rabbit whole goes… that’s for you to see.

It is without a doubt one of the better Animes out there, and if I should describe it in one sentence, I’d say: If Quentin Tarantino were to make an Anime, that’d be it. Watch it, you won’t be disappointed.

Gunslinger Girl
Director: Morio Asaka
Studio: Madhouse
Original run: October 8, 2003 – February 19, 2004
Episodes: 13

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino
Director: Rei Mano
Studio: Artland
Original run: January 7, 2008 – March 31, 2008
Episodes: 13

This has got to be one of the most perfect AMVs I have seen, and goes with the show, Nadie, and Ellis so well in so many ways… I cried at this.

In an array of military campaigns and conquests, the once small Great Britian became the Britannian Empire, the largest super-power in the world. Next in line is the European Union, and the Chinese Federation. The Britannian Empire however spanned around the globe, and was determined to complete their campaign. And so on August 10, 2010, a huge army of the Britannian Empire, using the latest and greatest in military warfare – the KnightMare Frames – marched into Japan and stripped the country and its citizens from all freedoms and rights. In the process, the country was renamed Area 11. Even a new flag was issued, replacing the iconic white with a huge red dot.

The titular Lelouch Lamperouge was disowned by Emperor Charles Vi Britannia, after his mother was murdered, and has vowed to kill his father, the Emperor, and destroy Britannia, thereby avenging the death of his mother. He also wanted a world in which his sister, Nunnally, can live in peacefully and happily. Taking on a world super-power is not really simple, but Lelouch has no idea how to do this – until one day fate decided to lend him a hand.

When Lelouch attempts to prevent a terrorist attack in which seemingly a tank with lethal gas should be released, he is more or less saved by a somewhat strange girl. She calls herself C.C. That’s it, nothing else. She is shot in the head, time is running out for her – just before she (seemingly) dies, she offers Lelouch a great ability that will make him different from all humans, but she believes it is important for Lelouch to have this power since Lelouch, so she says, has a reason to live. This power would enforce absolute obidience to anyone who’d be subjected to it, there is no escape. However in return, Lelouch has to grant her one wish – she however does not say what it is. Lelouch believes this power could in fact be used to fulfil both of his plans, so he binds the contract.

It’s a power with the intriguing name Geass. In Lelouch’s case, the Geass can be used to make any person do anything he wants, as long as there is a uninterrupted line of sight into the eyes of the person he wants to use it on.

Soon Lelouch gets a grip for this somewhat incredible ability, and takes on the secret identity of simply “Zero”. Using this identity he begins forming a movement which becomes known as “The Order Of The Black Knights”, with the ultimate goal to destroy Britannia and the empire. Since most “Elevens” (former Japanese) support the cause of the movement, it gains on momentum quite quickly. Lelouch was hoping that this would play out in his favor and soon an organization is required within the Black Knights. They also begin to develop and acquire military technology. Primarily experimental or equal mechas, named KnightMares. Interestingly the KnightMares of the Britannian Empire seem to be named after British cities – an older but popular model is named the “Glasgow”, while a more modern one is named “Sutherland”.

Lelouch’s move of taking on the identity of “Zero” has profound impact on him and his life, as well as his family and friends. Living two lives is not as easy as it seems. You have no idea what steps Lelouch is ready to take in order to fulfil his two wishes.

Obviously the Britannian Army is not so fond of Zero’s plan to smash Britannia, and soon they are starting campaigns against him and The Order Of The Black Knights. Most don’t know that Zero/Lelouch has a supernatural power, but suspect that something is going on… That’s all I can say.

Having seen the end of the first season just now, I can tell you that I have been deeply impressed with the development of the story, and the plot twists. There are jaw-dropping moments, emotional moments, make-you-cry-moments, and moments that will most definetely go ‘Whoa WTF no way!!’. The voice-acting is pretty good, the score is well composed. If the successor, “Code Geass R:2″ is as intense as this season, then I actually can’t wait to hop on that ride also. So far, this has been pretty incredible and toward the end of the show I dropped my pizza out of sheer amazement… That’s gotta tell you something.

If you’re into mechas, action, shinigami, love-triangles, and stories of alternative timelines, then this is most definitely a show for you. Get it in High-Definition, if you can.

Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Rebellion
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Studio: Sunrise
Genre: Drama, Mecha, Alternate history
Episodes: 25
Original Run: October 5, 2006 – July 28, 2007

It is a time in the future, and we managed to plunge ourselves into a global disaster. And by the looks of it, we are looking at a still on-going nuclear winter. It is a pretty darkened sky. Pockets of civilization live in domed cities, and our story begins in one named Romdo.

The story of Ergo Proxy begins with a strange series of murders and a wave of AutoReivs (androids programmed to serve its owner, referred to as Entourage or Companion) infected with a virus rendering them self-aware. RE-L and her Entourage, Iggy (who is not infected), are assigned to the case. However everything goes out of control when RE-L encounters a monster in her apartment, which she later comes to know as a Proxy. Determined to find out the truth, she sets out on a journey to find answers.

When RE-L becomes witness to an rampage run of a so-called Fellow Citizen named Vincent Law in a shopping mall, she pursues him. Only to find that he intends to end his life. However he is mysteriously saved and seeks RE-L, to find answers – with her. The government wants to shut her up already because of the Proxy she encountered, so she decides to leave. Much to the surprise to both, people do live outside the dome cities despite the warnings of a toxic atmosphere.

And so they set out on a journey to find answers to Vincent’s past. It is set in a very dark atmosphere, with a very unique way of storytelling. Sometimes confusing but always clear in the end. One could say “Noir” meets “1984″. I enjoyed the setting of the show very much so. As well as the way the story was told.

All in all I think this is a very unique experience to all kinds of anime fans out there. The setting and atmosphere are certainly different from most other animes out there, and if you’re into film noir, as well as mystery, then this is most likely for you. Having seen the end, it all makes sense and despite what you might think after, say, 15 episodes, it does make sense after all. It has been a very memorable ride. You should watch this one right now.

Ergo Proxy
Genre: Cyberpunk, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Mystery
Director: Shukō Murase
Original run: 25 February 2006 – 12 August 2006
Episodes: 23

Ergo Proxy opening song in full length, made as full intro video

Monoral
Kiri
Turbulence

From El Cazador de la Bruja, Episode 14 – “Maple Leaf”.

Yuki Kajiura feat. Emily Bindinger
Forest
El Cazador OST 1

Just don’t write my name down in your little book a’ight?

So today I went into the city with some images and posters of animes I have seen so far. All images are printed on super-high-quality photo paper and look as if the studios have sent them to me

From top-left to right, going top to bottom:

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Macross Frontier,
.hack//SIGN, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Noir,
.hack//ROOTS, El Cazador de la Bruja (Ellis “WANTED” poster), Cowbow Bebop,
Appleseed, Black Lagoon (GTA style), Death Note