Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Watching Code Geass right now. Have you eye-watched it?
"Dude..*links to review*.."
Hey, coming from the guy who hasn't watched Gurren Lagenn.

-Nick H.

After having this discussion, I now break off the last few episodes of the series to write this.


Some how this is a marvelous blend of Code Geass and Air Gear! that also for some reason reminds me ofFLCL. The series has a particular feel to it as it progresses from part to part. A 27 episode closed series with a style that leans on mainstream, but not all the way, and with a particular color palette, a great serious plot with exactly the right amount of hilarious commentary and characters, this some how flew under my radar for a few years.



Humanity has been forced to live under ground in a labyrinth of tunnels as they have been shunned from the surface. Only living with tradition to keep them together, they never question why they should not leave their caves. Simon and Kamina become "bro's" and are determined to set foot on the surface. This journey not only brings them to meet new friends and allies, but an ever mounting quest to free the human race from their oppressors.
This is a plot that truly shows an epic amount of character development as we literally watch Simon grow up through out the course of the series. Power creep is maintained and acknowledged, and the intensity never lets up. Once it starts going, it just never stops.

This series is terribly motivational. Each episode delivers an even tougher opponent, or situation that must be over come, and is always met with a fierce determination to continue forward. Fight scenes are obviously an integral part to this series, but that's not to say that it exists to the detriment of other aspects. While the animation is great, the art is quite stylized, but still quite high quality. Voice acting in both English and Japanese are handled well, although the Dub just doesn't quite give Kamina enough credit. Soundtrack isn't specifically amazing, but it right were it needs to be to keep any one engaged.

What is also worth noting, is that despite the series gets close to having stereotypical character attitudes, it manages to push the limit while still having them be relatable and rational human beings rather than the emotion driven automatons that plague many main characters from main stream series.

A grand story, a great cast, impressive animation and art design, Gurren Lagann is definitely something to experience regardless of genre preference. This is great for anyone.

Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood

One of the biggest anime's besides Bleach or Death Note at the moment, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood is the attempt at starting over with the Full Metal universe from the beginning and following closely to the actual manga plot. As this this the case, obviously there are some discrepancies and differences from the first FMA that came out. So far the new experiment has hit the ground with only a few wobbles, but has quickly ironed them out. Also, almost all of the original english dub crew is back and already releasing several episodes.

Brotherhood while being a very very close to the manga ironically starts off with a fabricated pilot episode. The manga beginnings are much closer to that of the original FMA series. With a huge budget to make these episodes, animations are insanely smooth, frame rates are like-wise very high, and lots and lots of action. A few annoyances I initially had was how awkwardly some of the more "manga-y" humorous pieces are done initially. It's also interesting to note that they expect you to have watched the entire original series before this one. At least in the early stages there are references to what in the original was a full episode is now fifteen seconds.The original had a superb mix of these too styles making it uniquely its own. Brotherhood takes a while to actually get its identity under wraps. The humour gets capped a bit as the plot hits top speed and stays there for the entire series thus far. This is both awesome, and a little bit of a let down. While this means that you get to bear witness to tons of alchemy, tons of well choreographed fights, military situations for the brothers to battle against, there is almost a complete removal of the slow episodes where morals and philosophies were introduced and analyzed in the original.

That is why they expect you to have watched the first one. I see and feel Brotherhood not as it's own stand alone (although it is certainly capable of it) but as something to further enrich the characters and story given in the first series. They augment each other and pick the other up where it is lacking.

So, quick summary of plot actually, as a voice in the first few episodes will remind you, Alchemy is the science of breaking down and reconstructing matter. However, there are limits and rules that just should not be crossed. Human kind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange. If you are familiar with the first series, then nothing is different in terms of setting or beginning. Many of the episodes are reincarnations. Again I'll emphasize that the plot just keeps going. There is no down time unless a particular fight scene needs two episodes. They flow into each other sooo well. Seamless movement. This is both my biggest love and hate of Brotherhood. It has a very interesting plot where everything is happening at once and action is needed. It brings Winry and others who had been neglected for large parts of the FMA. In some big ways there is a deeper look into a few of these character relationships, but it just isn't done the same way. This time it much more direct in how those topics are discussed.

To make sure I don't just get into a spiral, I'll just recap everything. Characters act and feel like real people. There is a little bit of a problem in terms of loyalty and pride, but there are realistic reasons for individual's decisions. There is a lot more fighting in this series, and a lot more blood to add to the realism of this series. Art style is very true and shows a great sense of quality standards. Frame rate is never a problem and even youtube videos move with crystal clarity. No filler ever. Great voice actors in both dubs. There are no bad episodes, just slower moving plot (which is awesome). Generally Intro/Credit songs are amazing, and quite deep upon closer inspection (odd but true).
Watch this. You'll like it.

Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bepop, along with the first series of Full Metal Alchemist, is renown as one of the best english dubs. This series didn't ring home with me as much as it's influence may suggest it should, but there is no denying that it is indeed one of the upper tier of anime compilations. Smooth art, great characters, when the overlying plot is the main plot of the episode, things get real.

Cowboy Bebop is a story about bounty hunting in a not too far off future (like.. 100 years) which has a very real feel to how things may actually progress. There isn't any ridiculous sci-fi stretches, but rather ones that seem plausible when they arrive. Each main character is developed with painstaking care. By the end of the series, you know each one of them, their story, and mannerisms. Through adventures, some tight spots, and on the look out for bounties, the band slowly gains a few more members including Ein, a corgi that can hack any computer software. Not only adorable, but it was with Ein that I really paid attention to how well the animations actually were for this series. Through out the series you will discover more of Spike's (main protagonist) past.

While the over all story is a little lacking in my opinion, often picking up again between several episodes of seemingly unconnected episodes, it is still presented in a way that makes it all really... fun. The world and universe that has been created for this story to take place is superbly done. There is a very spacey-international feel to how the gang moves around from place to place that just feels very cultural and real.

Cowboy Bebop took me a while to actually appreciate. What got me to understand after watching the series was the intensity of the style throughout. Everything is legitimately it's own. The humor is not copy paste, there is not reeeeaally stereotypical characters, voice acting is perfect in english dub at least (haven't listened to japanese dub yet), and no one over exaggerates. That was the big one, over exaggeration is something that anime and manga excel at and cling to when it comes to strong emotions to the point where that is generally how they can even be defined in most cases. Bebop has so few of these instances. The character's do not get overly indignent or enthusiastic about something. They simply are always themselves acting to a situation. Their behavior is well displayed, and the writing for conversations is great.

So, while maybe not the most complex of plots, there is so much else to pick this series up and keep it there. Art, strong style, working breathing creative universe, strong cast, smooth animation sequences even in action sequences, memorable characters, and several absolutely defining episodes are why this series is one of the exceptional

Gunslinger Girl

So yeah, I clicked this randomly and didn't expect it to be that great. Youtube makes us do strange things. I'm glad this time that I found a rather good series then. The first season is only 13 episodes, and is credited as being very very true to the Italian setting in which the series takes place in. Also, the accuracy regarding weapons, ammo, sounds, and gunfire are all done expertly. There is a second season, but animation quality is much reduced, lacking of the immaculate detail of the first, however stays a bit truer to the story and has faster pacing. More on that later. Also, the manga is quite good, and has very good character development, and great plot.


This trailer isn't the best for the series as it makes it out to be primarily another trashy addition to the "girls with guns" genre. Taking a stance very similar to Noir, there are times where things run very smoothly. At times you can see how budget effected both seasons with either still images and a shaky cam effect, or reusing animation clips. If you can forgive the duplication of clips, then this is fine. Personally I really enjoyed the slow pace of the first season. While action is intense when it does happen, it is not the main focus of the series. For the majority of the first season it is entirely back story on each character and how they came to work for the agency.


Having been in some way or the other, been abused or having been tragically discarded, each of the young girls are terminally ill until they are picked up by a government agency which takes them, gives them cyborg implants, slight brainwashing, and military training to be deadly assassins. What struck me about this series was how personal it actually got for each character. Taking ample time to ensure each one was looked over in detail. Animation quality is amazing, flows well, and voice actors hit their cue. The real story is not so much the action and shoot 'em up idea, but more the relationships between the cyborgs (who live together in sort of a very private college) and their "handlers", or male supervisors. What also should be noted is the constant battle of deciding to increase the girl's deadliness and consistency with further cybernetic enhancements, but at the increased detrimental mentality of the patients such as memory loss.


I wish it had a less negatively charged name, and that it had been able to continue a little farther so that plot could have actually developed, but the idea is still interesting none the less. Well done, high quality, and short enough to easily watch in a week, or two days. The second season has more action and plot, but has considerably less quality or city detail.
I also really like the theme song.

Dragon Ball Z

One of the first animes to get into main stream American viewing, Dragon Ball Z is synonymous with cool all over the internet and is basically something I don't even want to touch in reviewing or looking over. Something any can fall on and assume someone around you knows what you about. Plus some of the fights scenes are simply epic.

Having probably been viewed by over 9000 individuals, it's safe to say that DBZ is one of those hall of famers for anime to the American audience. Personally, I watched it not in my childhood, but over the course of a few weeks because I wanted to be in the know when it came to references and series I knew I would be assumed to be familiar with. Surprisingly, I thought the initial plot was really quite interesting for a series criticized with characteristics that should keep it off of this blog. The voice acting, is rather good for its time, and has the potential for a very deep and expansive universe. The starting point is that Goku has been raised on Earth and is one of the worlds best martial artists (I assume this picks up after Dragon Ball which would include his training as a child). It is soon revealed that he is basically a superman sent as a child to eradicate the human race. However, due to getting dropped off a cliff and hitting his head, now he's the muscled form of justice.

The first two saga's are by far the best in terms of plot, pacing, and ridiculous battles that aren't glorified. Power levels soon mean nothing, the next enemy just has more, and they all have to train again. Power creep also isn't exactly the best. However, putting aside the huge amount of time spent training Goku in the after life (death isn't really a deal either. They just get wished back), the series moves along. By far, the Freeza saga is something that everyone should watch. Spanning a few episodes, is an amazing amount of awesome packed into 90's style of animation
After these saga's, and once everyone achieves super saiyan, plot kinda gets out of hand, and filler series as well as just kind of annoying side stories within saga's show up. Things get a little less intense, but not to say that the fighting doesn't ever go down.
Fun? Yes. Worth it? Probably.
Do you have to watch the whole thing? Not unless you really want to. When Gohan decides to be a super hero (ie: himself) it's pretty funny. I only wish that by working out and training, I WOULD actually increase the density of my body to the point where I can get thrown through a mountain without taking hardly any damage. That would be pretty sweet. Oh, and learning how to fly and shoot lasers based on martial arts skills is also awesome.

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack is some what of an oddity in my opinion. Having really only gained popularity once it was no longer a continuing series. Animated by Tartakovsky, his strong artwork style comes out here in the best of ways. This is the same style you can see in his other cartoons such as Dexter's Lab, Powerpuff Girls, and Clone Wars Mini Series.

As you are reminded in each introduction, Samurai Jack was once a citizen of feudal Japan who's land had been ravaged by an evil shape shifter Aku. Aku battles the samurai who wields a magical sword, the only object that can harm him, and is nearly defeated. At the last second however, Aku rips a portal open in time, transporting Samurai Jack thousands of years into the future where Aku has enslaved not only this world, but countless others. Samurai Jack's only goal from this point on, is to find a portal back to his own time, and defeat Aku in order to save is land and the future.

The reason I say that Samurai Jack is an oddity isn't also because of it's late popularity as it appeals to a wide age pool, but in how it tells stories. There are many, many episodes where dialogue does not come into the picture until ten minutes in the episode. Several episodes lack dialogue all together. The plot is slowly pushed along, and some might find the lack of actual pacing (*spoiler!*as well as the lack of any conclusion thus far) to be very frustrating. Instead, each episode works to either reveal back story for Jack, flush out the future universe, or serve as an artistic battle between Jack and a villain, or bounty hunters for the entire time in order to show how much of a boss Jack is. Witty comments, and some great humor is somehow managed seamlessly throughout the series. Often times without dialogue as well.

The style is very much Tartakovsky's own, and moves between amazingly simple, to rather abstract and beautiful. Backdrops are of constant intrigue, and battles always consist of some robots so that decapitations could be shown to a younger audience, and is still awesome in my opinion. Samurai Jack is almost a batman character, except for he is not quite used to the time he is in, and takes the samurai code seriously. Although most episodes are in of themselves one story, these all layer on top of each other amazingly well and create rich universe with several very dynamic and memorable characters. At some points I felt as if they were just trying to find more situations in which they could put Jack into and have him be awesome. This is a great series

So for summary. Samurai Jack is about a samurai who fights hordes of robots, often on dinosaur robot steads with laser guns, alien bounty hunters, and teams up with a Scotsman with a grenade launcher peg-leg to keep on his journey while gaining aide and ire from numerous figures of world mythologies (and zombies). Also space, awesome animation, one of the first anime's to incorporate actual martial arts moves into a story (Wu Shu).
It's good. Watch it.
Oh, and he goes to a rave. That was awesome.

Bleach (assuming no filler)

Bleach is a series that worries me sometimes. The original first two seasons that consisted of the first arc were so good and were full of a grandiose scale with a greater attention to detail. Fights were large and epic, and the power creep was, while a little off, still rather consistant. Bleach is still going on, and has a few hundred episodes to its name, as well as one of the main Big animes of the current generation. In my opinion better than Naruto.


It is unfortunate that the filler has to exist, however sometimes it isn't all terribly bad. The synapsis is Ichigo is 15 (pah!) year old that has the strange ability/sensitivity to see ghosts. He has for as long as he can remember. What he doesn't know is that there is a Soul Society that exists to fight the Hollows (specters who have lost their soul, and so have gained a hunger for other's) and to help along lost spirits to the Soul Society to live out their years. Rukia is the Soul Reaper designated to this particular area, and while patrolling, the two meet. Without giving away too much, she becomes injured and is forced to transfer some of her power to Ichigo in order to awaken his own spirit power/awareness/whatever. Thus begins his adventure and discovery to the politics and balance between the real world and the Soul Society.

Despite being very Dragon Ball Z-esque, Bleach manages to avoid this by having characters that just quite don't fit other stereotypes. They are there kind of, but not so blatantly. There are also a few even very unique characters that can probably only exist in this designed universe. Over the series, the plot is quite interesting, and fights continue to be better choreographed. Epic battles, and some great story telling happen in this series (particularly in the beginning). Music is awesome too. Top priority for main arc, as well as this is a series you can't really afford to not be at least aware of.