Sengoku Basara

Sengoku Basara's appeal sort of crept up on me. The character designs were cool and their personalities weren't too bland. There was story from the get-go, conflict that created action and emotion, a dash of politics.

That's a bit too vague. Here's what this anime is about to me: Japan during their warring states period. There are several groups that are trying to conquer each other with warriors pride and respect keeping the rivals at bay. The anime focuses from the viewpoint and interests of the groups that belong to the two main characters, the red spear guy (Yukimura) and the blue guy with swords (the one eyed dragon-By the way, isn't that a cool nickname?). These guys are cool, and their relationships with other characters in the anime aren't bland and lend some comedy and other elements of different bonds like rivalry, romance, camaraderie, and tragedy.

Enter a new force, the 6th heavenly demon king Oda Nobunaga (this names gets tossed around in historical inspired anime from time to time). He and his army and handful of "bad guys" are spitting on warrior pride and are burning and destroying any obstacles in their path to control the smaller "states". Their growing strength and the way they do things is overwhelming and our bands of warriors are forced to take notice.

It's entertaining, and I like a lot of the variety the show brings without the serious suspense and cool-headed war tactics that some other anime are serving up this season.

I'm ten episodes in. I'm surprised that this is from a game, but I really shouldn't be. The character designs are awesome, and some of the action definitely indulges in escaping reality for their main characters' moves. Horses going up a castle wall, anyone? But it's all in good fun. This anime doesn't take itself too seriously, and neither should we.

Recommendations:

• Guin Saga...escape reality with a powerful warrior whose mysteries lie underneath the face of a leopard >>
  
• Seirei no Moribito...you like spears and a woman who won't rest until she's atoned for seven deaths, mythical creatures and young royalty in danger >>
• Souten Kouro...inspired by China's stories, we follow the life of young Cao Cao who doesn't compromise when seeking justice, rising up to bring down corrupt leaders >>
• Samurai Champloo >>...a modern funky twist on the samurai-period anime, comedy and a strange combination of characters
• Samurai 7 >>...the animated version of a classic kurosawa film, the main characters meet, greet and travel

Video Sample:



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Hetalia: Axis Powers

Hetalia: Axis Powers is a web anime, and each episode is a brief 5 minutes. It's like a parody of a world history book with each country represented as a character that turns chibi whenever comedy is at its extreme. These countries bicker, interact and are at each others' necks as often as the countries seem to be. Stereotypes run rampant, and I fear these characters will come to mind whenever I meet an Italian.

The episodes are quick-paced and loosely follow history's events in the order they occured, sometimes interrupted for fun cuts of silliness that have nothing to do or say about history or the countries.

All about white flags and pasta, the Italy character is infused in most of the episodes, and keeps the mood light and dazy. The anime as a whole stays away from anything truly serious and is a fun way of recounting what was grasped from history books, and is a fun escape from a lot of the more serious action anime I'm watching.

The ending theme is infectious.

This anime as inspired me to create a new tag: unusual. Maybe I should have called it bizarre or strange, instead.

Recommendations:

• Astro Fighter Sunred...with 10-minute episodes, this is for those who can laugh at the intracies of japanese society and ranger-shows parodies >>
  
• Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei >>...overflowing with parodies, referring to other anime, contemporary Japanese culture, high school life in japan, anime characters types

I'm having trouble thinking of a third recommendation. This anime is really out there. Leave a comment to suggest recommendations.

Video Sample:



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Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom

Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom is directly related to Phantom the Animation which aired in 2004.

For those who are seeing Phantom for the first time, it kicks off with a young man who finds himself in strange place, with no recollection of who he is. He doesn't have time to gather thoughts, before he is assaulted by a knife-wielding attacker. That gets the ball rolling and viewers can expect more action, agony and internal struggles from Zwei (the young man), the contrasting character of Ein, and just enough other characters and background details to fill in a few blanks that will only add to the anime. There will be a creepy guy, masks, and quite a few puppet references.

For those who have seen Phantom the Animation, Requiem is worth watching. You'll see more footage about training, more insight about Ein's thoughts now that Zwei is in the picture, and we see more than just a brief final action scene that leaves us wanting more.

I like the opening theme, and actually let it play out before the episode begins. It's got an interesting arrangement and adds some mystical feel to the anime.

Recommendations:

• Phantom the Animation >>...the original animation from a few years ago, it gives more story about when Zwei gets picked up by Ein
  
• Black Lagoon >>...an office worker is uprooted and assumes a life riddled with the criminal underworld, risking his life with newfound comrades
  
• Bokurano....a group of kids have grown-up problems accepting their fate to die in a game that decides the world's future >>
  
• Mnemosyne >>...fight or die again and again, there's no escape from a hideous twisted struggle that has waged for decades
  

Video Sample:



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Denpa Teki na Kanojo

Denpa Teki na Kanojo - Once you get past the disturbing first scene, this anime takes you on a strange ride. A high school brawler stays out of trouble long enough to find himself being stalked and revered by a strange girl at his school. So strange that she ultimately becomes a person of interest once a school acquaintence is found dead, part of a mysterious string of serial killings.

(With one episode watched, this Anime Spotlight is brief. At the time of this post, it is marked as an OVA.)

Recommendations:

• Himitsu: The Revelation...forget crime scenes, through technological advances images from victims' brains are used to aid investigations, revealing startling details >>
  
• Perfect Blue...a pop star's happy-go-lucky life is turned upside down when an blogger claims to be her and knows surprising small details of her private life
  
• School Days...this anime gives a stark contrast between a happy high school harem anime and a twisted personality anime, here's where you'll find it >>
  

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Souten Kouro (Beyond the Heavens)

Souten Kouro caught me by surprise. I didn't expect to be impressed by the art, by the main character, and that it still kept my attention as a historical anime. I usually get a tad bored with historical anime, laden with lots of characters whose relationships I can never remember by the time the next episode is subbed, or by mid-season. Luckily, for this anime, it's not as important. Just pay attention to the main guy Cao Cao and his actions.

The first episode covers a lot of time, and leads me to be impressed by the main man, the type of guy the viewer and many in the anime grow to respect. Nowadays there are a lot of main characters that are of the straightforward and virtuous type, but Cao Cao manages to pull that off and also achieve an air of ferocity and justice.

What about everything else? The action is animated without restraint, and makes no apology for all the blood spilled, body parts severed, and people killed. Blades, bruises, missing teeth, torn clothes, pain, and tears it's all there on the screen. The action scenes aren't drawn-out or lengthy by any means, but what is shown makes an impact. It can also be gruesome outside of the action scenes, too.

What about the goings-on behind the doors of the elite? Basically the higher ups in power are crooked, and Cao Cao is popping up on their radar as a fast-approaching threat. Viewers can enjoy a messed-up beaurocrat getting his just desserts while the suffering townspeople cheer on in hushed tones around their slums. The top brass aren't the only ones who aren't keen on the idea of a young upstart strutting around their town. Not everyone loves Cao Cao, so his path will be an interesting one.

I look forward to these episodes, eager to see what Cao Cao does next.

Recommendations:

• Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou >>...two warring ninja clans collide when a peace treaty dissolves, to see who will stand once all the blood is spilled
• Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenkaku Romantan - Tsuiokuhen >>...story of a red-haired young man who swiftly becomes a killer, and woman he encounters one rainy night
  
• Saiunkoku Monogatari >>...sharp girl struggles into the lowest political ranks, with a mission to educate the idle emperor, more comedy, less action
  

Video Sample:



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Higashi no Eden (Eden of the East)

Eden of the East caught my interest after I saw a promotional trailer. The art looked good, it looked a little dramatic and had some intrigue. Two episodes later, I am impressed by a lot of different facets so far. The dialogue is natural. The setting feels "modern" (mobile phones are utilized and a key device in the series). The artwork is nice and even the backgrounds catch my eye. Although, the CG waslking people can take some getting used to. The pacing is comfortable and kicks up at all the right times without tiring me out.

Forget all that vague stuff, the real story is all about a young lady on a school trip and a young man that manages to steal all the attention with a few waves of a gun. Mid-rescue the two get tangled up in each others' business and stick together while the situation mysteriously escalates around them. On the run, trying to stay out of harm's way, and trying to recover his past are all it takes for these two to bring a good chemistry and a few light moments.

It doesn't get too mushy to detract from the main mystery, and it doesn't get too actiony to take away from the bond the two are forming.

Revealing clues to a forgotten past, while building a greater mystery adds to this series' appeal more than the extra characters that are shown sparingly.

The Opening theme is english, but catchy and set the mood for the anime, with the graphics and dramatic music. The ending theme is more artsy and drums up even more memories of Honey & Clover (The main characters look like Hagu and Morita to me). They've got paper and they know how to use it.

Additional Note: The term NEET is used in the anime. In Japan, the classification comprises people aged between 15 and 34 who are unemployed, unmarried, not enrolled in school or engaged in housework, and not seeking work or the technical training needed for work. (See NEET it on Wikipedia >>)

Recommendations:

• Gankutsuo >>...drama whose players have been collected and set, gruesome details of past crimes are revealed
  
• Ergo Proxy >>...more post apocalyptic, hope is lost, robots, darkness, hidden agendas and secrets everywhere
  
• Hachimitsu to Clover >>...similar devotion to artwork, more characters figuring out who they are and deciding where they are going in life
  

Video Sample:



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Ga-Rei Zero

Ga-Rei Zero - watching its first episode, I thought I knew what was going on and what to expect from the anime. We see a special task force who has some history and during the episode battle some demons with some interesting tactics (holy water and holy chants are practical parts of battle), and I thought this anime was going to be about this group of people and we'd learn about the history as the story continues. After the first episode ends, I realize...wow, I was really wrong.

So if you give this anime a shot, watch more than just the first episode. The second episode made me want to watch more of the anime because we meet completely new characters (Kagura, Yomi, and company) and wonder what the connection is between the first and second episode. Then, the third is really the meat of what the anime's focus: the friendship between two ill-fated friends and the struggles, misfortune and evil that brought them to the unhappy dramatic scene in the second episode.

There are some action scenes where I admit, I've rewatched a few times over, because the action was pretty fast, and even after the dust has settled, I wanted to see that "move" again. Maybe they're not as creative as they get, but they seem slightly different than most of the sword-fighting fare.

There is violence, creative weapons, chopped off limbs, and enough blood to know that someone isn't going to quite make it to tomorrow. Friendship is rooted and grows and grows to set you up for what you already know is coming...(because they already showed you earlier). It's like we're seeing the whole thing in hindsight which adds drama to the whole ordeal, from beginning to end.

After the first episode, I wasn't very interested in this anime, and had others to watch and keep me busy. But now my other anime have finished, I watched a few more episodes of Ga-Rei Zero and want to watch it through until the end. It serves as another reminder to me not to judge anime on just the first episode alone.

This video sample is pretty good. Although the trailer's subs are not in English, you get to see some of the good parts of the anime's action and mood.

Recommendations:

• Rental Magica >>...specialists from different belief systems team up to excorcise anomolies, lighter fare with comical romance
  
• Claymore...heavy swords, severed limbs, and a lot of pale killer ladies >>
• Mouryou no Hako >>...another beautiful friendship that didn't end so prettily, a mystery and crime clues form the story
  
• Nijuu Mensou no Musume...main girl escapes a troubled past only to lead a life struggling to survive and protecting her few friends >>
  
• Majin Tantei Neuro...the main villian isn't the only mystery around town >>
• Umineko no Naku Koro ni...ill-blood between rich family members begins to boil when mysterious and gruesome murders begin one after the other >>

Video Sample:



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