Gunslinger Girl il Teatrino

Description at AnimeDB.net

Gungslinger Girl il Teatrino, compared to the first season doesn't have the calmness, class and sincerity that the first series did. In the first episodes we see more emotion and less reserve from the "main character" Henrietta. Her shyness and seriousness was pretty endearing in the first season. Another favorite of mine was Triela (love the suits, by the way). The episode that featured her going up against Pinocchio (stay with me on this) was unexpected and felt like the series was a bit more back to the feel of the original series' with the complexities that only these girls can experience.

I miss the OP and ED these of the first series, though. I don't really care for the ones used on il Teatrino at all. They haven't grown on me after 6 episodes. oh well. Will still watch because it looks like we'll get back to more gunslinging.

Recommendations:

• Gunslinger Girl...the first season had more action and Henrietta story and sophistication
  
• Gunsmith Cats...gunslinger and explosives duo, funny
• Bokurano...youths shoulder the weight of the world, and prepare to lose everything, pretty serious (See Anime Spotlight)
  

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Kimikiss Pure Rouge

Kimikiss Pure Rouge is a little romantic gem to help me breeze into springtime. It's light anime fare that will get you thinking...man, high school was nothing like that, but it certainly would be nice. Lots of young love, a vague club's activities, a childhood friend, two moves, and even a torn protagonist...and that's not all.

Recommendations:

• Myself; Yourself >>...romance and some drama
• Suzuka >>...school romance with a sprinkle of sports, trying to start a new romance while shaking off the losses of the past
• Bokura Ga Ita...school romance with a sprinkle of dark drama >>
  

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Update: Found this DVD Special of the anime.

See the description for Kimikiss Pure Rouge on AnimeDB.net >>

Shion no Ou ~The Flowers of Hard Blood~

Description on AnimeDB.net

Shion no Ou - The idea of a main character doing absolutely no talking? Hooked me. The light inclusion of Shougi terms, the depth of the characters and the complex instant-respect of the main character all made this anime easy for me to get into. Shion no Ou (Shion's King, referring to the Shougi piece) has a dark side lurking from the beginning of the first episode. But Shion's sunny disposition helps me pick up my spirits a little. I'm eager to watch more!....MORE!

How does she write so fast?

Recommendations:

• Majin Tantei Neuro...tragic beginnings, mystery, perserverance (See Anime Spotlight)
• Card Captor Sakura..little girl protagonist and the big feats she accomplishments
  
• Fushigi Yuugi...young protagonist uprooted and fending for herself in a new world
  
• Nijuu Mensou no Musume...young protagonist and the "criminal" that guides her (See Anime Spotlight)
  

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List of Picks: February 2008 - Anime Movies

Give yourself a break from anime series and watch these anime movies. Just sit back and relax and don't worry about finding the next episode.


Description on AnimeDB.net

Paprika (be warned, there's a naked lady in there somewhere, the movie is really amazing to watch. It's made by the same company that did some of these movie gems that you should also check out.

Recommendations:

• Tokyo Godfathers...unlikely heroes have their own stories to tell, and bumbling situations somehow turn miracle
  
• Milennium Actress...an interviewer is whisked away through the life of an actress as she revisits the many exciting roles she's had
  
• Perfect Blue...suspense, terrifying psychological mess with a screaming-freaky ending
• Toki Wo Kakeru Shoujo...what begins as a refreshing everyday world following a young high schooler, quickly reels out of control once she travels through time and finds a ticking counter
• Tekkon Kinkreet...two young boys band together in a lawless world where gangsters and youngsters mix on the rooftops and in the gutters
• Howl's Moving castle...a hatmaker is swept off her feet by a wizard Howl, and overcomes struggles such as a curse and keeping the moving house from falling apart
  
• Spirited Away...a little girl is whisked away into a spirit world, she works in a witch's bathhouse in hopes of escaping this world and saving her parents
  
• Tales from Earthsea...fantasy adventure following a young lad, sword, villain, and...doppelganger?
  

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School Days

Description on AnimeDB.net

School Days

Here's part of an IM conversation I had with a friend, with their dialogue removed:

Anime Spotlights says:

oh!

Anime Spotlights says:

i GOTTA tell you about this anime that just shocked me

Anime Spotlights says:

it just stains the happy summer anime season with its finale

Anime Spotlights says:

eh, you'd never watch it though

Anime Spotlights says:

the ending is so messed up! sometimes it just pops into my head and i just stand there thinking,"ugh, that was So messed up!"

Anime Spotlights says:

it all started so innocently

Anime Spotlights says:

and then reality started twisting

Anime Spotlights says:

then the breaking point, when you know something horrible is going to happen but you don't know what

Anime Spotlights says:

what, what, WHAT's going to HAPPEN!?

Anime Spotlights says:

KAPOW!!!!!!

Anime Spotlights says:

KABLAMMIE!!!!!

Anime Spotlights says:

and it's over...

Anime Spotlights says:

and you are shocked

Anime Spotlights says:

stunned

Anime Spotlights says:

unable to watch anime for the rest of the day

Anime Spotlights says:

then you watch the ending one more time, to make sure it was for real

Anime Spotlights says:

yep! KAPOW!!!!!! KABLAMMIE!!!!!!

Anime Spotlights says:

for real man

Anime Spotlights says:

that was a crazy ending

Recommendations:

• Bokura ga Ita...high school romance with drama (See Anime Spotlight)
• Myself; Yourself...high school romance with some dark secrets
• Jigoku Shoujo: Mitsuganae...high school and vengeance go hand in hand

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El Cazador de la Bruja: Amigo Tacos

I just realized that I haven't made an entry about the anime El Cazador de la Bruja. Later, later. (Update: See Anime Spotlight)

I am having tacos today (steak hard shell tacos, they're great!) which makes me want to sing--Sing about tacos!

But here, I'll let Nadie do the singing for me.

Here is El Cazador de la Bruja's Nadie singing the Amigo Tacos song:

Ookiku Furikabutte! (Big Windup!)

Description on AnimeDB.net

I'm eight episodes into this baseball anime Ookiku Furikabutte and it is good stuff. I'm happy that Saizen (fansub group) decided to pick it up. :) I also watched another sports-related anime subbed by them, Eyeshield 21, which was a football anime that starred a shy quarterback. The main character of Ookiku Furikabutte is more enjoyable to watch because he pulls these great faces and has modest mannerisms. I'd have to say that Tajima and Abe-kun, and some of the other characters are growing on me, too.

A lot of the characters seem to have realistic problems that young kids in sports experience. I'm learning more about baseball, too. If people really do have abilities like some of these characters, then baseball players are really amazing. At episode 8, we're still covering the first game, which shows me the ups and downs that take place in just one game. With this time-span per episode ratio, I can see how the baseball anime Touch went for a hundred+ episodes. I think a lot of this is because we experience the game at hand as well as the events of Mihoshi's past that have set up the dramatic circumstances of the game.

I really like this one, and it's the perfect summer watch. Man, Tajima is cool! Love pointing out his Ichiro salutes.

You don't have to know a lot about baseball to enjoy this anime. If anything, watching it made me appreciate how complex it really is.

Recommendations:

• Touch...baseball and twin brothers, add a love triangle and a great loss, this is old but good
• Eyeshield 21...zany hilarious football anime that focuses on how a fast chicken-hearted youth can become an inspiration to those who used to bully him, with the help of an alter ego

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