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The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)

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Posted on December 2, 2007 by Tom

Let me start off by saying I’ve put off reviewing this for as long as possible. It’s not because the show is bad, it’s because I’ve been suffering a kind of writers block. To do justice to the review I felt I needed to get over that but in the end I’m not sure it’s going to help, mainly because it’s hard to pin down the show. Mainly because I think the title is a misnomer; it possibly should have … (read more)

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Spring Snow (2005)

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Posted on December 2, 2007 by Deni

As with many films derived from serious Japanese literary works, there often seems to be a depth of meaning that lingers just out of reach for the Western audience member. Sometimes it’s the language barrier in action; certain nuanced concepts in Japanese just cannot be expressed as neatly in English. Sometimes it’s the cultural differences; the historical and social influences that have shaped both the Japanese spirit as well as the Japanese narrative can occasionally seem, well, utterly foreign. Sometimes, … (read more)

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Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor (2005)

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Posted on November 17, 2007 by Tom

To those new to the Guyver franchise, it’s based off some Manga from the eighties, which then spawned a movie, an OVA series, two live action movies (one starring Mark Hamill in a supporting role, which I had the misfortune to see) and finally a new TV series.

Sho Fukamachi and his doofus of a friend decide to wag from school for the day to go off to a lake in the mountains that they know from childhood. Little do … (read more)

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Highlander: The Search For Vengeance (2007)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Tom

The Highlander franchise has been around since the mid eighties. It is famous for the catchphrase: “There can only be one”, referring of course to the centuries old battle of the Immortals that die only by having their heads removed form their shoulders. They really should have had that catchphrase in mind when they decided to make four more live action films, three Television series (one animated) and various novels and comic books, and that includes this anime entry directed … (read more)

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Tales from Earthsea (2006)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Andy

Tales from Earthsea is the latest offering from Studio Ghibli and first from Goro Miyazaki. Yep, that’s right. That surname makes him son to pop Hayao and heir apparent to the visionary and iconoclastic Studio Ghibli.

Light shining through the celluloid of a new Ghibli film is usually grounds for anticipation to pass way beyond safe operating levels with the needle pushing dangerously into the red. Breath is so baited that oxygen deprivation becomes a real risk. It’s strange then … (read more)

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The Bad Sleep Well (1960)

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Posted on November 4, 2007 by Greg

Few would argue that Akira Kurosawa is one of the greatest directors the world has ever seen. The number of masterpieces he produced is simply staggering. If you look back at the catalogue of his works, you notice that at the heart of many of these great films are partnerships with other extremely talented individuals. His long collaboration with Toshiro Mifune, for example, is usually regarded as one of the greatest director/actor partnerships in the history of cinema. Kurosawa’s work … (read more)

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Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Tom

Full Metal Panic! is fast becoming a popular franchise, with numerous mangas, novels and two other anime series already released., You would be hard pressed to able to guess where it will all end. This entry in the franchise is a continuation of the first anime series, and picks up the story about five months after the events of Full Metal Panic!

We rejoin Sousuke Sagara and the rest of his unit as they prepare to “drop in” on some … (read more)

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Paprika (2006)

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Posted on October 21, 2007 by Andy

Satoshi Kon has always been fascinated with the inner lives of his characters and the conflict that arises when self-perceptions are exposed to the air of reality. His first feature, Perfect Blue (1997) was a perfect Hitchkockian nightmare that explored the breakdown of a pop idol who attempts to break out of her teen image by taking on more ‘adult’ oriented acting roles, only to find that transformation sat mentally uncomfortably with not only her values but those of a … (read more)

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