Blog Archives

His & Her Circumstances – DVD Collection (1998)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

So what did Hideako Anno do after tramping around the Jungian collective unconscious with giant robots, angels and a bunch of emotionally traumatized adolescents that was Neon Genesis Evangelion??

An adapation of a high school romance manga.

Bwuh?

Yep, Anno adapted His & Her Circumstances, (or Kare Kano) with nary an existential crisis nor biblical armageddon in sight. His & Her Circumstances explores the relationship between two overachieving high school students. On paper this appears to be … (read more)

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Armitage: Dual Matrix (2002)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Jonathan

The first anime I ever reviewed for H-C was Wicked City. It was an absolutely terrifying experience because, although I’d watched anime before, I’d never actually had to write about it and I wasn’t really sure I knew how. Thankfully, Wicked City was super cool and the review more or less wrote itself.

Like Wicked City, Armitage: Dual Matrix has proved quite simple to write about; unlike Wicked City however, Armitage is 90 minutes of complete dreck. … (read more)

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Arjuna (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

One hot summer day, I died.

Such a statement, a voiceover set amidst the mysterious serenity of zen archery practice, sets the pace for Arjuna Volume 01: Rebirth. There is something almost dreamlike about it; the haunting Yoko Kanno soundtrack, director Shoji Kawamori’s fine control of details and the rich, tactile colours all combine to generate something that borders on the grand. Even the opening of the first episode, setting the pace and describing clearly the central theme of … (read more)

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Witch Hunter Robin (2002)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

When Kumiko Takahashi was brought on board to create the character designs for Witch Hunter Robin, she was told to make Robin look “as unattractive as possible”. This might seem like a case of ratings suicide in the competitive, eye-candy orientated world of anime where the good girls are so genki they manage to keep their skimpy costumes on by virtue of sheer enthusiasm alone, but when you see this series you realise two things.

One, the main character … (read more)

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Texhnolyze (2003)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Generally speaking, most anime is not that difficult. After all, its purpose is entertainment, and no matter how a series might achieve that — through action, drama, design or emotive qualities, or through (ideally) a focused combination of many such elements — its main goal, as a form of enjoyable story telling, remains fairly apparent. Generally speaking, therefore, you can usually describe the premise of a series in twenty-five words or less, based on the first few episodes on the … (read more)

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DOA & DOA2 (1999)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Ching Yee

After the quiet reflective tone of Sandy Lives, I was jolted into hyper reality by this Miike Takashi double trouble celluloid gross fest.

My only other dalliance with Miike is The Happiness of the Katakuris so in my well-informed and knowledgeable opinion, after viewing a mere three films by Miike-san, I have come to the conclusion that his films always open with a bang.

The first 10 min always kicks arse — in Happiness of the Katakuris, it … (read more)

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She, The Ultimate Weapon (2002)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

Based on the manga, Saikano by Shin Takahashi, She, the Ultimate Weapon’s design is faithful to its comic origins. Takahashi’s distinct facial designs are here. Present are his noses that barely register as nasal speed bumps as are the series of scratchy red lines for cheeks that seem to leave the teenagers in a permanent state of embarrassment. The backgrounds have a washed out, pastel palette that reflects an oppressive Indian summer that shows no signs of yielding to autumn.… (read more)

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Amon Saga (2003)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Alison

Amon Saga has all the elements common to much anime: buxom women, mighty-thewed heroes, fearsome villains, and a band of sidekicks to support the hero and provide comic relief in the slow spots. Indeed, the hero here has thews so mighty that this is clearly the reason why he wears a skimpy loincloth: those thighs would rub holes in trousers in no time, and lead to much chafing. I suspect his saddlebags contain jars of manly unguent to soothe the … (read more)

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