Berserk (1997)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Berserk is not anime for the faint hearted, in more ways than one. Yes, it’s violent, and probably you will have expected that, anticipated eagerly even. After all, what is one supposed to think about a series whose main character is called Guts? One look at that cleaver that passes for a sword he carries is enough to tip off anyone; that is if his scarred, torn and inherently violent demeanour wasn’t already setting off all the alarms within a … (read more)

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The Big O (1999)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

The Big O is certainly a staggering mix of influences. The opening credits feature the thumping strains of Big O set to Queen’s “Flash Gordon’s Theme” over a silhouetted giant robot. From there you are thrown into a shadowy, thirties, art deco world clearly labelling Paradigm as sister city to Gotham City and the square-jawed features of Roger Smith mark him as a not-so-distant cousin to Bruce Wayne. These elements do not so much recall the Batman Animated series but … (read more)

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Biohunter (1995)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Jonathan

“A mix of the bizarre, noir… hyper-real, fusing mythical lore with earthly science to tantalize fears of both.”

– akadot.com on Biohunter

I wept when I read that quote on the DVD cover, for I knew, even before I watched Biohunter, that I would never be able to write anything so… so… straightfaced about the film. And I was right to weep — within a minute of pressing ‘PLAY’ on my DVD remote, I’d seen a man’s hand chewed … (read more)

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Blackjack (1997)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Blackjack was and continues to be for me in many ways a definitive anime film. It doesn’t have the distinction of being the first anime ever made, nor the first I ever saw. The manga it is based on isn’t the first ever written, although it comes directly from the body of work by Osamu Tezuka, the ‘God of Manga’. It’s not as action packed as anime in the vein of Akira, nor has it the psychological depth of … (read more)

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Boogiepop Phantom (2002)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

vi·gnette (v n-y t)
n.

  • An unbordered picture, often a portrait, that shades off into the surrounding color at the edges.
  • A short, usually descriptive literary sketch. A short scene or incident, as from a movie.

    • The American Heritage™ Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
    Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
    Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

    Be warned now. Volume 1 of Boogiepop Phantom is not like the first volume of other anime. At the … (read more)

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    Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040 (1999)

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    Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

    Bubblegum Crisis 2040 is based on the classic Bubblegum Crisis and Bubblegum Crash, a Blade Runner-styled series from the late eighties/ early nineties. This new chapter is what used to be described as a remake, but these days that lacks the requisite syllables and is now termed a ‘re-imagining’. The major elements from the originals make a return: the original biker chick and surly rockstar, Priss; Sylia their slightly crazed coordinator and of course the, ‘when good robots … (read more)

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    Campus / Girl Next Door (2001)

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    Posted on January 25, 2006 by Alison

    Anyone who thinks that Sailor Moon is already halfway to porn will get a bit of a surprise with this one. This is the real hentai deal, complete with close-ups, anatomically correct body parts, and moaning (in your choice of Japanese or English).

    Well, I say anatomically correct, but that’s not strictly true: the detail is surprisingly accurate, it’s just the scale that’s off. The girls have the usual helium-balloon breasts that you find in all anime, but these ones … (read more)

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    Chobits (2002)

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    Posted on January 25, 2006 by James

    Many of us are attached to the array of organisers, communicators, computers and other kinds of functional task-masters that we use for various ends on a daily basis. All these items tend to have common exterior design traits: a cold and hard surface, a box-like shape, a monitor or display of some nature — one that does not look back at us. While we often attribute the word ‘personal’ to most of these assistants in our labour and leisure, im… (read more)

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