Orphen (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Beyond the opening credits of the first volume of Orphen lies a world of light and dark, a place where contradictions work towards the same purpose, a space where opposites co-exist simultaneously. Light adventure and dark conspiracy mix with slapstick comedy and serious drama. This is anime that effortlessly embraces the adult and the childish simultaneously and actually manages a balance between them that prevents it from collapsing in on itself into the ridiculous or bland. Instead everything just seems … (read more)

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Paranoia Agent (2004)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

You slide a disk into the tray. The laser bites and the disk whirs in appreciation. You select the first episode from the main menu and the chiming theme kicks in — man, I love anime.

Though, as much as I enjoy anime my brain won’t disconnect completely to the experience. I still think about the, ‘1:32 scale model of the Pisa Tower constructed out of dirty dishes’ or, ‘when am I going to deal with a refrigerator that is … (read more)

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Patlabor 3 – WXIII (2003)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

There was an excellent documentary on SBS a little while ago, about filmmaking in Japan. In it, for perhaps a tenth of the overall screen time along-side mention of the great Japanese directors — Ozu, Mizuguchi and Kurosawa — and the post-war cult films of Toho Studios, stood a single representative of the modern anime industry, one Satoshi Kon. What he had to say about anime, that it was not the industry’s ultimate goal and that animation was a means … (read more)

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Please Teacher (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Ian

Well, what is this anime about? When you mention Aliens and High School, you could be mistaken for expecting quite a different style of anime (Maybe that is just a guy thing) (Maybe it is just me?). If you have read some of Shizuru Hayashiya’s previous works such as Red Sister you could be mistaken for perhaps making a wrong assumption. This being his first attempt at a romantic comedy after a few darker, bloodier and quite violent series, I … (read more)

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Princess Blade (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Alison

This live action manga is enjoyable in a low key way: no flashy sets, a fairly thin plot, but if sword fights are what you’re looking for, then look no further. The lead actress (Shaku Yumiko) apparently did many of her own stunts, and comes off surprisingly well for one who looks so soft and young. Life in her neck of the woods is clearly a lot more difficult than most of the tribulations we have to endure.

I particularly … (read more)

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Princess Mononoke (1997)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Princess Mononoke (Mononoke-hime) is not a film to watch. It is a film to feel. It is one of those rare films that is as much an experience as it is entertainment and it appeals on a level that goes deeper than thought or analysis, to a place inhabited by the most enduring of truths. This is the same place that all truly good stories come from, the place where mythologies take on the aspect of reality – Jung’s … (read more)

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Puni Puni Poemy (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Andy

Take cover. Puni Puni Poemy is a visual and aural barrage. The scenes strobe as quickly as the director Shinichi Excel Saga Watanabe can think of anime to parody. Its lead, Poemi Watanabe, is a motor mouth whose hysterical gatling gun approach to dialog is unremitting as it is nonsensical. There is continuous parodying of anime conventions, in particular, absurdly detailed exposition of plots, transformation scenes and groups of women living together. A lead who wants to be an anime … (read more)

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Read or Die (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Just goes to show, never judge a book by its cover.

I’m looking at the cover of Read or Die and I’m thinking “Oh God. Cute girl. Big eyes. There’s gonna be panties in this isn’t there.” I’m not thinking this DVD is going to be a quality piece of work, with a strong cast who don’t need their integrity compromised by overly-gratuitous exposure of their smalls in order to maintain interest. I’m similarly not thinking this is going to … (read more)

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