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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To Live (1994)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by James

Late in the story, To Live bares its theme in an interchange of dialogue between its central male character, Fugui, and Chunsheng, the only person in the story who Fugui might want to call a friend. Having met each other as unwilling and clearly apolitical participants in the late-1940s war for the control of China, Chunsheng is later found responsible for an accident that claims the life of Fugui’s son. Now, years later, Chunsheng tells Fugui that his wife has … (read more)

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Twelve Kingdoms (2002)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Ching Yee

Well, this was a pleasantly infuriating experience — it was gripping yet so maddeningly convoluted and slow to develop that it nearly drove me to distraction. Nearly, but fortunately, not quite.

You’re reading the synopsis and thinking ‘hey, it doesn’t very sound very different from other series’ [see Escaflowne]. Youko Nakajima wouldn’t be the first reluctant anime character to be told she is the ‘chosen one’. She wouldn’t be the first to be consequently ripped from Earth, dumped into … (read more)

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Twilight of the Dark Master (1997)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Jonathan

malnourished/ adj. suffering from the absence of some essential elements necessary for health.
underdeveloped/ adj. not fully developed; immature.
generic/ adj. characteristic of or relating to a class; general, not specific or special.

I had originally intended that the above definitions alone would comprise this review, but while those words may each be employed in the description of most of Twilight of the Dark Master, their use is not really warranted when discussing … (read more)

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Vampire Princess Miyu (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

You might be wondering what you’re watching when you slip Vampire Princess Miyu into the DVD player. To start with, there’s the whole vampire thing, as in Miyu is one. But hang on, Vampire Hunter D this isn’t, or even Blood: The Last Vampire. For a start, Miyu’s kind of cute. She doesn’t much look like someone who could tear your throat out, and speaking of which, where’s the action? Where’s the fight scenes, the bad guys, the blood?… (read more)

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Versus (2000)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

Ryuhei Kitamura’s Versus is a frenetic, low budget, deliberately B-grade mix of some of the coolest movie madness you are ever likely to see. Passionate about films of the 70’s and 80’s, like Dawn of the Dead, Evil Dead and Mad Max, and influenced by filmmakers such as James Cameron, John Carpenter and Sam Raimi, Kitamura is not only a walking advertisement, but an outspoken advocate for the Hollywood pre-CG action film. Which accounts a lot for the … (read more)

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Voices of a Distant Star (2003)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Deni

It’s possible that everything you’ve heard about this anime is true. For a virtually solo effort, produced on a personal computer in the director/animator/writer’s home, it is more than merely good — it’s amazing. And while it might not have all the polish of a studio production it has something else. Heart. Watching it, you want to judge it by the standards you are used to, but five minutes into it such desires are forgotten and you find yourself taken … (read more)

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Volcano High (2001)

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Posted on January 25, 2006 by Mark Morrison

I still haven’t got my breath back from the first Melbourne International Film Festival screening of the Korean High School fu flick Volcano High, but am already well and truly prepared to announce it as the coolest film for 2002.

Volcano High is just about ordinary high school stuff — liking a girl, hating your teachers, joining a sports club, fighting the bully — but everyone is actually a secret kung fu master of some kind. The plot is … (read more)

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