SexyFighters.com

[Caroline]

((Hey Gang,

Being as I have a ton of older anime... titles from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, and I know we have some anime fans here at PBB, would you want me to post snippet reviews and whatnot of them? I don't have a lot of the newer titles, like Trinity, Blood+, FLCL, etc, but I can cover down on many of the older titles.

Anyway, iffn you all are interested, I can try to put up like a snippet review a week. Or, if you have a particular title you'd like to know about, I could see if that's in my library too.))

[Rune174]

Oh believe me Caroline, I am a big anime fan. Been one since I was a little kid when my older blood brothers showed me Robotech when I was only four. Think you can use an assistant for this kind of review?
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[Caroline]

((Rune,

I don't see why not. I could post a review, and you could post a second opinion. Kinda like they do in Game Informer or something.

However, I haven't seen anyone else post about an interest to read them. I supposse I could post them first, and let the otaku then arrive or something
Anyway, did you want me to list what I had to see what titles match up? Iffn you want I could even include my bishoujo titles.))

[xAlucardx]

I'd definitely read them. I find others thoughts on such a subject interesting, especially when I compare them to my own. I'd like to your takes/
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[dragonfly]

well caroline im more familer with the newer anime so im more exepert in those so maybe i could do review's on those but since it's your tread i would not want to impose.

so saying im not sure of any of the old anime's but im still a huge fan

but i agree with the review acutly there is an anime i woudnt mind knowing more about im not sure when it was made but the name of it is guyver.
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[Rune174]

Sure thing Caroline. I'll just keep an eye out for any oncoming reviews
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[Caroline]

((Okay, well call me a sucker for this, but here goes. I will try to put up a review a week... maybe two if I get really motivated. Before I get started on any of my anime review a couple of ground rules.

1) These reviews are all my opinion. I'm entitled to it. And if you don't agree with it, pound sand. Chances are, at some point, you'll disagree with my opinion. And you're entitled to that as well.

2) I'm not an otaku. An otaku is considerably more a professional-fan. While I do have a lot of stuff, I'm an amateur fan. I get a lot of my further information on some of my titles form places like IMDB, Anime_on_DVD, and Wikipedia, as well as some older, book sources like, "The Anime Companion" and "The Anime Movie Guide" which help with some of the cultural references.. While I have some favorite anime houses, seiyuu, directors, and the like, I don't know a ton of the stats, names, etc. So I don't consider myself an otaku.

3) These review are primary going to be focused on animes on DVD / BluRay. While I might mention related gal-games, manga, artbooks, VHS tapes, Laserdiscs, radio dramas, video games and the like, I'm not going to review them. I have limited time and money, so I had to focus my hobbies in one general direction.

4) Corollary to number 3, there is a decent amount of anime out there. So, I also might not have a whole lot of the titles you like. If you're into robot anime, chances are I don't have it. If you're into a lot of the newer titles (like Full Metal Alchemist, Blood+, FLCL, Neon Genesis Evangelion: We Are Not Alone, Witchblade, Shin-Chan, etc.) chances are I don't have it, and can't review it. I'm only going to review anime I have.

5) DO NOT ASK ME FOR ANY COPIES OF MY SHOWS!!!!!

6) Again, DO NOT ASK ME FOR ANY COPIES OF MY SHOWS!!!! You want to get the anime I talk about? Rent it from NetFlix or buy it from places like TRSI or AnimeCornerStore, or Best Buy. You wanna know why anime houses like Geneon went out of business? Because of video Piracy. I bought the titles to help support Geneon, previously known as Pioneer Animation. You want anime to stay alive? Buy the dang show. I'll get off my soap-box now.

7) I will review my bishoujo (adult) anime as well. I have a decent amount of it, so... I figure I might as well give that a fare shake too.

Keep it civil. You can disagree with my reviews, but no swearing. There are 400,000+ words in the English language. Learn some new ones.

9) You can make requests of anime titles. If I have it, I'll do my best to review it. If I don't... I'll let you know I have to decline. At some point, I'll put up a full list of what titles I do have on BluRay / DVD. It'll be pretty extensive. I don't have a lot of social life, and I do spend a goodly amount of money on movies and anime.

10) Finally, if you don't like these rules, well pound sand. I'm putting forth the effort to write up these reviews, so you can put up with my requirements.

Now, to adress a comment from dragonfly, I don't have guyver at all. Mayhaps Rune174 does... but I'm afraid I cannot help you with that one, dragonfly.

So, I'll try to have my first review up by Friday. It'll be on Dot-Hack.))

[Rune174]

If I may then Caroline, I'll probably cover some of the genres you may not cover, that way there can always be two anime being reviewed simultaneously, and/or coincide with any anime you also review. Anyways, which Dot Hack anime are you referring? ./Sign, Twilight Bracelet, or Roots?
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[Caroline]

((Rune174, it'll be "Legend" since "L" comes before "S"... and I suppose you can cover those... 'boy' genres... why do I have this feeling this is going to become "Lucky Channel".))

[Rune174]

You kinda lost me on that one.
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[Eechironin]

Yeup, old time anime fan.

From Maha Go Go, I mean Speed Racer, Robotech, Dirty Pair, Secret of Blue Water, etc.

Lots of great fan parodies too, like "Fast Food Freedom Fighters"

Cream Lemon. ( )

Ahhhhhh. Memories!!
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"That which is denied becomes that which is most desired, and that which is hidden becomes that which is most interesting. Consequently, a great deal of time and energy is spent trying to get at what is being kept from you."-John Denver

[Caroline]

((Okay, work is requiring 10+ hour days till the end of the month. So... I'll still try to get my first snippet-review in by friday.

Also Eechironin,,, seriously? -_- "Eechironin"? As in "H-ronin"? I think I'll just call you perv1. ^_^ ))

[Caroline]

((Review One

Dot-Hack/Legend of the Twilight

Okay, so here goes my first mini-review. The style will probably change as I decide on how I want to do this and present my information to you all. I'm using my PS3 with HDMI cable to a Panasonic Viera.

Dot-Hack/Legend of the Twilight is a 13-episode series set after the incidents in the Dot-Hack PS2 games and the Dot-Hack/Sign anime series. The anime is centered around twins Shugo and Rena who win a contest, and get to use the famous character skins of Kite and BlackRose. While in the world, Shugo-Kite becomes killed by an infected monster, only to be revived by Aura herself. Aura then grants Shugo-Kite the famous bracelet, and that's when the real adventure of Shugo and Rena start.

LotT has the hurdle of being the one of the last of the Dot-Hack train. It isn't a bad show. Its just not a great show. After I finished watching it, I really don't remember anything about it. And there-in lies the rube. I don't remember anything about it. The intro music and ending music were alright. The characters okay. The art-style, choreography, set pieces, and story telling were fine. The DVD itself holds up pretty well under the strain of the HDMI cable (no artificing, shimmering colors, or the like). Even the shout-outs to the previous shows via Balmung, Sanjiro (though Wiseman would have been way better), and Silver Knight were kinda nifty. It's just none of it was memorable. I didn't catch myself remembering it at work, or thinking about it later. For example, after watching The Mask, I kept catching myself saying, "What are they gonna do to me Sarge? What are they gonna do?" I didn't do anything like that after watching LotT. Once the show was over... it was over.

I did enjoy the strained relationship between Shugo and Rena, and especially how you find out the real reason Rena wanted to play the game wasn't to play, but as a way to stay in touch with her brother, and thus her family as a whole. However, as a whole, the show was just okay. If you are a Dot-Hack fanatic, or seriously enjoyed the PS2 games, or are generally a cRPG fan, you'd probably enjoy one last fling in The World. If you aren't, I'd suggest renting it first, to see if it's something you'd enjoy.

Overall: C+))

[Leaf]

Funny, I actually remember certain snippets of that series. Although it wasn't that good for me...

It's nice to see you doing reviews for anime. I'd like to see is a review of a series or movie you felt was utter garbage.
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[The Adept]

i thought it was decent.

Hey Caroline you should review Vandread next.
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[Caroline]

((Leaf,

Any reason you want me to post about something I thought was total and utter garbage? I'm not really a swear-monger like the Angry Video Game Nerd... but... if you really want to read about something I found to be stupid, I could post about Burst Angel... I'd have to make it through all the non-letters and then "A" first, however.

The_Adept,

I'm afraid I cannot help you with that title. I don't own Vandred. 4

Anyway, my next snippet-review will be on Dot-Hack/Sign.))

[Leaf]

The reason I asked was so I could learn which ones I should avoid at all costs. Burst Angel sounds fine to me .
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[Tearlach]

Tenchi Muyo, Hyper Police, Happy lesson and Nadesico are all very good too! I will post a discription of these and a few other Animes later.
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[Silvador]

I live in Australia... I know of very few animes... and have seen even fewer.
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[Jerin Nekros]

Moon Phase, Evangelion, and Wolf's Rain are also some good ones imo.
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"Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. It is very cold in space." - Khan (Ricardo Montalban) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

[Caroline]

((Alright, alright, alright. All y'all calm down. Remember, the overall reviews are suppossed to be coming from myself and Rune174. Right now I'm not taking any more apprentices. I can only train one person at a time in the proper use of EVIL...

...um... yeah, that sounded a lot funnier when I said it to myself. Then again, just getting back from work at 4 in the morning... pretty much anything is liable to be funny.

Anyway, if you have any questions about my reviews, or any title you'd like me to review, if I have it, feel free to post away. Iffn you want to post your own reviews... please hold off for a bit... at least until I get my sea-legs under me on this endeavor.))

[The Adept]

You should review neon genesis evangelon
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[Tearlach]

Then M'Lady the thread is all yours. "" Bows and leaves"[/b]
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[Tearlach]

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We are grey. We stand between the star and the candle.

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[Rune174]

I may as well post my review before I forget to do so again.

LotT, as inspired by the original manga, was more commonly referred as the Twilight Bracelet series, following in the events after the First Internet Crisis as a result of the Pluto Kiss virus. Thus, it forced down the entire networking system on a worldwide basis, causing panics across the globe. After the CC Corporation recovered with the rest of the world, it was back to business as usual, as did their popular game, "The World", developed by the now missing German developer, Harald Hoerwick.

Just looking at the introduction and the first few minutes into the show, the bright colors and smaller stature of the characters felt as if the story was targeting a younger audience. The characters were designed just as they should have been from the manga, as well as added scenes that helped integrate them into the show itself. However, as history always seems to predict, the anime itself is always scaled down from the manga, but because the story was so short, it felt that very pivitol moments were left out. One common thing that peeved me most was the exemption of Zefie, the daughter of Aura that played a key point in Shugo cementing his relationship with the game (And it seemed cute how he suddenly became a 'father'). Although there was a cameo appearance of the crimsom knight, Balmung, and mentioning of miss Subaru, Kite, and Blackrose, it never felt that it ammounted to the manga's charm, one of the reasons I even bothered with the anime to begin with (Other than being a big fan of the series in general). Still, having Sanjiro as a tutor was a slight relief, but hardly did anything toward Shugo's development in his character. Also, the perversion that is often included into certain situations might have been in the manga, but the anime took it to the next level with near, to barely covered nudity, as acknowledged by the hotspring episode. One thing I also acknowledge was that the Cobalt Knights that were in the anime were changed from the original Cerulean Knights. Why they changed from the manga to anime still escapes most people, although it is suspected that the producers wanted to avoid suspicions of a mirror of the Crimsom Knights in the original ./Sign anime.

Overall, the flow felt muddled from everything I would have imagined the show. Despite the very well designed characters and decent voice acting, the expectations for the show was poorly placed. Give the show about six months, it would have turned out a little better. Shugo felt more like a wuss, and Rena became more like a victim than she did as a heroine, since she was placed into a coma, as opposed to helping her brother to motivate him as she did in the original story. The only reason why they were able to defeat the monster in the end was the power of the bracelet alone, and not by his ambition to succeed in the game.

Rating: 3/5.

Good, but not great.
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[Caroline]

((Well, consider myself motivated to hear myself talk

And yes... I just put a smile in one of my posts.

Tearlach,

Now you made me feel bad. I didn't say I wouldn't let you others participate in the review process. Just that I needed a spot of time to set this whole thing in motion.

The_Adept,

I can sort-of review Neon Genesis: Evangelion. I was never much of an Eva fan, but I did, in a moment of weakness, pick up the first DVD of it. So... I have ADVs Neon Genesis: Evangelion collection 0:1. I'd have to review it after I review Burst Angel, as Leaf did ask for that one first.

Anyway, onto the review.

Dot-Hack/Sign

Okay, so here goes my second mini-review. I'm going to try to expand a bit on my review, without giving away too much of the story or any sort of spoilers. Again, I'm using my PS3 with HDMI cable to a Panasonic Viera.

Dot-Hack/Sign is a 25-episode (full season) series set before the incidents in the Dot-Hack PS2 games. It is a fantasy anime, using the theme of an MMORPG as its background. The anime itself centers around Tsukasa, who apparently cannot log out of the game, and who comes to acquire an illegal AI defender. Both incidents cause a number of in-game factions and players to begin to both hunt and help Tsukasa.

I have the Platinum Series Dot-Hack Sign. It's 6 DVDs, plus a bonus DVD with two extra episodes, plus a CD soundtrack, and lastly a CD box to display your Dot-Hack music CDs in. I have to give it to Bandai. They pulled out a lot of stops on this Platinum Series. Each DVD has a full-color liner notes about The World ranging from definitions used in game, to character classes, to a description of the root towns. The CD covers themselves are eye-catching. The DVD transfer holds up very well, and being that the show is anamorphic widescreen, it actually uses my entire Viera. Each DVD also contains extras such as character sketches, textless intro / ending sequences, and timelines.

I'm just going to put this flat out. I enjoyed Sign tremendously. It actually happened by accident too. I was waiting to watch something else on Cartoon Network's anime lineup, and I just happened to sit through the first episode of Sign, and was hooked. Pretty much everything in the show was done correctly. The intro and ending music for each episode hooks you in. The interesting way that they preview the next episode keeps you watching for more. The characters all represented the sorts of players and personalities you'd meet on an MMORPG. The art-style is very late 90s - early 2000. I like that art style. The character designs, choice of colors, and background art I enjoyed a lot. It added greatly into making you leave your living room and joining Tsukasa and his allies on their quests. The choreography is considerably detailed for being a full (25 episode) series. Sign also, for me, has the rare trait of being an anime I'll listen to the dub. While I prefer the original seiyuu, the English voice actors did a good job of keeping with the characters, and bringing them to life. Lastly, the characters all have something that attracts you too them. That, to me, is a crowning jewel of an anime. If you can find yourself attaching to one character, you'll be watching a show you'll enjoy. If you can attach yourself to the entire cast, you've found an amazing show. From personal development, to dealing with inner demons, to simply being the neighbor who's always willing to give you a hand, all the characters in Sign have a solid introduction and all of them have considerable character development. None of them stays a cardboard cutout.

Sign also delves into some heavier topics as well. Especially when it comes to discovering why players play in The World. The main characters all have various reasons for being in the game. And a lot of them deal with escapism. To which Tsukasa, being unable to leave The World, is the ultimate form of escapism. However, Sign shows what problems occur in the real world when players spend too much time in the MMORPG. And, Sign also shows how deeply some of your online friendships can develop into

Now, Sign does have its faults. Being an MMORPG set anime series, Dot-Hack is actually minimal with its adventure / action sequences. Most of the story is told during meetings with the characters where it just seems like they are relaxing in the game. Those Who Hunt Elves, Sorcerer Hunters, Magic Knight RayEarth, and Escaflowne have equal parts drama and adventure / action. Dot-Hack is more a character piece akin to No Country For Old Men. So that might turn some people off who want to see their characters slice into hordes of orc marauders. Also, being a fantasy-setting anime, some audience might be at a loss for some of the terms and expressions MMORPG players use. Though... with the current internet growth of online games that issue is becoming smaller and smaller. Sign can also move at a snails pace at times as well. During these points the characters are usually making some epiphany; however, the scripting causes these scenes to slow the pace down to a crawl and partially lose the attention of the audience. Sign also sometimes does a trade-off. Sign will often have a highly detailed scene; however, it will be just of a characters eye or profile while they discuss something. While this does let the artists put a lot of detail / color into the scene, it does show that the Dot-Hack team was trying to maximize their budget.

In summary, Dot-Hack/Sign is a work I enjoy a great deal, and would highly recommend.

Overall: A ))

[AlainDaishar]

whew.
That's a fairly exhaustive review. Next time I drop by my local anime store, I'll have to have them pop in the first dvd.
Caroline, I was wondering if you could tell me the chronological order of the Dot-Hack series. I realize that you're going in an alphabetical order but I've always been a bit of a sucker for the chronological line-up.

Thanks! I will definitely be referencing this in the future!!
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[CryingHyena]

Dirty Pair and Project A-KO got me into anime. I still have all the VHS tapes of them. ^_^ I freaked when they made Dirty Pair Flash. Funniest english dub ever IMO.

[dragonfly]

[Eechironin]