Manga Central: December 2006

Final Fantasy VII - Last Order

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII is an addition to the Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children film and part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII.

It is an OVA (Original Video Animation) that was released with the "Ultimate Edition" of the movie (Advent Pieces: Limited). It is an anime rendition of two flashbacks that took place in the game. One details events from five years before the game took place, revolving around the Nibelheim scenario that focused on Zack, Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart and Sephiroth. The other involves Zack and Cloud on the run from Shin-Ra. The anime cuts back and forth between these two flashbacks, linked by the Turk commander Tseng's reflection on the Nibelheim events. Last Order also forms the basis of the Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII PSP game, and serves as a tie-in with the mobile phone game Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, as several of the game's playable Turk characters appear as minor characters, with some even getting spoken lines.

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Saint Seiya : The Hades Sanctuary Chapter

Saint Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, Shun, and Ikki, who once swayed the world, are coming back with more flaming cosmo!

A few days afer the mortal combat with Poseidon, strange ocurrances in the Sancturay mark the beginning of a new turmoil. Hades of Pluto comes back to life from the depth of darknes. Hades' faithful messengers of death, the spectres, assault on Athena to take her life away!! Athena is in crisis!!

Can the Gold Saints, Seiya, and the friends save Athena from the hands of Evil?

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Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

It is near future, 2032, people are connected to the computer network, and they can communicate each other without talking or typing keyboards.

The most parts of their bodies are replaced by machineries. It is a worldwhere human, cyborgs, and robots are living together. Batou is a detective of a governmental agency, which is responsible to control terrorists. He is a living cyborg, and his hands, legs, and the other body parts are artificial. It is only his brain and the memory of a woman, Motoko, that remain.

One day, a girl-type robot loses the control, and kills the owner. He wonders why that robot killed the owner. The robots are to be made to work for human. He begins to investigate the affair with his buddy, Togusa. Then a mysterious hacker interferes with his investigation byattacking his brain from the computer network. Suffering from the attack, he is gradually approaching to the truth

Ghost In The Shell Movie 2

Ghost in the Shell Movie 1

In the year 2029, the world is made borderless by the net; augmented humans live in virtual environments, watched over by law enforcement that is able to download themselves into super-powered, crime busting mecha.

The ultimate secret agent of the future is not a human, has no physical body and can freely travel the information highways of the world, hacking and manipulating whatever and whenever required

Ghost In The Shell Movie 1

Naruto The Movie 2

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Sakura are on a mission to return a lost pet to another village. On their way, they are assaulted by a squad led by Temjin. During the fierce battle, the team is separated. Naruto fights ferociously against Temjin, and finally the two fall from a cliff.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru, who is left alone during the battle, discovers a large mobile fortress. In order to investigate the situation, he sneaks into the fortress alone. There, he sees a terrible thing…

Naruto The Movie 1

â€œYuki no Kuniâ€? is a country which was covered by eternal ices. It was a small country, but they had lived peacefully thank to a kind Daimyo, Kazahana Sousetsu. However, 10 years ago, a tragedy occurred. Kazahana Doto who was the little brother of Sosetsu revolted against Sousetsu, and took over the country.

At the moment he passed away, he gave Rokaku Suisho (hexagonal crystal) which consisted of snow crystals to his only daughter Koyuki. She was at a loss when she saw his fatherâ€™s death. It was Kakashi in his youth that appeared there. He was there to fulfill some order.

Uzumaki Naruto is a left behind Ninjya of â€œKonoha Gakure no Satoâ€?, which is a Ninjya village, of â€œHi no Kuniâ€?. He has just graduated from Ninjya academy, and he is still Genin (lowest rank Ninjya). However, he has a dream to become the best Ninjya, called â€œHokageâ€?. In order to become a full-fledged Ninjya, he is working in 7th group led by Kakashi. Kakashi is the strongest Ninjya, and he is called â€œCopy Ninjyaâ€?.

The next order of Naruto is to guard a very selfish actress, Fujimi Yukie. She has acted as Fuun Hime of the big hit movie series, â€œAdventure of Fuun Himeâ€?. The last episode of the series is supposed to be filmed in â€œYuki no Kuniâ€?, but Yukie says that she wonâ€™t go there, and she runs away from the studio. Naruta and other members forces her to go to â€œYuki no Kuniâ€?. However, three strongest Ninjya, Roga Nadare, Fuyuguma Mizore, and Kakuyoku Fubuki are waiting for them. They ware wearing evil arms, and attacked Yukie at once. There seems to be a relation between their attack and Koyuki, who has been missing for ten years

Ragnarok The Animation

Ragnarok The Animation is an anime based on the MMORPG Ragnarok Online, produced in the first quarter of 2004 and was broadcasted on TV Tokyo of Japan. In 2005, it was broadcasted on SBS in Korea. Ragnarok The Animation has 26 episodes, and a second season is on the way. The Philippine distributor of the game, Level Up! Games, Inc., teamed up with ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation for local licensing and distribution rights of Ragnarok The Animation.

Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story happens in the same world of Rune-Midgard, yet the progression gets darker. An evil entity called the Dark Lord wants to create chaos in the world with the help of seven crystals that represent the seven ambitions (also known as the Seven Strengths) who sealed him away years ago.

Characters
Protagonists

Roan

The main protagonist, Roan (ロアン, Roan? voiced by Daisuke Sakaguchi) is a swordsman whose main goal in the anime is to gain power to protect his childhood friend, Yufa. At one point, he believes he has failed in this and goes off alone to get stronger. After a fateful encounter in Byalan, Roan returns to the group as a Crusader, successfully rescuing Yufa. However, as the story progresses, Roan begins to lose sight of his duty. He later realizes his wrong after some advice from the Legendary Witch in Payon and Comodo. However, it was too late as Roan made it only on time to see Yufa leave with her brother. Afterwards, the group heads towards Glast Heim to save Yufa and to stop Dark Lord. On the way, they are confronted by a possessed Yufa who sends a torrent of undead monsters at her friends. After their victory, she teleports them directly to Glast Heim. With the help and sacrifice of the rest of the party, Roan manages to locate Yufa. However, he finds her to be unable to truly hear his words. Tricking Roan, Yufa kisses him and slips the cursed ruby into his mouth, which he then swallows. Upon realizng this, the cursed ruby begins to kill Roan. Unable to draw his sword, Roan allows Yufa to stab him with a cursed blade. Eventually, Yufa breaks free from her mental bonds and frees Roan from the curse she had set on him with a kiss of true love. Then, he, Yufa and the rest of the surviving group reunite to defeat Dark Lord. In the end, Roan and Yufa were each seen wearing a ring, implying that they are now married.

Yufa

The love interest of Roan, Yufa (ユーファ, Yūfa?, voiced by Nana Mizuki) is an acolyte and Roan's childhood friend. Though she puts on a smile for Roan, it's obvious she's still mourning the loss of her older brother, Keough. When Keough suddenly returns to life as an evil being, she becomes confused and doesn't know whether or not to fight her brother or protect him. Later, in an effort to save the souls under the control of the Moonlight Flower in Payon, she becomes a Priestess. Eventually, Roan's ignorance and arrogance pushes Yufa away and prompts her to leave the group (and Roan) behind for her brother, Keough. Keough eventually corrupts Yufa by removing her soul crystal, something that seems to give her the ability to stay pure, and is also consequently one of the key items of Dark Lord's revival. After stabbing Roan in her corrupt state, Keough comes to her in a vision and tells her that he must leave her... but that Roan would protect her in his absence. This vision broke Dark Lord's corruption, and freed Yufa to allow her to see what she had done. Holding the dying Roan in her arms, Yufa kissed her childhood love at last. This kiss of true love destroyed the cursed ruby ailing Roan, allowing the two to stand together against Dark Lord. With the help of her friends and Roan, Yufa sealed Dark Lord away with a Magnus Exorcismus spell. At the end of the series, it is implied that Roan and Yufa married.

Takius

The third character to be introduced to the series, Takius (タキウス, Takiusu?, voiced by Aya Hisakawa) is a mage who wears a blindfold (a Dark Blinker) and searches the world for the ultimate truth. Her mission for this "ultimate truth" was put on her by her teacher, Zephyr (who also gave her the blinker). With the blinker and her original staff intact, Zephyr had the ability to control her. After going mad and being recruited by Dark Lord, he uses this ability to manipulate Takius in favor of Dark Lord's plans. Eventually, Takius is able to conquer her internal struggles, breaking free from her ties with him and removing the blinker permanently. To further this transformation she became a Sage, resulting in one final confrontation with the one man she ever loved. During the final battle with Zephyr, her master was betrayed by the Dark Lord, who had been using Zephyr from the beginning. As a result, he falls from a collapsing wall, only to be saved just in time by Takius. However, the two are killed from a spell Zephyr had casted previously. However, this wouldn't be Takius's last appearance in the anime. The voice of Takius would come to Roan during the final battle, encouraging Roan to fight on for he had lost all hope (some believe that Takius has survived the Lord of Vermillion spell Zephyr summoned). Takius's staff would then come crashing down from the air, cancelling the attack Dark Lord had intended on using (somehow, the wand seems to contain the magic called Spellbreaker, which is the reason of the cancelling effect). Maya carries out her wand as a memory of her. Her real name is Catherine (キャスリン, Kyasurin?), but hates being called that for unknown reasons.

Maya

Maya (マーヤ, Māya?, voiced by Haruko Momoi) is the next person after Takius to be introduced in the anime. She's the merchant in the group and usually joins parties to steal loot and make off with their money. Her rather disagreeable way of doing things comes from a tragic event in her childhood where she was beaten in her "hometown" of Alberta after trying to sell apples with her own-made cart. She met Roan and Yufa in the Prontera Sewers when they saved her from a large number of Thief Bugs. In return, she saves them by delivering a Blue Potion to Yufa during their fight with a Golden Thief Bug. She later changes her rather roguish ways after becoming attached to Yufa and the rest of the group. She has a known affinity for monsters, never being seen without her pet Poring named Poy-poy. In Episode 7, she befriends an "Alice" (monster who resembles a human maid) but sadly meets a tragic end because of the actions of Zealotus (a half monster who despises humans) in Episode 19. However, she makes peace with Zealotus, but too little too late in Comodo. Maya is the only member of the group to not "advance" to another job. She does, however, throw potions much like an Alchemist.

Iruga

Like Yufa is childhood friends with Roan, Iruga (イルガ, Iruga? voiced by Kazuya Nakai) is childhood friends with Keough and is an assassin. After witnessing his friend "die" in Glast Heim, Iruga decided to protect both Yufa and Roan in Keough's memory. Later on in his travels, he meets an amateur female hunter by the name of Judia. After saving her from a couple of bandits, they become companions (or rather she just follows him). When Iruga finds out Keough is alive and now working for evil, he fights his former friend in an effort to bring the real Keough back. During one confrontation, he becomes gravely injured, and is forced to battle Keough in a weakened state numerous times. In the final battle in Glast Heim, Iruga and Keough fatally struck each other at the same time. However, Iruga managed to stab Keough's wound, freeing his friend's heart from the evil the Dark Lord placed in it. Unfortunately, this killed Keough in the process and the two died.

Judia

A hunter who has developed a relationship with Iruga. At first, Judia (ジュディア, Judia? voiced by Minako Arakawa) is a terrible hunter, but after a chance encounter with Iruga, she improves a great deal. She has incredible skills with her bow by the time of the anime. She is also apparently able to read tarot cards like a Minstrel or Gypsy. She falls in love with Iruga and comes to understand what he's trying to do in fighting Keough as he is. When she teams up with Roan's group, she gets jealous after Yufa holds his hand and keeps calling him "Brother Iruga". By the end of the anime, she has Iruga's child. In the Japanese version she speaks with a Kansai accent; in the Philippine version she speaks in the Marinduque accent.

Antagonists

Dark Lord

The main antagonist of the series, Dark Lord (ダークロード, Dāku Rōdo?) is the greatest representation of evil within Rune-Midgard. He shows a noticeable superiority to all other monsters in the anime, and proves to be the world's greatest threat, despite being sealed away long ago by the "Seven Ambitions." He is so cunning and devious, he manages to convince three of the seven souls he needs to be revived to work for him. From several scenes, it seems that the Dark Lord consists of two identities, both being equally evil. There is no apparent difference between the two identities, seemingly only shown to explain the different voices of this villain. Dark Lord is an actual MVP (boss) in Ragnarok Online.

Keough

Yufa's elder brother, a knight, and currently a subordinate of the Dark Lord. Keough (キーオ, Kīo?, voiced by Takehito Koyasu) is childhood friends with Iruga and accompanied him to investigate Glast Heim. The ruins proved to be too much for the group and forced them to flee. However, their escape route was blocked by an Abysmal Knight. Despite Iruga's protests, Keough distracted the knight as Iruga got Roan and Yufa out. However, before Iruga could make it back Keough was stabbed and the doors of Glast Heim closed. In the beginning it is assumed he died, but the group later learns that he was brainwashed and corrupted by the Dark Lord. Keough's stab wound was made by a "Blade Lost in Darkness," which would become symbolic to what he had become. His main purpose would be to lure Yufa to join the dark side, for she was holding a soul crystal vital for Dark Lord's revival. Merely seconds from death, Keough reforms and apologizes to Iruga for everything. His soul later appears in Yufa's dream sequence telling her not to choose the path he had taken, and to follow Roan for he would protect her. Iruga nicknames him Haze after he turns to the dark side.

Zephyr

Zephyr (ゼフェル, Zeferu?, voiced by Nachi Nozawa) is a wizard, and Takius's teacher. He possesses similar characteristics to The Joker. He has a high-pitched laugh and does some very goofy antics throughout the anime, from laughing for no apparent reason, to fighting Roan with a candy cane. However, all that cannot seem to hide his incredible power, knowledge of magic, and his utter insanity. Zephyr once had a family, but they had lost their lives due to a failed experiment of his. Coupled with the ridicule of the public, Zephyr was driven insane to the point where he could be easily manipulated by the Dark Lord. The anime is vague on whether he went insane during teaching Takius or after. He is eventually saved by his former pupil, but too late for both of them. In the anime, Zephryus was the only character to have attained an "aura" which signifies that a character has reached the highest level, 99.

Zealotus

Zealotus (ジルタス, Jirutasu?, voiced by Mariko Suzuki) is the offspring of a monster father and a human mother. Because of the prejudice of her monster half, Zealotus and her mother were forced to leave their village. The cruelty of the villagers left a deep hatred of humans in Zealotus's heart. After her mother's death, Zealotus lived among the monsters and became a cruel being. A chance encounter with Baphomet made her rethink her lifestyle until she is approached by Dark Lord to serve him. She was first seen in Prontera Sewers, manipulating the actions of the Golden Thief Bug. During the anime, she has a particular dislike for Maya because of Maya's love for monsters and relationship with Alice. They eventually resolve their differences. In the end, she sacrifice her life to protect Maya as a sign of their friendship. Her spirit would appear before Maya during the final battle and instruct her on how to defeat the Dark Lord.

Other

Baphomet

Baphomet (バフォメット, Bafometto?, voiced by Mugihito), a towering, horned goat-like being who is the first to best the entire group of protagonists, shows immense power, obviously not fighting to the fullest in his fights (and often toying with his opponents). Though considered evil at first, he shows mercy by sparing the group and then respect when Judia rescues his son. It seems Baphomet was one the greatest beings preventing Dark Lord's revitalization, though he never directly interferes until the end. It is unknown whether or not Baphomet is stronger than the Dark Lord. At one point in the series it is revealed that Baphomet is concerned for the "balance of good and evil" which could explain why he opposes Dark Lord while being evil himself. Baphomet is an actual MVP (boss) in the game.

Melopsum

Melopsum (メロプシュム, Meropushumu?, voiced by Rumi Ochiai) is a shapeshifting witch who was responsible for a tragedy at Comodo many years ago (although it has been implied that is was just a misinterpreted tale). She seems to be associated with Baphomet, but is a largely mysterious character. She has a particular interest in Roan. She first changed into a Crusader in Izlude Island and saves Roan and convinces him to become a Crusader. Then she changes into an Archer in Payon to teach him the true path that power isn't everything and finally a Monk when Roan's group was on the way to Comodo.

Air

Overall

AIR is yet another game adaption from Key, known for producing H-games with supernatural elements and tragic plotlines. No difference here - KyoAni has made a great adaption of the game, but can it show that they excel at storytelling in addition to the already-no-brainer excellent animation and music choices?

AIR is divided into 5 arcs: 3 arcs for each of the girls for the first 7 episodes, 2 episodes for the Summer arc, and the final Air arc for the last 3 episodes. (And a wasted episode on a recap.) Each arc emphasizes on the idea of the lonely girl with wings in the sky - to save her, they must bring her happy memories in the form of the feathers that reoccur throughout the series. However they insist on talking about the dreams, the linkage between the arcs are vague, with no clear connection that is left for interpretation (and naturally, spawning the strings of bad reviews bashing if only on this aspect XD). If I didn't read up on any FAQs, I would have been confused at the end, with only the sad parts to ponder about in depression.

The atmosphere plays a HUGE part in this anime. The summeresque animation and melancholic music tracks fills their roles perfectly. CG feathers, plants, and water effects are candy for eyes as well as the LIGHTING EFFECTS for the skies and sunsets. It balances tragedy and happiness in equilibrium, and may make you want to visit the real-world location it is based on for the hell of it.

And for the record, I cried twice on my first viewing. Extremely enjoyable anime only if you haven't read on the bad reviews or can stand Key/H-game stuff.

Story

To me (and hopefully most people), the theme of the story is the relationship of the family (mainly between mother and daughter, as shown by all three girls in present-time). Yukito, on his quest to fulfill Kanna's memories with happiness, solves the problems of our heroines and tranquility to their long-lost souls. Three sorts of mothers are brought into play: dead, alive, and adapting; all wanting to just love their daughters as much as the normal population does. If time is ticking, don't take it for granted.

It's also important to have an open mind while watching - AIR deals with the supernatural and magic (girls with wings, magic feathers, etc.).

Character

The characters have SOME sort of depth, though they are mostly used for tragedy. Kano reminds me of the emo scene because of the ribbon around her wrist; she's a bit strange, too, but too bad the anime spends the least time on her. Minagi is hawt; the switch between her monotone personality to teary-eyed is a little unbelievable; the anime spent too little time on her, too. Misuzu has the most screentime of them all. Kanna can get irritating.

Please right-click and choose "Save As" instead of simply clicking on the download link

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Oh My Goddess

Oh My Goddess! is a fairly popular series. Just surf a handful of anime-related pages and you're more than likely to find references to this anime. Being so popular, I eagerly sought it out.

The story revolves around a young fellow named Keichi. Being a bit short on stature and not very successful with women, he is forced to spend many a night alone. However, one night he accidentally dials the wrong number and calls in Belldandy, goddess of love. Needless to say, his past ineptitude with the opposite sex is about to be turned around.

Characters are the central driving point behind this series. If you like the characters, then you're set. Otherwise, you might have trouble enjoying this. I myself had mixed opinions. Keichi seemed like a nice enough fellow, even if a bit on the timid side. Of course, the fact that he does have trouble with meeting a girl sets the whole story in motion. Enter Belldandy. Unfortunately, the one character I didn't like would happen to be her. Now while she *is* incredibly nice (almost sickeningly so), her lack of assertiveness and general naivete tended to really get on my nerves (particularly in the third episode). At least her sisters, Skuld and Urd, were much more interesting and likable.

The episodes tend to focus on Keichi and Belldandy's somewhat awkward relationship. The first episode was a bit funny, as we get introduced to Keichi and Belldandy. Things pick up in the second episode when Urd makes her appearance, which results in some of the funniest moments in the series. The third episode introduces Skuld, and this episode was fairly entertaining as well. However, the final two episodes were sappy beyond belief. I'm not going to spoil anything by telling you what happens, but the predictable and overly-melodramatic romantic stuff that does occur was beyond the limit of what I can usually tolerate. On a lighter note, the ending credits of each episode are kind of fun to watch, especially the one with the crayon-style animation, featuring a super-deformed Skuld.

The technical aspects were well done. The music was decent, and the art and animation were pretty good.

If you're looking for a romantic comedy, with more emphasis on romance than comedy, then Oh My Goddess! is worth checking out.

Neongenesis End Of Evangelion

The original Neon Genesis Evangelion series ended on a sour note for many fans. What should have been a climactic, pivotal conclusion to the series was reduced to a convoluted sequence of meandering dialogue and recycled animation. It marked a dramatic departure from events leading up to the finale, and, suffice to say, many fans were sorely disappointed. In response,

writer/director Hideaki Anno and the rest of the Evangelion staff produced two replacement episodes entitled "Air" and "Sincerely Yours". Together, they form End of Evangelion and represent a more complete finale that fans had expected. Whether it lives up to expectations is another story entirely.

End of Evangelion picks up after the events of episode 24 of the television series. NERV has beaten back the Angel invasion, but faces a new threat in the form of the mysterious Seele organization. With the Angel threat over, NERV has become expendable in the eyes of Seele. Furthermore, Seele plans to initiate Third Impact themselves, but to do so they need the Evangelion units. To get those, they'll have to penetrate NERV headquarters itself. And, boy, do they ever.

End of Evangelion leapfrogs almost immediately into an extended action sequence, featuring a climactic showdown between NERV and the Japanese Self Defense Force (JSDF) operating at the whim of Seele. The attack initially begins as an attempted computer hack on the Magi system, NERV's trio of super computers. When that fails, the physical assault goes into full swing, with ground forces ruthlessly pounding the NERV facility. It doesn't take long before NERV's defenses succumb to the might of the JSDF.

Now, one might question why NERV crumbles so quickly to the JSDF, when they've successfully beaten back some of the deadliest beings known to mankind. The answer, however, should be surprisingly obvious. NERV was designed to withstand giant singular beings equipped with unconventional methods of attack, not conventional highly mobile ground forces. In addition, there's the matter of NERV's primary defenses, the Evangelions, still offline from previous battles with the Angels.

Which brings us to the focus of the Evangelion saga—the Evangelion pilots. Shinji, distraught from his encounter with the 17th Angel and the current condition of Asuka, has suffered a complete mental breakdown and retreated into an emotional shell. Misato vainly tries to motivate him, and only manages to break through his wall of indifference in a memorable scene that is to sure to make at least one fan uncomfortable. Of course, once Shinji has found his resolve, a bitter irony awaits him at his Evangelion. But such is Shinji's life, for even when he tries to do the right thing, fate has other plans. Asuka remains in a coma, still suffering the effects of her encounter with the 16th Angel. NERV sends her and her Evangelion to the bottom of the lake outside the base in a last-ditch attempt to keep the JSDF forces from killing her. She eventually wakes and undergoes a complete emotional transformation upon having an epiphany about her Eva. Her zeal, upon realizing this truth, lends itself well to the ensuing conflict and is in marked contrast to Shinji's melancholy attitude. Then there's Rei. At least, I think it's Rei. It's difficult to say who, let alone what she is, as her pivotal role in the series comes to fruition.

Eventually, Third Impact is finally realized. You knew it was coming. It ended the television series and so it ends here in similar fashion. But now there is no need to recycle old footage from the television series. Instead, we are given a few brief, but meaningful scenes as Shinji is forced to confront his emotional turmoil head-on. These are intercut with the continued events of the real world, depicting humanity's fate. In addition, there are some questionable uses of live-action shots, primarily of an auditorium (perhaps representative of the Evangelion audience). Ultimately, the entirety of the Evangelion saga is realized and Shinji decides the future fate of mankind. And so it ends, leaving the audience to ponder what just happened, and leaving just as many questions, if not more, as the original series.

From a technical standpoint, Evangelion is a step-up from the television series. Animation ranges from mediocre to great, particularly in depicting Asuka and her Eva unit battling the JSDF forces. Music is equally good, with some recycled themes from the television series with new musical scores made for this feature. Fans of the dubbed cast of Evangelion will be happy to hear all the cast members back in their familiar roles. Collectively, they turn out a solid performance, especially Tiffany Grant in the role of Asuka and Spike Spencer as Shinji.

End of Evangelion is probably best viewed immediately after watching the first 24 episodes of the television series, with the events of the Evangelion saga still fresh in the minds of the audience. It serves as a fitting punctuation to the series; a monument to the action, drama, and mystery that has enthralled so many fans. A very suitable end of Evangelion.

Blood : The Last Vampire

In the age of digital animation, it seems anime fans are being treated to a never-ending list of visual feasts. From Ghost in the Shell to Serial Experiments Lain to Final Fantasy, the use of computer animation continues to produce some truly diverse, beautiful, and stunning visual effects. Blood: The Last Vampire continues this trend, offering up some of the best-looking animation in recent memory.

Blood takes place in 1966, shortly before the start of the Vietnam war. Opening on a Japanese subway, we are introduced to Saya, a mysterious sword-toting girl. Saya packs a dark secret, for she hunts Chiropterans, demonic creatures that survive by feasting on the blood of humans. Following a brief skirmish on the subway, her latest assignment takes her to the Yohkoto Air Base, a bustling American military installation. Posing as a student, Saya infiltrates the base and begins her search for the demonic creatures.

Visually, Blood is incredibly stunning. The entire movie was generated with computers, blending traditional cel-style animation with some 3D effects and exceptional backgrounds. Much like Perfect Blue, Blood's characters look far more realistic than in an average anime. This extends to the motion of the characters, which is quite life-like. In the opening sequence, Saya explodes into action so fluidly, I almost forgot I was watching an animated film. The visual qualities of Blood are also quite evident in the background art, which is remarkably detailed in many scenes. Careful attention is paid to light and shadow, and these qualities often generate a chilling atmosphere.

It should also be noted that Blood was originally created with a mixture of English and Japanese dialog. As a matter of fact, a good two-thirds of the dialog is spoken in English. The voice acting is of generally good quality, highlighted by Youki Kudoh, from Snow Falling on Ceders. Some of the minor characters tended to suffer a bit, but since there is only one audio track, fans will have to make due.

In some respects, however, Blood feels unfinished. This is evident following the opening scene, after Saya has dispatched a Chiropteran. Two suits come running to greet her, but one claims the person Saya killed was, in fact, an ordinary human. The other says this isn't so, that the creature just hasn't transformed yet. This scene is not even touched on later in the movie, and we never learn whether Saya killed a demon or innocent human, or even if it's significant. Saya later remarks that she is prevented from killing humans, but how or why is never answered. From what I could gather, Blood: The Last Vampire is meant to be the beginning of a franchise explored through sequels, video games, and other mediums. I felt a little disappointed knowing that I would have to look elsewhere for answers to some of the questions this movie posed.

Ultimately, Blood's greatest flaw is its pretentious design towards flash over substance. Character development is fairly non-existant, even for Saya herself. She may be a dark and brooding protagonist, but little is done to expand on her role. Only in the final moments does she demonstrate any variance in her demeanor and the hint that there is more to her than meets the eye. Some might blame the scant running time of 50 minutes as being the problem, hardly the length one would expect for a theatrical feature. Other anime, most notably Kite, have been restricted in this manner, yet still manage to pull off very dramatic stories. I think the real problem with Blood is it lacks any sort of final punch. The ending is lackluster, with no twist or startling revelation. Unless, of course, you count the nurse's reaction to a photo of Saya at the end, but we as an audience already know who and what Saya is. As the credits started to role, I was left with a slightly empty feeling, as though I had just dined on a gourmet feast, but left without having dessert.

In terms of action, atmosphere, and visual beauty, Blood: The Last Vampire succeeds quite admirably. But the lack of a solid plot or engaging characters keeps Blood from becoming an anime classic. Here's hoping the sequel fares a little better.

Beck

Plot/Story

Rock was something Koyuki had never given thought to. Often, he resorted to j-pop to calm his frustrations. When he was reunited with his friend from middle school, everything unfolds. He starts listening to Dying breed and Maho-san, his crush, soon finds his talent for singing. When he joins a band, Beck, the face of rock is renewed. But will the band hold together?

Characters

Tanaka Yukio (Koyuki)

Life has always been the same; bland and boring for Tanaka Yukio (referred to as Koyuki). With everyday being the same old thing, Koyuki pondered the very question: How long is this boring, everyday life going to last? Everything was the same until the fateful day where he ran into a bunch of young kids picking on a bizarre-looking dog named Beck. Incapable of just letting the dog get picked on, Koyuki had helped Beck out, but later found himself climbing a pole, trying to run away from the dog. From there, Koyuki is saved and then thanked by the dog's owner, an English-speaking guitarist named Minami Ryuusuke. Later that same day, Koyuki found himself being saved by Ryuusuke once again, and just like that, Koyuki knew that his bland life would take a 180 degrees turn.

Ever since the day Koyuki met Ryuusuke, he had visited his house often and the two came to be friends. From there, Koyuki discovered that the guitarist was once part of the now seperated band, Serial Mama. Not only that, Ryuusuke was on a path to form a new band and rise to the top. As each day passed, Koyuki somehow got mixed up into Ryuusuke's musical life and Koyuki found himself listening to more and more rock.

The once bland and boring life was now, a life with more flavor... a life that was part of a newly formed band. This band was known as BECK, named after Ryuusuke's strange dog. As Koyuki takes the role as both a guitarist and a vocalist (for certain songs), each day is new, and together with the rest of the band members, Koyuki aims for the top: hitting it big with the band called BECK.

Minami Ryuusuke

He is the guitarist that is capable of speaking both Japanese and English. The owner of Beck and the very person who had changed Koyuki's life into a life with more flavor.

He was once one of the leaders and guitarists for the band known as Serial Mama. Yet, since the band's two leaders (Ryuusuke and another guitarist named Eiji) constantly had disputes, the band had broken up and both Ryuusuke and Eiji had taken their own path. With both guitarists having the same goal in mind, to form a new band and rise to the top, each began to seek for guys with talent.

Growing up in a bad neighborhood, Ryuusuke was never afraid to take on even the buffest of guys. Determined, a bit mysterious and relaxed, Ryuusuke ends up becoming friends with Koyuki (after saving him) and somehow, pulls the young boy into his life. Later, Ryuusuke decides to let Koyuki and his school friend Saku join his newly formed band, BECK (named after his dog).

As he unites with Chiba, Taira, Koyuki and Saku, the five mix their talents together to form beats that no other can match up to... to form a band that reaches for fame - the band known as BECK.

Chiba

Chiba acts as the vocalist for Ryuusuke's newly formed band known as BECK. Loud, obnoxious, rude, and ill-tempered, Chiba is someone one wouldn't think of having in their band, or even as a friend, but ignoring all those bad qualities, Chiba isn't such a bad person.

Like Koyuki, Chiba was always bullied when he was young, and due to this, had he taken up karate. From the many years of taking up karate, Chiba is capable of not only defending himself against the strongest of guys, but can also beat up those that stand in his way. Through this fighting skill and his kind heart, Chiba helps Koyuki when the young boy is being beaten up by the most feared bully of Koyuki's school (now graduated).

Though he starts off on bad terms with Ryuusuke, Chiba ends up accepting the English-speaking guitarist and is the first to join the band. Together with the others, Chiba plans to hit it big with BECK.

Taira

A talented guitarist whom both Ryuusuke and his enemy rival, Eiji, wanted to have in their own newly formed bands. More of the silent-type, not much is known about Taira as he does not speak a lot, unless it is to give his opinion on a certain issue.

Upon the recruitment of Koyuki and Saku into BECK, Taira had doubts about whether or not it was a good idea to have the two in, but had his mind changed after hearing Saku play the drums, and Koyuki sing, as well as play the guitar. As he believes and puts trust in Ryuusuke to make the right decisions, Taira goes with the flow of the band, helping the band out with it's rise to the top, with his marvelous guitar-playing skill.

Together with Ryuusuke, Chiba, Koyuki, and Saku, Taira hopes to hit it big with the band he found to believe in, the band known as BECK.

Sakurai Yuuji (Saku)

Closest school friend to Koyuki, Sakurai Yuuji (referred to as Saku) of Class 3-2 had first met Koyuki upon confronting him after school one day. Being a new transfer student to East Ihara Middle School (the school Koyuki attends), Saku had little knowledge of how Koyuki was hated by the biggest bully in the school, and was later picked on by the Hyoudou Squad (the bully's gang members). Yet, even though he was beaten up for hanging around Koyuki, this did not prevent him from continuing, and because of that, both Koyuki and Saku practically became best friends.

Like Koyuki, Saku shares the same interest in the rock band known as DyBre, and together, the two share talks about them. Later, Saku gets to meet Ryuusuke and the group and along with Koyuki, ends up joining the newly formed band. He takes the role as the drummer, as he was influenced to play the drums at the age of 7 by his older brother.

With an extroadinary talent for playing the drums, Saku is also one with great knowledge when it comes to music. Though he is not too confident, he has a good heart and together with Ryuusuke, Koyuki, Chiba, and Taira, he aims high, determined to hit it big with the band BECK.

Minami Maho

She is Minami Ryuusuke's younger sister, and is also capable of speaking English. Known to be a good singer, Maho first encounters Koyuki in a restaurant, and somehow ends up getting a bad impression of the young boy, as she storms off cussing him off. Later, Maho and Koyuki get things settled and soon get to know each other. As each day goes by, the two get closer and closer, even to the point where it can be presumed that they like each other (which is possible to be the case).

She is outgoing, spontaneous and friendly at times. Maho stands by Koyuki's side during hard times, trying to cheer him up or help him out when life is not going too well. Supporting the band with everything in her like everyone else in BECK, she hopes for the band to rise to the top.

Saitou Ken'ichi

He is a perverted middle-aged man that runs a company known as Saitou's Printing - a place for bag-packing products. Though he may be perverted, Saitou is a man with a kind heart and was the very person that aided Koyuki during times of hardship. From providing private swimming lessons to helping Koyuki learn how to play the guitar properly, Saitou could almost be seen as a fatherly figure towards Koyuki.

A bit obnoxious and loud at times, Saitou is one who prefers beats of the old British bands (eg: The Beatles, Yard Birds, The Rolling Stones, and Rocket Boys). With his kindness, respect, and skill in many things, Saitou is willing to help Koyuki anytime and is constantly trying to get close with any attractive girl.

Yu Yu Hakuso

YuYu Hakusho (幽☆遊☆白書 YūYū Hakusho or Yu Yu Hakusho, literally Spirits Wander White Book, meaning "Ghost Files" / "Poltergeist Report") is a Japanese manga and anime series by Yoshihiro Togashi.

The anime, produced by Studio Pierrot, consists of 112 TV episodes and two movies: "The Golden Seal" (YuYu Hakusho: The Movie) and "Bonds of Fire" (YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report). In Japan, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. The series consists of 175 chapters across 19 volumes. In North America, the manga currently runs in Viz's Shonen Jump.

The name of the series is spelled Yu Yu Hakusho in FUNimation's distribution of the anime, and YuYu Hakusho in the Viz manga. It originally aired in the US from 1992 to 1995 [1], and was later reintroduced by FUNimation February 2002 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. Around March 2003, the show moved to Cartoon Network's Toonami block due to higher ratings with children. Then Yu Yu Hakusho was taken off Toonami around March 2005 and moved to an early Saturday morning timeslot at 5:30 A.M. where the series finished its run (which many fans felt, put it into a "Witness Protection Program"). It currently airs as part of the FUNimation programming block on CoLours TV.

A series of Yu Yu Hakusho Original Animated Videos were released only in Japan:

* Eizou Hakusho: Ankoku Bujutsukai (2 Volumes)
* Eizou Hakusho II: Yusuke Volume
* Eizou Hakusho II: Kurama Volume
* Eizou Hakusho II: Hiei Volume
* Eizou Hakusho II: Kuwabara Volume
* Opening Ending Encyclopedia
* Recap Guide Complete Advance Set (3 Volumes)

In the Philippines, the anime and both movies were initially shown on IBC 13, then on GMA 7, all under the name Ghostfighter [2], with the names of the main characters changed. It has also been released in Italy under the title Yu degli spettri.

It has also been broadcast across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent by the anime television network Animax.

Background

Yusuke Urameshi is nothing more than a street-brawling delinquent with a typical tough guy approach to everything. Yusuke's mother Atsuko, an alcoholic, had him at the age of 14 and shows little interest in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor's office, and every single punk in the city is trying to take him on. Yusuke is pretty fed up with life.

However, no one expects a sudden act of heroism on his part: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. In fact, when he arrives in the afterlife, he is informed that no one was expecting him to die that way, and were not prepared for his arrival.

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived, and is assigned to work for the Spirit Realm as a detective investigating demonic cases in the human world. He comes into spiritual abilities of his own, and enlists the help of numerous friends from Reikai (spirit world), Makai (demon world) and Ningenkai (human world) to aid him in his cases, and fight off demons and humans seeking to usurp and rule over all three worlds.

Character

Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. The English anime name is to the right of the Japanese name if it applies.

* Yusuke Urameshi (浦飯幽助 Urameshi Yūsuke) - Yusuke is the toughest kid in Sarayashiki Junior High School and has a typical tough guy approach to everything. He becomes a spirit detective after he died and was revived by Keiko's kiss. His main attack is the Rei Gun (Spirit Gun in the English Dub) where he can manipulate his Reiki into a projectile. He learns many other attacks from Genkai including the spirit gun double and shot gun. He mainly grows in strength from all of his different battles, because he responds to danger by unleashing his full strength. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that Yusuke is in fact a half demon. His demon ancestor copulated with a human female and arranged so that a descendant of his, once strong enough, would become a half demon. This explains Yusuke's incredible spirit powers.

* Kazuma Kuwabara (桑原和真 Kuwabara Kazuma) - Kuwabara is the second toughest kid in the school, and resents Yusuke for it. Originally rivals, Yusuke and Kuwabara would start a grudging friendship that only strengthens throughout the series. Although human, Kuwabara has high Reiki sensitivity; shortly after accompanying Yusuke on missions, he is able to manifest a Rei Ken (Spirit Sword in the English dubbing); a type of Reiki that normally takes on the shape of a glowing sword.

After the Dark Saga, Kuwabara is believed to be the strongest human alive (Genkai implies this). Though he may not be the strongest in the "gang", he is certainly the kindest.

* Keiko Yukimura (雪村螢子 Yukimura Keiko) / Kayko Yukimura - Although Yusuke vehemently denies it, Keiko is his girlfriend. Her personality is almost the exact opposite of his; she is a model student, and often berates Yusuke for playing hookey or for getting into trouble. Her relationship with Yusuke has sometimes made her a target of demons who had sought to gain the upper hand against the detective. Keiko eventually learns of Yusuke's life as a Reikai detective, and while apprehensive of some of his more dangerous fights, often supports and cheers him on. At the final episode, it seems that she will no longer wait for Yusuke because Yusuke made a promise to her that he will be right back after his mission in the demon world is done. Eventually, when Keiko seems to be breaking down and looks broken hearted, Yusuke surprises her and the two confess their mutual love for each other.

* Koenma (コエンマ) - Though he resembles an infant in appearance, he is actually over 700 years old and is the son of Enma-Daioh (King Yama, the Sanskrit name, in the English anime), the ruler of the spirit realm (Reikai). Koenma also has the ability to transform into a teenage version of himself (ostensibly for formal occasions) but still retains his trademark pacifier. He does this only to blend in with the human world.

* Botan (ぼたん)- One of the hundreds of ferry girls of the spirit realm (a type of shinigami) responsible for guiding the souls of the recently departed to eternal judgement (in the American version, she is referred to as the "grim reaper"). Originally assigned by Koenma to be Yusuke's spirit guide after his fatal car accident, she becomes his case manager, supplying him with equipment and much of the information he needs. Botan is a kind and warm-hearted woman who has put herself in peril on several occasions to protect the people she cares about. She takes her job very seriously, although she tends to act in a very bubbleheaded manner.

* Hiei (飛影) a.k.a. Hiei of the Evil Eye (Jaganshi Hiei) - Hiei is a fire demon (hi yōkai) born of a Koorime (氷女 Ice Maiden) who specializes in speed, swordsmanship and "Jagan" (Evil Eye) skills (邪眼術). His artificially created Jagan amplifies his power and enables him to summon the black fires of Makai (Demon Realm) and channel it as an energy attack, often in the shape of a dragon. He's a bit of a hot head and is not very fond of Kurwabara or fool/idiot/moron/human etc. as he calls him (Many fans have made-up a nickname they supposedly think Hiei uses for Kuwabara; Kuwabaka. Baka meaning "Moron" or "Idiot" in Japanese). Hiei is also a bit short. His twin sister Yukina is unaware of their relationship, and Hiei has gone as far as to threaten harm to others to prevent Yukina from realizing that he is actually her brother. The choice of vocabulary used in reference to Yukina's age in the early manga suggests Hiei and Yukina may be adolescents throughout the series.

* Kurama (蔵馬), also known as Shuichi Minamino　(南野秀一 Minamino Shūichi) in his human form - Kurama is a demon with the ability to summon and control plants. He was originally the powerful and infamous Kitsune thief, Yoko Kurama (妖狐蔵馬 Yōko Kurama) until he was wounded by a hunter. Managing to escape by inhabiting the body of an unborn human baby, he grew up as the human child Shuichi, and planned on abandoning his "family" once his demonic power returned at the age of ten, but grew to love his human mother, Shiori. Kurama has a wide variety of techniques, because of his ability to control a wide variety of plants, including the often seen Rose Whip.

* Genkai (幻海) - The aged Reiki fighter who rigorously trains Yusuke in the Spirit Light Wave Fist (霊光波動拳 Reikō Hadō Ken, Spirit Wave in the English dub) technique. Though her manner is often gruff, she cares for Yusuke and the others, and constantly tries to help them grow stronger. In the past, she was feared as one of the most powerful human fighters in both Ningenkai and Makai.

* Yukina (雪菜) - An ice yōkai (An "Ice Maiden" 氷女 Koorime/Kōrime) whose tears can harden into rare, priceless jewels (a characteristic of the Kōrime race). Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara rescued her from Tarukane Gonzou, a black market businessman who was torturing her to produce the gems. She reappears later in the series, searching for her brother. She is unaware of the fact that Hiei is her sibling, and that Kuwabara is in love with her. As a Koorime, she has the ability to cause cold temperatures, as well as use powers of healing.

Detective Conan

Case Closed, also known as Detective Conan (名探偵コナン, Meitantei Konan?) in Japan and other countries, is a detective manga and anime series by Gosho Aoyama which has been published in Weekly Shonen Sunday magazine since 1994.

The series depicts the cases of a young private detective who was inadvertently turned into a prepubescent boy by criminals and now struggles to continue his profession while keeping his true identity, age and medical condition secret.

VIZ Media publishes Detective Conan manga in English as Case Closed for American audiences. The comic uses the original right-to-left format and the English anime names for the main characters while it uses the original Japanese names for the minor characters.

The anime version is produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and has currently aired 460 television episodes (as of 15 January 2007) and ten movies in Japan, and is still running on Japanese television today. It airs Mondays at 7:30 p.m. on Nippon TV, and is also broadcast in Japan by the anime television network, Animax, who have also aired the series across its networks in Southeast Asia and East Asia. In July 2003, FUNimation announced that they licensed Detective Conan for a release in North America, to be released as "Case Closed" due to legal issues concerning the name Conan (Conan the Barbarian, although Conan can be considered a regular name as in Conan O'Brien). In the United Kingdom VIZ's releases are published by Gollancz Manga with the same naming conventions.

The tenth movie, Private Eyes' Requiem[1] was announced on December 15, 2005 and was released on April 15, 2006, debuting at the number one position in the Japanese box office[2] and remained there for three consecutive weeks. As of May 28, 2006, it has earned $25.8 million in the Japanese box office. [3]

The latest in the series of its franchise is a live-action TV drama which is poised to be aired in autumn 2006. It would act as a prequel of the current storyline, starring Shun Oguri as Shin'ichi Kudo (Jimmy Kudo), Tomoka Kurokawa as Ran Mori (Rachel Moore), and Takanori Jinnai as Kogoro Mori (Richard Moore) [4].

Plot and/or ending details follow.

The English manga names will be used, with the Japanese original in brackets at their first mention. Japanese names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name, with the exception of Edogawa Rampo (Edogawa is the last name here).

At the beginning of the story, 17-year old (16 years in the manga) high school student Jimmy Kudo (Shin'ichi Kudo) becomes the boy, Conan Edogawa. Jimmy Kudo in the beginning of Case Closed is known as a high school student detective. One day, Jimmy goes to a theme park named "Tropical Land," with his childhood friend (or current girlfriend), Rachel Moore (Ran Mori). He encountered a case where a roller coaster passenger, Kishida (Kenneth in the English anime), is killed in a spectacularly bloody decapitation[5]. He solved the case and on his return home, he witnesses a suspicious deal involving some men dressed completely in black. Another man in black spots him, knocks him down, and gives him an untested poison named Apotoxin-4869 (APTX4869), which is intended to kill him. The poison does not kill him. However, when he comes to his senses, his body has shrunk down to the size of an elementary school boy.[6]

Following the advice of Dr. Hiroshi Agasa (Dr. Herschel Agasa in the English anime), Jimmy hides who he really is, lest the men in black find out that he is alive. When Rachel asks for his name, Jimmy spots books by Arthur Conan Doyle and Edogawa Rampo and comes up with the name "Conan Edogawa." Agasa says that "Conan" is a relative of his, but was too busy to take care of a young child, and suggests that "Conan" go live with Rachel, and both Conan and Rachel agree.[7]

Rachel's father, Richard Moore (Kogoro Mori) is also a detective, but is not very capable. Conan always solves mysteries in his stead. As Conan appears to be just a boy, police don't pay Conan any mind. Conan instead uses Detective Moore by putting him to sleep with a "anesthesia gun-watch"[8] and pretending to be Moore by using a voice changer disguised as a bow tie. [9] Other important characters that appear (some later) are Jimmy's parents Booker (Yusaku) and Vivian (Yukiko) Kudo , Harley Hartwell (Heiji Hattori), a rival detective from Osaka[10], gentleman thief Phantom Thief Kid (怪盗キッド, Kaitō Kido?)[11] , who also appears in Magic Kaito), inventor of the APTX4869 Shiho Miyano (codename "Sherry" within the black syndicate, turned into a child also after she took her own drug to escape the organization, and then lives with Dr. Agasa under her new name Ai Haibara)[12], and the other members of the Black Organization: Gin, Vodka, Tequila, Calvados, Pisco, Vermouth, Kir, Chianti, Köln, and a mysterious "boss" who has only been mentioned so far.

To maintain his cover, Conan goes to Titan elementary school (Japanese: Teitan Elementary School (帝丹小学校, Teitan Shōgakkō?))and has made particular friends with three children at the school, George Kaminski (Genta Kojima), Mitch Tennison (Mitsuhiko Tsuburaya) and Amy Yeager (Ayumi Yoshida) who form the self-styled Junior Detective League (Detective Boys (少年探偵団, Shōnen Taitei-dan?) in original). Although Conan feels profoundly self conscious playing with them given his true age, the foursome have numerous adventures of their own and the normal trio have proved capable assistants to the detective for their age.

Berserk

Story

Berserk first starts with Guts, a dark and indescribably strong swordsman, killing of some monster terrorising a town. However he is not some nice hero, since he doesn't give shit who he kills along the way.

But this is the past, so the story really starts at the end of the 3rd volume where the young guts meets a band of mercendaries led by the charismatic Griffith, the band of the hawks. So a story of war, destiny, friendship, betrayal, love and hate begins. The whole story is set in a dark fantasy world, somewhat resembling medieval europe. The dark feel and atmosphere is underlined by very strong violence, gore and less nudity. All characters undergo excessive development and there are major twists making this story one of the most interesting stories I could even imagine (well it's my favorite..)

Characters

Guts: Incredibly strong swordsman born from a corpse hanging on a tree and then adopted by an insane wife of a mercendary. Lived his whole life on the battlefield and wields an incredibly large sword.

Griffith: Leader of the band of the hawk. Extremly clever tactition with the ambition to take a country. Does everything neccesary to achieve his goals. He is the reason the hawks are undefeated in battle.

Casca: Griffith's right hand. She is the only woman with the hawks and their strongest fighter besides Griffith (and Guts after he is forced to join). To her Griffiths word is law and if he orders her to kill a comrade, she will do it without asking questions.

Drawing Style

Genuine. The characters and the background are very realistic and detailed. Many pictures are pieces of real art. There are few mangas that impress with such astonishing artwork. It is clearly drawn and expresses every little aspect of the berserk world fittingly, therefore supports the atmosphere perfectly.

Enjoyment

Awesome. Once you get caught by this whole world, you won't be able to stop reading. After reading a while you start to believe to know the characters as if they are your friends. There is a great mix of breathtaking fights, secretely carried out plots, where all parties strive to be or remain in power or to come to power and some funny occurances. However it is no story for people who mind violence and gore. I wouldn't recommend it to be read by underage persons.

Overall

Overall a great story with really deep characters all assembled in a believable dark fantasy world. Drawn with incredible skill in a medieval setting. Crazy twists and great character development sum up to one great work.

DN Angel

Story

14 year-old Daisuke Niwa was just like any ordinary high-schooler-Attending high school everyday, having a crush on a classmate and attending club activites. On his 14th birthday, everything changed.

After being rejected by the girl he liked, Daisuke would change into another personality called "Dark Mousy", the legendary thief of priceless art pieces and artifacts, and the transformation comes to him automatically whenever he thinks of the girls he likes! What's going to happen to him from now on?

At first glance, it seemed like a typical storyline: Boy reaches coming of age, alter-ego comes and turns his life upside down and hilarity ensues. It's not all about humor, though. The storyline slowly and surely unravels the threads of mystery as it progresses, giving us a better idea of the concept of co-existence between the two male leads and what Dark really could be. The more the story continues, the more you would wish to find out about him. Of course, romance, humor and angst are all mixed in together with fantasy. Sometimes the things they talk about can be really complicated, but it goes to show the depth of this manga, that it's not just some sappy romantic comedy at play.

Characters

Obviously, the main character-Daisuke Niwa. He's one of those typical main characters nowadays-Bumbling, emotional and clueless most of the time. He does mature as the manga progresses, a sign of his growth as he takes on a darker destiny with his counterpart, Dark Mousy.

Dark, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of him-Daring, obnoxious, skilful with his hands at stealing artifacts as well as the hearts of any girl who saw him. Dark has a mysterious past, and some of it is revealed as the story unravels. Occasionally, he would be shown as a gag character, which makes up part of the novelty for the manga.

Another male lead would be Hiwatari Satoshi, the protagonist of the story. He has an alter-ego as well, named Krad, who was not so friendly with the former as Dark was with Daisuke. Both seemed to have some sort of grudge against Daisuke and Dark, though that kind of relationship changes when Daisuke helps Hiwatari out instead....

For the female leads, it would be Harada Risa and Riku, the twin sisters with personalities as different as night and day. While Risa liked fanciful dresses and "girly stuff", Riku loved sports and preferred the comfort of shorts and jeans. Of course, both will play the love interests of Daisuke and Dark, which just makes things more complicated. ^^''

The character development was pretty good, especially into the later volumes of the manga. The issue of co-existence comes up many times, and dilemmas on the side of Daisuke seem to make him mature gradually. The mangaka did a great job by not rushing it, it seems. Everyone slowly changes as Dark enters the life of Daisuke, and vice versa. It's a nice change, especially when it is known that the enmity between the Hiwatari and Niwa families has continued for generations, and yet Daisuke wants to make Hiwatari his friend. Development doesn't come across as rushed, definitely, and even the focus switches to side characters as well.

Drawing Style

Beautiful artwork worthy of its storyline and characters. I like the way how the mangaka drew the hair and eyes for each character. Every single one of them didn't seem too skinny or too fat, and definitely *ahem* Not too busty for the females. HArdly an inconsistencies as well.

Enjoyment

I really enjoy it a lot, though frankly speaking, sometimes I don't even understand what they are talking about and would spend some time trying to piece things together. Other than that, I love everything about it.

Overall

On the whole, an extremely enjoyable manga series, though there are some hiccups along the way. This is highly recommended for not only fans of the romantic-comedy genre, but for all as well, though you might want to skip the more sophisticated dialogue occasionally coming up.

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D. Grayman

Story

The World is in collapse. Akumas, devils created with human souls by the misterious - and bizarre - Millennium Earl, destroy everything they see in their way. Claming to be making God's wishes becoming truth, the Earl plans to destroy the humans little by little...

The World would be doomed if it weren't for a group called "The Dark Religious Organitazion" and their exorcists, people who fight with their special power 'innocence' to protect the place where they live. And in the middle of all this there's Allen Walker, a 15 years old boy with a deformed arm which is his innocence. It can trasform and kill the enemy in a second... Isn't that very cruel to ask a young boy to do? But a war is a war, and Allen wants to fight to protect what's most dear to him.

Characters

Every character is unique and very special! It's hard to not love them, and the villains are adorable too! The personality of everyone is very detailed, and you know why they're doing what they're doing. They look pretty much like real persons, with their own personal reasons to act to save the world - or to destroy it. You can see them growing in the chapters and become more of what you expect them to be!

Drawing Style

he drawing style is really good! The only reasons why I gave it a 4 is because Hoshino's art can improve even more, as you can see from the previous mangas, and because sometimes it's so detailed it's confusing.

Enjoyment

It's published in JUMP, so why aren't you shounen fans reading it like, now? It got everything a serie need to captivate those who love manga centered in a great plot and characters you just want to see more and more.

Overall

D.Gray-man is a impressive manga with impressive plot twists and even more impressive characters. It's becoming really popular, so it may get an anime series and that would be really amazing. Every fan of shounen manga must read it - no one will get disappointed.

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Magic Knight Rayearth

Story

The storyline of the first season is kind of plain, very simple, very rpg like. You get 14-year-old girls, you get big swords, magic, battles, appealing foes with no real murder intent, kawaii Mokona and a princess to save. Very commercial as well, since Sailor Moon was the hottest product for young girls back then.

Still, after a couple of episodes (manga and anime are completely alike for season 1) one start to see things getting more twisted and interesting, it's not just 3 girls developing as fantasy rpg heroines facing enemies from weakest to stronger. Clamp abruptly end this first part with a schocking and serious finale, which leads the reader to rethink about every idea one might have come up to about Cephiro and it's "idyllic" balance until then. Second season starts and deepen this sour feeling of loss and despair the Knights were left after their mission end. This time the plot is serious, sometimes tragi-comical, but very little innocence and hope it's left in the Knights, who start and inner journey of psychological development along with a new battle. Willpower, the very essence of Cephiro, plays a main role. This time we get a kind of "self- rpg", deep rooted in dwelling feelings and opposite factions who fight desperately toward a common goal.

Characters

Clamp can really create characters, this series features a wide range of people, kind of spit in 2 groups: The good ones and the baddies, plus an unclear group of, let's say, free minds, whose attitude change with time (sometimes even a bit too dratically). We also got Mokona, one of the most loved mascot chara of all times. The main characters are very well developed, appealing and different, so any reader can spot a favorite. There are also three big mechas with menacing faces, the gods at the service of the Magic Knights, whose level of offence is related to its owner abilities and willpower. Even the foes have their fighting mechas (some even have spirits!). Amongst the other characters, some are fascinating, with fitting personalities and coherent behaviours. Some are sadly cast aside as remote comprimaries, so they're a bit plain and unconvincing, but very little damage is done. As the truth approaches, their fates become closely interwined and interaction grows, until the climax when a new future is possible thanks to cooperation and impressive willpower, everybody in their own way.

Drawing Style

Impressive, every page is a spectacular little pieces of art. Clamp style is not as mature as in latest volumes of X 1999, but fully shaped and almost heavily decorated. Still, Clamp's elaborate pictures won't fail to convey the soft and eerie feeling engulfing the magic world of Cephiro, the impalpable strenght of magic. One ends up liking those big pointy eyes and slender bodies which are a kind of trademark for Clamp, and their exquisite creativity for outfits and objects won't fail

to be fully enjoyed. I recommend you all to have a look at Rayearth illustration collections, 2 books of exquisite images of the characters, carefully depicted with soft colors and rich backgrounds.

Enjoyment

I really came to love this series after reading it on the whole. It covers themes such as the inner struggle between self-annihilation and will to live, the ambiguous line between good and evil, self-questioning heroes. We see the magic world of Cephiro shaped by the willpower of its Pillar, an allegory of a person's feelings. It's fragile yet perfect balance troubled by love. An endless quest toward the truth, smiling and chillike heroines turning into adults as the events follow, certainties crumbling piece by piece, characters with very different, yet respectable, modus operandi. But while unveling all these mature and important themes which every person has to face at some point in his life, while following the Knights as they grow from immature and obstinate children to self-confident adults we actually have fun: there are many comical situations and light-hearthed moments, SD scenes and playful breaks, even comical battles, sapiently mixed with and ertertaining and unpredictable storyline.

Overall

Read it, watch it. If you like fantasy, mechas, fights, magic and bad girls with swords, this is for you. There's a substantial difference between anime season 2 and its paper counterpart, but enjoyable their own way. In the manga, there's a little less action and more reasoning, there's more time for introspection, repentance and remorse while in the anime, characters battle and interact more. It's really a good show, nice art, not your average magic girls anime and gets the reader to actually think about the themes of existential despair, love, understanding of others and such, all along, step by step, with lovely Hikaru, Umi and Fuu (+ Mokona?).

Please right-click and choose "Save As" instead of simply clicking on the download link
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Volume 5
Volume 6

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