Review | Anime | Naruto

NARUTO : Years ago in the village of Konoha, a nine-tailed demon fox terrorized the village and killed hundreds of ninjas, until the leader of the village sealed the demon away in the body of a newborn child that had been orphaned. Now, twelve-year-old Naruto has been mistreated all his life by his fellow villagers for something he was completely unaware of until the day a rogue ninja attacked him. Naruto's dream is to become the Hokage of Konoha so the villagers will look up to him rather than disrespect him. With his friends Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto will learn to be the best ninja he can be, while fighting other rogue ninjas that intend to destroy his village.

Naruto hasn't struck souls quite like Pokemon did when it was first introduced, but people are definitely responding to Naruto in a big way. I was hearing so much about it nonstop all over the Internet, I hated it already. Only when it came on TV one day did I really decide to sit down and take it in, and I must say I'm impressed.

The characters are very easy to identify since they are each given unique physical traits. However it's not very easy to attempt to warm up to every single character in the show, since new characters are constantly added.

According to my sister, who has gotten a little too into the series since I suggested she watch it (me and my big mouth), the original Japanese version has pretty much no limits to the kind of language they use, but the American dub of course is a lot cleaner since they're aiming it at a young audience. From the mangas of Naruto I've read, the language is almost as bad as the original undubbed anime. Any parent that is deciding whether or not to introduce Naruto (either the anime or the manga) to their child may like to be warned of prankster Naruto's biggest gags towards males that he addresses as his "Sexy Jutsu", in which Naruto shape shifts into a nude woman barely covered by puffs of smoke. The anime version of this technique is a lot more modest than the manga's version where the anatomy is a lot more detailed and the puffs of smoke are a lot less thick. Another warning for parents is Jiraiya, who appears much later in the series. Jiraiya, a middle-aged male ninja, writes a popular string of of books that are implied loosely to be pornographic (an adult main character in the show is seen frequently reading a volume though the contents of the books are never shown.) Jiraiya is also a shameless womanizer that attempts on a regular basis to peek at naked or barely-clothed women for what he calls "research" for his books. There is also a large amount of violence for parent that would prefer their child not watch violent shows.

My biggest complaint against the series is that it is mind-numbingly slow. The writers will dedicate 2-3 episodes on one certain subject that they attempt to stretch way too far by making the characters monologue more than necessary, and eventually any suspense that might have been there dwindles almost as quickly as the viewer's interest. The monologues are extremely dull and useless to the show, the characters pretty much include everything in their monologues except cooking recipes. If you suspect that stretching will occur in any of the episodes, I would say it's safe to skip the next episode.

Despite the slowness in the series, I highly recommend the show to teenage audiences and older, but a parent may want to investigate further on the show first before letting a younger child watch it.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Sasuke's Theme
Naruto's Theme

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Review | Movie | Death Note Movies

DEATH NOTE THE MOVIE/DEATH NOTE THE MOVIE: THE LAST NAME : The live-action version of the anime/manga series. Light Yagami, a successful high school , finds a mysterious notebook on the ground entitled "Death Note". Curious, he takes the notebook home and reads it. The book's instructions state that anyone whose name is written in the book will die within 40 seconds of a heart attack, or if the owner wishes a different death upon the victim, the details of the death must be wirtten within 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Light tests the Death Note by writing the name of a gangster who boasts his name right before attacking a woman. The gangster dies soon after. Realizing the book's power, Light concludes to use the Death Note to rid the world of evil by killing every criminal he can. The police begin to string the series of heart attacks together and soon find that a detective known as "L", who has completed every single investigation he's ever taken, is soon on the case. Light, nicknamed "Kira" by the public, is soon L's suspect, and Light is determined to finish L before L finishes him.

Usually live-action films annoy me because all I keep thinking about is, "That doesn't look like them!" or "That never happened!" It's a filthy habit of mine. But I liked these films a lot. It was a little odd to have English songs for the first film though, such as "Dani California" by The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They could have easily found an equally good Japanese song which wouldn't have made it perplexing. (personally, i find most japanese music better than any english song.)

These movies stay true to the anime and manga, but there are also some parts that serve themselves rather than what happens in the others. I'm happy with the actors they got for the roles, they serve the movies quite well.

I'm definitely happy with these, I'd probably watch them again and I might buy the movies if they're around. I'd recommend it to any Death Note fan that hasn't gotten to see them yet. they've still got Death Note films coming out and I'll definitely be one of the ones seeing them.

What I like about these films is that even though they stay true to the anime and manga, they still put their own twists on things and mix it around a bit so it'll be a new experience to those familiar with the anime. This includes a gender change for Misa's shinigami Rem, who is implied to be female in the series but is male in the films. Their talented ensemle has no problem conveying the same suspense and interest that held fans of the series.


Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Review | Anime | Pokemon

Pokemon : Ash Ketchum (or "Satoshi" in the Japanese anime) is a ten-year-old boy who dreams of becoming the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world. Pokemon are a variety of creatures that inhabit the Pokemon world, and at age ten, anyone who wants to set out to become a trainer picks up their first Pokemon and "Pokedex", and journey across the land to capture Pokemon to train and use to earn badges that enable them to enter the Pokemon League. Ash's first Pokemon is an electric rodent called Pikachu, and with Pikachu, he'll make friends and fight enemies and work to become the greatest Pokemon master of all time.

Needless to say, Pokemon has caused quite a stir in the world of young boys. Even girls can't possibly resist the pull of the show. When it was first released in America, that's all you heard, and the only thing your young family members wanted for Christmas was Pokemon.

I can't say I blame them. Pokemon's quite the real success. The American remake has been kid-friendlied by removing simple scenes of over-the-top cleavage and skimpy outfits, among other things. From what I've heard, the manga is quite inappropriate, though. The beginning series, Pokemon: Gotta Catch Em All! gave Satoshi Tajiri and the production companies the boost they needed, and I guess they figured, "hey, let's give 'em what they really want," so of course they release 100 more Pokemon, sparking the era of a new Pokemon season with new friends for Ash and Pikachu. So all was well, the kids were excited, the companies made themselves some more money.

However, the hype makes them all too confident. They release 100 more along with a new season and new friends, then 100 more along with a new season and new friends, then 100 more....and the excitement dwindled from the veins of once energetic children. Even the originality of the plots by the infamous Team Rocket villains seeped from the show in the middle of the Johto Journeys. I couldn't even watch Master Quest, I just couldn't. It was unbearable. There is no more creativity in the episodes at all. Ash's friend base even grows as the series does. Who on Earth are these "May, Max and Dawn" characters?? I was accepting of Tracey when they brought him along, but after that it was downhill. Ash's original loveable Pokemon, such as that of Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Charmander, begin to slowly disappear as well; they are left with friends or released to live their owns lives and never heard from again. They are replaced with new Pokemon. The producers are stretching it too far. Nobody cares anymore.

If you want to get into the series, watch the season with the first 150. Stop after that if you wish to use your time wisely.

Overall Rating:
/ 5 (first 150 Pokemon)

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Original Pokemon Theme
Pokemon Battle Theme
Pokemon Johto Theme

Review | Anime | Chobits

CHOBITS : Hideki Motosuwa moves from the country into an apartment in the city to attend cram school. Hideki desperately wants a Persocon, a life-sized female robot super computer, to call his own, but they are too costly for him to consider one. One day while walking home, Hideki discovers a Persocon by the dumpsters, wrapped up and abandoned. Hideki takes the Persocon home and activates it. Completely unaware of everything around her, the Persocon only says "chii", so Hideki decides to name her "Chii". Hideki, excited to finally own a Persocon, raises and teaches Chii in his free time, and realizes the ups and downs of owning a super computer with too little "super".

Before watching this series, I'd be seeing countless pictures of Chii floating around, and finally said, "I've seen so much of this show, it HAS to be good. Let's check it out." The series only lasts 26 episodes (plus a special 27th episode), so I was a little more encouraged since it wasn't nightmarishly long like some anime series tend to get.

I liked this show, not bad. I don't think there's enough in it to have so many pictures of it, but I guess since Chii is so cute and beautiful, who can help themselves?

The good thing about the show is that it isn't slow, it's nice and clean without having to reserve 3 episodes for the same subject. However, the show is definitely NOT for children. There is a large amount of unsuitable material in the show, and I don't mean a couple of over-the-top cleavages here and there, at times it can get almost borderline hentai. Despite that, the actual scenes with the material in question don't last horribly long, so it's pretty much in and out of there quickly. I still really wouldn't let kids watch this show, even though Chii looks like a cutesy, friendly character. And she is, it's just Hideki I'm a little worried about.

This is a pretty good show, I'd recommend it, but I'd still make sure to warn them about any Hideki fantasy scenes.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Opening theme : Let Me Be With You
Ending theme : Ningyo Hime
Dark Chii

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Review | Anime | AIR TV

AIR : AIR is a heartwarming story about a boy named Yukito who travels from city to city looking for work. He arrives in a small oceanfront town where he meets a young girl named Misuzu, who offers him a place to stay and her friendship. For generations, Yukito's family had passed down a legend about winged beings, and Yukito searches for these beings on behalf of his mother, who searched for them before her death. As time goes by, Yukito begins to suspect that Misuzu is a descendant of the winged beings, and if his suspicions are correct, Misuzu's life may be in danger.

I stumbled across AIR in the randomest way. I was in the library, and on a table was a small magazine (very small, there were hardly 15 pages in it) with the characters of AIR on the cover. The illustrations were just beautiful, so I had to look into it. I found the episodes online and watched them. The theme song remains one of my favorite songs of all-time.

AIR is very deep. It's not stereotype, and there's not very much of anime's signature unnatural face-making and goofy posing, though you'll find some. Yukito's rather cold for Misuzu to think as much of him as she does, and definitely isn't your typical teenaged drama queen hormone circus. Misuzu, implied to be about 15, has a case of childlike dependency, and this is displayed by her big imagination and saying, "Gao" ("grr" or "growl") whenever something annoys or disappoints her. Potato the dog is to die for; it is so amazingly adorable, anyone with a heart would want to snatch it out of the screen and cuddle it. The relationship between Yukito and Misuzu is foggy, but you can tell the two are really concerned about each other.

But do remember, I mentioned deep, and I mean very deep. This one is a tearjerker. I never cry at TV, ever, but this one was getting to me. It's a concoction of heartwarming/tragic/meaningful. If you easily cry, you'll cry at this one. Misuzu's strained relationship with her mother begins to dwindle and the two spend more time together as the series nears its completion, and that's when the eyedrops start to flow. There are several scenes throughout the series that are very sad, so if you don't like sad animes, this one's probably not for you. I don't want to ruin the ending so I'll leave it at that.

I like this one a lot, it's a must-see for those of you who appreciate the art of anime, because the animation is gorgeous and very detailed. This series is relief from the comic or action-packed violent animes, giving off a more serene and dreamy feeling. Like walking on air.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Opening theme : Tori no Uta
Farewell Song
Natsukage