Dragon Half Anime Review

Dragon Half
Doragon Hafu
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 1 disc
50 minutes - 2 episodes
$19.95 (2014)
$19.98 (2007) w/Puni Puni Poemy
$19.98 (2004) Essential Anime
$24.98 (2002)
ISBN 702727008825
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shinya Sadamitsu
Studio - Victor Entertainment

Synopsis: Mink is a restless teenager who has a major crush on the singing dragonslayer, Dick Saucer (yes, that's his name).  Her father is a swordsman and her mother is a red dragon who can take human form.  When her father was sent to slay the red dragon he fell in love with her instead and Mink was the result.  That makes Mink half dragon and very powerful.

Mink is pretty tough and she sprouts wings and a tail
when she powers up

Mink's problem lies in the fact that her love interest, Dick Saucer, slays dragons and he'll reject her because she is part dragon.  She learns of a special potion that can rid her of her dragon half and turn her into a regular human so she can score with Dick.  Simple right?  Nope, she has to defeat Azetodeth, the Demon Lord, to get the potion.  Azetodeth is a short little runt, but commands all the creatures on Demon King's Island.

From left to right: Mappy (top), Pia, Lufa, and Mink!

Not only must Mink defeat Azetodeth's minions just to face him, but she also has to deal with Princess Vina who wants Dick all to herself!  Then there's the wizard Rosario who keeps trying to get her and the dunce swordsman Damaramu.  What's an incredibly powerful girl to do?  Fortunately Mink has some help from her friends Lufa the elf, Pia the dwarf, and Pia's pet fairy mouse, Mappy.  Good luck, Mink!

Dick Saucer is ready for the tournament on Demon King's Island!

Pros: Some funny moments (like when Damaramu accidentally impales himself in the head with his own sword), Mink is a kind person and has good friends, the guy is named Dick Saucer, one very brief moment of fan-service/nudity

Doink!

Cons: Oh where to start! The dub voices are really annoying, way too much cutesy super-deformed scenes, the plot is ridiculous, the jokes are totally lame (that Dick Saucer joke gets old fast), the villain is an ineffective loser

Azetodeth turns Dick Saucer against Mink by telling him
she's an evil dragon half!

Mike Tells It Straight: This short two-episode OVA was originally planned for four episodes, but stalled out after a lack of interest.  That pretty much sums up the quality of the show.  It has very little plot, weak comedy, and a terrible dub.  Based on a manga by Ryusuke Mita published in Monthly Dragon Magazine.  The show reminded me of Slayers although the quality just doesn't compare.

Rosario the sorcerer has it in for poor Mink

The show pokes fun at anime cliches such as super deformation (where characters turn all little and cute), but they beat the jokes to death with overuse by having the characters turn SD practically every minute.  Just totally distracting.  Okay, we get that the guy's name is Dick Saucer and that's kinda amusing.  Not funny when his name is said twenty times per episode.  There's just not enough going on in this anime and it was a mercy killing to cut the episode count at just two.  You can probably find this disk for very cheap, but resist the urge.  Go pick up Slayers or Fairy Tail instead.

Wardrobe malfunction during the big tournament!

Wild Arms Anime Review

Wild Arms: Twilight Venom
Wairudo Amuzu
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 5 discs
550 mins. - 22 episodes
$39.98 (2005)
$29.98 (2003) Vol. 1-5/ea.
$39.98 (2003) w/Artbox
ISBN 702727131721
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Itsuro Kawasaki/Koichi Mashimo
Studio - Bee Train

Synopsis: Dr. Kiel Aronnax is being tortured in a maximum security prison, but his prospects take a turn for the better when two bumbling thieves show up.  They're Loretta and Mirabelle (along with their pet/partner Jerusha) who are trying to find the treasure rumored to be hidden deep below the prison.  The treasure turns out to be Sheyenne Rainstorm who used to be a strapping 25-year-old gunfighter, but is now trapped in the body of a young boy.  He's none too happy and the group manage a daring escape.

Sheyenne is revived and tries to put the moves on Loretta, but he's just a kid

Sheyenne is able to use special weapons called ARMS which are left over from an ancient 'evil race'.  The weapons possess incredibly destructive power, but use the life force of the wielder and can only be used by very special people.  Sheyenne's original body is missing and he's trapped in a kid's body. He and Kiel end up becoming partners and try to find Sheyenne's body.  The pair also happen upon a small creature similar to Jerusha, but named Issac who joins their party.  The creatures are called Popepi Pipepo, are incredibly long-lived (thousands of years), and highly intelligent.  You wouldn't know that by being around them.

Sheyenne can use the powerful ARMS weapon technology

Loretta is a thief and treasure hunter using her stunning good looks to distract potential rubes.  Her partner Mirabelle is a Crimson Noble or vampire.  She drinks blood and can turn into a cute little bat, but is not destroyed by sunlight (or Christianity).  She ran away from her family and is hiding out with Loretta.  The pair are mildly successful and manage to cross paths with the two boys quite often.

Mirabelle tags along on Loretta's greedy schemes

The ARMS are legendary and highly sought after by power-hungry men.  The 'evil race' caused a catastrophe many years ago which earned them their name.  Sheyenne's original body may hold the key to unlocking the forbidden power of the 'evil race' and dooming the world again.  Will Kiel and Sheyenne ever find his original body?  What is Kiel's secret past and how does it threaten the future?  Will Issac ever get Jerusha to give him the time of day?

Kiel and Sheyenne go on a quest to find his original body

Pros: Interesting premise and some fun episodes, the characters were amusing with Kiel's mysterious past, Sheyenne's outrage at his predicament, Loretta's vain beauty, and Mirabelle's innocent bloodsucking, lots of twists and turns to the plot, decent opening theme, good mix of fantasy/sci-fi/western genres, decent ending

Mirabelle is a vampire from the Crimson Nobles race

Cons: Animation is fairly simple, the vampire clan turn into cute little bats and are really weak, the furry little creatures have annoying voices and aren't very funny, ending theme song was loud and obnoxious, what the heck is that magical wolf-creature?

Is Issac comedy relief or a form of sadistic torture for the viewers?

Mike Tells it Straight: Wild Arms: Twilight Venom spun out of the semi-popular video game series Wild Arms released for the Sony Playstation (a total of five full games released on the Playstation and Playstation 2, plus a PSP title).  It's interesting to note the franchise was never a blockbuster (like Final Fantasy), but was consistently good and garnered a decent following.  I found the anime to be decent, but much like the video games not a blockbuster by any means.  The character designs and animation are pretty mediocre while the stories are fairly straightforward.  Most of them are 1-2 episodes with the search for Sheyenne's original body and the secret of the 'evil race' as recurring themes.

Loretta uses magic cards which explode or create a shield

Wild Arms had some funny comedic moments and the characters worked well together.  Sheyenne constantly complains about being in a kid's body and Kiel is a good straight man.  Loretta's greedy scheming always gets her and Mirabelle into trouble.  The two little creatures are mostly annoying.  There are just enough hints about the 'evil race' and ARMS to keep it interesting.  I liked how the ending revealed all the secrets in a fun science fiction way.  I would recommend this show to beginning anime watchers.  There's nothing explicit and the humor is pretty tame.  The furthest it goes is gun violence and a few people die.

From left: Loretta, Jerusha, Issac, Sheyenne, Mirabelle, and Kiel

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Nuku Nuku DASH! Anime Review

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku DASH!
Bannou Bunka Neko-Musume DASH!
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 3 discs
300 mins. - 12 episodes
$44.98 (2005)
$29.98 (2003-04) Vol. 1-3/ea.
ISBN 702727142727
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Yoshitaka Fujimoto
Studio - MOVIC/Starchild

Synopsis: Ryunosuke is riding his bike home from school one day when he witnesses a beautiful girl rescue a cat from getting run over.  He arrives home to discover this same girl is now going to live with him!  His father is a research scientist who works in their basement constantly and his mother works at the Mishima Corporation's headquarters.  The girl is Atsuko Higuchi, but please call her Nuku Nuku.  She's a lovely 19-year-old who is going to be the Natsumes live-in housekeeper.  Nuku Nuku suffers from partial amnesia and Ryunosuke's father, Kyusaku, is helping treat her condition.

Kyusaku, Ryunosuke, and Nuku Nuku

Being a typical 14-year-old, Ryunosuke falls madly in love with Nuku Nuku and obsesses over her constantly.  What he doesn't know is she's the mysterious super-girl who appears in town and is seen battling Mishima Corporation weapons (they apparently test weapons within the city quite regularly).  This super-powered girl wears a tight spandex outfit, has cool shades, big antenna on the side of her head, is super resilient, and can fire energy blasts.  She's a tough customer and the Mishima Corporation is out to get her.

The beautiful mystery girl battles a Mishima mecha

Nuku Nuku is trying to find out her origin and why she is compelled by her creator to "protect all life".  She loves cats too.  Poor Ryunosuke's mother, Akiko, is a middle manager at Mishima and gets assigned to apprehend the latest runaway Androbot (android-robot) with little clue she's actually living in the same house!  What's an office worker to do when she's forced to pilot variable mecha?  Mishima has an arsenal of sinister Androbots and mecha to throw at Nuku Nuku, but Ryunosuke is more worried about convincing his friends that she's his girlfriend!  A typical horny teenager and an ultra-powerful android-robot against a ruthless corporation.

Ryunosuke's mild-mannered mother, Akiko, gets stuck piloting
the Mishima mecha which attacks Nuku Nuku

Pros: Solid characters with decent personalities, Ryunosuke is perfectly portrayed as a hormone-crazed teenager, many lighthearted moments, mild fan-service

Ryunosuke does the old 'awkwardly trip and fall on the
beautiful girl' move

Cons: Weak character and mecha designs, older animation, surprisingly bad picture quality (probably the transfer to digital), plot is fairly silly throughout, Ryunosuke's hair with the red stripe down the middle is ridiculous, title is too darn long!

Nuku Nuku battles another Androbot

Mike Tells It Straight: This series was adapted from the All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku manga by Yuzo Takada.  The manga must have been pretty popular because this series is actually the third adaptation.  The first two were a 6-episode OVA and 14-episode television series.  This series is completely unrelated to the previous two and has a few differences.  The cast is portrayed as a little bit older (i.e. Nuku Nuku is 19 here where she was around 15 in the other two series).

A charming rich guy chats up Nuku Nuku

I haven't seen the previous two series, but I found this one to be just average.  The character designs were boring and the plot was stale.  The best part of the show was Ryunosuke's crush on Nuku Nuku and his attempts to look cool to his friends.  He's a typical horny teenager, but matures a little by the end and becomes a real stand up guy.  While the plot was mostly silly and the villains were complete idiots, there were a few serious moments.

Kyusaku takes Akiko on a hot springs vacation, leaving Ryunosuke alone
with Nuku Nuku - to put moves on her.  What a cool Dad!

I was mildly amused although the picture quality wasn't very good.  The plot twist with the rich guy who meets Nuku Nuku was pretty good.  I guess this series would be suitable for beginning or younger anime watchers, but it has very mild fan-service and a little violence (a character dies too).  All the questions about Nuku Nuku's past are answered by the close of the series and the final scene was heartwarming.  A cute, but ultimately mediocre series and now I know why it was sitting on my shelf for so long!

Nuku Nuku loves cats!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Noir Anime Review

Noir
Nowaru
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 7 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$49.98 (2011) 4-disc
$89.98 (2008) Thinpak
$89.98 (2005)
$29.98 (2003) Vol. 1-7/ea.
$44.98 (2003) Vol. 1 w/t-shirt
ISBN 702727195525
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Koichi Mashimo
Studio - Bee Train

Synopsis: Mireille Bouquet is a skilled assassin living in Paris.  She is drawn to a young Japanese girl named Kirika who possesses an item from Mireille's past - a pocket watch.  Kirika has amnesia and can't remember her past, but possesses uncanny fighting abilities.  The pair are besieged by a group of hitmen and dispatch them with minimal effort.  They form a partnership with Kirika returning with Mireille to Paris.  Mireille searches for the killers of her parents and Kirika searches for her lost past.  The pair begin taking jobs under the codename "Noir".

Mireille and Kirika - the pair who contract assassinations
 under the codename "Noir"

They are a formidable team with deadly skills and an impeachable killing record.  The secret of both their pasts is well-kept and has cost countless lives over the years.  In their travels they encounter another deadly assassin named Chloe who claims to be the true Noir.  A secret organization is uncovered which dates back for centuries and are known as Les Soldats, French for 'the soldiers'.

Mireille in a shootout with underworld henchmen

Mireille and Kirika kill their way across Europe uncovering the secret past of the Soldats yet never finding any definitive answers.  Sometimes the past is best left forgotten, but is doomed to be repeated.  Kirika is a blank canvas and a seemingly natural born killer.  Mireille struggles with the demons of her past which come back to haunt her.  Chloe appears as an antagonist at first yet has a deep spiritual kinship with Kirika.  Will she be swayed to join the Soldats?

The watch Kirika possesses when she meets Mireille.  What is its link to Les Soldats

Chloe was raised by a woman named Altena who wants to change the Soldats. Is she manipulating Mireille and Kirika as pawns in her game?  Will the two women find the answers they seek even if it destroys them?  Mireille has promised to kill Kirika once they uncover the truth.  The relationship of two killers can be ephemeral at best.  One thing is certain - it's going to take a lot of killing to uncover the secret of Noir.

Mireille ponders the watch which belonged to her dead parents

Pros: Great music - both opening and ending themes plus the background music, interesting story premise - ancient organization operating in the shadows, decent ending, some good episodes with intriguing drama/mystery, high point of the 'girls with guns' anime genre, lots of action (although practically no blood)

Chloe - the deadly assassin who claims to be the true Noir

Cons: Bland characters, exceedingly slow-paced plot (particularly in the middle of the series), animation style is simple, original 7-disc release by ADV was excessive and just milked people for their money (seriously, an entire disc for three episodes!), Mireille wears the same impractical clothes throughout the entire series

Who is the true Noir?

Mike Tells It Straight: I watched Noir and can easily say it's the epitome of the 'girls with guns' anime genre.  Koichi Mashimo is a prolific anime director with many series under his belt (Sorcerer Hunters, .hack//Sign, Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE), but may be most well-known for his 'girls with guns' trilogy (Noir, Madlax, El Cazador de la Bruja) and assassin-themed Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom.

Chloe returns home to Altena.  What is her secret link to Les Soldats?

The series has plenty of action - gunfights and the girls killing dozens of Les Soldats henchmen (plus some highly skilled female assassins).  Oddly it shows very little blood and no gore.  Maybe that's a sign of the times when it was produced (2001) where television series were geared for a broader audience (mindful of younger viewers).  Series today are much more graphic in their violence which I theorize is due to the increased gore in video games.

Mireille is not afraid to kill people while wearing an impractical micro-mini skirt

Despite the action the series can be excruciatingly slow-paced and the characters are very bland.  The animation was decent yet the character designs were overly simple.  It's guilty of a lot of 'talking mouth' and gradual camera pans on unmoving faces (both tricks to keep animation budgets down for TV series).  The only saving grace to the story was the gradual reveal of the mysteries surrounding Les Soldats and both the girls' pasts.  Each episode progressed the story and led to a final confrontation.

Chloe gets the briefest moment of downtime.  She harbors an
intense fascination for Kirika

The last few episodes and the ending were pretty decent.  I'm a bit ambivalent on recommending this series.  Don't get me wrong, it's a solid show and can be engaging.  It just felt really long and I got bored at points.  It won't stop me from checking out Mashimo's two follow-ups (these are not sequels, but both are standalone series). Stay tuned for upcoming reviews and please leave your comments about the show!

Final showdown between two friends?

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Papuwa Anime Review

Papuwa
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 6 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$59.98 (2008)
$29.98 (2006-07) Vol. 2-6 ea.
$29.95 (2006) Vol. 1
ISBN 702727152726
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kenichi Nishida
Studio - Nippon Animation

Synopsis: A long time ago two mystical stones, one red and one blue, were in the possession of two clans.  The two clans battled and eventually the young boy who possessed the intense power of the blue stone fell into a deep sleep.  The one who possessed the power of the red stone went far away.  All of this happened on the first Papuwa Island...

Kotaro arrives on Papuwa Island and is chased by a crazy pink dinosaur

Years later the young boy awakened and escaped back to Papuwa Island, but lost his memory.  This boy was Kotaro of the Blue Clan.  When he arrived on the island he was shocked to find strange talking creatures along with the pint-sized Papuwa and his man-maid, Liquid.  Liquid used to work for the Ganma Army of which Kotaro's father, Magic, is the chairman.  Fearing Kotaro will lose control of his vast power if he remembers his name, Liquid tricks Kotaro into thinking his name is Rotaro.  Now Liquid cares for Rotaro, Papuwa (who is tiny yet immensely strong and has other powers), and their pet friend, Chappy, on the second Papuwa Island.

Rotaro (really Kotaro) comes to live with Chappy and Papuwa

The island itself is a mystery and one must travel through a bizarre vortex in the ocean to arrive on it.  Once on the island it is nigh impossible to leave unless you can find the exact path which you traveled to get there.  Let's just say most people are trapped on the island.  The island's inhabitants are anthropomorphic creatures of all varieties.  These include (but are not limited to):

• Tanno the transvestite fish who wears fishnet stockings over his hairy human legs
• Ito the hermaphroditic snail who wears a pink bow and always has its tongue hanging out
• Oshodani the drumming sea otter who is constantly using drumsticks to drum on things
• Komoro is a 'magic' mushroom and constantly tricking others into thinking he is an edible mushroom.  His body is hallucinogenic when ingested or inhaled
• Hayashi is a pink tyrannosaurus rex who is obsessed with good looking men 

Tanno and Ito are the biggest queens on the island!

Magic is concerned for Kotaro's welfare and sends several groups from the Ganma Army.  These include:

• Special Battle Unit
• Harlem is the leader and Magic's brother.  He underpays his crew and steals their money to fuel a massive gambling addiction.  He possesses great fighting power.  Liquid used to work for the Harlem and remembers the time as pure torture.
• Rod is Italian and never wears a shirt.  He tells bad jokes and is crude.  His skill is wind.
• Marker is Chinese and a skilled warrior.  He is calm and looks down on his fellow team members.  His skill is fire.
• G is German and doesn't talk very much.
• Ganma Army
• Tottori is a ninja although not a very good one.  He uses an unorthodox style which consists of kicking off a sandal.
• Miyagi looks and sounds like a dumb surfer dude.  He uses the Brush of Literalization which can turn whatever he has written on into that word.  
• Koji is a complete dumbass and Umako's older brother.
• Arashiyama uses fire and studied under Marker.  He is terribly awkward and Marker instilled in him an off-putting vanity.  His power is activated when he suffers extreme emotions (like anxiety during social interactions).
• Shinsengumi are mercenary swordsman
• Isami Kondo leads the group, but is horribly inept.  He apparently likes good-looking young men.
• Toshizo Hijikata is the most capable swordsman among the Shinsengumi and a great warrior.  The absurdity of Papuwa Island annoys him greatly, but he grudgingly befriends Liquid.
• Soji Okita is a good-looking young man who Kondo is fixated on.  He fends off Kondo's attention by repeatedly stabbing him with his sword.
• Umako Harada is a burly woman with a five o'clock shadow.  She's as strong as the Hulk and just as stupid.  She falls in love with Liquid (to his absolute horror) and grows a beard.

Liquid may protest, but he actually likes being man-maid to
Papuwa, Rotaro, and Chappy

Liquid, Papuwa, Rotaro, and Chappy spend their days on Papuwa Island having adventures and getting on each others nerves.  Despite appearances, Liquid is actually fond of caring for the three and he protects them from those sent by the Ganma Army.  He strives to preserve the zany peace of the island and is a powerful warrior from his days in the Special Battle Unit.  The groups are trapped on the island and find a strange equilibrium with its inhabitants.  

Harlem, leader of the Special Battle Unit

Magic will not give up on finding Kotaro and eventually his older brother, Shintaro, returns to find him.  Shintaro is the most powerful member of the Ganma Army and lived on the first Papuwa Island.  Will Rotaro regain his memories of being Kotaro?  If Kotaro and Shintaro come in contact will they destroy the second Papuwa Island?  Why is it called Papuwa Island anyway?  How many transvestite and hermaphrodite creatures can possibly exist on one South Pacific island? 

Oshodani the drumming sea otter and Komoro the 'magic' mushroom

Pros: A couple decent jokes (mostly in the end when Shintaro and Magic show up on the island), Komoro is kind of funny because he's always tricking people and getting them high, this show is probably the inspiration for the television series Lost

Umako (pre-beard)

Cons: Severely homo-erotic nonsense, weak character designs + incredibly annoying characters, simple animation, no plot, only one girl in the entire show and she looks like a hairy man (with a beard), dub if fairly awful

Toshizo has a wardrobe malfunction to the delight of Tanno and Ito

Mike Tells It Straight: This series easily ranks in my top 10 worst anime of all time.  It failed on many levels, but I'll bash it in the next paragraph.  Let's talk about some of its good points.  The series is zany comedy and has a few good jokes in there.  The last few episodes were okay once Shintaro and Magic appear on the island.  They're both crazy like all the other characters, but offer a mildly sane perspective in comparison and it's a serious breath of fresh air (favorite Shintaro quote when he sees the she-male Umako "Man, that was gross. Maybe the most disturbing creature I've seen on the island").

Liquid is actually a fierce warrior!

The rest of the series was inane nonsense and dragged on endlessly.  All of the characters were effeminate, transvestites, hermaphrodites, she-males, or victims of bad jokes involving those characteristics.  Seems like Papuwa was the only truly male character who was not part of the non-stop gags.  This series was based on a manga sequel to the manga-turned-anime Nangoku Shonen Papuwa-kun by Ami Shibata.  The first anime series was 42 episodes long and it boggles my mind that a sequel would ever be produced.  WTF!?  The first series spawned two video games and it must have gained some sort of popularity.  I do not recommend this series in the slightest.

Shintaro arrives on Papuwa Island and kicks the crap out of Liquid

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Sorcerer Hunters Anime Review

Sorcerer Hunters
Bakuretsu Hanta
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 7 discs
725 minutes - 26 episodes + 3 OVA
$59.98 (2007) Thinpak w/OVA
$19.98 (2004-2005) Vol. 1-3/ea. Essential Anime
$59.98 (2003)
$24.98 (2003) OVA Chocolate, Springs, and Other Hot Things
$29.98 (2001) Vol. 1-4/ea.
ISBN 702727186325
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Koichi Mashimo
Studio - Xebec

Synopsis: On the Spooner Continent exist Sorcerers, individuals with powerful magical abilities, who frequently abuse their gifts and terrorize regular people.  Life means nothing to Sorcerers and self-fulfillment is their only goal.  Oftentimes an entire town will be subjugated to the will of an evil Sorcerer.  Only one group exists to counterbalance these wicked beings and they are called the Sorcerer Hunters.  This enigmatic team defends the weak by challenging the oppressive Sorcerers.

The Sorcerer Hunters (from left) - Marron, Chocolate, Carrot, Tira, and Gateau

The group is made up of:

• Carrot Glace is a young man who carries a sword and leads the Sorcerer Hunters.  He's a complete pervert and tries to get every cute girl he meets to go on a date with him.  It almost always fails.  When Carrot is not completely blinded by lust he's a very kind person.  He possesses a lycanthrope ability which is triggered when he absorbs significant quantities of a Sorcerer's magic and transforms into a massive beast.  
• Tira Misu appears to be a shy girl with hot pink hair and wearing round glasses.  She's really a powerful fighter who throws off her over-sized frock to reveal a skintight outfit underneath.  She skillfully brandishes a whip and has a maddening crush on Carrot.  
• Chocolate Misu is the carefree and outgoing sister of Tira.  She also has a crush on Carrot who inexplicably shuns the two sisters.  Chocolate whips off her regular clothes to reveal a skimpy outfit beneath.  She adeptly handles a garrote wire with savage ferocity.  
• Marron Glace is the shy, reserved, and delicately beautiful brother of Carrot.  He's a crafty magician who uses magical spells written on paper as an offensive weapon.  He's the exact opposite of his brother and doesn't seem overly attracted to women.  Marron cares for his brother very deeply.  
• Gateau Mocha is a powerful fighter with immense strength.  His physique is perfection and he's very macho.  He joined the group of siblings after they had already formed and is slightly older (and more mature).  

Tira and Chocolate transform into two sexy women to fight Sorcerers!

The Sorcerer Hunters work for the powerful priestess Big Mama who assigns them missions to take down specific Sorcerers.  She appears to care for the group very deeply, but also hides secrets from them about their past.  Aiding Big Mama is Dotta, a dizzy angel who speaks very quickly and is somewhat clueless.  She is utterly loyal to Big Mama and always trying to help.  Big Mama is guarded by a strong group called the Haz Knights. 

Carrot meets a cute girl who is more than she seems.  Watch out!

Although the Sorcerers are a major threat to the Spooner Continent there is another even deadlier menace - Sacher Torte!  This man is an incredibly powerful magic-user, but doesn't have a Sorcerer's typical marking on his forehead.  What is his link to Big Mama and the Sorcerer Hunters?  The group face a continuous parade of evil Sorcerers, but their greatest challenge could be from within.  What is their secret past and will it come back to destroy them?  Carrot could care less as long as he gets to meet another pretty girl.  Tira and Chocolate usually have to whip Carrot off of these poor unsuspecting girls!

Sacher Torte is one bad mutha!

Pros: Lots of silly comedy, Carrot is a shameless lecher, Chocolate and Tira transform into two hot girls, English dub highlights the comedy and voice actors had a good time recording it, OVA episodes turn up the ecchi content and are very naughty, some touching stories, decent music

"Sure, Dotta, I don't mind looking at your butt, er, back!"

Cons: Lots of slapstick silliness, repetitive story gimmicks (monster, ahem, sorcerer of the week) and recycled animation sequences (transformation sequences for Chocolate, Tira, and Carrot), the television series was much tamer than the OVA, television series ending was drawn out and not very good, OVA ending wasn't really an ending, dub can be a little over-the-top at times

Carrot looking serious with Dotta, Tira, and Chocolate in the background

Mike Tells It Straight: Sorcerer Hunters is a fantasy series with heavy doses of comedy backed by a somewhat serious final storyline.  The characters are all pretty funny and they do a lot of silly things.  The anime is based on the manga by Satoru Akahori (Saber Marionette and Sakura Wars) and Rei Omishi.  I'll say loosely based because the anime was much tamer than the original work (i.e. no nudity and costumes were less risque, particularly Tira and Chocolate).  It's one of many comedic fantasy shows which came out in the 1990s (like Slayers, Those Who Hunt Elves, and Rune Soldier).

The manga is much racier than the television series, but the OVA
is even more in-your-face than the manga!

It's a decent series with a good mix of comedy and action.  The character designs are pretty neat and it has a little fan-service content.  Chocolate and Tira transform into attractive girls and you can always leave it to Carrot to stumble upon the nearest cute girl to wherever he happens to be.  The few drawbacks to the show are all linked to each other.  It's highly formulaic - group goes after a Sorcerer, Carrot gets all lecherous and reprimanded severely, Chocolate and Tira transform into their uber-hottie personas, and then Carrot absorbs a bunch of magic to become his monster beast form to save the day.  The transformation sequences are all recycled for these three in every...single...episode!  The comedic situations are the only thing making the show entertaining at times.

The OVA gets much hotter than the television series!

It seems like the anime was toned down considerably from the manga in order to appease broadcast standards for younger viewers.  Not a bad idea to ensure a successful program with broad appeal, but kind of a letdown for hardcore fans of the manga.  The OVA was a shocker!  It opened up with a steamy hot springs trick and contained lots of nudity/fan-service.  Definitely aimed at fans of the manga.  Both Chocolate's and Tira's costumes were the same as the manga and based on dominatrix attire.  Chocolate in particular has a ridiculously skimpy outfit (seriously, she's just wearing pants, suspenders, and a hat).  The opening sequence has major boob-jiggle at one point with Chocolate's stripper outfit.

Tira and Chocolate's outfits in the OVA match the manga (and
are much racier than the television series)

Bottom line on this series is it's an older show and fairly cliched (plus highly formulaic).  It's funny, cute, touching at times, and serious at the end.  Not the best show out there, but it has a few genuine moments.  The opening/ending theme songs are okay.  It's a bit long and can get boring.  I watched it in the background while working on other projects (like writing anime reviews!).  The OVA gets NSFW and was a nice change of pace after the super-serious ending to the television series.  I really liked how the latest complete collection (the thinpak) included the OVA and series together (OVA price used on Amazon is really high as of this review).  Get it if you like all of those older comedic fantasy shows from the 1990s, but otherwise take a pass.

Yeah, the OVA is borderline hentai at a few points

TO BUY and Recommendations: