E's Otherwise Anime Review

E's Otherwise
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 5 discs
650 min. - 26 episodes
$59.98 (2006)
$49.98 (2009)
ISBN 702727150326
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Masami Shimoda
Studio - Studio Pierrot

Synopsis: Kai Kudou is the latest recruit to join AESES - a team of young psychics working for ASHURUM, one of the twelve corporations controlling the modern world.  Psychics (also known as Espers) have incredible mental powers, but are feared and hated by humans.  AESES was put together by Eiji Sagimiya in an effort to study, train, and police the world's psychics.  Kai's sister Hikaru is sickly and Eiji offers her the best medical treatment available in exchange for Kai's participation. 

After completing his training along with the other psychics of AESES, Kai is sent out on missions by Eiji - missions to apprehend renegade, dangerous psychics endangering the general population.  A sinister plot emerges when Kai starts to notice all of the psychics he apprehends mysteriously disappear. 

AESES is sent into neighboring territory Gald to 'apprehend' more psychics, but the mission ends in disaster as Kai is injured and lost in the city.  He is taken in by two human siblings, Yuki and Asuka.  Kai stays with them in Gald to escape ASHURUM and worries about his sister.

Clockwise from left - Kai, Asuka, Eiji, and Yuki (holding the gun)

Kai begins to understand the humans' fears of pyschics and uncover the secrets of ASHURUM.  Will he be too late to save his sister Hikaru from the evil plans of Eiji and his legion of brainwashed psychics?

Pros: Some neat psychic powers and battles, interesting story setup with evil corporation exploiting psychics, animation for opening credits was pretty good

Who is that strking young lady?

Cons: Opening/ending theme songs were generic, Kai *reluctantly* cross-dresses a couple times (shyea-right), too many silly episodes in the middle, dub voices were pretty annoying (especially Shen-Long and Asuka), weak animation quality, no extras

Mike Tells It Straight: I've had this series on my 'to be watched' list for a long time and finally checked it out over the holidays.  It could have waited.  The first few episodes were great and the drama built as Kai began running missions for AESES.  Right when things were really gaining steam the story veered off into a silly, episodic mess with Kai helping Yuki do odd jobs.  I guess the Gald episodes were meant to show Kai growing closer to Yuki and Asuka in a lighthearted fashion, but it really killed the momentum of the series. 

I wish the animation looked this good

The story finally picked up again in the last few episodes, but the ending felt rushed with too much crammed into that final episode.  We learn several key details about Kai, Hikaru, and Eiji at the end, but I still felt confused.  I really loved the character designs and art from original creator Satoru Yuiga's manga, but it didn't translate into the anime.  Despite having some good points, this show was a confusing mess and doesn't rate a good recommendation.   

TO BUY and Recommendations:

   

Kaze No Yojimbo Anime Review

Kaze No Yojimbo

Bandai Entertainment
Complete Collection - 25 episodes
625 mins. - 6 discs
$49.98 (2006)
ISBN 669198235061
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hayato Date
Studio - Studio Pierrot

Synopsis: George Kodama shows up in Shinijuku looking for a man named Genzo Araki to ask him some questions.  He quickly realizes the town is not quite what it seems and people are hiding something.  Two rival gangs have an uneasy truce in town until George begins stirring things up.  He winds up bodyguard to the daughter of one of the crime bosses.  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. 

It's slow going for George, but he eventually gathers clues to the whereabouts of his long lost brother and a train full of gold bars which went missing near the town fifteen years ago.  The secret could get him and a lot of other people killed as old secrets bring deadly consequences.  Can George solve the mystery before the people he cares about get hurt?

Another bowl of ramen eaten at Tonbo

Pros: George can kick some ass and eats a lot of ramen, chicks dig him and guys want to be like him, George smokes

Cons: This story is really boring and excruciatingly slow-paced, character designs and animation are bland, CG looks terrible, has these weird scene cuts with static elements which are distracting (probably used to save money on actual animation), soundtrack is awful, dub acting is weak

High school girls love this guy

Mike Tells It Straight: Title literally translates to "bodyguard of the wind" and based on Akira Kurosawa's film Yojimbo.  This show was oppressively slow-paced and I was too bored to care when the 'big reveal' ending finally happened.  I highly recommend avoiding this sucker unless you're specifically looking for a slow-paced, drama/mystery with a terrible soundtrack and weak animation. 

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Ghost Stories Anime Review

Ghost Stories
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 20 episodes
550 minutes - 5 discs
$49.98 (2008)
ISBN 702727186424
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Noriyuki Abe
Studio - Pierrot
TO BUY: Ghost Stories

Synopsis: Satsuki Manshita (pronounced exactly as it's spelled) moves with her family to the hometown of her deceased mother.  She and her younger brother Keiichirou begin school and instantly discover the old abandoned schoolhouse next door is host to a legion of ghosts! On their first day they become trapped in the schoolhouse along with three other students: Hajime is Satsuki's neighbor and an unrepentant pervert who delights in catching a peek at Satsuki's panties on a daily basis, Leo is the local paranormal expert and a Jew, and Momoko is an evangelical christian and former drug-addict. The five become uneasy allies in a battle against an evil demon named Amanojaku. Satsuki finds her mother's journal which contains detailed notes on each ghost - apparently her mother confronted and sealed away the ghosts haunting the schoolhouse when she was a student many years ago. Recent construction has disturbed the spirits and released them once against to prey on the living!

The "monster squad" manage to seal Amanojaku away with the help of Satsuki's mother's journal.  Unfortunately they seal him in Satsuki's pet cat, Kaya.  He vows revenge and delights in tormenting the group as they face down all of the deadly ghosts. Can the motley crew of amateur "ghostbusters" seal the ghosts away again? 

Pros: Dub is pretty funny, they changed some major plot points which were mostly hilarious, Amanojaku as the possessed cat has some funny lines (especially in the final episode), ending theme song was surprisingly catchy  - "Sexy, sexy", includes subtitles for the original Japanese audio along with the ADV dub

Cons: Dub can be a bit over-the-top and includes a lot of pop-culture references which may not be familiar to all viewers, swearing in later episodes, show is a little corny, no nudity (the fanboy in me always demands nudity of my anime), opening theme song is weak

Mike Tells It Straight: ADV took a straight-forward, innocent show about grade school kids investigating ghosts and turned it into a rude, crude story about foul-mouthed tweens. The dub was funny and brought the story to a whole new level (low), but was more than a little offensive (racial jokes, religious jokes, inappropriate sexual jokes, swearing) and absolutely not for kids. If you're at all sensitive to any of those things then don't watch the dub (unless you just like complaining about that kind of $#%@). Fortunately the original Japanese audio with English subtitles is available to watch (which adds to the replay value) with the unadulterated storyline (which is fairly decent). Leo is not Jewish, Momoko is a psychic and very courageous, Satsuki's dad is not a drug-addict pedophile, and Satsuki's mother is not a lesbian.

Keiichirou: "Hey, can you guys hear anything?"

Satsuki: "You know what I hear? I hear the sound of you shuttin' the F@#% up!"

Hajime: [after a bolt of lightning strikes] "Holy crack addicts, it hit the gym!"

Keiichirou: "I'm gonna make a snowman and a snowwoman, and maybe even a little snow Keiichirou...but I guess I'll have to make the snowwoman dead, because Mom's dead." *cries* T_T

Satsuki: "You can mess with me...you can pick on my little brother and friends...but don't F@#% with my cat!"


TO BUY and Recommendations: Ghost Hunt