With the acquisition of some Geneon licenses here in the States, FUNimation continues to release a backlog of titles by the defunct publisher. We've been whittling away at reviews of these shows as they come through, and one of the most recent such releases is Paradise Kiss. Produced by Aniplex and Madhouse, Paradise Kiss originally aired in Japan in 2005 and was brought over to our shores a year later. Typically when you see a show rushed like that it means something good and in the case of this series that's exactly the case.

The thing that's most appealing about Paradise Kiss is its uniqueness. So often in anime we see shows that look alike, have all-too-familiar themes, or characters cookie cut from the book of stereotypes. You'll find none of those things here. The original manga by Ai Yazawa was made popular by her unique sense of style ...Read the entire review

Background: Ghosts, goblins, and other demonic forces have long had a strong following here and in Japan so it makes sense that anime pays a nod to the genre from time to time. If you read my reviews of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1 or Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2 last month, you'll know that not all of these efforts have been particularly noteworthy but the good news is that the third title in the trilogy, Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat was much better in terms of story, albeit with the same technical limitations I observed previously. This time, a wandering medicine man comes to the rescue as an Edo era family is made to pay for past sins, thanks to a goblin of feline proportions.

Movie: Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 3: Goblin Cat ...Read the entire review

Hey! What's this? A show about a bunch of kids with superpowers that are charged with defending humanity against an oppressive alien invasion? That's something you don't see every day! Alright, alright. All kidding aside Gate Keepers is actually a fun show despite the fact that its concept leaves originality at the door.

Originally released in 1999 in its manga form, Gate Keepers was quickly snatched up and a 24 episode show was produced by GONZO. The series also went on to be popular enough to warrant a six episode OVA sequel a couple of years later. As I already mentioned, the show does skip most attempts at being something new and fresh. Though, in all honesty that isn't necessarily as bad a thing as it may sound.

Things get started in the year 1969. Japan has undergone a period of tremendous economical and social development following the Grea...Read the entire review

Everyone's favorite un-vampire is back in Karin volume three. This volume has the young girl who comes from a family of vampires worryingabout her grades, having to go on a date with a vampire hunter, and wondering if the boy she likes, Kenta, is drifting away from her.  If that wasn't enough she also hasto figure out a way to keep her brother from biting Kenta's mother. That would certainly put a damper on their relationship.  This dischas four entertaining episodes that are sure to please fans of the show.

Series background:

Karin Maacka has some problems.  Her mother is overbearing, heryounger sister is a bit weird, and 'that time of the month' started ona day that she has gym class.  As if that wasn't enough to worry about,she comes from a family of vampires, which can be a bit aw...Read the entire review

Originally a visual novel style game released by Type-Moon back in 2004 Fate/Stay Night made quite the impression and garnered a following in Japan. Because of this, it should be no surprise that a manga and anime were released in the subsequent years. With 24 episodes under its belt the show was handled by Studio Deen (Rurouni Kenshin, Samurai Deeper Kyo) and has seen release here in America thanks to Geneon.

Fate/Stay Night tells the story of a war going on right below the edge of society. A show filled with magical beings, sorcerers, and intense battles is nothing new to anime but this one handles things a little differently.

For starters the lead character, Shirou Emiya, was not born into this magical life. His father who happened to be a Magi died when Shirou was younger and thus prevented the boy from learning all of the tools ...Read the entire review

When you watch as many series as we do here at DVD Talk you begin to notice a trend in anime. Many shows lack inspiration, tend borrow from others, feed off clichés, and, in plenty of ways, are indistinguishable amidst the sea of Japanese animation. Every once in a while a show comes along that defies to be pinned down. It's refreshing to watch an anime that is different from the ground up, though just as you'd imagine this can be a good and a bad thing. Take Popotan for instance.

Popotan has a rather unique background. Originally the franchise was started as an adult PC game with sex scenes and plenty of naughty bits to go around. In many ways the twelve episode anime embraces these aspects. Ok, yes, there is no hardcore sex. However, with plenty of nudity mixed in with irreverent plotlines, quirky characters, and outlandish storylines it's safe to...Read the entire review

Background: There are times when a reviewer simply finds little to say about a movie or television series he is selected for, the material either leaving him cold or simply coming across as disjointed to his sensibilities. Such was the case a few weeks ago when I watched The Legend of the Dog Warriors V1: The Hakkenden. I know the series has a small cult following and I did some research on it after I gave it a look or two, finding a wealth of areas where the show fall flat even in the face of those who like it, giving me a sense of relief that I was not simply missing something obvious. Such is the case at times but whenever you watch a show that seems translated with a heavy hand or missing in important story elements, you wonder if there should be a guide to go with it to bring you up to speed. Well, as a three part release, I now g...Read the entire review

The Series:

Geneon finishes off the 3X3 Eyes OVA series with volume two whichpresents the final three episodes.  This is technically the secondOVA series since there was a four year gap in between episodes four andfive, though it takes up right where the first one left off.   While these episodes don't finish the story told in the manga, it doesend in a nice spot and it isn't a cliff hanger the way the first OVA serieswas.  This is a good solid series for those that enjoy an older schoolfeel to their fantasy-adventure anime.

Series background:

Yakumo Fujii is a pretty normal kid.  He goes to school, worksat night, and enjoys working on his motorcycle and hanging out with hisfriends.  That changes when he nearly hits a girl on his motorcyclewhile on way to w...Read the entire review

Originally released as a series of novels and a manga, The Story of Saiunkoku is a fascinating series. The show is currently running with its second season but the 39 episode original series released last year has just fallen into Geneon's hands. With a thought-provoking and engaging story, richly developed characters, and an original premise, The Story of Saiunkoku is a unique form of entertainment in the world of anime.

Saiunkoku takes place in a fictional country that is not entirely unlike ancient China. There resides a king who is treated like a Chinese emperor, the trappings appear very Chinese in origin, and even the music comes from the strings of an erhu (Chinese Violin). The Story of Saiunkoku seemingly borrows on influences from other shows like Fushigi Yugi but quite honestly it does its own thing.

It's quite obvious that ...Read the entire review

Created by the mangaka group Kaishaku (UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie and Steel Angel Kurumi), Kannazuki no Miko is an interesting beast. Originally airing in 2004 the anime garnered twelve episodes while the manga was being released at the same time. With a story that revolves around pseudo-lesbian shrine maidens, giant robots, and a sealed evil from years past you know you're in for one heck of a ride.

The show begins unsuspectingly enough within the confines of a rural Japanese town known as Mahoroba. Almost immediately we are introduced to Himeko and shown a flash of her underwear. This not only provides the fan service that is prominent throughout the program but also gives insight into her timid personality. She's the innocent girl that quietly goes through life without standing in front of a crowd and shouting, "Hey, look at me!" In other word...Read the entire review

When our storyteller starts off talking about the forbidden love between man and ... "raccoon", you know you're in for a bizarre ride. But that's exactly what director Seijin Suzuki has done for us with his colorful opera, Princess Raccoon. He's created a valiantly stunning oddity anxious to work out absorbent eyes, open ears, and willing gums ready for grinning. More importantly, he's given us a lush confection that can dumbfound with its dizzying extravagance.


The Film:

So many classic shows originated in the 90's and to be quite honest that is probably my favorite time period in the history of anime. Tenchi Muyo!, Slayers, and Outlaw Star are just a few examples of shining nuggets of animated glory that stemmed from that era. However, let us not forget about El-Hazard.

Over the years there have been many visitations to the world of El-Hazard. Whether it's in the form of the original OVA (the subject of this review), the television series, or the sequel show, El-Hazard had quite the run. At its core El-Hazard was nothing special by today's standards. The show featured a strong harem theme with comedy thrown into the mix and some haphazard events tossed in for good measure. Despite these facts the series clicked somehow and became something special almost immediately.

At the center of e...Read the entire review

We've reached volume nine of Law of Ueki, and the show is stillgoing strong.  While no one will ever accuse this program of beinganything more than a simple fighting show for kids, it does that quitewell and with a lot of flair.  The show has a lot of imagination behindit and is filled with bizarre powers and strange characters.  A funand enjoyable show for both children and adults who are looking for a changeof pace in their anime watching.

Series background:

Kousuke Ueki is your typical middle school student until he encountersan odd man named Mr. K one evening.  This unusual person, out of theblue, offers Ueki his choice of super-powers.  Out of all the myriadof abilities that are offered, the young man chooses (drum roll please....)the power to...Read the entire review

Any gamer worth his salt knows about Namco's Tales franchise. The series began over a decade ago with Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicon and was later re-released for the original PlayStation in 1998. Since then several installments have followed and though many remakes are scattered in between there are many new adventures. As good as they may have been though, only Tales of Phantasia inspired an animated feature.

With a total of four episodes Tales of Phantasia was released between 2004 and 2006. The show found its home on DVD here in America with Geneon earlier this year and fans of the series gobbled it up. With slick artwork, familiar characters, and a story not entirely dissimilar from the original game, Tales of Phantasia proves to be a somewhat faithful video game to anime endeavor that satisfied me as a fan but new...Read the entire review

In the second volume of Shonen Onmyoiji things start to becomemore interesting and the stakes are raised.  Masahiro is still determinedto become a great onmyouji, one more powerful than his famous grandfather,but it's a long and difficult path.  There's still the foreign demonout there somewhere, and though the demon has suffered a setback at thehands of Masahiro and Mukkon, he hasn't given up yet.  He takes adifferent tact this time.  Instead of attacking Masahiro directly,he goes after his friends.  With another five episodes on this discthe plot moves along nicely with this volume.  This is turning outto be a pretty good series.

Series background:

Abe no Seimei is a famous onmyouji, a sort of mystic guardian/priest/demonhunter.&nb...Read the entire review

From one look at the cover and name you know what you're getting into with Doki Doki School Hours. Cute characters glitter the packaging, bright colors play with your senses, and the overall kooky personality shines through in just about every way. Some time ago I had the opportunity to check out the first volume of this school-age comedy and have to admit to being under whelmed. The show felt very similar to Azumanga Daioh in every conceivable fashion but it just didn't pop as much. With that in mind did the rest of the series improve my initial opinion? It's unfortunate but no it did not.

Roughly ten years ago Doki Doki got its start as a four panel manga created by Tamami Momose who also had his hand in Momoiro Sisters. It wasn't until 2004 that the anime was finally serialized and broadcasted on Japanese televisions. It's a shame r...Read the entire review

So many classic shows originated in the 90's and to be quite honest that is probably my favorite time period in the history of anime. Tenchi Muyo!, Slayers, and Outlaw Star are just a few examples of shining nuggets of animated glory that stemmed from that era. However, let us not forget about El-Hazard.

Over the years there have been many visitations to the world of El-Hazard. Whether it's in the form of the original OVA (the subject of this review), the television series, or the sequel show, El-Hazard had quite the run. At its core El-Hazard was nothing special by today's standards. The show featured a strong harem theme with comedy thrown into the mix and some haphazard events tossed in for good measure. Despite these facts the series clicked somehow and became something special almost immediately.

At the center of e...Read the entire review

Based on a long running and popular manga by Yuzo Takada, 3X3 Eyeshas had a surprisingly uneven time on home video.  The beginning wasoriginally animated in 1991.  There were four OVA episodes createdwith the last one ending in a cliffhanger.  Anime fans in Japan hadto wait a while to see the resolution however as the series wasn't continueduntil 1995.  At that time another OVA series was created, taking upwhere the first one ended, but it only lasted 3 more episodes.  Therehas been talk for years about a TV series, but it has never materialized. Pioneer released the entire seven episodes on an incredibly expensive DVDset ($65 MSRP) back in early 2001.  Now Geneon (a subsidiary of Pioneer)is releasing these OVA's once again, this time in a reasonably priced twodisc set. The first one contains the first OVA series in its en...Read the entire review

Background: As many of you know, Japanese television shows sometimes spend a lot of time dealing with supernatural elements, particularly some of their anime series. This is the same as our folklore being worked into our fictional stories and it automatically brings an audience into a certain viewpoint if the story is widespread enough. Look at how commonplace the supernatural tales of a carpenter's son from two thousand years ago are to understand the power of such accounts and you might understand why a culture as old as Japan might have such a rich tapestry to select from. That brings me to today's review of The Legend of the Dog Warriors V1: The Hakkenden, a tale hundreds of years old that has been popularized for generations in one form or another for the Japanese people.

Series: The Legend of the Dog Warriors V1: T...Read the entire review

Though I've written a number of books on Japanese cinema, I confess to only a passing familiarity with the basics of Japanese anime: Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Lupin III, Speed Racer and the like. I've generally passed on reviewing anime here at DVD Talk because my fellow reviewers are more interested in the form and far more knowledgeable about its particulars than I. But when Tetsujin28 (Tetsujin 28-go), a 2004 Japanese TV show, turned up on our screener pile I just couldn't resist it. It's a six-disc boxed set of the entire series, some 10 hours in all. Each disc was previously reviewed in depth by DVD Talk reviewer Don Houston.

It's a terrific show superbly mixing retro-anime character design and postwar history with visually stunning cutting edge TV animation in a 16:9 enhanced, Do...Read the entire review

Street Fighter, Darkstalkers, Final Fantasy, and Star Ocean. What do each of those titles have in common? They are anime series that got their start as popular video games that's what! The latest to join their rank is the cult fan-adored Nippon Ichi Software's Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Originally a strategy role playing game for the PlayStation 2 system, Disgaea charmed gamers with a sarcastic whit, lively characters, and a fantastic musical score. Of course it didn't hurt that the game was a lot of fun to play as well.

Fans everywhere were thrilled when they heard an animated show was being released in Japan. In all honesty the plot, characters, and world seemed ripe for the picking for an endeavor like this. Twelve episodes were produced and after catching the first volume it was safe to say that the sense of humor and ...Read the entire review

Background: If you read recent my review of Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1, you'll know that as familiar as I am with some of the cultural richness of Japan, I am not the best versed candidate for tackling ghost stories based on their traditions. Not believing in the supernatural all that much, I am often at a decided disadvantage in understanding some of the nuances these tales use to tell their stories, but this also keeps me from being a slavering fanboy out to kiss company ass too. Well, as it happens, I also got the second volume in the series to watch, called Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 2: Yotsuya Ghost Story where the characters from the first volume of the three part series were nowhere to be found. This was advertised as part of the series dynamic, the volume long arcs using classic tales of supernatural horror wit...Read the entire review

Background: Ghosts and demons populate so many anime titles these days that one could take it as yet another aspect of their cultural dedication to things that go bump in the night. Most of the time, these stories are meant to display a cautionary moral tale where the protagonist is led by duty over all else and the rest of the cast is seen as weak and flawed; leading to their ultimate demise or unhappiness with their dealings with the supernatural. In essence, you have some sort of natural protection if you do the right thing that is less common in similar tales from other parts of the world, though this is not always the case either. The latest title I got to review using this as a backdrop was Ayakashi: Samurai Horror Tales 1: Goddess of the Dark Tower; one of three shows in the series.

Mov...Read the entire review

Every once in a while someone decides to throw several anime stylestogether to make the ultimate show.  These shows just about alwayssuck.  Instead of concentrating on a good story, they are more worriedabout meshing styles together.  Gonzo Studios tried this with Vandread. This show was a SF/Mecha/comedy/action/fan service show with just a bitof 'harem' thrown in for good measure.  In Gonzo's hands however thisshow turned out to be really good.  Funny and action filled, the completeseries, 26 episodes spread across two seasons, has now been released ina convenient and compact set.  While the non-anamorphic image is lessthan desirable, this series is still a lot of fun to watch.