T to Z

While working at his grandfather's temple, Tenchi frees a demon from the cave it was imprisoned at, but said demon turns out to be a very attractive space pirate wanted by the alien Jurai Empire. Juraian Princess Ayeka arrives on Earth with the double purpose of capturing Ryouko (the pirate) and finding her fiancee Yoshou. Yoshou is an old man now, so it is his grandson Tenchi whom both Ayeka and Ryouko fall in love with...

While the story may not look promising, Tenchi Muyo offers plenty of clean-cut fun with cute, brightly-colored characters. This show radiates cheerfulness, and it is impossible not to laugh at the characters' antics. The last seven of the thirteen OAVs form a seperate series which dwell into the characters' pasts. My only problem with this show is that (once again...) it seems to suffer from too much hype. I was a bit disappointed, but only a teensy bit. As it is, I found Tenchi Muyo to be somewhat muted.

Plot: 3 out of 5

Animation: 4 out of 5. Lots of bold, bright colors, as in El Hazard.

Music: 4 out of 5. Nice opening song for the first six OAVs.

Cute factor: Did I forget to mention Ryo-ohki, the rabbit/cat creature that turns into a spaceship? (Don't ask.) 4 out of 5, for Ryo-ohki and for the general feel of the series.

Fun factor: 4 out of 5. *grin* The catfights between Ryouko and Ayeka are my favorite bits!

Cool factor: 3 out of 5, two points for Ryouko and one for Tsunami.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5.

Tonari no Totoro

10-year old Satsuki and her younger sister Mei move to the contryside with their father in order to be closer to their mother, who is in a hospital nearby. While exploring, young Mei discovers a strange creature and immediately names him Totoro.

It is hard to explain the appeal of Totoro to someone who hasn't seen it. When you read a synopsis, the story doesn't seem like much, and it isn't, really. As always with Studio Ghibli, it's already a given that the animation and music and everything will be excellent, so the viewer expects to be astonished by a complex plot and here... What causes the popularity of Totoro is I think the simple, but lovely, depiction of Miyazaki's love for nature, with beautiful scenery, and the wonderful days of childhood, where the smallest blade of grass was exciting and a Totoro would never have seemed strange to you.

Plot: 3 out of 5. No don't shoot me, I'm gonna make up for this rating later...

Animation: 5 out of 5. Some breathtaking backgrounds.

Music: 4 out of 5. The music nicely complements each scene, and I especially like how it is used as Totoro and the girls grow a tree.

Cute factor: 5 out of 5. Totoro gets a Pikachu for being so cute, and for what's probably the only time, I'm gonna say that that's a good thing.

Fun factor: 5 out of 5. It is uncanny how the movie manages to capture the wonder of childhood and entrance the viewer with something as simple as little Mei playing around in the grass.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5, and you all know what the Nakago award is for by now. This movie is pure magic, and will enchant children and adults alike. If you can only watch one anime, watch this, and then show it to all those ignoramuses who think Japanese animation is only about violence and sex.

Versailles no Bara

Oscar, head bodyguard of the French queen Marie Antoinette, has been raised as a man, even though she is a female. Very few people except her childhood friend Andre, secretly in love with Oscar, are aware of this fact. This series traces Oscar's life through the tumultous years of the reign of Marie Antoinette's husband and the French Revolution.

Well well. How interesting. An anime based on historical facts, facts concerning not Japan, but France. One good point in Versailles no Bara is the intermingling of fictional characters Oscar and Andre with real-life figures. The author, Riyoko Ikeda, stays true to facts except that she makes Marie Antoinette much more angelic than she really was. The whole show screams shojo, from the very theatrical screenplay to a bishonen main character and the many intertwined love stories. The tragic and violent parts of the French Revolution are downplayed to focus on Oscar and the whole event is given a romantic look. Talking about Oscar, she really irritates me, because she's so perfectly loyal, and brave, and attractive and all that, and yet she does everything to make herself miserable, and it is left up to Andre to get her out of all these messes she gets into, and Andre is very irritating as well, for being so angelic and bloody faithful to Oscar, even when she falls in love with... Well, I can't spoil the story for you now, can I?

Plot: 4 out of 5

Animation: 3 out of 5. It gets better along the way.

Music: 2 out of 5. Very theatrical, to go with the screenplay.

Fun factor: 0. In fact, there were a few moments when I was downright bored, and Oscar being miserably serious or drunk isn't really great for kicks.

Cool factor: 2 out of 5. I think the character designer changes somewhere in the middle of the series, and the new look is much better, even though Oscar's legs seem a metre too long.

Overall factor: 3 out of 5. A nice anime, especially for those of you into history.

You're Under Arrest!

Miyuki and Natsumi are partners in the Bokuto Police Station of Tokyo. This series focuses on their day-to-day adventures and their romantic problems.

You're Under Arrest was originally a four-episode OAV series. Later on, a TV series was made, and the 4 OAVs were integrated into it as the first four episodes. There is thus a visible change in the quality of animation between the fourth and fifth episodes. I quite like this show since it is rare to see something so mundane, in comparison to wacky martial arts or magical girls or aliens. We are introduced to likeable characters, including a transvestite, but my favorite is Nakajima, the tall policeman who is Miyuki's love interest. While it is true that the story doesn't really go anywhere, there are plenty of laughs to be had, and a great time all in all.

Plot: 2 out of 5. Like I said, there isn't even a general intrigue that runs throughout the show.

Animation: 4 out of 5 for the four OAVs, and 3 out of 5 for the rest of the episodes, and that is still pretty good for a TV series.

Music: 4 out of 5. I love the ending song which first appears at the end of episode 5, and the last few episodes especially feature some good saxophone bgms.

Cute factor: 3 out of 5. One point for Nakajima, when he gets all shy, and two points for the general good-natured character of the show.

Fun factor: 4 out of 5. This is a comedy, and Natsumi's tricks with a motorcycle are great to watch. Not to mention my mascot, Strike the Hero (or so he thinks) whom you've already met, at the upper left corner of this page...

Cool factor: 3 out of 5. One point for Nakajima, when he's being serious, and two points for the chief, who looks like Tom Cruise. Honest to God!

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. Refreshingly light-hearted, cheerful fun.