No.6

     Perfect societies always seem to get a bad wrap. Within the utopia there always is a supposed corruption that leads to it's inevitable downfall. With all fairness, who's the one to judge how masses upon masses of people should be managed? If a lie brings the dwellers happiness, then is it your moral responsibility to take away this sense of comfort from them? Well, to answer in short, "it depends".

     No.6 is one of the six pods that were created after a war that left the world desolated. The pod creators mission was to build a peaceful paradise, but somewhere along the way they became power hungry. They had very rightist/socialist views on the governance of their citizens. Just like how Kadafi oppressed his citizens, the mysterious people behind the curtain in No.6 had the same political ideology, but in a much less blatant way. Everything remained very hush-hush.
     But the government wasn't the only one keeping secrets. Before you even indulged to know what the anime was about, you (the reader) probably already knew that this was given the yaio stamp of approval. Here comes the inevitable, "I don't have anything against them, but..." no I won't do that, instead I'll just write that it wasn't particularly needed (more explanation on what I mean in a bit). Sion and Nezumi (The main characters) might have as many romantic moments in the series than you can count to on one hand.
     Their personalities actually contrast one another. Nezumi is the headstrong character with a grudge against society, while Sion is the compassionate world loving type. They come to meet each other by complete chance. Nezumi is a runaway who happens to run by a boy caring enough to provide him shelter from the rain. Sion is on the balcony screaming into the wind, until he sees a boy in distress who needs his medical attention.

     Unfortunately, the first episode is the best of mini-series that only carries nine episodes in total. The pacing of No.6 was far to fast to get attached to the storyline. The characters were all too dramatic throughout, especially Nezumi, who grabbed Sion by the collar repeatedly out of aggravation. Nevertheless, even during the light moments, your telling yourself, "You can't possibly be that happy to be cleaning a dog." Cliche is cliche. I'll give it this though, the animation was unprecedented.

Fooly Cooly

     Ever want to attend a Japanese rock concert, to only realize you live some two-thousand miles away from the Land of the Rising Sun? - Imaginary heckler screams, “No! your attempt at painting vivid pictures sucks.” from deep left field. - Well perhaps you haven't, but Fooly Cooly just may inspire that kind of reaction. Just about every scene is a strum conniption provided to you by the Pillows. But don't be put off by this arrangement to introduce the band before even getting to the mini-series - Fooly Cooly has a way of leaving its mark.

     You ever try to be cool? It's probably not a far cry from the truth to believe that most in the world try to fit in with others. Humans are one of the rare species that cannot instinctively fend for themselves at birth. Don't get me wrong, baby animals need their T-L-C too, but we're unable to do anything but suck and cry at birth. We actually come out so prematurely(when compared to primates), that the top part of the skull hasn't developed. So, we rely on our parents, guardians, the quote unquote village, in order to maintain our lives. Hence why evolution no matter which inhabited continent our early human remains were found, there are traces of a society.

     We tend to dub the cool kids with the rebel label and there are all the wannabes trying to conform into this group of people that's trying to distance themselves from everyone else. So try as you might, you may always find yourself playing a game of catch-up. Here's the reason for bringing coolness to your attention. His name is Naota. He's a kid that's only in grade school, but tries to be mature beyond his years. We the audience get the impression very early, that his brother who went off to the United States to play professional baseball, is likely the underlying reason for Naota's nonchalant behavior. As he it seems he doesn't want to live in the shadow of his big brother.

     That is until he literally collides with Haruko: a reckless, strange, Vespa rider, who claims to be from the Galatic Space Police Brotherhood. She wields a mighty guitar and is looking for the right person to thwack with it. Naota's life begins to be put in the spotlight, as everyone is wondering why he's hanging out with a girl that looks to be in her twenties. Per usual, rumors begin flying around school. But that's not the only thing giving Naota all this new attention, he also has a robot maid now living in his house.

     This anime is deserving of the action-packed branding. I like how you can breeze through this series as if it was a movie. It'll leave a lot of memorable, "what-the-heck" moments. Perhaps the producers could have tried a little less to make every dramatic pose into cool wallpaper(computer) type of picture. Also, in my opinion the perversion was unneeded. This is an anime I'd like to show to my younger brother, but can't because of the suggested content and brief nudity. If you are of age though, it's a true gem to see.

Bleach: Agent of the Shinigami Arc

Bleach. I'm pretty sure every anime-goer has come across the term sometime in their anime-watching days. As one of the Top 3, Bleach boasts a record audience number worldwide.

"And so the sword of fate has fallen."

The first arc starts off on with the mystery of the strange figure posed atop a telephone pole. However the atmosphere quickly lightens as we witness the main character going on with his daily life which involves; visiting the neighbourhood ghost, scaring off deliquents and the obvious family things one must attend to. The first episode introduces us to Kurosaki Ichigo, his family and of course, the one who changed his life forever. 

The pace quickens as a hollow appears and attacks the ghost Ichigo was watching over, before he could do anything, a black-clad figure appears, a Shinigami. From there Ichigo quickly learns about the existence of Shinigamis (Soul Reapers) and Hollows. The climax comes in the form of a large Hollow attacking Ichigo's family. As the Shinigami fights to kill the hollow and protect Ichigo's family, she gets injured. With this came the need for Ichigo's transformation. The Shinigami reveals herself as Kuchiki Rukia before she exchanges her powers with Ichigo causing him to turn into a Substitute Shinigami.

From there we slowly gain an insight into the development of Ichigo's currently immature Shinigami powers and the introduction of our other main characters. Each episodes focus on one new character with Kon, Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado (Chad) and Uryuu Ishida being given an episode each focused on them. As time passes, Ichigo and Rukia continue to combat Hollows while the others (excluding Ishida) slowly gaining powers of their own. Inoue with her 'Shun Shun Rika'. Chad with his 'Arm of the Giant'. And Ishida with his original Quincy powers.

As the plot proceeds we slowly approach the climax of the arc, the arrival of two more Shinigamis to detain Rukia because she gave her powers to Ichigo. The two Shinigamis' identities are later clarified in the next arc but they are introduced as the 6th Squad Captain, Kuchiki Byakuya and his lieutenant, Abarai Renji. Unwilling to just let Rukia go, Ichigo chases after her and results in him battling with Renji. Despite being a lieutenant Renji was quite close to getting taken down by Ichigo's sudden change in spiritual power, however Byakuya K.Os Ichigo in one swift swing. Thus resulting in the 'death' of Ichigo. The three depart for Soul Society leaving behind a critically injured Ichigo.

Lucky as it is, he wakes up some time later, alive. After discovering that his powers disappeared and Rukia had been taken, Ichigo resolves to regain his powers and go save her. The guy who picked him up, Urahara decides to help, along with the rest of the folk at his shop. And so training begins for not only Ichigo, but the rest of his human friends, Inoue, Chad and Ishida. While Ichigo is in Urahara's huge basement getting kicked around by a small girl and being turned into a Hollow and back into a Shinigami, Inoue and Chad are off discovering their newly found powers with a black cat know as Yoruichi. Meanwhile Ishida is polishing off his own Quincy skills and techniques.

We also get a quick look in Soul Society where 2 more Captains, Ichimaru Gin and Zaraki Kenpachi are introduced. It appears that Rukia has been ordered to be execute for her 'crime'.

At last, the group is ready to set off to rescue Rukia. Not before going to a fireworks festival. Afterwards they are all contacted via a 'blood message' (really just a quirky way to use paint) to gather at Urahara's Shop. Here they are briefed on crossing to Soul Society and our last glimpse of them in this arc is them running off into the Sekaimon.

Interested? Well there's many many more arcs to come. Next arc is up soon! 

Ergo Proxy

     What is an Ergo Proxy? Lets take a closer look at the title from a 'linguistical' standpoint. "Ergo", gets its roots from Latin, meaning "therefore". You've probably heard of the saying, "I think, therefore I am" coined by René Descartes; it's a phrase used as a proof for one's very own existence. How is this relevant? The idiom in latin is, "cogito ergo sum". Now, as for "proxy", which you probably familiarize with computer I.P addresses, but its actual definition is "A person authorized to act for another; an agent or substitute." (from www.thefreedictionary.com). When combining the two you get "Therefore, substitute". The word substitute, replacing "I am". Assuming the title, Ergo Proxy, is related to René Descartes' logistical proof.
     However in Ergo Proxy, "proxy" refers to a monstrous looking creature. It's origins and it's purpose are shrouded in mystery. In the domed city of Romdeau there seems to be a cover-up by the government hidden in the mist of it all. Re-L first catches glimpse of it while investigating a murder case. From there on she's obsessed in finding the truth. Her auto-rave (also referred to as a companion and entourage)Iggy that is customized to serve her, tags along in her ventures.
     They come across Vincent Law, who is an immigrant from the outside the dome. The lifestyle for immigrants is similar to that of a serf. They're allowed to live amongst the community as long as they're serving the citizens. Doing enough good will eventually grant you citizenship. Though Vincent does everything that's wanted of an immigrant, there's an unexplainable correlation between him and the proxy sightings. He always just happens to be around when it shows up. Coincidence or not, the ones investigating become suspicious who Vincent Law really is.
     It can't be solved with a simple open ended question. Vincent seems to be suffering from amnesia and cannot remember his past. As far back as he can remember is that he is from the city of Mosk which was destroyed. The only one who understands Vincent is a curious auto-rave named, Pino.

     The pacing is a bit slow(3-filler episodes), but this anime will keep you watching. I like the fact that there are some mysteries in Ergo Proxy that you can solve before they present the answer to you on screen. The producers didn't aim to make Re-L and Vincent likable, which personalities distinct from other animation. And just like in Ghost in the Shell, the human-like androids ars on a fence straddling human and non-human. If you're into dark, gloomy, philosophical anime, then this is one you want to make room for.

Ano Hana

     Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai, or Ano Hana for short, is a series built in a way to be relatable to all whom call themselves anime fanatics. If I was a plot and graphs man, I'd say the demographic average age of an anime fan is around 16-18. Giving you enough time to hopefully acquire a friend or two, have that friend go astray for some reason or another, to see them years down later in the human jungle, for you both to only walk by each other, and refuse to acknowledge the other's existence. You'll be taken back to your preadolescence years, when you were friends, and anxiety was the least of your worries, but eventually you'll be rejoined with the present, which in almost every case is grim and complexing compared to those younger days.
     The story begins with a teenager named Jintan, who has locked himself in from the outside world. His ex-friend proclaims he has Hikikomori, which is a diagnosis with the meaning a withdrawal from the society. It began with him not talking friends and gradually worsened, up until he dropped out of school without notice. Unemployed and a dropout, Jintan spends his days playing video games and cooking meals for his father, who uses a very hands-off parenting style.
     The Jintan of old and the Jintan of new couldn't be any more different. Once there was a time where Jintan always placed himself in the middle of adventures with his five closest friends. He acted as the leader of the Super Peace Busters, which was the title of the club they formed together. His friends use to look up to him, when he was still an outgoing person. What started this transformation into a boy that disguises himself in public, were the deaths of his best friend Menma and mother at relatively close times.
     Menma appears to him one summer as a hallucination. He labels her the "beast of the summer". Menma is a charasmatic girl, everyone seems to be drawn to her. Jintan's hallucination of Menma isn't from their preadolescence years, but rather a Menma that's "grown-up". Albeit her appearance, she still has the maturity of a little girl. Marked by the crying and nagging she's frequently doing.

     This anime will nearly bring tears to your eyes as you watch the struggle of friendships trying to reform themselves. I became so emotionally attached to Anohana, that I watched the entire 11 episode series in a single day. Since it was such a short series, there are no fillers, the sentimental parts of the anime build up well, with the exception of the very beginning of the last episode, which was a tad over dramatic on a couple of the character's parts. Another negative were the physical properties of Menma. There were times she could interact with the physical world, while there were other times it was suggested she couldn't. Any kind of art that arises as much emotions as this one, is deserving of top-shelf anime recognition. So, keep a tissue box handy, because "we still don't know the name of the flower we saw that day."

Haibane Renmei

     Angels are suppose to be mythological saints, that guide the living to making good moral decisions. Western religions would have us believing that angels live inside glorious pearly gates and have a lifestyle to be desired by anyone. In haibane Renmei our understanding for the angelic is mangled and stomped out. Instead, here we have angels who don't know what their purpose is. Also they're cuddled up in what looks like a rundown orphanage home, properly named, "Old Home". They work for the humans that live amongst them in the town of Glie. They receive hand-me-downs for the work rather than money.
     It's all apart of the Charcoal Feather Federation's rules that prohibits haibane (angels) from getting any money or any material that is new. And because of these mysterious people, dressed up in cloaks, you begin to feel the haibane are more like prisoners than citizens of the town. The fortified wall dressed along the outskirts of Glie, which they're not allowed to go outside of, does well in representing that. On the day they're free, known as their Day of Flight, is when they leave without anyone knowing. It's a realization of who they were in their past life, that enables them to go beyond the wall.
     The storyline follows a new haibane, named "Rakka". The meaning of "Rakka" is falling, which was apart of her cocoon dream. From their cocoon's haibane born the same age they died. Rakka can't piece all of her dream together, but she does remember falling and a crow trying to pull her back up. Haibane that cannot remember their cocoon dream are sin-bound. It's explained that sin-bound haibane are not able to achieve their Day of Flight, until after they are forgiven.
     The haibane are caught in this circle of sin, which goes "One who recognizes their own sin, has no sin. Then are you a sinner?". No matter how you answer this question, yes or no, neither are going to break you from the vicious circle. Answering no, would mean that you do not recognize your own sin, while answering yes, would mean that you are a sinner. An interesting question to chew on yourself until the conclusion of this series.
     My first impression of this series, despite all the appeal it has going for it, was that it's too bland. There's a hiatus in the middle for the series that lasts around four episodes. The sub-plots destroys the momentum you have for the main plot. Rakka and Reki are the two characters of importance, yet this being a 13 episode series and all, we have to get to know the lives of the other haibane. Perhaps, if the series was shortened I would put this on my goodie list, just because reminiscing about it was quite enjoyable.

Durarara!!

“In the same way a town exists, so long as there are people, the Dollars will continue to exist.”

Durarara!! is truly one of those hidden gem shows that has had quite a following and has not disappointed me in the slightest. A urban fantasy that evolves around a internet chat room is where most of the story unfolds itself. Based off a light novel series, the animation style and the wide range of characters is very much like Baccano! Seeing as the directors are the same, it's not surprising, but Durarara!! does not deliver as much as Baccano! does in a fast paced storyline.

The show gets off to a slow footing, but only due to the large cast of characters. There seems to be no set protagonist though it seems to center around Mikado Ryugamine. You are introduced to Ryugamine right away, who is constantly reminded on how his name is so reminisce of an anime character's. Ryugamine is the new boy in town, moving from a quiet suburban to Tokyo's Ikebukuro district to attend a new school. He is met by his childhood friend, Kida Masaomi who quickly guides him through the big city where we see glimpses of the other cast members. As Masaomi gives him a tour, he warns him of people not to get tangle with, including a violent debt collector dressed like a bartender, an information merchant and a mysterious gang called “Dollars.” They even catch a glimpse of the mysterious black rider. Later on, we are introduced to each of those character's back story till we see the bigger picture unfold. 

The lines between rational and fantasy are insanely thin. Besides the fact that there is a Irish Dullahan named Celty riding around on a black motorcycle that occasionally neighs, it seems fairly normal. The show offers a lot of wonderful twists, though the second half was not nearly exciting as the first 12 episodes. A break happens in the series where months go by in the storyline, and doesn't have the same quality as the first season. The humor and the fun just seems to go away. The soundtrack though was quite unusual, it ranged from jazz to classical piano, but none the less it worked like a charm.

It's Horo-san from Spice and Wolf! Only a cardboard cutout though.

One thing that always caught my eye in the show was the many references to other anime, such as a Hell girl poster, or this little gem that shows up within the first episode (See pic on left). Plus you will hear the frequent debating of two otaku characters over manga.

The show has recently been released and dubbed by Aniplex USA featuring the voice talent of Johnny Yong Bosch, but compared to the original Japanese dub, the lines are not as informative and descriptive to the storyline as the original. Plus Kamiya Hiroshi was a badass voice actor for Izaya (you just need to watch that cellphone scene in the original dub), though I have faith in Johnny for perfecting that. Though if you are unable to purchase the dvd, you're in luck. The dubbed version is set to premiere on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim this summer.

Score: 8/10

Izaya (on the right) is a troublemaker and F'ing crazy.

Favorite Character: It's a hard tie between Shizuo, the bartender with a violent temper and Celty, the black rider. But if there is a person to hate on, it's definitely Izaya. You would just seriously love to hate this guy. And the ongoing fights between Shizuo and Izaya are very entertaining. Just watch out when you see a vending machine get thrown at you.