Xam'd: Lost Memories

     Not an anime you want to re-pickup half-way through after a two week intermission. I am lost and memory of this series is scattered, so read this review with those mitigating factors in mind. The show takes place on Sentan Island, which is an agreed war-free zone by the Southern Continent and Northern Government. The story begins with three close friends: Akiyuki, Haru, and Furuchi, on the verge of another common school day until Akiyuki decides to let a suspicious albino girl onto the bus. Little beknownst to Akiyuki this will be the wick that ignites the storyline.
     Because when she goes on that bus, she does not intend to go to school, she doesn't intend to get off the bus, she doesn't even intend to survive - instead she's there to commit martyrdom. By blowing up herself and killing many of the students it surprises the masses putting the land into an uproar, and that's only the beginning.
     The main moral message this anime tries to convey is the importance of the sanctity of life. Regardless of appearance, a human is a human. Whether their a different race, from another country, or if their soul has merged with an Xam'd creating a powerful weapon. This is an Xam'd:

Despite being labeled as weapons, it's not their purpose. What they seek will be a question brought up multiple times throughout.
     Onto the characters in Xam'd: Lost Memories, which I thought were very cliche. Way too many characters too. You'll see how they develop, but for me it was difficult to care for any of them with the exception of one young boy picked up later in the series. It seems as if they've all had their filling of serious pie, and it shows in an off putting manner.
     Another part of the series I disliked was that the wars weren't well explained. Possibly by design or more likely I didn't pick it up on it, but nothing in depth about why the sides hated one another. I do vaguely remember indications, but nothing stood out. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were trying to show how wars can wage and how people do seem to not give the justification of the war any thought. Could have been done better. The potential of this anime didn't feel like it was met. Especially near the conclusion. Many ideas were left underdeveloped.

Serial Experiments Lain

     Serial Experiments Lain is perhaps one of the most curious series (anime or not) that you'll ever see. Lain is your typical awkward girl, who lives a conventional life. The show starts off with a class getting an email from a former student of theirs who recently committed suicide. A 14 year old, junior high student, named Lain is completely oblivious of it all. She doesn't recall the girl from the other class nor did she open the email - It's implied she struggles with electronics.
     As curious as anyone is to know the truth, after school she goes home and heads on her Navi computer to check her email. Of course when she opens it, it is no surprise how strange the entry is from this supposedly dead girl. When bringing the incident up to her mother, she doesn't seem to bothered at the slightest. Other than the sister, Lain's family is very much introverted. Barely any emotion is shown by group. Three friends, or maybe it's better to call them, "acquaintances", at Lain's school try to get her to open up from her shell. To resolve Lain's lack of social skills they invite her out to a teenage night club, then things start to really get weird.
     At times there are scenes where you think you're watching a different person; as her attitude can range from withdrawn to pompous. Early on there's speculation on if it's possible there are two Lains. One being from the real world and the other coming from the wired. The wired refers to the electronic technology that has keeps us connected, such as phones, computers, and television. Both worlds are perceived by electric impulses; with that similarity in mind there could theoretically be a way to configure the impulses, so information goes both ways hence allowing the wired world to interact with the real world.
     If this isn't your first rodeo with All Your Anime are Belong to Us, then you'll notice here's another anime using the idea that you can bring something unconscious to the conscious level. There are going to be all sorts of philosophical questions thrown your way. What's very different though about the philosophical elements in Serial Experiments Lain is that they contain a technological theme. Personally, I enjoy the detail and history for the apparatuses that are used to make the comparisons.

     The pace of the series is purposefully slow. Rather than having many action scenes, they allow camera angles, puzzling imagery, and strange sounds to keep the viewer's attention. Much of the show takes you back to familiar scenery, which is very unique when you compare this series to any of the others. Though the anime seems methodical, in retrospect it throws a lot at you at once. If you find yourself lulled for even a couple of minutes you're going to be re-watching episodes at the conclusion of the 13 episode series.

Trigun

     A sharpshooting, freelancer, with a 60,000,000,000 (sixty-billion) double dollar reward on his head. He's known by the name, "Vash the Stampede", for the trail of disaster he leaves everywhere he goes. For being a humanoid typhoon, Vash's character is opposite of the belligerent type. You can make the case that Vash has a heart of gold and is a clueless romantic.
     An ongoing moral dilemma in the series is Vash's inability to shoot to seriously hurt and/or kill a life. Even in the most dire of moments he hesitates to pull the trigger. And though he's a bit of an airhead, he tends to find an alternative way out of trouble. It certainly helps having a beyond humanly fast reaction time, enabling him to dodge bullets.

     During his wandering he meets up with two ladies from an insurance agency. They're assigned on the mission of pinpointing disasters specifically made by The Humanoid Typhoon. Initially, they're skeptical to believe Vash is the man they're looking for, despite all evidence. Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson are partners, who are complete opposites of each other. Milly is a big women, with a big heart, and big gun, while with Meryl, you can insert the word small for every big adjective just mentioned.
     Vash does end up developing a strong relationship with Meryl. The anime wants you to believe in the complexity of their bond, but simply it isn't well done. In fact, much of this series isn't done in a manner deserving of praise. Majority of the episodes don't add anything to the storyline for instance. He also switches between having a light-comical personality, to being a stoic at a drop of a hat. And how is Vash's appearance not a dead blatant give away that he's the man with a bounty on his head? The guy has quirky sunglasses, spikey blonde hair, fairly tall, and always wears an eye catching RED trench coat.
     As you would expect, Vash has a troubling history, but I must say, I was blindsided by his past. Really no leads or anything to make you expect the discovery you'll eventually find out. Out of the 26 episode series, maybe the final seven (20-26) were worth watching. Otherwise, you're getting a bunch of waste that doesn't tie into the conclusion.

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Ghost Hound

     I figured that continuing with the ghost theme would make a nice transition into Ghost Hound... WHAT!? you've never heard of Ghost Hound and you're already thinking about skipping over this review? don't be so hasty grasshopper, consider this a token of my gratitude. This truly is a diamond in the rough of a series. I cannot overstate that fact. It incorporates psychological, philosophical, and Shinto(religion) aspects, to grasp the happenings in the series. And just like Ghost in the Shell, this anime was manifested by Masamune Shirow. You'll notice a correlation of concepts used between the two.

   - Astral projections/Outer body experiences and linking to the net are the same ideas; both demonstrate the ability to connect a world beyond our real world awareness, while being in a state of mind, that leaves the body dormant without a conscious.

   - The question "What makes us alive?", plays itself into both series as well. In Ghost in the Shell, it's if a living 'thing' can be have a full cybernetic body. In Ghost Hound there are these things called, "Bioids", which are possibly living organ-holders used for growing human organs. If you find yourself asking how can you grow organs? it's difficult to explain. First you would need stem cells, which are found in the umbilical cord, bone marrow, and in the blastocyst. Once you've obtained the cells, theoretically you can encode them to become any organ you'd like in the human body. During the onset of the show, you begin to see how the bioids are handled by being trapped in pods, and you can get a sense of the fear in them. Emotion, obviously an important component of being a human.

     Ghost Hound is about a boy named Taro, who after seeing a new psychologist is diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The traumatic event that happened in his past is that him and his sister were kidnapped. The answer to who kidnapped them is a mystery throughout the anime. After years passed though it became a taboo-esque topic, until Masayuki, transfer student, moves into town and begins poking around for answers.
     Amidst this perplexing game of detective, we're introduced to Makoto, who we learn is Taro's cousin. And it was Makoto's father who is the suspected person who kidnapped Taro, but he was run over by a truck when running away from the scene of the crime. Therefore, we're left unsure who deserved to be apprehended.
     Never have I seen an anime where there are so many characters explained in depth. Nearly every character you become acquainted with will have a history that links in with one of the three main characters(Taro, Masayuki, Makoto) storylines. The outer body experiences add an element of mystical-ness to everything. Trust me, this review doesn't even scratch the surface to the greatness of Ghost Hound. It's in my top five all-time anime series. The only drawback is that the ending was rushed. There are only 22 episodes, but it is exceptionally done.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

      Ghost in the Shell deserves the honorary bestowment of being the first review on All Your Anime are Belong to Us. There aren't many animes that are complete top to bottom such as this one is. The story is drew up around a public security sector within Japan's government known as, "Section 9". It takes place in the relatively near future, year 2034. Their overt mission is to bring justice to those deserving. "Deserving" being the keyword (keep that in mind).
      The story revolves around a women they call, "The Major". Her real name - in case you're curious - is Motoko Kusanagi, but it is sparsely used in the series. Her anatomy is full cyborg, including the cyber-brain she has. This brings on an internal conflict of whether or not she was ever human. Supposedly, she had to get a full prosthetic body due to an incident, which is not acknowledged until the proceeding series (2nd GiG). Ever so often, The Major will contemplate the possibility of her memories being fake. It doesn't help that her personality robotic and unemotional.
      Perhaps her most humanistic feature is her relationship with Batou; who is another human with a full prosthetic body. He, like The Major, is apart of Section 9, which is comprised of eight members total. As a viewer you can sense the subtle romance the two share together. They never deliberately court one another, but there are micro-moments where you catch an ounce of affection, mainly stemming from Batou's concern for The Major.
      The philosophical conjecture in the Ghost in the Shell collection is hell bent on making you lose sleep at night. Which is what I really enjoyed about the anime, despite some of the dialogue being somewhat forced. "What is life?", "What makes us human?", "Have my memories tampered with?", "Am I existing in a virtual simulation?", you'll find yourself asking an assortment of abstract questions, that in turn may reinforce or make you doubt what you already believe. The title in itself is a concept in philosophy referred to as dualism. Ghost in the Shell is the same idea of having a body[shell] and a soul[ghost]. You'll notice this is a reoccurring theme in creator Masamune Shirow animations. More specifically, your ghost being able to connect to cyberspace.
      The plot of the season one (Stand Alone Complex) and the first movie are conjoined. They encompass a fight against a Super Class A Hacker, dubbed "The Laughing Man", for his trademark in real-time hack that gives off the impression it's mocking the authorities who are after him. Section 9 tries to gather information on who the hacker is to capture the criminal. In the series you find that The Laughing Man has his own agenda that he's fighting for. You'll find there are a lot of politics that are in the works. The ending of the 26 episode series is definitely worth the time and just when you think it's all over - BANG - a mind numbing twist to get you excited for 2nd GiG.

BONUS: The Original Sound Track composed by Yoko Kanno is nothing short of amazing.

Welcome...

We start this blog with two amateur authors who are passionate about their anime. We decided to collaborate our opinions on the series and movies, either one of us has seen, because we can't get enough of the brilliance and exuberance that defines the genre.

Anime isn't entirely understood by the masses, and is viewed as your typical children's cartoon. Thus, it is wrongly labeled with the Ben-10s of the world, instead of being seen as something separate. The complex characters, story lines, intertwined into masterfully done, mind provoking entertainment, which has engulfed some of our lives for weeks at a time.

As fanatics we(blog-authors) want to read your opinions, as much, if not more than, we want you(reader) to read ours. So please, it's recommended that you drop a lot of comments, suggestions, and questions to keep this blog active and hopefully we can form a community that discusses the depths of anime to the very core.