see Black Magic M66
see Speed Racer
Epic sci-fi space opera, influenced by Gundam and Yamato. In the year 1999, a deserted alien space warship crash lands on Earth. The people on Earth spend the next 10 years refurbishing the spaceship, christening it the Macross. On the day of the Macross' launching ceremony, the Zentradi, an alien race of humanoid giants, appears above the Earth to claim the ship. The crew of the Macross are forced to perform a space fold to escape, unwittingly taking 50,000 civilians with them to the edges of the solar system. With the fold system mysteriously missing, the Macross is forced to slowly make its way back to Earth, while constantly being harassed by the pursuing Zentradi.
Within the backdrop of this war, personal dramas are played out. Foremost among them is the love triangle that slowly forms between fighter pilot Ichijyo Hikaru, singer Lynn Minmay, and bridge operator Hayase Misa. Hikaru saves Minmay's life during the Zentradi attack, and falls in love with her when the two are accidentally stranded deep within the Macross. But as Minmay's singing career blossoms and her star rises, he wonders if their worlds are drifting apart. Hikaru and Misa begin their relationship with almost constant arguments, but their time together in the line of duty slowly brings them closer.
Macross comprises 36 episodes, and originally aired on TV in Japan from 1982 to 1983. Macross is generally considered a classic, famous for its transforming Valkyrie mecha and its idol singer, Lynn Minmay. In the US, it was altered and incorporated into the 1985 Robotech series as the Macross Saga.
Was available subtitled from AnimEigo. Now available dubbed as part of Robotech, and subtitled and newly-dubbed, from ADV.
[Entry by Ray Li]
Set in the Macross universe, this "film in a film" is a brief and somehow distorted retelling of the original TV series, SDF Macross. Any other description will be only a list of differences from the original story.
[Entry by Andrew V. Tupkalo]
Isamu has been sent home to Planet Eden following a somewhat colourful career to test a new jet fighter. He then finds that the test pilot in the rival project is his old friend, Guld. The argument that drove them apart flares again, especially when they meet up with Myung, a former singer now turned producer for the virturoid idol, Sharon Apple. However things aren't as they seem - Myung is more than just Sharon's producer, Guld has a somewhat selective memory and Isamu is just as aggravating as he was when the three broke up. It also seems that there is a closer link between Sharon and the fighter project, a link that will also draw all three in.
Loosely based on the long-running series Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, it was released as a four-part series and a theatrically released movie. Released by Manga.
[Entry by Chika]
At first, the story seems like a remake of Megazone 23 - a top-secret battlesuit falls off a truck, and is found by a college student. But MADOX-01 quickly takes a turn to the absurd. The student doesn't care about the suit; he just wants to be able to take the silly thing off and go on a date. The military man doesn't want the suit back; he wants to destroy it because it made his tank company look bad during tests. And the person who developed the suit wants to keep it intact because she wants to keep her position in the military/industrial complex. While the story is silly, the action scenes are coreographed well and the characters are engaging and all-too-human.
MADOX-01 is available from AnimEigo.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
TV Season One: Three junior high school girls - Hikaru Shidou, Umi Ryuuzaki, and Fuu Hououji - meet for the first time atop Tokyo Tower on a field trip, when they are summoned to Cephiro by the Pillar, Princess Emeraude. Master Mage Clef informs them that they need to become the Legendary Magic Knights and save Cephiro from destruction, to be allowed to return home. High Priest Zagato has captured Princess Emeraude and set up obstacles to prevent the girls from fulfilling their quest.
TV Season Two: In a second visit to Cephiro, the girls learn from Master Mage Clef that there are three countries from nearby planets on their way to invade Cephiro: Autozam, Farhen and Chizeta. During the battles, a more sinister force appears and the girls must defend the planet from destruction.
Season one has 20 episodes, which must be seen before the 29 episodes in season two since there are unresolved matters from the first season that get resolved in the second season.
Magic Knight Rayearth TV is available from Anime Works.
[Entry by Gerardo Campos]
Three junior high school girls - Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu - make a wish to never get separated, a few days before their graduation and before they start to attend different high schools. While they are having fun, mages and warriors from Cephiro start to appear on Earth, some of them supporting Princess Emeraude, preparing the ground to receive her, and others Cephirians not really convinced that invading Earth will solve Cephiro's problem. The girls have an encounter with Mokona and later with Master Mage Clef whom start to give them magic powers, and receive the duty to find and awake their "mashins" to defend Earth.
The TV series and the OAV episodes are set in different worlds; the stories are completely unrelated.
This 3 episode OAV is available from Manga Entertainment.
[Entry by Gerardo Campos]
see Mahou Tsukai Tai
Sasami Kawai is chosen by Tsunami, Queen of Juraihelm, to become the title character. With the aid of a magic wand and her cute animal sidekick Ryo-chan, Sammy rights wrongs and triumphs over evil, while desperately hoping no one she knows spots her in her ridiculous costume! Three-part OAV series featuring the magical-girl spoof character introduced in the Tenchi Muyo: Mihoshi Special anime. Entertaining silliness that can be appreciated by fans of Tenchi as well as an affectionate send-up of the Magical Girl genre. Watch for the Evil Bill Gates clone in episode two! Available from Geneon.
[Entry by Dave Menard]
TV series version of Magical Girl Pretty Sammy and spoof of magical girl shows in general. Aimed more at children than the OAV series was. Catchier theme song, too. Suitable for all ages. Available from Geneon.
[Entry by Dave Menard]
Suguru, a nice young guy who girls fall for but who lives alone, decides to hire a maid. He ends up hiring Mahoro, a retired combat android, one of the best who ever worked for a secret government organization that protects the Earth from two other shadowy groups. She actually retired because combat has nearly worn her out and she only has a year to live, so she decides to work for the son of her old commander. But when strange forces try to capture Mahoro, Suguru's life gets much more interesting ...
Available in North America from Geneon, and in the UK from ADV.
[Entry by "HiEv"]
Neko Taruto is about a young girl cat called Taruto. Now, this is not like most "cat girl" anime - Taruto is not a human with catlike characteristics, but a young cat with human qualities and intelligence. She lives with her master, Iori (a human college-aged youth), and his teenaged sister Kinako, who have just moved to a new seaside town that is very European in appearance. Iori is thrilled to be in this new town because he loves to make desserts, and this town specializes in Northern European-style desserts. But the town and the relationship between the humans and the cats in it are subtly different from our world. Not the least of the differences is that this world is tied magically to a world of sentient cats from which a kitten princess was lost during a terrible war some time before. Various forces from that cat world are now secretively roaming the human world, looking for the missing princess for different reasons. And Taruto appears to be at the center of this search. Taruto has certain abilities that suggest that she may be that missing princess - in particular she has some ability to do magic, albeit in a rather unpredictable and uncontrolled fashion. But every so often something seems to take over Taruto's usual kitten-like self that allows her to do much more than normal. Various funny, poignant, mysterious and antic events take place during the first three quarters of the series. Then the final story arc brings together all of the background events as forces of the cat world actively start to pursue their quarry.
All-in-all, Neko Taruto was one of the most enjoyable, intelligent and sweet fantasy anime I've ever seen. The creators of this story took a classic plot, filled it with wonderfully likeable characters and brought a sense of self-consistent fantasy to the entire mix that made the story truly "magical". Each episode brought something unique and different to a very traditional story and managed to make the blend totally unforgettable. The best comparison I can make is in the way that everything comes together in some of the better Miyazaki fantasy movies. This is a "must see" anime for anyone who loves classic fairytale-style fantasy.
Licenced by Bandai in North America.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]
Sally is the Princess of the witch realm Astoria. She develops an affinity for the middle realm (the human world) and spends most of her time as a schoolgirl except when circumstances compel her to change into a witch and use magic. She is assisted (or harassed, depending on your viewpoint) by a magical assistant, Kabu, who usually takes the form of a five-year-old boy but can change into other shapes as well.
Sally is not a malevolent witch, but she mostly lacks sympathy and understanding. She is generous, and without malice, but an ineffectual blunderer most of the time. She needs adult guidance to actually accomplish something.
Sally requires a Libram to use powerful spells; she has a shelf of them, but each Libram has only a few associated spells, and the spells she wants are sometimes in restricted Librams. Sally has to get those from the magical world, where they are closely guarded.
Mahou Tsukai Sally was inspired by Okusama wa Majo (the Japanese title for Bewitched) - Sally is a very young, immature, and bungling equivalent of Samantha. The show was the forerunner of the magical girl anime genre; however, Sally is almost always powered up - she doesn't lose the ability to use magic except when it is taken from her (which she can do to herself, but rarely does).
Episodes 1-17 were in black and white; from episode 18 on they were in color.
[Entry by Phil Yff and Galen Musbach, with Stéphane Dumas]
This series starts with an alien craft entering the Earth's atmosphere, devastating the carrier taskforce sent to intercept it, and ... stopping in the middle of the Pacific. Meanwhile, Sae is trying to make a good impression on her afterschool club leader Takeo so that he'll notice her, although it shouldn't be too hard to notice someone in a club that only has five members, even if it is a club for people who can actually cast spells (although the rest of the school thinks it's for people who practice stage magic).
Despite the alien and the magic, this is a coming-of-age story about five unusual teenagers, told with compassion and humour.
Six OAVs and a sequel TV series (which actually is a sequel instead of being a remake), translated by Anime Works.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
16 year old Mai Tokiha and her younger brother Takumi are transferring to their new school, the Fuuka Academy, by ferry. After an eventful journey involving mysterious shining red stars and a frenetic fight between the sword-wielding Mikoto and the gun-toting Natsuki, Mai discovers that she is a HiME, a girl with special powers who must defend Fuuka against Orphans, monstrous creatures that menace the area. As more and more HiMEs are discovered, the stakes hot up with mysterious prophecies, the consequences of their powers and several insidious organisations wanting to control the HiMEs - or destroy them.
Studio Sunrise throws several clichés together - high school comedy drama, some bishoujo (and occasional bishounen) fanservice, superpowered action with "mecha" - and surprisingly manage to make something that sticks together fairly well. Mai-HiME is fairly unoriginal in execution, but the fact that there's something for almost everyone, coupled with excellent animation and strong characterisation, means it's almost bound to be enjoyable in some respects.
At the time of writing, Mai-HiME is still running in Japan, with 18 episodes of 26 aired - the Japanese Region 2 release has begun with the first two episodes on DVD.
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]
A young man in love struggles to achieve his impossible dreams. The widow who can't forget her beloved husband knows she has to move on. The handsome, worthy tennis instructor vies for the widow's love. The harpy-like friends keep the young man and the widow apart. That, in a nutshell, is Maison Ikkoku: a slice of everyday life in a seedy suburban Tokyo boarding house.
Real life is the setting for this romantic comedy from Rumiko Takahashi (Ranma ½, Inu-Yasha). Godai is a "ronin", a young man who failed to get into college. While he struggles to pass his entrance exams, he moves to a boarding house closer to Tokyo and gets neighbours right out of a wacky sitcom, who drive him to distraction and tease him mercilessly. The day he swears to leave Maison Ikkoku forever, the love of his life shows up to become the new manager, Kyoko Otonashi.
Kyoko is a young widow who hasn't recovered from her loss. Her father-in-law offers her the resident manager position at this boarding house he owns until she decides what she wants to do with her life. So begins the impossible dream for Godai.
This love story is interesting because it breaks the rules. Godai is not the perfect hero. The rival, Shun Mitaka, isn't a complete jerk. It feels more realistic than other romance stories, yet is also a very typical one. The story is filled with laughter, touching moments and wonderful characters. And when the ending unfolds, it is a wonderful moment that just about breaks your heart. Even guys who hate romantic stories love this series. Advisory: Mature situations. Ages 13+.
Available from Viz.
[Entry by Travers Naran, edited by Rob Kelk]
Aliens have targeted Japan, but they've done their homework. They know that the cuter the invaders are, the more likely human public opinion will rise against the defenders if they "bully" the invaders. What's needed are even cuter defenders ... Thus are Mao, Misora, and Sylvia - three cute eight-year-old girls - drafted to defend Japan from the cute aliens.
On the surface, this is yet another entry in the magical girl genre so popular in anime, and youngsters will happily take the show at that level. Look deeper, though, and you'll see a parody of the genre and a satirical look at military inter-service rivalry, along with a comment on creator Ken Akamatsu's inability to come up with different character designs (in the crossover episode with Love Hina).
Available from Geneon.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
At Lillian Girls' School it's a tradition that sophomores or seniors will pick an underclassman to become their "petite soeur" (little sister). Being picked by much-admired Ogasawara Sachiko is something freshman Fukuzawa Yumi can only dream of, though, until the day when she gets involved in a wager by Lillian's student council Yamayurikai. To get out of a play during the upcoming school festival, Sachiko has to make Yumi her petite soeur. However, should Yumi agree then she will have to take over Sachiko's part in the play.
This romantic shojo-ai series was adopted from a (still ongoing) series of light novels written by Oyuki Konno, and became a major success in Japan. At the time of writing this entry there have been three seasons of the anime, with a fourth season announced.
Available in North America from Nozomi Entertainment (Right Stuf). Official R1 website
[Entry by Ansgar "59cobalt" Wiechers]
Unlike the other Rumik World stories by Rumiko Takahashi that have been turned into anime, this OAV is not at all serious. Maris is a super-strong troubleshooter who just can't stay out of debt. (She dreams of getting rich, or at least breaking even, but fate conspires against her.) One day, she's assigned to track down the kidnappers of one of the richest eligible bachelors in the galaxy ... This OAV is one of the few anime to have a Jackie-Chan-style "blooper reel" under the ending credits. Was available from USMC.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
Miki is your typical teenage anime girl, popular in school, star of the girls' tennis team, happy with her life. Until the day she came home from school and her parents told her they are divorcing. Not just divorcing, but also swapping partners with another couple they met on their recent vacation. And this is just the first 5 minutes of episode 1! Based on the manga by Yoshizumi Wataru, Marmalade Boy follows Miki, Yu, the teenage son of the other couple in the partner-swap, Meiko, Miki's best friend, Ginta, Miki's tennis teammate, Arimi, with her ever-present group of male followers, Suzu, famous teen model, and others through 76 episodes of high school romantic comedy/drama that often has viewers semi-suicidal with its unexpected plot twists and turns.
Licenced by Tokyopop.
[Entry by Jeanne Hedge]
Aliens attacking Martian colonies. Dead parents leaving orphaned children to defend themselves. Doesn’t sound funny does it? How about a mech pilot who keeps hiding from the fights so he can cook? A Cyber girl with a deep depression? An anime fanatic who screams battle cries from his favorite anime? It all makes Nadesico one of the funniest anime around. There are even some good spoofs on just about every type of fan. Anime, Manga, and even action figure collectors are not spared. Stereotypes are used to enhance the humor and not because the writer was lazy. A space comedy of the best kind.
Available from ADV Films; the "Essential Anime" release has had the original video readout animations restored.
[Entry by Shawn Granger, edited by Rob Kelk]
(OVA, 6 episodes) This dark comedy set in the 1920s follows the adventures of 17 year old girl named Inaho Hitomebore who continues her now two year search for immortality via a device known as the Opar assisted by the vampire (Alucard von Mosquiton) she has awakened and his two elemental servants Honoo (Fire) and Yuki (Ice). Complicating her search is Gregoria Rasputin who assisted by Mosquiton's old foe Sangermaine want to use the Opar as a weapon against the Star Lords, and former wife Camille Inaho Camilla who just wants Mosquiton.
The OVA is full of little references that fans of 30s' and 40s' horror fans will quickly get (for example Alucard is one of the alias often used by Dracula in films of the period) The OVA inspired a TV series called Mosquiton 99 which is set in 1999 and has Inaho after the Opar for monetary gain rather than immortality.
Previously released on VHS in North America by ADV; the North America DVD licence is held by Media Blasters.
[Entry by Bruce Grubb]
The Enjaku Detective Agency is run by the child-like Loki and his mail-order obsessed servant Yamino - together with the mystery fanatic Mayura Daidouji they solve any paranormal crime they come across. However, Loki is not what he seems - banished by Odin, Lord of the Gods, to Earth in a childlike form, he is hunted down by his fellow Norse gods, from the maniacal Heimdall to the idiotic Freyr.
Matantei Loki (or MaLoki) is an odd blend of random slapstick humour and occasionally dark drama, which never quite gels together. The episodes (which usually follow a "mystery of the week" format) are frequently very repetitive, although often pretty funny, highlights including an Iron Chef parody and most of Freyr's antics (he rides around on a mechanical pig, Gullinbursti, attempting to woo Mayura on a regular basis). The show is at its best in its dramatic moments, however, particularly the action-packed confrontations between Loki and the other gods. Perhaps best described as Detective Conan crossed with a magical girl show (Loki summons his magical staff or casts a spell with stock footage in most episodes).
MaLoki is licensed by ADV Films for a Region 1 release - the manga is already available from them, but only the second season (the Ragnarok season) - ADV were unable to license the preceding 8 volumes, and as such the manga in US release is fairly incoherent.
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]
Megazone Two Three is a three part mecha anime OAV series (with some cyberpunk overtones). Part One was one of the first anime OAVs ever, and helped spark the OAV trend (in which movies were made directly for video release, instead of first hitting TV or cinema). Although the Megazone OAVs are numbered Parts One, Two, and Three, they were actually entirely separate productions, related but released several years apart (like the first Star Wars trilogy).
In Part One (aka just plain Megazone 23), a Tokyo teen named Yahagi Shogo (inexplicably changed to "Johnny Winter" in the Carl Macek dub) comes into possession of a huge red motorcycle called variously the Garland, Garand, or Bahamode depending on what source you listen to, and is chased all over town by the military and government agents who want to get it back for their own nefarious purposes. In the meantime, there is a war going on with a hostile alien force, and the city of Tokyo is not all that it appears to be...
This OAV was redubbed and edited into part of the spectacularly unsuccessful Robotech cinematic movie.
Part Two picks up where the first part left off, but with character designs and animation style so dramatically altered that it is difficult to believe they are the same characters. This OAV follows the decline and final fall of the Tokyo Megazone as an ancient weapon of last resort comes into play.
Part Three, the most cyberpunk-influenced, picks up decades or centuries later, with a new generation of rebellious teenagers and new Garland battle bikes piloted by virtual reality. It seems that mankind did not learn its lesson from the Megazones' past.
The third Megazone 23 was not very successful, and no further episodes have been made to date.
Available in North America from ADV.
[Entry by Chris Meadows]
See the entry for Votoms.
Horror stories released in Japan as part of the Rumik World series by Rumiko Takahashi. Most people who eat the flesh of a mermaid die. The unlucky ones live forever, most becoming horrendously malformed in the process of gaining immortality. Two people were lucky enough to gain immortality without being changed. Now they wander through Japan, searching for others who might eat the flesh of a mermaid ...
USMC and Viz have released the OAVs, and Viz has collected the translated manga into three volumes.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
see My Dear Marie
Since early 1996, Japanese families in great numbers have been tuning their TVs at 7:30 PM on Monday nights to watch a tiny, bespectacled detective solve mysteries in a classical detective story manner. No matter if you call the show Meitantei Conan, Detective Conan, or Case Closed; if you like mysteries of all sorts, but in particular enjoy mysteries revolving around crimes of greed or passion, Edogawa Conan is your "man" of the hour.
Brilliant seventeen-year-old rich kid Kudou Shinichi ("Jimmy Kudo" in the dub) is learning to enjoy his fame as a "great detective" as he solves crimes that adult detectives can't solve. But fate takes a hand in his life as Shinichi runs into more than he can handle one night while he is spying on a mysterious gang. Shinichi is surprised, knocked out and given a special poison that causes his body to "de-age" to that of a 7 year old boy. With his faculties still intact but his body now that of a small child, Shinichi has to try to hide the knowledge of his survival from that gang in order to protect his family and friends, and takes on the guise of a not-so-ordinary grade school kid, Edogawa Conan.
Without revealing his secret, "Conan" convinces his former girlfriend, Mouri Ran ("Rachel Moore" in the dub), to take him in to live with her and her father, the not-very-successful private detective Mouri Kogorou ("Richard Moore"). Armed with some high-tech help from his inventor friend Dr. Agasa, Conan is able to continue his passion for detective work by enabling Kogorou to unknowingly get the credit and fame for solving tough crimes and mysteries that Conan actually solves, all the while hiding the secret of Shinichi/Conan from all but a few people.
Over the years Meitantei Conan has been able to maintain its appeal and freshness by having stories that are firmly grounded in the heart of the traditional detective mystery genre by developing a strong cast of characters who all add balance to the show, and by having an ability to alternate smoothly between episodes that are aimed at the youngest viewers and episodes that are aimed at the adult viewers who are watching along with their children. There has also always been a solid, professional sound track and the animation has gradually improved with time while maintaining its unique style. In addition to the 400-plus TV episodes there have also been eight theatrical movies. Meitantei Conan is a must see for all "detective show" fans.
Licenced by FUNimation in North America.
Official Meitantei Conan website
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]
Kyon is your everyday high school student. He goes to school, hangs out with his friends, and his only real interests were girls and grades, until Haruhi Suzumiya arrived. Best described as a Force-of-nature, Haruhi turns Kyon's life completely upside down when she makes it clear that her only real interests in life are aliens, time-travelers, and espers. (And Kyon!) Kyon soon finds himself dragooned into Haruhi's crazy SOS Brigade along with the clumsy, busty, and frequently abused second-year cutie Mikuru, the deadpan literature-club president (and sole member) Yuki, and a self-proclaimed "Mysterious Transfer Student" Itsuki.
Now Kyon's once peaceful days are spent doing his best to keep a lid on alien-obsessed Haruhi for whom the most alien of concepts are restraint, modesty, and shame! Will Haruhi manage to find her aliens, time travelers, and espers? Will Kyon manage to hold on to his sanity? Will the world end? Find out in this sci-fi/romance/slice-of-life/mystery/drama/satire/parody/comedy.
Based on a light-novel series, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is currently a 14-episode anime, available in R1 from Bandai Entertainment.
[Entry by Abraham Evangelista]
In a city that barely resembles a particular metropolis in the USA, police officers Yao Sakurakoji and Lu Amano work to keep the peace. Too bad Yao's no good at the job, except for the gunfights and car chases, but that's okay - she's rich!
Miami Guns is very much in the Excel Saga style of comedy, but not nearly so manic or profane; it's safe to show this title to people in their mid-teens (but not to younger folks). They parody practically everything, including but not limited to 2001, Friday the 13th, Die Hard, Initial D, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, professional wrestling, beauty pageants, and themselves, so there's something for practically everyone to enjoy.
13 episodes, released on 4 DVDs in North America by AN Entertainment.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
A fantasy with what is essentially a "dirty joke" as its central point turns out to be a sweet and funny story of the search for love. Seventeen-year-old "tough guy" Seiji would really rather have a girlfriend than another fistfight, but he doesn't know that he has a silent admirer - Midori - a rich girl from a different high school. But magic brings their two fates together as one morning Seiji wakes up to find that his "invincible" right hand has been replaced by a miniature living version of Midori from the waist up. Now they have to figure out how to "live together" with this very bizarre situation without being turned into a freak show. Great pacing and characterizations together with very sharp comic timing make Midori no Hibi a minor classic in the realm of fantasy romances.
13 episodes, available in R1 from Anime Works.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]
see Astro Boy
Movie director Genya Tachibana is working on a documentary about famous actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who has withdrawn from public life and lives in a modest house. Tachibana has been given the green light to interview and film her in her home, and she tells him her life story, from helping a dissident artist she has developed feelings for escape from the military under the 1930s fascist government when she was a schoolgirl, to her extensive acting career. Since this was directed by Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue), the story is heavily intercut with flashbacks that are part Chiyoko's life and part scenes from movies she starred in - and it's not always easy to tell which are which, especially when Tachibana and his cameraman show up in in those scenes themselves. Part story within a story, part tribute to classic Japanese movies, all heart. Released in a very limited theatrical run and then on DVD by Go Fish, a division of Dreamworks.
[Entry by Dave Watson]
See Gundam
He has an overdeveloped Sense Of Right And Wrong, an incredible brain, and not much else to recommend him. So he invents a superhero suit! Too bad his sister found out and accidentally changed the design ... Now they share the identity of "Moldiver" (although she gets to use it more often than he does) in battle against their arch-enemy - but is the arch-enemy evil, or just misunderstood? Starts as a comedy, but becomes more serious near the end. A six-OAV series available from Geneon.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]
Another Pokemon-motivated "monster" kids show. Energetic young kid Genki is transported to a world populated by humans and intelligent monsters, where he joins Holly, a young girl with a mysterious pendant, and a small band of monsters on their quest to stop Mu by finding the Phoenix, the only monster capable of fighting him.
English dubbed episodes televised, and available on video from ADV.
[Entry by "Royal Orange"]
See Gundam
Brilliant, nerdy Hiroshi creates an android replica of his dream girl, but finds things a little trickier than he'd planned when she turns out to have self-determination. Some may be turned off by the iffy nature of the sexual subtext (Android Marie has a definite 'thing' for her creator, despite him insisting on being her 'brother') but others may be intrigued by Marie's attempts to deal with her origins and her feelings. Three OAVs, released on a single tape from ADV Films. The third OAV is especially hilarious for all the references the sharp-eyed can spot to other famous anime.
[Entry by Antaeus Feldspar]
Two girls move out to the country with their father (their mother is in the hospital). They discover the joys of nature and the power of family thanks to some unusual new woodland friends. Was available from FOX Video; now licenced by Disney.
[Entry by Catherine Johnson]
It is the sixteenth century. From all over Europe great ships sail west to conquer the New World. The Americas. The men, eager to seek their fortune, to find new adventure in new lands. They long to cross uncharted seas and discover unknown countries. To find secret gold on a mountain trail high in the Andes. They dream of following the path of the setting sun that leads to El Dorado and the Mysterious Cities of Gold. (opening theme)
So begins the story of 12 year old Esteban, his new friends Zia and Tao, and the older sometimes ally/sometimes enemy Mendoza with his sidekicks Pedro and Sancho. A story of action, adventure, intrigue, mystery, trust, betrayal, discovery, prophecy, mysticism, and strange powers. Not to mention a little science fiction.
Esteban is lured to the Americas where he is shipwrecked. The rest of the story is how he is caught up in navigating his way around the conquistadors and the various native tribes throughout Central and northern South America, searching for his origins and the cities of gold. They are caught several times, but manage to escape to eventually find the four cities of gold.
Included all through the adventures are mini-history lessons. Nothing overt, but if you have a smidgen of knowledge of the area it deepens enjoyment of the story. Our intrepid heroes contact the Inca at Machu Picchu, the Aztecs at Tenochtitlan (Mexico City), the Maya at Central America, an Amazon tribe, and other lost civilizations all while trying to stay one step ahead of the conquistadors.
A 1980's anime serial aimed for a 'tween audience, although the story and subplots make it interesting for an older audience and overcomes the dated animation.
The last time I saw this on the shelves it was in the year 2000 on VHS. I have no idea whether or not it's been released on DVD or what distributor. My copies are the dubbed version that I recorded from Nickelodeon in 1986-87 on BETA.
[Entry by D.Eric Wilson]
see Fushigi Yuugi
see Saint Tail
see Midori no Hibi
