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September 2002 - November 2002 GetBackers
| Ghost in the Shell: SAC | Gundam
Seed | Haibane Renmei | Heat Guy
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Alt. Title: Getbacker - Dakkanya Premiere Date: 5th October 2002 TV Station: TBS US Distribution rights: None
Review: Midou Ban and Amano Ginji are the GetBackers, who have a retrieval rate of 100%. They can get anything back for you - for a fee. They do business at the Honky Tonk Cafe, and often receive requests from Hevn (see middle screenshot), a mysterious woman who act as an "in-between" for the GetBackers. These requests are often risky and the GetBackers often find themselves dealing with more than they're paid for. However, both Ban and Ginji have special powers for some reason. Ginji can generate electricity from his body, while Ban has a steel grip and the "Jagan" (Evil Eye). The Jagan is used on people to make them see what Ban wants them to see (i.e. it creates illusions).
This series has very nice character designs and a fine selection of bishounen. Unfortunately, it also has a very episodic and fillerish nature, with nothing really connecting each job. It doesn't even seem to hint at a bigger storyline. This gives it the possibly of going forever (its already passed the 40 episode mark). GetBackers just seems to be a show centred around being light and fun and that's okay. It's nothing incredibly special, but it is entertaining. I just personally like series with something of a more solid storyline, or at least hints of one.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX Alt. Title: Kokaku Kidotai Stand Alone Complex Premiere Date: 1st October 2002 TV Station: US Distribution rights: Bandai Ent.
Review:
Episode count: Rating: out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Premiere Date: 5th October 2002 TV Station: Mainichi Broadcast/TBS US Distribution rights: Bandai Ent.
Review: I've never been a fan of the Gundam universe, I personally find them too political and quite boring. Gundam Seed is no real exception. It has very bright and clean artwork, but the general focus on the story is still war. And a lot of mecha. Both of which don't really interest me much. I don't think I have to really outline the plot of this series. It's generally the same as every other Gundam series out there: A young male pilot must use his Gundam to help tip the battle in Earth's favour. The pilot is of course, whiny and reluctant at first. Oh, and there are also some mean love triangles in this show. ^^
While watching Gundam Seed, I found myself interested only during the character interaction. I liked seeing the relationships form between them, and Fllay was one of the most interesting to watch. She is truly a disturbed person. 0_o However, whenever Kira got into his Gundam, or the Captains started talking about battling, my mind just drifted. Unfortunately this makes up a large portion of the series, so I was only really paying attention about half of the time. The absolute best thing about Gundam Seed is without a doubt, the seiyuu. Without the seiyuu, I would have given up on this series a long time ago. The ending theme and image songs composed by Kajiura Yuki was also a highlight (she didn't do the BGM, though). It you're a fan of the Gundam universe or mecha, this will be a real treat, but otherwise I would give it a miss.
Episode count: 50 Rating: 7 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: Charcoal Feather Federation Premiere Date: 9th October 2002 TV Station: Fuji TV US Distribution rights: Pioneer USA
Review: Haibane Renmei started off as a doujinshi like most of ABe Yoshitoshi's works. And like most of his works, its dull, slow-paced and filled with a lot of silence. The series starts with Rakka hatching out of an egg and being "born" into the world of Haibanes (Grey Wings/ Charcoal Feathers). Wings grow from her back in a really painful way, and she is given a halo. She has no memory of her life before, except that she remembers falling. Hence she is given the name "Rakka". She begins to live in this new village with 5 other females, all of which are also haibane like her. However, there are a lot of things that Rakka doesn't understand, like why she is here now and what happened.
Now, I don't have a problem with slow-paced series, but this series is ridiculous. Each episode practically crawls, with nothing actually being achieved when it ends. Most episodes simply revolve around what one of the 5 girls did with Rakka that day. Things start happening a little more towards the end, but I had fallen asleep in so many places throughout the rest of the series that I wasn't really sure if I interpreted the events right. Still, a lot of people like this series and from a certain angle I can see how this is similar to being more like a quiet work of art than anything else. It's just not too my tastes, though.
Episode count: 13 Rating: 4 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: None Premiere Date: 1st October 2002 TV Station: TBS US Distribution rights: Pioneer USA
Review:
Episode count: 26 Rating: out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: 12 Kingdoms Premiere Date: 3rd September 2002 TV Station: NHK US Distribution rights: Media Blasters
Review:
Episode count: Rating: out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: None Premiere Date: 8th October 2002 TV Station: Fuji TV US Distribution rights: FUNimation
Review: I really, desperately wanted to give this series a chance ever since I saw a picture of it in an issue of Newtype in early 2002. I loved the artwork and really wanted to believe that GONZO may actually back it up with a decent story for once. Then I saw the first few episodes and realized they really never learn. Kiddy Grade is basically about girls in space who flash their panties and show a lot of skin. More seriously, it's about an organization called GOTT who arrest people who are doing illegal things in space. The members of the organization tend to work in pairs, and the story focuses around Eclair and Lumiere, with a lot of supporting characters. As I mentioned before, the character designs are very appealing and the CG actually seems to be kept to a minimum. However, what this series suffers from is lack of plot and really uninteresting jobs. I was quite bored by the 3 episodes I saw, and Eclair is so terribly miscast I want to cry. One would expect her to have a sexy voice based on how she looks, right? (See left screenshot). Instead they made her sound like an annoying airhead. Ugh.
I've been told a real story develops by episode 8 and that its worth the wait. I'm still contemplating if I should continue with it, because this series doesn't seem all that bad and there seems that some bishounens will appear. I also want to stick in there for Inoue Kikuko who uses her awesome, husky voice to play Alv. I am also hooked on the themes for Kiddy Grade, especially 'If I' which completely shook me the core. That song is incredible; the beat, the lyrics, everything. It's so powerful that it can momentarily overcome my dislike for GONZO and make me want to watch this series.
Episode count: 26 Rating: 6.5 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: None Premier Date: 3rd October 2002 TV Station: TV Tokyo US Distribution rights: None
Review: Naruto is about a boy who has a fox spirit and desires to be the best ninja in the world so that can prove something to his village. His journey is accompanied be two other children training to become ninjas, Sasuke and Sakura. Their teacher is the highly-skilled Kakashi-sensei who is himself a powerful ninja. And the whole series is comprised of fights and other things that will supposedly help the ninja-trainees to grow.
Naruto is a typical shounen anime, and while the fight scenes aren't as dragged out as much as those in Dragonball Z, they still go for far too long. Based on my tastes, I already knew I wouldn't like Naruto even before I watched it. The main character is an annoying, little brat and the themes are terrible. I found time moves very slowly when I watch Naruto. I don't know if the manga is any better, but this is one series that I will personally be avoiding.
Rating: 5 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: Petite Princess Yucie Premier Date: 30th September 2002 TV Station: Eisei Dai-2 US Distribution rights: ADV Films
Review: Cool, a kids anime by GAiNAX! If I remember correctly, Puchi Puri Yucie is based on a game called Princess Maker. (I don't really play games, so if I'm wrong please let me know). It has quite a simple plot, but a fun one at that. The story starts on the day of Yucie's 17th birthday. We discover that although she is a teenager, she has a child's body because she just stopped growing one day. She lives with her father who loves her dearly, but he is not her biological father. A flashback shows that he was a knight who found her as a baby in the forest. Anyway, the Prince returns to the castle and word spreads that the Queen (played by Inoue Kikuko, WAI! ^__^) wishes to meet all the girls in the village. Naturally, they are all excited as they think that she is looking for a Princess for her son. When Yucie arrives at the castle, she sees something gleaming in one of the towers, so she tries to go there. However she is not permitted to enter the castle as the guards think she is just a child. So with the help of her servant, Cube, she sneaks into the castle that night. There she runs into the Queen and becomes a Platinum Princess nominee. And that is what the series is based on.
The setting of the story is in a fantasy-type world, with magic and dragons and the usual. I'm a sucker for fantasy, so I really liked the atmosphere. The characters are all very cute, and the story has a lot of innocence and charm. Puchi Puri Yucie may be aimed towards children, but it is still highly enjoyable for those looking for a light, sweet story. The ending theme 'Ienai kara' is a beautiful piece performed by Ishida Youko.
Episode count: Rating: 7 out of 10 Screenshots/Images:
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Alt. Title: Spiral ~ Bonds of Reasoning Premiere Date: 1st October 2002 TV Station: TV Tokyo US Distribution rights: None
Review: See my tribute site for review, screenshots and more information!
Episode count : 25 Rating: 7 out of 10
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