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(continued from part 5)

SILENT MOBIUS: THE MOTION PICTURE and SILENT MOBIUS: THE MOTION
PICTURE 2: Based on the popular manga series by Kia Asamiya, SILENT
MOBIUS is set in the near future, when creatures from the dark
universe of Nemesis threaten the Earth. Founded to fight this battle,
the Attacked Mystification Police, a special (and all female) police
department is always looking for a few good women who meet their
unique requirements: each member brings her own special power
(physical, cyber, religious, psychic, mystical) to the fight. These
movies are really parts 1 and 2 of the same story - how AMP heroine
Katsumi Liqueur came to join the force (and she's really not this
whiny in the manga or TV series!).
[Entry by Jeanne Hedge]
[Was available dubbed from Streamline Pictures when Streamline was
still in business. - Rob Kelk]

SILENT MOBIUS TV: In the near future, creatures from the dark
universe of Nemesis threaten the Earth. The battle has been going on
for generations, and now things are coming to a head. Spanning the
course of several years, SILENT MOBIUS is a 26-episode TV series that
follows the adventures of the Attacked Mystification Police, a special
(and all female) police department founded to carry on where their
elders left off. Each member of the force brings her own special
power (physical, cyber, religious, psychic, mystical) to the fight
against darkness - both from without and within. Part action-drama,
part comedy, this is not a re-telling of the movies, and it's
alternate-universe to both the movies and the manga series by Kia
Asamiya that both TV and movies were based on (in overall tone, it's
close to the manga than the movies). Available from Bandai/Anime
Village.
[Entry by Jeanne Hedge]

SLAYERS: Lina Inverse, a self-proclaimed "sorcery genius" (others
call her less-flattering things, like "enemy of all that live"),
explores her corner of the world, rights wrongs, and gets rich (in
ascending order of importance to Lina) while travelling and working
with (and sometimes fighting against) an ever-changing group of
companions. Lina's adventures have her going up against everything
from a handful of bandits to the demon lords Shabranigdo and Gaav.
It's sometimes been said by tabletop roleplaying gamers that while
RECORD OF LODOSS WAR shows a stereotypical Dungeons and Dragons
adventure, SLAYERS shows a stereotypical Dungeons and Dragons
adventuring party. There's quite a bit of humour in the series, and
any number of anachronisms (like Lina's bikini) and parody characters
(like Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon, the SAILOR MOON wannabe) show up in
the course of three television series, two OAV series, and five
movies.
The three television series (SLAYERS, SLAYERS NEXT, and SLAYERS
TRY) are available in North America from Software Sculptors, while the
OAVs and movies are available in North America from ADV Films.
SLAYERS reference site: <http://www.inverse.org/>
[Entry by Rob Kelk]

SOL BIANCA: Sol Bianca centers around the five woman crew of a
pirate ship of the same name. There are two OVAs, and there should
have been a third. The second OVA sets up the stage for a third quite
nicely, but apparently the series didn't have enough popularity to
merit the third OVA. Which is a shame, because it is a very nice
series. It takes place in the far flung future, where Earth is a
legend, and space travel is commonplace.
In the first episode a fairly standard bit of piracy on the part of
the crew of the Sol Bianca results in them accidentally capturing a
boy who was stowing away on the ship they'd plundered. Events cause
them to take on an entire planetary empire, and show that in addition
to looking very nice the Sol Bianca has a range of rather astonishing
powers (including the mandatory BFG).
The second episode explains more about the ship, and why it has
such extraordinary powers. Unfortunately the explanations are mostly
in the form of rather obscure hints, and this sets up quite nicely for
the third episode, which doesn't exist.
Excellent mecha design, an intriguing cast, and well done animation
and pacing.
The first OVA is available from ADV on VHS in both sub and dubbed
format. The second OVA is available from ADV on VHS in subtitled
format only. The OVAs are not available on DVD.
[Entry by Brad Jackson]

SOL BIANCA: THE LEGACY: This series shares the ship design, most
of the character designs, and many of the character personalities with
the first two OVAs, but it is neither a sequel nor a prequel. In the
same tradition as the various incarnations of the TENCHI MUYO
universe, we see a different, and in many ways better, version of SOL
BIANCA.
The ship design is mostly the same, and those few changes that
exist are all improvements. The character designs are improved, and
the characters have deeper and more complex personalities than they do
in their first incarnations. Jun is still the data hack, but Feb is
no longer the captain; that job has passed to April. May's character
is the most changed, instead of being a short mecha freak, she is now
a child.
The computer-generated scenes are okay, but not really worth raving
about. Generally though the animation is much better than it was in
the first OVAs, and the first OVAs had very good animation. The
storyline is engaging, and the characters make you care about them.
The quality of the dub, like many of Geneon's other late-1990's
releases, is surprisingly good. Not Disney quality, but it's actually
enjoyable even to subtitle fans.
There are six episodes to the new SOL BIANCA OVAs.
SOL BIANCA: THE LEGACY is available from Geneon.
[Entry by Brad Jackson]

SOMEDAY'S DREAMERS: A very understated, sweet and heartwarming
alternate world fantasy about a 17 year old girl named Yume who leaves
her quiet Country life to go to the Big City (Tokyo) to learn to
become a professional mage. This is a world that is much like our
own, only in which magic is real and can be performed by a few special
people. Yume is one of those special people and SOMEDAY'S DREAMERS
tells of Yume's discovery of the true meaning of her powers. The
detailed backgrounds of Tokyo in the summer add to the overall sense
of "reality" to the story and the characters and their stories charm
the audience from beginning to end.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

SORCERER HUNTERS: Carrot Glaice, Tira Misu and Chocolate Misu are
the Sorcerer Hunters, a group commissioned by the goddess "Big Mama"
to hunt down renegade sorcerers. These three particular people are
chosen for their mix of talents. Carrot, in particular, is highly
qualified for reasons I can't tell you without spoiling a major plot
point. However, he's also an amazing letch, so his two companions
have to keep him in line, by tying him up in their sexy outfits, if
need be! This is a TV series, and so the artwork and animation could
be better, though they're not terrible - just not great. Mostly this
is just fun, stupid fluff. Has sexual overtones and occasional
violence. Dub and sub. 25 episodes. From ADV Films.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]

SPEED GRAPHER: A near-future sci-fi anime from Gonzo, SPEED
GRAPHER is at times lurid, perverted, nihilistic, gory and vulgar, but
that's all part of its deliberate "charm". What we have here is a
"chase, capture, escape" action thriller that has been given the sort
of glossy superficial trashiness that we haven't seen much of since
sci-fi magazines of the 70's, while at the same time the story is, at
its heart, an odd mix of romance, lust and longing.
Tatsumi Saiga, a famous but now burned-out war photographer who has
recently recovered from near fatal wounds from his last assignment,
stumbles upon a true "den of iniquities" in Tokyo where the rich and
powerful in Japan get to taste the most forbidden of pleasures, and if
they are chosen, get to have their innermost dreams made real by a
kiss from a "goddess". Saiga unintentionally gets kissed by the young
"goddess", who tearfully asks Saiga to save her. That kiss changes
Saiga into a "Euphoria", a monstrous being whose innermost wish has
now turned into a terrible reality. In Saiga's case, his "wish come
true" means that now when he "shoots a photo", his camera truly
"shoots" the target with varying amounts of destructive power.
Saiga is not the only person to have been transformed into the
"Euphoria" state. There are many others out there who now have
unimaginable powers of cruelty and destruction and they are sent after
Saiga after he becomes obsessed with answering the plea for help from
Kagura, the young "goddess", who is the powerless pawn of her
fabulously wealthy and powerful mother Shinsen and her mother's
right-hand-man and lover Suitenguu. Add to this set-up a slew of
baroquely conceived characters, animation that occasionally approaches
a dreamlike quality, and a jazzy sound track and you have a dark and
sometimes subtly humorous bit of fast-action brain candy that doesn't
take itself too seriously and is consistently entertaining.
Never-the-less, SPEED GRAPHER is not for all tastes and this is a case
where "viewer discretion" is definitely advised.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

SPEED RACER (a.k.a. MACH GO GO GO): Based on the 1966 manga
MACH GO GO GO, this 52 episode 1967 series by Tatsunako studios shows
the career of Speed Racer (Go Mifune) from beginner racer to world
champion. The dub version is noted for its mixture of interesting
storylines and unintentionally campy dialog and numerous bad puns in
regards to character names.
It was considered popular enough that in the 1990s two revival
attempts were tried: one in America under the title NEW SPEED RACER
(1993) [13 episodes] and the other in Japan by Tatsunako studios under
the title MACH GO GO GO (1996) (aka Y2K SPEED RACER) [52 episodes were
planned, only 34 made]. Neither revival worked partly IMHO due to the
stories not measuring up to the original.
In North America, Geneon put out a DVD called SPEED RACER MOVIE
which contained "Car Hater", the two part "Mammoth Car" and a
commentary; Speed Racer Enterprises released limited edition (1000
copies) VHS and DVD sets. FHE is putting out a limited edition DVD
set at the rate of one volume a year with 11 or 12 episodes per
volume; at this rate, the set should be complete in 2006. In
Australia, Siren releases SPEED RACER.
SPEED RACER FAQ: <http://udel.edu/~mm/anime/speed/>
[Entry by Bruce Grubb]

SPELL WARS: see SORCERER HUNTERS

SPIRITED AWAY (a.k.a. SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI): Once upon a
time, a girl named Chihiro and her parents were driving to the
father's new job in a new city when they stopped to explore a strange
tunnel. This tunnel lead to the spirit world, where Chihiro's parents
were turned into pigs and Chihiro had to work at a bathhouse while she
looked for a way to turn her parents back into people. Chihiro met a
lot of strange people while she worked at the bathhouse, and learned a
lot about herself at the same time ...
This may be the closest that Hayao Miyazaki has come to telling a
European-style "fairy tale", although there are more than enough
Japanese elements in the story to make it strange to western eyes.
Other than the parents' transformation sequence, there is nothing in
this story that a young child would find frightening, although there
are a few things that may start them asking questions that some
parents aren't ready to answer. As always, please preview this movie
before letting your children watch it.
Available from Disney.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]

STARDUST MEMORIES: see GUNDAM

STEEL ANGEL KURUMI: On a dare, a boy priest named Nakahito enters
a "haunted" house, surrounded by the military, in 1920's Japan. He
knocks over what looks like a female mannequin, which falls on him and
"kisses" him by accident. This kiss awakens the second generation
prototype battle droid Steel Angel Kurumi (a bold, pink-haired,
upfront "girl"), who bonds with her new master, Nakahito. The madly-
in-love Kurumi refuses to obey orders from her creator or the
military, and easily defeats their attempt to capture her.
Faced with this, they decide to forcibly activate the second
prototype, Saki, and send her to retrieve Kurumi. After a fierce
battle between the two prototypes, Saki's energy runs out and she goes
dormant. After a little thought, Nakahito and Kurumi realize that
Kurumi was activated by the kiss and its decided to active Saki the
same way, but a suddenly jealous Kurumi pushes Nakahito aside and
kisses Saki herself. Saki (an average sized brown-haired "girl")
bonds to her new master Kurumi, but her lesbian love is frustrated by
Kurumi's love of Nakahito. She decides to make Kurumi happy by
obeying Nakahito, and the two never realize who Saki's real master is.
After a few first generation Steel Angels fail to capture Kurumi
and Saki, Karinka, a new experimental model with a double "heart", is
sent to capture them. Karinka (a petite blonde flat-chested
loli-droid) battles both prototypes, eventually joins them, and even
steals a kiss from Nakahito. Frustrated by their failures, the secret
organization who is behind the battle droids activates their ultimate
Steel Angel for a final battle.
Currently available in North America as a seven-DVD set from ADV,
"Steel Angel Kurumi Complete Collection", that includes the original
series, a four-episode OVA series, and an inferior second series.
Parental Advisory: Brief partial nudity (fully exposed breasts).
R1 official website:
<http://www25.advfilms.com/favorites/kurumi/index.html>
[Entry by Rob Maxwell]

STRANGE DAWN: Strange Dawn is an intriguingly naturalistic take of
what happens when you drop two ordinary 16 year old girls into a
parallel world populated by constantly warring tribes of knee-high
people who hail them as superheroes: Where are the toilets? Oh no, we
don't have any clean clothes! Do we really want to be saviours, or
should we just keep our heads down and look for a way home? The
attention to everyday concerns may sound comical but actually it makes
the whole thing believable, and heightens the impact of the violence
which punctuates the tale as rival factions fight over the girls. The
story is complex and mysterious: every character has their own agenda,
and neither we nor the girls really know what's going on, and in their
case they are not sure they even want to know.
The series is 13 episodes long, and a nicely blended mix of cel and
CGI. The DVD version is both sub & dub. The dub has a mixed
Anglo-Australian-European sound to it which non-American viewers find
refreshing, but many American viewers can't bear. The voice acting is
good and in keeping with the tone of the original; however the
translation itself is a salutary reminder of the ambiguities of the
Japanese language: where it's possible to translate a sentence in two
different ways, the dub infallibly picks the wrong one. This just
adds to the overall air of mystery though, so the dub is undoubtedly
destined to be a cult classic, especially when you throw in the
complete absence of lip sync.
Partially released in North America by Urban Vision.
[Entry by Shez]

SUGAR, A TINY SNOW FAIRY: see TINY SNOW FAIRY SUGAR

SUGAR SUGAR RUNE: Classic-style magic girl shoujo anime returns in
a big way with the 51-episode Studio Pierrot/TV Tokyo adaptation of
Moyoco Anno's SUGAR SUGAR RUNE. This bright, lively and entertaining
series combines everything that you want in mahou shoujo anime; magic,
mystery, cute outfits, comic sidekicks, pretty girls and plenty of
bishiis, along with comedy, romance and drama. The animation ranges
from good to occasionally surprisingly excellent, the voice acting is
spot-on, the direction is crisp and the story builds towards and
delivers a self-consistent and satisfying conclusion.
Witch People from the Magical Realm in a parallel world regularly
come to Earth to "capture hearts" from unaware humans. These
crystalline "hearts" are the embodiments of the emotions of a human.
Crystal hearts that contain the various ranges of love are most
valued, but even hearts containing negative emotions have power. Two
young witches, Chocola and Vanilla, are sent to Earth on a special
mission; they must compete against each other for crystal hearts, and
the eventual winner will become the future Queen of the Magical Realm.
Chocola and Vanilla are enrolled in a private middle school on Earth
and are under the care of an adult and powerful Mage, Robin, who
covers his actions on Earth under the guise of being a rock star.
Chocola and Vanilla have been friends since early childhood,
although their backgrounds are different. Chocola is an orphan who
was raised by her eccentric grandfather. Vanilla is the daughter of
the current Queen of the Magical Realm. Chocola is brash, outgoing
and a bit tomboyish, characteristics that make her very popular in the
Magical Realm. Vanilla is shy, unsure of herself and quiet. Once on
Earth, Vanilla's character makes her an immediate hit with all the
boys around her, allowing her to easily acquire crystal hearts. But
Chocola's personality has the opposite effect, reducing her ability to
compete with the cute and very feminine Vanilla.
But many things are going on in the background, unbeknownst to the
two young Queen Candidates. The Magical Realm is threatened by a
force from the past that is bent upon revenge, and even the two girls
on Earth can't escape from the threat from the Dark Realm. In
particular, Chocola is drawn towards the mysterious and enigmatic
older boy Pierre, who is not only immune to Chocola's magic charms,
but appears to have some dark secrets of his own.
All-in-all, SUGAR SUGAR RUNE delivers a very enjoyable story with
memorable characters that is suitable for mahou shoujo fans of all
ages.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

SUKEBAN DEKA: A very nice production of two OVAs where a deliquent
girl is persuaded by the threat of Death Penalty for her murderous
mother to pose as a student at her old high school and figure out who
is responsible for the deaths of two bus loads of students.
Strong character in the heroine, Saki the YoYo, with her
police-supplied Super Yoyo. I wonder why it never went on to a series
but most likely the police weren't happy as one is depicted as
corrupt.
It is lurid with loads of violence. I saw the KOR production
inspired by this which is why I decided to watch it.
100 minutes Hybrid DVD; ADV Films.
[Entry by bobbie sellers]

SUPER GALS!: To slightly misquote the old Cyndi Lauper song, "Gals
just wanna have fun!" Ran Kotobuki is a typical slacker student -
barely passing at school and not caring about it - who lives for the
after-school experience of shopping and dating. But Ran has a mean
left hook and a strong moral streak (her parents and brother are all
police officers), which leads her to stand up to injustice when it
isn't inconvenient or when it really offends her sensibilities. Ran
spends most of the series hanging out in Shibuya with her best friend
Miyu (who is in love with Ran's brother), their formerly-studious
classmate Aya, and some others who it would spoil the plotline to name
here ...
This is a good corrective to all the anime that are filled with
model students (such as AZUMANGA DAIOH and CARD CAPTOR SAKURA); it
shows that there are Japanese students who just get by in class and
get into trouble with their teachers, too. While the tone of SUPER
GALS! is sometimes serious, it's primarily about having fun, living
life to the fullest even when you've already spent all of your
allowance, and being true to your friends and your favourite place to
hang out.
The first 26 episodes of SUPER GALS! have been released in North
America by ADV.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]

SUPERGIRL MARIS: see MARIS THE CHOJO

T

TAIHO SHICHAUZO!: see YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!

TANK POLICE: see DOMINION

TARUTO: see MAHOU SHOUJO NEKO TARUTO

TENCHI MUYO: A story about a teenage boy, the pretty alien girl
who loves him, the other pretty alien girl who loves him, the *other*
other pretty alien girl who loves him, and a few other pretty alien
girls (some of whom love him, too). And they all just happen to be
some of the most powerful people in the universe. The plotline varies
between sit-com and space opera, occasionally in the same episode.
The plot of the first OAV series was heavily re-written to become the
basis of TENCHI MUYO TV. The first two OAV series are available in
North America from Geneon under the name "Tenchi Collection" - in
fact, this was Geneon's flagship title - and an edited version of
these has been aired on U.S. cable TV. The North American rights to
the third OAV series are held by Funimation. The manga (with the
translated title "No Need for Tenchi") is available from Viz.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]

TENCHI MUYO: MIHOSHI SPECIAL: A side story to the TENCHI MUYO OAV
series, this is Galaxy Police officer Mihoshi's recounting of her
biggest case ever. The names in the story have been changed to
protect the innocent, of course, but Mihoshi changes them to the names
of her friends! Somehow, the relationships just don't change ... This
comedy marks the first alternate TENCHI MUYO continuity, the first
appearance of Kiyone, and one of the earliest appearances of Magical
Girl Pretty Sammy. Available on VHS as part of the TENCHI COLLECTION,
or on DVD as part of the MAGICAL GIRL PRETTY SAMMY collection, from
Geneon.
[Entry by Rob Kelk]

TENCHI MUYO TV: Tenchi Masaki is an ordinary schoolboy until
gorgeous alien women (with their little sisters and meowing spaceships
in tow) start to crash-land in his backyard. A little bit of URUSEI
YATSURA and a little bit of RANMA 1/2, with some Star Wars homages
thrown in for good measure. The TV series is generally considered a
parallel universe to the version of the story told in the OAV series.
Highly recommended for fans of romantic comedies and sci-fi adventure.
Available from Geneon under the title TENCHI UNIVERSE.
[Entry by Dave Menard]

TENCHI IN TOKYO (a.k.a. SHIN TENCHI MUYO): This latest installment
of Tenchi fun is yet another parallel universe from the OAV and first
TV series. In this story, Tenchi goes off to school in Tokyo leaving
the girls behind in Okayama. This doesn't sit well with the passel of
alien women, especially since Tenchi's getting awfully close to that
new girl, Sakuya ...
Available from Geneon.
[Entry by Dave Menard]

TENCHI MUYO movies
TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE!: Tenchi and the girls must race back in time
to keep an intergalactic criminal from altering the past. The first
TENCHI movie, based off the TV series continuity. Spectacular
animation combined with a good story make this film in many ways the
best TENCHI feature.
TENCHI MUYO: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS (a.k.a. MANATSU NO EVE): Known
as MIDSUMMER'S EVE in the UK and Europe. Tenchi's daughter appears,
but who's the mother? And what does all this have to do with Yosho's
childhood on planet Jurai? Not as well received by fans as the first
TENCHI movie, DoD is nevertheless high-quality animation, though the
story may seem to be a little rushed. This may be due to the
long-circulated rumour that the plotline was originally written for a
third OAV series.
TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE 2 - TENCHI FOREVER: According to Pioneer/AIC,
the *final* TENCHI MUYO TV feature. FOREVER does a fair job of
resolving some of the longstanding conflicts between the two primary
rivals for Tenchi's heart, and the bittersweet ending suggests that
Tenchi has finally made a choice. A languid pace makes this feature
tricky viewing, especially compared to the more frenetic pace of the
earlier films. Worth watching only if you are willing to invest the
attention needed to appreciate this final chapter.
[Entries by Dave Menard]
[Dave's comment about the first movie being the best is his
opinion - some people, including the list maintainer, like the second
movie better. All three movies are available from Geneon. - Rob
Kelk]

TENCHI UNIVERSE: see TENCHI MUYO TV

TENKU NO SHIRO LAPUTA: see LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY

TENSHI NI NARUMON (a.k.a. I'M GONNA BE AN ANGEL): An odd romantic
fantasy with an edge, concerning a teenaged boy named Yusuke whose
life is turned upside down by the appearance of a very strange girl
called Noelle and her even stranger family who come out of nowhere to
change Yusuke's home into a fantasy toy house and Yusuke's life into
chaos. Noelle seems to be out-of-this-world in many ways, not the
least being her desire to "become an angel". But at the same time
different otherworldly things are going on in the background which
threaten Noelle, Yusuke and the others around them. The series takes
a big "left turn" at the halfway point and becomes stranger and much
darker. All-in-all TENSHI NI NARUMON is a very different, compelling
and ultimately satisfying fantasy.
Licenced in North America by Synch-Point.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

TETSUWAN ATOMU: see ASTRO BOY

THOSE OBNOXIOUS ALIENS: see URUSEI YATSURA

TIME STRANGER: An involving variation on The Terminator, with
slight nods of the head towards Time Bandits. The animation is very
good and the story, complex. Feudal Japan is depicted nicely and in
detail, as is the far future. Great plot complications throughout.

TINY SNOW FAIRY SUGAR: The weather is something that happens, not
something that's created, right? But Did you know that fairies can
create the very weather itself?
In the picturesque town of Muhlenburg lives an 11 year old girl
named Saga. An organized, efficient, "make a decision and go!" kind
of girl, Saga is very embodiment of industrious, whose only character
flaw is an impatient temper. She's not the type to be superstitious.
But Saga can see fairies. As a child, Saga looked to a sky while
lying in a snow bank, and saw a beautiful fairy flying away on a trail
of falling snow.
Still, childhood memories are easily dismissed as figments of the
imagination, so it's no surprise when Saga dismisses the fairy she
finds while running her errands, as a mere illusion. After all,
fairies are lovely, beautiful creatures, not hyperactive, selfish,
lazy, waffle-eating, 3-inch-tall toddlers.
But this one is! Her name is Sugar, and she's come to the human
world to find her "twinkle" and become a great Snow Fairy, just like
her mother.
With an appropriately whismical soundtrack and characters designed
by the Queen of Cute, Koge Donbo, TINY SNOW FAIRY SUGAR is best
described as an heartwarming animated fairytale.
Licenced by Geneon in North America.
[Entry by Abraham Evangelista]

TO HEART: A 13 episode slice of life drama about a group of
17-year-old high-school students. The nail-biting climax of episode
one concerns whether or not Akari, a total sweetie with cherry-red
hair, will get to sit next to the boy she likes, and the rest of the
series pretty much follows on at the same tempo. Akari's squeeze is
the sleepy-headed but kind-hearted Hiroyuki, whose ever-helpful nature
causes him to acquire new female friends in each episode. The genius
of this charming series is how its focus on the events of everyday
life manages to elevate them to a level of importance that supplants
any need for magical superheroes or quests to save the world. Having
said that, many of the girls that Hiroyuki befriends have intriguing
quirks: e.g. Serika practices black magic, Kotone is a psychic who
only makes unlucky predictions, and Multi is an incompetent android
sent to the school for field trials.
Rather remarkably for a TV series that is bordering on shoujo, TO
HEART actually started life as a Hentai dating sim. As well as the 13
episodes, there are 6 little "omake" (extras) which were originally
broadcast with some of the episodes. They use super-deformed versions
of the characters and are mostly even more low key than the main
episodes.
Licenced by Right Stuf.
[Entry by Shez]

TONARI NO TOTORO: see MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO

TRIGUN: A sci-fi western comedy (mostly) focusing around the
world's most unlikely criminal, Vash the Stampede. The man is
apparently so dangerous that he's worth 60,000,000,000$$ ("double
dollars"), but whenever anyone catches up to him in hopes of snagging
the reward, they're always thwarted: sometimes by his skill with a
gun, but mostly by his inherent goofiness. However, Vash does have a
dark past, so mysterious that even he himself doesn't know what it is!
All in all, a fairly lighthearted show with some serious themes, but a
hilarious watch. (Geneon)
[Entry by KireiSarah]

TSUKIKAGE RAN (a.k.a. KAZEMAKASE TSUKIKAGE RAN, or CARRIED BY THE
WIND): Ran, a female samurai, is a self-described "beautiful female
drifter" wandering through feudal Japan, carried only by the
ever-changing wind and her eternal thirst for sake. Generally
accompanying her is Miao (Meow), a wandering martial artist from China
characterised mostly by happy-go-luckiness, a good heart, and an
utter, frightening lack of anything resembling forethought or
intelligence. Together the two, rather more frequently than Ran would
like, get embroiled in resolving problems of local corruption or
crime. An episodic light-hearted parody of Japanese "wandering
samurai and his sidekick" shows, high points being likable characters
and spectacular fight scenes. 13 episodes, available now from Bandai.
[Entry by Blade]

TSUKUYOMI MOON PHASE: Kohei is a young man from a family of
powerful spiritualists who happens to not have any of the powers of
his relatives, other than an ability to take photographs of
supernatural occurrences and a tendency to not be affected by many
aspects of magic. Kohei's life begins to change when while on an
assignment to photograph an old haunted castle in Germany he meets a
pretty young girl named Hazuki who happens to be a vampire who has
been trapped in the castle. Kohei helps Hazuki to break free, and
becomes involved in Hazuki's search for her mother who disappeared
years before. But powerful forces in the shadowy world of vampires
want Hazuki back, and Kohei finds himself in the role of protecting
Hazuki while trying to come to an understanding of their odd mutual
attraction. With a brilliant and witty script that is matched by
aggressively edgy animation, masterful swings between French bedroom
farce-style humor and gothic horror, a compelling sound track and very
likable characters, TSUKUYOMI is a totally enjoyable fantasy.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

THE TWELVE KINGDOMS: see JUUNI KOKKI

U

URUSEI YATSURA: The title translates as something like THOSE
OBNOXIOUS ALIENS, though the title itself is actually a pun in
Japanese. This was the series that broke Rumiko Takahashi onto the
manga and anime scene, first in Japan, then around the world. Ataru
Moroboshi is this planet's unluckiest person, so it was a foregone
conclusion that he would be the target of a contest, the outcome
deciding the future of the world. When Moroboshi wins unexpectedly,
his cry of "Now I can be married!" is misinterpreted by his "Oni"
opponent, a rather nubile young thing called Lum. Now Lum believes
herself to be married to her "darling", much to the disgust of most of
the male population of Tomobiki-cho. A full compliment of characters
conspire to make life interesting for the happy couple, as well as
copious numbers of special and repetitive guests in this long-running
series which includes six movies, several OAV's and more than 200 TV
episodes.
Originally released as a subtitled-only series by AnimEigo, though
a dub version was attempted - that was aborted after only two episodes
due to unfavourable feedback from fans.
[Entry by Chika]

UTENA (a.k.a. SHOUJO KAKUMEI UTENA, REVOLUTIONARY GIRL UTENA): You
could go off roses! A different twist on the magical girl series in
that the subject here makes no attempt to transform into anything
except by the fact that as a very young girl, grieving her parents'
death, she encounters a "prince" who comforts her and tells her that
they are destined to meet again, giving her a ring. She vows to grow
up as noble as this prince, but takes it too literally, shunning the
usual fuku of her peers for more masculine garb. On her acceptance to
a school with a mysterious club, she finds that not only were there
other people with the same ring as her, but that they regularly fought
for the hand of the "Rose Bride", in the hope that eventually the
lucky winner will gain entry to the strange castle visible from the
duelling ring, though each has a different reason driving them.
Available from Software Sculptors.
[Entry by Chika]

V

VAMPIRE HUNTER D (1985): A.D. 12,090 is a lot like the Old West,
except for the mutants and vampires. When Count Magnus Lee, an
ancient and powerful bloodsucker, sets his sights on a young woman of
the frontier, Doris Lang, she hires a cape-clad, sword-swinging
stranger known simply as D to get rid of a suitor who doesn't
understand "No." D must fight his way past a horde of supernatural
guardians as well as taking on Count Lee himself, and also must
contend with his own unnatural aspects. In addition to being a
dhampir (half human and half vampire), D has in his left palm a
symbiotic creature that exercises weird powers on his behalf but also
taunts him for his shortcomings at every opportunity.
Some fans look down on VHD for its crude animation and cliched
storyline, but it has become a cult classic, perhaps for its stunning
imagery and larger-than-life conflicts. There's romance as well when
Doris starts falling for her half-human savior. VHD is also notable
for its violence, as D's blade slices through nearly anything that
will make a blood splash. Tetsuya Komuro's soundtrack gives a rich
atmosphere to both action and quieter moments.
Available from Urban Vision.
[Entry by Cathy Krusberg]

VAMPIRE HUNTER D (2000): A second VAMPIRE HUNTER D movie was
released to Japanese theaters in April 2001 and is slated for American
theatrical release in September 2001. Also titled VAMPIRE HUNTER D,
it is based on the third novel in Hideyuki Kikuchi's VHD series, "D -
Yousatsukou" (D - Demon Deathchase). D is hired to retrieve a woman
kidnapped by the vampire Meier Link, but his task is complicated by
two factors: a competing set of hunters, and the true love that led
the woman to accompany Meier of her own will. The character designs
in the new movie are much closer to Yoshitaka Amano's vision, and the
animation is top notch.
Licenced by Urban Vision in North America, by Optimum in the UK,
and by Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Cathy Krusberg]

VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU: An enterprising young woman crosses paths
with a strange girl named Miyu, a demon-hunter who is the last of her
kind, and follows her as she banishes Shinma with her flame. This
dark, frustratingly short tale about the monsters without and within
is a pretty refreshing take on the vampire genre, giving us just
enough tragedy without seeming too ham-handed.
PARENTAL ADVISORIES: Heavy violence (blood and gore) and implied
adult themes.
Licenced by AnimEigo in North America, and by Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Dot Warner]

VAMPIRE PRINCESS MIYU TV: This 26-episode series follows Miyu's
life as a schoolgirl. In addition to fighting monsters, the focus is
placed more on Miyu's need for blood. She also gets a cute
anthromorphic talking monster and spends way too much screen time
angsting about being a vampire. I consider it to be vastly inferior
to the OAV series, although some fans think that the TV depiction of
Miyu is more sympathetic.
PARENTAL ADVISORIES: Heavy violence (blood and gore) and implied
adult themes.
Licenced by TOKYOPOP in North America, by MVM in the UK, and by
Madman in Australia.
[Entry by Dot Warner]

VANDREAD: A series with two seasons by Takeshi Mori. A group of
men have lived for generations on a planet without women. The women
in this show are the enemy who are feared as monsters by these men who
are created in genetic laboratories. When Hibiki, our young hero,
finds himself stowed away on a ship that is captured by the women and
subsequently cast into deep space by a missile, he and a few others
must learn to work together to return without killing each other in
the process.
The series is fraught with wonderful CGI scenes where the man's
mecha-inspired Vanguard fighter merges with the women's
jet-fighter-inspired Dread units to create extremely powerful
fighters. On top of this the sexual tension of two cultures that have
never before encountered each other and so have no concept of
"relations" between the sexes is hilarious to watch.
Available from Geneon.
[Entry by Charlie Smith]

VENUS WARS: A group of racers on Venus and a reporter from Earth
are caught up in the war for the dominance of Venus. A dark film from
the "sand in my spacesuit" view of the future which sees the racers
being turned from a group of stunt racers who defeat a tank by sheer
fluke to hard fighting riders who become instrumental in the war's
conclusion. Available from USMC.
[Entry by Chika]

VIDEO GIRL AI: Youta Moteuchi has a crush on his schoolmate, Moemi
Hayakawa, but she has feelings for his best friend, Takeshi Niimai.
Since Youta is too nice for his own good, he tries to get the two of
them together, despite how sad it makes him. A mysterious new video
store called Gokuraku appears on Youta's path home, and he winds up
renting an adult video entitled "Ai Amano - I'll Cheer You Up." When
he plays it on his defective VCR, Ai pops out of the TV screen into
his life, and promises to help him square things away with Moemi.
There was one thing she hadn't counted on, however: Amongst other
flaws, the broken VCR caused her to eventually fall in love with
Youta, which is forbidden for Video Girls, and causes heartbreaking
complications for both of them. A six-OVA series based on the popular
manga by Masakazu Katsura (who had previously distinguished himself
with WINGMAN). Available domestically from Viz Video, but beware the
over-massaged, over-localized translations, especially in the dub.
[Entry by David Watson]

THE VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE: A sixteen year old girl, Hitomi, who is
magically transported to the land of Gaia, is embroiled in a battle
with the evil Zaibach empire, bent on manipulating destiny. She aids
the boy king Van Fanel, who pilots the mecha Escaflowne, the alluring
knight Allen Schezar, the cat-girl Merle and the willful Princess
Millerna as she discovers latent psychic powers which may be key to
the fate of Gaia. This 26 episode series mixes romance, magic, mecha
and plot in a pacy, beguiling mix, with above average TV animation and
a musical score widely regarded as one of the best in anime. The dub
is either loved or loathed.
Licensed by Bandai in North America - a commercial subtitle,
unedited and cut (Fox Kids) dub are available on VHS, with the DVDs
containing uncut subtitle and dub. In Australia, Escaflowne has been
released by Madman.
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]

VOTOMS: Old TV series of post-WWIII world. The army controls the
world with their mecha, but not everyone goes along. MELLOWLINK is a
related series in the same universe (set before VOTOMS, made after.)
VOTOMS has been licensed by USMC.

W

WAR IN THE POCKET: see GUNDAM

WEATHERING CONTINENT: A short drama in the fantasy vein. A
swordsman, a healer (who knows a little about magic), and a young
runaway have fallen in together in their travels. This is an incident
that befell them in the desert amid the ruins of an ancient
civilization. Very moody.
60 minutes. Released in the US by Anime Works.
[Entry by Jack Bohn]

A WIND NAMED AMNESIA: It happened suddenly. One minute all was as
it should be, the next ... everyone on Earth had their memory wiped.
Language, social habit, everything. The story surrounds one boy, who
has been retrained to normality by another boy who escaped erasure by
the fact that he was linked to a computer in a radical new way.
Touring the devastation, he is accompanied by a woman who seems also
to have escaped erasure but will not say how. On their journey they
see what Man has made of himself since his memory was wiped, and view
the consequences, all of which leads to the ultimate questions; who
did it, and why? Available from USMC.
[Entry by Chika]

WINDARIA: A lovely fantasy story of two kingdoms at war, and how
that disturbs two pairs of lovers - one peasant, one royal. A
tragedy. Well worth the watch, IMHO. Nice music, too.
[Was available dubbed from Streamline Pictures while Streamline was
still in business.]

WINGS OF HONNEAMISE: see ROYAL SPACE FORCE

WITCH HUNTER ROBIN: Under the jurisdiction of an organisation
known as Solomon, a group of "Hunters" known as STN-J targets
"Witches" in modern day Japan - people with special powers passed on
by genetics that use them for evil. Into their midsts is introduced a
new recruit, Robin Sena, a 15 year old ex-nun from Italy with
pyrokinetic abilities, whose arrival is the catalyst for the
uncovering of a conspiracy in STN-J itself and the true nature of
Witches. A dark, subdued series that many may find dull due to its
episodic first half, the show's strengths lie in its meticulous
characterisation (particularly of Robin) and realistic production
stylings alongside sparse, but impressive action sequences.
Available on 6 DVDs from Bandai in Region 1, and broadcast on
Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Series website: <http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/robin/>
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]

WITCH'S DELIVERY SERVICE: see KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE

WOLF'S RAIN: Legends tell that wolves are the key to finding
paradise on Earth. However, wolves were supposedly extinct years ago,
and now the world has been ravaged by the passage of time. In this
futuristic, bleak Siberia, wolves have learnt to fool the eyes of
humans and appear like them so they can scrounge a living in the
cities. However, one wolf, Kiba, is obsessed with finding paradise
and Cheza, the "Flower Maiden" who will guide them there. After
gathering together a group of wolves including Tsume, the hard-bitten
city wolf, Toboe, the naive cub, and Hige, the seemingly carefree
slacker, they head out to find Cheza, but draw others into their quest
for Paradise along the way.
WOLF'S RAIN shares several staff members with the late-90's classic
COWBOY BEBOP, and features many of the similar strengths; an exciting
score from Yoko Kanno, excellent animation, and a melancholic, wistful
atmosphere. Although not quite as emotionally resonant due to the
distant, animalistic characterisation of the wolves (the human
characters that join the quest add a great deal of depth), the
strongly-written, multi-threaded plot is only really spoilt by four
consecutive recap episodes that fall in the middle of the series;
these can easily be skipped, however.
The complete series is available in Region 1 from Bandai; a cheap
boxset is forthcoming at the time of writing. It is also currently on
release in European Region 2 from BEEZ and in Region 4 from Madman.
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]

X

X: Kamui Shirou returns to Tokyo after a long absence to seek out
a mystical sword, a bitter, cold young man almost unrecognisable to
his childhood friends Kotori and Fuuma Monou. All three will become
caught up in a war for the future of the Earth between two factions of
supernaturally powered men and women - the Dragons of Heaven and the
Dragons of Earth - a war in which Kamui is the most important factor.
It is destiny that he should choose one side - but whichever he
chooses will produce the most dire consequences.
Based on the classic (yet currently unfinished) shoujo manga epic
from CLAMP (CARDCAPTOR SAKURA, CHOBITS), X is a grandiose, morbid tale
of dark shoujo angst with super powers, where every character has an
in-depth, depressing backstory to go with their incredible magical
fights. There is little levity throughout, but it hardly matters
given the calibre of the production - the animation is simply
fantastic for a TV show, and most episodes put you through the
emotional wringer. There are some recurring characters from CLAMP's
previous work TOKYO BABYLON which it may help to have some familiarity
with, although it's not entirely necessary.
The TV series is available on 8 discs from Geneon in Region 1
(there are now 2 4-disc sets available at a slightly lower
price-point), and an inferior Region 4 release on 6 discs from Shock.
(This entry deals with the X TV series - there is also an older
movie version available from Manga Entertainment which, despite
excellent animation, attempts unsuccessfully to compress 18 volumes or
so of manga into an hour and a half of film, and thus fails quite
spectacularly.)
[Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]

Y

YAWARA: Matsuda is a sportswriter who has become disillusioned
with the gossip and scandals he has been exposed to in his daily work.
Things change the day he sees a young girl overpower a purse-snatcher.
It turns out she is Yawara Inokuma, the granddaughter of Jigorou
Inokuma who had once held the all-Japan judo title for five
consecutive years. Though Yawara had the talent, she had no love for
the sport. She wanted to be a girl like any other girl. However,
Matsuda was compelled to write about her. When he did, Yawara was
thrust into the spotlight and found herself right in the middle of the
world of Judo. Can she balance the ambitions of her authoritarian
grandfather who would have her win an Olympic gold medal with her own
aspirations to be a normal girl?
YAWARA is a show for all ages male and female - for those who love
sports and for those who have an aversion to sports. Best of all,
it's a show of memorable characters who lead interesting lives in
overcoming the challenges that stand in the way of their dreams.
AnimEigo has licensed this 124-episode series.
[Entry by Phil Yff]

YOKOHAMA SHOPPING TRIP LOG (a.k.a. QUIET COUNTRY CAFE): This is a
four-volume OAV series based on the manga YOKOHAMA KAIDASHI KIKOU by
Hitoshi Ashinano. It is centred around the character of Alpha, a
robot who runs a coffee shop in the Japanese countryside many years
after some kind of apocalypse has caused the seas to rise and flood
the coasts. The world is in a slow peaceful decline with a
much-reduced population and houses and roads lie abandoned to Nature.
The anime's bucolic atmosphere is juxtaposed with assorted wonders
to jolt the viewer's expectations: odd new species of plants and
animals grow alongside the unrepaired roads, a giant swan-like
aircraft is occasionally seen high in the sky, a female sea-spirit
seeks the company of children. It is a slow, almost plotless
travelogue with visuals and skyscapes comparable to Miyazaki (IMO)
rendered in a watercolour-style form very similar to the manga.
[Entry by Robert Sneddon]

YOU'RE UNDER ARREST! (a.k.a. TAIHO SHICHAUZO!): The adventures of
Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa, two female police officers on
the Bokutoh City police force and their day-to-day adventures. Set in
a more or less present day city. Good animation and artwork. Good
clean fun. Little if any violence or gore, and only some innocent
flirting on the sexual side. Both OVA and TV series has been made.
Based on a manga by Kosuke Fujishima, the same guy who did OH MY
GODDESS! There's also a TV series that hasn't been released yet in
the US. Four OVAs. From AnimEigo.
[Entry by Ben Cantrick]
[The TV series has been released by AnimEigo. There is also an
excellent YOU'RE UNDER ARREST movie, which has a tone somewhere
between the YOU'RE UNDER ARREST OAVs and the PATLABOR movies, and a
series of "Mini-Specials" that are almost completely humourous - these
have been released by ADV Films. - Rob Kelk]

YUUGEN KAISHA: see PHANTOM QUEST CORPORATION

Z

ZEIRAM, THE ANIMATION: see IRIA

ZETA GUNDAM: see GUNDAM

ZIPANG: The Mirai, the newest and most powerful Aegis-class
frigate in the JDF's 21st-Century fleet, quietly slips anchor from
Yokahama Naval Yard and sets off to join the US Navy in joint armed
naval practices off of Hawaii. The Mirai's officers and crew are
experienced seamen, committed to defense of Japan and to the
maintenance of peace in the modern world. Then, halfway to their
rendezvous point the crew of the Mirai are jolted by a sudden power
surge as the Mirai goes though a strange mid-ocean storm containing
auroras. As the crew gets over the inexplicable incident they are
faced with an even more unbelievable event - out of nowhere appears a
huge ship that is racing directly towards them. The crew of the Mirai
reacts with the efficiency of their years of training and they avoid a
collision, but as the mystery ships passes nearby in the night the
Mirai's crew all stand and look in fear and awe, because the ship
cruising by is none other than the largest battleship ever build, the
IJN Yamato.
Thus starts the gripping sci-fi drama ZIPANG, in which a modern
21st Century combat ship of the Japanese Defense Force and its crew
are suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into the middle of the largest
and most destructive world-wide conflict ever - World War II. The
crew of the Mirai quickly realize that they have not seen an illusion,
in fact, the next morning they become silent witnesses to the
destruction of the Japanese carrier fleet at Midway. But they are not
destined to remain static observers, as first they stop and save an
IJN Intelligence officer from a sinking floatplane and then they have
to avoid the torpedoes of a prowling US submarine.
Just by being there the Mirai and its crew start to immediately
change history. Very quickly both sides are looking for the "mystery
ship". The Americans are scared of yet another Japanese "super weapon"
coming upon them unexpectedly. And the Japanese want to know just
what is this ship that has a Japanese crew but seems so foreign. The
many details of the early part of WW II in the Pacific are brought
into play, particularly the distrust between the Services on both
sides and the fatalism of the leadership of the IJN after the debacle
at Midway. But the story becomes very human too, due to the
comparisons and contrasts made between Yosuke Kadomatsu, the second-in-
command of the Mirai and Takumi Kusaka, the young IJN intelligence
officer who has been given a second chance at life and a detailed look
at a future that may be, but doesn't have to be.
ZIPANG is a brilliantly conceived and executed tour-de-force that
develops a true clash-of-cultures then deals with it intelligently and
honestly. Punches are not pulled, nor are there any copouts. This is
a story about war and it deals with both the bravery and the horror on
many levels. Breathtaking action and serious drama are given equal
billing and the viewer is forced to consider what choices he or she
would make in similar situations. And while a viewer who has some
level of knowledge of the War in the Pacific will find much to enjoy
in this series, the humanity of the characters and the questions that
are asked make ZIPANG a compelling story even for those who only have
a cursory knowledge of those events some sixty years ago that shaped
the world we know today.
[Entry by Dave Baranyi]

ZZ GUNDAM: see GUNDAM

- --
Rob Kelk <http://robkelk.ottawa-anime.org/> e-mail: s/deadspam/gmail/
"I'm *not* a kid! Nyyyeaaah!" - Skuld (in "Oh My Goddess!" OAV #3)
"When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear
of childishness and the desire to be very grown-up." - C.S. Lewis

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