Anime Review

Eureka Seven Volume 7

A striking aspect of watching Eureka Seven is that you come to expect the unexpected. As enjoyable as I find the aerial combat and edge-of-the-seat tension to be, it has a complexity of writing …

• 10th March 2008
Anime Review

Black Lagoon Volume 1

Amidst all the furore surrounding Geneon’s uncertain future there were several new titles that I feared would never make it to UK shelves; one of those was Black Lagoon. It’s fair…

• 28th February 2008
Anime Review

Tales from Earthsea: Gedo Senki

Being a huge fan of Ursula Le Guin’s original novels, I was really looking forward to seeing how Studio Ghibli brought her world of Earthsea to the screen. In an unusual situation regarding licence…

• 10th February 2008
Anime Review

Golgo 13: The Professional

I don’t know whether I’d be speaking too harshly of Golgo 13: The Professional in saying how bad it is. Make no mistake, it IS bad, but the fact that it’s a quarter of a century …

• 5th January 2008
Anime Review

Black Cat Volume 1

Take a sullen protagonist with a tragic past, a down-on-his-luck bounty hunter, a gun-toting girl in a kimono, a master thief with a trick or two up her sleeve and a timid girl with a terrifying secret…and…

• 18th December 2007
Anime Review

Utawarerumono Volume 1

I’m glad that I watched these five episodes before jumping to conclusions on Utawarerumono because there’s a lot surrounding the show’s premise and origins that doesn’t…

• 6th December 2007
Anime Review

Origin ~Spirits of the Past~

The first feature-length effort from Gonzo was always going to be, in my mind at least, a big event. The premise of a post-apocalyptic future world, a struggle against nature and everything wrapped…

• 19th November 2007
Anime Review

Ninja Resurrection

This was a title that acquired considerable notoriety among fans for allegedly passing itself off as a cash-in based on the success of the Ninja Scroll feature film. It actually has little or no…

• 15th November 2007
Anime Review

Kurau: Phantom Memory Volume 1

In the year 2100, an experimental project on the moon is conducting an investigation into a new source of energy. Kurau, the twelve-year-old daughter of one of the researchers, becomes a victim…

• 16th October 2007
Anime Review

Berserk Volume 1

The idea of kicking off a series by showing a messed-up, badass antihero laying waste to his enemies in an all-out action fest isn’t a new one. It’s a bit misleading though when the …

• 10th October 2007
Anime Review

Eureka Seven Volume 6

Faced with the decision as to where to go next, Renton reluctantly decides to leave the Beams’ ship and return to the Gekkostate. Unfortunately the military are moving in on the Gekko with…

• 4th October 2007
Anime Review

Paprika

In the near-future it has become possible to observe and record the workings of the unconscious mind through a new cutting-edge technology. A scientific research team has discovered a way to …

• 29th September 2007
Anime Review

Tenjho Tenge Volume 5

The fallout from Shin’s defeat marks the end for Team Katana but he is determined to form a new club and keep himself in the running for the competition that decides the new head of the Council. Back…

• 24th September 2007
Anime Review

Bubblegum Crisis Volume 3

The OAV of Bubblegum Crisis reaches its (albeit premature) conclusion with a reclusive pop star hell-bent on revenge and a young niece of the AD Police chief giving Nene a tough time. The self-contained…

• 29th August 2007
Anime Review

Eureka Seven Volume 5

Eureka Seven reaches something of a turning point at its halfway mark as Renton, shocked at the true nature of Gekkostate’s activities and guilt-ridden over Eureka’s condition, leaves the ship.…

• 1st August 2007
Anime Review

Tenjho Tenge Volume 4

The flashback section of the story reaches its conclusion with Shin’s rage going out of control and threatening the safety of friends and enemies alike. This culminates in a dramatic showdown…

• 25th July 2007
Anime Review

Bubblegum Crisis Volume 2

The second volume sees the Knight Sabres take on a runaway freeway vigilante, high-tech vampires and a GENOM splinter group led by the enigmatic Largo as Priss begins to question her future with…

• 13th July 2007
Anime Review

Eureka Seven Volume 4

After the run-in with the military, the Gekkostate seek refuge in an abandoned mine to take on supplies and make much-needed repairs. With Eureka’s emotional condition worsening and tensions…

• 11th June 2007
Anime Review

Bubblegum Crisis Volume 1

For many fans the original Bubblegum Crisis OAV was a genre-defining series: following Otomo’s seminal Akira into overseas popularity and combining futuristic cityscapes with good…

• 20th May 2007