Anime Review

Love Hina Volume 3

Love Hina #3 presents us with yet more signature slapstick comedy and ‘slice-of-life’ drama that made the earlier episodes so successful, but the story has now notably faded into…

• 4th November 2004
Anime Review

Ninja Scroll TV Volume 3

Ninja Scroll TV has been a fun and exciting ride through a semi-authentic historical Japan; brimming with inventive monsters, crazed demons and some damn fine samurai warriors. Admittedly,…

• 3rd November 2004
Anime Review

Love Hina Volume 2

Sometimes it’s nice settling down into an anime production knowing exactly what to expect; and Love Hina is a perfect example of a predictable but still fun series. Comedy, loads of fan-service…

• 5th October 2004
Anime Review

Kiddy Grade Volume 3

Kiddy Grade #3 finally gives this faltering series a much needed kick up the back side, crucially giving the story injections of both interesting plot development and conspiracy intrigue that…

• 1st October 2004
Anime Review

Kiddy Grade Volume 2

I’m unsure about Kiddy Grade; the story seems to constantly hint at something deeper than the pure guns-and-lipstick formula we’ve become accustomed to since the first disc, without…

• 15th September 2004
Anime Review

Fruits Basket Volume 4

Fruits Basket #4 is one of the few UK releases I’ve approached with a real sense of enthusiasm and anticipation; up to this point, the series has just been outstanding – seamlessly…

• 14th September 2004
Anime Review

Love Hina Volume 1

Love Hina has made it over to the UK with a big reputation for tons of fan-service and many Tenchi Muyo!-like situations (the multiple girls swooning for just one guy scenario). So with this preconception…

• 14th September 2004
Anime Review

Fruits Basket Volume 3

Reviewing an anime series like Fruits Basket is something of a daunting prospect for me; it’s just so damn perfect in nearly every way that I find it extremely hard to pin down exactly what…

• 23rd August 2004
Anime Review

Tenchi Muyo! OVAs 2

I’m finally able to respect all the fuss surrounding Tenchi Muyo! I’m not sure whether it’s because I’m finally getting used to the crazy cast of characters or if these…

• 2nd August 2004
Anime Review

Kiddy Grade Volume 1

Coming to the UK after receiving pretty mixed reactions from fans in both Japan and the U.S. is Kiddy Grade, yet another high-profile series from the ‘style over substance’ artists…

• 29th July 2004
Anime Review

Psycho Diver Soul Siren

Bosujima is a psycho diver; someone with a rare talent for fixing broken souls and uncovering past traumas. Yuki is one his patients; haunted by past demons and torn between loyalties, not only…

• 27th July 2004
Anime Review

Ninja Scroll TV Volume 2

After the frankly mediocre first volume of Ninja Scroll TV, I wasn’t harbouring too much hope for this. I couldn’t get behind any of the ‘heroes’ and found the story …

• 24th July 2004
Anime Review

Serial Experiments Lain Volume 4

And so we reach the climax of the mind bending epic; Serial Experiments Lain. It’s been an incredibly challenging and thought provoking series, and will no doubt split viewer opinion in…

• 22nd July 2004
Anime Review

Tenchi Muyo! OVAs 1

‘Tenchi Muyo!’ is an anime series with a big reputation and hordes of devoted fans, and so naturally, I had pretty big expectations coming into this, being a “Tenchi-virgin”…

• 21st July 2004
Anime Review

Fruits Basket Volume 2

Fruits Basket is one of those rare hidden gems of anime that somehow manages to garner a massive hidden appeal. It sounds and looks like a very ‘sickly-sweet’ anime for girls and hence,…

• 3rd July 2004
Anime Review

Bio Hunter

Kamagaya and Komada are Bio Hunters; scientists that bravely fight a ‘demon virus’ that is affecting people all over Japan. When people catch this vicious virus, they become hideous…

• 24th June 2004
Anime Review

Twilight of the Dark Master

Another short horror OVA churned out by famous animation studio “Madhouse”, “Twilight of the Dark Master” is an enjoyable if forgettable slice of gothic horror that…

• 21st June 2004
Anime Review

Fruits Basket Volume 1

Fruit’s Basket is the tale of Tohru Honda and the many different (and frankly strange!) personalities she meets during this small period of her life.

Since losing her beloved mother (and…

• 31st May 2004
Anime Review

Armitage III: Polymatrix

Conjuring up similarities to both Blade Runner and The Matrix, ‘Armitage III: Polymatrix’ is a futuristic tale that questions the importance of life; human or robotic, what’s…

• 26th May 2004