Neo Ranga opens with a giant monster rising from the ocean and attacking tokyo. Sound familiar? Ok so this time around the giant monster, Ranga isn’t actually attacking. He seems to be making his way across the island looking for something. Ranga just happens to be crushing everything in his path as he moves along. What is he after, well of course the three hot anime babes on the dvd cover of course!

Getting a bit more serious, Neo Ranga follows the lives of three sisters, Minami, Ushio, and Yuuhi. Somehow through a strange twist of fate these girls have inherited the rule of an island kingdom who’s greatest treasure is an ancient god named Ranga. Ranga has been asleep for hundreds or maybe thousands of years. The girls, duped into the rite of acession, take on the role thinking of it as a cheap vacation. Things take a turn for the worse when a new (NEO) Ranga awakens and starts tromping his way through japan to meet his new masters.

Neo Ranga is the kind of release wher you pick up the box and just know its going to be good. The artwork on the cover immediately gets you thinking, What is this about? Who are these characters? Add in a trailer with music that pounds its way into your mind, and you find yourself bursting with anticipation. The series was done a bit different than the standard fare. Instead of the typical half hour timeslots Neo Ranga runs in shorter episodes about half that length. It makes little difference When you pick up the box set like I did, but I can imagine it might get a bit frustrating waiting a week to see the next short clip on the tv.

A few things did put me off in watching Neo Ranga. I was instantly taken in by the artwork on the cover. It was rather frustrating to find that those particular costumes were only used in a few minutes worth of the show. Most of the rest of the show had the characters dressed pretty much plain and ordinary. The timing of the show seemed to have gaps in it. Perhaps that was mostly just a sense I had from the shorter episode length. The show’s timeline spans over a year or more and that made it feel a bit choppy.

Neo Ranga didn’t have much in the way of unexpected plot twists, though the story wasn’t half bad. Some of the biggest turns were easily guessed long before they came to light in the story. Where the series really shined brightest was in its characters. Yuuhi in particular was of interest to me. The youngest sister and seemingly the most innocent from the outside seems also to be the deepest character and the one whom was the most intelligent, spirited and strong.

While there were as many things about The Neo Ranga Box Set that put me off as there were to grab me, I still believe it is worth a “buy it” rating. My reasoning is that the show has enough depth to deserve a second viewing. The show is a bit older so the whole set can be had for fairly cheap. Since it costs almost as much to rent as to buy a copy there really isn’t any reason not to put Neo Ranga into your collection. Overall Neo Ranga isn’t the blockbuster that many titles are. It has good music, a decent plot, and some memorable moments. If you plan on seeing it at all buy it. If you’re short on cash go for the blockbuster title now and pick up Neo Ranga later when money isn’t so tight.

To even start watching PaniPoni Dash you have to toss out the whole concept of “serious” anime. A worthy followup for anyone who liked Azumanga Daioh, Paniponi is so far off the reality scale that you have to just accept an eleven year old MIT graduate teaching a Japanese High school class. Once you get past the absurdity of the whole concept then you can get into the absurdity of the actual show. Rebecca “Becky” Miyamoto is the new teacher for class 1-C of Momotsuki Academy. Her character aims to be the ultimate in book smarts, whilst remaining completely ignorant to any actual life experience. Over the years a number of series have put together a child and a position of authority as a comedic backdrop. Where most have failed Pani Poni Dash pulls it off. Probably because unlike its rivals Negima for example Pani Poni doesn’t actually try to convince you its realistic. The teacher Becky is more of a punching bag than a figure of authority, and is treated like just another gag in the show.

Packed with replay value, Pani Poni has hidden puns and jokes bursting at every seam. While the plots are completely different I would compare PaniPoni Dash to Excel Saga in the speed and style to which the comedy is delivered. You have no choice but to go back and watch it a second time or even a third just so you can catch all the goodness you missed the first time around.

Of particular interest is the mysterious class president Ichijo. She is one of those characters that simply cannot be explained. To make things worse Paniponi dash doesn’t bother trying. At one point in the show she seems to be a robot with cybernetic attachments. At another she is some kind of alien goddess who somehow hides her little sister inside a vortex hidden under her shirt. Ichijo is the freaky kid who sits behind you in class you really just wish wasn’t there. She’s in the background of almost every scene that she isn’t a part of doing something counterproductive and just plain freaky. One example that sticks in my mind is her dressed in a shinto priestess outfit preying for rain in the background whilst the class prepares for a camping trip. Normally this would be just anti-establishment raffle, but Ichijo is just creepy enough that the rain gods actually obey her. (along with aliens, giant ogre’s and anything else supernatural)

Some of the drawbacks to PaniPoni Dash are: High school comedies are pretty much common in anime nowdays, so the subject in general isn’t unique. The show does seem to have a pretty predictable set of steriotype characters you can find in other High school comedy anime. The teacher who isn’t as smart as their students, the sporty student, the bad student who is overflowing with charisma, the twins, the computer geek, you get the idea. Some of these charactars are particularly well done though. Either with a lolita effect that is just over the top or personality quirks that really define the character. Even amongst the crowd of similar titles Paniponi’s characters stand out. At least most of them do.

Just because high school comedy is common amongs anime, that doesn’t mean there isn’t quite a bit of unique content in Pani Poni Dash. The seemingly suicidal stuffed pet rabbit Mesousa is an original character whom falls upon tragedy throuought. There’s a freaky cat that claims to be god and does things to the drinks in the vending machine that just aint right. (ick)

The opening sequence for PaniPoni is different in different episodes or at least it changes from disc to disc. They even take the time to tease the viewer a bit by changing it up in ways you wouldn’t expect. Graphically it is entertaining and the song’s used have a pretty good beat.

Often If I can’t really remember the music from an anime I dismiss it as bieng only average. Without great background music an anime simply cannot be great. Bits of random music from different styles litter through paniponi dash, most of it random enough to not be memorable. It wasn’t particularly bad though. They did take the time to come up with really catch tunes for the opening sequence and I can remember at least one of them now, some months after having watched the show. It won’t have me running out to buy a soundtrack, but it was memorable enough not to shuffle pani poni into the mundane category.

The DVD’s to paniponi dash came packed with extra features, and there is no doubt they will see quite a bit of replay in my household. The plot wasn’t overbearing, or even coherent. For most stlyes of Anime that would be a bad thing, but given its nature as a spontaneous comedy PaniPoni Dash does well not to be influenced heavily by a dramatic plot.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, I’m giving PaniPoni Dash a firm buy it rating. There’s plenty of replay potential. Its loaded with extra features. The characters are fun to watch, and its got catchy tunes. I’m sure most anyone who picks up this title is going to watch it more than once. You don’t need to wast your time with a rental here, its good enough for the buy.

There’s something to be liked about post apocolyptic scenarios. I suppose it is because they fit within the realm of possibility but far away enough to not trap us in the munane blandness of reality. Stellvia is set in the distant future around the year 2356. In the storyline minkind was nearly wiped out by a distant star going supernova in the year 2167. The story follows the lives of several gifted teenagers who qualified to train for a future in a space program onboard one of the foundations. Foundations are giant space stations built sometime after the supernova to hopefully ensure the future of humanity. The plot surmises that a second energy wave coming from the same exploded star is coming but at a slower pace. The storyline follows these kids lives up to and in preparation for the second wave.

The would be hero of this Sci-fi anime is Shima Katase, voiced in the english dub by Carrie Savage. As an A-side I have to admit I will probably give the Stellvia box set a slightly better review than other sites because I am a bit taken by Carrie’s voice. Ever since seeing Haibane Renmei I can’t seem to totally dislike anthing she does. Ms Katase is not your typical anime space pilot hero though. More like your typical mentally and socially unstable teenage girl. There are certainly more scenes with her crying into a pillow than there are of her doing anything heroic.

With the storyline bieng somewhat of a highschool drama crossed with a space element the sci-fi seemed a bit lacking. Stellvia certainly fits into the sci-fi category, but it seems not to add anything new. With each new sci-fi series there usually comes some innovation in futuristic ideas. Star Wars brought you the light sabre, Star Treck the teleport transporter device. Stellvia seems more content to be a soap opera set on a sci-fi stage.

To its credit, Stellvia doesn’t fall prey to the mundane babble that often plagues space anime. You won’t find any episode long battle planning seqences or political disputes. Bieng a drama it also lacks a bit on having funny alien chibi creatures doing something horrific in the background. I was really able to get into the show, but it could have used a bit more comedy to lighten the mood. In the opening episode there is a scene with Katase’s mother telling her off because she is walking out on her family to go to school in space. It was one of the most emotional sequences I’ve ever seen in an anime. I actually felt bad for Shima. Well just a bit…

To keep stellvia from bieng completely one sided with the shy Shima Katase as the main character, Arisa her roommate comes into the story. Best friend and polar opposite, Arisa has a wild streak and two fit together like pieces of a puzzle. The storyline is alright, and filled with interesting characters. Some less believeable than others. Its not going to win any awards for the best plot. A mostly predictable future leaves more time to be told about the characters than what is gong to happen next.

The music in Sellvia wasn’t particularly memorable. Thats both a good thing and a bad thing though. For an Anime series to truly stand out in my mind the music has got to be great. The fact that it doesn’t stand out means the music was hardly noticeable, but it was there. I tend to notice if the music is terrible, not present, or really good. When I don’t really notice the music anime generally ends up in the average category.

Overall I have to give The Stellvia Box Set a rent and then possibly buy rating. I wouldn’t suggest anyone who isn’t a hardcore anime fan run out and buy this one without having seen at least part of it to decide if you like the style. If sci-fi drama isn’t your thing you probably won’t watch stelvia more than once, so that would make it a rent. If you like gundam but find yourself turned off by the overbearing robot references stellvia is a good choice. Whether you rent or buy, Stellvia is good enough that you will want to watch it all the way through.

I suppose there are all sorts of anime viewers out there. I know what I like and what I don’t like but I suppose more of you probably disagree with me than not. StrawBerry MarshMallow is touted as a Cute sweet comedy with a strong resemblance to the likes of Azumanga Daioh. Its not anything like azumanga at all! Sure it had cute just like azu… I found the series to be spiced a little too much on the sweet side and not enough on the comedy though. I certainly wouldn’t group the two into the same category.

From seeing the package on store shelves and promos I was interested in seeing Strawberry Marshmallow. The show got passed over several times for disks I knew would be good before I finally broke down and picked up a copy. From an artistic standpoint I really liked the show. They definately got exactly the feel they were going for. A quiet mood with slow jokes that sort of jump out. As much is inferred as is actually shown leading to marshmallow’s unique style.

There is one common factor amongst all the anime titles I concider to be great. Great Music! Here is where Strawberry Marshmallow falls flat. The almost complete lack of music was probably done to add to the artistic style and feel. It fits the general mood of the show well. Slow and peaceful with the occasional loud outburst. I found it hard to really get into the scene without catchy background tunes. There is the occasional tune, but overall Strawberry feels very quiet.

The cast consists of Nobue, the older sister who is always broke, caring for and mooching off of the younger sister Chika and her friends. Matsuri is the shy friend and is almost so quiet she’s barely present in the series. Ana is an English born japanese immagrant who has been in japan so long she doesn’t speak english. Several comedic situations come up where she is trying to pretend she doesn’t speak japanese. Miu is a bit more wild and the only potential in the show for any fast paced comedy.

The Strawberry Marshmallow box set is in my oppinion a rent at best. Cute Sweet and Sarcastic are all true, but so are Dry, Slow Paced, and relatively Plot free. There isn’t anything in the show that even hints at bieng adult natured. There’s no reason you couldn’t watch it with a younger crowd. Well maybe one reason, they’d get bored with the slow pace and want to watch something else. Its not terrible, Its just not great. Its too slow paced to be interesting to a young person, and too mellow for most adults.

Released in the USA by ADV films, Nerima Daikon Brothers is a rarity amongst anime titles. When you’ve watched enough anime, there are certain things you come to expect. Good background music, a bit of fanservice, and a plot that is just a bit further out than anything you might find in its live action counterpart to name a few. There are certainly some anime that have incorporated a bit of song and dance. Nerima Daikon Bros has gone just one step further and blossomed into a full blown musical. Supposedly it is based loosely on a US film called the Blues Brothers. I can’t attest to that, having never seen the film for myself. I can say they did manage to get it right with a short 12 episodes. It was long enough that I found myself picking up the music and not so long that I found myself getting sick of it.

The music is obviously the main focus of the series. I found myself wanting to sing along. my apologies to my poor family and any neighbors within earshot…The “rental song” and the song that plays with the ending credits are both very catchy. The same basic tune’s are used throuought the series with the lyrics altered to suit each episode’s plot. The overall plot is standard fare. Where the Daikon Brothers shines is in the villains who crop up for each new episode. Imagine how dull a marvel comic would be without some over the top villain to offset the good guy. Nerima Daikon Brothers find themselves going up against everything from a Hindu Alien Turnip looking Psychic to Michael Jackson and the Prime Minister of Japan.

The main characters Mako, Hideki, and Ichiro (Ichijiro?) are a band living and working in a daikon white radish field on a stage they built. Their goal, build a Stadium to hold concerts in and get famous. Mako is a self declared hottie. Ichiro is a host club floozie. Hideki is the moronic glue that holds the two together. Joined in the beginning by Pandaikon, a panda bear who sneaks into their field to steal daikon, the trio find themselves borrowing and stealing to make their dreams come true. Nabashin whom you would recognise from Excel Saga and Puni Puni Poemy makes an appearance as the Rental Guy. He says “I’ll loan you anything but money” and in the series he does. At one instance he loans them a rocket powered sex toy, while another time its a harrier jet. No matter how good of a looting job they pull they always end up broke by the end of the episode.

Later in the story they are joined by a fourth main character Inspecter Gidget. A very literal play on the american cartoon character Inspecter Gadget. With its perverse to the point of morbidity sense of humor there are all kinds of things coming out of her. I’ll just leave you to wonder on that one…

If you haven’t guessed it by now, I have to give this one a strong Buy it rating. I loved every minute of Nerima Daikon Brothers. It is only fair to caution potential viewers of mature content. There isn’t any nudity or very much overly foul language. The suggestive nature of the show however does reach the point where it is obviously not meant for children. I know I’m had some strange dreams after watching this series. There is something about the ATM loan clone dancers I find both alluring and creepy. Creepy to the point of inducing bizzare nightmares.

Do you like giant robots, big guns, and pretty girls? If so, it seems studo Gonzo has got you all figured out. Directed by Koichi Ohata, Burst Angel aims to be a veritable feast of all the things teenage boys lust after. A big expensive animation budget coupled with gorgeous artwork may just give you your fill with this A list title.

Sadly I must admit this show left me just a little bit unfulfilled. There is no question what the creators were going for when they dreamt up Burst Angel. They were looking to rake in the dough by catering to the perversions of the male demographic. I don’t have a problem with that. What I do have a problem with, is they spent so much time stuffing in goodies and eye catchers that they forgot to take time and put in all the fine detail that makes a show great. Don’t get me wrong, the show isn’t bad. It just isn’t great. It is obvioustly meant for a younger audience. I am talking younger in the mental sense, not the physical sense.

With a majority of the show dedicated to finding ways to show off pretty girls in cute costumes, not a bad thing I might add, I expected a bit more comedy. I didn’t find any gut bursting moments, but there was the occasional chuckle here and there. For the most part the show was serious and to the point. The leader of the Burst Angels, Sei, found opportunity to show off her lofty endowments in new costumes with virtually every episode. The other characters wore the same outfit throuought. Apart from the occasional swimsuit or party dress the characters started to feel a bit tired. I expected a bit more costume variety.

As for a story, they really took the time to develop a decent concept. It doesn’t respect a traditional storyline flow. It certainly isn’t the type of show where each episode builds tension and makes you want to watch the next one to see what happens. Nonetheless each episode does contribute to the overall plot in the end. There did seem to be some elements in the show that got introduced and then had nothing done with them. Kyohei a chef in training is introduced in the first episode as a main character. While he is in practiacally every episode he really doesn’t add anything to the show. If they hadn’t written him in everything would have turned out the same. I sort of expected a bit of a harem anime element with him and the girls, but that influence really wasn’t noticable.

The overall plot of Burst Angel makes a big deal of how bad japan has gotten and how RAPT a corrupt police force is taking over. From my perspective it looks to me like the Angels are more of a criminal element than anything they ever run into. The main character Jo was written with zero personality. It makes most every scene she is in feel kind of dry. Meg and Amy both are overflowing with character but the story rarely finds time to let them shine.

If you are deciding on whether to rent or to buy Burst Angel, Here is the tactic I suggest. Head over to your local retailer and put a disc in your hand. If you look at the cover and think to yourself “cool artwork, hot chick, big gun, awesome…” Then Burst Angel is a buy. That also likely makes you a young male. If you find yourself thinking “I wonder what the story is about…” then Burst angel is only a rent at best. There’s a half decent story and a sprinkle of fan service, just not a full helping of either.

At the time I got around to watching Negima, it had been a while since I had seen a good harem anime. I tend to lean twards the more serious anime by preference, so its nice to bust a gut once in a while with some simple situational comedy. From everything I had heard about Negima it I expected it to be just what I was after. I have to say I didn’t quite get what I thought I was buying.

I’ll start off with the good parts first. One of the many main characters Asuna Kagurazka really struck a cord with me. I didn’t have any problem relating with her character. Right from the start and through the end her character really made the show worth watching. Her conflict and friendship with negi the main character was interesting, and even more so was her relationship with Ayaka. I still hear echoes of her cute little love spell chant from the first episode. “profess-a takahata no one else is hot-a…”

It was obvious to me the plot for the show was well thought out. There was a character who kept popping up in the background of the first few episodes that wasn’t even introduced until the third disk. I kept seeing her and wondering when she would come into the story. I know it had to be well thought out from that alone.

Nodoka was the textbook harem anime shy girl, and I admit I found myself wanting to like her character. Thats about where the good parts end though. As much as I wanted to like her character, nothing in the story ever developed enough to really make her a really enduring character.

As a harem anime Negima falls flat on its face. It has all the potential to be great, but does nothing with it. This type of show has a demographic of older teens and young adults. They dumbed down the comedy to the point where I would find it suitable to let a five year old watch. Nothing sensual ever got shown, and I’d dare venture nothing was even inferred.

As for the well thought out plot, well it was thought out well, but not actually executed well. The main storyline starts out right at the first, then by the third episode is completely forgotten. From there up until the last four episodes its all just filler. I found the last few episodes to be really good. In fact I was surprised at how good they were after so much of a let down through the rest of the series.

As to the main character Negi. I don’t often find myself talking about the voice acting in my reviews. Even characters most people hate the voices of I don’t usually mind. for example: the english voice of excel from excel saga For some reason I can’t quite define I found negi’s voice to be unbearable. So much so that it made becoming absorbed into the show all but impossible. Negima isn’t the first or the last show to put a kid in a role as a professor or figure of authority. It is however the most absurd and unbelievable casting I’ve seen so far.

There is bound to be a sequel to Negima because they left much of the story on a cliffhanger. I didn’t find the show so bad that I won’t watch the sequel. In fact with the ending of the first season bieng so good I’m pretty much bound to. I just find myself wishing there was a little more content and not so much fluff.

As an overall rating, I’d have to reccomend Negima as a rent. There are plenty of anime series I can think of that I wish they had taken a few extra episodes to really fill in the story. Negima is one of the few where I can honestly say I wish they hadn’t. Its not a bad show, and its worth watching. Its even tame enough that you can watch it with a younger audience. It just fell short of all the hype, and its of own potential, by too much to reccommend it as a buy.

As it seems to often happen with media, even a partial success in one format prompts the whoring and spawning of a title into other formats. To name but a few batman, pirates of the carribean, and the dreadful aquaman. Any title that seems to garner any merit gets redone in every format all the way from movie to tshirt and video game. Sadly though its all to common for the brood of this spawn to be nothing more than opportunistic advertiser prattle. What makes a video game great often doesn’t make a very good tv series at all. GunParade March fails miserably into this category

The series originally started off as a Playstation 2 game. I can’t speak for how good or bad it was, having never played it. Having watched the series I can say any good points it may have had definately didn’t carry over. The trailer looks really good. Upon watching the series you will find that the video for the trailer comes almost completely from the first five minutes. From there after it turns dull. Its really too bad because there was a vast amount of potential that went unrealized.

To site a few examples, somewhere twards the end of the first disk one of the female characters dies. I’m not going to tell you who. Not because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but rather because I’m not really sure who she was. The show introduces all of the female characters in one shot and doesn’t really go into any backstory. Several of the female characters look and sound very alike and without any more detail than their name and a one line description I couldn’t tell them apart. They delve into how everyone is affected by the loss of thier comrade, but its hard to feel any emotion for the loss of a character who was never a part of the story in the first place. Another sample of the total lack of backstory is the little girl Nonomi. It is obvious from the beginning scene that nonomi is an important character with special almost magical abilities. Aside from one episode where another character admits she feels responsible for why nonomi is different, there really isn’t anything said about her in the story. I was very drawn to her character and I think they could have explained better why an eight year old girl would be hanging around with a group of twenty something military types.

The overall plot starts with an alien invasion somewhere during world war II. The story finds a good venue to place the alternate reality scenario with giant robots and alien battles. However instead of going into detal it just assumes you accept this alternate reality for what it is and moves on. After fifty years of battle with aliens, how do we manage to survive? What is the PBE we are using to fight with? How much of the earth is left and where are the aliens based? What is a brain alien? Truthfully, the war and the aliens don’t have anything to do with the underlying story. It is really just a masked over love story. I don’t mind a mushy love story, but in reality it would have served the plot better to leave out the alien robot stuff and focus on the story. Anyone who watches the trailer, sees how good it looks, then buys the disk will be dissapointed.

In all fairness I can’t say the show was terrible. Rather it was average at best. I won’t put this on my reccommended to buy list. In fact I wouldn’t even put it on my go rent it list. If you’ve seen as much anime as I have you will proably watch it at some point. I have a strange urge to see every anime ever made. I guess you can’t really tell the good anime if you’ve never seen any of the bad? If you’re at the rental store after mech anime, skip this title. Grab a copy of Gasaraki or Dual instead.

For this review we have to think of the story and its impact way back in 1995. Often Sci-fi Futuristic concepts don’t wether well the test of time. The jetsons prediction had us living in apartments at the skyline and driving flying cars almost ten years ago, A space odessy forsaw us traveling deep space by now. Surprisingly, Ghost in the Shell has a picture of the near future that meshes far more closely with what I expect will be reality. We probably won’t have fancy stealth camo and cyberized brains by the movie timeframe. What really fits well though is the general outlook on life in the future. Even with outrageous advances in science and technology commoners still live in slums. Law enforcement has gotten far more technologically savy to match criminal advancement, but through it all the common man has been left behind.

If you are reading this review to decide whether to watch Ghost in the Shell, chances are you are in the minority by now. The show has been around long enough that you should have watched it already. Its nothing short of a masterpiece. You’re only taking away from the enjoyment you will get from this film by waiting any longer. Eventually it will lose its futuristic feel altogether as the little touches that make it futuristic become commonplace in everyday life. I suspect that rather than deciding to see it for the first time, most readers are here to compare my thoughts with their own.

If embedded with a cybernetic implant, are you still human? An android? How much of your body can be replaced before you aren’t human anymore? Where does your spirit reside? If eventually your whole body was prosthetics and you still remain self aware, what prevents a machine from developing a ghost? Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell seems not to explain the answer. Instead it seeks to pose the questions in a manner that lets you visualize the concepts and make the decision for yourself.

The atmostphere of the film is glum, dashed with fast paced action at just the right points to hold interest. It is however decidedly short on comedy. For the less mature crowd overall entertainment value will be less than satisfactory. Filled with the kind of “Makes you Think” story, It is targeted well to the more intellectual mind. There is the occasional bit of bare skin, along with some violence. It’s not done distastefully, but still probably not appropriate for children. When deciding whether someone else should view this film, I would be more concearned with whether they are mentally capable of understanding it than whether they are old enough. Anyone with enough of a mind to understand it would easily be ready to handle the more grown up scenes from Ghost in the Shell.

The story follows Section 9, an elite police force handling covert operations. The main characters, Major Motoko Kusanagi a cross between tomb raider and terminator, and Bateau Bato? spend most of the story in persuit of the Puppet Master, a notorious brain hacker. Awesome fight scenes between the Section 9 and ghost hacked pawns give rise to bursts of action. Immediatly follwing Kenji Kawai’s music lulls you back into an atmosphere of peacful insight. It all builds up and even after the movie it leaves you pondering.

I have to reccomend Ghost in the Shell as a buy. Its not in my top ten list, but as one of the founding masterpieces that really got anime out there, it is a must see. More than ten years after its release it could easily be found in bargain bins, ebay, ect. Chances are you can pick up this title for less than it would cost to rent. There are definately some viewers who simply won’t like the show. I can’t really fault them for not bieng up to snuff mentally though. The only reason I can see why somone wouldn’t enjoy Ghost in the Shell, is if they just didn’t understand it. That said, it is worth the few bucks to take a risk and pick it up.

Several times I walked passed this title on the rack at the media play store a few years back. Living on a limited budget I can’t exactly buy every dvd that catches my interest. I’m sure I picked it up a dozen times and then put it back and moved on to something else. What kept my from buying this disk for so long wasn’t anything to do with the title itself. Rather the run length was holding me back. When you can only afford two new disks that month, or you can manage a box set, the box set wins hands down. Its quite a bit more entertainment for your buck. What finally put this disk into my collection was finding out that media play was going out of business. I went a bit overboard and splurged on whatever I could get in their liquidation sale. Enough about my poor financial situation though, What I really wanted to say is that I could kick myself for not picking this title up much sooner.

When reading someone elses review to decide on a purchase, its important that you find common ground with the reviewer. As an example of this I have found one particular source for video game reviews that I trust. Very rarely do they give a good score to a game that I don’t like. My belief is that when you find a reviewer who is of similar tastes the things they liked you will probably find suit your tastes. Reading some of the reviews of La portrait de Petite Cossette I got the distinct feeling that most people didn’t really like the show. As time goes on and new series come out what is fresh on my mind changes. I often think of which dvd’s I would rate in my top ten to reccomend. From time to time I find those names change. Strangely enough this particular title seems to always be on that list.

The story starts out with the spirit of cossette voicing how she could be brought back to life if someone who truly loved her sacrificed themself. Cosette goes on to say that it would be in vain because if she came back to life the person whom she loved would be gone and she would cry alone. With a haunting story, Music that borders on opera crossed with metal, and powerful gothic artwork I find this disk captivating. Cossette is a spirit trapped in a wine glass. Eiri works in his uncles antique store, discovers her and falls in love. This tragedy cannot be a true love story with a happy ending because a spirit and a living person can never really be together. The plot goes more into what Eiri is willing to do to help cossette and what cossette does when she realizes she is in love with eiri. Cossette died at a very young age and her soul has been trapped in that glass for a very long time. To be at peace she longs for more than just revenge on the man who killed her, Marcello. She needs to grow up and feel life as an adult. She needs someone else to see her in that light.

La portrait de petite cosette is rather short and will easily be viewed entirely in one sitting. You won’t find any chibi, or even any comedy within. Chances are if what you are after is giant robots fighting, and big eyed girls jiggling, it won’t be to your liking. If you are into serious anime with a strong plot and a “makes you think” additude this dvd is a “dont rent, buy it.”