Gurren Lagann

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Tengen toppa gurren lagann Release Date: 2007-2009 Netflix Link IMDb Link

Hmmmm. Gurren Lagann starts off like a Japanese animation series like any other. The first volume is comprised of elements that could be in any other mecha anime series; an unwitting main character bestowed with powers, an over the top smart ass character who spurs him along on a quest, other characters added along the way, and even a love interest, but then it just keeps going. Gurren Lagann has a dozen different places where it could end, but it just refuses to die. Oh, that’s the end, right? No, it’s still going. That’s gotta be the end, right? Nope. The plot just doesn’t stop, but morphs into something bigger every time you think it’s over, until eventually they’re battling the whole damn universe and beyond.

The difference is, that unlike an American show where they drag things out after the ending for ratings and more money, this one seems intentional. It seems as though they want you to think it’s all nicely wrapped up only to sucker punch you with something else. The only annoyance with this series was the clip episode stuck somewhere in the middle. I don’t need a wrap of of what’s already happened, thanks. Gurren Lagann is not spectacularly great, but it’s certainly fairly original as far as mecha anime goes.

Pom Poko

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Heisei-era tanuki war Japanese: 平成狸合戦ぽんぽこ Release Date: 1994 Director: Isao Takahata Netflix Link IMDb Link

Yet again, an American distributor fails to give an accurate description of the Tanuki. While tanuki is the Japanese words for raccoon, the raccoons depicted in this film are mischievous woodland spirits that have been a part of Japanese folklore since ancient times, rather than raccoons like Americans know them. They talk, they shape-shift, they play tricks on humans like they have for generations. Tanuki are known, even renown, for their big, swinging… balls. They transform them into parachutes, they sing songs about swinging them, and all the male Tanukis in this film literally have a set.

I’ve been going through the Studio Ghibli catalog, most of which are released by Disney. Annoyingly, especially when you’re watching a bunch of them in a row, John Lasseter from Pixar pops up at the beginning of each of the films to fawn all over Hiyao Miyazaki and talk about how he’d like to have love child (not literally). But in this release, when they really could have used some sort of disclaimer or explanation of what a tanuki actually is, there is none. On the one film that could really use it, it’s absent. I can only imagine how upset some puritan parents must have been when they sat their child down to watch a bunch of swinging testicles, but children don’t typically notice these things I guess.

Pom Poko is a heartrending tale of man versus nature with not a few moments of sadness tempered with a general feeling of frivolity and humor. You feel for the Tanuki and their plight and almost feel envious of their freedom. It is worth watching for any fan of Japanese animation.

Bleach: The Movie 2: The Diamond Dust Rebellion

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Gekijô ban Burîchi: Mô hitotsu no hyôrinmaru Release Date: 2007 Director: Noriyuki Abe Netflix Link IMDb Link

The second Bleach movie is better than the first, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, but it’s still not as good as the show. This one has more of a plot than Memories of Nobody and makes use of some of the minor characters better, focusing mainly on Hitsugaya with a little of his background story revealed. Some of the animation is surprisingly beautiful and detailed making the best use of the big screen on which it was originally shown with some great action sequences thrown in. If you’re a fan of Bleach, it’s a must see. It makes a nice addition to one of the best long-running, ongoing anime series.

Speed Grapher

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2005 Director: Kunihisa Sugishima Netflix Link IMDb Link

Aside from the awkwardly strange, nearly pedophiliac relationship between the two main characters, I really liked this series. Because I have been burned by the endings of so many other series which either make no sense, or worse, they don’t have an ending at all, I was half expecting Speed Grapher to end with a song and dance number or random puppydogs shooting lasers out of their eyes. Fortunately, there was none of that. The ending is intelligible and altogether fitting. While it’s not the best series I’ve ever seen, Speed Grapher’s comparably short length makes it approachable and kept me entertained all the way through.

Gilgamesh

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Release Date: 2003 Director: Masahiko Murata Netflix Link IMDb Link

I read some reviews saying that Gilgamesh is good until the end. Well, always the pragmatist, I had to see for myself. Yup, they’re right. I had previously rated Gilgamesh 4 stars. And, had I not seen the last episode, it might have remained as such. This series may win a prize for the dumbest way to end a series I’ve ever seen. The “revelation” as to what Tear is is just absolute crap and it only gets worse from there. So, if you want to watch this series, I would recommend watching episodes 1 through 25. When it comes to episode 26, just make up your own ending. Believe me, whatever ending you can imagine is going to be 10 times better and less infuriating than what exists.

Tokko

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2006 Director: Masashi Abe Netflix Link IMDb Link

Tokko is positively great except for the ending. As is the case with a lot of anime series, it sucked me in only to have it peter out and go nowhere in the end. But I have hope that, someday, maybe they’ll release more. If they do, I will be first in line. Tokko is a great blend of human drama mixed with a little horror, tons of gushing blood and dismembered limbs, and even a dash of romance. Original story, great characters and nicely produced artwork will leave you wanting more.

Samurai Gun

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Release Date: 2004 Director: Kazuhito Kikuchi Netflix Link IMDb Link

Unlike a lot of people who have seen this series it seems, I didn’t hate it. It kept me interested enough to rent all 4 discs. I’m a huge fan of the samurai genre, although, Samurai Gun is certainly not historically accurate in any way. I also tend to be more permissive of anime than live-action for some reason. Now that my excuses are made, I will say that there are some rather likable antihero characters in this series and the action, although there isn’t a ton of it, is done better than some other series I’ve seen. Even the story line is fairly original with a blend of the historical and the fantastical mixed to form a rather dark and complex drama. Samurai Gun is NOT chock full of comedy, action or meticulous historical context, so, if that’s what you’re looking for, go elsewhere. But, if you’re into anime for adults that is more than what it seems, it’s worth checking out, just don’t expect a finite ending.

Descendants of Darkness

	Rating: 3 out of 5 Original Title: Yami no matsuei Release Date: 2001 Director: Hiroko Takita Netflix Link IMDb Link

Descendants of Darkness is a nice little series with seamless animation and a story with a good mix of supernatural mystery, drama and a little comic relief thrown in. Our protagonists, a pair of fearless dead guys, are agents for the Summons Section of Death. They ensure that those who are dead get where they are supposed to go. In the process, they stumble upon some clues leading them to uncover truths about themselves. There is a bit of very mild homosexual innuendo which I actually found refreshing compared to the usual boy/girl routine. If you’re looking for something slightly unconventional, Descendants of Darkness is a short but satisfying series.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2004 Director: Mahiro Maeda Netflix Link IMDb Link

Gankutsuou is a reimagined version of Alexandre Dumas’ book set over 3000 years in the future with spaceships and moon colonization yet, strangely, they still have horse-drawn carriages and dress in the era of the book. I haven’t read the book in a long time, but I don’t remember the character in book being quite as gullible as Albert is in this series. Aside from the unusual (and seemingly lazy) animation where the fabrics and hair are simply filled with patterns that never move, I thought this was a reasonably entertaining series. It doesn’t have any unnecessary side plots and maintains its pacing throughout with a nice windup of the story.

Air Gear

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2006 Director: Hajime Kamegaki Netflix Link IMDb Link

I was really surprised by how much I got sucked into this series. Great characters, lots of humor, epic battles and a unique story. It is fairly adult series as it does have its fair share of T & A shots and adult language. Air Gear might have even earned a 5 star animation rating from me but for the last 5 or so episodes. It just seems to fizzle out and go nowhere. Air Gear does have an ending, albeit, an anticlimactic one. I hope there is more to this series forthcoming and maybe this is just a Season 1 kind of thing. If not, I’ll be disappointed.