Ratings: *-sucks butt; **-blah; ***-it's ok; ****-good; *****-frickin awesome!

Fushigi Yuugi
Alright, this first anime is a toughie. I can't recommend it for EVERYONE, but it literally has got it all: comical SD figures, romance and drama sequences, tear-jerking moments...i think the only fans who have been let down are sci-fi fans. Spaceships and mech weren't around in ancient China.

Fushigi Yuugi is about 2 high school friends, Miaka Yuuki and Yui Hongo. They've been friends since elementary school and their friendship was supposed to continue into high school. Little did they know that a trip to the Public Library would change their relationship as well as their lives forever. They find themselves trapped in a book, The Universe of the Four Gods, where they are hopelessly confused and lost. From that point on, the story (which spans some 56 episodes) takes more twists and turns than I can possibly describe in this one page. Magic, love, betrayal, mistrust, comedy and sacrifice all have a place in this story. The two friends find themselves forced into the roles of priestesses, serving rival gods. Miaka must summon the phoenix god Suzaku, and Yui is manipulated into summoning the dragon god Seiryuu.

The series alternates between moments of slapstick comedy and moments of chilling seriousness. Make no mistake... after the mid-point of the series, things start getting more serious as the stakes are raised; characters die, bad things happen, hearts get broken. Despite the frequent silly moments and occasional chibi style, this show has a real story being played out. As the plot plays out, you can't help but feel some sympathy even for the most vile of villains.

The series is very well developed as well as the characters. Although it may not attract all fans of anime (as it is a shoujou), Fushigi Yuugi is really awesome.

Rating: ***** (Be obsessed...be very obsessed.)


Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D is considered a classic in Japanese animation. It was one of the first anime movies to be released here in the states and it is still very popular today. Why? Don't get me wrong, Vampire Hunter D is a pretty enjoyable movie, but there's nothing special about it.

The story goes like this: In the distant future, the world has become a very different place; monsters roam the land freely, and people, although equiped with high tech weapons and cybernetic horses, live a humble life more suited to centuries past (makes sense, huh?). This story focuses on a small town plagued by monster attacks and living under the shadow of the rule of Count Magnus Lee, a powerful and very ancient vampire lord. When a young girl is bitten by the Count and chosen as his current plaything, she seeks out the help of a quiet wandering stranger, D. It so happens that D is one of the world's best vampire hunters, and he takes it upon himself to cut through Magnus Lee's many minions, and put an end to the Count's rule.

The story isn't very original: man saves damsel in distress from big mean guy. Like that hasn't been done before. It's like one of those horror flicks from the 80's with a 500 dollar budget that can be found for 2.00 dollars in a bargain bin at a discount store. The dubbing is horrible too. Everyone's voices just didn't do anything. Everyone lacked emotion or overacted or was just really annoying. Another thing is the animation--it's ugly. Doris is probably the ugliest anime girl I've ever seen (and that's a nice way of putting it). The clothes doesn't flow right, and 4 black lines coming towards the camera DOES NOT look like wind...it looks like 4 black lines coming towards the camera.

It could have been worse. Slipknot could have been on their soundtrack...it could have been as mindless and plotless as the Tomb Raider movie.

It would be unfair, though, to say that there's nothing good about Vampire Hunter D. There are some scenes that are rather gory, and the ending animation is actually quite impressive, especially given the age of this title. But still, the horror film fails to do what it is suppose to do: horrify. It's not a thought-provoking type of movie, but it still is enjoyable to watch and a classic. If you haven't seen it, you should at least rent it once. The only reason I say you should buy this movie is if you're a collector (I know this one guy, he collects EVERYTHING, even if it sucks major butt, just to say that he has it).

Rating: ** (If you've got nothing else to do, just watch it)


Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
So what qualifies a sequel to be a sequel? If it means that the viewer has to have seen the previous movie to understand the sequel, then Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust isn't Vampire Hunter D's sequel. I like to think of it as a movie on it's own.

In this movie, D is hired by a family to return their daughter, Charlotte, and must compete with another set of bounty hunters along the way. If the girl has been turned into a vampire, his orders are to kill her (but in a nice way ^_^). That's basically what the story is, which isn't too overly original itself, but as the movie goes on it becomes pretty damn interesting. It's got twisty-turny situations, romance, drama...pretty damn interesting.

Adding comic relief to the film is a wise-cracking parasite that is symbiotically attached to D's left palm. The parasite, named Left Hand, adds magical spells to D's already impressive repertoire of skills. Complete with eyes and a mouth, Left Hand looks kind of weird, but eventually proves to be a useful ally (if not a nuisance) to D.

And my goodness was the animation BEAUTIFUL. Gorgeous, simply gorgeous. The girl was actually pretty (I love her clothing). Clean and clear, the animation in Bloodlust is top-notch. The dubbing is also a plus. The voice acting is excellent. Much emotion, much feel, much good. *cough*unlikevampirehunterd*cough*

All in all, I NEED TO GET THIS DVD. The movie is really well constructed. An involving plot, beautiful animation, a great score, dubbing, etc. etc. Awesome movie. Go out and get it.

Rating: ***** (Don't we all wish we had a left hand that literally sucked?)


[[more reviews coming]]

<< back 1