Azure Flame

Chie tries pulling a plot out of her magical hat.

A lot has happened over the last three months, but I’m sure most will agree that events worldwide, personal and anime-related must all pale in comparison to the release we’ve all been waiting for- the second episode of Mai-Otome Zwei. In episode one, a mysterious Shadow Otome started petrifying powerful and God Mode supporting characters, Arika and Mashiro had an argument over generic protesters in Wind Bloom, and Mai and Arika protected Black Valley from a giant Slave of the week. This time around, Mai and Mashiro have gone missing for some reason, and on her way to find them, Arika finds herself in the middle of a bus-jacking in Aries. Exciting stuff, eh? No, I didn’t think so either.

Continue reading Mai-Otome Zwei episode 2: where’s the plot?…

After my glowing review of the Lament of the Lamb manga, it should come as little surprise that in due course, I would turn my attention to the animated form of the franchise- a four episode OVA containing a compressed version of the story. Faced with the task of fitting a seven volume into a mere two hours of airtime, it was obvious that Hitsuji no Uta would not be quite the same as the manga that spawned it, but would it still be worthy viewing for a fan of the series? The answer, it turns out, is that it is something of a middle-of-the-road effort- not especially awful, but with nothing marking it out as particularly good either.

Continue reading Hitsuji no Uta: the OVA…

Those who recall my Stratos 4 TV review will know that I was none too impressed by the series; aside from the presence of fat cat the Admiral, I had few positive things to say to it. Nonetheless, with the spectre of completion looming over me, I decided that I may as well try my luck at the continuation of the series- ten episodes released across three OVAs. These episodes promised more fanservice, more fat cats, and a continuation of the various weak story threads that Stratos 4 is forced to call a plot.

Continue reading Stratos 4 OVA and Advance: Well, at least it was better than the TV series…

It’s been a while since Belldandy and her sisters came to live with Keiichi, and by and large, he’s settled into as normal a routine as you can have when three goddesses are sharing your home. Unfortunately, everything is about to be turned upside down by the arrival of Celestin- Belldandy’s former tutor and a man with whom she once shared a close bond. What Belldandy doesn’t remember is the circumstances which caused her to be parted from Celestin, circumstances which also branded him a criminal in the eyes of Heaven. Now unsealed from his prison, Celestin is ready to put his plans into motion- the first stage of which involves removing Belldandy’s memories of Keiichi! How can Belldandy cope with this new situation when she can’t even remember the person who is most important to her?

Continue reading Ah! My Goddess: the movie…

Oguro Mikiko (aka ‘Kuromi’) has just started her new job at an animation studio and unfortunately, it’s not quite what she envisioned. With the man who was supposed to be her boss having been rushed off to hospital with a stomach ulcer, Mikiko has been left in charge of the production of the first episode of the ‘Time Journeys’ anime. With the key animators behind schedule, and the episode set to air in only a matter of days, Mikiko faces the near-impossible task of getting her understaffed and somewhat eccentric team to pick up the pace. Is there any hope for Mikiko, or is this a doomed enterprise from start to finish?

Continue reading Animation Runner Kuromi…

In those far-off days when I was a newcomer to the world of anime (I don’t think that my childhood viewing of Samurai Pizza Cats really counts), one of the series that the limited offerings of UK TV brought to me was Tenchi Muyo. Often regarded as the grandfather of all harem series, the tale of a normal teenager living with a group of powerful alien girls may not have been a particularly sophisticated one, but for the most part, it was at least entertaining. Continue reading Tenchi Muyo OVA3: One too many trips to the well?…

Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa are partners at Bokuto Police Station’s Traffic Department. Between Miyuki’s technical expertise and Natsumi’s reckless street, there’s no better team to patrol the streets for wrongdoers- it may mean skirting the rules, but they’ll do whatever it takes to catch the criminals and utter that trademark phrase: “You’re under arrest!”. Continue reading You’re Under Arrest!: OVA, Mini-Specials and Movie…

In the normal course of things, I like to open any review with a brief synopsis of what the anime in question is all about. When it comes to Cat Soup, however, that rule cannot be obeyed- simply because even after watching it, I have little clue as to what was going on.

A 32 minute OVA, Cat Soup seems to fall into the category of what is usually described as experimental anime, in an “the production staff must have been experimenting with certain illegal substances when they made this” sense. The OVA loosely follows the adventures of a pair of feline siblings, where by ‘adventures’ I mean ‘a series of unconnected and bizarre events whose meaning escapes me’. Continue reading Cat Soup: Acid Trip Anime…

In those far-off times when I used to browse Amazon for second-hand games, I happened to notice that searches for “Suikoden” always came up with an interesting result in the VHS category- an OVA named Suikoden Demon Century. A few moments of research revealed that said OVA was not related to the videogame series of the same name, but nonetheless the title stuck in my head, and I vowed to track it down and watch it some day. Now, finally, that day has come. Continue reading Suikoden Demon Century…

Based on the obscure game series of the same name (as well as being an alternate universe precursor to Lyrical Nanoha), this four episode OVA tells the tale of Fiasse Crystera, the young headmistress of England’s Crystera School of Music. Fiasse is due an unspecified legacy from her mother, and in true villain style, not only are there antagonists interested in it, but they even send a message to broadcast their intentions so that the heroes can prepare in advance. Continue reading Triangle Heart ~Sweet Songs Forever~…