Dark Shoujo is my fav anime genre since its created for girls who like the darker side of things and therefore deals with more matured themes, love stories tend to be more twisted and tragic and bishonen haunted and tortures.

1 – Death Note – if you haven’t seen this, then why not!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s one the best Anime’s ever made and to me just the perfect mix of all the things I love. Death Note is so good I have tattoos based on it that’s how great t2 – X/1999 – Classic dark Clamp at its very best and this anime did it justice. I am a huge Clamp fan have every anime and manga they have produced. I do prefer their dark stuff such as Tokyo Babylon and X. X itself takes place 10 years after Tokyo Babylon and includes the key characters but in a much bigger affair, the end of the world. The story is of two sides the Dragons of heaven and the Dragons of Earth, one side believing that humanity should not continue as they have abused the planets and their rights to be the dominant species and one side believes there is still hope for humanity. Now for any series which is counting down till the end of the world and the fight for the apocalypse you can imagine the darkness and pain that flows throughout this series. There is a host of interesting but tortured characters and nothing is set in stone. So many relationships, feuds, misunderstanding, hatred, love and need. I personally since being a fan of TB was very invested in the relationship between Seishirou and Subaru, these two men have the most tortured and messed up relationship and it’s the most romantic tragedy I’ve seen played out. Their relationship was cursed from the start and only destruction was ever going to redeem them. he iconography is for this series. The series is a rather complex game of cat and mouse between too intelligent and brilliant characters, Kira and L. Kira is our anti-hero, is he a visionary, is he a murderer, is he justice or is he a god. L is our hero, mad, brilliant and eccentric. To describe in full the entire goings on this series is quite difficult as it has all the twists and turns you expect of a great murder mystery thriller, even Sherlock Homes himself would have found this difficult to solve. Once you add the supernatural element into the mix it takes on a whole new level of excitement and danger. The basic plot is that a shinigami (a Japanese death god a bit like a grim reaper) is bored of just ferrying dead human souls and wants to mix it up a bit, so he “accidently” drops his Death note into the world of the living where it’s found by Light a son of a detective. He too is training to be a great detective but is sickened by the world and the amount of criminals that get away with their crimes. He discovers the Death Note has the power to kill the person whose name is written in it and so begins a twisted tale as he takes on the role of Kira punishing those he believes are guilty. But soon there are so many unexplained counts of seemingly natural deaths amongst the criminal population that the government decides that it no coincident and L is called in to solve the case of Kira. It’s a battle of wits between the two each trying to escape the other made only worse by the fact that Light’s father and therefore himself end up on L’s team where he is trying to stay one step ahead of the game. Throughout the series things only get more complicated and intense, the uses, rules and tricks of the death note are explored. Another death note is uncovered, L and Light form a strange friendship and respect for each other, Shinigami get involved and the very question of is it all right for one man to play god with the lives of humans even if they are criminals.

The added layer of social commentary is brilliant I love tales that ask those types of questions, we all feel at some point that criminals get away with things they shouldn’t, their punishments don’t always fit the crimes, many get away with murder literary and a lot of the time the prison system doesn’t work but do they still have any rights whose place is it to judge then. You can neither agree nor disagree with Kira but his god complex is a little too far and as with anyone that gains that kind of power it can corrupt you. I personally am an L fan he is just a bit weird and out there a completely unique individual so intelligent yet socially un at ease. There are a host of interesting characters that get involved in this and the series has a great look. The character designs are great and the world is a dark and scary place. Also helping the series is the fact that the opening and closing themes are done by my two fav j-rock bands, the beautiful and awesome visual kei band Nightmare and the greatest metal band out there Maximum the Hormone (I love this band have all their albums and they are just awesome!!!!!). I also love the use of the shinigami lore, I’m a big fan of this very Japanese mythology and this series has some great designs for the Shinigami’s. As with any show that features two attractive males of equal standing that have such a twisted and close relationship you can also slash this series but for once I was so involved with the storyline and how they out wit and manipulate each other I had no time for yaoi thoughts. This for me is very rare but this series is just too good, real edge of your seat, can’t stop watching and very intelligent.

Also not worthy is there are also 3 films based on the death note franchise the first 2 follow the manga and are a more condensed version of the anime. They miss out from a lot of the major characters and they change the ending to fit this but they hold the spirit of Death note perfectly both in tone, intelligence, suspense and the relationship of L and kira. They play out that beautiful cat and mouse game and are cast well. The graphics for the shinigami are a little too CGI but you forgive it for the fact that it’s still good and capture the essence of Death Note. The 3rd film is L change the world which is the tale of L and his last case after the incidents of Death Note and while no longer containing the supernatural element it is a good thriller and interesting film worth being part of the death note verse.

2 – X/1999 – Classic dark Clamp at its very best and this anime did it justice. I am a huge Clamp fan have every anime and manga they have produced. I do prefer their dark stuff such as Tokyo Babylon and X. X itself takes place 10 years after Tokyo Babylon and includes the key characters but in a much bigger affair, the end of the world. The story is of two sides the Dragons of heaven and the Dragons of Earth, one side believing that humanity should not continue as they have abused the planets and their rights to be the dominant species and one side believes there is still hope for humanity. Now for any series which is counting down till the end of the world and the fight for the apocalypse you can imagine the darkness and pain that flows throughout this series. There is a host of interesting but tortured characters and nothing is set in stone. So many relationships, feuds, misunderstanding, hatred, love and need. I personally since being a fan of TB was very invested in the relationship between Seishirou and Subaru, these two men have the most tortured and messed up relationship and it’s the most romantic tragedy I’ve seen played out. Their relationship was cursed from the start and only destruction was ever going to redeem them.

They’re not the only characters that go through so much pain the series is full of doom and gloom but in the most beautiful way you can possibly imagine. How to explain the plot, well it starts with 3 friends Fuuma, Kamui and Kotori, they find out Fuuma and Kamui find out that destiny is cruel and they are placed on opposite sides of this war as the leaders of their respective groups of Dragons. Each dragon has a special ability all come with powers based on various spiritual, religious and mythological teaching of Japan. This queues some amazing battles as mystic magic’s do battle. The one interesting this is how set in eastern spirituality this series is based and Christianity is not seen as a saving factor western religion has not place in this apocalypse.

Apart from amazing character designs in true Clamp fashion you have beautiful costumes, fantastic battles, social commentary, the exploration of eastern religion and mythology and human drama exposed and intensified by the desperate situation these characters are in. One thing I admire about Clamp is they have never feared taboo subject matter and always display this in the relationships of characters; you will find gay, lesbian, transgendered, incest and age gaps. Clamp believes love is love no matter age, race or gender and this power that makes their character fight and carry the burden of their fates. Clamp is also very strong on the theme of destiny and fate and has some of the strongest iconography of any studio out there. You will see the use of all their symbols and design traits throughout this series as well as other typical Clamp icons such as characters with one eye. If you want to see clamp at their best this is the place to start you can’t get any more intense than the apocalypse and you won’t find many series more beautiful or tragic than X.

3 – Gensomaden Saiyuki – This is a great series that been going on for years and yet they still haven’t made it west. This is another retelling of a very famous and popular Chinese tale of a priest and his companions travelling west to solve a mystery that is plaguing their home. If you’ve ever heard of Monkey you’ll know the story and if you’ve ever seen Dragon Ball now you know where that story comes from. The Buddhist monk Sanzo keeper of holy scroll hears a plea for help and releases Goku the Monkey king from his prison in the mountain. Goku who has forgotten his past life is taken in by Sanzo and the two are tasked with a mission. The mission involves a strange phenomenon that is changing the normal race of Youkai into murdering animals. Once Youkai and Humans got along but now something is upsetting this balance and Youkai are going made. Add to the team Gyojo, all round ladies’ man but also what is considered a child of taboo. And Hakkai mild mannered healer and Gyojo’s best friend after he rescued him. What makes me love this series is that it’s basically beautiful boy angst fest and I won’t deny that it is a yaoi fan dream. Four hot guys travelling together forming very close relationships while angsting like you would never believe. I mean Sanzo comes from an abused past, witnessing the murder of his ,master and then man that raised him, Goku was involved in the great war of heaven and imprisoned into the mountains for going against the gods, Gyojo is half Youkai after his mother had an affair with a human and then his Older full blood brother kills her and tries to kill him and Hakkai was in love with a woman that turned out to be his sister but they decided to run away and live as lover till she was kidnapped causing Hakkai to go mad and kill 1000 Youkai to get to her for her to commit suicide in front of him. The travel and try to get over their pasts but it haunts them, there’s a lot of ran in this series to make sure we all remember how depressed these guys are. They however form friendships and well put their lives on the line for each other to fight berserk Youkai and try to solve what is causing their world to go crazy. Along with more hidden secretes from their past and a whole other life they all lead together in heaven many years that cost them their lives before being reincarnated into this story.

As I said you can slash this series, me it’s all about Gyojo and Hakkai, ever since Gyojo found Hakkai dying in the road they have been close plus the line from Gyojo “you’re the only man I’ve ever taken to my bed” which I like to read into lots. Other interesting things about the series are unique character designs that can be explained as droopy eyed bishonen and a very interesting editing style. A lot of layering it used, screen halving and colour filters. Also flash backs using a TV static look and for the time slight cgi on certain scenes. Another great thing is the songs used as all four of the male voice actors are also singers they released a lot of albums and songs for this series as well as the openings. Also of interesting note is the fact that our heroes that if you remember contain a monk are all chain smokers, heavy drinkers and gamblers and sanzo’s weapon of choice is a gun so not your typical monk plus with all the killing, incest and homoerotic not your normal bunch of hero’s. The series itself is a lot of fun sometimes light heard and funny sometimes violent and battle filled and then there is the crushing angst and personal drama, me for one loves a tortures bishonen.

4 – Kuroshitsuji – As I have already reviewed this series in the past I’ll let you just go back and ready why its amazing and you should be watching it!!!!!!!



5 – Xxxholic – Yes another Clamp but as I said they are my fav studio out there because they do cater for both my sense of aestheticism, themes and characterisations. XXX is a mix of social commentary and supernatural mystery. It is based on a young boy called Watanuki and his ability to see the spirit world. This ability causes him all kinds of problems including the crushing wait of responsibility as ghosts are asking him to help them finish their unfinished business. He one day ends up and the house of the time witch (a nice little cross over with the tusbasa verse) Yūko Ichihara, a witch who owns a wish-granting shop. Watanuki requests to have his ability to see spirits removed and as payment, Yūko hires him to work in the shop, resulting in his encounter with various supernatural encounters. It’s through these encounters that we see such things such as humanities desire and greed and how many supernatural being pray on these things. What starts out as a fun almost detective story soon gets darker and Clamp more mature themes start to play out, fate and destiny are a big part as Yuko explains that the person Watanuki believe he loves isn’t what he thinks, one person will bring him tragedy and one person that he doesn’t suspect will bring protection and love. The other protagonist of the series is Doumeki and school friend of Watanuki that he does not like and can barely get on with. Doumeki though cares strongly for Watanuki and even though he is a man of little words and is often stern and cold has sacrificed more of himself than Watanuki knows to protect him. These boys are bound by fate and now blood as the things in the dark get more dangerous and aggressive. I like this series because I like how Japanese mythology and spiritual beliefs are played out, it’s interesting to a westerner to see the array of spirits and magic’s that both guard and infect the human world and what happens when you are aware of how human actions can affect this supernatural world. This series also makes sure we understand that greed and desire as well as sadness can be targets of supernatural involvement and people can be abused and abuse these supernatural factors.

This series still has a very clam feel to it buts it’s the first to have a different style, while much of the iconography is the same as well as motifs both visually and thematically the character designs are different. They are longer and world has more angles but is also full of darkness as well as beauty and tragic love. I am very much looking forward to seeing where this series will go and the journey of the main characters as their destiny plays out.

1 – Rose of Versailles – Truly one of the most amazing Anime’s to have ever been made this is a pure masterpiece and an absolutely beautiful tale. The story is the rise and fall of Marie Antoinette and the French court right through to the French revolution. The story is based very much in history but is told and focuses on the fictional character of Oscar. The Rose of Versailles focuses on Oscar François de Jar ayes, a girl raised as a man to become her father’s successor as leader of the Palace Guards. A brilliant combatant with a strong sense of justice, Oscar is proud of the life she leads, but becomes torn between class loyalty and her desire to help the impoverished as revolution brews among the oppressed lower class. Also important to the story are her conflicting desires to live life as both a militant and a regular woman as well as her relationships with Marie Antoinette, Count Axel von Fersen, and servant and best friend André Grandier. Oscars eventually becomes a member of the Palace guard and a close friend of Marie Antoinette, often working as her body guard. She takes her duties very seriously and is always often seen in her male façade. Through the series she is at the centre of many of the court problems like the famous necklace theft which she helps solve. She also goes though some amazing transformation as she becomes more aware of her growing femininity as she learns to fall in love, which tares her apart, whether she performs her duty as a palace Guard, how to deal with her love for a man that she cannot have and her growing need to help the less fortunate and their growing problems.

The series starts out fairly simple shoujo affair, solving mysteries, parties and girlish swooning but it soon gets more series as it introduces the real historical weight. The affair of Antoinette and Fersen is covered and the feelings it opens up in Oscar, the corruption of the court, Antoinette’s own naiveté and how it brings about her own downfall and most importantly the French revolution itself. The greatest thing about this series is the amazing and beautiful relationship between Oscar and her best friend Andre, how this relationship changes and just how much these two go through in such a terrible crisis. Warning though for all its beauty and strength by the end of this series I was in tears, but given its subject matter it wasn’t a surprise by some of the very heroic and tragic deaths. This series is living proof of how well the Japanese can appropriate and re-invent classic western stories with so much heart and beauty.

2 – Urusei yatsura – I love this series it’s a great fun classic series that entertains to the max. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien Lum who believes she is Ataru’s wife after he accidentally proposes to her. It is like a harem anime but with so much more going on with it sci-fi inspiration and well as the use of classic Japanese mythology. What makes it harem is the fact for some unknown reason half the women of this series end up falling for Ataru even though he is well women crazy and come onto anything female. The other half of the women are desperately trying to escape Atura’s advances. Ataru is very lecherous. His main goal in life is to live in the centre of a harem composed of exotic and beautiful women, including most of Lum’s alien friends. Usually, he just walks up to a woman he’s never met before and asks for her name, phone number, and address. If Lum, who views him as her husband, should witness these usually futile efforts, she regularly zaps him with massive quantities of electricity, but they do nothing to slow him down.

Once he decides to go after a particular female, virtually no force on Earth or any other place in the galaxy can stop him. This tenacity can work to his advantage in dire times, as it makes him determined to succeed regardless of the odds. Ataru may come across as stupid and lazy, but he is actually quite intelligent, able to manipulate situations to his advantage. Though he often tries to escape from Lum and openly flirts with other women, he truly loves Lum but steadfastly refuses to admit it. Into this mix add aliens, spaceships, wars, monsters, the supernatural and classic mythology to really mix thing ups. The series is packed so many crazy characters from ice princesses, super humans, aliens from all manner of planets, talking animals and some very surreal goings on. It would be impossible to tell you all about the different characters but my fav character is Shutaro Mendou is the rich handsome heir of the Mendou family and thus has his own army, unlimited resources and always carries a sword. He is in love with Lum but with no affect and while he is far more charming and sophisticated he is just as girl crazy as Atura he just manages to cover it up better.

3 – Dominion Tank Police – From the great Masamune Shirow comes this cyber punk gem with attitude and a lot of explosions. Set in the fictional city of Newport, Japan, in a future in which bacterial air pollution has become so severe that people must wear gas masks when outdoors; the series follows a police squadron that uses tanks. It is basically a futuristic cop show where instead of police cars they use tanks and as you can imagine that causes a lot more damage and fun. The main protagonist is Leona Ozaki who is very capable and loyal and incredible obsessed with her tank Bonaparte. You can imagine what this series is like very fun and filled with action, the criminals pulling of heists and a lot of high speed chases through the streets of this pollute city. The greatest aspects of this series are the very funny and sexy Anna Puma and Uni Puma, the Puma sisters.

Originally created as sex dolls they out grew their programing and decided to use all their android enhancements to live a life of crime. They have a mutual hatred of Leona and while being the villains you love them too much to ever want them to be caught. The best example I can think of to show how awesome this series is, is when the villains are escaping and need to slow down the tanks police. So they have these squares of sheeting which they through on the ground that are pressure sensitive, when the tanks goes over them they react and inflate into giant dildo’s. Yes that’s right the police are blocked by a seas of many coloured dildos blocking their route!!!

4 - Lupin the third – Another great classic both the series and the many movies most famous of which must be The Castle of Cagliostro famously directed by Hayoa Miyazaki. . The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc’s series of novels. Lupin and his gang travel throughout the world to steal treasures and escape from the law. Lupin III is clever and fast an amazing thief and a bit of a lecherous ladies man. He himself would not be as amazing if it wasn’t for his team mates, Daisuke Jigen and my fav Goemon Ishikawa XIII .
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Daisuke is Lupin's marksman. He can perform a 0.3-second quick-draw and shoots with amazing accuracy. He is often seen having a used cigarette clenched in between his teeth. He is also proficient in the use of many different firearms, such as machine guns, sniper rifles, and even a PTRS anti-tank rifle. Goemon is the thirteenth generation of renegade samurai, beginning with the legendary figure Ishikawa Goemon. He has a sword called, Zantetsuken meaning "iron-cutting sword", which can cut through almost anything. He is a man of few words but amazing skill and loyalty. I just love him because he’s a cool samurai all noble but awesome I mean he can cut a helicopter in half with his sword. The series and the movies generally follow a big theft which uncovers a conspiracy or an even worse criminal that our anti-heroes will out con and best. It is funny and light hearted with great chase scenes, some very over the top escapes and thefts but it never fails to entertain!!!

5 – Robotech – Now I know strictly Robotech is an American Hybrid of 3 classic amine’s, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, Super Dimensional Calvary Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospeda. But I watched it all as Robotech and while I am also a big Macross fan and have gone back to watch the original and as many Macross spin offs as I can; Robotech still holds a special place for me. Robotech is basically a very big and epic space drama, it’s about war, love, death and hope. There are so many things to say about the epic series, for one it’s broken into three series each a different generation. The main bad guys are alien invaders trying to destroy this world but learning about what it means to be human and have humanity. The series is part Mecha, each series has its own Mecha’s that can transform into different stages of planes and fighters. The series is about war both sides, the grey area and holding onto your identity as a species. It’s also a drama about love, family, friendship and death. Robotech at its heart is about hope, about sharing what makes you who you are and about sharing that and learning from it, learning about acceptance and finding another path apart from war and killing. Each series has its unique characters and their relationships and journeys of discovery. My fav of the three is the last series titled the New generation, it was clear by this point that it wasn’t originally part of the Macross universe but it still had that heart. I loved a character called Yellow Dancer, a loyal soldier an ace polite who when the invading enemy started to win the war went into hiding as a female singer. Now he travels about doing concerts as his female persona trying to bring hope to humanity. The one thing that does bring these series together is their theme of hope and the idea of something as human as a song can win a war. It one of those things I’ve always loved about the Macross world that a song can hold so much power, it can inspire soldiers, turn the tide of battles and even win wars but it can also teach humanity it can inspire feelings and it can save your life.

one thing i must say it took years for me to track down some of these series but be persistant they are out there on various formats and so worth it!!!!

I love this series!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is one of the best anime’s I’ve ever seen and is so perfectly my thing it couldn’t have been more perfect. It had everything I ever want in a show and had the most perfect ending as well. The plot is set in a manor house on the outskirts of Victorian era London, butler Sebastian Michaelis serves Ciel Phantomhive, the orphaned twelve-year-old head of an English noble family and a toy and candy empire, who serves directly under the Queen. Sebastian carries out any task required by his master while solving the problems plaguing England with ease and perfection, because of his demonic lineage and Faustian contract with his master. Ciel has a contract that states Sebastian must work for him as his most loyal butler until they discover who killed his parents, abused him and destroyed his family. Once Ciel has accomplished this than Sebastian is free to eat his soul, the main purpose of most demons is to eat human souls. So the two form a partnership and as events unfold until the truth is revealed and Ciel gets the revenge he wishes for and thus giving himself to Sebastian to devour.

Series 2 opens with somehow Sebastian having not eaten Ciel’s soul and is instead trying to find it. Turns out Ciel is rather unique and has a pure and very delicious soul even though his whole life has been clouded in darkness. At the moment of his devouring another demon swept in and stole Ciel from Sebastian. Series 2 opens Sebastian getting Ciel back to him but now Ciel has no memories of getting his revenge so the contract isn’t fulfilled and Sebastian can’t eat him. Also is the introduction of Alois Trancy who has had a very similar life to Ciel and thus has formed a contract with his own demon butler. These two boys and their butlers are all tied together in a battle for revenge, the truth and their souls. Sebastian has to fend of the advances of another demon trying to get his Ciel and it all plays out like a dark and twisted love square.

There are many things that make this series brilliant, there’s the obvious fact that is can be slashed very easily it borders so closely on shonen ai and there are openly gay characters like a red headed shinigami. But it’s not its gay subtext (though that helps) that make this series so good it’s the whole package. Not only does it have a very attractive cast, these are beautiful character designs for both male and female character, but also a very attractive misc-en-scen. Being set during the Victorian era makes for gorgeous use of clothing and the London setting. I love the Victorian period, I love its fashion and architecture so having a dark gothic anime reinterpret this period gives you amazing visuals. The music is wonderful; it is scored with dark classical and gothic themes brining the scene and feel of the series alive. It also deals with my favourite genre, the supernatural. I love demonology and occult series; I love the way Japan interprets western mythology and demon lore making it more beautiful and seductive. Japanese manga and anime creators have always had a love affair with European history and culture and then reinvent it with their own style and Kuroshitsuji is a perfect example of this. It the kind of anime that makes me want to buy the Manga’s, action figures, art books and even cosplay.
So Kuroshitsuji is visually perfect, it is also thematically perfect and has a great storyline. The series is full of emotions such as revenge, sorrow, need, love, devotion, greed, despair, anger and desire. As we learn more of the twisted fates of these two boys and the lengths these demon will go to for their souls we also begin to see the difference in these characters and why there is so much more strength and dignity to Ciel and his relationship with Sebastian. There is trust and respect between these two and at the very end they have become something more than master and servant, demon and human and there is a whole new journey for them to begin.

Kuroshitsuji also have many other interesting characters and while the show follows heavily on the main protagonists it has a very fun supporting cast. There are all kinds of other supernatural characters that I love such as shinigamis and fallen angels. So there is something for everyone and as a fan girl this series is the closest I’ve ever come to series such as Yami No Matsuei. So all in all I can’t say enough good things about this series it was engaging, fun, emotional and beautiful throughout. It did the genre so much justice, it had a wonderful gothic Victoriana world to indulge in and it had such a wonderful relationship with great development at its heart.

I absolutely love this series it was just so much fun. I do love a good mecha series but have found many that become a little too serious and pretentious. Mecha has a tendency to go a little too deep and while I love series such as Evangelion and Fafner sometimes I would like a mecha series which is a little more fun. A series where you still have amazing robot designs which wonderful movements and battle with all the destructive force you expect of a giant robot but a little less politics. Sometimes I’d like there not to be huge government conspiracies, strange spiritual and religious undertones, emotional backwards pilots and plots that are so complicated that you can’t just enjoy the beauty of a Mecha. Basquash has so much to offer, it has big, loud battling Mecha’s, but instead of an all-out global war they are the tools in a new sport. Mecha’s are used to play a hyped up version of basketball. And like all good sports shows we have intense games and driven and courageous characters. The story takes place in the world of “Earth Dash”, an alternate, futuristic version of Earth where human society split between the far more advanced lunar society and that of the planet’s surface. A popular sport is BFB (Big Foot Basketball), where players ride mecha called “Big Foot” and play basketball in a giant arena. In the city of Rolling Town, Dan JD and his companions take the sport to the streets, rename it “Basquash”, and then embark on a journey to overcome their past hardships and make their dreams come true.

After BFB took to the streets to create Basquash another company tried to monopolize this new sport creating a new league but Dan JD and his team realised this still wasn’t the Basquash they created and therefore went out to play their own true underground form of the sport. We learn much about our characters, Dan JD, who was originally banned from BFB because of the destruction he causes at their championship. He has spent a year in prison and amounted enormous debt but still he wants to play the game. He wants to make up for the fact that his sister (who was a better player than him) had her legs destroyed by a Big Foot. Now he plays because she can’t and is ever growing in strength and skill. Like all good protagonists he is stubborn, proud and brave, he doesn’t back down and he gives everything for his game with passion and enthusiasm. Joining him in his team are Sela d Miranda and Iceman Hottie. Now Iceman Hottie is a character that lives up to his name which is always good and definitely supplies us girls with eye candy, with his angsty past, his slightly split personality, his amazing game play he is near unbeatably and makes for one extremely strong Basquash player. Basquash has a great collection of characters and yes there are plenty of big breasted girls, lots of fan service but it never distracts from the series and is less obvious and in your face than an anime such as Line barrels.

The world they live in is also a good mix of future scapes and industrialization. You see the contrast between the moon world and the earth world and the different way the two civilizations live. People on the surface are trying to get to the moon, the chance of a better life. But it turns out there is more connecting these two civilisations. A great tragedy is prophesized to engulf both worlds and it’s not long before our team of Basquash players find themselves in the middle of it. There’s a bigger picture to the series than just the game they play, winning matches and proving yourself the best Basquash player. All that helps you grow and realize your full potential and that comes into play for the final battle to save the planets. The series is also well paced, a great mixture of drama, comedy, fighting spirit and real threat. It also has great music I just love the opening and ending themes for this series they fit perfectly. “nO limiT” by Eclipse is a fun song performed by our idol group characters; many a great anime has an idol or group where would Macross be without its songs. While Eclipse isn’t quite there compared to the songs of Gundam Seed or Macross there’s still that element of a song bringing hope and strength to the battle which is a theme I’ve always like. Inspiration and power through something peaceful and artistic like music. And of course where’s there’s a female singer involved there’s a romance and like many a good series a nice love triangle. In fact Basquash shares a few similarities with the Macross franchise but without the epic war aspect. The smaller aspects are similar, music, relationships, reluctant hero’s, ace pilots and just an energy and vibrancy that goes with a great made series.

I seem to be quite good at finding little anime’s that not many people have watched but really should. This series I found happens to be excellent though very little info is on the web about it. The story takes place five decades from now, when brain scanners have been perfected to the point that the government can retrieve up to five years’ worth of memories from people’s minds — even if they are dead. The investigators of the National Research Institute of Police Science’s 9th Forensics Laboratory must weigh the ethical choices in the ultimate invasion of privacy as they delve into people’s minds to solve crimes. The show is a psychological version of something like CSI but with more weight and a far more disturbing turn. We have an elite police unit that focuses on trying to solve the crimes that would remain a mystery if it wasn’t for this fantastic new technology that is able to look into the memoires of the victims. The catch is the brain must be removed from the dead victim before a 48hr period to ensure that the memories are intact. With storylines such as political assassinations, brutal killings and deranged serial murderers there is much for fans of hard core police and crime dramas to enjoy. For me personally I prefer a little more dark side crime series so this was perfect. I have always loved mystery amine’s such as Detective Academy Q but this is a nice step away from series aimed at a younger audience into a far more adult show. The show itself is pictured more realistically, with character designs and settings looking much how you would find them in the real world. This immediately gives you a more realistic setting rather than the usual fantasy and escapist image of many anime’s. Also it gives you a little insight to the problems of the modern world the nature of escalating crime, humanities passion for more perverse violence and the changes in our culture and society that brings about new waves of crime. For example one story involves the nature of body modification and the new youth culture that has gone beyond tattoo’s and piecing as a way to express themselves and are finding more extreme ways to change their bodies and express their individuality.
By setting itself in the future it allows for the creation of this technology without having to explain too much about how it works. You don’t get bogged down in the science and therefore can enjoy the story without wondering exactly how they extract the memories. But it being the near future there are no flying cars and stereotypical science fiction elements, their world looks much like ours but with a few more technological breakthroughs and disturbing new forms of crime. This is definitely not a series for the faint of hearted not only are some of the cases particularly grotesque and alarming they do not shy away from showing you images that are disturbing. You see the inner working of serial killers minds as well as the horrific crimes they have committed. Scenes of mutilation and decay plus the effect these scenes have on the characters themselves. We are introduced to this story through the character of Ikkou Aoki who having successfully graduated police training is placed in the department. As the new guy it takes him a while to settle in and is frequently distressed and unsettled by the images he sees. It’s his caring and compassionate nature that allows him to make such an important member of the team. His innocence and kindness allows for him to not grow cold and distant from the crimes but to honestly want to solve them and protect the people from the harm these criminals are committing. It is also his own secrets that help him with unique views on the cases.
The series offers that everyone has secrets and where do our morals lie in looking into someone else’s memories even if it is to solve a crime. After all it’s not only the memories before death that are seen but other secrets that these victims may have wanted to keep. The people watching these images have a duty to solve the crime but not to judge the victims on anything else they may see. Aoki knows it’s a thin line they walk and that it’s dangerous to get too involved with what you must personally be thinking when trying to solve a case. The real heart and soul of this team however is Tsuyoshi Maki. A very effeminate and fragile looking young man who is in fact a very strong and determined person. He has his own tragedy and secrets but is focused and dedicated to using this technology to solve crimes and help as many people as possible. Aoki himself says that one day he will discover Maki’s secret but until then he wishes to stay close and protect Maki hopefully one day being as strong as him so they can stand as equals. Maki is incredible haunted young man and the burdens he carries is far more terrifying than most people would cope with not. Not only does he have to live with killing his best friend and Aoki’s resemblance (particularly) in personality to him, but the whole case surrounding his friends death and the serial killer of 37 boys and young men that left to severe mental destruction. The mental scars are enormous and the series slowly starts to piece together this horrific murder, torture and mutilation on boys and how Maki is at the centre of it. Maki has caught the attention of a truly disturbing serial killer who plagues Maki’s memories throughout the series.

I personally think Maki may also be dealing with more than just having his psyche, will power and memories bombarded with gruesome images by a love sick killer. He is also dealing with his own feelings toward the best friend who died and Aoki. I know being a slash fan gives me queer goggles and it’s not just Maki’s feminine features that make me think he is hiding his own homosexuality it’s a couple of scenes that clearly allude to the fact that Maki is also punishing himself for having feelings for his friend in the past and now Aoki. I personally think Maki can do better than Aoki but that’s not the point of the series. It’s a psychological thriller, a crime drama and a look at the horrors of the human mind. A place where only the strongest can stand to look and where only by having your own secrets and demons can you bear to look at and understand other peoples.

I have to admit that I’m not a romantic, I stay away from anything in the straight romance genre it just isn’t my thing so I’m not sure what brought me to this anime. As one that usually rejects the heterosexual monogamous couple, preferring her slash or straight out gay characters or dark romances between other worldly being or relatives and generally doesn’t like lead female characters as they never have anything in common with me and just never act as I would also being female this was a series out of my normal watching pool. And I have to say I am so glad I drifted from me stereotypical watching as I discovered a highly enjoyable little gem of a series. The stories centres around Kyoko a 16 year old girl who has quit school to travel with her prince charming as he lives out his life’s ambition of being a famous idol. While Sho Fuwa gets his big break and begins his climb up the fame ladder, Kyoko does everything in her power to support him, working multiple jobs to afford the apartment they share while making sure he is fed and supported. Kyoko being a simple and plain girl thinks nothing of the sacrifice she has made to her life if it will bring ease and comfort to Sho and she can spend time with the love of her life, her Prince Sho. We are told a fairly romantic tale at the start of the series about how all girls are beautiful and hide a goddess with them; girls just need a prince to unlock their hidden potential from a chest they have stored in their hearts. Well Sho has the key to Kyoko’s chest and unlocks the girl inside. Kyoko over hears Sho telling his manager how he only keeps Kyoko around to act as his maid and servant, that she is a plain and boring girl with no sex appeal that is only a stepping stone in his climb to stardom.Kyoko’s heart is broken and released is a spirit of such hatred and betrayal it transform our little duped Kyoko.

This is why after one episode I realised I was going to love this series. Kyoko’s inner girl is quite simply mental instead of falling into despair she becomes angry and decides to get revenge. She decides that the only way to get back at Sho is to follow him into fame and become such a shinning star she becomes more famous and is more loved than he is. Kyoko gets a new make over and sets out on journey. Kyoko has her issues from the start she seems quite bi-polar and a little scary at times. Kyoko is a hard working, honest and determined girl. She has guts and doesn’t back down but underneath this is a level of dignity and respect for her work and talent and the strength to put 100% into all she does takes her far but whenever she is reminded of Sho its like a switch is flipped and she turns into a angry monster with uncontrollable rage and a passion for destruction that scares all those around her. It’s the scary stalking crazy persona that gets her foot in the door of show bizz but it’s her hard working and determined personality that keeps her there and helps her grow. It soon turns out that under all that crazy and ambition for revenge is true talent. Kyoko does in fact have potential and while it’s unrefined she is a natural actor with true talent. What I also like about Kyoko is that her physical change isn’t too dramatic, by cutting her hair, dyeing it and getting some new clothes she doesn’t automatically become a beautiful woman. She is still a little simple and plain looking compared to the other stars around her but its when she performs and is truly made up that she becomes beautiful. Its an honest portrayal of idol beauty, clothes, make up and wigs can change a persons exterior but Kyoko’s talent and hard work can shine through this as well as her mental and angry turns which always add for great comic relief.

The other aspect of the series is the introduction of male actor and top of his game idol, Ren Tsuruga. He and Kyoko start of on the wrong foot and their relationship is plagued by misunderstandings. Ren initially takes a dislike to Kyoko because he hates the reason for her choice of career. He takes acting very seriously and is very passionate about his work. He loves acting and hates the idea of it being used for something such as revenge. But as he gets closer to Kyoko he begins to see her true potential though they have a rocky friendship he try’s to give her advice and nurture her talent. Ren also has his own interesting development as its Kyoko that unknowingly helps him plug a hole in his acting and makes him realise about his true emotions. Of course this is the beginning of a romance but as Kyoko is still on her own journey the series doesn’t focus too much on the romance which is why it makes me want these two to get together even more. Ren and Kyoko make a great pair and they are slowly, by building their relationship are also growing as individuals. Kyoko although firmly denouncing love does find something she loves and that’s acting, whether or not she and Ren will find the same doesn’t matter for the moment because Kyoko is doing something I admire, finding herself and how far her passion and ambition can take her. Not losing herself in relationships and the need for a boyfriend and romance she can truly grow as a person and see her strength and they way she inspires those around her, which is a beautiful and fun thing to watch.

So I was attracted to this because it is such a niche market a very specific genre. I mean its old Bishonen (their all in their 50’s) and they all have glasses. So if older men in glasses are your thing then you’ll love this series. This series is one of those little slice of life dramas, nothing really happens and nor does it need to. We are being invited into this world to watch and learn about these characters and their lives. It’s a nice drama about a group of people who are happy in their world and are happy to share it. The bump in the road comes from the introduction of a new character into their little world. Nicoletta comes to the restaurant to see her estrange mother and blow the lid on her mothers secret to get back at her for leaving her behind. Olga (Nicoletta’s mother) has gotten re married but her husband is against divorcees and women with children so Olga has kept Nicoletta a secret and left her behind to get on with her life. Nicoletta finally has enough of her mothers disregard for her and comes to Rome to the restaurant owed by her mother’s new husband. She is shocked to find that the entire staff of Casetta dell’Orso are older gentlemen with glasses. It turns out that Olga has a bit of a thing for this and the Husband decided to make this restaurant to honour his wife and how much he loves her. Nicoletta see’s how happy her mother is and feels she’s not really ready to blow the whole secret daughter thing so spends some time at the restaurant where she falls for one of the older gentlemen there. The series follows Nicoletta trying to work out if its love she’s feeling despite the age difference while decided to pursue her own career as a chef at the restaurant. The series gives us the back story of how the restaurant came to be, how all the staff ended up their and their various relationships. All in all it’s a simple and lovely tale of people, their relationships, friendships and of course falling in love.

Ok so yes this is an anime that I started watching because of the fan girl in me. Of course I wasn’t going to let it go unwatched there’s an entire cast of hot bishies one side is military (yay uniforms) the other is the church (yay flouncy robes).  I have to say I loved this series it was everything it needed to be, the men were hot, the action great, the story interesting, the scoring was good, the world was interesting and the slash was abundant.

The story revolves around Taito Klein, orphan slave recruited into the military but highly ostracised by the other recruits. He is training to become part of the next military cadets with the only friend willing to put aside their backgrounds for the sake of friendship. But alas Taito finds out that the general killed his father and he is the heir to a kingdom that this militaries country destroyed. Taito goes a little crazy attacks the general and gets put into a cell. His best mate helps him escape and Taito manages to crash into a group of bishops and is rescued into sanctuary which is governed by the church and therefore the military cant come and take him back (pesky politics). So this is where our story really begins Taito of coarse has a secret hidden power, hidden memories he must recover, a sense of not knowing where he belongs, a lot of angst, a best friend he misses dearly, a new mentor and guardian in the form of a hot bishop that reads porn and is the centre of a government conspiracy. But this is not all, it turns out that this world is being invaded by demons trying to eat people’s souls and it’s the church that is fighting the evil spreading through the world. Taito is stuck in the middle of so many dilemmas, does he seek the truth behind the fall of his kingdom, does he seek revenge against the military that killed his father, does he join the church and help fight this evil or does he sit about and angst about how unfair his life is. In truth he goes through all of these in some way or the other. Most of the series concentrates on his journey to find his true path, his true destiny and coming to terms with who he is and where he belongs.

This really is just fun watching and did I mention how hot the characters are? You can’t fault a fun and interesting series. It’s not the most original but it does have a great mythology running through it. Gods ruled the earth, one though was a little evil and decided that he wanted to corrupt and play havoc with the world. Well he was sealed away and to make sure he can not be reborn 7 death gods (shinigamis) were sent to protect the seal and stop him from ever resurrecting, they are known as the 7 Ghosts. Each Shinigami represents a quality or emotion, they are the seven aspects that make up god and these Shinigami have been reincarnated into the world as humans. Their role is to stop the spread of evil, as too much evil and soul eating will cause the re birth of the big bad god. The other aspect of the mythology is that each soul before being born to humanity goes before god and tells him what 3 things they would like to achieve as humans on earth. When they are born they of course forget these three goals but when they achieve them their lives are complete and they can transcend and move onto heaven. I like the mythology the idea that you have set goals you yourself have set that you must achieve in life otherwise you can’t die and move onto the next life. It’s an interesting idea that is unique to this series.

The anime for 07 Ghosts is very much a prequel for bigger things to come. By the time you’ve finished it you realize that this series is only the beginning, that everything that has happened leads to Taito’s decision in the final episode and where Taito has to go from hear. All the characters play important roles and a few are set up leaving you thinking they will have more importance to play at a latter date. Therefore the series has one of those ending no endings and I hope to god that they make more or that the manga is further ahead as |I really want to know what happens next. Plus I am a yaoi fan girl and I love slash so I want to enjoy more beautiful “friendship” moments between characters.

Soul Eater is a fantastic series with great style, music, character design and an engaging and entertaining story to tell. There is not much to fault with this series and I absolutely love it. I adore its setting within a hallowenesque world filled with witches, zombies, ghosts, ghouls and grim reapers. Everything from a good horror story is here and their good guys fighting to protect humans from those that would eat them and consume their souls. There is a real batch of interesting characters all with their own quirks and emotions, the have great potentials and powers but also insecurities and reservations. There is a great mix of actions, emotion and plot sometimes laughing sometimes on the edge of your seat waiting for the outcome of a fierce battle. The main story is of Maka and her partner Soul she is a meister and Soul is her weapon, she wants to make Soul a fully fledge death scythe but this can only be done by eating 100 corrupted souls and one of a witch. Their job is to hunt down the corrupt humans that have eaten souls to gain power and are now demons, they must also try and contain the threat they are facing form the witch community that like to toy and manipulate the world for their own gain. Along with Maka and Soul are fellow class mates Black star and his weapon Tsubaki, a ninja team and my favourite Death the Kid and his twin guns Patty and Liz (he also happen to be the son of the founder of this society the great Shinigami himself).  There are a lot of characters in this series each one original and bringing something new and interesting to the series. I know this review is short and sweet but really all I can say is how much I loved this series, how much fun I had watching it and how much I love Death the Kid!

This is an anime that I am in two minds about, sometimes I was really enjoying it and sometimes I wanted to throw a book at the screen. I happen to be a big fan of New Wave Mecha, Mecha shows post Eva that have that slightly more social and political undertone of how we treat the world and its youth culture. So as you can imagine I loved Rahxephon and the wonderful Soukyu no Fafner. Linebarrels however is neither of these things; in fact it’s a little confused on what it wants from its audience. I was drawn to it by the lure of big robots that fight and are pretty cool to look at, also the character designs similar to Fafner and Gundam seed. This being that Hisashi Hirai was in fact the designer for linebarrels as well as Fafner and Gundam seed. So give me a series about Mechas, politics, teenage pilots, modern society and all its issues couple it with one of my favourite character designers then have the opening theme done by Ali Project and it should be a match made in heaven. But unfortunately there is something just a little off about linebarrels.

The plot centers around Hayase Kouichi (and it may have something to do with how annoying this boy is that made me want to throw a book at the screen), he’s a bit of a loser, the class go body that gets picked on but he dreams of being a hero of justice. Hayase is always getting saved and protected by his much more attractive and cooler best mate but Hayase doesn’t seem very grateful about this as he feels it’s unfair to always have his mate come to his rescue. As with all those that seek power his lucky or unlucky break comes when a giant robot falls from space crushing him to death. Well through the laws of anime magic and unexplained plot twists the robot saves his life and makes Hayase his pilot. Hayase is overjoyed, he now has power, can stand up for himself and a giant robot. Also with giant robot comes a large breasted girl with amnesia and Hayase vows to protect. So when other robots come to destroy his home a Hero of Justice is born. Unfortunately Hayase is an arrogant sod who flashes his power like a school bully, wont listen or show any respect for the friends that have helped and stood by him since childhood and thinks his new buxom friend should just stand around and be protected. No wonder all the other characters hate him I was waiting for someone to kick the crap out of him. Luckily this came when good guy and his robot from the secret organisation trying to save the world, in fact beat the crap out of Hayase for being an egotistical overconfident pain in the arse. Unfortunately it’s not until death of the only character with any sense that Hayase realises he’s being a pratt.
So yes there’s shocking character revelation after shocking character death and of course Hayase decides to join secret organisation (known as Juda) to help protect humanity from this new threat. Once Hayase himself stops acting like a spoiled brat the series does get a lot better and you only have to sit through 4 episodes of wishing the main character would go jump of a cliff. The plot actually gets a lot more interesting and there are fair few twists to keep you interested but there’s something that keeps it from being a truly great series rather than just an ok one that’s fun to watch. The problem with Linebarrels is not just that every girl ends up in love with Hayase, which I don’t get all other male characters are far more interesting, better looking, less annoying and also have cool robots. I mean even overly effeminate male twin with the crazy mind rape power is more interesting or how about dark and brooding emotionless ace pilot, he’s cold blooded and ruthless and wears glasses. Come on girls where are your brains? No my big beef with this series is the fan service.
I have no problem with fan service really why shouldn’t there be a bit of cleavage, some bouncing boobs and a panty shot. I mean I watch enough anime that has fan serve for girls I am a slash and yaoi fan after all. So in all fairness fan service doesn’t annoy me. I watched all of Tenjho Tenge and had no problem with the fan service in it. Linebarrels however just seems a bit confused about who its audience is, fine have the beach episode where everyone has to wear a swimsuit and there are blushes and nose bleeds galore but then understand you are trying to fight a giant alien invasion and there is a time and a place to be looking down a girls top. Can you imagine watching Gundam Seed and Kira or Athrun had nose bleeds every episodes, I mean they are dating some hot girls after all. It wouldn’t work and Linebarrels is proof of it. Every episode Hayase is caught doing something perverted and getting about 3 nosebleeds, fine he’s a young guy but time and place people. Linebarrels wants to be taken seriously with its plot and message and then in the middle of important conversation our hero is distracted by big bouncy breasts or he is trying to comfort his girl who’s lost everything, very angsty and we get shots of her sitting on the floor so we can look at her knickers. It’s so sad your family is dead but you wear white knickers and the saviour of the world is passed out on the floor in a puddle of blood. Sometimes fan service is fun, sometimes it makes a running joke or is done in a satirical way, sometimes it works like in the Mecha series Gravion which never tried to take itself too seriously but in Linebarrels it distracts from any serious plot and just drove me up the wall.
For me personally there was one thing about the series that made me like it more and yes I am a yaoi fan so the fact that I could slash it was a bonus. After all what else am supposed to do when a gender confused boy has a idol worship respect for his cold hearted but totally kick arse Sempai. I mean I don’t blame him the guy is hot and there is something going on between them, not just idol worship. There’s a lot of angst and all fan girls know that angst means gay, also these two guys seem to not notice all the bouncy boobs and panty shots, there’s a secret letter and a very satisfying fan girl ending for these two males. So yeah all is forgiven due to the fact that I can slash this show and sometimes being a fan girl out weighs all my academic training. Wow 6 years of film studies and art and my brain still chooses being a bit pervery over being a critic.