NoVA_j.5's Anime Database

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Superb quality throughout in all areas. Typical Gainax animation with complexity which pulls down on the dramatic side (to my opinion, that is), but is overall quite good & fun. I liked it better than the first series because it wasn't as obstinate, and I liked how it tried to stay original as much as it can, with all the new experiments all the while retaining core spiritual aspects of the series.

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Considered an OVA great, I understand its strengths. Still, it's not really my style.

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Animation Runner Kuromi is about the reality of animators - yes, very sad. But no, director Akitaro Daichi has done a great job by doing his thing on making the animation bright, humorous and pleasant.

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Appleseed is extremely outstanding film. It is a good film on its own without considering the technology into it. But what I really, really regard highly about appleseed is how they have 'obviously' applied full 3D into it and still gave strong impression of typical animes. I was quite shocked at the end about the emotion and impact delivered by it. It seems quite experimental, but is a great achievement nonetheless.

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Area 88 is considered a classic in Japan (and Korea). I didn't find it as amusing when I saw it, but it was one of those animea that grew over time in the back of my head. It was made in 1985, but it had styles. It's gotten all the right ingredients and really was well made after all. War, love, tragedy, solidity and pain of being a soldier all well mixed in, lead by dramatic dogfights.

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Relaxing, moving and beautiful, but loses its freshness as series proceeds with loose settings and repetitive patterns.

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I pick this OVA to be the best armitage out there. It's not popular but is a pretty well-made cyberpunk anime. Directing could have been better, but I'd say that music pretty much pulled down everything :(

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Very fun and fascinating. Misses any deeply moving experience, but for an entertainment it is tops. Beginning is a little weak though. But after a few episodes it just seduces you.

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Gunnm is my No.1 favorite manga series. Still, I watched it on anime first. It was actually pretty much the first time I started watching anime seriously. I remember picking it up from the video rental store :) They claim the anime version to be so far behind the manga version. But I've found it fun on its own. Director Rintaro's strengths are very well put into it. Too bad they only made 2 episodes... I will look out for James Cameron version.

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The Big-O is the best 'robot animation' that I've watched. It's a brilliant mix of things that we are familiar of, then magnificently pulls out its own originality out of it. Great style and creativity throughout, as well as great designs - all in visual, sound, plot etc. It gets some negative marks though, because of its ending - it's not stupid or ugly, but I'm a little unhappy about it!

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Originally created by the legendary Osamu Tezuka, Black Jack is reborn as a feature animation in 1996. It is very well made, but is a bit too bleak throughout.

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A mature anime with high degree of purity. Packed energy with destructive nature. Superb opening.

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Slightly different (& weaker) to the 1st season, but still has that authentic Black Lagoon flavor. Bang!

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When I watched this show, it seemed to me like it was an experimental product on digital 2D animation and this unique atmosphere this show has. I don't remember much details now, but my impression remains pretty much the same. I remember being so absent-minded when the credit rolls started rolling. I think this is a show that was not really meant for general public but for the ones who are actually interested in this unique style and technical matters. I'd be more interested if this kind of anime comes out again now, though.

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A so-called 'hidden jewel of real-robot anime genre', cut down to 38 episodes. It is an animation that has much more behind it than what is explicitly presented, and it had great potentials in it. Pity that it could not reach them though, mainly due to poor pacing / directing. It has great styles nonetheless and is quite involving, if you can bear some slow paced parts.

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Boogiepop Phantom is somewhat a cult series. It is very dampish and has a complex story to it. The problem is, that it's not so well presented in animation. Almost all fans recommend you to read the original novel. I didn't bother too. But it sure is intriguing with sci-fi, dark-fantasy and horror mixed into the world of present.

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It has some good stuffs, but they don't really seem to get together. Everything just seems to fall apart as it proceeds. I wouldn't say it's particularly 'bad', but it's just not up to the expectation you get. It's meant to be a warm and fantastic work, and it just fails to get over that hump to really accomplish it.

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Brain Powered has great designs and music. But story-wise, it was too dull. Its simple basic concept was explained complicatedly just to make it look deep. Every jargon was made out of english in pretty much direct translation of its meaning, and romance ~ which was of great importance to the story ~ was too weak. (I don't think Tomino is really good at portraying 'love', despite being a very good storywriter.)

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I chose to watch it because it was written by Hideyuki Kurata, one of my favorite anime screenwriters. And he doesn't fail. Brigadoon is somewhat very special. It adopts a cute, poor but bright young girl and pairs her with a blunt battle humanoid at the center of the show, set in 1960s Japan. The series focuses on love and friendship but does it through different worlds and crosses over very dark and very bright moods ever so smoothly. It also uses simple lines and there are quite smooth animation in place. A very intersting and involving animation with great creativity and skillful composition.

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It's very strong-charactered, vibrant and unique. Intensiveness that Kazuto Nakazawa puts is very intruiging. And ah, this animation's title is so well named :)

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Nihilistic adventures of space cowboys, which complements solitude and romance with cool jazz and hot action, Cowboy Bebop is arguably one of the best anime shows ever. Being a true "adult themed" anime, Bebop has left such a remarkable impact and set the tone in the anime scene that it seems adequate for them to claim that it is a new genre itself. Even though many feel that its style is similar to that of Quentin Tarantino's, it shouldn't be a drawback to bebop's own originality and quality.

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Can see they've spent a lot of money, but was too plain to meet expectations.

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This is one seriously crazy comedy animation! Cromatie High School carries the torch of Masaru-san to be right up there as the leader of comedy anime. Cromartie is like a breath of fresh air in the world of animation. Things may seem a little awkward for people who don't get it. But if you do, you'll be lying sick of laughing! :D

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Vivid, extreme and hyper. It looks very much like a 1-person driven experiment.

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I don't really remember much. It was a so-so anime to me at the time I watched. There seem to be various versions but I'm not exactly sure which one it was. I know it was the one released early in Australian market and I suspect it as of either 1992 or 1993 version (probably 1992?)

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A truly well-made animation. This is the real thing folks.

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Nice efforts throughout, but is just not interesting - becomes rather annoying. For me at least. Oh, Pino is cute though :)

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An easy-to-watch, popular styled racing animation. It could have been better planned, and the limits of Kousuke Fujishima shows. But eX Driver is actually quite enjoyable if you're not so picky about all the subtle stuffs.

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Quite an experiment, but everything seems to fall apart.

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Pretty much the same as Street Fighter 2 - The Animated Movie: It originated from popular fighting game, I watched it when I was young, it was ok to watch, but had not left particular impression on me. Oh, that's right: Mai is HOT!

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This is based on a lengthy manga series which still has a long way to go on. It is quite an attractive animation by itself, but just doesn't seem complete and lack anything to stand out amongst others. Beautiful designs all over the place though.

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Unleash that kidult in you.

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This is some psycho-crazy comedy series. It's also very much a black comedy that criticizes things. There are a few episodes that are funny as hell, but to me I couldn't really get it. Even if I understood everything behind it, I'd think that it's too persistent.

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Somewhat a classic, Mospeada is a unique and well-made animation overall.

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An anime about otakus that's not made for otakus. There's no quality or anything but genshiken stays pleasant all the time.

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It's not as good as the reputation it is getting, but is definitely a good stuff if you're the fan of the series. I expected quite more out of this show but it seems that Imagawa Yasuhiro being sent off in early stages made some affect throughout the show. It's not as solid as it should've been.

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It is highly acclaimed and its impact was enormous, especially to western world. It is also famous as the ancestor of the Matrix. Still, I myself didn't get so much hooked into it. It wasn't as fresh to me and felt a bit constrained.

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I thought it was a bit dry. Well-made though. I wished for better subtitles when I watched.

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Giant Robo is like a feast of manga great Mitsuteru Yokoyama, that it includes so many characters from his different works. It has cost 7 years (or was it longer?) for all 7 episodes to come out. It is a 'giant' animation of moving drama and tragedy filled with superb actions and aesthetics.

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Shigeru Tamura's short feature animation, it is very beautiful and 'slow' - it may seem boring to some, but you realize that there's the beauty in it.

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I couldn't like this animation because of the way it depicted japanese merely as poor victims. I couldn't sympathize with 2 main characters and the story overall since it seemed like it was pushed to urge compassions out of the viewers.

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Zeorymer is one of the animes which has its own fans, to those who know it. It certainly is shocking in some aspects (like the dual-personality of Masaki and how heroin transforms to be the energy core of the machine etc...), but I find it too short.

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Definitely one of the best, and is a hidden jewel of an anime that's produced in 2002. Can be recommended to wide variety of people who appreciates self identification and can watch things without sex and violence.

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Strong story and unique nature stand out. Superb voice casting and overall solid throughout. Drawing quality breakdowns are lamentable and 13-episode length is a disadvantage it had to cope with from the start. Though that is covered by brilliant directing, the whole story still had to be dissipated all over the places and it will not let viewers have enough room to be sympathized. But Hakkenden is good in many aspects as well as unique. This show is very worthy of viewing.

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Hellsing has a charismatic dark madness to it, and it's about a vampire who hunts vampires. It gives a unique impression on people, which is its major attraction point. I'm not particularly attracted by it though. There is another series that's run in and I haven't watched it yet, but it seems to be more like the original comics version, which is the version fans like more (but it's not finished yet, too). This TV version suffered to sum up and complete on its own. But I guess you can get a taste of what Hellsing is like.

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A hidden jewel of an anime, reminiscing the romantic '85~'95 era with graceful execution throughout.

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What a lovely show. Honey and Clover shows the story of university undergraduates and their close people in a fine arts school, suffering yet vigorous, trying to find the 'thing's in their lives at the end of their green period. Honey and Clover comes from the feminine side of the industry, and is very fresh in many ways - how it expresses things in visual ways, how it views youths' lives and draws the story etc. Honey and Clover is very rich, warm and beautiful, yet humble and sensitive.

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Second season of 'Hachikuro', the story of youth. Made a terrible mistake with the ending, but an extremely good animation in all other areas.

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It's very moving and beautiful, but I can't ignore the fact that the story is messed up. Too bad Miyazaki took over in the middle of making.

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Long settings, short story. Basic plot, subject matter and characters are ok but very crudely written and directed overall.

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This began as a NT(NewType) novel, then made into an anime. It's quite much like SaiKano, and is very japanese in many aspects. I see why it gained some popularity, and I did think it was O.K., but to me it seemed too much of a hard mix of typical japanese-ness.

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It was told by a japanese staff when I went to see it in the cinema that Mamoru Oshii weeped after writing the script since the story was so sad. Man, I'm not impressed. Superb animation quality though. I might have felt better if I haven't heard about that sob story.

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Subtle and pleasant animation, with full of fun and creativity. It is very reminiscent of past. A great animation but it is without huge dynamics. Yurie is as cute as hell!

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Superb quality & FX, organised very well & tightly from beginning to end. Theme might be a little too stereotyped but it has kinda fresh, attractive approach to the whole scheme.

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KEY: The Metal Idol is a rare case of anime that it was produced in OVA over a few years' time period, done in 15 episodes (and the last episode is 3 times longer than normal episodes!). It's very strong and emotional, and greatly mixes lots of elements into it - science, fantasy, drama that involves many relationships. One of the best out there.

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It would be rather funny to give this a proper mark, since it's only a 30-minute lasting fan-service work. But it was fun to watch for that purpose. KOF series does have some interesting storyline running behind it so for legitimate fans, it's worth a look. It's also got those fighting scenes which look like a quality upgrade of the game itself.

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Its thematic concerns and the feeling of 'nature' are nice. It's not as tightly packed though. Needed better storyline, storytelling and settings.

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Nothing so 'bad' about it, and there are good points. But it's ambiguous, expectable and therefore becomes quite boring - which turns out as 'quite bad'. Last episode is good though.

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One great series. Has a few weaknesses but you just have to appreciate the whole lotta positive sides this series brings to the table.

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Laputa is probably the first Miyazaki animation I've watched, and it still remains strong. I pick Laputa as Miyazaki's finest fantasy work because it has conveyed it so well. Sky, flying, love, warmth, drama, fantasy etc. I think of it as the most 'pure' work that Miyazaki made.

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It's rather interesting and entertaining to watch, but is planned too simply and lacks depth. 'Hard Rock saves the Universe', eh?

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It's a buddy anime series set around in UK (I'm not 100% clear if it was UK... somewhere in Europe for sure). The whole royal agent buddy stuff seemed to be off the point to me, but would appeal to those who like it. There are many attractive sides to it. And I really took notice of this particular emotion this animation conveys - something Koreans call 'han', which means a big, deep sorrow/grief that's built and acummulated over a long time. Oh, and Billy Preston has got his hands on for the music part.

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Macross Plus Movie Edition is THE best animation I've ever watched. It simply gave me the strongest impact I've ever experienced in my life, and this is the one that inspired me to be an animator - I still can't forget how much impact I've got on my heart when VOICES was played at the end. Macross Plus Movie Edition is just about everything that I love. Identity, dreams, love & friendship. And it's handled superbly. If my personal comments are not good enough, this has been the major debut for the core members who created Cowboy Bebop. 'Nuff said.

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I regard the movie version much better than the OVA, but it is still a well-made film that has all the same great elements to it. It's just not organized as well as the movie version.

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One beautiful piece of work, but pity about how it ends up - was too abrupt and out of expectation.

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Dogs, dogs, dogs...! Massugu ni ikou is very sweet, and I have personally enjoyed it very much. Pity that there's only 5 episodes..! X(

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This is one of a kind, in many ways.
There's no wonder why it's so popular and why there are so many hardcore fans produced all over the world.

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It is so superbly made. Pity about the story though. I insist that this could be done so much better just with some slight differences.

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A typical Kon Satoshi work.
Merits: Impressive quality overall & throughout.
Demerits: Storytelling is so unfriendly and self-directed that it makes you stay away from the whole thing.
Distinctives: Ambiguous and ingenious mixing of reality and unreality.
...Is Kon Satoshi just busy trying to prove his genius? I think it is slowly choking himself.

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This is the movie that could really be said as the ending of 'true' gundam saga that includes a big and complex story to be told. It delivers such a catastrophe. Animation is produced superbly, and there are 2 major plots running in it - the battle between Amuro and Char, and the story around Quess. Quess seems so irritating but turns out to be such a heartaching character as time goes by. You can reconfirm how strong a storyteller/director Yoshiyuki Tomino is.

NoVA_j.5's Anime Database
Login	Sort by: Title(English) \| Title(Japanese) \| Rating

Aim for the Top 2! ~ Diebuster
Top wo Nerae 2! ~ Diebuster	Info \| Review

Aim for the Top! - Gunbuster
Top wo nerae! - Gunbuster	Info \| Review

Animation Runner Kuromi (1&2)
Animation seisaku shinkou Kuromi-chan	Info \| Review

Black Lagoon (Season 1)
Black Lagoon (Season 1)	Info \| Review

Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage
Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage	Info \| Review

Blood: The Last Vampire
Blood: The Last Vampire	Info \| Review

Blue Meteor SPT Layzner
Aoki Ryuusei SPT Layzner	Info \| Review

The Boy Who Saw The Wind
Kaze wo mita shounen	Info \| Review

Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heavens Door
Cowboy Bebop: Tengoku no tobira	Info \| Review

Akira
Akira	Info \| Review

Appleseed (2004)
Appleseed (2004)	Info \| Review

ARIA The ANIMATION
ARIA The ANIMATION	Info \| Review

Armitage III (OVA)
Armitage III (OVA)	Info \| Review

Cromartie High School
Sakigake!! Cromartie Koukou	Info \| Review

Dominion Tank Police
Tokusou senshatai Dominion	Info \| Review

Fatal Fury 2 : The New Battle
Battle Fighters Garou Densetsu 2	Info \| Review

Genesis Climber Mospeada
Kikou Souseiki Mospeada	Info \| Review

Getter Robo Armageddon
Shin-Change!!- Getter Robo : Sekai saigo no hi	Info \| Review

Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Koukaku kidoutai (1995)	Info \| Review

Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex
Ghost in the Shell : Stand Alone Complex	Info \| Review

Giant Robo: The Animation - The Day The Earth Stood Still
Giant Robo: The Animation - Chikyuu ga seishi suru hi	Info \| Review

Grave of the Fireflies (Tombstone of the Fireflies)
Hotaru no haka	Info \| Review

Hades Project Zeorymer
Meiou Project Zeorymer	Info \| Review

The Hakkenden : Legend of the Dog Warriors
The Hakkenden	Info \| Review

Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu
Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu	Info \| Review

The King of Fighters : Another Day
The King of Fighters : Another Day	Info \| Review

Kurogane Communication
Kurogane Communication	Info \| Review

Kyokyoushihen Eureka Seven
Kyokyoushihen Eureka Seven	Info \| Review

Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa	Info \| Review

Licensed by Royalty (L/R)
Licensed by Royal (L/R)	Info \| Review

Macross Plus : Movie Edition
Macross Plus : Movie Edition	Info \| Review

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu	Info \| Review

Mobile Suit Gundam - Char's Counterattack
Kidou Senshi Gundam - Gyakushuu no Char	Info \| Review