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Not a single review yet on this anime. I'm not surprised. I know how many people will watch this series regardless of a review, so let me inform you that my intention is really just to rake up and reflect on my childhood days as well as to contribute a little to this anime, (not to mention I was immensely bored as well) but don't underestimate this.

The Legend of Zorro. 'Another ripoff' is what you might think. That's not the case (atleast not completely). This is hardly the type of anime you'd come across, even while searching randomly. Nor is it something you would give ... a second look or thought about. I ran into this series years ago when it was airing on the local TV channel (hindi dubbed) and I can honestly say that my ten year old self waited eagerly everyday for a new episode of 'Zorro'.

There is a plot, yes. The series focuses on the prevailing tortures and injustice dealt to the villagers and the townspeople by the army. Then, naturally, our coward of a protagonist (or so it seems) Diego, clenches his fist at this unsightly behavior and behold: the next day a hero emerges on a white horse with a black cloak (guess who) who goes around whipping big 'Zs' on the soldiers' uniforms. And I never got tired of the repeated scenes where Zorro's whipping the Zs on the officers/lieutenants and sometimes, making their pants fall down.

And so, naturally, our hero can't just keep his identity to himself. There's a 'Little Zorro' as well who stays by his side and continuously helps him in his missions and also plays a major role later on. Then more naturally, the hero is incomplete without a heroine, so therein steps the beautiful but egotistic Lolita who shows a deep reluctancy towards Diego but harbors an equally deep admiration for 'Zorro' (cliche much?). However, Zorro's persona as Diego, is shown brilliantly. His hilarious interactions is part of the series' comedy relief.

This is the Blue ray era, so you can forget about ART. But I'll say this: The characters are drawn very well, even if you can immediately figure out the goodie, the baddie, the clever and the idiot.

Sound is something I cannot judge clearly because the OP song comprised of an action instrumental and there was no ED at all. You can imagine a 50s movie where they put in the same gun-shots, screams and effects of merchandise breaking and played them over and over again for different scenes. It's not something highly noticeable though.

There's a wide variety of characters in this one, many of them fillerish as the series is mostly episodic in nature. But there are a few prominent lingering ones, like Lieutenant Gabriel and Gonzalez who always end up embarrassing themselves whenever they face Zorro (and admittedly are the type with more potential towards goodness). There's the much bastard like Raymond, the head commander, Diego's family and some of Bernard's friends.

I believe endings hold great importance to any series. You might predict this one to end in some funny/happy/idiotic note. However, the last few episodes is where the epic twists are born. From a light-hearted and lame action filled array of comedy, the series plunges into deep conflict and takes a somewhat tragic path in case of Zorro. The sudden change in behavior alarmed me. The change which occurred when you realised that the events had taken a turn towards utmost seriousness and now, even you couldn't guarantee whether the problems will be solved like pie as was the case with the previous episodes. But one thing I can guarantee is that the ending won't let you down. The most it can do is double your admiration for our black-cloaked and white suited hero.

I started out this review thinking I'd be able to rough it up in barely a paragraph. Turns out that wasn't the case. It's been years since I last saw Zorro and it still comes back to me fresh as yesterday. It wasn't the best of the actions, but it was still worth it. It was stupid at times but it was still awesome.
Everything about it will seem to put you off, but try getting an 8 year old to sit in front the TV and watch it. You'll be surprised.

To all voters: feedback greatly appreciated

Ghost hunt.
Pretty attractive name for those looking for some horror anime. Well, you might not completely be in the blood/gore/heart attacks section but you'll definitely regret if you choose to leave it.
It is quite a unique anime. The series is not a typical fantasy/thriller horror. It infact, shows 'ghost hunting' by means of technology and modern day equipment and ofcourse, the old purification and chanting ways are included too.

The series does not have a main plot. There are small arcs which usually don't last for more than 3-4 episodes thus not dragging the anime and neither taking away the viewer's attention. Every arc is ... beautifully executed and more haunting than its predecessor. Ofcourse, most of the time, you'll be hearing the handsome and narcisstic Naru's theories and calculations, but the anime does have its moments. At the begining, you may not be impressed, but then you'll find that you can hardly watch the horror parts with the lights switched off and no one around. I'd started having hallucination when I did that. Every mystery has a back story and side characters and the occasional history of ghost huntings/vampires/curses explained is quite a wonderful addition. Every arc is sure to keep you guessing and hanging at the edge of your seats.

The art was a little problematic. The animation was a little choppy, probably due to budget. But nevertheless, you'll be so thoroughly engrossed in the story that you won't notice it much. The characters are designed well though.

The sounds department takes all the glory for the goosebumps. Those rantings and bashings and screams and wails, the closing doors, the breaking glass, they never failed to give me a cardiac arrest. Excellent job on the sound effects. I'd have given it a 10 had the opening and closing themes been more than just instrumentals but, nevertheless, they suit the mood perfectly.

Characters are another major highlight of the series. There are around 6 main psychics who're on the mystery jobs. Each has their own personality, tastes and fields of profession. The most notable ones being Mai and Naru, you'll love the other characters too. The comical scenes, their interactions with each other and the parts where you go 'wow, they're so cool' are all worth it. Though sometimes you'll wish Mai would just shut up or Naru should stop being an ass. In my opinion, some characters like Lin and Naru as well, should have had a more detailed exploration of their pasts and personalities shown. However, realistic, well designed and extemely likeable characters is a win point for Ghost HUnt.

Enjoyment
Every moment is worth it. Every funny scene will not fail to make you laugh out loud. Every horror part will instill you with chills and speed up your heart rate. The chemistry between Naru and Mai will keep you wanting more and more.

Overall
An excellent series which I happened to pick randomly and am very glad I did. The ending could have answered a few more questions and relationships could have progressed further, but it's a job well done. Highly recommended if you adore the horror genre as well as some good and serious fun. Just make sure you don't turn off the lights!

How cool is it when you put a gun to your head, close your eyes, pull the trigger... and out comes a mask of your personality, a figure of your other self, a being of great power that you can summon...a Persona?

Very cool indeed.
That's the theme of the quite popular Persona 3, an Atlus game for the Playstation 2. Persona: Trinity Soul, is a spin-off to the awesome RPG. Sadly, it turns out to be a disgrace to Persona 3, and all of its fans.

Trinity Soul has absolutely no relation to the game whatsoever (thankfully). Save one recurring character from the RPG, the rest of ... the series is unrelated to the original game's plot. It's not a sequel, but an independent anime based on the theme of Personas stolen from the game.

The only excuse I found for watching this series (as i'm sure is also the case with the other persona 3 fans) is solely because it followed the theme from my all time favourite RPG.
What I did not expect was the complete butchering of Personas, their summoning, their power and the over all story in Trinity Soul.


Story
The story, if it can be called a story, takes place 10 years after the occurences in persona 3 and centers around the young 17 year old Shin. A normal highschool student who gets transferred along with his younger brother, to live with their older brother who works in the police force. Strange things seemed to be happening in the city, and as Shin becomes aware of them and gets involved, he awakens his other self, his Persona.
That is all which is notable in the series, the rest is crap.
There's no actual plot, just a gang of bandits experimenting with persona users. The plot, at times, becomes difficult to follow and I can honestly say that I still didn't completely comprehend the ending.

Art
The art was somehwat decent. The characters were built nicely but they look like a mixture of the old 'cute' anime faces and the new 'real' looking ones. The eyes somewhat disturbed me. Apart from that, the backgrounds and sceneries were quite impressive I admit and the city highlights were heart warming and the only pleasure I could derive from the series.

Sound
The OP and ED themes were actually very good. But I never noticed the background music much (which are extremely important and if used correctly, can make the moment 10 times more enjoyable). Either because they never used anything decent (or maybe none at all) or maybe because I was desperately waiting for the series to finish quickly.

Character
This was just...bearable. Shin always exaggerated his feelings and sometimes, didn't show them at all. The characters never expressed at the right places and behaved very abnormally. I feel that one of the side characters, Yuki, was barely necessary but the series has stressed quite much on her. Then the way a few characters are dealt with is just plain PATHETIC. A moment which was supposed to make the viewer feel sad and depressed brought a reaction of 'WTF!?'

Enjoyment
Need I say more? You might be able to relax your eyes on the sceneries and on one of my favourite characters who made a return in this (why HIM of all the people?). But forget about the main theme: Personas. They are designed like personas but are almost transparent and their summoning is bull. No backstory on personas or their history. They are more like giant colourful flying robots. YES. EXACTLY like that. Utterly obliterated. And what's with the whale and the feathers?

Overall
Fellow fans of the Persona RPGs, expect nothing from this. I highly recommend you ignore this series if you don't want to see the lovable and awesome personas turned into garbage right in front of your eyes. Continue enjoying the awesomeness of the games Persona 3 and 4 and their brilliant story lines, characters and plots. Don't indulge yourself into this nightmare like I did, thinking that it's worth watching since it's related to Atlus' Persona 3. You might enjoy this series more if you were unaware of the original games, but you wouldn't understand anything to begin with.

Very Poor. Nothing like the Persona brilliance, which is in a whole different league. A big let down for Persona fans.