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Going into Samurai Champloo, I noted that it was directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, the famed director from the legendary anime Cowboy Bebop. Going into it, I had exceedingly high expectations as Cowboy Bebop is what I would consider one of the most well done, deep animes I've ever watched. Although, looking back, it was unfair to Samurai Champloo as a series. While it may always live in the shadow of Cowboy Bebop's success, Samurai Champloo is a wildy entertaining, deep series that stands on it's own as a magnificent achievement.

It essentially follows the same format as Cowboy Bebop. It follows three characters; Mugen, Jin ... and Fuu as they explore across the land of feudal Japan in search of a mysterious Samurai that smells of Sunflowers. While the backstory itself isn't anything spectacular, the story of Samurai Champloo suceeds on its ability to ensnare you with wonderfully likable characters, gorgeous settings and clever writing. It is episodic in the same fashion Cowboy Bebop was, but this works in it's own way.

Samurai Champloo was as much of a technical achievement as it was in storytelling. The art is spectacular and the animation is smooth and flows unlike most animes you've seen. The fight scenes are well done and the pacing is superb. Overall, it's an excellent anime, but not without it's flaws. The story, while entertaining, can drag on. It wasn't quite as well paced as it's spiritual predecessor in terms of character development and personally the subject material wasn't quite as strong. Still though, if you liked Cowboy Bebop, or if you just like anime in general, Samurai Champloo is a must watch.

Strawberry Panic is a sort of difficult review to write. I remember initially watching the show as it first came out. I remember being well into the show's story and enjoying it enough to have a sort of urge to continue watching it and I was done before I knew it.

Story:

Probably the strongest aspect of the show is the story as it centers around an all girls school centered on a hierarchy similar to modern day democracy. It follows a girl who just transferred there and quickly draws the attention of the Etoile (similar to, say President of the Body) and from there it ... follows her and she becomes custom to the life in this school. An interesting choice the Anime makes is that there are no males present, or even mentioned specifically in the entire series. The show explores same-sex relations very liberally and doesn't glorify it like most anime centered on the topic.

Art and Sound:

I really enjoyed the character designs and I thought the art designs of each of the scenes were beautifully done, but the animation is classic fare. The Music was above average and complimented the story but wasn't especially catching.

Character:

Seeing as how the plot doesn't really start unfolding towards the end, it's a very character driven show. Development is key and that's what Strawberry Panic is best at. You often see the characters change and strive for what they want. The strongest aspects is how the important characters are explored through their past so we, the viewers can have some introspect on what they've experienced and how they've grown.

Overall:

If I could fault Strawberry Panic for anything, it'd be for the fact that it can be quite vanilla and predictable at times. It's strongest aspect, however, is how it's unique from other anime in the genre, and is most cases it's parts are all above average. The story and characters all come to together in the end and it has a very satisfying conclusion. If you're a fan of shoujo-ai or just romance in general this is definitely worth looking into.

Having been told to watch Berserk a number of times, and having it on my "Plan to Watch" list for a good three years, I finally broke down and watched it. Needless to say that though there a lot of things I didn't like about the series, the overall feeling I got from it was enough to floor me and leave me thinking about it for days.

Story: Probably one of the strongest aspects of the series is the outstanding story. It follows a man named Guts and his journey to aid a military mercenary group go on a path that will bring the world to ... their feet. The overarching military motif, fitted with the stirring character drama was paced fluently and always made you want to know what happened next.

Art and Sound: While the art may seem dated at first, it comes together in the end. The sound is incredibly, it offers a stirring soundtrack that completely marries the importance of each scene and warrants several repeat listens.

Enjoyment: Like I said the pacing, character development and all the different elements all came together perfectly. Very few anime grip me like this one did. I plan to rewatch it several time and get into the manga.

Overall: An absolute must watch for any fan of mature, action like series'.

I'm going to be quite honest here, most episodic anime, such as Cowboy Bebop really doesn't do a whole lot for me. But it's strange, in all it's 26 episode glory, Cowboy Bebop has managed to do what no other anime has ever done and that is too ensnare me in it's word right from the beginning never failing in letting me go. Cowboy Bebop is, quite simply, my favorite Anime ever. No other anime has shown me such a perfectly balanced world, with such an awe-inspiring atmosphere dripping with originality like Cowboy Bebop has.

For starters, it's entirely character driven. The show lives and ... dies by how it manages to get you to connect with its characters. Cowboy Bebop is one of those rare shows that you don't really need to have a favorite character (although we all do, mine is Spike like most people) because you love all the characters so much you being to sympathize and feel connected with every one of them. It's story is also mixed with a perfect marriage between drama and humor. I've seen people call Cowboy Bebop one of the most depressing anime they've ever seen and I've seen other people call Cowboy Bebop the funniest anime they've seen. The reason it can be so funny without intruding on the seriousness of the plot, is due to the fact that unlike most humor in anime, the humor in Cowboy Bebop is deftly subtle. There are really no instances where the show seems immature or chained to conventional anime humor cliches' and I really can't help but appreciate it all the more. You'll laugh, you'll smile, I wanna say you'll cry, but I didn't, your heart strings will definitely be tugged at a time or seven. The thing the series is most notable for, however, is definitely the music. It's more or less a blend of jazz, blues and contemporary rock that almost blends too naturally with the Space Cowboy setting. Each episode has a different musical theme and the Bebop series really gave me the majority of my favorite anime music.

Listen, I can sit here and talk about how great Cowboy Bebop is all day, but the more I do that, the less time you'll have to sit down and watch it yourself. This is simply one of those anime series that you NEED to watch to call yourself a proper anime fan. I'm not saying you'll love it as much as I do, but if you don't at least give Cowboy Bebop a chance, you're a fool.

Whenever someone comes up to me, asking advice for a quality anime movie they should watch, a movie that almost always jumps to mind is Akira. I mean, how could it not? It's undoubtedly one of the most famous anime movies of the 80's - no scratch that, of all time. The reason Akira is so famous is thanks to a plethora of reasons, the most notable being that it exposed a lot of the western world to an almost untreaded world of animation and art. Not to say that it was the first anime that made it over seas, but it's no doubt one ... of the first major cases of a serious break-through. Some suggest that if it wasn't for Akira, anime might not have ever been big outside of Japan. Do I agree with those opinions? I'll leave that for you to decide.

So what's so great about the movie that when it came out in America it was heralded as one of the best animations to ever come from Japan? Well, there are a number of reasons why. First off and foremost, the animation is unbelievable. Even when I watch the movie with friends today, they still can't believe how well the movie was animated - and this is before I even tell them the movie is from the 80's. Akira was so far ahead of the animation found in America, that at the time of it's release, it not only shattered our perceptions on what the set level of animation-quality was, it ushered in an entire fanbase that would help dictate the level of animation from then on. Besides that, Akira is full of memorable characters that really round off the most important aspect of Akira: it's story. I don't want to give too much away because I don't want to spoil anything, but Akira is an immensely deep and thought-provoking ride that explores a number of psychological and philosophical themes. The ending is quite infamous for confusing a large number of people, but it's inability to clarify what exactly happened at the end was more than likely done on purpose.

Overall, it's one of the greatest anime movies of all time. If you want an anime that's as kinetic and beautiful as it is deep and though-provoking you don't need to look much further, Akira might be exactly what you're looking for.