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Since when did history become interesting? Lady Oscar (The Rose of Versailles) may seem like it came from the French Revolution judging by the animation style, but the storyline is extremely well written. There is an excellent cast of characters each with their own personality. Lady Oscar is a classic and should be viewed by every anime fan, especially those who are into shojo.It's similar to the Hollywood movie, "Marie-Antoinette," however, it shows the events going on inside and outside of Versailles with a plot that is more enjoyable. (It isn't an anime showing the day and the life of Marie-Antoinette partying. Also, her personality ... is kinder in Lady Oscar.)

The characterisation is perfect with a strong female lead. Though Marie-Antoinette's character is childish, she isn't a cookie-cutter cliché. Each personality is different and doesn't fall into the anime stereotypes. With experiences, characters grow and develop; it isn't hard to grasp the cast's characters. Lady Oscar is a strong female raised a man, but she has femininity in her: she's a balance in character.

The sound and animation is from the 1970s so those who aren't into the retro look may not like the series. However, the storyline is main aspect for the show. The costumes with their many frills are pleasant to the eye, while the character design is between realistic and exaggerated. (But, more on the realistic side. In other words: shojo.) Cosplaying as a Lady Oscar characters isn't something one should be surprise since the clothing is from the 18th century. The sound quality isn't great because of the time period, but the sound effects aren't terrible. The background music uses strings, but there isn't a lot.

The storyline describes the French Revolution far more interesting than a history teacher. It's accurate in events, but has some original characters to add to the plot. It's almost as if one is living the events at the start of the French Revolution, pre The Reign of Terror. There are suspenseful episodes with a plot that keeps the viewer on their toes. The story procresses with time adding detail, and though it is a drama, the pacing is perfect. There is some added romance with many possible couples, but in the end the romantic troubles are fixed. (Most viewers will be pleased)

Those who are into classic shojo would love this anime. Some younger viewers may find this anime a little boring, but for those who are in love with historical fiction must watch this anime. It was released in most languages besides English, which is why it's obscure. Must be on every anime fans 'to watch' or 'to buy' list.

It is no surprise that the father of anime, Osamu Tezuka, has written such a perfect manga. As obscure as the series is, Phoenix is one of the best manga series known to the world. The art may be dated but the storyline is what makes this series amazing. Each volume has a different story, but contains the same motif: a struggle to gain immortality.

The first volume came out in the 1960's so the art style is much different than today's manga styles. At first, one may not think this series came from Japan because the characters look a lot like Betty Boop. The ... Tezuka's style exaggerates the characters but the backgrounds are drawn nicely. Those who aren't into the Astro boy style may not enjoy the artwork, but you'll get used to it.

Some characters are introduced in more than one volume through reincarnations, but most are strictly in one volume. The story jumps from past to future of people trying to gain the phoenix's blood. Each story to each volume is different, which is excellent because it shows how different people wish to obtain the phoenix. Also, it shows Tezuka's creativity. There are many hooks and suspense that make the reader want to read more. There are a variety of characters and their personalities are developed. Though, this series is incomplete due to Tezuka's death, it is still enjoyable.

The volumes are a lot thicker than regular manga, but the price to each volume is only an few extra dollars. It was released in North America recently, so one can easily find it in libraries and bookstores. Two volumes are packed into one for some of the Viz releases, making the series more affordable.

Those who like sci-fi, or historical manga would love this series. The artwork may be simplistic and not the greatest, but the storyline is very deep. It's a shame this series hasn't gotten the attention it deserves because it belongs on every manga fan's bookshelf. Be sure to pick it up.

Overrated is the word that best describes Lucky Star. The animation is terrible for 2007 and the story is slice of life to the extreme; in other words boring. It's either a love it or hate it anime, but how can one like such a stale story line?

The animation/art is very lazy and the lines are jagged. Kyoto Animation has up to date animation but "Lucky Star" looked like there wasn't effort put in. The people in the background are usually grey keyholes, and sometimes have faces but aren't animated. The characters are, yes, in high school despite looking like they are eight. The ... palette is extremely pastel while the colours almost blend together. The only time the animation was astounding was in snippets of video games/manga/anime etc..

The characters are cliche and aren't developed. There's the perfectionist who gets high marks and is very Type A. There is the shy, clumsy girl who likes to cook. There is the glasses girl who is well mannered. And, the lazy girl who plays video games doesn't put effort into homework but gets above average marks. Stereotypical characters. The design on three of them are cute, but if one is looking for cute characters in anime he or she should watch anything by CLAMP (Card Captor Sakura, Chobits) or the queen of kawaii, Koge Donbo. (Di Gi Charat, Pita Ten) There needs to be substance to cute characters and CLAMP and Koge Donbo proves it.

The story, as mentioned before, is very plotless. Napolean Dynamite may have proven stories without a plot can be entertaining, but Lucky Star doesn't prove that theory. The first episode the characters are taking about how to eat food. First episodes usually aren't the greatest in the series, but when the writers start off with a boring story one can get a clear picture of how the lack of plot is present in this anime. Also, first episodes are meant to encourage viewers to keep watching not bore them. Usually scenes to shows are no more than two minutes to keep things moving, but "Lucky Star" is at a snail's pace. It's episodic (each episode is different and not chronologically) which suited the show and added to Anime since most is thematic. (Each episode is connected) and There are some jokes thrown in here and there as well as cameos to other anime/video games, but it doesn't save the storyline.

The random dancing in the opening is the only thing good about this anime. If the show were to be animated well the random dance would have been more enjoyable. The opening music killed the amusing random dancing. It sounded more like owl's hooting a rap but inhaled too much helium. Though, there is a middle part (the only real singing) that is interesting.

The actors suited their roles and fit their personalities. They even hired the same actress who did Haruhi in The Melconcholy of Haruhi Suzumiya as one of the characters, which fit the Haruhi cameo. They had high pitched cartoony voices for the appropriate roles which suited the show.

You must count your lucky stars while watching this anime in order to enjoy this anime. It's slice of life to the point where it's boring and leads nowhere. Watch the second episode (as mentioned the first is a disaster) to see if it amusing, which it isn’t. Lucky Star doesn't offer anything to the table and can be easily passed to save one minutes of being wasted watching this anime. It may have gotten better but who wants to waste 10 episodes to get to the good stuff?

Angels are God's messengers that protect humans from danger because they are the good guys. Wrong! Unlike most stories, the bad guys (the daemons) are the good guys in Angel Sanctuary. Some viewers may find this OVA offensive and sacriligious; however, it isn't an insult on Christianity. It's a fictional story reversing the roles for once and isn't meant to be persecuting Christianity; just showing the other side of the coin. There are far more films and television shows using crude humour towards Christianity in North America, which are a million times more offensive than Angel Sanctuary. Putting that aside, the mood for Angel Sanctuary ... is very dark. It's a gothic drama dealing with the supernatural. It's gory and mature, so younger viewers may not like it.

The animation is very good for the year 2000. It doesn't have any computer graphics but it wasn't necessary: the pencil and ink animation was perfect enough. The low-lights in the hair, also the texture of the hair (pretty much everything about the hair) to characters is very wispy and detailed. Short haired people would be envious of the long, flowy hair that these two-dimensional anime characters possess. There isn't anything bad about the animation other than it's a little out of date. (But not by much)

The sound is simplistic, but sets the mood to the OVA. The music has the dark motif to the OVA, which makes Angel Sanctuary more gothic. Could have used more instruments and a more difficult melody, but the music does what it's supposed to: give the viewer the dramatic feeling.

Although English dubs aren't nearly as bad as many Japanophiles claim, the English dub to Angel Sanctuary was terrible. The acting was alright, the voices were what killed the dub. They sounded way too cartoony for a serious drama that was aimed at a mature audience. Crispin Freeman saved the dub as he showed his genius skills in the role of Rosiel. The voice of Setsuna (Scott Cargle) sounded more like a fourty year old than an older teenager. Watch this OVA in Japanese, it's much better.

The Characters were well developed and didn't have cliche personalities. Sarah's personality is a little too happy, which was the only problem. There is incest in this story line, but Kaori Yuki pulled it off. The incest shows how Setsuna and Sarah struggle to ignore their feelings in a forbidden relationship and not an episode of Jerry Springer. (They know incest is wrong) Like the theme, they are condemned sinners. Without the mood the incest wouldn't work. The bad guys aren't extremely evil as most antagonists are portrayed. Then again, everything is reversed.

Those who are into dark anime aimed at a mature audience would like Angel Sanctuary. It's tragic, but doesn't require a box of Kleenex. (just a couple) The manga has twenty volumes while the OVA has three episodes, meaning the end of the OVA isn't the end of the series. Angel Sanctuary should have been an anime series because the storyline scratches the surface. Also, the OVA hooks you into wanting more. It's a promotion or teaser for the manga. With the exceptional storyline and excellent animation, Angel Sanctuarty is one of the best OVA's made.

Earthian is from the late 1980s- early 1990s but in no way should be viewed as a classic. It's just...average. There isn't anything special about it but it isn't completely horrible. Each episode was different: one was alright, one was bad, one was good, and one was cheese. Average. Even though there needs to be credit due to the age it's still alright. Earthian screams 80s, which can be a good thing, but only the sound was exceptional for the time period.

Earthian is shonen-ai but the characters fell into the yaoi stereotypes. There was one guy who was emotionless and the "man" in the ... relationship, while his parter was emotional and the "bitch" in the relationship. Even the artwork milked the stereotype. During the "scene," one guy looked so much like a girl it was like watching hetrosexuals. He may be a man but his eyes are girly, his hair is pretty, and his frame is womanly--he is a girl! Too stereotypical. I thought this was yaoi... Putting the couple aside, even the other characters personalities weren't original. The antagonist was pure evil and the girls were too emotional. It was almost as if their personalities were picked out for them instead of being developed. Again, too stereotypical.

The animation is old and gets better with each episode, but even for the time period it wasn't a work of art. The palette is neutral and some of the animation was shaky in fight scenes. It didn't match and seemed like some frames were missing. The lines are choppy, and for those who aren't into the 80s style would not like this anime.

The music is, again, very 80s. Synthesised music was played in the background followed by a couple of electronic instruments such as a keyboard and guitar; vocals and percussion were the only natural sounds. The occasional pop ballet was played, especially towards the ending credits, but the genre of music was electronica. There was a lot of chasing electronic music that was very 80s, which was enjoyable. Though the music was pleasant, it wasn't musically difficult and stuck with a few notes and chords-- not special from a musical perspective.

Usually 80s sound effects have horrible quality, Earthian didn't. The guns shots weren't completely realistic but for the time the sound effects were good. The voices quality in the sound was done well for the time period and the acting was good. It wasn't the best acting, but it was good. The Japanese Messiah voice (Hikaru Midorikawa) was a little too soft and high-pitch for the character but the other actors suited their roles. The sound was the saving grace to this OVA.

The story had potential. The pacing was a little slow, and could have been more developed. The second episode's story line was boring and one could easily ignore that entire episode to save them a wasted hour. The plot, as well as the animation, was best at the third episode; all the other episodes were fair. If one thought Titanic reeked of bleu cheese they should see the last episode. It was cheesy, yaoi angst at it's finest. Earthian needed some comedy, even if it was unintentional. The plot could have been amazing, but was mediocre.

Despite the harsh criticism, Eathian was surprisingly enjoyable. It's more of a "rent it" anime but some may wish to buy it. In other words, a guilty pleasure. It's like a poorly written song with one beat you can't stop listening to. Those who like science fiction and tragic yaoi, Earthian is the anime. For those who aren't into cheesy yaoi can avoid this OVA.

The prequel to the popular shojo manga series "Fushigi Yugi" tells the tale of the first priestess of The Universe of The Four Gods. You don't have to read the original to understand the events. Fans of the series may find the Genbu arc to be more enjoyable. It's darker and more mature than the previous series and filled with more angst filled drama. (Especially for those who read or seen the spoiler in the original series) This series doesn't require a Kleenex box, yet... but is does fall into the tragedy category. Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden is a serious, adventure manga bordering shojo ... and josei.

The reason why sound got a zero is because it's a book. Animation is referring to the artwork.

Takiko, the heroine, is a lot stronger in personality and emotionally than Miaka. (Fushigi Yugi) The original heroine may have added a comic quirk to the show, but Takiko's personality doesn't make the reader what to throw their shoe at the idiot. (Miaka) She's not afraid to defend herself and has a heart of gold-- a perfect heroine. Limdo, the "good, bad guy" of the series may be the typical rebellious teenager but his personality and history adds well to the story, making it more interesting. (Serious, who doesn't like Limdo?) Some of the characters seem unimportant to the story once their chapter of fame is up, but Limdo is some of the glue that holds the story. Back story is important to any written work and Watase has given characters enough. Some characters seem thrown in for a few chapters and disappear once they are introduced, which is the only downfall. Overall, the characters add to the story and are characters people would enjoy.

The art is very Watase Yu but a lot more realistic. Her style hasn't changed much but has improved since the original Fushigi Yugi. (It was very early 1990s) Those who love her artwork will love this series and those new to her manga will also like how detailed everything is. Limdo and Shigi sometimes look like the same character (Although, Absolute Boyfriend fans may mistake Limdo as Night) but characters aren't hard to identify. Even though it's a shojo manga, the battle scenes seem shonen with a feminine twist.

The flaws to the story are sometimes they add jokes in when you may think it's supposed to be serious. Two examples, when Inami fights Takiko wielding a massive, opium pipe. Or, when Limdo transforms into a woman. (Another Ranma 1/2? But this isn't a comedy.). It seems too out of place in a drama. Despite some of the weirdness in the plot, the storyline is great. The romance between Limdo and Takiko add to the story as well as their "forbidden love." (Conflict is important to written work) Also, the suspense in wondering if the warriors will be captured by their country, the enemy country, or both countries. Unlike the original series, the warriors and priestess are not welcome in their land. It's full of more sorrow than the original, but it has a nice spin and isn't retelling the original series.

Those who like angsty romance stories will enjoy this series, but it's mainly a fantasy/adventure story. It's meant for women (some guys may like it, but it's shojo) aged fifteen and up. It's mature but doesn't have extreme violence and has only brief nudity; (none male and no sex) the story is meant for an older audience but the pictures are safe around younger teenagers. Younger teenagers may enjoy the series but not as much as older teens. The biggest downside is the volumes aren't produced quickly enough. It's an excellent manga series that should have more recognition.

Another Classic from Yu Watase! This manga is from the mid-1990s right after Fushigi Yugi. With manga fans, it's either a love it or hate it manga but what's not to like about Ceres: The Celestial Legend? It has a great story, excellent artwork and developed characters. It's not the newest manga on the shelves, but mentioned before it's a classic.

The art is very Yu Watase: detailed eyes and whispy hair. The hair is perfected in very strained making it realistic. The eyes have the most detail and the most enjoyed feature in the artwork. Border line between realistic and exaggerated, Ceres has shojo ... artwork. The backgrounds are also detailed, almost as much as the characters. Yu Watase's biggest flaw in creating manga is her repetitive cast of characters. Everyone has seen her style before, and some characters look exactly the same as previous ones from her other manga. (Knight from Absolte Boyfriend and Limdo from Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden is ONE example) At least, the characters in one series aren't the same, which would be too confusing. Those who like her artwork and/or new to Watase's work would love the art to this manga. Despite using the characters over again (it doesn't bother some) the artwork is beautiful. (It's not a big flaw since her artwork is wonderful)

There are a lot of strong characters in this series. They are developed as the story goes along, which makes the story and characters more enjoyable. Watase is big on having love triangles (which is present in Ceres) but this love story ends up more like a dodecagon. It sounds like something from Springer but it actually adds to the story. As the story goes along, bits and pieces of characters are added. One of the best manga series that deals with character development.

The story is very unique and raises a lot of questions and hooks. The great thing about the story is, like the characters, information is added as the story goes along. This technique captures the reader into making them what to read more. It's a fantasy story but with a modern day twist. It's also a horror story that adds suspense and drama, but has some comic jokes here and there-- it's a mix of genres rolled into an interesting story. Unlike the anime, it has more detail and information. For 14 volumes of manga, there are 26 anime episodes.

Ceres is under the shojo category and is meant for a teen audience. Men may not enjoy this as much as women, as well as younger fans may not enjoy this as much as older fans. Ceres one of Watase's best storylines, which most manga fans can enjoy. For more to the story they can check out volume six to Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden. (written 10 years later)

Also named: "Samurai X: Trust and Betrayal", this is a prequel to the anime series 'Rurouni Kenshin."

One word for this anime: Amazing! It's so good that it's hard to decribe. This is one of the only anime series that will make the viewer's jaw drop to the floor and be filled with emotion. Those who are Rurouni Kenshin fans will love it; those who are new to the series will still like it. It's a drama and may not be as interesting among younger viewers and is more mature than the anime. Those who are sensitive to extreme violence and blood may want to turn ... their heads during some scenes.

The first episode is a little jumpy as it skips from past to present, which to non-Kenshin fans may be confusing. Besides the jumpiness, the plot is excellent. For a drama, the pacing isn't thin and slow and is perfect for the setting. The story to Trust and Betrayal is far more enjoyable than regular series. (which is enjoyable to begin with) The characterisation is somewhat shown in the series, and could be developed further. One learns that Kenshin is turning into a merciless manslayer when he slices a man in half, killing for the first time, and shows no emotion after. However, the other character's personalities aren't as developed.

The artwork is realist compared to Nobuhiro Watsuki's original concept, but is artwork at it's finest. Those who aren't into realist artwork will still find this series interesting to watch. They used computer three-dimension graphics, mostly in the backgrounds, but still kept unto the traditional animation. For traditional animation, it's one of the best.

The music will make one go in awe with it's use of a fulll orchestra. It creates moods and themes that also make the viewer full of emotion. The music is a main factor in making this OVA unbelievable, but it was already magnificent to begin with.

They hired the best actors in both casts for this anime. The Japanese Kenshin voice (Mayo Suzukaze) is a little too girly for the role and the English Tomoe voice (Rebecca Davis) is too emotionless it sounds like she is reading the script. The voices have a different tone than the regular anime series, which is a nice change. The OVA voices are realistic and set the drama tone, while the anime has exaggerated voices that are too cartoony. Even the Kenshin voice is different, but it's hard to decide which voice is suited better. (J. Shannon Weaver in OVA, Richard Hayworth in anime) The Landlady had the best acting performance in the English dubbed, but the acting was still great. More emotion could be used in characters, but the voices matched the characters.

This OVA has to be the most underrated anime known in the anime world. It was never a "fad" or a trend as most popular series start out, which is somewhat sad because this anime deserves attention. (Although fads are always hated in the end which shouldn't happen to this OVA) Everything about the OVA is wonderful from the music to the artwork. Anyone involved with this OVA worked extremely hard in putting effort and it clearly shows. This OVA should be on every anime fan's shelve.

That's right, it's Sailor Moon Greek Mythology time! At first, this series was a parody to magical girl anime, but it turned serious. (The opening scene is crack at it's finest when Karin screams, "I am God") One transformation, she receives a heart-shaped thing that looks similar (more like identical) to Ichigo's Strawberry Bell. Besides the knock-off shojo series, the story improves with time. To begin with, the show doesn't show much interest in the story and the characters are a little generic: heroine is clumsy and a ball of energy; hero is short-tempered and strong; another protagonist is a damsel in distress; antagonist is ... clever and easily angered. Keep watching the show despite the strangness-- it gets better.

What makes the show: the artwork. Koge Donbo (Pita Ten, Di Gi Chartat) created the manga so it's no surprise that the characters make people scream, "KAWAII!" Karin's hair is wavy with cute, olive leaves tied as ribbons for her two ponytails while the eyes, faces, etc. for the characters her age are simply adorable. The cute, gothic lolita school uniforms make the viewer want to go into the television, grab the outfit, and take it home for themselves. Nyx's outfit is an outfit many people would wish to cosplay as since it has the gothic, 19th century motif. The boy's winter uniforms, however, look more like Harry Potter, only stranger with the large bow at the front. Even though the beginning is generic and boring, the artwork makes one keep watching the show.

The opening is very gothic and dark, which shows the good verse evil in the series, but in time the evil is just trying to protect something. Like most shojo anime: the bad guys are just misunderstood. The theme sounds more like a broken record that's about to end it's time; (or a warped tape) it takes some getting used to. The Ending, however, shows cute chibi's off to the side spinning in circles and has a cheerful melody one can enjoy.

The background music has some violin and other classical instruments, which makes the show more enjoyable.The voice of Himeka Kujyou (Noriko Shitaya) adds to the kawaii effect as her voice is soft and sweet. The Japanese cast suits the characters they portray, but Kirio Karasuma's (Shintaro Asanuma ) voice is too deep and mature for a fifteen year old. They did a great job "becoming the charater" and using the character's personality. No countries outside of Japan has lisenced this anime.

The animation has some computer 3-D animation, but the animation isn't something to get excited over. The pallet is bright, with some patel shades to give it the shojo style. It's not horrible, just good.

Kamichama Karin will make one chuckle at the jokes they throw in (which are many) and smile at the cuteness of the artwork. For those who like shojo anime aimed at a younger audience, this show is the show to see. Pretty much it's summarised in one word: cute. It's a show meant for girls aged eight to 16 or those who are into kawaii characters.