Xam'd is a character drama that takes place in a war torn nation. The story follows a series of characters as they adventure through the battle ravaged lands of the warring North and South. From the awkward love triangle between Furuichi, Haru and Akiyuki to the fun crew of a rebellious postal ship and even the evil machinations of military scientists, the show has a lot of flavors going.
All of this occurs in a quite interesting world where weapons range from flying robots to strange biological abominations. However while the setting and characters in it are all very interesting and well done, little is
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Mar 26, 2010
This show starts out slow with a series of monster-of-the-week episodes with a weak back story that serves to loosely connect the many characters. Over the course of the show however, it matures beautifully into a fully realized world with some very interesting characters. Firstly, if you've ever wondered what space commercialization might realistically look like in a handful of generations, you must watch this. The story grows to become very strong and moving in a way that only science fiction, and specifically space, can reach. True, the main character Tanabe can sometimes be a annoyingly idealistic, but even she gains a sense of reality
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Mar 26, 2010
Ga-Rei: Zero
(Anime)
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Haven't read the manga but the story in this prequel isn't very strong, supposedly crippled by the ending set by the beginning of the manga. However, there's a lot of fun to be had here. Crazy monster battles, awkward erotic scenes between two sisters, and plenty of great humor to spare. Watch it for the fun of it, and you'll enjoy. Anything more, and you may be dissapointed.
Jan 19, 2010
Abenobashi Mahou☆Shoutengai
(Anime)
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Superb concept. The show had me baffled from the get go and I just wanted to watch more and more. Top that off with a unique, well done, and fluid style and you definitely have a great show. However the show definitely has a major barrier to entry: knowledge of anime. I'm still just a beginner in this realm but I understood a lot of the jokes and references throughout the series, however this is not a starter show. It is crazy, it is Japanese, it is AWESOME!
What I enjoyed most about the show was just the crazy places it went. The end was a ... 
Aug 28, 2009
Last Exile
(Anime)
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While I love the aesthetic of the show, I'm a sucker for steampunk after all, the story ultimately fell a bit flat for me. Much of the world and many of the characters were left under developed. Many things are never explained in any sort of detail and characters often seem to do things for no apparent reason other than progressing the plot. The only real back story we get is on Dio (my favorite character) and the parents who aren't even main characters.
I kept expecting these issues to be resolved but they were never addressed. Lastly, the end was a bit of a disappointment ... 
Jul 14, 2009
Gake no Ue no Ponyo
(Anime)
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Miyazaki takes us on another magical adventure through the beauty of childhood. Where belief and imagination are tangible parts of our otherwise dreary (and in this case trash-ridden) world. If you don't like Miyazaki already, this probably won't change your mind, but the movie is so moving and beautiful I can't imagine it not charming anyone who sees it.
With this film, like many other Miyzaki films, I wonder if I'm missing out as I don't know Japanese lore. Many of the creatures and beings could be, and probably are, references to Japanese fairy tales and myths. However it's impossible to know if this is the ... |
