3x3 Eyes

9 reviews - 41.0 total score (Explanation of the rating system)
avg. score: (4.6)

9. Avenant

This anime consists of 2 OVAs - both are equally impressive. The story follows the Young (or so it seems...) Pai and her friend/guardian Yakumo on their quest to become human. The characters alone make it all worthwhile, especially the main duo who have a very interesting and unique relationship. The voice acting is very well done, and fits the characters perfectly. (Stay away from the dub, though - I was not impressed) The music is also very well used and appropriate. As for the animation, it's generally very good,especially that of the 2nd OVA. It's all brimming over with atmosphere and originality. There are also generously bloody battle scenes, thrown in for good measure I suppose - In the end, 3x3 Eyes combines a lot of elements, such as romance, action, adventure and comedy and pulls it all off amazingly well - Very highly recommended.

8. Q

I wrote a review for this series (OVA's 1&2), highlighting my likes and dislikes, the differences between the OVA's...etc. But as I read it over (still fresh from finishing the last episode of OVA#2 Legend of the Divine Demon, the better of the two series, even though the second is a continuation of the first, it is a bit different in the storyline, "There is not just one universe...it is a Multiverse...There is not just one you...but many you"), I decided not to list my dislikes. They are so few and minor in comparison to what this series accomplishes, that I didn't want to even remotely portray this series as anything but spectacular.

The animation is nicely done throughout both OVA's, with the second being slightly better, due more to it being made more recently than anything else. I especially liked the job done on Kai Yan Wang, even though you really never see him in anything other than small bits and pieces. The storyline is nicely paced, with the second in my opinion, being slightly better. The characters are nicely done, and slightly atypical enough to make them stand out from similar characters in the genre.

Now the music...I very rarely give a nod to a musical score from an anime, let alone its own paragraph...but the music throughout is absolutely perfect. I found myself saying "Wow...that's really perfect for this sequence" over and over again.

Animation - 4 1/2 stars
Storyline - 4 1/2 stars for the first...5 stars for the second
Music - (a first for me) 5 stars!
Overall - 5 stars...If you haven't seen 3x3 Eyes (or have seen it, and just not recently), watch it. This is one of the best examples of short length anime there is.

7. Iodine

Pai, A cute three-eyed demon girl, wants to become human, and needs the help of one reluctant young man named Yakumo to help her out. A rousing adventure commences, that eventually transforms Yakumo into a "Wu," an immortal bodyguard servant to Pai, and ties his fate to hers. The two 3X3 Eyes OAVs that make up the series have distinctly separate stories despite their shared characters. The first of these is the better one by far, thanks to the interesting dynamics of our central duo's odd relationship, that helps take the edge off of the gratuitously bloody action scenes. Pai is another one of Megumi Hayashibara's too-cute-to-be-true heroines, and Yakumo is a gutsier male lead than most while still showing a sensitive side. The second storyline makes the mistake of turning the original premise on its head and abandoning nearly all the development of the first installment, but the writing overall is still fun and full of thrills. There are plenty of action scenes to keep up the pace, and a good amount of humor too. Frankly, the plots are nothing new, but they're done well and with enough style to make them worth watching.

Visuals are OAV quality, and make the gory fight scenes really stand out. Designs are more realistic than most, with hardly a big-haired, armor clad warrior in sight, despite the fantasy overtones. There are also bits of Hindu mysticism and Chinese folklore scattered throughout the story, which add a very unique atmosphere to the show. Finally the scenery, which benefits from trips to Hong Kong and Tibet, is a welcome change from most anime's usual Japanese settings.

6. Tyrenol

I read the manga from Yuzo Takada. And I saw the anime (with the dubbing mishandled by "Mr. Streamline" himself, Carl Macek). But I doubt this is the type of anime that can be ruined by a bad dub, even with standards back then. This is the more serious aspect of Mr. Takada; with all its demons and monsters and such. A story about Yakumo, the independent son of an archaeologist (and one of Mr. Takada's trademark "no-eyes" character), and Pai, the last in the line of demons who's extremely cute for someone pushing 300 years. This, as well as the Nuku Nuku series, are my old school favorites.

5. Prep_Styles

Based on a long (and I believe still) running manga by Yuzo Takada. 3X3 (Sazan) Eyes is a gripping story of a girl and her un-dead slave. This is definately the darker side of anime but don't let that fool you, this is a title with a whole lot of heart. The characters are fully developed, the voice acting is flawless (I can't help but love Hayashibara Megumi), the musical score is beautiful, the plot is intriguing and the action sequences are impressive. My only grievance is that there is not more of it, there telling a great of deal of story here however its no where near as much as there is. I can only hope that when the manga is finished this story is given the full television series it deserves. Highly Recommended.

4. Konoha

3x3 Eyes is based on a long-running manga series, and it shows, as many things are never fully explained. Although there is lots of blood and gore, the series has humor, interesting characters, and romance. The Sanjiyan, Parvati, is kickass - one of my favorite anime characters. The music is very good as well. This is a fabulous show. The end of the last OAV is one of the most heart-wrenchingly selfless things that I've seen in anime. Beautifully done. I highly recommend checking out the manga as well, since much, much more happens in the story after this segment.

3. Tempy

3x3 Eyes starts innocently enough with Pai, the last of the Sanjiyan, a race of mystical humanoid creatures with 3 eyes. Pai wants to become a normal human being, and somehow Yakumo gets involved, eventually becoming her immortal protector. The 3x3 Eyes anime series consists of two sets of OVAs, made several years apart. The first set has a nice eerie feel to it as it unfolds the interesting story. It's especially gory as Yakumo has very little powers and usually gets smacked around. These 4 episodes are quite action packed and have great pacing, as well as some great atmosphere. The second set consisting of 3 episodes feel a lot different. There is more humor and it's subsequently less dark. It does stay true to the whole story and offers quite a few good stuff of its own. Throughout the whole story there's also bits of romance, to put some icing on the very bloody cake :-)

2. hakootoko

Pai, an immortal girl from a dying race, wants to become human. Nice supernatural action, occasional humor and romance. A very good 4 episode show with no conclusion, it came back years later with 3 more episodes that some fans don't like because the characters (especially Pai) just aren't what they were in the first series.

1. weasl

3x3 Eyes took a while to get to me, but when it did, it snagged me hard. I was fairly unimpressed with the first 2 episodes, but by the time the third one rolled around I started to have the feeling that I was watching something really good. By the time the 2nd set of OVAs rolled around I was an addict. The story is excellent mix of mystical adventure and romance, and blessed with excellent animation. The action sequences are particularly well done, with fluid animation, good use of camera angles, and some really cool ideas. My only complaint is that they didn't make any more of this. One of my favorites.