 |
 | Noir
Noir
takes place in France (where everybody apparently speaks Japanese) and tells the
story of two female assassins, Mireille and Kirika. So far I'm enjoying the series
quite a lot though, with its neat action scenes and cool music. The first 4 out
of 14 episodes are intriguing so far, yet not tightly tied to each other. There
is still the question as to who Kirika really is, and hopefully we'll see the
real plot show itself in the coming episodes. |
 | Iketeru
Futari
There have been quite a few short ecchi series released
in Japan lately. including Ebichu, Momoiro Sisters and Yume de Aetera. One of
the funniest one is Iketeru Futari. Saji Keisuke is a rather energetic young man
who is quite smitten with mysterious Koizumi Akira, who might pass for a naughty,
more livelier version of Rei Ayanami from Evangelion. Then there's also Saji's
childhood friend Yuki with her enormous jiggly breasts. Worth taking a look at
if you like your ecchi anime. |
 | Earth
Girl Arjuna (Chikyu Shoujo Arjuna)
Written
and directed by Macross creator Shoji Kawamori, with character designs by Takahiro
Kishida (Serial Experiments Lain), and music by Yoko Kanno (Escaflowne, Cowboy
Bebop), Earth Girl Arjuna is a new anime series with high production values. Juna
is a young girl who, after getting into a serious accident, has a vision of the
future, and tries to change the world in the present to avoid the future she saw. |
 | Kazemakase
Tsukikage Ran
Tsukikage Ran is a female wandering samurai who handles
her sword pretty well. She's very calm except when it comes to sake which she
simply goes nuts about. Miao is her catgirlish martial art fighting companion.
Together they wander around the country side getting into adventures wherever
justice is needed. While KTR is very episodic (there is no backstory), Ran and
Miao are enjoyable to look at, especially Miao's antics. The designs and animations
are well done coming from Madhouse. The action sequences are excellent albeit
too short. Still, KTR possesses a certain charm that keeps me watching. |
 | Angelic
Layer
Angelic Layer is the newest anime adapted from a manga created
by Clamp, who are best known for Card Captor Sakura and X. Angelic Layer features
Misaki, a 12 year old girl who goes to Tokyo to live with her aunt. Misaki gets
involved with a phenomenon called Angelic Layer - a competition of battles between
"Angels" that their masters buy, create, customize and train. |
| 
 |
