Reviews

Trigun has everything you could want. It's a western, it's hilarious, it's science-fictiony, it's got action, it's got drama, suspense, mystery; you name it, it's in Trigun. Vash the Stampede, also known as the Humanoid Typhoon, has a $$60,000,000,000 price on his head, but he's never been caught. Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thompson, two risk management insurance agents, are sent to follow Vash and keep him from destroying things. That's the odd thing about the stories behind Vash: he wreaks destruction everywhere he goes, but no one ever seems to get killed. When Meryl and Milly finally find Vash, they see that there is much more to him than the stories could ever tell. Bringing new meaning to donuts, portable confessionals, and the phrase "love and peace!", Trigun is a must-see, whether you like anime or not.

In an alternate universe retelling of the Shoujo Kakumei Utena story, this movie blows the already great TV series out of the water. Tenjou Utena is new to Ohtori Academy, having recently broken up with Kiryuu Touga. Upon arriving, she sees him again, and meets Himemiya Anthy, also known as the Rose Bride. Utena is forced into a duel with Saionji Kyouichi for the possession of the Rose Bride. She is bewildered by the events taking place in the academy, but starts to figure out what life is all about and where it doesn't happen. The plot is fresh while still holding on to certain elements of the original storyline from the TV series. The characters, while many have done 180s with their personalities, are still as captivating as ever. The music, supplied once again by the wonderful J.A Seaser, is just as good as anything in the TV series, if not better. Finally, the animation is more beautiful than words can describe. If nothing else, watch this movie for the animation. Many people, Utena fans and not, don't give this movie a fair shake, claiming a number of things they don't like about it which were exactly what they liked about the TV series. Though it is much easier to understand the movie if you've seen the series in full, the movie is still a masterpiece to behold in any right.

Tenshi ni Narumon, while most definitely off the wall, is a wonderful series. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, the plot is creative and well-constructed and executed, the characters are lovably quirky, and the music goes right along with everything. Almost every episode is a laugh riot, but touching at the same time. Like nothing I've ever seen.

The Rayearth OAV series is one of the best works CLAMP has produced. People familiar with the TV series will find delight in seeing their favorite characters presented in new ways, but the series demands very little knowledge of the TV series, making it easy for almost anyone to watch. Shidou Hikaru, Ryuuzaki Umi, and Houoji Fuu are longtime friends who fear their separation after graduating from school. But, new forces are coming into Tokyo, threatening the populace and throwing the three girls into the battle. The animation is typical CLAMP (read: beautiful), but better than the TV series. The plot is darker than the comparatively bubbly TV series, but I found it more enjoyable this way. The characters are an assortment of faithful to the series and newly created personalities, but are still as captivating as always.

Gunsmith Cats the OAV is based on Sonoda Kenichi's manga series, but is even better. Rally Vincent has a penchant for guns; her partner Minnie May Hopkins takes a liking to bombs. Rally runs a gun store and is approached by the ATF to cooperate with them on a sting. After being blackmailed into it because of a lack of a gun license, Rally and May get involved in a government conspiracy and pursued by a Russian assassin (who is, in my opinion, one of the greatest anime characters ever). The animation is not the greatest but well done, the voice actors are excellent (featuring Araki Kae in her only good role), the plot is engaging (though the ending wasn't stellar), the characters are very believable, and the music compliments the series perfectly. If you like action series or good anime, this is a must.

If you've read the book of the same name, that's really as far as you need to go. Skip the movie, it's not worth your time.

While the book had a somewhat richer storyline and a better narrative, the movie falls flat on these areas, concentrating far too intensely on the center plotline, effectively snubbing most of the cast in one way or another. Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch becomes the main character in place of Scout, which was probably the worst decision of the entire movie. It drags on like nothing else I've seen, and in general is the worst adaptation I've ever watched, and a terrible movie by itself. Any redeeming points the book had (despite it's general mediocrity, the book did have good character development and narration) were cut down by the movie. In four words, this movie is bad.