Ai Yori Aoshi/ Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi
I was afraid this would just be another harem anime, but it is actually a sweet love story.
Kaoru is your typical guy, doing his studies and photography. Aoi is a gentle and adorable girl, trained to be the perfect, traditional Japanese wife. Aoi and Kaoru are betrothed to eachother as children, but after Kaoru loses his influential family position, the engagement is broken off. Aoi never forgot Kaoru, and she set out to find him. Together, among crazy girls thrown into their lives, Aoi and Kaoru build a sweet and loving relationship.
While the romance between Aoi and Kaoru is sweet, I guess I wish that more of their growing romance and how it grew was actually shown. Sometimes, the anime got a little too involved with the lives of the other girls. However, other times you don't learn much about the backgrounds of some of the girls.
Appleseed (the movie)
If you are in the mood for something sci-fi, then this is a good anime movie to see. The computer animation is pretty cool, and the story offers a lot of action. A warrior chick with a cyborg boyfriend living in a futuristic world makes for an interesting story, ne? Humans who hate bioroids (genetically engineered humans) vs the biroids is the fight taking place on center stage, and an item called the Appleseed holds the key that may decide which side will win. Who or what is the Appleseed?
While the storyline in this movie was pretty easy to follow, it was still entertaining. The movie focused more on awesome computer animation and fight scenes rather than a deep plot.
Ayakashi Classic Samurai Horror (aka Ayakashi Samurai Horror Tales)
I love the opening theme to this anime called "HEAT ISLAND!" It is performed by Rhymester. XD A mix of classical shamisen and hip hop!
The animation is what sets this horror series apart from other anime; the three story arcs are each animated in a distinct, unique style. The first story arc, for example, is based off of a classic Japanese kabuki ghost story(ironically, it is said that the play is based on actual events!). A woman is betrayed by her husband and killed, but her ghost remains and will not rest until she gets her revenge! The animation used for the story resembles the artwork of ukiyo-e (Japanese woodblock prints), which was a popular folk art style for the theatre in the 17-20th centuries.
The second tale is well-animated; it is also based off of a play that tells of a forbidden love between a human man and a goddess descended from "forgotten gods." It is a tragic and sweet story at the same time. The goddess is seen as a monster, for she must eat humans to survive. However, after she meets the young man, her thoughts about her existence and what it means to live changes.
The third tale has some of the most unique animation that I have ever seen. It is very strange to watch at first, but the animation style is actually very pretty because of the detail that is put into the characters and backgrounds. Vivid colors, large prints, and exaggerated facial expressions makes this story arc interesting to watch.
This arc tells the story of a traveling medicine-seller who also has the talent to fight supernatural entities such as demons.
Mononoke
The third arc of "Ayakashi" inspired a sequel anime series called "Mononoke." I did not watch it completely, but I did enjoy more of the unique animation style. The medicine-seller is the central character here, and it tells of three supernatural cases he was involved in.
The first story arc had amazing background artwork! The inn that the woman was staying at had the most amazing artwork on the walls, featuring gorgeous tennyo (celestial maidens or angels in Japanese lore). However, the arc that I really liked was the second arc, which involved several people on board a ship. The supernatural entity living in the waters the ship was sailing on demanded that each person face a fear; I thought the story of the monk who lost his sister was rather touching.
Basilisk
Be careful about finding a favorite character in this anime! Why? It is likely that they will not survive! There is all-out war between two feuding ninja clans, and the fighting will not stop until only one clan remains. Despite the carnage of the fighting, love blooms between the two heirs of the ninja clans. If Romeo and Juliet had been ninjas, their story would have been a little bit like this anime!
The animation is gorgeous and the opening theme was rockin', but I did not care for this anime too much for the fact that practically everyone ****!
Battle Angel Alita
This animated movie is based off of the Gunnm manga series. Gunnm was among the first manga that I have ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. The movie covers the first couple of manga books in the series. Please don't ask me about Last Order (the continuation of the manga) because it is not worth looking at, in my humble opinion.
Alita (aka Gally) is a naturally talented fighter cyborg with a sweet disposition! No wonder then that she is called the battle angel, ne? She is discovered by Dr. Ido after having lost her memories and original body. He fixes her up with a cyborg body called berserker, which is basically top-notch technology capable of power and fighting abilities beyond human capacity. Then, she joins Dr. Ido as a bounty hunter in a city full of criminals and dark dealings. Above them floats the legendary city Tiphares. What is up there and why is it there? Is it the utopia that it is rumored to be, or is it a hell floating in the heavens? Gally gets caught up with its mysteries when her lover risks all to enter Tiphares...
Black Jack
This series is based off of Tezuka's famous manga series by the same name. It illustrates the adventures of an unusual medical doctor who is believed to be able to perform any operation, no matter how bizarre the disease may be. His skill is unmatched, but his motives for helping others are unclear to the audience at first. It was fun to watch what unusual diseases he would have to treat, and how he would overcome any obstacle that got in his way. The viewer, while given hints and ideas, never really gets to know much about the doctor's past. This is okay, however, because what he does in the present is what matters the most.
Tezuka got creative with some of the diseases. Some of them are based in fact, but some of them are pure fantasy. This actually made the doctor seem more mysterious and larger-than-life; the creative diseases and their miraculous cures adds a fantasy element to this otherwise serious drama.
