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There are 55 reviews in our database. |
Latest Listings | Category: Anime Reviews
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 Title: Puni Puni Poemi (MHMI)  | views:438 |   Here it is the Full list of "Might Have Missed It's" for Puni Puni Poemi, with Spoilers and Screen Shots!
1) Not too far into the first episode of Puni Puni Poemi you will see a scene where "The Director" and Kumi-Kumi are in bed... But are using Fake arms and legs for dramatic effect:
Yes! i do believe that is a Daikon!
2) When Alien #1 shows up in this Anime, a "Fight Anime" style brawl begins. One of the powers they seem to poses is having tiny versions of them selves pop out of their heads.
The little man on the directors head is holding the same style of sward as excel uses in the Excel Saga series.
3) This is one I can't seem to find the reasoning behind. There is a small flag that says "water sprites are number #1" written across it in japanese after Poemi asks to stay with Futamas family. This is subtitled on the DVD Versions with the option for signs to be translated turned on.
4) After "The Director" and Kumi-Kumi die Poemi Pictures them in heaven. But I'm not quite sure why Kumi-Kumi is gulping down rice in heaven?
5) This one is a little harder than the others to spot even on the second time watching the show, as it is done quickly and without notice! A single blink at the wrong moment and you may never catch it. There as a pink and blue (extra character) couple "doing it" inside the Mecha as Poemi punches through the Walls at the beginning of the second episode.
The frames are actually blended together to give it the appearance of speed, this is the clearest screen shot I could capture.
6) This one is hard to miss. I actually caught this one the first time I watched it, but is absolutely a must include! "K" calls Poemi a "Bare crotched Nut cracker" after she destroys his Mecha. If someone hears this without even knowing what the anime is about, their first reaction would be to wonder if they heard it right... Second would be to laugh till it hurt.
[sorry no picture... what would the point of a picture of subtitles be?]
7) After obtaining residence with the Aasu Family, Poemi finds time to "hump" the saucer-chair K is riding to school. You might also notice that Futama is hiding behind a lamp pole that is moving along at the same pace as "K" and Poemi.
8) Poemi has 3 dragon balls in one of the scenes after she transforms into Puni Puni Poemi:
9) you can see the "camera men" and equipment during one of the the bath scenes.
Okay this one is one you might not catch till the third time watching without a little help. In the dream sequence Poemi has about K...
there is a couple "doing it" behind the tree on the right
If you have not watched this Anime yet and have read this far, you are either totally insane or want to see what all else this Anime has to offer... Well here is one of the things that this series will burn into your brain!
There is both a vibrator AND a pick-ax on the floor after Poemi leaves for her audition near the end of the last episode. Not to mention there is a little kid sleeping on the sofa... Right next to the Dildo!
Oh and to top it all off...
Poemi farts in the captive scene just before she slugs K in the face.
Well, my suggestion is.. NOW GO WATCH IT!!! There are at least 5 little surprises that I
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| Review submitted: 2008/8/17
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| Category: Anime Reviews
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| Title: Air (TV) (CC Licence "FunBlog") | views:8 | I decided to rent this series because it was made by most of the same people who were responsible for Kanon (2006), which I liked a lot. As it turns out, it looks a lot like Kanon, particularly in the character designs, and the music sounds similar, but the story itself is sadder and darker. This is saying a lot given that Kanon has some pretty dark moments.
I have to give this series high marks for artistic quality and there certainly are a lot of people who love it. The series was very popular in Japan. (It may appeal more to Japanese than American sensibilities.) However I suspect that many Americans will hate it.
I described Kanon as a “fairy tale” because the universe of Kanon is harsh but not entirely unfair. No matter how bad things look, you can, if you are sufficiently brave and virtuous, earn a happy ending (though you may need to be very brave indeed). Tragic events occur, but life at other times seems pretty good, filled with happy moments and the companionship of good friends.
Air has a darker vision. Most of the people we meet are sad, and happy endings seem to be in short supply. Malicious acts reverberate down the centuries, causing suffering for innocent children. For some characters the only way to win is to face life’s hardships with courage and integrity and hope for a better deal in one’s next life.
TitleAirGenresFantasy, DramaDemographicSeinenContents15 Episodes on 4 DVDsLanguagesEnglish, Japanese with subtitlesBased onA video game by Key/Visual Art’sDirectorTatsuya IshiharaSeries CompositionFumihiko ShimoOriginal Character DesignItaru Hinoue (game)Character DesignTomoe ArataniArt DirectorJouji UnoguchiChief Animation DirectorTomoe ArataniAnimation StudioKyoto AnimationBroadcastBS-i, 2005Region 1 DistributorADV Films
Parental Advisory
Like Kanon, this series contains a lot of material likely to upset young children. Older children won’t be traumatized, but they still probably won’t like it. There is sort of a happy ending, but it’s not something that younger viewers will be able to figure out. This series is probably best suited for older teenagers and adults.
DVD Notes
This is one of a number of animes that ADV seems to have lost the licensing rights to and has removed from their web site. However the DVDs can still be rented and most of the online stores seem to still have them in stock.
As originally broadcast the series had 13 episodes, of which the first 12 episodes contained the actual story. The first 3 DVDs contain those 12 episodes, so in principle those are all you need.
The 13th episode was a “recap” episode that summarized the story of Misuzu, but contained no new material. This can probably be skipped, though I suppose it might be useful to someone who has watched the first 12 episodes, doesn’t understand the ending, and can’t be bothered to watch them again.
A 2-episode “special” was broadcast later. These episodes go back to the story of Kanna, Ryuya and Uraha and add more details. Nothing in the special episodes is really necessary to the original story, but I liked them anyway since these are my favorite characters from the show.
The fourth DVD contains the recap episode and the special episodes.
Characters
Characters from the Modern Era
Yukito Kunisaki is a grumpy wandering puppeteer who happens to wander into a small town by the seashore. He hopes to make some money with his puppet show, but unfortunately he is not a very good entertainer. He has the magical ability to make a cloth puppet move without strings or motors, but the effect is more creepy than entertaining. Children run away and nobody wants to pay him.
Yukito is haunted by a story his mother once told him, about a girl with wings beyond the sky. He is not sure what it means, but he wishes that he could someday find that girl.
Misuzu Kamio is a lonely, clumsy girl who finds Yukito sleeping on the seawall. Since she has no friends of her own, she decides to make friends with Yukito–rather to his annoyance.
Misuzu’s mother Haruko Kamio agrees to let Yukito sleep in the shed. Haruko is a boisterous, irresponsible type who speaks with a comic Kansai accent. She drinks a lot, drives her motorcycle too fast, and seems to neglect Misuzu.
Kano Kirishima is an odd girl with a yellow bandanna tied around her wrist. Her best friend is Potato, an unusually intelligent stray dog who says “Piko Piko!” Kano says that when she grows up she will have magic powers, and she hopes to use them to fly into the sky.
Kano’s older sister Hijiri Kirishima is the town doctor and runs the local clinic. She ends up giving Yukito a part-time job, which seems like a good idea because the puppet thing really isn’t going anywhere.
Minagi Tohno is a soft-spoken, intelligent girl. She is the best student in her class and the president (and sole member) of the Astronomy Club.
Minagi likes to hang out at the abandoned railway station with her best friend Michiru. Michiru is a bratty little girl who likes to kick Yukito. She also likes to blow bubbles.
Minagi’s mother is a pleasant but strange woman. Actually she’s not strange, she’s insane.
Misuzu adopts a young crow who is unable to fly, and names him Sora (Sky).
Characters from 1000 Years Ago
Kannabi no Mikoto (usually referred to as Lady Kanna) is kept in luxurious confinement in a shrine in a forest far from the ocean. She is one of the last surviving Winged People. The rulers of the land fear the powers of the Winged People and want to keep them confined and under control.
Kanna is imperious, but childish and naive. Her dream is to be reunited with her mother, who is imprisoned on a distant mountain.
Ryuya is one of Kanna’s samurai guards. He is irreverent and cynical and somewhat uncouth, but he is also brave and loyal and an expert swordsman.
Uraha is Kanna’s chief attendant and tutor. She seems cheerful and even silly, but she is deeper than she looks, a subtle woman with mysterious powers.
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| Review submitted: 2008/7/11
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| Category: Anime Reviews
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| Title: A Little Snow Fairy Sugar (CC Licence "FunBlog") | views:35 | I’m getting a little tired of constantly typing “this series is not suitable for young children”, or words to that effect. So here is one that won’t require me to write that.
This is basically a charming children’s show, but one that can also be entertaining for adults, provided that the adults have a high degree of tolerance for cute characters and sentimental story lines. If mainstream America ever starts to take anime seriously this may come to be considered a children’s classic.
Original TitleChicchana Yukitsukai SHUGAAGenresFantasy, Comedy, Coming of AgeContents24 Episodes on 6 DVDs (1 boxed set) plus a two-part “Special” on another DVDLanguagesJapanese with subtitles, EnglishDirectorShinichiro KimuraAnimation StudioJ. C. StaffBroadcastTBS, 2001-2002Region 1 PublisherGeneon
Synopsis
You can forget anything that you may have heard about El Niño, cold fronts, temperature inversions, etc. All meteorological phenomena are actually caused by tiny invisible people called Season Fairies.
There are a few people who can see the Season Fairies, which is nice because they are awfully cute. A little girl named Saga discovers that she can see them. She isn’t actually too pleased by this at first, but eventually she becomes attached to one of them.
Cultural Notes
This story is set in Germany, and the writers make a point of showing us the many cultural differences between Japan and Europe. For example, Europeans are less formal than Japanese people; Europeans wash themselves off in the bathtub; etc.
Nevertheless it seems to me that the characters are more Japanese than European. I don’t count this against the show; in fact I think it adds to the charm.
One thing bothers me a bit though. I’m pretty sure that major typhoons are not nearly as common in central Europe as the writers seem to think. The dialog mentions “Typhoon #13″ which suggests that the typhoon season in Germany that year must have been extraordinarily busy. However I guess there is a perfectly logical explanation if you stop to think about it.
DVD Notes
DVD #3 includes a video tour of the real German city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, which the artists used as the model for the fictional city of Mühlenburg.
Regrettably the DVD boxed set includes only the 24 episodes of the regular television series and not the double-length “special” which is sold on a separate DVD. Most viewers would consider the “special” to be necessary to provide a completely satisfactory ending.
Parental Advisory
This program is not recommended for diabetics. 
Seriously, I can recommend this without hesitation for anyone seven years old or older, and I have only one minor caveat regarding younger viewers. Near the end of DVD #5 there is a short flashback to the death of Saga’s mother. Younger children often have great difficulty dealing with stories involving the death of a parent. They tend to watch in silence, say they liked the movie, then go to bed and wake up crying.
In this case the treatment is much less disturbing than in Bambi or The Lion King. The flashback is wordless and the images are sufficiently oblique that those young enough to be upset probably won’t understand what they are seeing (unless a “helpful” older sibling insists on explaining it to them.) Nevertheless this might be a good moment for a parent to introduce a distraction.
Characters and Premise
Saga Bergman (Bergmann?) is an eleven-year-old girl. She is cheerful and popular, but somewhat rigid, obsessed with making plans and following schedules. She loves to play the piano and shows great promise.
Saga lives with her Grandma Regina, a sweet old lady who is not easily perturbed. She is an excellent cook.
Snow Fairy Apprentice Sugar can create snow (or at least a few flakes) by playing a magic piccolo. She has come to the human world hoping to qualify as a full-fledged Season Fairy. To do this she must find “Twinkles” (kirameki) but she has no idea what these are.
Since Sugar has the personality and common sense of a human five-year-old, I have to wonder about the fairy authorities who would send her to Earth to fend for herself. Saga finds her half-starved and shivering in the rain.
She gives her a waffle, which turns out to be a mistake.
The little thing starts to follow her around everywhere. She chatters incessantly, doesn’t listen, and gets into everything. It’s like being followed around by a bratty little sister that no one else can see or hear.
Norma (L) and Anne (R) are Saga’s best friends. Anne is sensible; Norma is a bit flaky.
Greta is a spoiled rich girl who is Saga’s chief rival. Or at least that’s what Greta thinks. Saga and the other children seem to think that she’s nuts.
Phil is a budding engineer, always working on some new invention. Most of them have some fatal flaw.
Jan (L) and Alan (R) usually help Phil with his inventions.
Miss Hanna is their teacher.
Wind Fairy Apprentice Pepper can summon a gentle breeze by playing her harp. She is sweet and gentle, and her speech is rather formal and old-fashioned. (I keep thinking that she must somehow be related to Fuu Hououji, but I guess that’s impossible.)
Sun Fairy Apprentice Salt can make the sun shine brighter by blowing on a trumpet. Both Salt and Pepper are looking for “Twinkles” just like Sugar, but they have no more idea than she does what these are.
Rain Fairy Ginger can make it rain by playing the violin. She is too busy to waste time with the young fairies. She knows what “Twinkles” are but she tells them that they will have to figure it out for themselves.
Cloud Fairy Turmeric is a true artist. He seems to think of nothing but creating ever more perfect clouds with his cello. This is a source of great frustration for Ginger.
The Elder is the greatest of the Season Fairies, able to create any kind of weather with his conductor’s baton. He is also something of a buffoon and makes a great fool of himself pursuing Ginger, who seems to have no idea what he is getting at.
Ice Fairy Apprentice Cinnamon (L) and Thunder Fairy Apprentice Basil (R) are a couple of delinquents. Cinnamon creates ice by playing the cymbals, while Basil beats a drum to summon thunder and lightning.
Mr Luchino owns a coffee shop where Saga works after school. He is a jolly fellow who loves cookies.
Mr Paul works in a music store which features a beautiful grand piano that once belonged to Saga’s mother. Paul lets Saga play it when the manager isn’t around.
Mr Henry works in the clock tower. Saga brings him coffee every day and tries out new blends on him.
(As everyone knows, Germans are very informal and are usually addressed by their first names–even by children.)
The Hammond Theater Troupe is a company of itinerant actors who come to town to put on a play.
Vincent is a member of the company, an actor and a very talented pianist.
Joe the Crow likes shiny things and doesn’t like fairies.
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| Review submitted: 2008/7/11
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| Category: Anime Reviews
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| Title: 5 Centimeters Per Second (CC Licence "FunBlog") | views:24 | What would you get if you gave Makoto Shinkai, who created Voices of a Distant Star on his personal computer, enough money to hire a professional staff and make a theatrical feature? Apparently the answer is this movie, a gentle, wistful tale of young love and loneliness. Maybe this is the story that he was really trying to tell with VODS, now stripped of its science fiction elements and reduced to its bare essentials.
Original TitleByousoku Go SENCHIMEETORU–a chain of short stories about their distanceGenresDrama, RomanceDemographicSeinenContentsA 60-minute movie in 3 partsLanguagesEnglish, Japanese with subtitlesDirectorMakoto ShinkaiMusicTenmonCharacter DesignTakayo NishimuraKey Animation DirectorTakayo NishimuraRegion 1 PublisherADV Films
This isn’t really aimed at a mass audience, but it is thoughtful and well-made. One noticeable difference from Voices of a Distant Star is the quality of the animation. The animation in the earlier work was acceptable but not particularly outstanding. In 5 Centimeters Per Second it is much better.
Parental Advisory
There is nothing here that I would consider inappropriate for children. However I suspect that most young children will hate it, and it’s not really intended for them.
Premise and Characters
In Part 1, 13 year old Takaki Toono wants to see Akari Shinohara, an old friend from elementary school who has moved from Tokyo to Tochigi Prefecture.
He travels to visit her but is frustrated by a sudden snowstorm that threatens to halt the train service.
In Part 2, set on the southern island of Tanegashima, high school student Kanae Sumita is frustrated by her attempts to learn to surf, and by her inability to work up enough courage to confess her feelings to a boy who fascinates her. |
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| Review submitted: 2008/7/11
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| Category: Anime Reviews
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| Title: Tekkon Kinkreet (CC Licence "animethoughts.com") | views:8 | I wasn’t expecting to like this movie. Usually really pretty and expensive anime falls short in the story and character departments, and the fact that the director’s name is “Michael Arias” didn’t help my expectations. As you can tell from the score I gave this movie, my expectations couldn’t have been more wrong.
The visuals in Tekkon Kinkreet are simply beautiful. I can safely say that this movie has the best animation I’ve ever seen, and is easily in my top 5 for overall artwork. The detail in the city is astounding, and the acid-trip hallucinations near the end were breathtaking. The 3d and 2d animation blended seamlessly, to the point that sometimes it was hard to distinguish between them. Most interesting of all, the movie blends western and eastern art in a very unique way.
The story doesn’t disappoint, either. Based on Matsumoto’s legendary manga, the story follows two children named Black and White, and their life in a corrupt city run by yakuza. Tekkon Kinkreet is rather dark and violent, almost exaggeratedly so at some points, but the story is also very well told and deep. Some of the symbols are obvious (ie: the character’s names; “Black” as the darkness within humanity, “White” as the purity and innocence), while others surprised me with their creativity (ie: the corrupt city they live in, full of yakuza, drugs, strippers, etc, almost represents good, compared to the evil or fake-ness of the children’s amusement park planned to replace it). If, like me, you enjoy anime that makes you think and allows for plenty of analysis, Tekkon Kinkreet doesn’t disappoint. The plot drags on a bit at points, and there’s more dialog than was really necessary, but these minor problems don’t really detract from the whole.
To be honest, I never read the original manga, so I can’t say how accurate this adaptation is, but as a stand-alone work, the movie is brilliant. Having a non-Japanese director turned out to be one of the biggest blessings of this movie, as it made it very unique without ruining it. I hope to see more anime from Michael Arias in the future. Until then, I’ll be happy watching and rewatching Tekkon Kinkreet.
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Review written by Mike on 2008-02-23 13:07 |
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| Review submitted: 2008/7/11
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Shop link 
Love it! 
Recommend it!