Japan sometime way in the future discovers a geological phenomenon in the Kanagawa Prefecture near Tokyo known as "The Great Uprising". After this is discovered a small percentage of people are starting to develop different abilities which begins a predictable PANIC by the government.  These people are referred to as "Alter Users".

There are two opposing forces of alters: the Native Alters, a group of Alter users who live outside the central city and avoid any relationships with the government; and HOLY, an organization of Alter users that are a subgroup of an organization called HOLD. HOLD functions as the Mainland government's super police force of the Lost Ground, while HOLY, composed exclusively of Alter users, serves as the 'special operations' group, aiding HOLD in performing dangerous missions that might require the help of an Alter user.

So with this being said we bring in Kazuma (Native Alter) and  Ryuhou (HOLY).  They are your typical competitive duo that spend the whole anime trying to kill one another to prove their dominance.

At some point during their fighting,  they open a gateway to the parallel universe, causing another uprising and attracting the attention of the Mainland government. The Mainland sends its agent, Kyouji Mujo, to the Lost Ground in an attempt to exploit the power of the parallel universe for economic gain. Mujo develops delusions of grandeur after becoming the defacto head of the Lost Ground government and absorbing the crystal entity from "the other side" to add to his already formidable Alter power. Both he and the crystal entity are defeated by the separate efforts of Kazuma and Ryuhou. The Mainland once again attempts to gain control over the Lost Ground by sending in a fleet of refined Alter users under their control, but they are defeated by Kazuma and Ryuhou. Then end of this Anime is basically Kazuma and Ryuhou battling it out to see who is the best.*Yawn*

This Series was made by Sunrise and  premiered on TV Tokyo in 2003. A manga adaptation was serialized in Akita Shoten's Weekly Shōnen Champion.  It was licensed by Bandai in the US and eventually turned up on Adult Swim.


I believe that to say I disliked this series would be a gross understatement.

The characters were generic. The soundtrack was nothing to write home about. The plotline was pretty boring and predictable. honestly most of the episodes were just Kazuma and Ryuhou screaming and grunting at each other till they got so pissed off they attack one another.

The only person besides the two main characters worth mentioning  is Straight Cougar and that's ONLY because in the English version Crispin Freeman did the voice.

I mean really if I wanted to watch people fight while screaming and flying at one another I could just throw on some Dragonball Z. At least they can articulate while screaming out in power up orgasm. They could fly farther than 500 feet without having to stop to take a breather. 


so please, if you find yourself at a party or a friends hanging out and someone puts this horrible little number on, either slap your friend or quietly excuse yourself.  it will save you time that could have been spent watching something better.

Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase
(Makes Twilight series look good)



The story is about the relationship between freelance photographer Kouhei Morioka and Hazuki, a teenager who descends from a royal vampire lineage. At the beginning of the story, Kouhei travels to a castle in Germany to take photographs of paranormal phenomena for his friend Hiromi, who is the editor of an occult magazine. At the castle, Kouhei meets Hazuki, who feeds on Kouhei's blood and claims him as her unwilling servant. Although this "blood pact" is supposed to bind Kouhei to Hazuki as her obedient slave, her act has no effect on Kouhei. Following an action-packed sorcerers' battle in which Kouhei and his cousin manage to free Hazuki from her captivity in the dreary castle, Hazuki travels to Tokyo, and takes up residence with Kouhei in his grandfather's house in Japan. Hazuki claims that, because she fed on his blood, Kouhei is now her servant, but Kouhei continually refuses to obey her, especially when he thinks her requests are unreasonable. Despite their fighting, the relationship between the duo progresses over time — even in the face of repeated attacks by opposing vampires — until Kouhei becomes determined to protect Hazuki from the vampire servants of her family, who are determined to retrieve her by whatever means necessary.

Oh my god, I’d rather sit and watch Twilight than watch this. This anime was boring and had no plot line, whatsoever. I guess…it is kind of like Twilight in some respects. /shot by many twi-girls. This is purely a filler anime for all your fan boys who fantasize about girl vampires. Hazuki is hardly a vampire at all! Sure, she’s got strong magical powers but, she never wants to bite Kouhei! WHAT KIND OF VAMPIRE DOESN’T WANT TO DRINK THEIR VICTIM’S BLOOD?! That’s not a vampire! If it were me, I would’ve torn his throat out!

Kouhei’s uncle makes Hazuki wear cat ears when she works in the antique shop. He’s a perverted old man but, claims he makes her wear the ears for the sole reason of hiding the fact that she’s a vampire. DOES ANYONE SEE THE PROBLEM HERE? How are cat ears going to hide the fact that you’ve got sharp, pointy teeth?! This anime is bad, I tell you, BAAAAD.

The only positive thing you get out of this anime is a wonderfully composed soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura. Other than that, can’t say too many good things about Tsukuyomi. I’d have to say that Tsukihime was a better vampire anime and it’s done by the same person!

I’m really sad I wasted money on the entire box set. /sad face

Kakurenbo is the story of Hide and Seek....

"In the ruins of the city there is a game that only the children play....Otokoyo or Hide and Seek. Its rumored that one by one the children disappear until no one is left....because the demons come for them...."


The story of this Anime is pretty straight forward. It follows a group of teens who dare to play Hide and Seek at night, two of them being brothers who are looking for their sister who has disappeared in a previous game.  You follow all of these players to the end of this, and this certainly is not the Hide and Seek you remember playing as a child.

This anime is only 25 minutes long but it is quite possibly one of the BEST 25 mins  I have spent watching anything animated. It's done in complete 3D, and this isn't the crappy stuff either. This film was the first to come out of  Yamatoworks (to be followed by FREEDOM project). It was critically acclaimed and won several film festival awards.


I love how you never see the character's faces, they are always in masks. The violence in this film is bloodless and doesn't leave you feeling sick from gore or angry at cheesy death scenes. It has the perfect blend of sinister darkness with that twisted ending that makes you scream out "WTF?!?!?!" I find it great to watch to get me in the SPOOKY HALLOWEEN mood.


so, if your into the whole sinister/demon thing with a childhood twist, I highly suggest taking a gander at Kakurenbo.

Directed by anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, Spirited Away is the tale of Chihiro, a young girl who is taken down an unusual road by her parents while moving to a new home in an unfamiliar place. The curiosity of Chihiro’s mother and father (who were based on two colleagues of Miyazaki’s) leads the reluctant child into what appears to be an abandoned amusement park. Soon her parents are greedily feasting on various delights from an enticing food stand (Seriously, shit looks good. Makes me turn into a fat kid) and are literally turned into pigs. The frightened and bewildered girl then encounters a young name named Haku (quite attractive, I might add), who explains what she must do to navigate this strange and magical realm. Finding employment in a bathhouse for spirits and other odd characters – including kimono-wearing frogs, lumbering tentacled monsters (HEHEHEHEH), and a mysterious apparition named No Face – Chihiro attempts to figure out how she can free her parents from the clutches of the resort’s owner, a powerful witch named Yubaba (Her head is the huge). In the process, she makes some very eccentric friends – and has to deal with some notoriously stinky customers (I imagine if you did work at a bathhouse, it can get really smelly).

Spirited away reminds me of Lewis Carroll’s, ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Chihiro finds herself in this strange and wonderful world – making new friends, defeating enemies and growing up in the process. Chihiro’s character annoyed me in the beginning because she was whiny, pessimistic and lazy (I’m sure all of us will admit we were lazy when we were children). You really watch Chihiro grow as a person inside and out. It’s beautiful! I love these kinds of movies when characters are on the road to self-discovery!

The visuals in the movie are top notch. The artwork is amazingly detailed, character designs are likable and the scenery is breathtaking. Dazzling and enchanting, I’m trying to find so many words to describe this piece of art.

Don’t be afraid of the tentacle monster because, this is indeed a family film. Hayao Miyazaki is a storyteller and targets the younger audience. It is indeed fun for everyone!

I highly recommend it.

Score – 10/10

Update: Just bringing some of my posts over from nerdnations until I put out some new articles.

I am the Porkbun...FEEL MY WRATH! (just kidding)

Bhan-chan and I were originally posting reviews on a blog called "Nerdnations" but this blog is actually going to be moving soon and well it wasn't exactly a good fit for us. We have so much to share and give for a love of all things Anime/Manga, Otaku or just ASIAN entertainment in general.

I have been an animation junkie since I was a baby and discovered Anime at the age of 10 cruising late night SCI-FI channel when I discovered the WONDERFULNESS that is Vampire Hunter D.

I have an 8 year old daughter who truly believes that pokemon save the world. I am sarcastic, eccentric, funny, and blunt. I feel that people who say they hate anime just haven't found the right one.

Maes Hughes is my hero.  Gluttony is my boyfriend.  Clamp is what dreams are made of. Mokona is Mokona!

Now someone break out the Sake and let's get this started!

Hello my pretties!

I usually don't do introduction posts but, I thought since me and Porkbuns were going to go ahead and start up our own anime review blog, I figured you guys might want to know who I am (I'm sure Porkbuns will post one of her own too).

My name is Bhan-chan. Don't ask for my real for it is a secret! SHHHH. I'm an otaku, gamergirl and a cosplayer. I've had a love/hate relationship with anime since I was 12 when I first glanced at Sailor Moon. It was love at first sight! I've went from Sailor Moon to all kinds of different genres (including manga/-ka).

We do hope you guys enjoy and leave us plenty of comments. We always love to hear what you guys think but, please remain respectful.

IT'S THE GREATEST SHOW TIME~

Sake.....CHECK!

Spirits....CHECK!

Alcoholic Porkbuns....CHECK!

Blatant Sexual Tension between male characters.....DOUBLE CHECK!

So yeah if you haven't figured it out I am sharing with you a CLAMP series. (suck it up boys. its not Yaoi.)

xxxHolic is the story of high school student Kimihiro Watanuki. He has a problem....he can see spirits and demons...and they think he's tasty.  This causes him extreme discomfort in his life and wishes to not see them anymore.  He wanders into a mysterious shop one day and comes across Yuko (the same witch from Tsubasa Chronicle Resevoir. yeah these two series intersect) She is a granter of wishes....but she's not a genie and these wishes don't come free. So in order to have his wish granted he starts to work for Yuko at her shop. He ends up taking on jobs to help her out bringing his RIVAL (que the sexual tension) Shizuka Dōmeki because he keeps the spirits and demons away.

The whole story is about Watanuki accepting his destiny and his developing relationships with everyone. Particularly his reluctant friendship with Dōmeki: his seemingly odd parental relationship with Yuko and his DOOMED love interest in Himawari Kunogi.

This series is beautiful from the artwork to the storyline. There is something to be said about a manga/series that can have you laughing one page and then crying the next. I love the emphasis on the payment for what you wish for and how they have people who ask for stuff and then find that what they wanted wasn't really worth the payment.

Yes this series overlaps with Tsubasa Chronicle Resevoir, but I won't go into too much because it cause major SPOILER ALERT! but i will say this. Tsubasa has the white Mokona Modoki and xxxHolic has the DRUNK Black Mokona Modoki (MOKONA IS MOKONA) always a good laugh in the middle of crisis.

The manga is on going in Japan and there are have been two Anime series and several Ova's.  Not to mention the great merchandise.  When will it end...not sure....but I am going to be around to enjoy the ride as long as I can. :D

As I sit here typing this dear friends I am in the midst of wanting to throw something as I once again watched the LAST episode of  Inuyasha: The final Act.  I  remember the anger at reading the last chapter of the manga when it came out.

This series is not my favorite., or even in the top 10. But what can I say I am a sucker for yellow and orange kimonos , silver haired demons, perverted monks,  mischievious fox demons,  and old ladies with eye patches. A total guilty pleasure.

For those of you who don't know the plot line of Inuyasha, my only question is...WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? don't you remember the annoying english dubs that adult swim tortured us all with where ever five seconds you hear KAGOME! INUYASHA! KAGOME! INUYASHA!

But for those of you who lived under a rock here goes:

Inuyasha is the story of a 15 year old girl named Kagome who falls into an old well on her family's  SHrine where she finds herself 500 years in the past and comes across a half demon (Inuyasha) nailed to a tree by an arrow.  well she ends up setting him free and he mistakes her for the priestess who betrayed him and nailed him to the tree 50 years before.  well she ends up getting attacked by the demon who pulled her in the well and finds that she has some orb of power  (Shikon no Tama) in her body around her hip as the demon rips it out of her.  Through a series of events she ends up shattering the orb into shards that fly all over  Feudal Japan.  The whole story is about her looking for the shards trying to stop the main Evil Guy (Naraku) from getting all of them and making the orb whole.

Its a long series. The problem with the first series was that they made way too much filler because the manga moved slower than they wanted apparently so most people fell out of touch with it and got irritated.  Well the creator of the original manga, Rumiko Takahashi (also did Ranma 1/2) FINALLY finished it in the Summer of 2008. This is where Inuyasha: The Final Act comes in.

Now I am not a person who likes doing the whole SPOILER thing usually but you know what....I am so genuinely IRRITATED by this I am gonna just go ahead and throw this out here.

*****SPOILER ALERT*********

Through the whole series, people keep wanting to know what the perfect wish on the SHIKON NO TAMA was....
everyone was thinking it was something really complicated............YEAH NO.   she just says something like "SHIKON NO TAMA, DISAPPEAR!"    really? you put us all through this LONG angsty drawn out pile of crap for something that my 8 year old could have said? REALLY?  SERIOUSLY?  I honestly didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  The only good thing about the ending was that we got the cheesy happy everyone lives happily ever after ending with Kagome and Inuyasha together in the Feudal Era.

********END SPOILER*************
 I still love my Sesshomaru and Rin. I still love to watch my favorite episodes and laugh how fights will take 5 episodes and that bastard Naraku seems to just LIVE and LIVE.  It does its job and makes the blahs go away.
This series is good for someone just hoppin into the pool of anime its simple enough to follow and got enough starcrossed romance and violence for all.

I feel kind of cheated thought with the whole conclusion and anytime I watch or read the ending I just really wanna donkey punch someone.

Have you ever watched something so disgustingly beautiful and violent that you creamed your pants? If you haven't, might I suggest the first 10 minutes of Episode one of Elfen Lied. you can skip the rest of this anime (I would kick you in the balls though if you did) after that and be totally satisfied that you have seen something so glorious that you feel butterflies.

This series is by far one of those series that make you glad to be an anime watcher. The animation is top notch, the plot line excellent and the music is heavenly. It was originally a manga written by Lynn Okamoto that was published in Weekly Young Jump in June 2002 until August of 2005 when it ended. The Anime series aired from July 2004 till October 2004.

So what is it about you ask?

You have this girl Lucy. She's an advanced human ( Diclonius) that has been raised in a lab. She breaks out of her Cell at a local laboratory where tests are run on her and others like herself. (see first 15 minutes of episode 1)

She gets injured escaping her Lab Cell and develops this personality called Nyu while she is attempting to heal. "Nyu" gets found by Kohta and Yuka who attend college and live together. They take her in and care for her while dealing with the violence from the people looking for Lucy.

The whole anime is full of panty shots and lewd comments, nudity, angst, comical scenes and violence of the blood and gore kind. not to mention the seriously screwed up back story with Lucy and Kohta. It's one of the few series based off of Manga's that I can honestly say did it justice.

This anime ends in a violent bloody mess, but be forewarned its a tear jerker as well.  I cried like a bitch while going WTF?!?!?!  It's a story that will leave you feel more emotions at the same time then anything should.

So if you got some time to kill i suggest checking it out its only 13 episodes and fills any time you have to kill quite nicely.

 

 

Vampire Hunter D started with a  novel put out by the wonderful Hideyuki Kikuchi  in 1983 with Yoshitaka Amano contributing his beautiful illustrations. This original novel lead to 19 more full length novels and several short story compilations.  An animated film of the first novel came out in 1985 (Vampire Hunter D) and a sequel based off the second novel of the series in 2000 (Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust). Not to mention the Art books along with all the great franchising that comes with a popular Novel/Anime Combo. 

So what's the story of D? its pretty easy stuff to follow.

you have a story about a man, his horse, and his delightful symbiotic left hand. They go around in a post-nuclear Earth world killing Vampires.  what makes D so damn special you ask?  Well, D is a dhampir (half-breed child of a male vampire and female human) and apparently the best damned vampire hunter ever.  He travels this Post appocalyptic world killing off baddies and getting paid (and yes the bitches offer up their bodies).  He's not a man of many words but his sword can do his talking for him. 

In the Beginning of the film, we find D traveling through the world and coming across a town that has Vampire issues. He meets Doris and her kid brother Dan. She's got no money but she's got a problem. The local Vampire Lord has come back to town and wants her to be his Vampire Bride.  So D offers to help her even though she's got no money. the whole movie is basically him helping her get out of the clutches of this old moldybutt Vampire lord with lots of blood and violence and the occasionally Nipple shot along the way.

I chose this Anime/Novel as my first post because to be honest the Film "Vampire Hunter D" is the reason I even like Vampires and  Anime.  I first saw it on Sci-Fi channel late night when I was about 9 years old.  I remember turning it on being totally facinated and having my first GEEK moment.

This movie still holds it own.  It has Violence, Nudity,Swearing, Mutants, Zombies, and Vampires. All the things that make movies and books worthwhile.

So if you looking for a good anime or a good Novel, check out Vampire Hunter D.