Finished watching Space Guardian Angel Links

Finished watching Space Guardian Angel Links (1999, Sunrise, 13 epi.) on 10/5/2017.

Li Meifon is the captain of a beautiful, white spaceship appropriately named Angel Links. Her and her crew run a free space escort service, providing protection from space-pirates and other threats to those traveling or transporting their goods through space. 

7/10 - Hmm... this one's tough. I feel like it deserves a better score. It was an entertaining series for sure, but the final episode didn't do the story much justice and is probably the biggest reason for the score it got from me. Up until then I was always intrigued to watch the next episode. The characters were pretty cool, Meifon's backstory seemed pretty interesting, the pacing was good and so I was really getting excited to see what the final episode was going to be like. Well, maybe the show had to end prematurely, I'm not sure. Maybe I'll try to read the manga that it's based on one day to see how it compares.

Finished watching Outlaw Star

Finished watching Outlaw Star (1998, Sunrise, 24 epi.) on 09/14/2017.

Somewhere out there in outer space is a fabled treasure trove know as the Galactic Leyline. Somewhere out there in space there is also a man lost in the pleasures of alcohol and women, who carries a special firearm with magical attributes known as a Caster. That man, is none other than Gene Starwind. Whom with his crew of few and very diverse characters, are off to find the treasure of the Galactic Leyline. One of his crewmates however, isn't looking for the riches promised in the legends... but is actually in search of herself and her reason of being. That would be Melfina, an android whom Gene made a promise to help find the answers she seeks.

Man! Gene mutherf**kin' Starwind! I'll tell you what! Alright, Outlaw Star is an amazing show, almost on the same level as Cowboy Bebop, just not as classy. More spunky. Half of the show unfortunately are episodes that could be skipped, but some of those do offer a couple of plot hints and pieces that build up for the ending. Fortunately, all these episodes in the show are VERY entertaining and funny and amazing! Not one episode bored me out or necessarily made me feel like it was trying to prolong things. But the pacing is a bit wonky after the first few episodes. But most importantly I think the show knows to not take itself too seriously, maybe that's why it's very entertaining. The animation is really good, but sometimes the character's faces look a bit strange... but that could just be from the art style. The soundtrack is really cool too! Sometimes it really adds to the excitement of the scenes.

8.5/10 - Definitely a great show all around! Definitely worth a rewatch in a couple years.

Finished watching Macross Delta

Finished watching Macross Delta (2016, Studio Satelight, 26 epis.) on 07/17/2017.

A disease has spread through the remote location of the Milky Way Galaxy called the Brisingr Globular Cluster. This disease dubbed the Var Syndrome turns humanoids berserk with a killing intent. But the music of a talented idol group by the name of Walküre seems to suppress the symptoms of the infected. Wishing to join this group is an apple-loving young girl from planet Windermere, who at the end of her stowaway trip meets Hayate, a young man with a passion to cruise the skies.

7.5/10 - Accompanying these series I always find myself intrigued about the new song idols and how different the idol ideas seem to be with each new iteration. For Macross Delta I was pleased to see them go the idol group way. Not because idol anime is what I'm into, specially since I haven't watched any, but because the potential was there and that's what was popular at the time. So I'm really excited about what will be done next. Maybe a DJ artist or band? Or maybe something more traditional. I'm really intrigued. As for the series itself, I really enjoyed it. Not the best Macross in my opinion, but quite up there. I really enjoyed the songs and I think Mikumo has a great voice. In terms of mature voices, if we were comparing Mikumo to Sheryl, I'd totally go for Mikumo any day. There's something about Sheryl's voice that just seems forced or, maybe pretentious to me. At the same time I sorta get it, it reflects her big ego. And as tradition dictates, what would Macross be without a love triangle. Hayate, Freyja and Mirage are the main focus here, but I think it's obvious who has the upper hand on Hayate, of course. I mean, Freyja is pretty cute. But I also appreciate that Mirage doesn't feel discouraged by that.

Finished watching Macross Frontier

Finished watching Macross Frontier (2008, Studio Nue, Satelight, 25 epi.) on 6/3/2017.

Macross Frontier is a massive space colony fleet heading towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in search of a habitable planet for the human race. On its way there biomechanical insectoid mechas of alien origin attack and invade the fleet. Caught up in the chaos of the attack and its political and military aftermath is a love triangle between three young characters - Saotome Alto, an aspiring Valkyrie Fighter pilot; Sheryl Nome, a famed music idol also known as the Galactic Fairy; and rising star music idol, Ranka Lee.

8/10 – Hm, I don't have much to say about this show aside from it being pretty good. I feel like it was able to capture most of the themes that seem to be traditional within the franchise, like the focus on music idols affecting the plot and the ever-popular love triangle and work them into a new setting and set of characters. I think one of the episodes I enjoyed the most was the Macross Zero throwback ones. The fighter battles were pretty cool too and all the CG they used didn't put me off at all. It seems like production quality was pretty good too. Not too often did I notice anything drawn or animated awkwardly. I think it's a pretty good addition to the Macross series. However, it did leave me wondering what happened to the characters after the end of the series.

Finished watching Crusher Joe

Finished watching Crusher Joe (1983, Sunrise, 2h 11m) on 04/18/2017.

Joe, Talos, Alfin and Ricky are a team of Crushers - folks who take up any job that pays them well. And their newest gig might be the strangest yet as they have to transport a royal woman in a cryogenic capsule to a different planet to be medically thawed. Easy enough, right? It would've been if midway through the trip the goods hadn't mysteriously disappeared and Joe's team blamed for the mishap. They must now uncover the mystery behind their mission and recover their cargo.

7.5/10 - This is a good movie. I think what I enjoyed the most out of it was the character designs. The space suits are really cool and vibrant, it was kind of inspiring for me. But the animation quality was just as good with lots of movement and light effects. Heck, there's even a disco place that gets destroyed by too much partying. Well, there was a whole fight that started out anyways. The dialogue and the characters are fun too, and the plot of the movie is really interesting. I just think the movie dragged on for a bit though. It's a two hour movie and I might've drowsed for a little bit. Maybe I'm just gettin old, hahahah! I bet I would've watched this over and over if I had a tape back in the 90's.

Finished watching Diebuster

Finished watching Diebuster (2004, Gainax, 6 OVAs) on 04/10/2017.

Nono is a clumsy, bubbly girl from a rural Martian town who dreams of going to space. One day she finds herself in the middle of a brawl between a Buster machine and a giant alien creature. Nono's clothes get caught on the alien's body as the Buster and its pilot, Lal'C drag their foe to space. Surprised by Nono's ability to survive in the vacuum of space, Lal'C brings her home to the Fraternity, a group of elite Buster pilots called the Topless.

8/10 - I feel like this would've been a better show if there were a couple more episodes exploring some of the elements of the world and its characters. Regardless, this was still a great show and since this is an action-packed Gainax production, you're guaranteed that crazy, over-the-top animation that take you back to those legendary FLCL days with a hint of Gurren Lagann. But what really topped the cake for me was the very final moment of the last episode.

Finished watching Macross Zero

Finished watching Macross Zero (2002, Studio Nue, Satelight, 5 OVAs) on 03/30/2017.

Set one year before the events of the original Macross series, Macross Zero follows the story of Shynn Kudo amidst the final battles of the U.N. Wars between the U.N. Spacy and the Anti-U.N. Forces. After being shot down by a strange aircraft that can transform into a humanoid fighting robot, Shynn wakes up in an island inhabited by a tribe that seems to hold great secrets about a sunken alien spaceship. A spaceship that would soon become the main focus of the wars.

7.5/10 - Hmm. Maybe I'd have to watch this show again, but I feel like I didn't really understand what these OVAs added to the franchise. Maybe it was to sort of explain the origin of the VF fighter technology? I'm not sure. Maybe it was just its own thing altogether. Either way I enjoyed the show, it was nice to see Mr. Focker again. The quality of the show was pretty good. So overall I had a good time with it. Lots of CG Valkyrie fights. I guess those are cool. Not sure how I feel about the framerate differences between the CG and the characters though, but whatever.

EDIT: After having watched Macross Frontier I began to make some connections that clarified a couple of things for me, but for the most part it made me realize that Macross Zero introduced, or expanded more on the idea of an earlier alien contact with Earth. Still, I think I'll watch the OVAs again for a deeper understanding of the story and concepts.

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition (1995, Studio Nue, Triangle Staff, 115 min.) on 03/20/2017.

Isamu, Guld and Myung, three childhood friends bitterly reunited after a tragic event that separated them for so long. But the wounds of the past have not yet healed and their career paths keep them further apart. While Myung is involved in the creation of a virtual pop idol to inspire the masses, Isamu and Guld compete as select military test pilots for the Super Nova Project.

10/10 - First of all. The movie opens up with music by Akino Arai. I'm already sold. Second of all. This movie is an animation masterpiece of epic proportions. Not only is it a pioneer for the marriage of cel and CG animation, it masterfully combines music and visuals in ways that will leave you hypnotized. The characters are amazing and their relationships are well crafted. The music and soundtrack is really one of its kind. And again, with Akino Arai providing some of the songs for the virtual pop idol what's not to like about this movie? I really want to watch this movie again one day.

Finished watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross

Finished watching Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982, Studio Nue, Tatsunoko, 36 epi.) on 03/14/2017.

A massive alien space ship crash lands on an island on Earth. It is then claimed by a military organization called U.N. Spacy who attempts to rebuild the ship and reverse engineer its technology. Over the years a city begins to grow around the ship. The ship is named SDF-1 Macross and in 2009 an attempt to launch it into space is made. Suddenly an alien race of humanoid giants called the Zentradi attack and the Macross automatically fires its main cannon in response, destroying the alien fleet. Still pressured to launch the ship, the Macross crew attempts the use of the Fold System to teleport themselves out of the Moon's orbit, but in doing so the radial area of the Fold's effect takes the island and its civilians along with them to the edge of the solar system, including a young pilot named Hikaru Ichijo and his new friend, Lynn Minmay who dreams of one day being a music idol. With the Fold system now damaged, the Macross crew salvage the civilians and everything they can from the island city as they try to make their way back to Earth.

8/10 - Yes, not RoboTech. Macross! And yes, wasn't that a long synopsis? Eesh! Oh, but this show is amazing! I mean the art quality is okay, with only a few episodes really going down the toilet. It's like a different studio worked on them or something. But they did have different studios working on this so... I don't know. But the story and the characters are great! Even the characters I hated I feel like I did because they were intended as such. Gaddang that Kaifun, Shao Pai Long faced, good fer nuthin', piece of!!! Sorry... Hahahah! But it's awesome! The show is really well written! It gave me quite a wide range of emotions. You'll enjoy watching the robotic animations too. Just keep in mind it's an early 80's show, though. And naturally the music is pretty good too! The plot is very dependent on Lynn Minmay's musical career so there's quite a couple of songs in the show by her, and I like most of them. The opening and ending are pretty good too. Can't wait for my next karaoke venture.

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei (2009, Studio Deen, 5 OVAs) on 01/07/2015.

With the Hinamizawa murder mysteries solved, Furude Rika and her friends are finally able to enjoy peaceful lives without worrying about watching their backs. But suddenly things turn sour when a horrifying accident sends Rika yet again back in time to another timeline. However, something is very different from the usual time travels she's done before. Rika finds herself in a world with no conflict or conspiracy to be solved. But when presented with a choice, she struggles to choose between going back to her own timeline or to stay in the new 'perfect' one.

7/10 - This was an interesting little side story. However, I don't feel it necessarily contributes much to the series as a whole. The first episode is very out of the left field considering the story for the rest of the episodes, but I suppose they were just trying to show how Hinamizawa is peaceful again, albeit in a questionable way. The animation quality has improved, and the soundtrack didn't quite standout that much. I'd say Rei is not a necessary watch. Just interesting.

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

Finished watching Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (2007, Studio Deen, 24 episodes.) on 12/29/2016.

The Hinamizawa mystery murders of 1983 continue to take place over and over again from the same point in time as Furude Rika struggles to break the endless cycle of death that keeps sending her back in time to save the village. But this time, light is shed on the darkness of these events as we and Rika herself learn more about the sinister minds that pull the strings from the shadows. Is this the chance she's been waiting for?

8/10 - I LOVED this series! And I like to think I should've just skipped the original series and just watched this one, but I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this one as much if I hadn't. Either way, it really sheds a lot of light on everything that wasn't explained in the original series, and I really liked that. The animation quality is a lot better with a lot less weirdly distorted facial features and body anatomy. No more stick legs. And the soundtrack is good too with some returning tracks.

Finished watching Yamato 2520

Finished watching Yamato 2520 (1994-1996, Studio Take Off, 3 OVAs?) on 10/23/2015.

This attempt at a sequel is set hundreds of years after the original series. I didn't quite understand it very well, but it seemed like humanity breached out into far space and some colonies settled on different planets. One planet in particular had an immense energy source that was then used to build space battleships to attack other planets' colonies... or something like that. The two first hour-long episodes I watched (apparently there were three but I only found two), start off with a history lesson on those events but I had a hard time following. Also, it was kinda boring and a little confusing. Anyways, the two sides of the war run out of resources and decide on a cease fire until the two are ready for battle. Meanwhile they settle on a planet closely watching eachother's moves. Years pass and a group of rebellious youths stumble upon Yamato, an old, buried battleship which they decide to build from scratch based on the blue prints found in the ship's data disk so they can travel to Earth and live there, far from war. They find an abandoned, automated spaceship factory and build the ship with some improvements of their own. That is as far as episode 2 got me. Unfortunately this show was cancelled due to copyright issues.

7/10 – I thought it was interesting how the artwork was reminiscence of the movie Akira. But let's get to the point. Like I said, the whole history part at the beginning was boring and confusing. A bad way to start any fiction work. The show really only picked up once the main characters were introduced, and once they started their plans to rebuild Yamato I found myself really into it. Even the second episode was really good with the new Yamato finally being complete. I wish they had made more episodes. And apparently mechanical designer Syd Mead and musician David Matthews contributed to this show. Pretty cool!

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection (2009, Enagio, 1hr 15mins.) on 10/15/2015.

A couple of years after the planet Aquarius incident, Earth is now threatened by a comet-like black hole. Seeing no way around it, Earthlings decides to move to an Earth-like moon, orbiting an Earth-like planet. On their way there, their colony ships are ambushed by an alien alliance and it's up to Yamato to assure a safe migration for the people of Earth.

7.5/10 - This movie was good and I enjoyed seeing Kodai as an actual captain. It was also interesting to see a new generation of Yamato crew members in their new uniforms. The only thing that bothered me about this movie was how Yuki's role was handled. She only shows up briefly as she dies with her cargo ship in an odd animation. And although Kodai spends most of this movie believing she's alive he doesn't react much when he finally learns she's gone for sure. With Yuki's passing, comes Maho, her replacement character in the Yamato ship. Think of Sasha from Be Forever Yamato. But unlike Sasha, I actually enjoyed Maho and *SPOILER* I was upset when she passed away at the end.

Finished watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie Childhood's End

Finished watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie - Childhood's End (2008, Gainax, 1hr 52min) on 5/19/2015.

Simon and Kamina are two of the many children who live their lives digging underground tunnels looking for resources for their underground village. But one day Simon stumbles upon an object that turns out to be the key to an ancient machine of war. The two friends name it Lagann and use it to fend off a surprise attack on their village by a giant creature from the surface. They also meet Yoko, a massive-gun wielding wanderer also from the surface. The three join forces to explore and face the many challenges of the world outside and meet new friends along the way, as well as forging lasting relationships.

8.5/10 – It's been long since I watched the series, so halfway through the movie I was almost convinced I was just watching a series recap in movie form made entirely of recycled footage and a long montage. That might've been half-true for most of that first half of the movie (I say half-true because upon closer inspection, the animation is all new). The second half of the movie threw those concepts out the window and I found myself really enjoying it! Specially when they combined three different battles in the series into one giant brawl in the movie. And when I say combine, I mean they literally combined! Like, holy fuxx!

Y'know, I really think this whole show’s theme is about sex drive. They’re just sort of subtle about it.

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2013, Xebec, 26 episodes) on 5/14/2015.

The year is 2199. Earth is faced with a major crisis. After being bombarded by the extraterrestrial Gamilas Empire with radio active meteors for years, Earth has started looking more like Mars, forcing humans to live underground. But they won’t give up without a fight as they revive battleship Yamato as a space battleship to fight against the threat and make their way to planet Iscandar where a technology was promised to cleanse planet Earth of the radiation.

10/10 – I have no words. I really don’t. If you were thinking of watching this, do yourself a favor and just watch it.

Finished watching Ergo Proxy

Finished watching Ergo Proxy (2006, Manglobe, 23 epi.) on 4/11/2015.

Humans live in controlled environments protected inside giant domes from the hostile elements of a post-apocalyptic Earth. They are also served by autonomous robots known as AutoReivs. But a recent virus outbreak on these robots has lead Inspector Re-l Mayer into an investigation on the virus. Eventually she comes in contact with a mysterious monster called a Proxy and teams up with two other unlikely characters to travel to a far away city in search of answers about the Proxy she met.

6.5/10 – The only reason I was interested to watch this show was because I kept seeing this broody, gothic girl with blue shadow around her eyes... and I'm a sucker for that. I was disappointed however. The art quality of the show was pretty decent, decreasing it seemed in some of the episodes (probably different animation team)... but everything else was so boring, even the story and concept. There was only one character I cared about and it was basically the show's mascot, who was there to obviously lighten the mood - Pino. A robot little girl. She was cute, funny, and had some backstory. She was more interesting than the show itself. Even the backgrounds were repetitive and dull. Besides Pino though, the opening and closing songs stuck with me. Kiri by Monoral, and Paranoid Android by Radiohead. They were nice and emo. Hmm, yes. I still think Re-l's design is pretty hot.

Finished watching Nadia: Secret of Blue Water

Finished watching Nadia: Secret of Blue Water (1990, Gainax, 39 epi.) on 4/10/2015.

The year is 1889, humankind is on the verge of new technology and with it new discoveries. But Gargoyle, a mysterious man has darker plans for his own technology, to restore the Atlantean empire and ultimate control the world. But not without a fight, for Nadia and her friend Jean band together with the crew of the Nautilus submarine and her master, Captain Nemo to fight back the menace. But Nadia too has her own secrets.

7.5/10 – For its time the show is pretty good. The art is good and annimation has good quality. Maybe if I had watched it years ago I would've enjoyed it better. And then there's the half-assed, filler episodes that the characters even admit to not remembering any of the events that occurred in them. To quote one of them, "it must've been a dream". More like a nightmare. There's a story that Gainax even hired a foreign studio to create those. But I skipped over them so they're not affecting my score.

Finished watching Darker than Black

Finished watching Darker than Black (2007, Bones, 25 epi.), Darker than Black: Gaiden (2010, Bones, 4 epi.) and Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor (2009, Bones, 12 epi.).

Ever since the the two Gates showed up in North America and Japan, the people that live in the spaces they encase have not seen the true night sky for ten years. That wasn’t the only change that took place. A select few became Contractors, people who’ve exchanged their humanity for supernatural powers. But the real question is, what exactly is outside of the Gates?

8/10 – I liked this show. I think the art and animation quality is its strongest point. The first season's plot though was a bit sluggish and more political than anything. After that I watched the surprisingly gory, 4-episode Gaiden which focused on a growing relationship between Hei and Yin and a hidden power in Yin as a "doll". Gemini of the Meteor carried on after that and was more character driven, more emotional, which kept me very engrossed. The plot twist was also good but the ending, like the first season, still left me with plenty of questions. Specially about the whole Gate thing. I still don't understand it well. I decided to review these three altogether because I gave them all the same rating.

Finished watching Stand by Me Doraemon

Watched Stand by Me Doraemon (2014, Shirogumi, Shin-ei Animation, 1hr 35min) on 1/21/2015.

Nobita’s future looks grim, that is what his great-great-grandson, Sewashi knows and plans to change. So he sends Doraemon, a high-tech, robotic cat from the 22nd century to the past so he can try to change a disaster in Nobita’s future, however Doraemon and Nobita don’t really click at first but eventually become good friends. Is that the friendship that will save Nobita from what’s coming?

7.5/10 – The later half of my childhood was spent watching Doraemon. So naturally, as soon as I saw the trailer to a CG Doraemon movie... I flipped. But, listen, the movie looked great. I was really impressed with the graphics. But the story felt a little rushed and almost like a reboot, and what seemed like a possible ending to the series as well. The plot of the movie worried me a bit in terms of morals however. I also found Nobita to be a bit too whiny compared to the TV series. I enjoyed the movie but I think the story could've been better. Even for an hour and a half movie it felt like it was longer.

Finished watching Space Dandy

Finished watching Space Dandy (2014, Bones, 26 epi.) on 12/2/2014.

Space Dandy is the dandiest guy in space! But her's not alone! Together with his smart-vacuum, IQ and Meow, a cat-like alien being, the three travel the cosmos to all sort of planets and locations in space bounty hunting for aliens of all sorts. And in the downtime they chill out at BooBies, Dandy's favorite restaurant where scantily-clad waitresses are the main attraction and entertainment.

8/10 – Interesting. Very interesting... Gosh, where should I start. Throughout the series you'll notice Dandy explore various differently themed locations with the two most constant being the Alien Registration Center and BooBies, a high-spirited, space counterpart of Hooters. Each episode's plot however seems to be self-contained giving you the impression that there isn't much of a continuity with the story. However, as you keep watching you begin to notice a subtle strange cliffhanger phenomenon at the end of episodes that leaves you puzzled as to what really happened. The show's art style tends to change a lot on occasion too, almost feeling like a new studio came in and did the episode. I'm guessing this is the show trying to be a little abstract, or as a wise man once put it - artsy-fartsy. This is perhaps to make the show visually interesting. Not that it isn't interesting already, by like, a long shot, due to its art quality already being quite excellent, but seeing those odd episodes give it a different taste which can be either welcomed or disliked... in a good, intriguing kind of way. Perhaps... a dandy kind of way? Ultimately the show can get a little dull and repetitive with its story, but just a little. The nice animation and visuals can really help keep you going. But I really would've welcomed more exposition.