News

01/04/09

Shikabane Hime Aka and Toradora for your action and comedy fix.

01/01/09

Ultraviolet Code 044 and Earl and Fairy. May the new year provide better anime than these two!

12/29/08

Feature review up. Samurai and Vampires? Excellent!

Archive sorted by title. Feature reviews titled in blue.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Ah My Goddess: Tatakau Tsubasa

This is a 2-episode special taking place after the second season of the TV series. An Angel-Eater has been released in heaven, and since losing one’s angel for a Goddess throws her into shock, this is bad news indeed. This special focuses on the character Lind. I admittedly know next to nothing about the entire Ah My Goddess universe (by choice), so any subtlety or important character interaction is going to be lost on me. So forgive me for any uneducated thing I might say about it.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Allison and Lillia

This series is based on two light-novel creations set in the same world by the author of Kino’s Journey.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Amatsuki

A boy named Tokidoki goes to a high-tech museum to do some make-up work for class, when the simulation becomes all-too-real and he finds himself trapped in Edo-period Japan.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Angelique – When the Heart Awakens

This anime is part of a continuing series of games, novels, manga and anime, made by women for women. The main premise of the series is that a Queen, with the help of nine guardians, helps keep harmony in her domain of planets. However, this queen loses power over time and a new queen must be chosen to replace her. The candidates for queen are given a land to populate – whoever finishes first wins the contest and becomes queen. In this installment, a girl named Ange is summoned to a sacred land to become the Legendary Etoile, whose mission is to defend the Cosmos of the Sacred Beast with the help of nine guardians who represent the elements.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Antique Bakery

The newest anime to air in Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block is a Boy Love title based on an award-winning shoujo manga. Will it contain a compelling story to match the attractiveness of its bishounen cast?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/30/08

Ayakashi

Ayakashi is based on an adult visual novel, and is about people who have special powers given to them by a parasite called, strangely enough, Ayakashi.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 3/29/08

B

Bamboo Blade

Bamboo Blade is about a high school Kendo teacher who makes a bet with his friend and fellow Kendo instructor at another school; if he can assemble a girls’ kendo team that can defeat his friend’s girls’ kendo team, his friend will treat him to free sushi meals at his father’s restaurant for a year. I can definitely see the appeal in this setup.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/25/08

Bihada Ichizoku

The women of the world all aspire to win the World Beautiful Skin Competition, in this anime based on a series of Japanese advertisements for beauty products.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/22/08

Birdy the Mighty Decode

An unsuspecting student named Tsutomu finds himself in an odd situation when his body is accidentally injured by an interplanetary agent named Birdy, and they end up sharing her body until his own can be repaired.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/31/08

Blade of the Immortal

Manji is a samurai cursed with immortality for murdering 100 men. To atone for his sins and have the curse lifted, he pledges to use his sword to kill 1000 evil men.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/30/08

Blassreiter

A motorcycle racing champion named Gerd is in a horrible accident and ends up confined to a wheelchair. A mysterious woman offers him a solution to restore his physical abilities, but there might be some unintended side-effects.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Blue Drop

Blue Drop is a sci-fi story based on a short one-volume Yuri manga series. Need we say more?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/22/08

C

Chaos;Head

A high school student named Takumi witnesses a murder scene on his way home. Mysterious happenings and more gruesome murders begin to plague the area from that point on.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/20/08

Chi’s Sweet Home

This series is about a kitten who is separated from his mother and ends up being taken in by a kind family – a family who unluckily happens to live in an apartment that bans pets.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Clannad

Clannad is the next highly-anticipated adaptation of the software company Key’s visual novels, animated by the talented Kyoto Animation studio (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star). Key is also known for Kanon and Air, other recent anime hits. There are some very high expectations.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/22/08

Code Geass R2

The sequel to the original (and incredibly popular) Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, this takes place a year after events of the first season. Lelouch, whose secret alias is Zero, seeks to defeat the oppressive Britannian Empire.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Crystal Blaze

In the near future, a detective named Shun meets a girl with amnesia who will change his life forever.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

D

Da Capo II

This show is a sequel, and I apologize for not being familiar with the original source material. Wikipedia describes the series as a comedic school romance adventure, and this incarnation takes place 53 years after the original on the same fictional Japanese island, "Hatsunejima." On this island, the sakura trees are always in full-bloom, and there’s a magical tree which can grant wishes The previous story focused on the conflict between some of these wishes and the people who made them.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Da Capo II 2

Another Season centering around the island of Hatsunejima and its magical tree that has the power to grant wishes.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

The Daughter of Twenty Faces

Chiko is an child who lives a lonely life since her Aunt is trying to kill her. She’s kidnapped by the Phantom Thief Niju-Menso (“Twenty-Faces”) and adventures into the real world.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Dragonaut - The Resonance

A shuttle crash, a depressed student, and a weird pulsating egg. Oh, and did I mention a fight with a giant, man-eating dragon? Because there is one.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/22/08

E

Ef: a Tale of Melodies

A sequel to the Ef: a Tale of Memories visual novel-based anime, featuring some peripheral characters from the game’s fourth chapter.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/27/08

Ef - A Tale of Memories

The beginning is narrated by a boy named Renji, as he walks around different environments, his favorite places. He talks about an abandoned train station, which is the perfect place for someone who wants to read in peace. But when he arrives today, there’s someone there already - a pink-haired girl wearing a bandage over her eye. She appears to be waiting for a train, but he tells her that none will come. It’s their first encounter, lasting a mere 45 seconds.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

F

G

Genshiken 2

A continuation of the Genshiken anime, this season involves Genshiken participating in ComiFes, Sasahara dealing with becoming club president, and the new character Ogiue, who was introduced in the three-episode OVA, learning to fit in.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Ghost Hound

This show is the highly-anticipated joint-creation from Shirow Masamune and Production I.G.. It is, in fact, Production I.G.’s 20th anniversary show. So needless to say, many people have been talking about this and there are high expectations. The story is about three boys who all had traumatic experiences in the past and who can now transfer their souls into the "unseen world" -- a world of ghostly creatures which is undergoing a change causing these ghosts to appear in the real world.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Golgo 13

Golgo 13 is an assassin and mystery man, a darker and more sexual Japanese equivalent to James Bond. The manga has been ongoing since 1969 and remains one of the longest ongoing adult manga series to date.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Goshuushou-sama Ninomiya-kun

Shungo, the main character, lives in a large house, and one day his sister sends two siblings to live with him. Mayu has a fear of men, so the solution seems to be to make her do everything with Shungo - this includes bathing together and sharing the same bed. In addition, the chairperson of their student council ends up becoming their maid.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Gundam 00

This most recent incarnation of the Gundam series is set in the year 2307, when all of Earth’s fossil fuels are exhausted. There are various world factions fighting each other for control of energy sources, and so an organization is formed, called Celestial Being, which is dedicated to ridding the world of war using 4 Gundams.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/25/08

Gunslinger Girl – Il Teatrino

The sequel to the well-known anime title Gunslinger Girl, this season seems to focus on the character Triela infiltrating an enemy organization, but ending up facing more than she bargained for. I didn’t see much of the first season, so this may end up being an exercise in confusion for me.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 3/29/08

H

H20 – Footprints in the Sand

Based on an adult visual novel in which the male protagonist, Takuma Hirose, is blind. His mother passed away, which scarred him deeply and caused him to be very introverted. He and his uncle move to a rural area and meet the female characters who become the love interests in the game.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Hakaba Kitaro

Kitaro is a ghost boy who uses his own special powers to help solve supernatural mysteries. He gets help from his ghostly friends, such as Neko Musume, a girl who turns into a cat creature when angered, and Medama Oyaji, his father who is nothing more than an eyeball with arms and legs.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Hakushaku to Yousei (Earl and Fairy)

Lydia Carlton is known as the “Fairy Doctor” due to her interest in fairies. Her life takes a turn for the unusual when a Count on a quest for a magic sword invites her to become his adviser.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/01/09

Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 – Kurenai no Tsuki

A one-hour special entry in the Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series of romantic adventure games, manga and anime. I’m not especially familiar with the series itself, but the premise is simple enough – a high school girl finds herself in an alternate universe based on Heian-era Japan, in the middle of a war between two factions.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Hatenkou Yuugi

Hatenkou Yuugi, or Dazzle as the Tokyopop-licensed manga is known in the US, is about a girl named Rahzel whose father boots her out of the house one day, telling her that she needs to see the world. She’s alone until she meets a guy named Alzeido, who’s out to avenge his father’s murder. In spite of differences, the two find themselves drawn to each-other. They use their respective powers to help people and they learn more about themselves along the way.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 3/29/08

Hidamari Sketch x365

Based on a 4-panel comic about a girl named Yuno who enters high school in pursuit of an art degree and lives at the Hidamari apartments with other students.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Himitsu – Top Secret

Technology is used to investigate crimes using memories residing in the brains of victims, and this anime is about the investigators that have to discover these secrets.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Hokuto no Ken Raoh Gaiden Ten no Haoh

Another anime set in the ultra-violent post-apocalyptic world of Hokuto no Ken, starring the eldest of the Hokuto brothers, Raoh.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/28/08

Hyakko

Four girls meet when they get lost on their first day of high school and they find themselves instantly connected to each other.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/22/08

I

Inazuma Eleven

A sports anime based on a Nintendo DS soccer game with 1000 characters from which to choose. How could you go wrong?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/12/08

Itazura na Kiss

Based on a famously-unfinished (due to the author’s untimely death) manga which began in 1991, this story follows the unlikely romance of two high school students who are forced by unusual circumstances to live together under the same roof.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

J

Junjou Romantica

Misaki needs some tutoring help for school. What he doesn’t expect is to become the focus of his older brother’s friend’s romantic feelings.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Junjou Romantica 2

Season 2 of the yaoi that asks just how close a tutor and his student can get to each other.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/27/08

K

Kaiba

In the future, the death of the body doesn’t mean death of the self, since memories can be transferred to other bodies after death. A man named Kaiba awakens one day with no memories, but holding a pendant with a picture of a woman inside.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Kaiji

The second anime adaptation of manga-ka Noboyuki Fukumoto’s (best known for 2005’s Akagi) manga, Kaiji brings back much of the same production staff as Akagi. In fact, the same voice actor who played Akagi plays Kaiji, the main character. Whereas Akagi took place in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Kaiji is a modern-day story. How could I not love this?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/25/08

Kamen no Maid Guy

Fujiwara Naeka is about to receive a massive inheritance on her 18th birthday, which puts her in danger from people who want that money. A special agent, a man dressed in a maid’s uniform, is dispatched to protect her.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Kannagi

Art student Jin’s wood carving goes awry when the carving comes to life in the form of a goddess named Nagi. They work together to destroy the impurities throughout town.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/27/08

Kanokon

Kanokon is based on a series of light-novels which has also spawned a manga adaptation. Kouta Oyamada is a transfer student who somehow finds himself surrounded by a couple of strange female acquaintances – one of whom is a fox deity, the other a wolf deity. The two vie for Kouta’s affections and constantly cause him embarrassment.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien OVA

This is a sequel, of course, to the 14-episode anime Kimi ga Nozomu Eien. From what I can tell, this 3 episode OVA follows one of the other characters from the story, Haruka, who had been in a coma for three years. Upon awakening, she and her lover, Takayuki Narumi, attempt to catch up on lost time, though they aren’t able to bring themselves to approach the site of Haruka’s accident – a phone booth in front of a station.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Kimikiss Pure Rouge

Based on a PS2 dating sim in which a high school boy spends his school year attempting to receive a kiss from one of six female classmates. The anime intends to focus more on the girls and their daily lives and is selling itself more as a romance show.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/25/08

Kirepapa OVA

This OVA suffers from a dearth of readily-available information, but what I can say is that it’s a BL (Boy-Love) OVA about a father named Chisato who is always chasing away his son Riju’s suitors. One of them refuses to stay away, however, but the surprise is that this suitor professes his love to Chisato instead, creating an odd situation between father, son and friend.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Kodomo no Jikan

A third-grade girl named Kokonoe Rin has a huge crush on her teacher at school and isn’t afraid to demonstrate that love - in the most explicit manner possible. She has two friends as well - Kuro who has a crush on her, and Mimi who has large breasts (in third grade no less) and has a crush on Rin’s older brother. There’s no mistake that I’m going into this already hating it on principle, but I did say I would review it like anything else, and since it’s new this season, it’ll get its turn.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Koihime Musou

Japan will make an ero-game out of anything, it seems – this story and it’s anime adaptation are taken from the famous Chinese Novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Kurenai

Based on a series of light novels, this show stars 16-year-old Shinkurou Kurenai, an authority at settling disputes. He’s approached by the daughter of a wealthy family who asks him to become her bodyguard.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

The Phantomhive noble family is guarded by a demonic butler named Sebastian Michaelis in this new argument for Japan’s recent obsession with Western-style butlers.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/28/08

Kurozuka

A twelfth-century warrior named Kuro takes refuge in the home of a woman named Kuromitsu, who harbors a dark secret in this story that spans multiple time periods.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/29/08

Kyo Kara Maoh Season 3

A boy named Yuri gets flushed down the toilet and ends up in another world, becoming the demon king. The thing is, his sense of justice and nonviolence isn’t something his subjects are used to.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Kyou no Go no Ni

School life becomes hilarious for a group of fifth-grade kids in this slice-of-life comedy.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/01/08

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki

Thousands of years ago, the god of destruction pledged that its child would one day destroy the world. Now all of its potential children are gathered in an attempt to teach them the value of a loving family so that the promised destruction doesn't occur.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

L

Lucky Star OVA

The Lucky Star characters star in a series of humorous vignettes about their daily lives.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/27/08

M

Macademy Wasshoi

During a summoning spell, magician student Takuto Hasegawa accidentally summons an uber-powerful girl named Tanarotte who, fortunately, pledges her undying loyalty to him.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/12/08

Macross Frontier

This is the next offering in the ongoing Macross series of anime. While the show is scheduled to begin airing in April 2008, a preview episode was released early to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Macross saga.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Mahou Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora

The tale of a young mage and her internship in the big city, where she meets a boy also practicing magic.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Mai-Otome 0 S.ifr

The next entry in the Mai-Hime/Otome series is a three episode OVA which takes place preceding the Mai-Otome series.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro

Nogami Neuro is a demon who feeds on mysteries. He comes to Earth after becoming bored of the mysteries in his own world. He forces a high school girl named Yako to become a detective and he acts as her assistant to get his hands on some delicious mysteries while still hiding his identity as a demon from most humans.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/24/08

Maple Story

This anime is based on the Korean PC game of the same name. It’s about a racial war which erupted after four other races thought that the World Tree was destroyed by the humans, when really it self-destructed to protect itself from some baddies called the Zakuns. Ten years later a boy named Al wants to revive this tree, so he gets a party together to get the job done.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/24/08

Minami-ke

Just a fun fact about this series: it’s being animated twice. In 2008 a retelling will be animated by another studio. This seems pretty unusual to me, but it might be interesting to compare the two. In any case, the anime is about three sisters who live on their own. It’s a slice of life comedy, meaning it looks at the humor found in every-day situations.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Minami-ke Okawari

A continuation of the Minami-ke slice-of-life comedy series done by a completely different studio, but still starring the Minami sisters – Haruka, Kana, and Chiaki.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Michiko to Hatchin

The self-proclaimed ”Sexy Diva“ Michiko and the abused foster child Hana attempt to make an improbable escape towards freedom.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/24/08

Mission-E

A sequel to last year’s series Code-E, about a girl whose emotions interfere electromagnetically with the technology that surrounds her. This season takes place five years after the last.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/31/08

Mnemosyne

Rin Asogi is a private investigator who will take on just about any job, from finding a stray cat to infiltrating a corporate lab. She also has the ability to heal her injuries supernaturally. With her partner Mimi, she delves into the deepest parts of society, though she holds her own secrets which may be even darker.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Moegaku★5

This show is based on a language-learning system starring a high school girl who gains magical girl powers and must fight all-comers with the power of English. The show takes things a bit further, with the same episode being broadcast 5 days a week in 5 different languages: English, Korean, Spanish, Chinese and French, with a marathon running each Sunday of all five episodes. Each episode is only 15 minutes long, and contains both live-action and animated segments.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Mokke

This is about two sisters who have supernatural abilities. Shizuru, a high school student, can see ghosts, and her younger sister, Mizuki, is haunted by them. So their parents do what any responsible guardians would do in this situation, and dump them off to live with their grandparents in the countryside. It’s here that the girls learn to live in harmony with these ghostly beings.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/24/08

Monochrome Factor

A high school student, Akira Nikaido, meets a mysterious man who tells him that he must become a “shin” and help maintain the balance between the shadow world and the normal world.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Moyashimon

This show is subtitled a "story of agriculture" in which the main character, Tadayasu Sawaki, can see and communicate with microorganisms and bacteria. It’s such a crazy concept, I just might like it.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/22/08

Myself; Yourself

A yound man moves back to his old home town and meets up with some of his old female friends. All grown up, their interactions soon turn towards romance. Yet another high school romance show full of generic anime girls, with a generic anime protagonist. Not too much to discuss.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

N

Nabari no Ou

Rokujo Miharu possesses a hidden ninja technique, a “hijutsu”, which would allow him to become ruler of the Ninja world. He must defend this from others who would take it from him and become leader of Nabari.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Natsume Yuujinchou

A boy named Natsume has always been surrounded by spirits. He inherits a book which belonged to his grandmother which contains the names of these spirits, forming a binding contract. With the help of a spirit cat, he tries to return the names to these spirits, freeing them.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Neo Angelique Abyss

Based on a Series of KOEI games aimed at girls, where the female protagonist has the opportunity to become queen of the cosmos – or choose the love of one of her guardians.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Night Wizard

The basis of this anime is a series of Japanese tabletop RPGs, which have since also spawned video game and manga adaptations. In the world of the game, any human power above normal, including weapon and athletic ability, is considered "magic". Anyone who uses magic is called a "wizard".

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/22/08

Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter

Nodame and Chiaki travel to Paris to further their studies in this continuation of the Nodame Cantabile anime series.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/18/08

Nogizaka Haruka’s Secret

Haruka is rich, powerful, and one of the prettiest girls in school, but classmate Yuto has discovered her deep, dark secret – she’s a diehard otaku. He promises to keep this secret and becomes her advisor of sorts.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/30/08

O

One Outs

Toua Tokuchi is a baseball player with an odd contract — for every out he pitches, he earns 5,000,000 yen, but for every point he gives up, he loses 50,000,000 yen.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/16/08

P

Penguin Musume Heart – Original Net Animation

An ecchi comedy with 13 minute episodes – can I manage to stomach it for that long?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Penguin no Mondai

A kids’ show about a penguin named Beckham and his troubles. Yup!

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Persona – Trinity Soul

Based on the Persona video game series, this anime takes place ten years after the events of Persona 3.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Q

R

Real Drive

Another collaboration between the dream-team of Masamune Shirow and Production I.G. In the year 2061 a network called the Metal has taken over human society. Individuals begin to chafe against this rigid system, and aberrations develop. People called “cyber divers” are called in to investigate these situations.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Rental Magica

Based on a series of light novels, this adaptation is about a boy named Itsuki who takes over the family business - a magician dispatch service. In his employment are various magicians and other supernatural beings who help people in the need of some magical assistance. He has to juggle dealing with both his employees and dealing with people who would threaten the existence of his business.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/24/08

Rosario + Vampire

This anime is about a mediocre student named Tsukune Aono who keeps getting rejected from every private school he applies to. When he finally gets an acceptance letter it’s from a school which serves supernatural students like witches and vampires who are disguising themselves as humans. He’s attracted to a girl named Moko who’s a vampire and loves the sweet taste of his human blood. Looks like cute girls in short skirts all the way.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Rosario to Vampire Capu2

Adding to the endless parade of unnecessary anime sequels, we have more adventures of Tsukune, the hapless teen attending a school full of demons, and his well-endowed female classmates who have a penchant for displaying their assets.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/22/08

Ryofuko-chan

A great general and his first officer are cast out of the heavens and reincarnated as pre-teen lolis... /ahem/ I mean girls. It seems like it might be some kind of misguided magical-girl anime, but I couldn’t find any other information on it. So on to the viewing.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Ryoko’s Case File

Ryoko Yakushiji is a graduate of Tokyo University and a police investigator who looks into supernatural cases that can’t be explained by normal science.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

S

Sekirei

Bishounen and huge-breasted females with magic powers?! Color me... incredibly skeptical.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Shakugan no Shana Second

The first series was about a boy named Yuji Sakai who inadvertently got involved in a battle between the forces of balance and imbalance. Shana is a girl fighting for the forces of balance, a monster hunter, whom Yuji ends up befriending by accident as a result of his insusceptibility to the dark powers of a monster. As it turns out, the real Yuji died a while ago, and this Yuji is just a "torch" - a temporary replacement for an erased human being. He also contains a treasure inside him, which makes him special indeed. Their relationship grows, and Yuji has the ability to increase Shana’s powers when he cares about her. Things continue in this vein.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Shigofumi

The story centers around a mail carrier named Fumika who delivers letters from the recently-deceased to people still alive. The letters contain things which the deceased weren’t able to say while they were alive, like who may have killed them (if they were murdered). Fumika is accompanied by a floating staff named Kanaka, and they work in a specific area assigned to them.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 3/29/08

Shikabane Hime Aka

Makina Hoshimura is an undead girl who must hunt down and destroy 108 corpses before she's freed of her plight.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/04/09

Shion no Ou

Shion no Ou is about a girl named Shion who witnessed the murder of her parents when she was very young. Her father left behind a Shogi (Japanese Chess) piece, which she considers her only clue to who may have murdered them. She begins to play Shogi herself to try and gain insight into the murders.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Shugo Chara!

The story of a popular girl who is actually shy and afraid of living as her true self. She’s given help by three little creatures inside eggs, who are there to help her become the person she truly wants to be. It has all the flavors of a magical girl show.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/25/08

Sketchbook Full Color’s

This show is a slice of life show about a group of students, mostly female, who belong to an art club. It’s based on a 4-panel comic. The main character is a shy girl named Sora who is both very observant and a friend to the stray cats in town.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Skip Beat

Kyoko is in love with Sho and even moves to Tokyo to be with him and help him follow his dreams of becoming a pop idol — until she finds out that he’s using her. She vows to get her revenge by becoming an idol in her own right.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 12/01/08

Slayers Revolution

This next installment in the Slayers saga follows Lina and Gourry as they attempt to find a weapon to take the place of the Sword of Light.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/31/08

Soul Eater

To create a weapon called a Death Scythe, a Shinigami weapon meister must collect souls of 99 evil people and one witch’s soul. Three teams of both a Shinigami and a human weapon attempt to complete this trial.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Special A

Hikari and Kei have been rivals since elementary school. Now attending a super-elite high school, can Hikari finally defeat her rival and reach the top of the class?

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Spice and Wolf

Spice and Wolf is based off of a series of light novels. It tells the story of a traveling salesman named Craft Lawrence, who hopes to open his own shop one day. When he visits the town of Pasroe, the local pagan wolf deity (in the form of a beautiful young girl with wolf ears and tail), Horo, takes up residence in his cart. She’s spent many years in the town helping to bring about bountiful harvests, but the people are forsaking her for more modern methods of farming, so she wants to return to her home in the north. She travels with Lawrence, giving him advice to increase his profits, but her true nature begins to draw unwanted attention from the new religious establishment.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

The Strange Story of a Dream-Sphere Dealer

This short is the winner of the 2006 Animax Taisho, a competition put on by the satellite television station Animax where the best original scripts are honored by being produced into an anime short film. This entry is about a young girl stuck babysitting her infant brother, who encounters a dream sphere dealer – a mysterious being who offers her a choice between three dreams that might change her life forever.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Strike Witches

In 1939, the Neuroi appeared and began to attack the planet. The only thing that can save the human race are young girls with augmented magic powers called Witches.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 09/01/08

Suteki Tantei Labyrinth

A show about a young boy who solves mysteries in post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

T

Tales of the Abyss

A JRPG comes to life in this adaptation of Namco’s video game of the same name.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/20/08

Telepathy Shoujo Ran

When Ran enters middle school she finds that she has psychic abilities. The problem is, they appear to instigate ill fortune in others, a fact that she must learn to accept and deal with.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/30/08

They Are My Noble Masters

Based on an adult visual novel, this show is about two siblings, Ren and his sister Mihato, who leave home and move to the city. They don’t have money, so they find work at the mansion of the Kuonji family. Here they are servants to the three Kuonji sisters: Shinra, Miyu and Yume.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

To Aru Majutsu no Index

Kamijo Touma, who is able to nullify psychic powers with his right hand, is visited by a nun dressed in white who claims she’s being chased by sorcerers. Thus he gets drawn into an occult world.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 11/22/08

To LoveRU

Rito Yuki can’t confess his love to the woman of his dreams. While sulking in his bathtub, a beautiful nude woman named Lala – really a princess from the planet Deviluke – appears before him. She wants to marry Rito so that she can remain on Earth and not have to marry one of the suitors from her home planet.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

ToHeart2ad

This is an OVA based on the visual novel of the same name, which is based around school life and pretty girls.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

Tokyo Marble Chocolate

The two protagonists of this OVA each have their own problems in relationships; Yuudai has trouble expressing his feelings, while Chizuru has problems maintaining relationships. Just as they’re about to make an important decision, something unexpected happens. This OVA comes in two parts – one from the viewpoint of the male protagonist, and the other from the viewpoint of the female protagonist. They can be viewed in either order.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

Toradora

Ryuuji Takasu has an unfortunate face that makes him look like some sort of delinquent, decidedly lowering his chances to finally get a girlfriend. In his second year at high school, he meets a tiny but dangerous girl named Taiga Aisaka, who also happens to be in his class.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/04/09

Toshokan Sensou

In the future, the government has established a ministry of information management which handles the distribution of information, suppressing anything that it finds undesirable. The libraries are fighting back with their own agents called the “Book Soldiers”.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 05/04/08

The Tower of Druaga – the Aegis of Uruk

This anime is based on an arcade game from 1984, where the goal is to rescue a maiden by traversing the floors of a 60-story tower. There’s a great treasure at the top that they hero is aiming to find.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

True Tears

True Tears shares its title with a visual novel released by La’cryma, but otherwise has no similarities to it. It sports all new characters, a different story, and a completely different visual style. It’s about a high school student named Shinichiro Nakagami, whose family is housing a girl named Hiromi whose father passed away. Hiromi is outgoing at school, but cold and distant at home, leading Shinichiro to believe that she has hidden sadness or “tears” inside of her.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

U

Ultraviolet Code 044

A failure of an action movie gets retooled for the anime medium. 044 is the strongest female soldier due to some sort of gene manipulation.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/01/09

V

Vampire Knight

Ten years ago, Yuki was attacked by one vampire and rescued by another named Kaname. Now she’s the protector of Cross Academy, guarding the Day Class (human) students from attack by the Night Class (vampires), and protecting the identity of the Night Class from the humans.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

W

Wagaya no Oinari-sama

Kugen, the fox protector of the Mizuchi clan, was locked away in a shrine for being too mischievous. When a descendant of the family needs protection, Kugen is released. It can assume both the form of a beautiful woman or the form of a man.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

World Destruction

A hero with destructive powers for which he doesn’t know the origin? A woman with a tragic past? Sounds like an anime based on a Japanese RPG to me!

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/31/08

X

Xamd: Lost Memories

Originally a secret project by Studio BONES, this series made its debut on the US Playstation Network. Akiyuki is a boy who suddenly has a strange power take over his body.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/31/08

xxxHolic: Kei

The second season based on CLAMP’s manga of the same name. Watanuki is a boy with a curse – he can see spirits. A woman named Yuuko claims to be able to lift this curse, but only if Watanuki works for her enough to pay off the cost of her services.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Y

Yatterman

A remake of a 1970’s comedy show about a genius named Gan who takes up his late father’s project to produce a rescue robot shaped like a giant dog. He does so, and forms a fighting team with his girlfriend Ai called “Yatterman”. They foil the plans of an evil group called the Doronbo gang. In this remake, Gan makes the robot as a present for his girlfriend, since they’re not old enough to get a driver’s license. The robot, Yatter-wan, tends to obey Ai more so than his master, but otherwise behaves the same as his earlier counterpart.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/02/08

You’re Under Arrest: Full Throttle

This is the latest in a continuing series (containing anime series, manga, and a live action drama) about two female police officers, Natsumi and Miyuki, who work in a fictional Tokyo precinct. The series was created by the author who also created Oh! My Goddess.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 01/26/08

Z

Zero no Tsukaima: Princess no Rondo

The runes that bind Louise and Saito as Master and Familiar dissolve, throwing their relationship into turmoil.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 08/30/08

Zettai Karen Children

In the future, those with ESP are becoming more numerous. Three powerful ESPers, who also happen to be ten-year-old girls with questionable personalities, work for a police organization called B.A.B.E.L.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 4/16/08

Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

A continuation of Summer 2007’s Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. This second season continues in the same vein as the first, with Itoshiki-sensei despairing about the antics of his very quirky high-school class. The kanji for “zoku” in the title is a pun – while the word zoku can mean “continuation”, the kanji used is also used in dictionaries to indicate “slang or vulgarity”.

jessi AT s1e1 DOT com – 3/29/08

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