Friday, June 12, 2009
07 Ghost (2009) - 25 Episodes
After a year at the academy, Teito takes the graduation exam; it is notoriously difficult, with a pass rate of one in twenty-five. Teito and his best (and only) friend, Mikage, pass easily. That night, in their shared dorm room, they each promise to help the other at any cost. The next day, Teito is delivering papers to a professor when he overhears his name. He stops to listen and realizes that the speaker, a man named Ayanami, is the man who killed his father in his dreams. Teito is found eavesdropping and tries to attack his father's murderer, but is quickly brought down by one of Ayanami's subordinates and sent to prison. Mikage comes to help him escape, only to find that Teito has managed to fight past the guards by himself. The two flee the building, but are cornered on a balcony. Teito pretends to hold Mikage hostage, threatening to kill him; and tries to escape when Ayanami sends a Zaiphon attack after him, which Teito manages to partly deflect. A Bishop in the nearby 7th District brings the injured Teito to the church to recuperate. Since Teito is still in chains, the Bishop, Frau, mistakes him for a slave and comments that if Teito had been a soldier in the Imperial army, he would have killed him immediately. Because of the law of "sanctuary", Teito may stay in the church without fear of the Empire or Ayanami.
Teito carries the Eye of Michael, the powerful artifact that his home country, the Raggs Kingdom, was ransacked for. The tragic death of a loved one catapults him into his quest for revenge against the Barsburg Empire and knowledge about his past, while he becomes entangled with the Gods, Verloren, and the 7 Ghosts.
His best friend's fate spurs Teito into trying to master the Bascule—a powerful weapon that can harness and focus his innate power. Friends become enemies and rivals become allies as Teito begins to fulfill his destiny, and protect his fallen country from the minions of his former masters.
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Thursday, June 11, 2009
Zero no Tsukaima (2006) - 13 Episodes
Louise is terrible at magic, and can never use it the way she wants to. She is given the nickname "Zero Louise" by her classmates, due to the inability to use any of the four common magic elements, whereby a mage's power is determined by the number of elements they can use ranging from a single element, one (dot mage), two (line) three (triangle) and four (square). Early in the school year, the second year students summon their familiars; this is considered a special ritual where a mage summons their eternal protector and partner, which usually is some sort of magical creature. Louise manages to summon a human commoner named Saito Hiraga, leaving her totally humiliated. Due to the sacredness of the ritual, Louise is left with no choice but to reluctantly accept Saito as her familiar. She proceeds to treat Saito as any other familiar only worse, making him sleep on a bed of hay and beats him with a whip for little to no reason, among other things.
One day Saito challenges a noble who disrespects commoners (Guiche) to a duel. Saito is beaten badly at first, but once a sword was put in Saito's hands, he gained a mysterious power and with this power he is able to defeat the noble in the duel. Louise and Saito's relationship's develop during the course of the story. Together they face many mysteries and uncover unexpected truths, including the nature of Saito's mysterious power, and the truth behind Louise's inability to cast magic.
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Xenosaga (2005) - 12 Episodes
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Utawarerumono (2006) - 26 Episodes
After becoming emperor and things begin to calm down, Hakuoro soon finds out that peace is hard to maintain and finds himself constantly in battle in order to protect the peace of his country and his people. Eventually, he is led into many bloody battles in order to fight for the freedom of all those residing in Tusukuru. Along the way, Hakuoro meets several other strong warriors from several other countries and tribes who are fully accepted into Hakuoro's growing family. Many moments of hardship and laughter ensue as time continues but with Hakuoro leading the way, all others are confident in his ability to lead.
The story's genre is at first a fantasy-style story with heavy Ainu influence, though later develops science fiction themes towards the end. Indeed, it first appears to take place in a fantasy world full of magical beings and interesting new species of humans, but it is later revealed that it takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth's far future.
To watch this show:
Click here - AnimeShippuuden
or
Click here - PhoAnime
Queen's Blade (2009) - 12 Episodes
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Loveless (2005) - 12 Episodes
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Elfen Lied (2004) - 13 Episodes
A Diclonius named Nana and a Special Assault Team task force, led by the violent soldier Bando, are sent to hunt down Lucy. However, Lucy and her cold characteristics have not yet faded away; whenever she hits her head or is confronted with violence, she reverts to her sadistic side and makes transitions between her two personalities throughout the series, the first of which is seen against Bando, who has his eyes poked out, and Nana, who has all her limbs ripped off by Lucy's vectors. Eventually, Kurama decides to repair the bodies of Bando and Nana and send Nana back to Kamakura, contrary to his orders to put her down. Nana and Mayu, a 14-year-old runaway youth who witnessed the confrontation between Nana and Lucy, as well as the result of Bando's encounter with Lucy, both end up living in Kohta's household.
Several developments in the story are made and explained in the latter end of the series regarding the pasts of the characters and the links between them. Mayu is revealed to have been molested by her stepfather, and Kurama is also revealed to be a carrier of Diclonius DNA. Professor Kakuzawa, Kurama's colleague and the son of his boss, is revealed to be a Diclonius just seconds before his head gets torn off by Lucy. Kurama's wife died as a result of complications after giving birth, and Kurama was almost forced to kill his newborn Diclonius daughter; however Kakuzawa's father, the head of the facility, agreed to let her live on the condition that explosives be planted inside her to be detonated if she escaped the facility and caused destruction in the human world. Lucy's past, why she turned sadistic, and her connections with Kohta are also revealed.
Toward the end of the series, Kurama is forced to unleash Mariko, his Diclonius daughter and disputedly the most powerful Diclonius, to kill Lucy and return the species into hiding forever. Lucy, Nana and Kohta encounter Mariko, accompanied by the staff at the facility, on a bridge, where Mariko almost kills them. As Lucy kills the search team accompanying Mariko in retrieving her, including the majority of the remaining staff at the facility, Kurama is cornered with the last three Diclonius left. He chooses instead to spend a final father-daughter moment and die with Mariko as the explosives in her detonate. Nana returns to the household with Kohta, Yuka and Mayu, and Lucy sees Kohta on the same set of steps as where they had their final conversation eight years earlier, telling him her true feelings, her remorse, and how she is in love with Kohta. Lucy leaves to face the remaining assault team deployed by the facility; her ultimate fate is unknown.
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Sasami: Magical Girls Club (2006) - 26 Episodes
The first series/season is dedicated to character development as we are introduced to magic girls Sasami, Misao, Makoto, Tsukasa, and An-an. As the girls discover their awakening powers, they also learn a bit about themselves as they train with Washu and Daimon as part of their "cooking club." This culminates in their taking a trip to the magic world, where they compete against other magic squad teams, some having boys in them.
The second series/season is dedicated to plot, where Sasami's magic girl squad's activities have impressed the Chief Sorceress. As such, she wants those girls as part of her plan to change the human world (Earth), which she sees as too corrupt. The girls, especially Misao, must not only learn to master their abilities and magics, but also learn to face their own fears, lack of understanding, and the like as they walk a dark road set down before them by the Chief Sorceress.
This anime also features Misao (Shinohara) and Sasami's homeroom teacher Mihoshi.
To watch this show: TBA
Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple (2006-2007) - 50 Episodes
Subsequently, Kenichi's daily routine is divided between hellish training under the six masters of Ryōzanpaku, and his fights against the members of Ragnarok, a gang that views him as either a possible ally or an impending threat to their plans. After defeating Ragnarok, he faces a new enemy called YOMI, a group of disciples who are each personally trained by a master of an even bigger organization rivaling Ryōzanpaku, Yami. Along with former members of Ragnarok who join the Shinpaku Alliance, a group created by Kenichi's schoolmate Haruo Niijima, Kenichi now fights Yami to prove his ideals and protect those in need.
To watch this show: TBA
Air Master (2003-2004) - 27 Episodes
The Fukamichi Rankings consist of the worlds greatest street fighters and martial artists. The Fukamichi Ranking fights are held for various reasons. Firstly, many fighters wish to test themselves, achieving the highest rank possible and stretching themselves to their physical limits. However, there is also a corporate side to the Fukamichi rankings, with many viewers around the world, eager to watch the brutal yet awe-inspiring showdowns. Each Fukamichi ranker is payed a respective amount for winning within their fight. Maki, seeking to quench her thirst for that pressure or buzz she experiences only through fighting, and to find her place within this world, scales the Fukamichi Rankings, clashing with the worlds greatest fighting prodigies.
To watch this show: Click here