Tonakai StudioTonakai Anime & Manga

Ranma ½, book 2 (German edition)

Dragon Ball, book 19 (Swedish edition)

Rurouni Kenshin, book 1 (Japanese edition)

Slayers, book 1 (German edition)

Gundam Wing Episode Zero (German edition)

Love Hina, book 1 (Japanese edition)

Manga and Anime - Some Personal Reviews

While waiting for me getting time to write some more comprehensive things (if that ever will happen ^_^), this page will have to do. Both the descriptions and the ratings are my very personal ones. The ratings go from 1 (not worth watching/reading) over 2, 3, 4 to 5 (excellent one).

  Rating
Ah! My Goddess by Kosuke Fujishima
See "Oh! My Goddess" below.
Aika
A future Japan has been flooded by the rising sea and underwater salvage work is a thriving business since lots of valuable things ended up in the depths now surrounding Tokyo. That's the setting for this story, or - more correctly - the excuse for making this anime. One word: fanservice. This is as close you can get to ecchi without actually be there. Every female character wear miniskirts (except the main female antagonist who actually fly a jet fighter dressed in nothing but her underwear ^_^;;) and the camera angles take every opportunity. Do I have to say any more? Don't think so.
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in German
1
Angel Sanctuary
A bit gruesome at parts, but very slick animation and a story that stands out in a crowd. Not for the narrowminded though.
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in German
3
Arjuna
Young girl dies in an accident and finds out that she's needed to save the world. An anime with an eco-theme that gets a little bit too obvious for my taste.
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in German
2
Armitage III
Science fiction anime about a policeman investigating the murders of a new, very realistic type of androids that are illegally built but very human in their ways.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices subtitled in Swedish
4
Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka
I have only read the occasional volume of this most famous of manga series. That – and the fact that it's impossible to view it from an objective point of view since I knew of its fame long before I actually got to read anything of it – makes it near impossible to rate it. I can understand its greatness, though. My first impression when I read it was that its style of storytelling has some likenesses to Floyd Gottfredson's classic Mickey Mouse comics. Which is a good thing indeed!
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
n/a
Bakuten Shoten Beyblade See Beyblade
Bakuten Shoten Beyblade 2002 See Beyblade V-Force
Beyblade (Bakuten Shoten Beyblade)
Another made-to-sell-stuff animé, but it isn't trading cards this time. While I like the characters, the story isn't all that amazing. Too much competing, too little evolving.
The manga version seems to be somewhat different from the anime, but I haven't read a lot of it, so the rating is mostly for the anime.
Reviewed versions: anime dubbed in German
anime dubbed in Swedish
manga in German translation;
2
Beyblade G Revolution (Bakuten Shoten Beyblade G Revolution)
The third season of Beyblade. Yes, it's still a true kids show, it's still commercial, and I still find it amusing mostly thanks to the characters. When taken for what it is, it's really no worse than others in the same genre. In fact, it's better than many others. This season almost seems to make fun of itself sometimes, don't know if it's intentional or not though. Oh, and the Japanese original version comes off much nicer than the Americanized one, but that's no surprise. So, while the two first seasons got near-three ratings from me, I'll better give this one the medium rating.
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices;
anime with German voices
3
Beyblade V-Force (Bakuten Shoten Beyblade 2002)
The second season of the Beyblade anime takes off good, but can't keep it up in the long run. The character designs are cuter, but the story isn't great and the competitions seem to have degenerated into no-rules contests all too often. Again, and even more so, the characters saves Beyblade from getting a one. I give the show a very weak two, mostly because I still have a soft spot for it.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
Blade of the Immortal
Historical fantasy set in old Japan. This might be manga by definition, but its art style is too close to standard American hero comics for me to like it. When it comes to samurai, I sure prefer Rurouni Kenshin!
Reviewed versions: manga in Swedish translation;
manga in English translation
1
Candidate For Goddess by Yukiru Sugisaki
Sci-fi anime with young boys training to pilot mechas in space. Nothing very out of the ordinary, really, but I have developed a certain fondness for it. Suffers a little from too heavily use of computer graphics, especially in mecha scenes.
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in German
3
Castle of Cagliostro
Feature-length movie about the master burglar Lupin III, who gets involved in the shady business run by the small principality of Cagliostro. Some romance, some suspence, and lots of humor.
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in English
4
Chobits by CLAMP
In what mostly looks like an alternative present time, the computers look like beautiful girls - chobits. The main character finds one of these chobits in a pile of junk and brings her home. It's no doubt that this manga is aimed at boys. It doesn't exactly belong with the more memorable manga series.
Reviewed version: manga in Swedish translation;
manga in German translation
2
Cowboy Bebop
Science fiction story in a blue mood. Main characters are the bounty hunters Spike, Jet and Faye Valentine. The series is uneven. Some episodes are very good, some are best forgotten. Rating the series as a whole isn't easy.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
Detective Conan by Gosho Aoyama
A young, brilliant detective gets even younger when he's turned into a kid by his enemies. While staying in the house of his one-time (before he got transformed) girlfriend Ran and her father, the famous, but not to brilliant, detective Mori, he still solves the cases that comes in his way. It didn't make a big impression on me at first, but it grew on me.
Reviewed versions: manga in German translation;
anime with German voices
3
Digimon Frontier
Has the same target audience as Pokémon. If I have to chose, Pokémon is the preferred one. Digimon Frontier is a tad to violent for my taste. (Besides that, it hasn't as cute characters. ^_^ )
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
D.N.Angel by Yukiru Sugisaki
This story about young Daisuke that discovers that he has the ability to change into the famous thief Dark isn't the first one I have read with that theme. Yes, it's earlier that Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne, so it is a little unfair to compare them, but I do it anyway, and I prefer Jeanne. When it comes to Sugisaki, I like Candidate for Goddess better (although I have only watched it as anime). That said, this is not a bad story, it's just not anything particular. Among the manga titles available in Swedish, it sure ranks among the best ones. But that doesn't really account for much, does it? ^_^
Reviewed version: manga in Swedish translation
3
DoReMi
I'm not the right person to judge this anime. It's for younger girls, not me. A little "PowerPuff Girls" over it, if I should say something about it.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
Dragon Ball
Who haven't heard about this one? It has a certain charm, but I'm not that interested in extensive battle sequences.
Reviewed versions: manga in Swedish translation;
anime with German voices
3
Dragon Ball Z
The follow-up to Dragon ball is too much fighting and too little plot development.
Reviewed versions: manga in Swedish translation;
anime with German voices
2
Dragon Ball GT
Haven't seen a lot of this series, but the little I've seen looks very much like DBZ.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
Dr. Slump
From the same man that gave us Dragon Ball. I have only seen a few episodes of this series, and it didn't made any bigger impression on me. Better than the Dragon Ball follow-ups though.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
Escaflowne
See "Vision of Escaflowne" below.
Excel Saga
Excel Saga is comedy and pure comedy. And quite a twisted one too. Zany to the max. If you have some previous knowledge of manga and anime, and love things like Terry Pratchett's Discworld and Animaniacs, chances are that you'll love this too.
Reviewed versions: manga in English translation
anime with English fansub
4
Flame of Recca
Well, read might be an overstatement. My knowledge of Japanese is near non-existent. ^_^ But one can always look at the pictures, which are good enough for me to start looking for a more easy-accessible language version.
Reviewed version: manga with Japanese text!
3
Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
Manga - and anime - whose main theme are relations. It's lowbrow and a nice tempo.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation
4
Fullmetal Alchemist
I usually try not to make a habit of downloading fansubbed anime in large quantities, but this one became the exception to the rule, it seems. The story told is about young Edward and Alphonse Elric, who in desperation tries to revive their dead mother by the use of alchemy. The recreation of humans are one of the forbidden things to try to do with alchemy, and the boys find out why in an extremely hard way. The unsuccessful attempt ends with Al losing his whole body and saved from death only by Ed succeeding in affixing his soul to an armour, in the process Ed himself loses an arm and a leg. With their minds set on finding the philosopher's stone, and with its powers be able to regain their lost body parts, Ed successfully becomes a Nationally certified alchemist in the service of the military, and by doing so the two boys get deeper and deeper into the mysteries and half-truths created by the state. This is an anime of the 21st century, and it shows. Technically it's extremely well-done, and it has an ambition to tell a good story. I'm a little worried that it will go the way of other incredibly popular series and get crushed under its own hype. Hopefully that won't happen.
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub;
anime with Japanese voices and German fansub;
anime with Japanese voices and French fansub;
manga scanlations in English
4
Girl got Game
See "Power!!" below.
 
Golden Boy
A 25 year old top university graduate takes a grand tour around Japan on bicycle, taking any job that comes in his way, before entering into the real business life. For being a top student, his mind is remarcably focused on sexual things. And so is the anime. A little to heavy for my taste. Still, he's so mindless it's almost funny!
Reviewed version: anime dubbed in German
2
Gravitation by Maki Murakami
This is shônen ai, which made me a little suspicious at first. After all, that's not primarily meant for my gender. Still, I must say I like it, even if I have an easier time liking the cuter characterizations in the anime than the ones in the manga. The story's mainly about Shuichi Shindou, an aspiring singer and songwriter whose road crosses that of author Eiri Yuki. The anime is visually wonderful and - as I said - cuter, but the manga tells the story better.
Reviewed versions: manga in German translation
anime with Japanese voices fansubbed in Italian
4
GTO - Great Teacher Onizuka
The main character is a pain and I don't really care for a minute what he's up to.
Reviewed version: manga in Swedish translation
1
Gundam 0079 (Mobile Suit Gundam)
A mecha series that got a number of follow-up series. Young boy get caught up in a war between Earth and it's space colonies nad get's to pilot a Gundam. I really have seen too little of this quite famous story to rate it accordingly. The manga has the usual weaknesses of mecha manga. Giant robots battling each other works better on a TV screen than in a book. The anime is old now, but that should not be held against it. For now it's a three, that might turn into a four when I've seen more of it.
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices fansubbed in English
manga in German translation
3
Gundam SEED
The latest in the Gundam series. It's said to be sort of a remake of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, something I can't check for accuracy since I haven't seen more than a little of the original Gundam. Now it doesn't really matter, because Gundam SEED is good all on its own. Very good! It had that "hooked in a minute"-feeling. Basically it's the same classic Gundam storytelling. Boy get stuck as gundam pilot in a war between space colonies and an oppressive earth. But it's slick in its style, nice characters and a storyline that may be reused, but still has an universal validity. Top grade!
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices and English/German/French subtitles;
anime with German voices; anime with French voices
5
Gundam SEED Destiny
The sequel to Gundam SEED pretty much takes off where the first series end. The earth and the colonies in space is thrown into a new escalating war. While still having the same loveable characters and settings, it doesn't really gets all the way to the top as Gundam SEED did. It's still a good show in my opinion though.
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
4
Gundam Wing
Normally I'm not that fond of mecha anime, but this one's an exception. Why? I guess I could come up with some lofty, serious explanation to defend my love for it, but I won't. It's good. Very good! And that's it. It's a huge difference between the dubs, where the American clearly is the weakest one.
Reviewed versions: anime with Japanese voices and English subtitles
anime dubbed in English
anime dubbed in German
anime dubbed in French
5
Gunsmith Cats by Keichi Sonoda
An action manga for weapons fetishists. No, seriously, it's quite entertaining, with that sort of genuine "feel" that's very hard to put in words. The main characters are two young women who are working as bounty hunters and gunsmiths in Chicago. The manga is not the most pretentious of stories, but why should it be? There's also an OVA series available that have the same qualities as the manga.
Reviewed versions: manga translated in English
anime (OVA) with Japanese voices subtitled in English
4
Hamtaro
Super-cute hamsters! Maybe not an anime that I absolutely have to watch, but fun relaxation.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
He is my master
Two young sisters - and their girl-obsessed pet crocodile - run away from home and end up as maids in the service of an orphaned, super-rich, and super-perverted teenage boy. The anime can't be described as anything else than total crazyness. It's more of a show making fun of the Japanese trait of fanservice than an actual fanservice-filled show itself. Which makes it a fun, no-think-anime for me.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
3
Hellsing
Violent story about vampires fighting eachother. Maybe there's no bigger technical fault with it, but it's just not in my taste. If I had been able to stand watching more of it, the rating most likely could have become a one. As it is, I don't want to judge it to hard, so I give it a two.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
Inu Yasha by Rumiko Takahashi
A new (well, reasonable new) manga from Rumiko Takahashi, the woman behind "Ranma 1/2", "Lum" and "Maison Ikkoku". Looks promising. Inu Yasha is more adventure and action than earlier works I've read.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation;
anime with German voices
4
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne by Arina Tanemura
A Japanese girl is the reincarnation of the French medieval hero and saint Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc) and is therefore the only one capable of fighting and catching demons that are loose in the world. Quite good, actually.
Reviewed versions: manga in German translation;
anime with German voices
4
Kenshin See "Rurouni Kenshin" below.  
Kimagure Orange Road
This is a classic romantic comedy with a twitch. Boy with superpower likes girl, but does girl like him? And will he ever be able to ask her? I have only seen this one in it's Swedish adapted version, which means changed names, 1980s dub, and all that. Maybe it's my 1980's nostalgia, maybe it's because it's actually good. But I like it a lot, even in its adapted Swedish version.
Reviewed version: anime with Swedish voices
4
Kyou kara maou
Present day schoolboy Yuuki gets transfered into another world - a medieval-renaissance one with strange customs and strange animals. He then gets to now he is the chosen maou - king of the Mazoku, a race whose ability to use magic makes their co-existence with the humans a source of troubles. Yuuki rapidly succeeds in turning the earlier administrational habits around, and also succeeds in ending up as fiancée to a cute bishounen named Wolfram. The show is first and foremost humoristic in its approach, even if there's a hint of a plotline now and then. It's also filled with wonderful, more or less crazy, characters. And that combination is one that truly is to my liking!
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
4
Lone Wolf and Cub by Kazuo Koike & Goseki Kojima
Many seem to enjoy this manga but I'm not all that fond of it. While its art is exquisite from a technical point of view, it's just not in my taste of comics.
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
2
Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu
Humoristic manga that seems promising, even if it isn't special in any way. The only language version I have found and read more of is not very compatible with my language skills, if I put it that way... The start of a Swedish publishing was therefore a welcome one.
Reviewed version: manga in Interlingua translation and manga in Swedish translation
3
Lupin III created by Monkey Punch
Humoristic adventures where the hero is the master thief Lupin III. Quite trivial, really, but still funny.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
See "Castle of Cagliostro" above.
Lupin III: Stolen Lupin
When trying to get his hands on the Bourbon crown jewels, master thief Lupin III ends up stolen himself, and forced to break into one of the world's most secure museums to steal a jewel rumoured to be cursed, because every thief who stole it before have ended up dead. Soon Lupin realises that the theft itself is just a part in a much bigger plot, and the daughter of an old friend of Lupin seems to be more than a little involved.
What can I say? Lupin is Lupin, and this isn't a bad movie. It got its fair number of plot twists, together with the traditional Lupinesque humour. Not to mention a cute heroine. ^^
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
4
Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi
Another manga by Rumiko Takahashi. This one is more ordinary, or more realistic if one prefers that description. The story's about the people in the condo Maison Ikkoku. A little cosy and worth reading.
Reviewed versions: manga in English translation;
manga in German translation
4
Megatokyo by Fred Gallagher
I know, this is not manga by most definitions but pseudo-manga, still I choose to include it here as a worthy example of manga-inspired comics. Megatokyo is great. It got a sense of humor that I really appreciate. Started as a web comic (and it still is, available here), the amateur comic made the leap into printed form in 2000. It's really a collection of nonsense and that's exactly what makes it good!
Reviewed versions: comic book version in English;
web comic version in English
5
Mermaid Saga by Rumiko Takahashi
A story based on an old Japanese legend that tells of the unfortunate destinies of some humans that have eaten flesh from a mermaid and thereby got immortality. A more gruesome manga than most of Takahashi's work, but as usual a very good one.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation
4
Metropolis
Feature-length movie based on Osamu Tezuka's classic manga, but reworked. Nicely done vision of the future with an air of the 1920s. Recommended.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and Swedish subtitles
4
Mini-Goddesses by Kosuke Fujishima
A spin-off series from "Oh! My Goddess". Made only to be entertaining, and entertainment it is. I love this one, but the abrupt endings of some anime episodes stops it from getting a five.
Reviewed versions: anime with German voices;
manga in English translation;
manga in German translation
4
Mobile Suit Gundam
See "Gundam 0079" above.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
See "Gundam SEED" above.
 
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
See "Gundam Wing" above.
Moldiver
Superhero-comedy. A young electronics engineer (and a freak) in the Tokyo of tomorrow invents an electronic superhero costume that transforms him into "Captain Tokyo". His sister isn't exactly satisfied with the design (or the name, for that matter) and makes her own modifications. Thus, Moldiver is born. Not the best series out there, but fully acceptable.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and Swedish subtitles
3
Mononoke Hime (Princess Mononoke) by Hiyao Miyazaki
A feature lenght movie by one of the masters of Japanese animation. The story set in Medieval Japan, is a story about protecting the nature but with the message skillfully wrapped into a very good story with lovely animation.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
4
Monster Rancher
Another Pokémon copy. As usual without Pokémon's charm and no originality whatsoever.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
1
Naruto
This is another standard story in my opinion. Sure, I haven't seen very much of it, and there's nothing too bad about it. It just isn't anything special. Young Naruto, living in a village famous for their ninjas, tries to prove himself to others by making other notice him.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
2
Negima by Ken Akamatsu
A story in usual Akamatsu style, which means that the story isn't all-important, but the girls are. There's nothing inherently bad about it, it just isn't really anything I have any interest to spend time on.
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
2
Neon Genesis Evangelion
The mecha-psycho-drama that everyone heard of. Young Shinji Ikari is one of the fourteen year olds that has been chosen to pilot the Evangelions, bio-mechanical fighting machines, constructed by the organization NERV to protect Earth from the attacking creatures known as Angels. It's hard to rate something that everyone is supposed to have an opinion of. Evangelion is not bad in any way - unless one regards a somewhat very obvious use of the limited animation style - but most of it isn't anything special either. The turn toward more psycho-drama and the ending is what saves it in my opinion. Unfortunately, that also means that its main problem gets even worse. I loathe productions that sell out their soul to the public by taking the road of "special editions", "director's cut versions" and "improvements" after original completion. And Evangelion really goes all the way here, even making "alternate endings" (which I haven't seen yet, only read transcripts of)! Thus, instead of giving NGE a four, I now give it a three, because it has hyped itself to death.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English subtitles
3
Noir
Anime about two female assassins-for-hire. This one feels too prententious at times, trying to tell a deep story and at the same time be an action anime. The result comes up somewhat uneven. A good thing is the wonderful music, but it can't alone rescue the anime from being one in the row of nice-to-watch-but-nothing-special ones.
Reviewed versions: anime with German voices;
anime with Japanese voices and English subtitles
3
Oh! My Goddess by Kosuke Fujishima
A classic manga (and animé) that I find amusing but not great. It's well worth reading anyway. Oddly enough, I find the spin-off series with the Mini-Goddesses better than its source comics.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation
3
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
Slow, waaay to slow storytelling! Besides that, I have a tendency of getting annoyed with the main character.
Reviewed versions: manga in Swedish and English translations
anime with German voices
2
Phantom Quest Corp. (Yûgen Kaisha)
The Ghostbusters concept in Japanese version and much better.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and Swedish subtitles
4
Pokémon
If you have the slightest interest in animé, you probably know about this one. In fact, if you haven't heard of it, I'm really amazed! Sure, it's a children's animé, but with a little time I actually started to enjoy it. At least a little. The storyline gets a little repetitive after a while...
Reviewed version: anime with Swedish voices
4
Porco Rosso by Hayao Miyazaki
Another wonderful feature-length movie from Hayao Miyazaki. The story is set in Italy sometime during the early 1930s when seaplane and daring pilots ruled the skies over the Adriatic sea. Porco Rosso is one of the legendary pilots, bounty hunter, and for some reason a man with a curse - he has the appearance of a pig. The story is best described as a classic adventure story, where the free spirit lifestyle of Porco clashes with the rise of fascist Italy, while he also have to live with his more personal, emotional problems regarding the caring, gentle female owner of Hotel Adriatic - Gina - and the young female engineer Fio Piccolo. Not to mention the air pirates and the rivalry evolving between Porco and the American dare-devil pilot Curtis. It is a wonderful movie that quickly got to the top on my list of personal favourites. As usual when I give a top rating, I have trouble explaining why. It's emotional, fun, nicely done, and it has that little extra that makes it fantastic!
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
5
Power!! (Girl Got Game) by Shizuru Seino
A manga (sometimes known as "Girl Got Game" thanks to our title-change-obsessed American friends) about a girl whose basket fanatic father fakes her gender, so that she'll get into a basketball college. The fact that everyone thinks she's a boy soon get a little problematic, of course... I haven't read a lot of it, and it doesn't feel like the most unique of ideas for a story, but I can read it when out of better things.
Reviewed version: manga in Swedish translation
3
Ragnarök
The Korean comic bearing this name isn't technically manga but manhwa, but enough of that arguing for now. More important is that it's not anything particular. I can read it, but there's no real point in doing it. I have seen this before it feels. It's the usual roleplaying fantasy world with heroines and heroes. Nothing new, really.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English fansub
2
Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi
A wonderful anime and even more wonderful as manga. My personal favorite. It has everything, especially humor.
Reviewed versions: manga in English and German translations;
anime with German voices
5
Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
Akane happens to get her hands on half of an old textroll originally stolen by Happosai from the seven gods of luck in Nekonron, China. According to prince Kirin, leader of the seven, the one who is in possession of the half scroll is also his future bride. Therefore he kidnaps Akane and Ranma and the others have to go to China on a rescue mission. This first Ranma movie is a trivial thing, sure, but it's still Ranma. While not really as good as the comic or the first anime series, it still give me what I expect from a Ranma story.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and German subtitles
4
Ranma ½: Nihao My Concubine
While on a vacation at sea in Kuno's yacht, Ranma and friends end up shipwrecked on an island. As if that wasn't enough, the girls start to mysteriously disappear one after another, kidnapped by prince Tôma, the lord of a magical wandering island and in search for a fitting bride. It's now up to Ranma and the others to rescue the girls. The basic plot of the first movie and this one is essentially the same. Still, the whole Ranma series isn't about unexpected plot twists and such things. Again, I get what I expect from a Ranma tale - mindless fun. And that's enough for me.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and German subtitles
4
Read or Die: the TV
See "R.O.D. The TV" below.
 
Revolutionary Girl Utena by Chiho Saito & Be-Papas
Romantic story about girl who doesn't fit in. Probably too much girl manga for me to see the qualities in it.
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
3
R.O.D. The TV
Three Hongkong-based sisters who run a small detective agency get a mission to protect the famous writer Nenene who has received treaths. The sisters, who have a rather odd weapon of choice - namely paper, might be good at what they're doing, but they can also be quite annoying; something Nenene finds out when she get stuck with the sisters as her bodyguards. At least for me, these origami-wielding detectives are a fresh thing and even if it sounds weird it actually works.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English subtitles
4
Rurouni Kenshin by Noboru Watsuki
With the story put in the early years of the Meiji restauration in Japan. I sometimes find it a little excessive in the fighting part, but the overall impression is a good one. A weak four is my rating for now.
Reviewed versions: manga in unofficial English translation;
manga in German translation
4
Sailor Moon
Again a series that I haven't seen more than the occasional episode of. That's because I haven't been very impressed by what I saw. It was a long time ago now, though, so I might give it a second chance.
Reviewed version: anime with Swedish voices
2
Sailor Moon S
For some reason this later season made a much better impression on me than the first one did. Maybe it's because of the introduction of sailors Uranus and Neptune, maybe it's because I had the chance to watch a less gutted version of the show. Because the main plot is the same, so I don't really know. Had the plot been a little more varied, I could have stretched to a four, but as it is a strong three will do.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
Samurai X See "Rurouni Kenshin" above.  
Shin Chan
Nothing I watch if I have a choice. I simply can't stand the art style (and can't really say that I'm very forn of the storytelling either) The style can be described as Japanese animé meets Nickelodeon; the result: terrible.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
1
Slayers by Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, and others
Humoristic fantasy with the fifteen year old sorceress Lina Inverse as main hero. This is great fun, according to me. The stories were Lina have Gourry as sidekick are better than the ones with Naga.
Reviewed version: manga in German and English translations
4
Slayers Great by Hajime Kanzaka
In this movie-lenght adventure Lina and Naga visits the town of Stoner, well-known for its Golem-making industry. Their visit happen to coincede with both a family brawl and a ruler brawl. The famous golem creator Galia Einburg and his son, Huey, disagrees of what a golem should look like. At the same time the two lords Haizen and Granion, both wanting to rule the town, have agreed to let their dispute be solved by a golem battle. When one lord hires the father to make a golem, the other hires the son. And while one turns to Lina for design inspriation - sort of, anyway - the other chooses Naga and rivalry is taken to new heights...
The Slayers movies are pure slapstick most of the time and this one's no exception. It's humoristic entertainment and among the better of the Slayers movies I've seen this far. Still, the original TV series is better, so I think a weak four is adequate here.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and English subtitles
4
Taro Alien
Children's animé. have some entertaining moments though. About an alien that ends up befriending a kid.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
2
Time Stranger Kyoko by Arina Tanemura
I must admit I have a fondness for Tanemura's style. It's kind of naïve and flowing, sometimes to a point where it becomes hard to follow the story. That sometimes lacking balance between art and story it at the same time the reason why I feel I can't give it more than a three.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation
3
Tenchi Muyo
A classic from Pioneer. Boy meets girls from outer space. Not bad at all.
Reviewed version: anime with Japanese voices and Swedish subtitles
4
Tokyo Mew Mew by Mia Ikumi & Reiko Yoshida
Girls get special powers from near-extinct animal DNA and have to protect the world. A story for young girls, which means that I'm not the right person to rate it. There's nothing genuinly unique about it, not too bad, but nothing special.
Reviewed version: manga in Swedish translation
3
2001 Nights
I'm divided in my opinions here. It's good storytelling with a dreamy feeling, but it's also so very American mainstream in its art style and that's something I'm not that fond of.
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
3
Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai
The samurai rabbit is an odd comic and something I was exposed to early in my career as comics connesseur. It's fun in an odd way, but nowadays I don't find it as spectaculary interesting as back then.
Reviewed versions: comic in English;
comic in Swedish translation
3
Video Girl Ai by Masakazu Katsura
My experience of this manga is limited. Its main impression on me is that it's one of the more common boy-meets-girl-and-complications-arise story, possibly with somewhat more serious undertones.
Reviewed version: manga in German translation
3
Vision of Escaflowne
Fantasy-mecha-anime. The school girl Hitomi gets thrown into another world, where a big war that will shape the world's destiny is about to break loose. She gets to know Vaan, who pilots the dragon-mecha called Escaflowne.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
4
X (X/1999) by CLAMP
CLAMP's work isn't normally my favorites, mostly because of the storytelling, I guess. X is one of the better stories, but the anime will have to do with a three for now.
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
3
You're Under Arrest by Kosuke Fujishima
Light-hearted humoristic manga that doesn't try to be anything else. Tells the haphazard adventures of the policewomen Miyuki and Natsumi and their quite unusual ways to stop crime. Trivial, yes, but I like it nonetheless (or maybe because of it).
Reviewed version: manga in English translation
3
Yu-Gi-Oh!
There's no problem seeing what the real purpose with this show is – to sell the trading card game. (I've heard that the original version of the manga has nothing to do with card games, which probably is a very good idea. But this version gets a one.)
Reviewed version: anime with German voices
1
Yuugen Kaisha See "Phantom Quest Corp." above.  

Page created 13 juni 2002. Latest update August 30, 2005.
© 2005 Johan Rhen / Tonakai Studio. All book covers are copyrighted by their respective creators.