The story takes place in 1999, the Year of Destiny, and the beginning of the end of the world. The future of the universe rests on one young man, Kamui Shiro, who must destroy either the Dragons of Earth or the Dragons of Heaven - two opposing armies. He alone must decide whether humanity should be destroyed to create a purified universe, or whether it should be protected to preserve civilization.
Read MoreROBOTECH(R) is a sweeping science-fiction anime epic of humans defending their home world against alien domination. The saga is told through the eyes of characters caught up in a series of wars that erupts when a mysterious spacecraft crash-lands on Earth at the turn of the millennium.
Read MoreKatsuhiro Otomo’s landmark cyberpunk classic obliterated the boundaries of Japanese animation and forced the world to look into the future. Akira’s arrival shattered traditional thinking, creating space for movies like the The Matrix to be dreamed into brutal reality. Without Kaneda and Tetsuo, without espers and psionic assassins, without that badass motorcycle – our world would be a far less exciting place to exist. But the manga became the movie and the movie became a phenomenon and the world took notice. Now, Akira is everywhere. If you can’t see it in the streets – if you can’t feel it crawling around inside your brain – then you have yet to be initiated.
Read MoreFrom cutting classes to brawling in the streets, Yusuke Urameshi is not your typical role model. In fact, this kid’s nothing more than a fourteen-year-old delinquent with a talent for trouble. But in a single selfless act Yusuke dies while saving another. For such noble sacrifice he is given a second chance at life, but it’s to be a life far different than the one left behind. Now a Spirit Detective, the young man must track down demons and humans alike who desire to rule over the three realms of reality.
Read MoreOnce Upon a Time (1987) began as Kunihiko Yuyama's ecologically themed tragedy Windaria (1986). Carl Macek and a crew at Harmony Gold recut and rewrote the film, to the chagrin of anime purists. The story focuses on happily married farmers Alan and Marie, and on Roland and Veronica, the star-crossed prince and princess of the rival kingdoms of Lunaria and the Shadowlands. Their unhappy romances are played against a war for control of the local water supply. In its present form, the feature is ponderous and uninvolving, due in large part to the flatness of the narration and the vocal performances: declarations of love, infidelity, and war sound like someone reading a shopping list. At a time when American viewers want to re-create the original experience of anime as closely as possible, Once Upon a Time feels like an anachronism. (Rated 13 and older: violence, alcohol and tobacco use)
Read MoreBy Justin D Williams
Shuzo "Shu" Matsutani, a rambunctious adolescent kendo student, encounters a mysterious girl named Lala-Ru in an abandoned factory near his home. When she's captured by hostile mecha, Shu is taken with her to another world, to the unfortunately named fortress-ship Hellywood, ruled by the psychotic King Hamdo. The apparently ancient Lala-Ru can produce vast quantities of water, which Hamdo desires. Shu is imprisoned, beaten, and tortured before being inducted into Hamdo's army of child-soldiers. He doggedly insists that he must protect Lala-Ru, despite her great powers. They escape Hellywood, wander through the desert, and reach a pueblo-like village where they defeat Hamdo. The rambling storyline recalls both El Hazard and Escaflowne. What sets Now and Then apart is the gritty realism of the violence: unlike other anime characters, Shu seems to feel real pain when Hamdo's thugs beat him. Although the rape of the Earth girl Sara is suggested rather than depicted, she has to decide whether to keep or abort the child. These depictions of the brutality of war give Now and Then a grim power many better-written and better-animated series lack. The most interesting segment on the "bonus disc" juxtaposes the animated version of the final episode with the storyboards. "From Then to Now" includes clips from the audition tapes of the actors playing Hamdo (Jack Taylor) and Shu (a surprisingly burly Ed Paul) along with interviews and standard behind-the-scenes footage of the recording sessions. Rated 16 Up for considerable violence, minor profanity, adult themes
By Justin D Williams
Lucy is a special breed of human referred to as "Diclonius," born with a short pair of horns and invisible telekinetic hands that lands her as a victim of inhumane scientific experimentation by the government. However, once circumstances present her an opportunity to escape, Lucy, corrupted by the confinement and torture, unleashes a torrent of bloodshed as she escapes her captors.
During her breakout, she receives a crippling head injury that leaves her with a split personality: someone with the mentality of a harmless child possessing limited speech capacity. In this state of instability, she stumbles upon two college students, Kouta and his cousin Yuka, who unknowingly take an injured fugitive into their care, unaware of her murderous tendencies. This act of kindness will change their lives, as they soon find themselves dragged into the shadowy world of government secrecy and conspiracy.
From the director of Ninja Scroll!The near future. The glittering skyline of Tokyo now lies broken and crumbling under the weight of an oppressive evil: The tyrannical Rebi Rah. Desperate to rescue her father, who was taken captive by Rah and his monstrous minions, the beautiful Sayaka Rama enlists the help of Kyoya, a streetwise Tokyo teenager. The two must bravely venture into the Demon City, where even the army fears to tread.
Read MoreIt's not unusual for lady-killer Renzaburo Taki to share a night with a woman. When that woman can turn into a demonic spider, however, it's just a little worrying. The demons are on the move, and as a member of the Black Guard, Taki's job--his *real* job--is to protect the human world from the demon world.
Read MoreSwords shatter, blood sprays and demons suck the life out of dying men as the wildest samurai adventure ever made is unleashed to tear your senses asunder! Jubei Kibagami has always been the master dealer of death, but in rescuing a ninja woman from a monster he sets loose a chain of events that puts death in his own veins and sends them on a nightmarish odyssey through a surreal and devil infested ancient Japan.
Read MoreOn episode 6 of Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime Justin talks about Vampire Hunter D. A young girl requests the help of a vampire hunter to kill the vampire who has bitten her, and thus prevent her from becoming a vampire herself.
Read MoreOn episode 4 of Essential Anime Justin talks about the original Mobile Suit Gundam. Universal Century 0079. The rebel space colonies of the Principality of Zeon launch a war of independence against the Earth Federation, using humanoid fighting vehicles called mobile suits to overwhelm the Federation Forces and conquer half of Earth's surface. Months later, the Federation has finally developed its own prototype mobile suits at a remote space colony. But when the colony suffers a Zeon surprise attack, these new weapons fall into the hands of a motley crew of civilians and cadets, and fate places a youth named Amuro Ray at the controls of the white mobile suit Gundam.
Read MoreOn episode 3 of Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime. Justin talks about Cowboy Bebop and why you need to add it to your collection. The crew of the Bebop is once again ready to take control of space, bringing bad guys to justice and trying to make some cash while doing it.
Read MoreMima leaves the idol group CHAM, in order to pursue her dream as an actress. Mima climbs up the rocky road to success by performing as rape victims and posing nude for magazines, but is haunted by her reflections of the past
Read MoreWritten by Justin D Williams
We here at Otakus and Geeks always get one frequently question from readers, friends, and family. What anime should I start with if I want to get into anime? What anime's do you think I should have in my collection. Finally, Otakus & Geeks will provide you with weekly choices of anime movies and shows that we feel need to be in your collection. This segment will be called Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime. In episode 1 of Otakus & Geeks Essential Anime, Justin talks about the anime Grave of the Fireflies.
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