DUSK MAIDEN OF AMNESIA

* Published June 29, 2012: http://goboiano.tumblr.com/post/26163735223/dusk-maiden-of-amnesia

Dusk Maiden of Amnesia makes a good first impression. The opening song, “Choir Jail,” is a heavy metal assault beautifully accompanied by 15 year old singer Konomi Suzuki in her debut hit. The anime's visuals are stunning and the color palette can only be described as kaleidoscopic. The first episode is comedic gold. But despite the pretty package Dusk Maiden comes in, there's more wrapping paper in this gift than anything else.

GHOST IN THE SHELL: STAND ALONE COMPLEX

* Published June 28, 2012: http://goboiano.tumblr.com/post/26075287927/ghost-in-the-shell-stand-alone-complex

There's a large number of American anime fans who readily acknowledge Stand Alone Complex as a really confusing show that comes on Adult Swim late at night. There are others who feel as if the deeply philosophical themes present in the 1995 film are all but missing from the anime series. Still, some hail the anime as a post-cyberpunk masterpiece. The most profound fictional works can also have the most polarized critics; Stand Alone Complex is undoubtedly part of this tradition and will surely stand the test of time.

MUSINGS OF THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Hello everyone, this is Elijah Lee writing. To all of you who are about to be set free from school, make sure your summer will be one to remember! I've actually got some important news for this post, so keep on reading!

REDLINE

4.5 stars out of 5

Motorsport racing isn't an event every one can enjoy. Unfortunately watching cars drive around a circuit for innumerable laps has a way of inducing drowsiness. MADHOUSE has found a way to alleviate such NASCAR triggered sleepiness through Redline, a work of visionary sugar that wipes the floor with traditional auto racing. Redline borrows cues from Mario Kart, F-Zero, Speed Racer and every other absurd racing franchise to emerge out of Japan. It also throws in some Fast and Furious-type criminal underbelly and romance elements, and eventually morphs into an anime so preposterous it can easily be mistaken for a Gainax production. Describing Redline as "unique" or "weird" is a gross understatement.

Sonoshee McLaren, aka "Cherry Boy Hunter." 

BATTLE ANGEL

4 stars out of 5

Battle Angel takes the first two books of its respective manga series, chops the stories down to their foundations and splices them together to make an arguably superior rendition of the franchise. This might not sit well with hardliners who vehemently despise alterations in what is already considered a sublime work of dystopic cyberpunk fiction, but when is change ever met without resistance? Battle Angel is as grim, disturbing, and unrelentingly violent as its manga predecessor, and our sympathy for Gally, the tragic hero, is compounded by the fact that her cries for mercy are no longer mediated through comic book speech bubbles, but have become audible and grating and visceral.

Gally, doing what she does best.

VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST

4 stars out of 5

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000) is a dynamic visual smorgasbord. When Charlotte is kidnapped by the vampire Baron Meier Link, D the bounty hunter is contracted to bring her home. D must square off against a competing group of bounty hunters - the notorious Marcus brothers - and a band of mercenary mutants.  The mutants, the Barbarois, though primarily henchmen for Meier are the most fascinating band of toughs you’ve ever seen.

His name is simply D.

ON THE BORDER BETWEEN FLESH AND STEEL

* Update: As of May 2013 my senior project is completed and titled "Establishing a Post-human Identity through Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Innocence Films." It can be found on the Post-humanity tab above, and is available in PDF format.

Battle Angel Alita, Vol. 9. Viz Media, 1998.

Hello everyone, this is your editor-in-chief, Elijah Lee. Upon my return to college this coming fall I will be a senior, and my school requires that I complete a senior project in order to graduate and obtain my degree. I am an Art History major, so my project would center around the study of visual media, in either two or three dimensional formats. The issue, of course, is managing to do a project that I can enjoy while still fulfilling my graduation requirements.

XAM'D: LOST MEMORIES

4 stars out of 5

Xam'd was created by studio BONES, the same guys who did Eureka Seven, and this fact oozes through every facet of the show. I suppose the immense popularity Eureka Seven had caused BONES to maintain the status quo and create a show with a similar conflict and cast. Both shows are about humans trying to maintain peaceful relations with lifeforms that threaten mankind because of our ignorance. Both shows follow young men on a journey of self-discovery, while we watch them traverse the world with a merry band of bohemians pretending to do important work. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that BONES didn't make Xam'd a clone of its predecessor, but an entity capable of standing on its own feet.

Akiyuki and Haru.

GRAPPLER BAKI (1996 OVA)

I've heard a lot of good things about the Grappler Baki franchise. I was first introduced to it through the forty-eight episode television series; I always find my younger brother studying the show intensely, as if he'll learn the fighting techniques it flaunts and become an MMA champion. I don't typically watch anime about martial arts and fighting, because in paradoxical fashion there tends to be more talking than fighting (Dragonball Z easily comes to mind). The Baki television anime juggled dialogue and action rather nicely, so I chose to give the original OVA a shot. The OVA was so intense that I paused it to tell my family just how amazing it was. I should have watched this a long time ago.

The ridiculously powerful Baki Hanma.

Say Hello to Jean!

Hello everyone, this is Elijah Lee. Above sits our new site mascot, Jean. I've been working on it for some time and with the help of GH04 on Deviant Art, she can now grace our blog site. The above drawing is by me but GH04 designed her look. She'll be representing me in the "Musings" entries instead of Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, although I intended for Jean to look similar to her. We'll be seeing more of Jean at some point. Take care everyone, and look forward to our upcoming review on Grappler Baki!