MARDOCK SCRAMBLE: THE FIRST COMPRESSION, or "Cyborg Prostitute: The Anime Legacy of Molly Millions"

Rune Ballot is a fifteen year old prostitute who gets blown up by Shell, a client who turns his victims into blue diamonds (I don't know why he does this, maybe the next two films will explain that). Her body is repaired by Dr. Easter, who runs medical experiments under government order using top-secret body modifications. Ballot wakes to find herself with a mix of wireless computer hacking skills and electromagnetic manipulation, abilities she must use to help apprehend Shell. As with any good cyberpunk story, there's some healthy corporate warfare going on between Dr. Easter's financial backers and Shell's financiers, the October Corporation.

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression. Go Hands.

Our First Tumblr Exclusive: THE ANIMATRIX

The Animatrix (2003). Warner Bros.

Since The Anime Guardians has recently joined the world of Tumblr, I've decided to start Tumblr exclusive reviews, starting with the incredible anime anthology The Animatrix (2003). We'll still have content on our main blog as well, so fans can get a double-does of anime reviews no matter where they roam the internet! Check out our review on the Animatrix short "World Record." 

anime-guardians.tumblr.com

Yes, you read the title correctly: The Anime Guardians now has a Tumblr page! I tried making one several months ago and some error occurred during the sign-up process, so yesterday I made a second attempt and fared much better. My goal is to reach out to people where they already roam the internet, and hopefully my Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr endeavors will pay off more than they already have.

Stay tuned, and remember to reblog our posts!

SEKIREI - Seasons 1 and 2

"A harem?!?! Now, what merits can a harem anime possibly possess?"

My personal favorite, Tsukiumi.

I can just imagine the outcries against anything ecchi related in anime nowadays, considering many people feel anime is saturated with the stuff. Despite the accessibility of anime to an incredibly vast array of demographics, otaku culture remains dominated by young adult men, so the existence of a show like Sekirei will never be as surprising as it might be if things were balanced out. I sat through Sekirei, understanding its fan-service aims, and will admit that it was amusing. Not spectacular by any means, but amusing.

Girls und Moe: A Flower Blooms Within a Tank-Shaped Pot

When I first saw the Fall 2012 lineup months ago Girls und Panzer caught my eye, chiefly because I found the esoteric notion of little girls duking it out in tanks quite amusing. How often are the words "Girls" and "Panzer" paired together? Now, after having watched the first five episodes, I'm compelled to explore the idea of "moe" in depth; I think the word accurately describes what these adorable high schoolers have stirred within me.

009-1

* 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.
 

As part of my senior project, I'll be watching a lot more anime on, well, cyborgs. For this latest review I'll be covering 009-1, a more mature take on cyborgs from Shotaro Ishinomori, the same mangaka who made Cyborg 009. 009-1 is also among the first manga aimed at young adults, made all the way back in 1967. How does the anime fare, made 40 years after the original publication?  

009-1. Ishimori Productions.

Production I.G. - They Are Who We Thought They Were

*This is an extension of another article I wrote here.
** 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.

At this point, I hope it's no secret that I love Production I.G. Most of what the studio releases becomes an instant classic (all of the Ghost in the Shell franchise; the Blood vampire series; Eden of the East, etc.). In addition to excellent CG and traditional animation, I.G. has a penchant for philosophical themes. Whether working with Mamoru Oshii, Kanji Kamiyama or now Gen Urobuchi, Production I.G. thrives on dark mysteries laced with enough academic references to leave learned viewers salivating. 

PSYCHO-PASS. Copyright Production I.G.

"Oniichan!" - The Obsession with Anime Incest

* Here's an editorial I recently wrote for GoBoiano.com. Enjoy!

Sword Art Online is making a turn for the strange with this second arc. Kirito's younger sibling Suguha happens to be infatuated with him, even in love with him. True, Kirito is actually a relative who was adopted into his current household, but sibling romance on the whole isn't foreign to anime. 'Incest' might be a harsh term for me to use; after all, family pairings aren't exactly unprecedented historically, and royal families made it a regular practice all over the world. But in developed countries today, at least in the Western mind, incest is weird. Why the hell does anime indulge in this practice?

Sword Art Online. Copyright Reki Kawahara, A-1 Pictures.