Noah’s Barks pages relating to anime. These are generally imported from my MyAnimeList account.
Some off-the-cuff thoughts I had after finishing Revolutionary Girl Utena, a dense, highly metaphorical psychological drama.
‘Ring of Gundam’ is a five-minute special celebrating the franchise’s anniversary. I’m not sure how else to describe it, other than "bad."
A classic shonen anime adaptation that takes place in the Meiji Era of Japan, mixing historical events with hyperbolic fiction. (Includes "Rurouni Kenshin Special")
This animated Rurouni Kenshin feature film is yet another uninspired cash-in on a popular shonen IP.
An impromptu review and explanation for why I stopped watching Samurai Champloo.
An otherwise unexceptional young supermodel attempts to moonlight as a superhero in Samurai Flamenco. Yet, for such a fun premise, the show feels like it drags its feet—if it even knows where it’s ever going.
‘Serial Experiments Lain’ is a gripping, shockingly prescient, surrealist metaphorical exploration of how the internet can warp one’s self-perception and their relationship to the world around them.
‘She and Her Cat’ is a four-minute comedy OVA starring a cat narrating his daily life and relationship with his owner. Mrrrow.
These two additional episodes/specials for the ‘Shiki’ anime series come highly recommended, as they make the emotional core of the story all the more devastating.
Years after watching it, the only thing I remember about Tokyo Revelation is its openly gay character. I couldn’t even remember that it wasn’t called "Tokyo Revolution."
This "movie" is a localized splice of two episodes of the Japanese ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ OVA. Despite that odd background, this is an essential OVA that perfectly captures the essence of its titular character and era.
A short film created by Kojiro Shishido, who would become an animation director for many Type-Moon anime adaptions. ‘sound / phantasma / mirror’ is a technical showcase of realistic lighting, and not very interesting.
‘Speed Grapher’ is an absurd, exploitative thriller that is nonetheless entertaining and shocking in its creativity (among other things).
One part Digimon, one part boring, and all parts fairly unmoving, lazily-written entertainment.
‘Macross: Flash Back 2012,’ a "live" music performance/recap of the original Macross series and its theatrical remake, is a tearjerking sendoff for one of anime’s greatest stories.
The black sheep of the ‘Macross’ franchise, ‘Macross II’ was created with little involvement from the original creators. Surprisingly, it feels very on-point, but still little more than an average ’90s OVA. There are worse things something can be.
While not a replacement for the excellent original series, ‘Do You Remember Love?’ is a gorgeous victory lap across some of the series’s most poignant moments.
‘Sword of the Stranger,’ AKA "That One Anime Movie With the Really Good Sword Fight," is worth more than that distinction.
Though beautifully animated, ‘Sword Story’ (‘Katanagatari’) can be a frustrating watch due to its overwrought script, and the wasted potential of many of its action sequences.
‘Tailenders’ crosses the finish line in a distant second place to ‘Redline,’ but is still highly recommended to anyone who couldn’t get enough high-octane, stylish racing animation.
Texhnolyze is a dystopian sci-fi treatise about the end of humanity—not from self-destruction, but a slow degradation into nihilism stemming from a lack of purpose, drive, and ingenuity. What happens if we simply fade out instead of burn away?
Studio Ghibli adapts the iconic hero-thief Lupin III to the silver screen in this 1979 adventure, "The Castle of Cagliostro."
The Cat Returns has an extended sequence of a belly-dancing cat show. Who cares whatever else is in it?
Albeit not a substitute for Shuzo Oshimi’s incredible manga, The Flowers of Evil stylistically captures the anxiety and internalized disgust that emerge during pubescence’s discovery of sexuality.
Everyone enjoys a “be careful what you wish for” time-traveling tale, and ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’ understands why.
This short story with a common theme of aging and taking for granted what one has lost is elevated by its animation style, which bares characteristics of French animation.
In what is undoubtedly one of my most controversial media opinions, I ruminate on why The Tatami Galaxy left me feeling little more than frustration.
The Vision of Escaflowne is a sword-and-sorcery mecha anime with a consummately constructed story, but the real fantasy was Sunrise actually getting to produce all of its planned episodes.
‘Trava: Fist Planet’ is an OVA set in the same universe as the phenomenal movie ‘Redline.’ In it are plenty of stoner vibes and hips as wide as an actual racetrack.
Desperately seeking something as compelling as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, I watched Twilight of the Dark Master, an OVA so forgettable that I had to pad out this blurb with anything else.
Another team-up between two beloved ’70s mecha, but its storyline is a cut above most of its contemporaries—if only slightly.
Noteworthy for being one of Mamoru Oshii’s first directorial outings, ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ has the classic ‘Urusei Yatsura’ cast trapped in a world of dreams. However, it spends far too much time in reality when it should be dreaming.
While lacking the heavy stylization of Yoshiaki Kawajiri’s later adaptation, this 1985 attempt is still carried by the property’s uniquely creative world.
Horror auteur Yoshiaki Kawajiri directs his biggest budget film yet with Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, a mere glimpse into a Gothic-styled dark fantasy world bleeding with mystery and untold history.
‘Votoms Finder’ is a one-off OVA in the ‘Votoms’ franchise, made all the more odd by its scant new entries. While a very generic story of the haves versus the have-nots, the brisk pace makes this decently entertaining.
Neo-noir meets neo-gore as Yoshiaki Kawajiri takes audiences to Wicked City, an atmospheric, criminal underground where demons stalk the streets for their next meal. Spend a night lost in its streets.
Yu Yu Hakusho is the ideal blueprint for all classic shonen series, with occasional hints at where its successors would innovate. (Includes Nightmare Hakusho)
Not even its fantastic source material can save Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report from being yet another uninspired, non-canon, cash-in movie.
‘Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie’ fares no better than other non-canon shonen cash-ins. For a long time, it was even worse from lacking Funimation’s amazing dub cast. Don’t waste your time.
The original anime inspiration for my favorite TCG, and where we’d be introduced to ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’s’ many great, utterly mishandled concepts.
Studio Gallop believes in the heart of the cards as they attempt to cash in on the ‘Yu-Gi-Oh!’ popularity wave with this commissioned feature.
Char Aznable drives over his father’s grave so he can advertise the Zeon-branded, hot, new Toyota vehicle. Seems unnecessary for someone with a Zaku, but what do I know?
