Action
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the action genre. The genre features intense or high-pressure situations often related to combat or quick maneuvering.
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Shaman King
The shonen classic that never was. What haunted Hiroyuki Takei’s ‘Shaman King?’ (Includes ‘Complete Collection’) (read more)
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Darker than Black: The Black Contractor
Darker Than Black is a action/drama series with neo-noir flavorings that’s full of superpowered humans fighting for their survival. Somehow, it’s incredibly boring. (Includes Episode 26 and Gemini of the Meteor) (read more)
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D.Gray-man
With a wonderfully stylized, gothic world and a fun cast, it’s a shame that ‘D.Gray-Man’ is 103 episodes of intriguing world-building with next to no payoff. (read more)
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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
How much will Akira Himekawa expound upon this relatively (and literally) small ‘Zelda’ world in her adaptation of ‘The Minish Cap?’ (read more)
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Sword of the Stranger
‘Sword of the Stranger,’ AKA "That One Anime Movie With the Really Good Sword Fight," is worth more than that distinction. (read more)
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Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail
After a long hiatus, Black Lagoon returns with this OVA. While that should be a perfect format for this action series, too much of the manga’s story is condensed by this adaptation’s meager runtime. (read more)
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Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt
‘Gundam Thunderbolt,’ which started as one of the best Gundam entries yet, returns with an underwhelming and meandering second season. (read more)
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Mission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is so bloody solid! But so damn impersonal, which is my typical response to older action films. I love Brian De Palma‘s excessive bombast, but it’s not excessive here. The scale of each scene is appropriate though obviously the plot is dramatically contrived. Tom Cruise’s lack of characterization is a blessing since he… (read more)
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Dancouga Nova: Super God Beast Armor
While I expected Dancouga Nova to be a fanservice-heavy insult to the original series, what I actually found was a brisk, sincere, and very decent mecha series. (read more)
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Fight!! Iczer-1
Touches of gore and horror aren’t enough to save Fight!! Iczer-1 from being a largely bland, unexceptional OVA. (read more)