One part studio Ghibli and one part Eureka Seven, Xam’d is a different entry into the mecha genre. In the world of Xam’d, the mechs are living things evolved from people (aptly called Human Forms). That’s right. The pilot is the mech. Xam’d begins on quiet Sentan Island. The island is cut off from the…
Author: Chris
Air Gear
Air Gear follows Itsuki Minami and his friends as they form a gang to compete against other AT gangs. AT stands for Air Treks, special inline skates that allow the rider to do impossible things. ATs let people scale vertical walls and even fly. It all begins when Ikki is beat senseless by a gang…
Dance in the Vampire Bund
Dance in the Vampire Bund often left me feeling…uncomfortable. Funimation ended up releasing an edited version for the American anime audience. If the version I watched was edited, the full version would leave me feeling very uncomfortable. Vampire Bund opens with Akira, the stereotypical highschool student, suffering from amnesia. The world is in an uproar:…
Chan, Kun, Senpai? Japanese Honorifics
I am often confused about all the –kuns, –chans, and other name attachments in subtitles. These are called honorifics. They are roughly the same as our own Mister, Miss, Madam, and Sir. Although for the Japanese they tell a lot more about the relationships between people. Honorifics are gender neutral, but some are used more…
Gunslinger Girl 2: Teatrino
The second season of Gunslinger Girl focuses mostly on the second eldest assassin, Triela. The series also spends more time fleshing out the characters of Claes and Angelica. Henrietta, the focus of the first season, takes a back end role but still sees some character development. This season has a more cohesive storyline than the…
Spice and Wolf 2
Spice and Wolf has quickly become one of my favorite anime series. It is just so refreshingly different. There aren’t any villains. There are just people with faults: mostly greed. Like the first season, Spice and Wolf II is a “talky.” There is less suspense than in the first season and more focus on Holo…