Plot: Pollution has destroyed most of the land, and people live in the sparse patches of livable land that still remain, fearful of the contaminated "sub-humans" that live in the outside world. An adventurous boy named Kazuya finds a girl named Marine washed up on the seashore one day and befriends her. But Marine has no idea who she is or where she came from, and when the people begin to fear that Marine is a sub-human, Kazuya wants to help her... (A)
Characters: B+
Artwork: B
Objectionable Content: Mild. Profanity, at most.
Other: The story is very good and keeps you guessing. Sadly, only one volume was released stateside (that I know of).
Overall Score: B+
Plot: In a world that is dying, the few remaining humans and androids are all succumbing to "The Ruin". The only one who seems immune is Casshern, who has lost his memory and is hunted down by those who want his immortality and those who blame him for killing their savior, Luna, and thus causing the Ruin. As Casshern searches for answers, he encounters many who face the Ruin with strength... (B)
Characters: B
Art & Animation: Madhouse close to its finest. A+
Voice Acting: A
Music: A
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity, suggestive themes (one episode has nudity and sexual material -- felt like drug tripping??)
Other: Best described as a "dark ballet". Artfully executed, but not a light watch AT ALL. Also, I'm taking off points for the half-baked ending.
Also, it's sort of tied to the older OVA, "Casshan, Robot Hunter". The OVA makes more sense. (First episode has partial nudity.)
Overall Score: B+
Plot: Under the guise of running a charitable organization for the rehabilitation of injured children, the Social Welfare Agency does military work for the Italian government -- using bionically-enhanced girls as tools. (A-)
Characters: A
Art & Animation: A
Voice Acting: A-
Music: A
Objectionable Content: Blood (many parts where squeamish people must cover their eyes), profanity
Other: A very dark anime, not one I go back to very often. The driving points of this one are the relationships of the girls with each other and with their handlers, and the conflict between these girls' human emotions and their use as conditioned killing-machines.
Overall Score: B+
Plot: When Shirayuki's rare apple-red hair color earns the unwanted attention of the prince of her home country, she leaves and meets Zen -- who turns out to be the second prince of the neighboring country of Clarines. Her goal now is to become a pharmacist of Clarines and stay close to Zen. (B)
Characters: This is where the fun is. (A)
Artwork: A-
Objectionable Content: Mild. Some language, blood
Other: The translated title of this manga is "Red-Haired Princess Snow White", and while the beginning draws from some well-known fairy tales, that's as far as the comparison goes. The rest becomes somewhat like "The Story of Saiunkoku," as we follow the heroine in her quest to reach her dream and stay at the side of the prince.
What's especially refreshing about this manga is the strength of its heroine -- Shirayuki is NO idiot, and she doesn't always need the knight in shining armor to come and save her (though Zen often does that anyway). While the overall story is nothing groundbreaking, it's definitely worth the read. ^^b
Overall Score: A-
Plot: When Kite's best friend gets killed inside "The World" and goes into a coma in real life, Kite and his partner, Black Rose (whose little brother also went into a coma while playing the game), battle in-game to fight the mysterious monsters that they think are the cause. (A)
Characters: A
Artwork: B
Objectionable Content: Nondescript nudity, suggestive themes, profanity
Other: This can be a bit confusing if you're not familiar with the franchise. I've never played the games, and I was a bit lost at first, but the books were still enjoyable.
Overall Score: A-
