Plot: As a child, Yukito Kunisaki heard the story of a girl in the sky from his mother. Now he travels and searches for that girl, getting by on the little money he earns putting on shows with a string-less puppet. In a small town, Yukito meets a girl named Misuzu Kamio who quickly makes friends with him and invites him into her home. Staying there and learning about the people in that town, Yukito meets girls who have strong attractions to the sky... (B)
Characters: A-
Art & Animation: A
Voice Acting: B
Music: A-
Objectionable Content: Suggestive themes, profanity
Other: Another work from Studio Key. It starts out slow and strange, builds up to a great climax, then gets REALLY WEIRD -- after which the writers proceed to rip your heart out. Keep a Kleenex handy -- or don't watch the end at all; you'll just regret it, like me.
Overall Score: B
Plot: On one of her jobs, bounty hunter Nadie meets a girl named Ellis who has strange powers and few memories to speak of. When Ellis' home is destroyed, she is left with a mysterious stone and instructions to go south, to the place that holds the key to both her memories and her powers. Nadie travels with Ellis and protects her from the dangers that seem to follow Ellis wherever she goes... (A-)
Characters: A-
Art & Animation: A-
Voice Acting: Dub -- A
Music: A
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity, suggestive themes
Other: The series starts slow, builds up to a strong climax... then kind of falls apart.
Overall Score: B+
Plot: The sole survivor of the house of Capulet, Juliet, lives her life disguised as a boy in Neo Verona. She fights for the impoverished as the masked vigilante, the Red Whirlwind, putting her in quite a bit of trouble with the tyrannical Archduke Montague. One night, Juliet sneaks out with a friend to attend the Rose Ball. There, she meets Romeo and falls in love with him at first sight. Unfortunately, her Capulet supporters have their own agenda in mind -- one of revenge against the house of Montague, with Juliet at the helm. (A-)
Characters: A-
Art & Animation: A
Voice Acting: Original Japanese--A / Dub--B
Music: B+
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity, suggestive themes
Other: A new, fantasy twist on Shakespeare's classic play -- with Willie himself featured in the cast and references aplenty to his other works.
Overall Score: A-
Plot: Shy Tsubasa Shiina has just moved to a small country town in Hokkaido from Tokyo. She doesn't fit in well, and with her father working long hours, she is lonely. One night, a spaceship crashes in the forest behind her house. When she goes to investigate it, she is attacked by a monster. She merges with a lifeform called a Riberus onboard the ship, allowing her to become a Figure, which has the power to fight the monster. After the monster is defeated, the Riberus seperates from Tsubasa and takes on her appearance and knowledge. With this twin, who takes on the name Hikaru, Tsubasa will have to fight the other hatching "maguar" monsters scattered across Hokkaido by the crash -- at least until the ship's alien pilot, D.D., can get help from his home planet... (B)
Characters: B+
Art & Animation: A
Voice Acting: A-
Music: B-
Objectionable Content: Mild language, alien "blood"
Other:
Overall Score: B+
Plot: Having racked up an enormous debt, Hayate Ayasaki's good-for-nothing parents sell him off to the Yakuza to pay it. Hayate flees from the debt collectors and meets the wealthy Nagi Sanzenin. Desperate, Hayate decides to hold her for ransom to pay his debt; but his attempt utterly fails, and Hayate winds up saving Nagi. Afterward, the infatuated Nagi hires Hayate in as her butler. (B+)
Characters: B+
Art & Animation: B
Voice Acting: A
Music: B
Objectionable Content: Mild fan service, suggestive themes and language.
Other: A stupidly-hilarious anime parody. If you're looking for a good laugh, this one will do the trick.
Hayate has an anime and a manga, but I have only recently discovered the anime.
Overall Score: B+
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