Plot: Humanity has spread into space, bringing with it amazing technologies -- and, unfortunately, crime. When larger threats arise, the GOTT (Galactic Organization of Trade and Tariffs) sends super-powered secret agents called ES members to take care of business. As two low-level agents named Eclaire and Lumiere complete jobs for the GOTT, they start to realize that the GOTT isn't as upstanding as it claims... (A-)
Characters: A
Art & Animation: A-
Voice Acting: Original Japanese - B / Dub - A-
Music: B+
Objectionable Content: Nudity, blood, fan service, profanity
Other: "Kiddy Grade" lays down tantalizing plot hints, builds up to a great climax with lots of unexpected twists, and goes out with a bang.
While the opening and ending credits misleadingly present the series as yuri, there is no romantic relationship between the main characters.
Overall Score: B+
Plot: A talented ballet dancer, Rin Ogata had a promising career ahead of her. But an injury stole her chance, and she never returned to the stage. Now in college, Rin stumbles across a club that specializes in motorcycle-like transforming vehicles called Ridebacks. When she tries to ride one, she finds that her balance and versatility in dancing make her a natural at it. But her skills gain the attention of two dangerous groups: one is the GGP, which has taken over the government; the other is the rebel group that uses Ridebacks to go against it. (A)
Characters: B+
Art & Animation: Absolutely gorgeous (A+)
Voice Acting: Original Japanese-- A / Dub -- B+
Music: B
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity
Other: Beautifully executed and complex, but sometimes confusing, leaving some loose ends. This is another anime that left me with mixed feelings.
I have never read the manga version.
Overall Score: B+
Plot: The year is 1931. The world is embroiled in political turmoil, and the Imperial Japanese Army is stationed in mainland China. Team Sakurai, a group of super-powered agents, is dispatched to Shanghai to deal with political threats in secret. (A for interest)
Characters: A-
Art & Animation: Great attention to detail; beautiful work (A+)
Voice Acting: Dub -- A-
Music: B
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity, suggestive themes
Other: Steeped in political intrigue and historical background, this is not a series you can just sit back and watch without wracking your brain. There's a lot going on and a constant flood of information coming at you, and if you don't catch it, you're lost. Sometimes it becomes too bogged-down, but there's rarely a dull moment between the action and the interactions of the Sakurai team members.
"Night Raid 1931" starts great, has some really good episodes and some that leave you scratching your head and wondering what you just watched -- an uneven quality of writing, I guess. So I left this series with mixed feelings.
Overall Score: B+
Plot: Two insurance agents, Meryl and Milly, have been sent to evaluate claims involving the "Humanoid Typhoon", Vash the Stampede. Every time he appears, he leaves a trail of extensive damages in his wake, and it's the young ladies' job to make sure those damages are minimized. Unclear on the identity of this destructive man with a bounty of 60 billion double-dollars on his head, they chase down any leads they come across. When this gets them into serious trouble, a strange man with amazing skills saves them -- and the peace-loving goof-ball turns out to be the real Vash the Stampede! (B)
Characters: B+
Art & Animation: A-
Voice Acting: Original Japanese -- B / Dub -- A
Music: D
Objectionable Content: Blood, profanity, suggestive themes
Other: This futuristic space-Western starts off very goofy and adventurous and makes a complete 180 to a dark, brooding drama halfway through. As it gets more serious, the level of objectionable content increases.
I have never read the Trigun manga.
Overall Score: B-
Plot: Ash Ketchum has just reached the age where he is eligible to become a Pokemon trainer. On this first day of his journey, just about everything goes wrong: he's too late to get one of the standard starter Pokemon and left with a difficult Pikachu; that Pikachu gets attacked by Spearow; Ash steals a bike to rush it to the Pokemon center and the owner of said bike starts chasing him around, demanding that he return it or pay for it. Despite the rocky start, Ash and his Pikachu finally start getting along, and, joined by Misty (owner of the stolen bike) and ex-gym leader, Brock, he gets on the (long) road to becoming a Pokemon master! (C)
Characters: B-
Art & Animation: C+
Voice Acting: C
Music: B
Objectionable Content: Mild
Other: Individual stories are good and give lots of laughs. But the characters are relatively weak (in comparison to its "mon" anime competitors), and the overall plot never really goes anywhere. In newer seasons, the voice acting goes down the tubes, and fan-favorite characters are dropped. The series' makers just need to quit. (The things shameless product promotion can do... *sighs*)
Overall Score: C+
