Golden Boy

Summer is here and the school semester is finally done; what better way to celebrate than reviewing a six episode masterpiece.

Golden Boy is based on the manga of the same name written by Tatsuya Egawa. The story is about Kintaro Oe, a 25 year old freeter, pervert and so-called "student of life". For those wondering what is a freeter, it is a Japanese term used to describe people who are unemployed. The story follows him as he travels around Japan on his bicycle working at various odd jobs, interacting with his co-workers and taking "studying" to a whole new level.

Each episode of the show is completely unrelated to each other; the only recurring character is Kintaro himself. In each episode, Kintaro works at his job and frequently interacts with a woman who he is attracted to but they usually don't think very highly of him. The girl in each episode is a different character like how a Bond girl is different in every movie. He tries to impress but then makes himself look like a clumsy pervert that urks the ladies the wrong way.

The thing about Kintaro is he is not actually an idiot but a genius of sorts; he did go to Tokyo University and he met all the requirements to graduate but he left before doing so. So while the ladies think he is nothing but a moron, he does something that changes their opinion of him making them want him.

This show is a guilty pleasure and you will find yourself bursting into laughter. Kintaro is an charming character and he's fun to watch even if he has strange tendencies like studying and sketching the female anatomy or having a toilet fetish. The way he interacts with the women he is surrounded by and dramatically changes their lives despite horrible first impressions is a joy to watch.

One thing that I love about the show is the over the top facial animations especially of Kintaro, you can't help but laugh. Another is that this is an rarity; the American dub is far better than the Japanese voices. Something about Kintaro's voice makes him sound much more goofy in English. Lastly, the final episode itself is more than worthwhile; the icing to an already delicious cake.

Fair warning before you decide to check out this show, Golden Boy is extremely perverted and for mature audiences only. While there is nothing pornographic in nature; there are a couple of instances where it comes pretty damn close to crossing that line.

Nevertheless, this show is a classic and is more than qualified to go into the Anime Treasures Vault.

Now and Then, Here and There

Who would of thought that something dubbed by the cast of Pokemon could be so damn good? There are so many words to describe this show and yet nothing I could say would do this show justice.

Now and Then, Here and There tells the story of Shu, a kind hearted middle-school student from modern day Japan who meets a strange girl named Lala-Ru. While trying to defend her from unknown attackers, the two are mysteriously whisked away to an unfamiliar land; a futuristic destroyed Earth covered by desert and divided by war.

The moment Shu arrives in this world; his own humanity is put to the test. He is beaten and tortured, nearly killed on numerous occasions, forced to fight alongside other children as soldiers and to bear witness to many acts of cruelty. The other characters he encounters have varying opinions about the war; some oppose violence, some kill under the false promise that they will return home when the war ends, some kill because they enjoy killing. Personalities in this show range from stable to psychotic.

The series deals with many moral questions about war, the cost of war and the exploitation of children. Very real situations are presented where war has changed everything. In this world, humans have become monsters, children are forced to kill to survive, and rarities like water are worth killing over. Many times while watching this show, I would often stand up and scream at the television over the violence that takes place.

Excellent voice acting, great animation that sometimes discontinues, interesting characters and a strong plot lead this show to be considered an all time classic.

It is powerful, shocking and extremely hard to watch at times. Now and Then, Here and There is an amazing piece of work that is emotionally driven and it never pulls any punches. If you are looking for something light-hearted and happy, look elsewhere.

This anime will pull you into its dark world, whether you are ready for it or not.

Monster Rancher

I miss being a little kid. Back to the days of watching cartoons before school or waking up early on Saturday for the cartoon block; anime was still in the process of becoming big.

The shows I remembered involved collecting cute monsters. Pokemon, Digimon and Yugioh were some of the leaders in producing those kinds of shows but some shows have been completely forgotten about. Does anyone remember Monster Rancher?

Based off the video game of the same name, the show was built on a similar formula like Digimon where the goal was not to collect them all but to save the world and kill the bad guy. Were the shows clones of each other? Not necessarily.

Young Genki Sakura is a huge gamer who recently won a tournament that involved his favorite game "Monster Rancher" (who would of thought). His prize was a prototype copy of the newest version of the game. The day he gets it and pops the CD into his Playstation, he gets sucked into the world of the game where he decides to join the cause of a young girl named Holly who journeys to destroy the evil "Moo" (lol) instead of finding a way home.

Original? Hardly. But you know what, even though it is drenched in its role-playing roots that didn't stop it from being entertaining. Genki wasn't very interesting to watch but the supporting characters were surprisingly deep. They were filled with history which provided the drive for their journey. It was also darker in tone with characters dying all the time and themes like slavery and inner conflict evident throughout. Unlike Pokemon with its mindless plot, there was a definitive start and end to this story.

Unlike Pokemon with its mindless plot, there was a definitive start and end to this story. Was it a great show? No, but it was joy to watch and it did a good job at not being boring. Even though Monster Rancher never found its stride in the U.S., it's still going strong in Japan (The newest game Monster Farm is being released in the fall).

Whoever does remember this show, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora

As of today, I've decided to blog about a new topic. This is the first entry of the new section I would like to call Anime Treasures.

Basically, here I will blog about anime series that I have watched thoroughly and believe they deserve a great amount of recognition. Whether they are famous or obscure titles, old or even new, these series left a good impression. Without further ado, here is the first series.

Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora translates to "The Sky in Which a Half-Moon Rises". This series first debuted in 2006 and it ran for six episodes.

The story is about a seventeen year old boy named Yuichi who is being hospitalize over the winter due to having hepatitis A. He often sneaks out of the hospital at night only to be beaten by the nurse when he returns.

One day, he happened to meet Rika, a girl of his age, in the opposite wing. She's a natural beauty but also a very selfish girl. Although she led him by the nose, he is soon attracted to her. However, when Rika told him about her illness, he realized why she acts so selfish; she doesn't have long to live.

The characters aren't perfect; they have flaws but that makes them seem closer to human. Seeing Yuichi struggling with his new found relationship with Rika is the core of the show. It was a treat watching the young couple cope with their situation and what is to come.

Some of the characters were just intolerable, not all of the jokes were successful at being funny and it was mostly misplaced. Some situations can seem unrealistic and it would of been better off as a drama show or a comedy; not both. The animation is alright but some of the supporting characters look off.

It's not a perfect show and I am certain not too many people have heard of it. But it is an addicting show and you can finish it in an afternoon. Six episodes is perfect; any longer and the story would of dragged on. The show was a hit in Japan where it spawned manga, light novels, five drama CDs and a live action drama.

If you enjoyed movies like A Walk to Remember, this is a good series to check out. Even if you don't, well everyone could use a little drama in their life. This show is great for guys and girls, so don't judge me.

Why do I like these kind of chick shows? Okay, masculine thoughts...