Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Supernatural

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AmberGround exists in eternal twilight, lit only by its artificial sun and its inhabitants scattered cities. In this darkness roam countless mechanical insects, named Gaichuu, keeping the population imprisoned and isolated within the safe confines of the cities. There are a few brave souls that will venture into these wastelands; chief among them, the Letter Bees. A Letter Bee is a mixture of adventurer, cartographer and postman. their duty is to deliver letters between cities in AmberGround, as well as map out new routes in attempts to reconnect cities.

Gauche Suede is our first introduction to a Letter Bee in this series. His first “letter” to be delivered is actually a young boy named Lag Seeing. Lag is quite hesitant to be shipped off to his aunt’s home in the far off city of Cambel Litus. His mother was taken from him and sent into Akatsuki, the capital city of AmberGround, which is off limits to anyone not invited to enter. Gauche’s sidekick, called a Dingo in this world, is named Roda. Roda is some doglike creature and serves and a decoy and early warning system for Gauche versus the Gaichuu.

Gauche explains his weapon of choice against the Gaichuu, a Shindanjuu or “heart gun.” This gun amplifies the users will into a powerful bullet that will destroy the mechanical beasts. While holding the gun Lag accidently activates it, due to his special gemstone eye (hidden under his hair 99% of the time) and nearly dies from the effort. This in turn draws more Gaichuu to them, leaving Gauche and Roda to battle for hours on end. At one point soon after, Lag steals Gauche’s Shindanjuu and strikes off to find his lost mother, nearly getting Gauche killed in the process of saving him from a rather crafty Gaichuu.

Lag drags the nearly dead Gauche through the gates of Cambel Litus and after getting to know him as a friend, decides that he too will become a Letter Bee. He does this in hopes of gaining access to Akatsuki and finding his mother again. At this point the series fast-forwards 5 years to Lag at 12 years old, ready to start his journey.

This series has a bit of a slow start, but due to seeing a few clips ahead in the series, I can say that there is a LOT of great stuff coming! They took two episodes to complete the back-story and I feel they did it more than sufficient justice. This would have easily earned an A if they would have gotten to the point faster. The concept is solid and there are enough mysteries to keep me coming back.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Watch episode one via Crunchyroll after the break!

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Genres: Comedy, Romance, Supernatural

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Junpei Kousaka hates cats. He is allergic to them, they annoy him… even the fat cat his family owns, Nyamsus, constantly picks on him. It goes without saying that as a comedy, it’s all downhill from there. On his way home from school he innocently kicks a can into the trash. However, fate decides that he will miss this attempt and instead behead the statue of a neko-jizo, a cat guardian deity. This act brings upon his the curse of the neko-jizo; if he does not assist 100 cats with their tasks on earth, he will become a cat himself. This is when he begins to hear the voices of every cat around him.

Knowing that his allergies would probably kill him at that point, he goes about seeking alternate ways to break his fate. He first consults with the monk at the cat shrine, Keizou Kirishima, about the history of this deity. Midway through the long wandering stories dating back to the Edo Period, Junpei begins to argue with the monk’s cat, Tama. Tama explains the curse to Junpei further and he begins to hallucinate that he is becoming a cat (after badmouthing the cat deity). He wakes in his bed again, only hazily remembering what happened after the hallucination that day.

Junpei ’s first task is the stop a bully from picking on stray cats in his neighborhood. As it turns out, this bully is his friend (and secret crush from school), Kaede Mizuno. He tries to explain to her that, unlike the dogs her parents own, cats cannot be handled roughly. Nyamsus and Tama begin to harass Junpei and he ends up yelling at them to just “knock it off already.” Kaede assumes he is talking to her and runs off apologizing.

In attempts to complete his second contractual obligation to a cat, Junpei is reintroduced to Kanako Sumiyoshi, a friend from his distant past. There was a time when they were younger that she had feelings for him. She took a situation she walked in on out of context and began a long running feud with him. The cat, however, requires Junpei to pass on its feelings to Kanako for it, as she took care of the cat for some time. A few tears are shed, but things end up MOSTLY patched between the two. This moment also begins the roll of this series toward a more harem-ish spin.

This series has some good potential and as long as the harem aspects to not get trashy, we should be in for a good show. As anyone with cats will know, they find a way to get as close as possible to those who want nothing to do with them. This does add a bit of slapstick comedy to the situation, and we have yet to see the series take a fully serious note.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Check out a clip from episode 1 after the jump…

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Genres: Drama, Mystery, Supernatural

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Koyomi Araragi was running late for class at the Naoetsu Private High School. While running up the main stairwell he sees a young woman, Hitagi Senjogahara, falling down the central opening, many floors above. Without thinking he reaches out to catch her. He is surprised by her weight, as she feels rather weightless, but does not say anything. He later asks the class president, Tsubasa Hanekawa, if she knows anything about Hitagi. Tsubasa tells him that they were in middle school together, but she changed since then… becoming more attractive and mysterious.

In the hallway, Hitagi confronts Koyomi about his attempts at researching her. She places a razor knife to the left of his mouth and a stapler on the right. He promises to leave her be, and she withdraws her weapons from him mouth… giving him one staple through the cheek to prove her point. After he recovers from the shock, he chases after her. She nearly attacks him once more but he shows her that the wound she left has healed; he tells her that he can help her with her “situation.”

They travel together to an abandoned wreck of a building. Here resides Meme Oshino, an expert in the paranormal. It is around now that Koyomi confesses that in the past he was turned into a vampire and that Meme helped cure him. The side effect, super healing, is all that is left from that ordeal. Now, to cure Hitagi’s issue, Meme sets up an elaborate ceremony.

During the ceremony it is revealed that a god in the form of a crab took her weight, rendering her light and emotionless. Hitagi also reveals that her mother was part of a cult and nearly let a higher member rape her own daughter. She wished to be emotionally separated from this suffering, and the god helped her. Now, she begs the god for her burden back… and she is restored to normal. With a new smile, she thanks everyone for their help.

So far this series has not gone very deep into the over story, but the characters have been quite interesting. The visual style and music are very catchy and I will be following this series most definitely.  Check out a clip after the jump.

Overall Hook Rating: B

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Genres: Action, Supernatural

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When World War III comes around, Japan again suffers heavy losses. Tokyo, the epicenter of the strike on Japan, is left in ruins. 500 years later the remnant of this nuclear disaster lies like a black spot (and is so named) on the map. This provided the impetus for a new breed of human evolution; the wastelands bred forth a mutated human strain. The mutants possess power (one per person) which far exceeds the natural human limits. This caused them to be shunned by the general human populace as an unneeded creature in the now healing world. They are the Needless.

Humans struck out against those who were seen as the strongest of the Needless. Aruka and Cruz Schild were among the hundreds of rebels that launched an ambush on a convoy carrying the top four Needless, who are owned by the Simeon Corporation. They were the only two that survived, but are soon hunted down by anti-Needless machines called the Testaments. Aruka forces Cruz into the sewers and apparently dies holding off the Testament, effectively covering his escape.

In the sewers Cruz is again saved from the Testament by Adam Blade, a Needless with the power to clone his foes abilities. He destroys the Testament, but in doing so takes heavy damage. Cruz drags him back to the burnt out church that serves as the headquarters for his small group. Here he meets Eve Neuschwanstein, a doppelganger Needless, and Gido the scientist (who REALLY reminds me of Dr. Wiley).

The Simeon’s Needless move out to eradicate this group, as their crossing with the Testaments sent after Cruz has revealed their existence. The series leads action to action with a hard driving rock soundtrack and over the top physical comedy in between serious moments.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Genres: Fantasy, Magical, Supernatural

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Sunlight drifts down through the clear waters of an unnamed sea. Two girls, who seem very at home in their undersea setting, notice a small shiny object floating down toward them. Marin, the older of the two, catches it. Above, in the “sky-world”, a young girl named Kanon has just thrown this ring into the sea… having just been dumped by her boyfriend.

Marin decides that anyone who would have lost something so beautiful must be sad, and heads “skyward”. Her little sister Urin accompanies her to keep her out of trouble. When they finally meet the girl, she again throws the ring away in anger. This time the ring is thrown inland and lands in a shrine. Marin and Urin go off in search of it again, not understanding the situation.

Urin is the first to find the ring, but in trying to reach it, unseals an evil being known as Sedna. In a bit of foreshadowing, supposedly, we see some of the evil energy inhabit the ring (though this is never explained in the first two episodes). The counter this development the ancient Matsumoto, a giant mustached turtle awakens to train the two priestesses that must reseal Sedna.

Of course, this means Marin of the sea and Kanon of the “sky”. At this point the series takes on a decidedly magical-girl spin as the two priestesses begin to realize their powers and defeat an agent of Sedna who has come to shore. The second episode ends with Kanon walking off, telling the sea people that this is not her fight and she wants no part of it.

Now, I must admit I am no fan of the magical-girl genre; otherwise this series might have rated a B. Half of the cast is scantly clad, which I assume was half to make sense of what people would wear under water, while still providing an ecchi factor.

Overall Hook Rating: C

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance

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The many Ages: Gold, Silver, Bronze, Titan, Elf and Fairy have all come to an end. The Iron Age, the age of mankind, has finally begun… and is where our scene is set. Each Age has ended in destruction; we will begin to see the Holy Empire helping this Age match toward its end as well. Focus in on the island if Erin, home of the Gael Tribe. This tribe follows the old ways, takes pride in their hunting prowess, and is home to an Oracle: Rhiannon.

Rhiannon, daughter of the previous chieftain, foresees the invaders approaching their shore. The men of the village are out on the hunt, and she sends out the remaining villagers to gather food. The invaders, led by High Priest Drwc of the Holy Empire, wish to sacrifice Rhiannon to resurrect the Demon King Arawn. Once he learns of this plot, Arthur (Rhiannon’s brother) leads his forces to the rescue. Drwc’s control over Rhiannon turns her into a slave, bound to his will.

Arawn, upon rising, slays Drwc. No good deed goes unpunished. He restores Rhiannon to her rightful self; she then quickly announces that she will marry him. Arthur, knowing full well who and what Arawn represents, is VERY much against this. Unfortunately for everyone, the ceremony awakened the thousands of dead in the catacombs beneath. Out hero’s and their new Demon King flee from the underground… into the main story line… I hope!

This series, in the scope of two episodes, did not make it very far. Yes, the plot was laid, but beyond a surface level understanding of the situation, we are left with one too many questions to be answered.

Overall Hook Rating: D

Genres: Action, Historical, Martial Arts, Supernatural

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Japan’s Sengoku Period has spawned many tales. The story of Sanada Yukimura and Date Masamune form the basis for this adaptation of the PS2 title Devil Kings. During this period of time, the daimyo Oda Nobunaga conquered a large portion of Japan. In this retelling, Oda Nobunaga is shown as an evil, near-supernatural entity whose followers are attempting to sway the course of the war surrounding them.

Takeda Shingen has sent his forces to defeat Uesugi Kenshin. He directs this right hand, Sanada Yukimura, to cross a group led by Date Masamune. The battle between Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura consumes the field. Date Masamune, known as the One-Eyed Dragon, wields up to 6 katanas in combat. Sanada Yukimura, known as the Tiger of Kai, wields two spears in his battles. The two part ways without a conclusion due to the intervention of one of Date Masamune’s men.

In the second episode, Takeda Shingen moves on Imagawa Yoshimoto. This leads to another epic battle between the Dragon and Tiger. The prize? Imagawa Yoshimoto’s head on a pike. Oda Nobunaga has other plans, and his minions intercept Imagawa Yoshimoto during his escape. Oda Nobunaga’s final act in the episode is to kill Yoshimoto himself, unseating everyone’s plans.

Not being a history buff, I found nothing lacking in this series’ interpretation. Hard core period-genre fans may take issues with various elements in the story (does anyone else thing Date’s saddle looks like a motorcycle?)

Overall Hook Rating: B

Genres: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction, Supernatural

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Sometime in the not too distant future global warming has reached critical mass. The ocean levels have risen, reeking havoc on coastal areas. The world’s leaders have created a committee to ensure that all nations are in compliance with CO2 reduction measures. Those nations who continue to produce more carbon than they absorb are forced to pay a higher percentage tariff on global goods. Standing over the ruin of Tokyo is Atlas, which is attempting to bring about a rebirth of the nation. The old city, which is now being allowed to become overgrown with natural vegetation, has become a carbon-scrubbing sponge.

Our story opens with Kuniko Hojo, the prodigal leader-to-be of the Metal-Age, being released from prison. Metal-Age is a guerilla organization that stands to oppose the tyrannical order that has engulfed the world. The current leader of Metal-Age, Nagiko Hojo, is Kuniko’s grandmother. She is very much focused on education, and appears to be trying to keep the Metal-Age hidden amongst the citizens of Duomo. The shanty city of Duomo is centered on an electrical plant that has brightly painted smoke stacks. The jungle surrounding it is rather toxic, so it is well insulated from the outside world.

Hidden in the shadows, Karin Ishida toys with the world’s carbon markets. She may be a young girl, but is quite the prodigy when it comes to financial matters. When one of her abusive, yet legal, transactions catches the eye of those in Atlas’ Security Corps, they attack Metal-Age. The citizens of Duomo are caught in the cross fire. As the fighting climbs toward its climax, Kuniko standing defiant in front of Major Kunihito Kusanagi, a dagger he carries resonates when she strikes it. Then a third party attacks. Strange black projectiles reduce parts of the city to rubble, the military flees.

Curious as to who was behind this attack, both Metal-Age and the military seek out the cause. High above in the Moon Palace, another young girl named Mikuni notices that the battle below has caused her dagger to resonate. These matching daggers, noted to be seals, resonating begins the overarching prophesy of the story line.

This series has just barely begun to lay out the story, and much much more is yet to come in the planned 24 episodes. I will look forward to continuing this one.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Genres: Fantasy, Occult, Supernatural, Suspense

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The coming of age ceremony in the Bezarius family is a time honored tradition. Oz Bezarius, the only son and heir of the family views this with only remote interest. His servant, Gilbert, is asked to attend the ceremony as his friend. Oz’s little sister Ada follows the both around in the time leading up to the ceremony. Other side characters are introduced, including Oz’s uncle Oscar, who will lead his coming of age ceremony in place of his distant father.

While wasting time in the old castle, where the ceremony will take place, Oz and Gilbert fall into a crumbling shaft in the brickwork. Within, they find a lone grave with eroded lettering. On the marker there hangs a pocket watch that Oz is inexplicably drawn to. Upon touching it, Oz is transported to a small room where Alice is waiting. She asks him why he has been gone so long, and promises to eventually kill him. Gilbert snaps him back to reality, commenting that he has been staring off into space.

Haunted by this vision, Oz wanders off to prepare for the ceremony. Gilbert is intercepted by hooded figures and has him mind taken over, much like a puppet. His purpose unfolds during the coming ceremony.

As Oz ascends the stairs to the old, frozen clock that’s stood in its place for the last 100 years, it begins to move once more. This confirmation of a prophecy causes the hooded figures to spring into action. Gilbert, controlled by the hooded figures, stabs Oz in the chest completing their ritual. In a gout of purple flame, Alice ascends in an alternate form, the Black Rabbit. Wielding a scythe, she leaps into battle with the hooded figures and in the chaos Gilbert is struck down by Oz’s hand.

The hooded figures grab Oz by the head and cast him into the Abyss for the sin of “existing”… ten years in the future, Sharon Reinsworth, Xarxes Break (who were introduced during the party before the previous ceremony) and the still living Gilbert meet to attempt to recover Oz.

This series has quite a few elements that require answers, and many loose ends have been created in the space of two episodes. One of the BEST parts of this series for me are the constant references and remaining of the classic “Through the Looking Glass” and “Alice” stories. This series is going on my must see list.

Overall Hook Rating: A

Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Supernatural

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Tomoharu (Tomo) Natsume’s day just keeps getting worse. On his first day of high school he is forced to move out on his own, as his mother is remarrying (and apparently does not want him around to spoil it). An associate of his older brother leaves a briefcase in his possession, warning him not to lose it. Now everyone and their mother are after him to get their hands on it. Oh yea, he’s also haunted by the ghost of a young girl.

Tomo and the ghost girl, Misao Minakami, become embroiled in a light versus dark battle that heralds the end of the world. Major players in this confrontation are Kanade Takatsuki, a demon, and her yakuza-like family; the Dark Society, whose agent Shuri Kurosaki gave Tomo the briefcase; and the Holy Guards, operating under the guise of the student council.

This briefcase, as you may have gathered, has something much MUCH more important to do with the upcoming battle. Within it lies the Asura Machina, a mecha born of the shadows, which is linked to both Tomo and Misao. Tomo is to be its handler, the controller and commander of the unit. Misao is revealed to be the projected being of the human sacrifice that powers the machina.

This series has a lot of things going for it. The biggest being the yet-to-be-seen mecha combat that seems to be promised. Elements of technology, dark magic and demon powers swirl around and tease at the end of the second episode, pulling you in for the episode to come.

Overall Hook Rating: B