THEM Anime Mailblog

2002-05-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

Fushigi Yuugi OAV III

Date: 5/25/2002 21:42:34 -0400
From: "Jennifer Carino" lilr0se182@hotmail.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: a 3rd Fushigi Yuugi OAV? A

Is it true that a 3rd Fushigi Yuugi OAV series was released (or will be
released)? What is it suppose to be about? The
"happily ever after" ending of the 2nd OAV didn't really setup for there to
be anymore storyline. What can you tell me about this?

It is true. The third series, FUSHIGI YUUGI EIKOU-DEN, is four episodes long, and is based on volumes 14-18 of the manga, as well as the 7th and 8th books in a series of novels (FUSHIGI YUUGI GAIDEN), which were planned by Watase Yuu, but actually written by Nishizaki Megumi (who has also written novels for Watase's SHISHUNKI MIMAN OKOTOWARI). Watase announced the OAV series at Animazement 1999. The official site of the series is located at this URL: http://www.pierrot.co.jp/fushigiova/ (of course, it's Japanese only).

Happy viewing!

2002-04-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

Is There An Outlaw Star 2?

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Outlaw Star 2?
From: AmBrar12@aol.com
Date: Tue, Apr 23 2002 3:29:54 AM EDT

Have you heard anything about a possible 2nd season of Outlaw Star in Japan? I'm new to anime, and Outlaw Star was one of the first series I watched (my gosh am I glad it was). I guess I liked it more than others, because struck a chord in me that so far no fan site I have seen reflects. Anyways, I would love a 2nd season. And one more thing, am I the only one who thinks Melfina is really beautiful?

Well, apart from ANGEL LINKS (which is not a true sequel, but a separate story set in the same universe), I have not heard anything about a second season of OUTLAW STAR.

As for Melfina, well I can assure you that Gene certainly finds her to be quite attractive. ^_~ Somehow, I doubt you're the only one.

Happy viewing, and good luck.

2002-04-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

Are We Finishing BGC 2040?

Date: 4/23/2002 19:00:42 EDT
From: IMMAJINETHAT@aol.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: bubblegum2040 question

will you ever finish your review (aka, review the rest of that series?)
please? I appreciate your opinions... thanks

Isaac

Jason Bustard has the whole series on DVD, so a review is forthcoming some time after he comes back from California (where he is visiting family). Though we are holding off on new reviews until the site overhaul, which will occur some time during the month of May. (We hope.) Keep your eyes peeled!

2002-04-30T22:41:00.000-07:00

Himiko-den Correction

Date: 4/21/2002 07:43:44 -0400
From: Christopher Thrash thrash@io.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Himiko-Den review nitpick All headers

"Hmm. Another thing that throws me off a bit is the character of Koran.
Girl with glasses and twin braids…gee, just like Li Kouran from Sakura
Wars! (Again?)"

The similar name caught me, too, but actually Koran is the _other_ girl --
mussy red hair, open-hand martial artist. Girl-with-glasses-and-twin-braids
is named Tadami.

Regards,

Chris

I saw this title on fansub, and the fansubber in question was fooled by the similar names, to the point of subtitling "Tadami" as "Koran" incorrectly ... oops on their part, and oops on ours. Thanks for the correction! (We'll get that fixed after the site overhaul next month.)

2002-04-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

Some People Just Take Gundam Wing Too Damn Seriously

ate: 4/24/2002 05:29:41 -0700
From: "Ryan Glazner" ryan@glazner.org
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Gundam Wing review

In your review of Gundam Wing, one of the images displayed shows the g-wing boys in a band setting with the caption " I don't know about you, but I really can't see Char Anzable, Anavel Gato, and Amuro Rey doing anything like this and still be taken seriously..." . Nowhere in the series do the characters actually do this sort of thing, so why put it in the review? The image may be from the creators of GWing, but that scene is nowhere in the series and therefore does not necessarily represent something the characters might do, any more than fanart does. I apologize if this topic has already been pointed out or discussed already (I 'skimmed' through the mail archives, and didn't find anything related).

-Ryan

Thanks to Christi for this reply!

Well, seeing as how I'm the one who wrote the review and chose the pic, I shall explain.

Yes, the pic does not represent an actual scene in the show, but it does speak volumes about how the show is supposed to be perceived by the fans. It sums in one image the essence of Gundam Wing: That it's a damn silly show that should not be taken seriously as a part of the main continuity of Gundam.

Think about it, you never see Char Aznable and Amuro Rey draped over each other in fashionable clothing in publicity shots because the characters are way too serious to do anything like that. Everything in Gundam Wing is done in a tongue-in-cheek way. Yes, it has a serious story, but the characters going through it are most definetly not. I know I state this in the review.

Gundam Wing is the proverbial red-headed stepchild of the Gundam Universe. Most of its fans love the series not because of the mecha or its plot, but because of the outrageously angsty leads. The promo art of the series captures on this, and so having that picture in the review is not out of place.

-Christi Ross

2002-04-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Boogiepop Phantom Question

Date: 4/21/2002 19:44:10 EDT
From: IMMAJINETHAT@aol.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Boogiepop Phantom?

Heya, just a question:

I love your site & your honesty in reviews & I wanted to know if you planned
on reviewing Boogiepop Phantom anytime? thaks! =)

Isaac

Thanks for the encouragement! We pride ourselves on the honesty in our reviews, and we are glad that our readers appreciate that.

As for BOOGIEPOP PHANTOM, I've been intrigued by it, but I have to hold off on reviewing it until someone in THEM actually acquires a copy of it for review. When we have the new version of THEM Anime (3.0) ready to go, we'll try to implement some sort of CGI title request form for reviews.

Until then, happy viewing, and hope to see you around on the THEM Anime Boards!

2002-04-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

A Gundam Wing Fan Feels Unappreciative

Date: 4/21/2002 19:42:34 EDT
From: Princesse089@aol.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: ... All headers

i really don't appreciate your review on Gundam Wing. trowa has way more
lines than u give him credit for. wufei, yeah he's sexist but that doesn't
mean he should die! and...WHAT THE HECK IS A MILQUETOAST??!!!! again....i
REALLY don't appreciate your review

Whoa! Don't get so heavy! It's just a TV show.

I think you took us a bit too seriously, we don't *really* want Wufei to die (he's an animation character, it's not like we can actually facilitate that happening!) and while Trowa is soft-spoken, he's not entirely silent.

But compared to other series in the same genre, GUNDAM WING is hardly classic fare in our eyes. The characters are silly and over-the-top (with the exception of Duo), and while the plot is decent, the out-of-control characters often make episodes almost unbearably cheesy. Especially when Heero launches into yet another of his self-absorbed angtsy soliloquys about pacifism and being a tool of destruction.

I take it you didn't have a dictionary handy. A milquetoast is a person who is almost painfully sensitive and submissive, which basically fits Quatre to a tee.

Though the female members of THEM do enjoy GUNDAM WING, even they say not a great show by any means. But television doesn't necessarily have to be good to be enjoyable, and you'll notice that despite all the criticism, we do give it a three star rating, which is not a put-down by any means.

I'm not trying to convince you to agree with us, but do realize that we are 20 to 30-year-old college students, and we probably won't enjoy a show like GUNDAM WING as much as its intended demographic, which is primarily teenage females. And since we've seen a good deal of the GUNDAM series (as well as countless other anime, involving pretty boys and/or giant robots), GUNDAM WING simply didn't impress us that much. But you can still enjoy it all you want, there's nothing wrong with that - personally, I find GUNDAM WING fandom to be more lively and interesting than the very show it follows.

Peace out, and happy viewing.

2002-04-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Where Can I Find HANA NO KO LUNLUN?

Date: 4/16/2002 19:39:53 -0700
From: "Mary Wu"
To:
Subject: help All headers
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

Hi there, I was searching on the internet for any information on hana no ko lunlun, or flower girl lunlun, and I was so ecstatic that someone has actually seen and even wrote reviews on this old anime series. Now here is where I really need your help if you can. I grew up on hana no ko lunlun and have been searching for it for awhile now. IF you have the series or knwo any place where I can get the series please let me know. I would appreciate it so much.. and if you have the series I would be happy to buy a copy... :) thanks!!!

BIG ANIME FAN
Mary

Oh, I wish I knew where to find more than the two episodes I've managed to see. LUNLUN was my wife's favorite show when she was a young girl, and she found one tape of it (the American dub, called ANGEL) at a local video store. It's easily my favorite '70s anime, just from those two episodes alone!

Apart from the one tape (which I'm afraid is lost even to us now), I have no clue where to get anything LUNLUN, apart from raiding the merchandise in my sister-in-law's room. (Just kidding, Natalie!) However, a Google search of the show may pull up something that might help you. There may be a chance that somebody, somewhere still has a copy of either the English-language dub, the various European releases, or maybe taped the Japanese version off TV. (Here's hoping the recent majokko revival will produce a DVD or even a VHS version back in Japan!)

I wish I could be of greater assistance, but best of luck to you, and happy viewing!

2002-04-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

Totoro Fan Thanks THEM

Date: 4/16/2002 15:41:17 -0400
From: Shawn Carroll (hjcarr01@athena.louisville.edu)
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Thank you

My brother is an anime enthusiast, and introduced our family to "My
neighbor Totoro", a very heartwarming anime suitable for family
viewing. Unfortunately, it was in Japanese only. I have been looking
for a copy as one of my sisters just had the first child in our clan.
Your review has kept my from purchasing the pirated "Studio Ghibli"
edition, as first I have time before the kid is old enough, and secondly
I fear a butchered translation would damage a movie like Totoro more
than most. Your site was the only one of two on the net with a posting
on the set, and helped me make my decision. Thank you, and I hope this
encourages you to ignore the flames and keep up the good work.

Sincerely,
Shawn Carroll

Thank you for the kind words ^_^

You may be interested to know that Disney recently acquired the rights to MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO, which had previously belonged to Fox Home Video. This puts the title in serious limbo right now, as Disney has not seen fit to release any of its Ghibli properties since the Miramar PRINCESS MONONOKE release a while back. There should still be copies of the Fox MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO dub on VHS available on video store shelves, but this title should be, sadly, considered out of print.

Best of luck to you and your family ^_^ I will be updating the THEM Anime site with many more family-oriented titles, as my nieces grow old enough to begin enjoying anime as much as the rest of their family does. (AKAZUKIN CHACHA, here we come!)

Best wishes, and happy viewing!

2002-04-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

You Hate FLCL? I Won't Read Your Reviews!

Date: 4/14/2002 20:15:36 -0500
From: "Jimmy Jameson"
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Why I will not read reviews on your website- my whiny complaint All headers

OK, so whenever I visit an anime review site I always look at the reviews for my favorite anime, FLCL.

well, I look at your site and I see two stars.

Seriously, TWO STARS.

sheesh, what was stuck in that guy's ass when he wrote that?

I mean, seriously, now I can understand how you could possibly rank it 4 stars(some people are too boring to get caught up in the mood), but two?

GAH!

First off, it's very bad policy to review an entire site based off of a review of one title. THEM has half a dozen review writers, with differing opinions, who have produced over three hundred anime reviews. Check out some of the other reviews on our site, and let me know if disagree with all of them as much as you disagree with the FLCL review.

Secondly - while we like Gainax as a whole (especially NADIA and GUNBUSTER), we do not consider them or their work inviolate. We will be honest about our opinions, and, frankly, if we genuinely don't like a title, we will say so, regardless of whether or not a title happens to be popular. Personally, I agree with the FLCL review, I find the work utterly pretentious and completely nonsensical, with a dash of just plain snarky, and I don't feel compelled to have to change my opinions (or the opinions of THEM's staff) based on disagreements with readers. (Though the stick-up-the-ass comment is clearly uncalled for, I have no wish to propagate any sort of flames over this.)

This is something you should be used to in anime fandom - people disagree all the time on all sorts of titles. This is a site on anime opinions - so therefore, we may disagree with you. That hardly means anything in the personal sense, you are just as entitled to your opinions as we are to ours. We have merely chosen to publish them.

Keep the personal insults to a minimum, and we'll gladly welcome you back to our site any day. It's not like we can stop you or anything. ^_^ Happy viewing!

2002-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

End of Evangelion? Where?

Date: 4/14/2002 21:08:47 EDT
From: LinkinPark818@aol.com
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: End of Evangelion

I was reading your Review List yesterday, and I came across something called
End of Evangelion. I, being the Evangelion fan I am (= P), was surprised
when I never heard of it. I went to the place I usually get my anime,
DVDPlanet, and they don't have it. I also went to your link to Manga
Entertainment, but it still didn't give me anything about it. Can you help me?

Thanks for your time.

END OF EVANGELION was the final version of the NEON GENESIS EVANGELION theatrical release. It is currently not yet available in North America, due to some strange distribution snafu. Last I checked, Manga Entertainment had the rights to what they call EVANGELION THE MOVIE. Note that ADV Films has the rights to the TV series. So you can see the conflict of interest here.

We'll just have to be patient and wait for the climactic end of this situation.

On an unrelated note, Linkin' Park is a really, really good band.

Happy viewing!

2002-04-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Love LOVE HINA, Want More!

Date: 4/9/2002 23:58:38 -0700
From: Jivan Achreja (anime_master55555@yahoo.com)
To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Correction

Hey i was reading your reviews for most of the anime on the list as i have seen most of it, and was wanting to note a correction and update and ask for a reccomendation- Some of my fav classic anime's are C.B., Trigun,Inu Yasha, Love Hina~~!.NGE,Kenshin,Flame of Recca,and several others for a start i believe a few of these titles are not listed and would like to note this correction and update on the series LOVE HINA. Probably one of my all time favorites, They are creating three to four more specials, Love Hina Once again, and Love Hina After math, Kinda like what happened with the El Hazard Series another must see/add! Your revies are great,also would you give me the names of some titles of anime similar or identical to love hina like a Comedy/romance with the twist of action like love hina all thrown in and shaked up? I have been searching for one like it as i have greatley enjoyed Love Hina. Well hopefully you guys will respond soon Thanks!

Jivan(Known as ~Shadow~) Forever and always Anime Fan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks! That's more of an update than a correction, since none of the information on the LOVE HINA review was actually wrong. In any case, it's all quite an accomplishment for a series that was originally intended as a filler title for the magazine it ran in. O_O

While LOVE HINA draws from many other series in its themes, none of them are quite like it. I have already listed a few titles at the bottom of the LOVE HINA review (which has been uploaded to the main site, by the way).

MAISON IKKOKU features an aspiring college student who falls for the beautiful apartment manager who moves into his complex amid comic hijinks. Whereas TENCHI MUYO, OH MY GODDESS, and MAMOTTE SHUGOGETTEN are romantic comedies featuring normal guys who become surrounded by girls. Probably closer in theme would be series like TOKIMEKI MEMORIAL, SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY, and dating simulation based anime of that sort, though those are purely romance titles, and not truly comedies. HAND MAID MAY and COMIC PARTY are spin-offs of the "harem" genre, with a good deal of comedy in them.

There's websites for practically all these titles on the AniPike (www.anipike.com), so you may want to do some research before taking the next step into these titles.

Hope that helps! Happy viewing!

2002-03-31T18:30:00.000-08:00

More Gundam Discussion

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Thanks for the answer
From: Cristopher Castro
Date: Fri, Mar 29 2002 2:44:49 PM -0600 (CST)

Thank you for the previous answer. Don' t worry about replying in english, I may not be very fluent in it... but I do have a lot of english-spanish dictionarys.

I' ve heard somewhere that Sunrise/Bandai doesn't want to release the MS Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Victory Gundam and Turn A Gundam in North America because they are far to dark and violent for the general public. Do you know if it' s true? I hope not. By the way, do you have any info on the release date of Char's Counterattack in the US? I want to buy it as soon as it is available.

Speaking of Gundam (yeah I'm a little obssesed with that series), are you planning to do reviews of Gundam ZZ, Victory Gundam and G Gundam. I' ve actually seen plenty of each and even tough V Gundam wasn't a big success in Japan I think it's as good as the legendary Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ may have plenty of high jinks but I don't think that it's as bad as (dare I say it) Macross 7, and G Gundam isn't stupid or silly, it's more of a cliché anime series because it has many things that were freccuent in animes like Mazinger Z and the original Getter Robo series... tough I still like the UC Gundam series a lot more.

Do you know an anime called Galaxy Express 999?. Is it any good?

I like (tough not much) the Saint Seiya anime (It's really big here in my country and in South America) and was wondering if there is a review of it coming soon from you. Same for Samurai Troopers (called Samurai Warriors for some strange reason in my country) and Raideen.

I was reading your anime mailbag and noticed that you were talking about the magical-girl Myth and that Sailor Moon invented the "monster-of-the-week" stereotype, I don' t think thats really thruth tough, because I think that the "monster-of the week" of Sailor Moon is just a variation of the "super-robot-monster-of the week" pioneered by Mazinger Z.

Thanks for answering. Congrats from México.

It would seem counterproductive for Bandai *not* to release those series, as they have already released GUNDAM 0080 and GUNDAM 08TH MS TEAM, which are *not* light and fluffy anime series at all. Also, ZZ GUNDAM isn't entirely angst - if I recall, that's the series with the frighteningly named Camilla. O_O G GUNDAM is nicknamed "Street Fighter Gundam", which is pretty much apt. The Dutch Windmill Gundam isn't the beginning of the sheer silliness of this series.

I never know release dates, the best place to check would be their website. Either http://www.bandai-ent.com or http://www.animevillage.com should work.

While SAILOR MOON did not invent the monster-of-the-week cliche by any means (the monster-of-the-week dating back through both Japanese and American animation - think SCOOBY DOO and SUPERFRIENDS as well as MAZINGER Z), it popularized the cliche among magical girl shows due to its market penetration and sheer iconic inertia. CUTEY HONEY may have predated it by almost two decades, but it did not have quite the success of SAILOR MOON.

What SAILOR MOON did do was combine the magical girl and sentai genres for the first time. No other series had done that before. Also, with a set of five girls, instead of the singular lead character, more girls were likely than associate and empathize with one of the Sailor Senshi, so even if a girl didn't like Usagi, they may latch onto Makoto or Ami. Pretty sneaky and effective tactic, there - borrowed directly from SAINT SEIYA and SAMURAI TROOPERS, which were actually much more popular with the female market than the male audience in Japan ^_^

GALAXY EXPRESS 999 is excellent. The original series aired in the late 70s/early 80s, and it's tangentially linked to CAPTAIN HARLOCK and QUEEN EMERALDAS. Those characters often make cameos in GALAXY EXPRESS 999. The THEM review for this title has been delayed for four years, I'll get it done eventually.

Having seen a grand total of one episode of SAINT SEIYA, I'm not qualified to write the review. Eric Gaede, however, is quite qualified - and he probably saw the same version you did (CABALLEROS DEL ZODIACO - apologies, my computer does not print accent marks). YOROIDEN SAMURAI TROOPERS will have several reviews, and I'm debating on whether to review the US dub (RONIN WARRIORS) separately. Somewhere in one of my notebooks I have a review written on the YOROIDEN SAMURAI TROOPERS GAIDEN video series (which has them teleported to Tanzania to fight a Maasai - I think - who inexplicably wields a giant boomerang). (PS> It's terrible.) RAIDEEN may be difficult - not only did it not get released in the US, but of all of us in THEM, I think *maybe* Christi saw it at a convention many years ago. Which is too long ago for more than a footnote.

2002-03-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

Getting Anal About the Ratings, Aren't You?

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: BEBOP MOVIE
From: "N/A N/A" Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Mar 28 2002 1:55:51 PM -0800
Attachments: Unknown

rating for cbebop R?! could be excessive, NO nudity, moderate violence, mild
language, in USA MPAA would be PG-13
BEBOP movie is better than serious, may be impossible to find but
downloadable

"Moderate" violence? The violence in COWBOY BEBOP is serious enough that half the episodes were released straight-to-video without ever airing on Japanese TV. And BEBOP was a cable show! Remember that the version aired on Cartoon Network is still an edited, sanitized version of the original. Also, language is almost never a factor in our newer reviews, simply because of the differences between the English and Japanese languages. So the rating stays as is..

As far as the movie, we're waiting until it is released in North America, or at least until less scrupulous friends of ours get a copy of it ^_~ Seriously, though, I don't support anime for download unless it's a show that will probably never see American release, like BROTHER DEAR BROTHER or GOLDFISH WARNING. COWBOY BEBOP KNOCKIN ON HEAVEN'S DOOR is *guaranteed* a local release, so I advise honest fans to be patient and buy it once it gets here.

2002-03-28T15:22:00.000-08:00

Nausicaa Question

To: Carlos Ross
Subject: I know this is bad but.... (fwd)
From: Erik Wennstrom Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Mar 28 2002 12:20:42 AM -0700 (MST)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 00:50:25 -0500
From: Patricia Gerardi
To: them@asu.edu
Subject: I know this is bad but....

I kind of liked the Warriors of the Wind movie and I had
typed it in hotbot.com to see if anything came up because I have an
original taped version ( I taped it myself) from when they showed it on
HBO so many many years ago. So I was hoping it was out on video. So now
I find out through your web page that the name has changed to Valley Of
Wind. Do you know if there's any and I do mean any chance of it coming
to video. I'm curious to see if this one resembles anything of the old one.

Thanks for your page and info.
Patricia

For the record, WARRIORS OF THE WIND is a heavily edited version of the original movie. The Japanese name of the film is KAZE NO TANI NO NAUSICAA, which translates literally to NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, which is not a "name change", but the original, correct translation. Currently, however, the only English language version of this film that is out is WARRIORS, which I believe is out of print, and I don't think anyone holds the rights to the original, uncut work in North America. If you're lucky, you may be able to score a fan-subtitled copy, though keep in mind this is hard to do, and worse, not entirely legal. Still, that's about the only way I've managed to catch this wonderful movie in its original form. Though I did see it about a year (or was it two already?) back at a Tucson Animation Screening Society (www.tass.org) showing, you may want to see if they can point you in the right direction.

Good luck, and happy viewing!

2002-03-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Mikazuki?

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: I need some info on an anime title!
From: PossessedOtaku@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Mar 24 2002 6:06:57 PM EST

Hey, what's up. I love your site. Anyway, I recently came across an anime
called "Mikazuki" for sale, but I know nothing about it. I checked your
archives and it's not there, and it's also not in the Anime Encyclopedia. I
want to buy it, but I also don't want to waste my money if it sucks. Has
anyone on the staff ever heard of it? And if so, what can you tell me about
it? I really appreciate the help!
-Justin
possessedotaku@aol.com

Unless there's a new anime I've not heard of by that name, I'd assume that the title in question is TEKKOUKI MIKAZUKI (IRON ARMORED MACHINE MIKAZUKI), from the creator of IRIA and ZEIRAM. The hitch, though, is that there is only a live-action series of that, as far as I know. And I even checked Google, just in case.

2002-03-24T09:39:00.000-08:00

Missed the Point of the Kite Review

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: your Kite review
From: "John Kang" Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Mar 24 2002 1:36:19 AM -0500

in ur review, you said that the movie has nothing to do with a kite.
sigh. i haven't seen the movie, but isn't it obvious, especially thru the
cover, that Sawa is being manipulated by her mentor, much like a child flies
a kite? To Kill a Mockingbird wasn't exactly about mockingbirds. Catcher
in the RYe wasn't exactly about baseball. don't look at things on a
figurative level or anything.
also, i don't seen how portraying two teenagers as assassins makes ALL
japanese schoolchildren become assassins. in that case, obviously, ALL
japanese women are assassins as well (Noir). using your logic, any anime
that gives children special powers implies that all children have those
powers.
you should give the title a second review just because of the blatant and
biased language you used, which i proved here makes little sense. Thank you
for your time.

It should've been plainly obvious that, since the title couldn't take itself seriously enough to care about plot, characters, or anything else, that we weren't being entirely serious in our review. Of *course* KITE is a "metaphorical" title for the manipulation of the characters in the film. Of *course* all Japanese schoolchildren aren't assassins. To give you a dose of your own medicine, I think you're taking US a little too literally.

Apparently you missed the sarcasm in our review. It should be plain to you, though, that we thoroughly dislike KITE, and frankly, why *should* we be forced to go watch a title we hated a second time?

Besides, according to DAGGER OF KAMUI, Captain Kidd was a ninja. If anyone buys that, THEM is offering oceanfront property on Arizona State University grounds for dirt cheap.

2002-03-23T20:41:00.000-08:00

Some CHILD'S TOY Discussion

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: about a review...
From: Qwerty212@aol.com
Date: Tue, Mar 19 2002 10:15:14 PM EST

Thanks for replying so quickly.

Well you set me straight, that's for sure. I agree with "being able to try something at least once" is what a true anime fan is. I know I've certainly done that (owning the whole series of To Heart should qualify has being an openminded otaku wouldn't you say? hehe).

With that...onto something a bit different. I was reading your review for Kodomo no Omocha (or Child's Toy, as you have it only listed as), and I just wanted a bit more of an opinion of it from you since your review really only talked about the weird and off-the-wall comedic side of the show. It's one of my favorite shows to watch, and there's just something about it that is extraordinary, don't you think? There is some pretty dark stuff that the show touches on (though maybe I'm reading into it a bit too much?). There's light touches (and some not-so-light) on child abuse, neglect, death, abandonment, etc. The episode when Hayama (in devil-mode) almost kills Mami-chan in the school pond (fountain..whatever it was)....it gives me chills! It's definitely not your average anime hyper-active comedy (yet is that genre average anyway? hehe) Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic, but KNO is truly a rollercoaster ride of emotion, and the hyper-ac tive comedy works so well which is the extraordinary thing about it.

Well I can go on and on but I won't. Thanks for the prompt reply though! =D

First, a little bit about why CHILD'S TOY and not KODOMO NO OMOCHA.

We refer to it as CHILD'S TOY since we mostly go with the translated and fairly literal English titles of shows in our reviews. When applicable, we tend to stick with the North American release title: however, we have made exceptions for titles that have different names for the dub and sub versions (MY DEAR MARIE rather than METAL ANGEL MARIE; CARD CAPTOR SAKURA rather than CARDCAPTORS). Also, we do not use English translations when they are unmanageable as titles (MAMOTTE SHUGOGETTEN rather than PROTECT ME, MOON GODDESS). We also do not use nonstandard titles from other publications (like the stunningly bad apocrypha from "The Anime Encyclopedia", CHANCER PRINCESS and HEART MARK, here listed as SUDDENLY PRINCESS and I'LL MAKE A HABIT OF IT). This sometimes gets confusing (watch for our upcoming review of REIGN, aka ALEXANDER THE GREAT), but it's THEM policy.

That being said, we recognize it's not just a wacky comedy. Yes, it does get rather dark - dealing with violence and child abuse is never a light subject. Later in the series, the series gets considerably angstier, too, as the emotional aspect of teenage life plays more and more of a role. We will be dealing with those in a later review, but it's literally been years since we last saw an episode. So forgive us if we're too backlogged to get to it yet.

Since Eric Gaede has (heroically) finished TO HEART, there may be an upgrade to that review (especially in fixing the blatantly erroneous episode count data, apologies on that one). But not much - the only thing he liked about the show was Multi, and that simply wasn't enough to tip the scales in the series' favor in his eyes. But Andrew Shelton at Anime Meta-Review really likes it...

2002-03-23T20:26:00.000-08:00

Mecha Madness from Mexico

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Congratulations!
From: Cristopher Castro
Date: Fri, Mar 22 2002 9:36:11 PM -0600 (CST)

Hi, my name is Cristopher I just have to tell you that your site RULES! it's awesome, your anime reviews are some of the more accurate I have ever seen ( I laugh my head of when I see your reviews of a bad anime... it's simply funny), you guys are cool for making it, It's been a lot of help to me for making the decisions of wich anime should I watch... and wich not.

I just have some interrogatives and I would like you to help me (please):

*Are you going to do a full review of the Macross 7 tv series? People told me that it gets better past the 10th episode, and so I watched all the episodes and... DON' T belive those people, the series gets even more ludicrous and stupid, a guess the only thing worth of that crappy series is the last 5 episodes where the space battles are awesome, Macross 7 is really a medicre series that just haves a good ending... altough the Dynamite 7 OAVs ruin that (I guess they needed to end the franchise in a note as crappy as most of the TV series).

*Will you be revieweing The original Gundam series, Zeta Gundam and/or Gundam 0080 and 0083 and Space Cruiser Yamato any time soon? That would be great.

*I don't think that Gundam X is that bad, I've watched all the episodes and even tough the first ones are like you mentioned in your review, the series DOES get better (unlike Macross 7... yeach!) and many people consider it a better series than G Gundam and Gundam Wing.

Pardon me if I have bad writting (I'm latin), thanks for reading this e-mail.

You guys rule!

Don't worry about your writing, your English is fine! ^_^

I doubt we'll ever get back to MACROSS 7, because we don't care to watch any more of it. Basara is just too much of a jerk. However, we will eventually have reviews for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, ZETA GUNDAM, 0080 and 0083. The most likely candidate for being reviewed the soonest might be 0083, but we'll have to rewatch all of those series to give them proper attention. Same with UCHUU SENKAN YAMATO, though all we're able to get in the States seems to be the 1970s English dub STAR BLAZERS. As for GUNDAM X, I'm not a big fan of it, especially compared to GUNDAM 08TH MS TEAM, but I do like it as much as GUNDAM WING. I've actually not seen G GUNDAM, it worries me a bit much ...

If our reviewer Eric wasn't ill with the flu, he'd be able to help reply - he's much more fluent in Spanish than I will ever be (considering his mother is Colombian and his father Argentine, this is no surprise).

Glad to hear from you, and thank you for e-mailing us!

2002-03-19T18:23:00.000-08:00

Dispelling the Magical-Girl Myth

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: about a review...
From: Qwerty212@aol.com
Date: Tue, Mar 19 2002 8:43:52 PM EST

NOTE: For some reason, the original e-mail did not post. =( To paraphrase as best as I can, Qwerty likes our reviews, but disagreed with our calling MAHOU TSUKAI TAI a "magical girl" show, stating that it might drive off some anime fans who think of that genre as being nothing but the Monster-Of-The-Day, a la SAILOR MOON and KAMIKAZE KAITOU JEANNE. To which we replied:

While there is no transformation sequence, Mahou Tsukai Tai does qualify due to being a show depicting school-age girls using magic in a modern fantasy background. Keep in mind that there was a manga for this show serialized in Asuka DX (a shoujo magazine).

Also, magical-girl shows do not necessarily have to have transformations. Card Captor Sakura is the most obvious - Tomoyo makes all the clothes for Sakura (who wouldn't bother wearing them if Tomoyo didn't ask her to.) I don't think Oja Majou Doremi (MTT's stablemate) has "transform" sequences either. The manga to Akazukin Chacha completely omitted the television-only Magical Princess Holy-Up bit, and that's very much a magical-girl title (despite being in an obviously fantasy setting).

While MTT may not seem like a shoujo title to some viewers, remember that Itou Ikuko (character designer) and Satou Junichi (director) had previously collaborated on Sailor Moon, and while this title has a considerable amount of crossover, the actual point-of-view protagonist in MTT is not Takeo, but Sae - who falls well within the shoujo magical-girl heroine category.

Also, the "monster-of-the-week" stereotype of magical-girl shows was actually invented by Sailor Moon, which itself was not a pure "magical-girl" show to begin with, but a crossover with the originally male "hero-team" format of Saint Seiya, Samurai Troopers, Kamen Rider, and Power Rangers. Until that series, almost all magical-girl show were like Minky Momo, Magical Emi, and the like, where a girl gained magical powers to turn into a grown-up version of herself, to become an idol singer or do random acts of goodness. And Hana no Ko Lunlun (Angel) used the magic power of flowers to rescue people from burning buildings or bring quarreling neighbors together. And this was in 1979, long before Takeuchi Naoko was involved in manga or anime, but almost twenty years after the first magical-girl show was created! If you want a more traditional magical-girl show of the old style, watch Fancy Lala.

My thought is that if "anime otaku" are so uptight as to shun a show just because of the two words "magical girl", then they ought to just nnot call themselves anime fans at all. To love anime is to appreciate an anime based on quality and enjoyment, not based on genre or whether you look cool saying you like it. A true anime fan shouldn't cater to stereotypes, but be willing to try something at least once.

Dog Soldier: Shadows of the Past

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: dog soldier
From: "N/A N/A" Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Mar 18 2002 8:34:39 PM -0800

have you heard of it do you plan to review it

Ooh, the nasty thing with what looks like an anime version of Charlie Sheen from Hot Shots on the cover. We will have a review for it eventually, but don't expect it to be very positive - I've yet to meet a THEM member who likes it enough to write about it, but I've heard plenty of "ugh, I remember that show". Never a good sign.

2002-03-12T21:27:00.000-08:00

Once in a while, someone reminds me to go back and fix a few things on our old reviews. Or, thanks!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: review confuse
From: Darksoldr@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Mar 11 2002 10:39:10 PM EST

i notice u give a R at least closer to X for ninja scroll and a regular R
for ninja resurreciton when the 2nd one is 100x worse also u give perfect
blue NC-17 bt its not half as bad as ninja resurection

That would be the result of having no less than three different reviewers writing those reviews. Personally, I see Ninja Resurrection as definitely an NC-17 (especially given the necrophilia *GACK*). In retrospect, Perfect Blue is more of an R film, though. No *explicit* nudity involved, but it's quite intense. Ninja Scroll does have a couple of scenes (the attempted rape at the beginning and the snake woman) that would easily make it an NC-17 title, really. But Ninja Resurrection IS more graphic, so...

2002-03-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

Mail Call!

To:
Subject: Pokemon review
From: "Angel Woodings" Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Mar 7 2002 8:35:21 AM -0600

Hello,

Your reviews were very entertaining! My only suggestion is to add
something about the massive worldwide merchandising of Pokemon.

Thanks for the fun,
Angel.

I'm glad you've enjoyed our site! As for Pokemon, we felt that mentioning the merchandising of that series would be pretty redundant. Anyone who hasn't seen that series or its merchandise by now either has a complete lack of perception skills, or is so isolated, they wouldn't be reading this site anyway. But, yeah, it made billions off of being cute. So does Sanrio, for that matter. ^_^

Good luck, and happy viewing!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Street Fighter 2:The Animated Movie
From: Etienne1986@aol.com
Date: Fri, Mar 8 2002 10:38:37 PM EST

Hey! I have been a Street Fighter fan for a long time right now. anyway I have both Americanized Versions of Street Fighter 2:The Animated Movie. Do you know where I can get the original Japanese Version? I can't find it. I use to know of a place, but it went out of business. If you know of a place and even if you don't, please e-mail me back.

To be honest, I have no earthly clue. You may have to try finding an import directly from Japan, though that will be fairly difficult, as technically SF2:The Movie is now considered an "older title". Maybe eBay?

Good luck, and happy viewing!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: slayers
From: "N/A N/A" Add to Contacts
Date: Fri, Mar 8 2002 9:20:59 PM -0800

You refer to Naga as having "a S&M bent". Where is it?

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That was Raph's review, but I'll reply to this one. Um, look at her clothes. That is SO all you need to know, right there. Seriously. And the fact that she likes to inflict pain and destruction on other beings, while dressed in said skimpy black (probably leather or vinyl) outfits with decorative skulls. If that doesn't scream out "S&M" to you, then go watch some Sorcerer Hunters and see us in the morning. :)

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: On the subject of the Utena Movie review
From: Kitty37693@aol.com
Date: Sat, Mar 9 2002 3:20:15 AM EST

You're review of the Utena movie mostly on the money, but it was off on some areas.

First off, you cagtorize the movie as a "suspense thriller" which seems a little off. Okay, I had read the manga version of this story via a translation a while so I knew all the twists and turns. But I think a fever dream story is a little more accurate. If you look at the story it is a dream. A dream of the main characters.

"Sadly, had the movie ended 15 minutes sooner, this would have been a 5 star anime. For just as the plot reaches its zenith and all becomes clear and we're ready to see Utena and Anthy beat the enemy both within and beyond...director Ikuhara lights his bong and decides to 'play around' with the ending." Okay, I'll admit the ending was silly beyond belief, but it did have some sort of purpose... it was a "growing up" of sorts. I'll admit there was a better way to end the movie...

"The movie devolves into a demented wet dream straight out of the pages of Low Rider magazine" Uuum.... where? There was 2 intances of nudity in the ending I can remember, the transformation, and the very end. The transformation only had a couple of glimpses, and the very end was a symbolic nudity. It was very obvious what it meant, and it wasn't even very detailed. That statements seems very, very off.

Killer Camel Queen, signing off.

Though this isn't my review (it's Christina's), I'll reply. The Utena movie is actually pretty psychotic, especially when dealing with Anthy and several other characters. It's actually suspenseful and creepy enough to merit that genre tag, which is about as close to "fever dream" as genres really get.

As for the "wet dream", let's see, fast cars? Check. Naked lesbians? Check. Low Rider isn't explicit - it's fast cars and near-naked women frolicking for the camera. Christi should know, she was raised in El Paso. So the comparison is pretty apt, I think.

Still, yeah, we agree, that was a pretty strange ending, but Ikuhara Kunihiko isn't exactly what one would characterize as a *stable* personality. His creations only back up this notion.

Take care, and happy viewing!

2002-03-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: dissapionted
From: "vince blackert" sigil121@msn.com
Date: Sun, Mar 3 2002 8:44:25 PM -0800

im very disappointed in people like u your site is good but you guys wernt payin attention or something when u were watchin kite i cant beleive that u gave it 1 * come on

i totally hate people like u guys so called anime lovers my ____

Let me get this straight.

1) Because we don't like Kite, we "weren't paying attention"?
2) Because we don't like Kite, you "totally hate" THEM?
3) Because we don't like Kite, we don't like any other anime?

Here's your answer.

1) We were most definitely paying attention. We still don't like the show - we did not appreciate the glorification of sex and violence, and the really bad ending, not to mention the less-than-stellar characterization. We've seen a lot of other titles we like more. That doesn't mean you have to agree with us - it's just our opinion, based on the conclusions we came to after watching it.
2) I'm sorry you're taking this personally, but seeing as we don't know you, we do not reciprocate those feelings. It's not worth hating someone over disagreeing over an opinion of one movie. Really.
3) Kite is only one of a plethora of titles anime has to offer, many of which, we adore. We have a lot more 5-star-ratings than 1-star, if you really want to keep track. We enjoy anime, but we are willing to accept that not all of it has the same quality. And we feel that promoting anime we find exemplary does a lot more good than promoting just any anime we find. And the members of THEM don't even necessarily agree with each other on titles, but we're friends all the same.

Though you disagree with us, you certainly shouldn't have to take it as some sort of personal affront. Just accept that we don't share your opinion and move on. If you can't accept our honest opinions, well, I'm sorry to disappoint you. But I'm certainly not going to change my opinion over a disagreement with a reader, just as you shouldn't have to change your opinion on Kite after reading our review. Why would I hate you, anyway? You're an anime fan, too.

Take it easy, and happy viewing!

2002-02-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: anime advice
From: "Patrick Lee" Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Feb 25 2002 11:29:32 AM -0800

Hi, I enjoy reading your anime reviews.

I would like to know whether you screen the anime in a theatre or a
television. I am interested in screening the animes in a theatre in Los
Angeles and would like to know whether I need to go to the anime company in
Japan or the U.S. distributors. Your advice on this is appreciated.

Patrick

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Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

The vast majority of our screenings are on televisions, usually in the apartments of club members. Very few anime are available on reels - DVD and VHS are the rule. For theatrical screenings, I'd assume the US distributors would be the go-to contacts for that. However, many colleges and other establishments have provision for showing DVD and VHS on large screens as well.

Good luck and happy viewing.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: hi! about your To Heart review...
From: "Jennifer Carino" Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Feb 25 2002 4:18:37 PM -0500
Attachments: Unknown

Thanks so much for replying! Yes, Multi-chan is pretty much the only breath
of life into the whole series. Everything else is just ho-hum. I don't
know if you are accepting any "reduced anime" submissions, but here's an
easy one for To Heart:

Akari: Hiroyuki-chan!

Hiroyuki: *looks sleepy*

(they walk to school in which the class rep rips one piece of paper over and
over and over and over...you get the idea)

The End

Hehe =D THEM ROCKS! Can't wait to read more reviews! Cya!

Jenn

Thanks again for the support! We're currently not accepting any reduced anime submissions until we get onto the new servers, but this one's a shoe-in, at least for the first episode of that show.

Happy viewing!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: Reviews...
From: "Mark McCarthy" Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, Feb 26 2002 12:31:35 AM +0000
Attachments: Unknown

What do you mean I'm not cleared for that information? (:P )
________________________________________________________________
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It's in the FAQ. What does THEM stand for? You're not cleared for that. In fact, I'm not cleared for that. I don't know if anyone is! ^_~

And now for some more laughs: a flamer continues to assert his "intellectual dominance" over us. This little fanboy deserves a good spanking from his mom.

To: themreviews@AnimeLovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: Re: about your anime reviews
From: oldirtylam@popmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Feb 25 2002 8:33:30 PM -0600 (CST)

Not gonna read all that cuz i'm not in the mood but it's simple that you're stupid and if i made a small typo it's pretty funny for you to point it out becaue i could point out plenty of grammatical errors in your writing but i'm not gonna spend the time and do it. It's obvious you're dumb if you say i didn't use any logical or rational arguments since i brought up examples from reviews showing how the growth of characters was overlooked not to mention the american version was reviewed which obviously makes the story become jaded, but you're too stupid to comprehend the fact that there are very apparent examples of your review crew's stupidity. Also i noticed something about a life, you call your lil site just a hobby but it's obviously something that much time was put into not to mention just watching the anime alone would take forever, just admit it you're a no life loser. all of you are

*breaks out laughing*

Oh, we're so hurt. Oh, I must angst because some fan somewhere called me stupid. Gasp! The pain. The humanity. I am ... destroyed.

*takes hand off forehead*

So, bub, running a site over five years means we have no life? I work 40-65 hours a week, belong to various organizations, am heavily involved with my family, am happily married, and just happen to help run THEM Anime. What is this guy's idea of a life? Flaming various websites calling them "stupid" over and over again? That's truly worthy of pity.

We don't have the time to deal with "no life losers" like this guy..

Kutabare, kusogaki! ^_^

2002-02-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: hi! about your To Heart review...
From: "Jennifer Carino" lilr0se182@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Feb 24 2002 11:38:59 PM -0500

Hey there THEM! You're site is awesome. It's inspired me to make my own
review site =D I can't wait for more reviews! (i LOVE the Kimera
review...I laugh my butt off everytime i read it hehe)

Anyway, I was reading your review for "To Heart" today and I saw it said
that there are 60 episodes in the series. There's only 13 episodes though.
Unless I missed something...I got the 13 episodes from a fansubber and
that's all there was. And episode 13 (believe it or not) did sum up a bunch
of things (in boring fashion of course), but it was an ending. Is there
other To Heart anime out there or something?

~Jenn

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Oops! Only 13 episodes were made. That's a blooper on our part. Apparently, Eric Gaede managed to finish all 13 episodes (a heroic effort from our brave correspondent) and he says that Multi is the only redeeming factor out of the entire show, enough to make it a two-star series. Then he had to detox with the entire run of Comic Party, which brilliantly lampoons To Heart every chance it gets ^_^

Thanks for the kind words ^_^ I enjoy hearing that you've enjoyed our reviews, and I wish you the best of luck on your own review site! Happy viewing!

To: themreviews@AnimeLovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: about your anime reviews
From: oldirtylam@popmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Feb 24 2002 1:50:55 PM -0600 (CST)

No need to go into a logical explaination with people who actually spend the time to write reviews for anime since you're spending your time doing this it's quite obvious you don't get out into the real world much. The fact is you're all stupid, it clearly shows through from your remarks about me making criticisms about your reviews without a basis for such a thing but i did site certain aspects of Berserk that you obvious missed because you're stupid. I didn't feel like putting the time into an email and finding lots of examples but I'll give you another one, your review of Cashaan: Robot Hunter is completely off base as well. Cashaan had a very original story not at all redundant as your review would seem to insinuate but you forgot to take into account that Cashaan is very old anime that was one of the first of it's breed. Another example would be your low scoring of venus wars when obvious the movie was good with great detail and colorful characters, that one can sympathize with.
Another example is 8 man after which also received a low rating, even though it was a good film with an in depth story perhaps you couldn't comprehend. Not to mention I see in some reviews theres a mention of Saturday morning anime, which i assume is the airing of Anime Movie on Sci Fi channel that used to be in the mornings on saturday. Someone who reviews based on the english dub has to be a crackhead obviously considering american dubbed versions always have completely different wording and they always change the story through the dialogue to fit american ideology.

Net etiquette doesn't really mean much considering being cordial is just an afront to hide ones true thoughts and only someone stupid would abide by it anyways.

Just face it you're all stupid.

SOUND THE TROLL ALARM!

For the record, this isn't the reply to the e-mail. This is an object lesson in how to and how not to e-mail THEM.

Here's a few tips for the would-be troll.

If you disagree with us, back up your arguments with facts and fact-based opinions, not personal insults and weak generalizations.

Never state you are better or smarter than us. If you do not have the review site to back it up, we will mock you. Do not assume we are a yes-man hive-mind collective with no life. We are a group of professionals and college students, many of us with significant others and spouses. We have lived and experienced most of our lives outside of the realm of basements and convention anime rooms. We disagree on numerous titles, but we are friends just the same. Just because we are fans doesn't mean we have no life. In fact, it's those without hobbies who have no life. You don't know us, so your assumptions about how and who we are will only narrow your own mind. Keep in mind that THEM is based at an Honors College. We aren't idiots. Don't make that mistake with us.

Do not be arrogant or condescending to us. We are much better at it than you are. ^_^

Do not think you can cause a flame war that will sap our time and energy. You will only have three chances to be nice. After that, your e-mail address will be ignored automatically. The door WILL hit your ass on the way out.

Do not assume that a tendency is an absolute. This avowed shoujo fans likes Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. So just because I like shoujo shows doesn't mean I'll automatically pan ALL shounen shows or praise ALL shoujo shows.

Better yet, don't assume ANYTHING. You know the saying.

Now for the positive.

If you are nice, THEM will be nicer. We will be glad to answer your questions, comment on your comments, and discuss your concerns. If you are matter-of-fact, THEM will reply accordingly. We will politely state what you need, and then waste no more of your time than you wish for us to waste. If we have made a factual mistake somewhere, rest assured we will fix it. An opinion is not a mistake, though. We reserve the right to disagree with anyone. Don't take it personally.

But THEM will not tolerate repeated stupidity and abuse from anyone. If you refuse to follow to simple rules of etiquette (not just on the Internet), then we haven't the time or patience to waste on someone so obviously stubborn and moronic. If you wouldn't say it to our faces, then don't say it in an e-mail. All you will accomplish is public humiliation on this blog.

If you are nice to us after initially sending us a flame, then by all means we will be amenable to what you have to say. We understand people can get caught up in a moment. We're human.

But if you insist on personally attacking us because we have an opinion you don't like, then you will only hurt yourself in the long run. We're not going to be hurt by any of this - the proportion of flamers to supporters is something like one to twelve, and shrinking fast. And those supporters don't even need to agree with us - they just have to be polite, and realize we are running this site as a free service to the anime fan community, a source of entertainment on the Internet, and a diversion for ourselves. It's all in good fun.

If you can't accept that, then sod off. Because you're better off anywhere else but here.

PS> If you like those shows so much, then could you do yourself a favor and at least spell "Casshan" right?

2002-02-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: comic party
From: "Ben Spigel" Baronben@attbi.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Feb 24 2002 6:55:20 PM -0500

I noticed your review of Comic Party and enjoyed it. I've been trying to
watch it, and have over the course of several months been able to get 8
episodes off of Morphious. But as for everything after 9 I've hit a brick
wall, and while I see them listed in other people's files, for the life of
me I can't get them downloaded. Were did you find the remaining episodes,
through IRC, an FTP site? Any information would be appreciated as I plan to
cosplay as Taski for Otakon this summer (me and my friends are seeing who
can go as the most obsecure character, they think that going as 8-bit
(www.http://www.nuklearpower.com/comic/index.html) theater characters will
win them that prize, ha!).

Anyways, I liked your review and keep up the great work.

--------
Breakfast is no longer being served. Prepare for a brunch; to the face!

Ben Spigel
Aim: Baronben4
ICQ: 1415461159

Well, I'd have to ask my friend Eric G - he's the one who acquired the episodes for us. He's available at junkhouse@hotmail.com (rarely, though).

Oddly enough, two other THEM members, Becky and Alyson, discovered the series simultaneously at the anime club at UC Davis, and also enjoy the show.

It's actually frightening how much Kazuki, Taishi, and Yuu resemble me, Eric, and Christi, respectively. ^_^**

2002-02-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the week's delay, but there was a death in my family, and I've been out of town for a week. In the meantime...

Mail call!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: about your anime reviews
From: oldirtylam@popmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Feb 24 2002 9:59:24 AM -0600 (CST)

I'd just like to say that you're complete morons and don't know anything about quality anime in the slightest.
You're all stupid idiots, whoever does the reviews and runs the site that is.
Morons like you who think Akira deserves 4 stars are simply amazingly stupid subhomosapien organisms.
And giving Berserk 2 stars? How amazingly dense do you have to be to miss the depth and developement of characters like Gatts and Caska?

To sum it up in one word, you're all crackheads.

....................................
Get your own free email account from
http://www.popmail.com

So, because you disagree with just two of our reviews (written by two different people), we are automatically "crackheads"? I happen to think that's pretty cracked logic itself. We all do. If you had the least bit of net etiquette, you'd at least try to justify what you have to say, but since you've seen fit to call us names instead, I'll just advise you to move on to some other site that you agree with, or perhaps create your own site for the "intelligent anime viewer". Of course, you'd have to be "amazingly dense" to miss the fact that the Berserk review was a preliminary review, based off only a few episodes, or "amazingly stupid" to not realize that other members of the club may disagree with the Akira review, but apparently, you're a supergenius who deserves all sorts of praise from the anime community for your sterling judgment of anime titles.

Oh, wait, you don't have any reviews of your own up yet? Too bad.

Next time when you disagree with someone, try and find the middle ground before resorting to namecalling and puerile behavior. There's an adage about a spoonful of sugar opposed to a vat of vinegar. You might want to look it up.

To:
Subject: Question
From: "DULCE MITCHELLCHASE" sanaluz@msn.com
Date: Sat, Feb 23 2002 8:39:47 PM -0500

Just one question. What the skunk monkeys does OAV mean? I've been reading your reviews and I have speculated that you use the word/abbreviation OAV several times and I believe that I would better understand your reviews if I knew the meaning of OAV. E-mail me a adventure@thevortex.com

Thank You

OAV is short for Original Animated Video. I'm going to have to throw that into a glossary when the new servers go up.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Reviews...
From: "Mark McCarthy" nightraidah@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Feb 21 2002 10:31:22 PM +0000

wut does them stand for?

And could you please review the anime series Lain?
i heard it was quite good, but before i get new animes, i turn to your site
for consultation..

mARK

_________________________________________________________________
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail.
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What does THEM stand for? You're not cleared for that information. ^_^

Look for Lain under its full title, Serial Experiments Lain in the review listings. We already have a full review there, and if you like mind-trips, you will certainly enjoy this series. However, if you're action-only, or slapstick-comedy-prone, you may not want to watch it.

Hope that helps! Happy viewing!

To:
Subject: Tekkno Man...
From: "Assman)(" assman41179862@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, Feb 19 2002 8:39:36 PM -0500
Cc: assman41179862@hotmail.com

Just like to start off by saying this is one hell of a anime review site I'm so glad I was able to find a site like this. You guys/girls men/women whichever the case maybe you've done such a good job so many reviews easy to find. I've seen so much anime and its cool to be able to read reviews on anime that I've forgotten or only remeber here and there. Just a few days ago I was looking over some of my old VHS tapes because I was looking for cartoons and anime I had rec, and what do you know I had one episode of Tekkno Man and man did that bring back memorys of days gone by :) And after seeing the full episode I see how great this show was and still is. The last episodes were never aired in canada and I hate that, Fox never keeps its good shows and always ends them short ex. The Tick, Escaflowna, Tekkno Man etc. YTV is such a better station in so many ways, I was looking around the net and came across a site. http://teknomania.hypermart.net/ and they have most if not all the episodes for download through FTP, 38 eps so far last I looked. Hope this helps in some way. why buy the tapes/dvds when you can get them for free right? Well good luck on the site and damn good reviews, why do I love anime so much? Is it the art, the story, the great characters, or maybe is it the humor? Ninja Scroll was what got me into the world of anime and I will always see it as one of the greatest along side the likes of Guyver, Tekkno Man, and many of the older anime those were the good ones.I can't wait to see the rest of those reviews like Guyver, City Hunter :) Voggies Angles. O and why do so many animes made now suck so much? like Street Fighter V, X and so many others can't really remeber all the other Sh@t I've seen, not very many good ones are made now kind of a rest peroid I guess.Once again this site rocks.

Farewell.

Thanks for the encouraging words! THEM is a rather diverse collective of anime/science-fiction/fantasy fans that runs generally between 19 and 32, with about an even proportion of males to females. (Seeing as the founders of THEM actually created it in order to meet like-minded potential mates - and pretty much succeeded - this is a good thing.)

As for Tekno Man (Tekkaman in the original Japanese), we should have a review for it in the next year or so, and I might have to get the follow-up (Tekkaman Blade II) which is available in the local video stores.

Part of the reason why a lot of anime suck is a lack of budget. Japanese animation runs considerably cheaper in production than American animation - while a single episode of, say, Tale Spin or Gargoyles may have run approximately $250,000, in comparison, the entire series of His and Her Circumstances (which was excellent as high school dramas go) had less than $30000 as a budget (some estimates say a third of even THAT!). While some creators are able to experiment and thrive in low-money environments (Anno Hideaki, et cetera), most anime creators aren't such virtuosos at their field. And even the high-paid anime series get much, much less than the proverbial $250k an episode - think closer to $20k-40k, TOPS.

Also, what is popular in Japan may not sit well with American audiences. I personally despise Ghost Sweeper Mikami and To Heart - why they were such popular series will eternally remain beyond my comprehension.

Good luck, and happy viewing!

2002-02-13T18:08:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Thanks
From: "Robert Nelson" Add to Contacts
Date: Wed, Feb 13 2002 4:37:45 PM -0500

WOW, that was fast. Thanks for the reply. Too many times I e-mail
webmasters/editors, and they seem to disregard me and not answer or they'll
give me an e-mail criticizing me for even e-mailing them in the first place
(Geez..They put their e-mail address on the site, and they expect people not
to e-mail them.)

I hate to ask another question, but are you made fun of for enjoying anime
as a hobby? I have, and it seems to me that anime fans are portrayed as
pasty faced losers with no life. That annoys me, and is definitely untrue (I
have a girlfriend, I go outside my house, and I have friends). Do you agree
with me on this subject?

[snip]

Thanks for your time,
Robert Nelson

Actually, the cliche isn't terribly true, especially in my case. I've always been a personally outgoing individual, so I have no compunctions explaining anime (pitching it, some would say ^_^) to someone who doesn't know about it. Occasionally, I get called a "freak", but only as a joke, and never maliciously. Most people actually seem pretty impressed that I'm devoted to promoting a hobby like this, and I've gotten my share of "mundanes" hooked on the medium. I'm a dealer, I tell you ^_^

Then again, it's not hard to want to promote a hobby that gets you married. I met Christina (my wife) at an anime showing at the local comic store. And while anime isn't the only hobby I have (by a long shot!), it's something that I've been able to share with friends AND family, and they understand (and often share) the reasons that I enjoy anime so much.

It's also incredibly hard to be pasty-faced when you're Filipino, but that's another story entirely ^_^

2002-02-12T22:50:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Some Questions
From: "Robert Nelson" nelsonro17@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, Feb 12 2002 8:31:04 PM -0500

I seem to be confused on one topic. What is the difference between Rurouni
Kenshin and Samurai X. They both seem the same to me. If there is a
difference, which series is better, in your opinion?

Although you do have a review for the first Tenchi Muyo! OAV (episodes 1-6,
and the Night Before the Carnival), I don't see the second OAV review, which
also has 6 episodes as well, and is found within the Tenchi Muyo! DVD
Ultimate Edition. I found it to be very good (not as good as the first one).
In my opinion, I would give it ****(as opposed to ***** for the first OAV,
which I agree with). The animation and dubbing were the same, but the story,
or stories, didn't seem to be as compelling and interesting as the first
OAV, I suppose the focus was more on building the character's personality
rather than providing a better plot. I was wondering what your opinion would
be as well?

I also would request the review of Wicked City, X, and to finish reviewing
Rurouni Kenshin, which you have as a partial review on.

I agree with the majority of your reviews, but there is one review I
disagree with that sticks out like a sore thumb. I disagree with your review
on Vampire Hunter D. Yes it wasn't the best anime ever created, but for its
time it was one of the best out there, and in my mind was worthy of a higher
rating than * (i think ***). The aspects of the movie (animation, art etc.)
are dwarfed by anime that is out today, considering that it was made 17
years ago. To me, it seems like you reviewed the title and compared it to
more recent and modern anime that is now on the market. If you compared it
to whatever was released or available during and before 1985, I'm sure it
would be at the top of the list.

One last thing, rather than sounding reasonable when talking to flamers, why
not give them a taste of their own medicine. Make an example out of one of
them by chewing them out, and making fun of their mother, grandmother, and and
everything in between (just kidding on making fun of their mothers part).
Maybe it will deter (spelling?) others from doing the same thing. Plus, it
would be extremely funny to hear you guys shoot down flamers in that manner.

Also, why review hentai? No story, no plot, no character developement. Just
mindless sex (from what I have seen that is).

Sincerely
Robert Nelson

Thanks for the e-mail!

The history of Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X is a very tangled one. The whole series (TV, OAV, movies) is properly known in Japanese as Rurouni Kenshin. You will not find a single bit of "Samurai X" in Japan at all. Samurai X was originally the name for the English language of the *TV series* in the British Commonwealth, the Philippines, and other regions. When Rurouni Kenshin was licensed in the US, the TV series went to AnimeWorks and released as "Rurouni Kenshin", while the OAVs went to AD Vision and released, maddeningly enough, as Samurai X. So it's impossible to say Samurai X is better or worse than Rurouni Kenshin, because it's the same anime.

We've seen more Tenchi (OAVs, TV series, et cetera), and we feel the quality does go down drastically. Tenchi, like Ranma, is notorious for doing the same old thing every time after the first, and unfortunately, we got sick of it after so long.

We will continue to produce reviews as we see more titles (and have the time to write up titles we've seen in the past). All of us are either full-time students or have full-time jobs. Some of us have both. So it's a near-miracle we're able to do as much as we can. A hint though - we aren't going to be terribly forgiving on the X movie, which had no right being as bad as it was. (Blame Rintaro, not CLAMP.)
You'll have to ask Raphael See about the Vampire Hunter D review, and I wouldn't pan it quite as hard as he did. Also, that review was one of the first on this site, having been written about five years ago (we've been in operation since 1997). You may see a counterpoint review to it in the future, but even when compared to contemporary or older titles (Angel's Egg, Macross DYRL, Nausicaa), it's certainly not even exceptional for that time period.

The problem with razzing flamers is that it's exactly what they want you to do. If you get angry and spill out the insults, you've only succeeded in wasting a lot of energy on a fan who really doesn't care about what you have to say. And they'll keep flaming you, because then, you've already proved you can be a reliable source of entertainment for them. They've got your goat. If, instead, you actually try to reason with them, they will either change their mind and relent ("Sorry, dude, you've got a point"), apologize and walk away ("Sorry, dude."), or outright ignore you and cease flaming because suddenly this "flame war" has gotten pretty boring ("Man, this bites."). I'd rather have a repeat visitor who reads my reviews than a repeat flamer who diverts time away from them. Keep in mind that I learned this the hard way - many a "professional" webmaster has yet to learn that sanity-saving technique. Also remember that flamers are people, too. If you're nice to them, they're much more likely to be nicer back to you.

Finally, on the subject of hentai. Read my review of End of Summer, which has a plot, character development, and good animation, as well as sexual content. Not all hentai are badly-animated tentacle spooge-fests, and I have seen some titles that actually qualify as praiseworthy animation. Also, not all hentai titles are flagged as such, and the buyer should be made aware of that. While younger viewers should not be encouraged to buy these anime, mature viewers should not be embarrassed to admit they like hentai. Like it or hate it, hentai is a part of the Japanese animation experience, and therefore, it should be given some amount of serious discussion in a review site, rather than having the novice fan or mundane unknowingly stumble upon Urotsukidouji and Cool Devices and think all anime is (or has to be) like those titles. And non-hentai titles have been created that are based on adult-themed games and manga, like Comic Party and Android Announcer Maico. Does that make them any less valid? I don't think so.

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck. Happy viewing!

2002-02-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Rintarô and other things Anime.
From: "George Austin" gca6j@virginia.edu
Date: Sun, Feb 10 2002 10:17:26 PM -0500

Dear THEM Anime reviewers,

An interesting sequence of events transpired this evening. In a phone conversation with my mother, she mentioned that the film Metropolis was going to be playing the a small theatre in DC. When I asked her who directed it, she responded with the name Rintaro. I was sure I heard that name before. So after a short amount of research on the IMDB, and some crawling around on my favorite review site (that would be where you guys come in), I connected this Taro Rin guy with such lemons as X the Movie and Dagger of Kamui. But this guy keeps making films, he must have something in his favor! He can’t be all bad! Hell, In the review for Harmagedon on your site the reviewer openly wondered why this Rintaro was so important.

So I dug back a few more years and discovered that Rintaro was also responsible for the animated versions of Tezuka’s Tetsuwan Atom, and Jungle Taitei, (and this new Metropolis was a Tezuka manga as well), as well as the animated Space Pirate Captain Harlock series and Gallazy Express Three-Nine. So mystery solved: THAT’s why he’s so important. If only he didn’t have so many lemons in his repetoir, I’d be excited about Metropolis having a state-side theatrical release.

On another note: please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh PLEASE finish watching Berserk and give it a full review! Yeah the TV series really doesn’t do the manga justice, but it’s so different from the Arslan and Lodoss fantasy genre! Berserk is a much deeper character drama than the “let’s wait around to die so Gatts can go BERSERK and avenge us” picture that you painted in your review. The author of another review I read (Lord Carnage I think is his pen name) had only seen through episode 14 held a completely different opinion than the one expressed in your review. The interesting thing about that particular review is that what he or she found appealing (the character of Griffith and his hidden agenda) becomes increasingly complex as the series progresses. The series really is much deeper than a hack and slash story (some guys at Australian National University went so far as to say that it does for fantasy anime what Evangelion did for mecha; I haven’t even seen Evangelion and I realize the implications of that statement) and it’s plot approaches the creative conspiracies of Mamoru Oshii in his films such as Patlabor 1.

Look, Berserk isn’t my favorite series, but it really, really deserves a second chance from you guys! Yeah it leaves out a lot of stuff from the manga that’s really important (but only if you want to go beyond the stuff presented in the 25 episodes of the TV series), and yeah it’s angsty (I’m totally not angsty, and I like it!), and yeah the only animes I can think of with comparable amounts of bloodshed are X, Fist of the North Star (why oh why did I let my friend talk me into watching that one!), and Ninja Scroll, but it really does have artistic value!

On a final note, I really appreciate the reviews that you all write. You provide a wonderful service to the anime watching community at large, and I recommend you to people whenver I get the chance. So best of luck to all of you and here’s to hoping that the subtitles on the Studio Ghibli boxed set I’m getting in the mail consist of actually decent English.

Sincerely,

George Austin

Thanks for the e-mail!

The one problem I've noticed with Rintaro-directed films is his pacing. Or lack thereof. It's frustrating to see potentially excellent films bog down in endless amounts of exposition and lackluster character scenes. Even the movie versions of Galaxy Express 999 fell into this trap. While the original material is good (certainly good enough for many fans to consider him a cinema genius), Rintaro continually makes interesting stories boring. Though perhaps Metropolis might prove me wrong.

As for Berserk - I'll give it another chance, sometime after the hundred or so other reviews I need to write just to keep up with the current shows. But there has to be merit to the series, considering the fan response to the review written.

And best of luck to you on the Ghibli films. Disney has been sitting on these gems for far too long, and I have completely given up on them as "anime distributors", period. Though I doubt that the "English" subtitles will be recognizably English ...

2002-02-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: About Lupin
From: "DANIEL ZELTER" danielzelter@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Feb 10 2002 3:41:25 PM -0800

I just wanted to tell you-in case you weren't aware-that you might have
trouble finding Lupin fansubbed in the future, since Funimation has picked
up the "last ten" movies. The first one coming out on dvd is "Twilight of
the Lost Gemini" on April 30, and www.lupinencyclopedia.com has a pre-order
page for it. Also, is there any chance you can review more live-action
versions of anime titles, like the live action Iria, City Hunter, etc.?

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

(paraphrase) I heard that today from Teresa Copeland at Columbia University. Funimation is trying to expand beyond "the company that puts out DBZ". With titles like Fruits Basket and the Lupin specials, I hope they succeed.

As for live action - we have enough anime to last us a LONG time, so we're not going there yet.

2002-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Question
From: "Sean Washington" CrazyAZNRocker@hotmail.com
Date: Sun, Feb 10 2002 2:23:16 AM -0800

Do you accept reviews from the people who visit your site. Like a Fan Reviews section of your site if you don't want it with your own reviews. Others have opinions, and people may want to hear them. As for me, I have a few things that you haven't reviewed. I have pretty much all of the Love Hina except for the New OVA's (Love Hina Again). I also have the Rurouni Kenshin movie, and Slayers Movie Great and Slayers Movie Glorious. Well I can go on forever, so i'll leave it at that. Please considerate the idea, and thank you for your time.

-SWM

Currently we are not taking reader reviews. One of the major points of THEM Anime Reviews is that the reviews are written by members and club affiliates. Adding reader reviews would confuse people as to the point of view and perceived bias of the site. Also, most reader review suggestions have been for really good or really bad titles. So we'd have a preponderance of 1 and 5 star submissions, which would throw the balance of the site completely off.

When we get our new servers this year, we will begin putting up reader reviews on a separate portion of the site. Thank you for the offer, though until we move, we can't really act upon it.

Happy viewing!

2002-02-08T19:29:00.000-08:00

Two quick e-mails on my personal e-mail account ...

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: About Your Streamlinepic.com
From: Roy Kurano rtshark@mbay.net Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Feb 7 2002 3:06:40 PM -0800

Mr. Ross:

If I were you, I'd check out your old website carefully. When I clicked
on 8-man After and the clicked on to the Streamline Pictures on top of
the index, it automatically leads onto The Best Teen Sex Sites site.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Sincerelly,

Roy Kurano

rtshark@mbay.net

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Glad you Started the THEM Website
From: Roy Kurano Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Feb 7 2002 3:09:13 PM -0800

PS: Glad to see THEM running onto a new site. Keep up the great work.

Roy

Thanks!

Yeah, we know about the Streamline link, but without access to the old servers, there's really nothing we can do about it. When we convert everything to the new site, that link will be long gone.

As for everything else - I'm glad you've enjoyed our reviews, and rest assured there's plenty more where those came from!

Happy viewing!

2002-02-08T19:01:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: 3X3 Eyes Correction
From: "DANIEL ZELTER" danielzelter@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Feb 7 2002 8:53:46 PM -0800

The second oav series WAS released on vhs by Streamline, but they only got
to dub 2/3 episodes before they defaulted.

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

(paraphrase) According to our sources, that was technically an "Orion Pictures" release. But either way, it was so poorly distributed, very few people knew it existed. Plus it's hard to release 3 episodes of a series that only has 2. (Oopsy on my part - the sequel was actually 1995, not 1993. I'll have to fix it.)

Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2002 23:04:58 -0500 (EST)
From: DaWarMage@aol.com
To: them@asu.edu
Subject: Praise

I would just like to tell you guys that I really appreciate the work
you've done on your Anime Reviews. My Dad and I have been reading through
them and we are very impressed. I'm a third year student at California State
University Northridge and I've been watching anime since I came to college.
I wanted to get some advice on some good anime to watch, so I started looking
around the internet. I have to say, I haven't found any other sites that are
as insiteful, honest, and accurate as the THEM Anime Reviews. I'm really
impressed. I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate the work you guys
have put in, because I know you guys aren't getting anything for this, unlike
groups like Amazon.com. So I just thought I'd send you guys a little thank
you for the work you've done.
-John

Thanks for the ringing endorsement!

We pride ourselves in being a reputable, independent team of reviewers, and though we're not professionals in the strictest usage of the term, we are first and foremost, anime fans. Which is why we do this sort of thing in the first place - because we've all felt the joy of a good title and the disappointment of a bad one. We want fellow fans to have more of the former, and less of the latter .

Enjoy our reviews, and happy viewing!

2002-02-04T00:25:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a wild weekend in Las Vegas. *laugh* Okay, so it wasn't wild, per se, but it was fun.

Mail cail!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: a request for a review
From: HumanaryStew213@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Fri, Feb 1 2002 12:05:45 PM EST

Hi,

Just discovered your site....Funny as hell reviews on casshan and Dagger of
Kamui!
I laughed to tears! your reviews can be easily dubbed as the best out there.
i have a request:
Doomed Megalopolis - streamline pictures
4oav's - i would love to hear your opinion.

Fist of the North star - also streamline
1 Movie

Later,
Willy

Thanks for the compliments, and welcome to THEM Anime Reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying what we have to offer.

Christi has apparently seen Doomed Megalopolis, but that was several years ago (back when she was in high school), so she can't remember it too well. She doesn't seem too impressed with it, so I'm pretty sure I'll have to hunt the thing down and review it myself. Fist of the North Star was not only a movie, but a TV series, so that will constitute several reviews. Some of us have seen them, but we haven't actually gotten around to writing the actual reviews. I haven't seen enough to qualify as a valid reviewer for that, either. But we'll get to it eventually.

Happy viewing!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: WHAT?
From: Rompanstomp@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Fri, Feb 1 2002 3:30:35 PM EST

look, your site is interesting and i liked it for the most part. but i did
notice something incredibly stupifying. you seem to have given " Tenchi Muyo
in Love 2: Tenchi Forever" a slightly higher rating than " Tenchi The Movie
2: Daughter of Darkness". what kind of crack were you smoking when you did
this? D.o.D was a million times better than that incredible screw up of a
third movie. for God's sake, the third one was drawn in a different style,
(much worse), and was utterly pointless. it was a travesty compard to
daughter of darkness. Tenchi Forever should have been blacklisted in my
opinion.

I totally disagree.

THEM considers the second Tenchi movie to be vastly inferior to the first movie, and it really hit many of our reviewing crew the wrong way. Mind you, it was not a BAD movie, but it wasn't great either. Now, a lot of fans hate the third Tenchi movie (yourself included), but there's a good reason for that. In the United States, Tenchi Muyo is fairly recent in popularity, only really getting on television in the last couple of years. So the time period between watching the TV/OAV series and movies is minimal, since you can pick them all up at Blockbuster.

Tenchi Muyo originally came out in 1992. Therefore, a lot of the original Tenchi fans in Japan are now well into their twenties and thirties, and the same-old same-old wacky antics aren't going to appeal to an older audience that grew up with it, because they're sick of it. Tenchi Forever was intended for that older audience. Therefore, it's a vastly more serious romance drama, with the sci-fi tropes within it. It's not going to appeal to the American Tenchi fandom because it ISN'T the way Tenchi normally is.

Guess who some of those older fans are? The average THEM reviewer has been watching anime between six to twelve years, and is about twenty-five. (In fact, Christi is 26, and has been watching anime for over twenty of those years.) So I understand that people are going to disagree with what we like, because they come from a totally different point of view than we do. We even state in our review that a lot of fans will not like Tenchi Forever : "Sadly, most American fans will probably be completely turned off by this movie. "

So before you start asking what recreational drugs we take (none, obviously), think about where the writer is coming from, and try to understand that a different point of view is not necessarily a wrong point of view.

Good luck, and happy viewing.

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Great site!
From: Hunter8man@aol.com
Date: Sat, Feb 2 2002 12:33:25 AM EST

Hey guys,

My name is Chris and I just wanted to tell you how great your web site is. Your reviews are mostly right on. I kinda disagreed with some of them that are my favorites that you just bashed (i.e., 8man, Babel II, Md Geist 1) But I really like violent anime but not to the extent that Genocyber went. Well, just wanted to tell you that you have a great site and to keep on putting out those great reviews.

Sincerely,
Chris

For the record, my sister-in-law adores Casshan, Eat-Man, and Mon Colle Knights, so it's safe to say that we don't always agree on anime even with family members. (And the club president adores Di Gi Charat - I don't know why.) But it's all in good fun (it's just a hobby), and it's neat to know that people care to see what we have to say about anime, even when they disagree with us, so thank you!

Enjoy our site, and happy viewing!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: awful
From: "mark lakhan" Add to Contacts
Date: Sat, Feb 2 2002 4:23:47 PM +0000

what you say is true...sorry about the bashing...
i guess i was just really angry with the berserk review. I have gone to a
couple sites and they are all preliminary reviews and they all seem to think
it is a mediocre anime..well if you would finish the series first then
review it i would be grateful....

ps - berserk turns out to be amazing (and its not just blood and gore)

No hard feelings about the flames. I never hold a grudge, especially not on the Internet. ^_^

You know, I keep hearing that a lot, and I figure there has to be something to the Berserk TV series. I've not really had the time (or honestly the desire) to finish it, but from what I've seen of the manga (as well as the synopses of episodes I've not seen)), the characters are very well-developed, and the story is downright interesting. Unfortunately, what I saw really didn't impress me, but I may just have to sit down and go through it at some point in time (same with Gasaraki) to get a more complete (and authoritative) review in for the series. After all, I was plenty frustrated with the beginning of Fushigi Yuugi, and that turned out to be one of my favorites (terrible animation and all).

Hopefully we'll be able to do that sometime in the near future, but right now, the current review is all we can come up with considering what we've seen of the anime.

Best of luck, and happy viewing.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: a request for a review
From: HumanaryStew213@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Feb 4 2002 3:04:19 AM EST

Thanks for getting back to me.
i heard about a series on fist of the north star.
I've been meaning to do some research. I forgot to mention one
last anime flick... the streamline release of 3x3 eyes vol 1-4 and why did
stremline go out of business?
Thanks for your time, and keep up the good work on the site.
later,
Willy

That was fast!

I will actually be reviewing, within the week, the Pioneer DVD release of 3x3 Eyes and 3x3 Eyes 2, which we screened at CopperCon. I was in the process of getting my notes together for that review, but CopperCon was the weekend before September 11, and we all know how much anime was on *my* mind after that happened.

As for Streamline Pictures, I'm not quite sure at all why they went under, though I've heard several theories. One was that the licensing of Nadia had taken too much money, time, and staff out of their available pool, and they didn't recoup the expenses for that. Another was the lack of subtitled editions (and therefore, a perceived lack of credibility among the anime community) in their releases. Not to mention a general aversion of fandom toward anything Carl Macek in the wake of Robotech and the failed American spinoffs. I can't confirm any of these, but I'm sure a search of Google can help with that. As Carl Macek is currently working with ADV Films (with great success, I might add), I'm certain that the problems seen with Streamline won't repeat themselves, at least with him involved. Again, all I can do is guess. But I'm sure we can find out with a bit of research. But not at one-thirty in the morning on a work night, I should probably get some sleep.

Happy viewing!

2002-02-01T00:25:00.000-08:00

And now, one *looong* mail from a fellow weblogger who happened upon my personal weblog, and then, THEM. I'll be replying by paragraph, so bear with me.

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Tenshi ni Narumon and anime review whatnot in general
From: "kris wolfe" krswolfe@inav.net
Date: Thu, Jan 31 2002 10:27:34 PM -0600

Hey, this is kris over at Angry Babble. Noticed you linked me (thanks ^^;;;), came to poke around, went to look at the anime reviews page you're affiliated with... I may be doing my own reviews on some of the ones I disagree with.. ^^ For example, the Fatal Fury movie is a riot! I suppose I think you guys don't always keep things in a proper perspective, which is good in one way and bad in another. It's good in the objective way; I think the average anime fan might agree with you about the Fatal Fury movie. And it's good to get people's real opinions on things. (And yes, it was terrible.) But I think you guys need, at some points in some reviews, to point out to the reader who the intended audience is. I'm not saying you should lie and say you liked things when you didn't... but do try to point out who this anime might appeal to, though it might not appeal to you. Reading your anime review page makes me think I should put up my old, currently defunct one again. I think I still have the HTML around somewhere. ^^; I really loathe anime like Record of Lodoss War OVA, and I'm none too fond of Evangelion or Tenchi Muyo either. I know this makes me weird. ^^ I tried to point out the good things I saw about these series that everyone loves, and I tried to make it clear that, though I personally thought they were all mediocre, I understand why people like them, here's why, you as a reader can decide if you like it. I enjoy reading anime reviews; it's really interesting to see what different people think about different anime.

Hey there! Thanks for e-mailing ^_^ Again (I repeat this for the benefit of those who read the THEM Anime Mailblog), I found Angry Babble via the single funniest capsule review I'd seen in a long time, for Angel's Tail (Tenshi no Shippo). Thank you for writing that, it made my day. As far as "a proper perspective", well, we've been doing this site for a little over seven years now, give or take (the Fatal Fury review was written in late 1996 or so), so we've had some time to modify our review style, not to mention the fact that we're a group of writers, and tend to vary in our styles of writing to begin with. More in a moment!

About specific reviews (which you were probably not responsible for, at least not in total):

I'll tell you right now who the Fatal Fury movie's intended audience is... it's not martial arts fans. As you noted, it's pretty disappointing on that front. No, it's primary intended audience was: Fatal Fury fans. Like my friends and I. Those stupid martial arts moves? We were screaming at the screen, "YEAH!!! DOUBLE REPPUKEN! GO GEESE!" and, "Come on, Terry, use the Burn Knuckle! Use the Crack Shoot! Use the Buster Wolf!" I think that you guys need to remember that this anime is based on a series of popular fighting games from our dearly departed SNK *sniffle* and what the fans want to see is the characters in the anime using the same moves they use in the game. Seeing Kim Kaphwan come out in the OVA and do some actual (though exaggerated) Tae Kwon Do only happens because that's what he does in the game. And for fans of the game, the anime is an extra bonus. It's like an extra-long animated game opening to us, so we love it no matter how bad it is. And actually, for fighting game anime, it's really pretty good. It kicked the ass of Street Fighter, in our opinions. (We love SF too, btw. ^^;)

Raphael See and Sam Yu are devoted Hong Kong martial arts fans, as well as video-gamers. They were hoping for more of a martial arts emphasis in the anime versions of the fighting games they enjoyed. They were disappointed. Therefore ... the reviews you see. Personally, I don't mind Fatal Fury, and my wife and fellow Reviewing Editor, Christina, absolutely adores it. Though I think Shiranui Mai's characterization was *much* better in the games - they really dumbed her down in the anime, which sucks a major lot of eggs. Almost as much as SNK going under. *sob* If you take it as a standalone, FF isn't the greatest thing out there, but it's not meant as a standalone. Even many self-proclaimed "professional" anime reviewers do not realize this about the titles they review. Are you reading this, Helen McCarthy?

The Street Fighter TV series is seriously awful from what we've seen, though not TERRIBLE... haven't seen the SF2 movie, though I HAVE seen the SF Alpha 3 movie (AKA SF Zero). I'd suggest you review that too. The art is really nice (it's EXACTLY like the game art from Street Fighter Alpha 3, in case you wondered ^^;) and the plot really sucks. It'll make you see the Fatal Fury anime in a whole new light. The SFA3 movie is basically a lot of random character cameos tied together with a shoestring plot, a new invented character and villain who have to die because they're not canon, and general weirdness. We love SFA3 the game, and the movie is just incomprehensible. People show up for no reason at all, just to be there for fans, and then they leave again. The only people who actually do anything are Ken, Ryu, and Chun Li (well, Sakura goes to the hospital, I guess that counts as doing something) and you don't get much character development from anyone. Ryu's the most fleshed out and he's still not interesting (of course, that's probably because he's not interesting anyway). The ending is also incredibly gay... I guess i'm saying this from a fangirl perspective, but still. Here's the scenario: The villain is trying to get Ryu REALLY PISSED OFF so he'll use his forbidden "Dark Hadou." Chun Li gets her legs ripped apart violently, is beaten and smacked on the ground, and is generally violenced upon. Ryu's supposed "little brother" gets much the same treatment, and they mock Ryu for being a dumbass and falling for various tricks. None of this has ANY effect. He just stands there like a rock. THEN the huge evil villain guy picks up Ken (who was lying around half-concious) from the ground, and says something like, "Well, I guess it's time to mess this guy up," and Ryu goes ballistic and blows him away. End of film. It seemed kind of suspicious to us. >_> (And then there were Ken's complaints about how the kid slept in the same room as him and Ryu and had the temerity to sleep BETWEEN them. Amongst other things.) Even the Chun Li fanservice couldn't keep my friend's brother from yelling, "GAAAAAY!" at the screen with us. AND unlike Fatal Fury, they don't work the cameos in more naturally. In the FF animes, as long as you know who those people are, they are all somewhere you'd actually expect to see them. In the SFA3 movie, it doesn't matter if you know who they are, they just show up for their 10 seconds of screen time and go away again. Randomly.

The TV series takes place primarily as a prequel or even perhaps an AU from what I gather. All of it was made after the movie, which you simply must see - the animation is great, and the plot's not half bad, really. I certainly enjoyed it, though even in the movies, the cameos aren't always well-executed. It could be worse, though. (It could be Tekken or Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer.)

We're not sure why Terry always has to fall in love with stupid blue-haired whores in the animes, but luckily they all have to die because they're not canon in the games. Yay! (We REALLY hate the stupid whore in the OVA1, particularly. We called her "bar frau." I recall saying, "ARGH! Someone needs to shoot her in the head and toss her out a window!" Imagine how surprised we were when it actually happened. We laughed our heads off.) We watched them dubbed so as to mock them more effectively. Hearing the voice of Akane screaming "TERRY!" instead of "RANMA!" was amusing, anyway... O_o;

I laughed even harder when they did the skit at the cons a while back, where Andy realized the Bogard Secret Attack of saying, "I love you!", which was how he defeated Iori. Note that he never actually professes his love to Mai explicitly in the anime. This is why she survives. (Oh, yeah, and because she's a Game Character. And Game Characters can't die unless they agree to it in the contract.)

Okay, enough Fatal Fury! :D I guess what I'm saying is that you should sometimes make the point in your reviews that anime OVAs or movies based on games or manga have a tendancy to be seemingly confusing, random, and disjointed, or even not very enjoyable by anyone but the fans of those things.

For my manga example I'll be using "Here is Greenwood." Basically, "Here is Greenwood" is 6 OVAs that seem to me like they were made by a bunch of anime people sitting in a room and saying, "I really like Here is Greenwood. Let's animate part of it!" "Which part?" "Oh... let's just pick our favorite 4-5 chapters out of the 11-volume manga set and animate those." Like Basara, Gestalt, Dragon Half, Fairy Princess Ren, or the Kodocha OVA (which really sucks, BTW), the idea was not to make a good anime -- the idea was to either give the fans of those manga titles something to buy, or in reverse, to be an ad for the series and get people to buy the manga. In the case of Here is Greenwood, instead of doing the normal thing (animating the first few chapters, like all those other OVAs I mentioned), they obviously decided to just give a gift to the fans and animate random popular chapters from throughout the manga. That's why Kazuya goes from being a freshman to the Dorm Head in 5 episodes, and why in ep #1 he hates all the other guys, and in ep #2 they're all really good pals who will go to extremes to protect each other. They left out a lot of stuff that would have made Greenwood make a lot more sense to the casual viewer, because they assumed that if you're buying these average-looking (as you said), expensive, 2-episode LD's, you've probably already read the manga, or you've got easy access to it. They assumed their audience already knew the story, characters, and what happened between those episodes. ^^ So it might be good to point out series that are obviously there to make you want to buy manga, in your reviews. Because, after all, people who would be frustrated or annoyed by that would want to avoid series like those (especially since they often have inconclusive endings, or they don't end at all), and people who like to import manga would probably really want to see it so they can get a taste of it before importing the books, which can get pricy due to shipping fees.

Yeah. The problem with licensing manga-based anime when the manga aren't available. Again, it's Fire Emblem syndrome all over again. If you have a translated anime, but it's really the intro to a game you can't play (because it's not available translated), then why should the average consumer even care? Greenwood, the anime, is really just a few assorted vignettes from the manga, which is frustrating because the manga isn't current, isn't translated, and by and by, is hard to come by. Yeah, you get a taster, but when you can't have the main course, then what's the point, really? So that sort of thing really sits badly with the short-attention-span American market, which is by and large who THEM is reviewing for. Not the Japanese fans, who already know better. THEM's intended audience, at least when we got into the anime reviews business, was not, in fact, diehard Japanese-fluent otaku, but the casual or budding fan who doesn't know Ranma from Ramayana. Because, when we started, that's where we were.

As for Kaikan Phrase, I thought I'd hate it and it would be stupid and shallow like its fandom >_> But my friends forced me to watch it, and you know.. I liked it. I think it's definitly a "watch this if you're a girl" show though. I mean, for us ladies, it's fun to watch 5 hot guys put a band together from nothing and then give up everything else in their lives for their music. (I liked the music, too, and I'm not into Jpop.) I also liked the girls in the show. When the love interest FINALLY comes along in episode 20 or so, I thought I'd find her cloying, annoying, and stupid (like Miaka, or many other shoujo heroines in these shows that are just excuses for bishounen), but she's actually really cute and likable. I dunno. I suppose you've gotta remember that it's based on shoujo manga and the people who are primarily supposed to find it appealing are girls. ^^; and I hate the backstreet boys, and WK just makes my friends and I laugh at the utter and complete bad cheesiness. (It does get a plot later on, episode 12-ish, but it's a very angsty and cheezy plot.) I suppose it's worth pointing out that prior to watching Kaikan Phrase, we watched Slayers, One Piece, Hunter x Hunter, and Slam Dunk. So... we're not the Fushigi Yuugi lovers you're looking for. >_> However, I understand why you reviewed it the way you did. I suppose that's why I should put my page back up, so people get get the other side of the review, as it were.

And that was a first impression, so, grain of salt. Also, particular fans don't always follow trends. I'm a pretty diehard shoujo fan myself (my favorite series being Marmalade Boy and Card Captor Sakura, but that certainly doesn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying Cowboy Bebop and Crest of the Stars, does it?

Anyway, I noticed you reviewed TenNiMon (er, that was you, wasn't it?). I'm not sure how much you've seen, but it's very obvious to me that it wasn't enough. The suitability of the show for most audiences is probably not quite what you imagine, for one thing. ^_^;

I'll try to avoid spoiling you too much, but the following seems important to me...

[spoilers]

In conclusion, the show is one hell of a mind trip. I really like it.

I'll stop talking now. Really.

--kris

One more time. Partial review. Grain of salt. ^_^** Actually, Christi has seen almost all of TenNiMon, so she gets to write the Full Review, whenever she's not working on her own website, fanfiction, and generally trying to stay sane. I've not had a chance to update that thing (mostly because of lack of access to the server it's on), so that's that. A lot of the older reviews will be tagged as such on the new servers, and we'll also include in-club second opinions and updated information once we actually get down to doing housekeeping on the site. As you noticed, I've had to resort to posting new reviews on GeoCities while we get the new servers ready, and that should tell you something about what we're going through right now. But I truly appreciate the support, and I'll be looking forward to seeing your reviews on the Net!

As always, happy viewing!

2002-01-31T23:53:00.000-08:00

First mail call for February!

To: themreviews@themanime.org>
Subject: A suggestion for the site
From: PyroV1@aol.com Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Jan 31 2002 10:09:01 PM EST

I recently stumbled upon your site while looking for a good anime review page, and, simply put, I love it. I do, however have one suggestion. I would really love it if you could organize the reviews by rating, too. It can be time-consuming to go search through the reviews of so many animes just to find one that is a good review, which can make it a pain if you are just browsing for a good anime which you haven't seen yet.

Theoretically, that's a great idea. The problem I've seen on sites that do that is that many people will outright ignore titles with medium ratings, and go straight for the four-and-five star anime reviews. And, well, while looking for good anime is great, we also want you to read our reviews, too, because we're selfish, and we like the attention.

In fact, my favorite reviews to write are of the one-and-two-star anime. It's *fun* to bash bad anime, and it's even funner to know that you've gotten someone in trouble in a computer lab somewhere for laughing too hard while reading your review. Especially Dagger of Kamui. It gets me every time.

Even the three-star reviews don't necessarily mean a title is boring. Far from it. Gundam Wing and Fushigi Yuugi are neither boring nor bad, as anime go. In fact, they are quite enjoyable, but they are hardly what I'd call masterpieces, or even "great titles", due to various reasons (bad animation, reused storylines, et cetera).

We may implement that suggestion when we move to the new servers, as you're not the first to bring it up, but it's something I'm still really leery of doing. I hope you understand.

Happy viewing!

2002-01-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

Quickie mail call. Whee!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Vampire Hunter D Website Link
From: Marc Bremner (marc@hairformers.com)
Date: Wed, Jan 30 2002 10:28:34 PM -0800

Hello, I went to see your Vampire Hunter D review and clicked on the Streamline Pictures link, and.. ahem* porno came up. Just thought I'd let you know.

Well, bye . Nice site. Serial Experiments Lain Rules! ^^''

*SWEATDROP*

Apparently, Carl Macek's defunct Streamline Pictures has been replaced by a same-name porno manufacturer. Since that's one of our older reviews (and now that VHD, and Carl Macek for that matter, are no longer affiliated with the name Streamline), we'll have to update that information. For now, disregard the link, I guess, until we get everything transferred to the new servers.

Lain is rather interesting, isn't it? I'm more of a NieA_7 fan, myself, though.

Happy viewing, and thanks for the heads-up!

2002-01-30T21:39:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Pioneer Animation, we may soon have a copy of their new Sherlock Hound DVD for review. I am thoroughly looking forward to this series, which is a collaboration between Miyazaki Hayao and Italian animator Marco Pagott, in an anthropomorphic homage to the famous characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. (And I'd like to show it to my nieces, too.)

2002-01-30T21:34:00.000-08:00

Mail call!

First, a Berserk fan seems rather sore that we panned his favorite show.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: awful
From: "mark lakhan" b3rs3rk@hotmail.com Add to Contacts
Date: Wed, Jan 30 2002 4:33:55 AM +0000

your reviews and "funny" sections to your site are quite awful...really...i
would reccommend actually watching the anime you review...nah scratch
that...just take your garbage site off the net.

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

Okay, we're taking down our site now, because you, in your infinite wisdom, have enlightened us of our sins. We are *so* wrong, please forgive us!

NOT.

Next time, instead of flaming a site you disagree with, give tips and suggestions, or at least pretend to treat fellow fans with a modicum of respect.

Take it from our next e-mail sender, Tellinius Korrelon. Flames accomplish nothing, especially when you flame promoters of your favored medium. But at least once a week, someone reminds me why I'm in this business in the first place.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Flipping-out and the negative consequences
From: Tellinius Korrelon (epyon2cool@yahoo.com) Add to Contacts
Date: Wed, Jan 30 2002 2:48:55 PM -0800 (PST)

I was reading your old Mail bags responses, and I had
an epiphony. We, as an Anime community should respect
each other. I AM NOT BLAMELESS. I have flipped out
before when someone didn't agree with me. For
instance I wrote a large email to T.H.E.M. about how
much I love Gundam Wing, and how I was dissapointed
with the older Gundam series. I was outraged at how
low of a score (in my mind it's a 4 or 5 star) they
gave it. So I despensed in writing a hate filled
email to them. Did it solve anything? NO! No, it
didn't. I only accomplished at pissing them off
further. We, as Anime fans, need to respect each
others preferences. I can repect their descions for
GW. After all it's THEIR opinion. I can agree with
them or disagree with them, because hey, it's a free
country, but don't threaten them because of their
opinion. I think it's great they they have that many
people devoted to Anime, and they are putting their
asses on the line when they review. Support them, and
be supported. Spread the word on this site.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Great stuff seeking new owners in Yahoo! Auctions!
http://auctions.yahoo.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I have never seen the point in flames. I never provoke flame wars, because all they do is divide a fandom that doesn't need any divisions. Fandoms are fractious enough, without people losing their heads because someone *gasp* doesn't agree with them.

Let's face it. It's bad enough that most mundanes see fans as selfish, antisocial, irrelevant, and foolish. Don't make the mundanes right. We're better than that, because if we can't understand and tolerate fellow anime fans, then how are we possibly going to be able to convince non-fans that anime is a hobby worth following and cherishing?

Yeah, anime's just a hobby, but it's a pretty darn cool one to have, for all sorts of reasons. (Not the least of which is that it's gotten quite a few of us anime reviewers girlfriends and wives ^_~) We're going to disagree on a title here and there, but that should never stop us from acknowledging the common bond we have as fans, and as people.

I've talked quite often with fellow reviewers like the hardworking Andrew Shelton and Pete Harcoff (and the sorely missed Akio Nagatomi), and sometimes we take flak from people who don't agree with us - but the vast number of replies to our sites have been overwhelmingly positive. We feel as if we're doing something positive, even necessary for the anime community, by telling what what we like and what we don't like - and we anime reviewers don't always agree with each other, even. I will never see what Andrew gets from To Heart, and similarly, Pete will never understand why we like Shinesman so much. But those are such minor quibbles, and we link to, and support each other's sites whenever we can, because it's hard and often thankless work, but *someone* has to do it.

Flaming someone is never going to get them to change their mind. I'll have to say, my usual response to a flame is similar to my usual response to an anime I dislike. However, if someone calmly and respectfully states their opinions, even if he or she totally disagrees with me, I'm far more likely to find the middle ground just because that person treated me with common respect. That goes for anyone, not just fans. And I thoroughly appreciate that. Unfortunately, a lot of fans (not just anime fans, either) never learn to replace flames with real, honest-to-goodness constructive criticism - and the encouragement to cooperate in the future.

I use too many words. Thank you for understanding where I'm coming from. And I apologize if I have treated you with any disrespect in the past. Thank you for continuing to believe in our site, and wish us luck as we expand into our own server in the near future.

Happy viewing!

2002-01-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

For a long time, I had been deferring writing a review for Magic Knight Rayearth, because I wanted Dom Mottola to do it for me. You see, when he was a member of THEM, he was a BIG fan of Rayearth and enthusiastically offered to write the reviews for the TV series and OAV series for me, since I hadn't yet finished it off. That was in 1998.

Sometime next week, I will be watching the final 4 episodes of Magic Knight Rayearth 2. That is all I haven't seen, and that's because I've been too terribly busy with my life, not to mention my television has been dead for quite some time now, and requires replacement. However, Dom's life has been far *busier*, as he's been getting certification upon certification in Microsoft products. Oh, yeah, and he's into Vampire: The Masquerade now, which leaves precious little time for anything else, apparently.

So therefore ...

New Review: Magic Knight Rayearth

The first of three reviews for the two TV seasons and the OAV series. Mostly because, well, I love Rayearth too. Particularly Fuu-chan. <3_<3

2002-01-28T22:42:00.000-08:00

New review at THEM Lite for The Anime Encyclopedia, which is our first book review.

2002-01-28T14:59:00.000-08:00

Today's news:

I'm on ADV's press release list, so here's the latest, paraphrased.

Nadia: Secret of Blue Water v.8 - The Secret Cave
DVD and VHS
Pre-Book Date: 3/26/02
Street Date: 4/23/02

Miyuki-chan in Wonderland
DVD
Pre-Book Date: 4/9/02
Street Date: 5/7/02

and ...

<<...>> Official Press Release

Houston, TX
For Immediate Release

PRODUCTION SET TO BEGIN ON ANIMATED FEATURE FILM ADAPTATION OF LADY DEATH

ADV FILMS has selected the production team that will be responsible for
bringing the long-awaited animated adaptation of Chaos! Comics' popular
character Lady Death to life. Co-producers Carl Macek and Andy Orjuela
will soon travel to Asia to work with artists at SunMin Image Pictures Co.,
Ltd. under the supervision of director Young H. Sang, to begin the arduous
process of creating the animation for this re-telling of the classic gothic
heroine's origin.

The original screenplay, written by Macek, revisits the origin of Lady
Death. The resulting script is a faithful adaptation of Chaos! Comics
founder Brian Pulido's original story. New plot elements have been
introduced and key characters have been re-designed by Orjuela to breathe
new life into the property.

Executive Producer John Ledford hopes to create a new production model with
LADY DEATH that redefines the relationship between Asian animation studios
and Western creators. To these ends, creative elements such as design and
storytelling are the domain of domestic talent while offshore "boutique"
animation houses handle animation production services. Where the difference
becomes most apparent is in the approach to animation.

"This is not an attempt to clone anime production techniques," Ledford said,
"but rather a genuine effort to develop a new working relationship that
respects the various talents of the entire creative team."

Macek, who has been a fixture in the animation industry for over 20 years
thanks to his work as President of Streamline Pictures and story editor for
Harmony Gold's influential eighties series, ROBOTECH, is putting his
considerable experience into the construction of this new animation model.
The goal for Macek, who also serves as the director of LADY DEATH, is to
define a production environment that draws from the best of both worlds.

"Over the last 10 years, Japanese animation techniques have become accepted
norms around the world," Macek said, "thanks to the success of various
television programs and video games, not to mention the huge number of
animated programming available on home video. But what is apparent in any
survey of anime is that, in many instances, it has become a case of style
over substance. Working to take projects out of clichéd design cycles and
produce a unique vision based on subject matter and core audience is key to
ADV's plans."

Orjuela, who also served as co-producer and art director of ADV's first
animation co-production, SIN, is a key factor in this process. As
co-producer and art director of LADY DEATH, his responsibility is to fashion
an original environment populated by unique characters that are both fresh
and familiar at the same time.

"The fun part is getting to create a new world," Orjuela said, "and then
having a staff of artists halfway across the globe put their own spin on it,
with the resulting work strengthened and enhanced through genuine
intellectual co-production. It's an exciting way to work."

Korean based SunMin Image Pictures' previous work includes BATMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES for Warner Brothers, GARGOYLES, TIMON & PUMBA, 101
DALMATIONS, and HERCULES for Walt Disney, THE MAXX for MTV, and the Grammy
award-winning music video "Do The Evolution" for American rock group Pearl
Jam.

LADY DEATH tells the story of innocence betrayed and then reborn as a
powerful elemental force capable of challenging the very roots of evil
incarnate. Set in 15th Century Sweden, the film follows Hope, the beautiful
daughter of Matthias - believed to be a skilled mercenary, but who in
actuality is Lucifer, the Lord of Lies - who is accused of being the devil's
consort following a hellish incident witnessed by a local priest.
Ultimately, the mock inquisition sentences Hope to be burned at the stake.
Unable to think clearly, she accepts Lucifer's offer of life in Hell -
presented by the malevolent Pagan - over a hideously painful death.
Lucifer's grand plan to pervert a pure soul meets unanticipated resistance,
and Hope soon finds herself transformed into Lady Death. Together with the
valiant outcast, Cremator, Lady Death challenges Lucifer's hell-spawned
kingdom of darkness. The resulting conflict explores the depths of faith
and love as an alternative to the corrupting power of evil.

Drawing on elements of horror and heroic fantasy, LADY DEATH boldly presents
a unique and compelling world. This embrace of the dark side has been the
domain of literary writers such as Anne Rice and Clive Barker for many
years. It is a world that is ripe for visualization as animation. But
American animators have typically shied away from this dark vision in favor
of super-heroes and comic buffoons. This is where anime comes into play.
The use of animation to tell inherently dramatic stories has been a hallmark
of classic anime productions for nearly thirty years.

LADY DEATH will be produced as an all-digital, wide-screen feature-length
film. The production will be designed to appear as traditional cel
animation, but the work will be completed in a "paperless" environment. The
advantage of using this process is that the dark environments of the
underworld and the even darker demons that populate it can be visualized
with a palate of colors that are virtually impossible to achieve utilizing
traditional animation techniques. The goal will be to approach the color
palate seen in contemporary comic books and video games. Based on the
digital color printing revolution ushered in by software such as Adobe
Photoshop®, the ultimate palate becomes denser and more realistic.
Limitations exist in traditional animation due to the number of layers
required and the lighting necessary to expose film. By going digital, the
depth of color and design are limitless.

The actual production of LADY DEATH should take a year to complete. Along
the way, ADV plans to continually update fans and industry insiders with
glimpses of this unique production in various stages of completion.

"It's always interesting to get a peek behind the scenes of any production,"
Macek said. "It keeps interest high, and it creates a sense that something
cool is coming our way."

Contact Information:
Corey Henson
Marketing & Public Relations
Phone: 713.341.7105
E-Mail: corey@advfilms.com

And finally ...

2326 visitors to THEM Anime's index page last week. Thanks!

2002-01-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

A Random Note:
We have just received the news that ADV has acquired the rights for Southern Cross from Harmony Gold. Interesting.

2002-01-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

[excised post that was supposed to go on my *personal* blog ^_^]

2002-01-23T09:15:00.000-08:00

Today's Public Service Announcement:
(courtesy Anime News Service)

ADULT SWIM ACTION CRASHES THE POOL PARTY Saturday Late Night Block Aimed at Adults 18-34 Launches February 23

On February 23, Cartoon Network launches ADULT SWIM ACTION, extending its mission as the world's leader in animated entertainment with a new block of animated action-adventure programming aimed at adults ages 18-34. The block will air only on Saturday nights from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. (ET, PT). ADULT SWIM ACTION will feature three hours of action-packed programming including Cowboy Bebop, Outlaw Star and Tenchi Muyo!, among others. Saturday, February 23 will also mark the U.S. premieres of three popular Japanese animé imports - Yu Yu Hakusho, Pilot Candidate and Gundam 0083.

The programming line-up and show descriptions follow:

* 11 p.m. Yu Yu Hakusho
* 11:30 p.m. Cowboy Bebop
* 12 a.m. Pilot Candidate
* 12:30 a.m. Gundam 0083
* 1 a.m. Outlaw Star
* 1:30 a.m. Tenchi Muyo!

For those outside the United States, "Pilot Candidate" is the local translation for Megami Kouhousei (aka "Candidate for Goddess").

2002-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Some news from THEM correspondents A----- and Teresa - they went to Japan earlier this month and in the midst of their whirlwind trip, saw some interesting new anime on TV and in the theaters, including Hikaru no Go (which AMR has already reviewed!), the Inu-Yasha movie, and Prince of Tennis. Reviews should be coming soon. (Fingers crossed.)

Of course, a lot of this depends on whether I actually have the energy to do all of this. We'll get to it when we can.

2002-01-22T10:27:00.000-08:00

More mail...

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: how much web space do you require
From: Raymond Turner Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Jan 21 2002 6:34:55 PM -0500

i happen to own a .com name and don't use that much or my space myself
if you wish and it doesn't use up all my space you i could create a sub
directory for you at cynicsrealm.com so your url would be
cynicssrealm.com/them
or whatever you want it to be my site is in severe need or a redesign so
i could add a link to it on the main page let me know if this intersts
you or not i intent to begin work on the page within a few days

i'm not sure if you eniterly stich to rentals and purchases for your
anime needs but i have about 75 gigs burnt to cd and some are titles
tat have not yet been reviewed if you are interested i could send them
via ftp or icq

Currently we are already making plans to do this on our own. We have already, as you may know, secured www.themanime.org through terabyte, which currently serves as a redirect to our main page. In the near future, this will be our true URL, and we are already doing what we can to move the site. Thank you for the offer, but we will handle this by ourselves, or through other members of THEM.

2002-01-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Mail Call!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Anime on DVD in Asia
From: Cort Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Jan 20 2002 8:11:54 PM +0800

Many of the anime reviewed on the THEM site describes an anime as being
fansub only. (eg nausicaa) When infact, many of these are available with
english subtitles on DVDs in Singapore and Hongkong. (Hongkong has more
and is slightly cheaper, Singapore tends to have fewer DVDs but makes up
for it with VCDs)

In addition, the prices are much lower in Singapore and Hongkong. In
Singapore, Serial Experiment Lain (all region, produced in Hongkong) cost
about US$20-30 for a complete set of 3, while the region 1 version
imported from US costs US$30/disc. "Archive of Studio Ghibli" (11 movie +
1 MTV) cost US$40.

Right now I have Neo Genesis Evangelion (Death and Rebirth), and a
"Archive of Studio Ghibli" DVD box set (4 Disc) which contains the
following:

Nausicaa
Laputa
Grave of the Firefly
Totoro
Kiki's delivery service
I can hear the ocean
Only Yesterday
Porco Rosso
Ponpoko
Whispers of the heart
Princess Mononoke
On Your Mark (Chage and Aska MTV)

All of these comes with chinese and english subtitles, and are coded for
all region. The graphics/audio quality are substandard for a DVD, but
better than VCD or VHS. The translation were pretty good for the Studio
Ghibli stuff, but are barely acceptable for NGE. The Studio Ghibli box set
is produced by Anime Studio Inc , not sure about
the NGE DVD, it's not with me now.

Perhaps THEM could consider procuring their anime from Singapore or
Hongkong in the future.

Btw, I noticed that the THEM site has not been very active for a while
now. I hope that things are going well over there. THEM is IMHO the best
anime review site around, and I almost always check it out before buying
anything.

Last Rant:
Your review of Nausicaa is too forgiving. The Nausicaa Manga is a
masterpiece, easily the best comic/book I've ever read. But probably
because I read the manga first, the anime became barely tolerable.

--
Cort
ccwee@starhub.net.sg

Since THEM is an organization based in the United States, we only give information on titles available in North America. It's almost impossible to keep up with worldwide release schedules, and it wouldn't serve most of the website's readers to announce, say, a Brazilian release of anime. It simply doesn't work in the context of this site.

That being said, I have seen some DVDs of anime that have come from Singapore and Hong Kong, namely Tales of Eternia and the Oh My Goddess movie. While these do qualify as being "anime DVDs subtitled into English", there are distinct disadvantages to buying these products. The major problem is that quite often, these are produced and subtitled by non-native speakers of English, so grammatical and spelling errors often abound. American fans expect professional quality subtitling in the products they buy, and generally will not tolerate inadequate or inferior product (*see CQC's release of Kizuna). My wife refuses to watch any anime subtitled from Hong Kong or Singapore because, quite simply, the subtitling distracts her from what she's trying to watch.

As an Asian myself (born in the Philippines), I know I should probably be more forgiving about this, but it's frankly embarrassing to show a product that substitutes "Czechoslovakia" and "Yugoslavia" for Celestia and Inferia (Tales of Destiny), totally mistranslates Belldandy as "Be-ru-ta-ti" (Ah My Goddess), and generally makes mincemeat of a language that everyone in the audience (THEM) is fluent in. Compound that with the fact that the "friendly English" used in Southeast Asia is a completely different dialect from Standard American English (which is what THEM uses, by and large), and you have serious problems.

Another problem I've come across is the translation of names - one copy of New Captain Tsubasa I viewed consistently referred to the title character as "Yi". Don't get me started on the Europeans' names in that release.

Another problem is the copyright issue. Copyright laws in the United States are a good deal tougher than those in Asia. Chances are (if anyone's caring) that these companies can not, in fact, legally distribute any anime in North America in any case. Another interesting wrinkle in the issue.

With such experiences behind me, I can not, in my right mind, recommend Asian DVDs as a source of English translation except in the direst of circumstances, because often as not, the "English" is almost invariably incomprehensible to native English speakers. But if some American anime fans *really* need to have the anime title you want and aren't willing to wait for a commercial (or at least fansub) release in North America, then Singapore and Hong Kong DVDs are probably going to be available. Just know that they may not be legible ... or legal.

2002-01-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

Well, after a week laid up at home (with time off for two trips to the hospital) due to the single worst allergic reaction I've ever had (and we don't know what caused it), I'm back, at least long enough for a week's worth of mail.

Mail Call!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: Subject: Help Wanted?
From: Leon K Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, Jan 8 2002 4:35:34 PM -0800 (PST)

I understand. Thanks for the consideration, and yeah, what I will probably do is write a couple more reviews and then host it off my own site. And, as for only reviewing things people like or hate, that is indeed a concern. For me this would be because I have around 150 gigabytes of anime and lack the time to watch all of it. So unless a piece of anime seems particularly interesting or captivating in some way I will simply not watch it. And stuff people have not watched they simply can't review. A lot of people I have tlaked to have the same issues as me in that regard.
On a different note, if I do my own thing, can I still use your format for anime reviews?

Leon Kitain

As long as you don't *exactly* copy everything, I don't see too much of a problem. You may want to look at Anime Cafe, The Anime Critic, or any of the other fine sites listed on THEM Anime's Links pages for further ideas. You'll see that while there isn't a terrible amount of variety as to the format of a review, there are subtle differences between the sites in question.

Trust me, us reviewers have to go through a great deal of dull material to find the gems of the medium. But that's our job. ^_^

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Top Anime Recommendations?
From: "Matthew Swope" (yourspringfieldhome@hotmail.com) Add to Contacts
Date: Wed, Jan 9 2002 5:58:14 PM -0600

Hey There,

Your site has been very useful. As a kid, I loved Robotech, Starblazers,
Voltron, and Battle of the Planets but didn't watch any anime as an adult.
A friend loaned me Akira a few months ago and got me re-interested. To be
honest, I didn't think Akira was all that great after all the hype,
particularly the last part. But I've picked up some others here and there
since then.

Your reviews have been useful. I first found your site when it came up on a
google search for Anime Recommendations and your 1998 collaboration with
Anime Cafe was listed.

That Top Ten is over three years old. What would you recommend as your top
ten now?

I would love some suggestions from you. Here is what I've seen:

- Grave of the Fireflies 5* (Outstanding! Bought it on DVD)
- Perfect Blue 5* (bought it on DVD)
- Princess Mononoke 5* (will likely buy it)
- Ghost in the Shell 4.5* (ending could've been better)
- Nausicaa 4.5* (good, but not as good as the manga)
- Record of Lodoss War 4* (could've been a little tighter)
- Winds of Amnesia 3.5* (storyline could've been more developed)
- Akira 2.5* (overly-hyped)
- Ninja Scroll 1.5* (cool graphics, unnecessary sex & gore)
- Vampire Hunter D 1* (worst anime I've ever seen)

Unfortunately, my local video stores don't have a huge supply or many of the
more "cerebral" titles for rent. From what I've read in various places, I
would very much like "Kiki's", "Neighbor Totoro", and "Whisper" because of
the storylines and the fact that they are from Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli. I
also think I'd enjoy "Patlabor 2" and "Cagliostro", but can't find them for
rent. I'll probably have to buy them on faith, sight unseen.

Based on the above infomation, do you have any suggestions for me?

Since I loved Robotech as a kid, I plan to watch "Macross Plus" and "Gundam
08th MS" soon.

I'm also considering the following titles: Cowboy Bebop, Tenchi Muyo in Love
1&2, Wings of Honneamise, Battle Angel, Heroic Legend of Arislan 1&2,
Martian Successor, and Vampire Miyu. Fortunately, they're all available to
rent.

Do you have any STRONG recommendations? Opinions on these films or other expert input?

Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ski
--
Matthew Swope
Coldwell Banker
Your Capitol Area Realtor
[snip]

Visit YourSpringfieldHome.com - It's Your 'HOME' Page.

"The scent of the rose lingers on the hand that gives it."
- William Shakespeare

You may want to check our Millennial Anime Awards, which comprised of a vote on the best and worst of anime (or at least our favorite and least favorite). The titles you have listed are good choices, I'd recommend any of those.

As for personal recommendations ... while any of our four and five star anime are generally a safe bet, something that might be worth your while is Crest of the Stars, which is available on bilingual DVD. It does start fairly slow (the whole first volume pretty much being exposition), but it's a very involving science-fiction series that is well worth your time. Another exceptional series is Nadia, which draws heavily upon Jules Vernes's novels, but creates a wonderful adventure all its own.

Good luck, and happy viewing!

To:
Subject: DVDs and the sub/dub debate
From: "Ryan Glazner"
Date: Thu, Jan 10 2002 3:43:24 AM -0800

Where do you think the subtitle vs. dubbed anime debate is going with the release of anime in DVD format? Before, when VHS was pretty much the only thing available, you could only get one or the other. Now most anime DVDs include both versions. If you get both on the same disc, does it matter which one someone prefers?
-Ryan

Well, I've never considered it terribly important which version a fan prefers. English dubs these days are getting just as good as the original Japanese voices, though some companies lag behind others. It will always be easier, though, for a beginner anime fan to get interested in dubs, simply because any performance work is more accessible (and therefore, easier to retain) in the native language of the audience. Also, I'm rethinking some of the reviews on our earlier titles, which were dub-only at the time. To make a comparison, just because, theoretically, say the Tagalog dub of Yu Yu Hakusho in the Philippines was bad, you can't call the whole series bad, because that isn't the original work. Same with English dubs, or any other dub apart from the Japanese. Of course, exceptional dubs can actually improve on the original, so it's a very situational sort of issue.

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: http://www.asu.edu/studentprgms/orgs/them/Anime/Reviews/ponpoko.html
From: Glenn Maynard Add to Contacts
Date: Sun, Jan 13 2002 7:48:12 PM -0500

Er, Ponpoko is Takahata, not Miyazaki. If Miyazaki had anything to do
with this movie, I'd be interested in knowing about it.

And, er, the movie didn't revolve around testicles. Sure, there were a
lot more of them than in any other show I've seen (and this movie had me
closer to cringing at what they did *to* the poor things, in the
"kamikazi" scene, than anything I've seen in a long time); but most of the
transformations had nothing to do with that. (If they did, I'd wonder how
the females transformed.) A lot of them were ambiguous, as well; if you've
got your mind set on "testicles", you could easily envision a lot of the
transformations involving them, but only a small number clearly did.

Quantity aside, I'd still think ahead before recommending this to a
friend, of course; but it's still the best movie I've watched in a
while.

(And I didn't get to see any old guy in a yukata. I'm not sure if I
should be disappointed for missing something or relieved for missing
something. :)

--
Glenn Maynard

The tape we viewed was from a Japanese market in Tempe, and it featured a rakugo performance immediately before the movie. Rakugo is a rather standard Japanese way of telling stories, using a usually older man as a racounteur (storyteller) delivering lines with a distinctly Japanese sense of humor, which, unfortunately, does NOT translate into English in the least. The American humorist Dave Barry had a similar experience with rakugo detailed in his book, Dave Barry Does Japan. Pick it up sometime.

It is a well-known legend in Japan that tanuki (also known as raccoon-dogs in scientific circles) are purported to be able to use their genitalia to magically shapeshift into humans or whatnot. Statues of tanuki almost always exhibit pronounced genitalia - for an example of this in anime, watch the very first episode of Phantom Quest Corp, in which Ayaka hides behind such a statue. What is given in Japanese culture and lore is easily lost on audiences in places where raccoon-dogs are not native, like Europe, Africa, or the entire Western Hemisphere.

Miyazaki Hayao was, in fact, credited as the producer of Ponpoko, and assisted in numerous behind-the-scenes aspects of the movie. It also shares the environmentalist themes of Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke. So it could be said that while Ponpoko was directed by Takahata, it is very much a Miyazaki film.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Gods of Anime, hear my call
From: Tellinius Korrelon Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, Jan 15 2002 11:57:17 AM -0800 (PST)

Have you guys reviewed Paralell Dual? I may be blind
and just have missed it. Also, do you know the
release dates on Saber Marionette J to X? I need to
buy that....
You guys are still the best Anime Review page out
there. You review things like DBZ fairly.
Drag-On-Ball Z needed that, and so do the blind fans
to it as well.

P.S. I'm telling many Otaku's about you website. I
hope you don't mind.

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/

Hey again! We are planning on viewing Dual: Parallel Trouble Adventure in the near future, so a review for that is forthcoming eventually.

As for Saber Marionette J to X, I have no idea about release schedules, but I'd check Bandai Entertainment's site (http://www.bandai-ent.com) for that. (I need to fix the episode count on that review eventually, as well.

Thanks for spreading the news about us! We really appreciate that.

That's it for now.

2002-01-08T15:56:00.000-08:00

Re: Subject: Help Wanted?

After much thought and consideration, we have decided on a permanent policy of reader reviews. Until such time as we feature a permanent reader submission section on THEM Anime Reviews, we can not accept any reviews from those outside the club or given explicit permission by club members to write reviews, under any circumstances. The main reason for this is quite simple:

THEM Anime Reviews is intended to express opinions and reviews from the point of view of the members of THEM. A reader submission in the main pool of reviews would defeat the purpose of the site, diluting viewpoint and bias, and making editorial control of the material within a virtual impossibility. Also, most readers only review titles they really like or really hate, leading to a preponderance of one and five-star ratings. This isn't really an accurate judge of the quality of anime - there are plenty of so-so and average anime out there (arguable examples being Debutante Detective Corps, Mighty Space Miners, Macross II) that may not incite enough interest in the average reader to write a review, but that we are willing to spend our time to write essays on because it's become our job to do so.

Again, in the future we may feature reader submissions in a separate portion of the site, but for now, I will point would-be reader reviewers to the following review sites:

Akemi's Anime World (http://www.animeworld.com)
Anime Critic (http://www.animecritic.com)

Or, even better, start up your own review site, starting with the titles that we haven't gotten to yet, like Angelic Layer (which I do honestly really want to see).

Thank you, and best of luck to you.

2002-01-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

More mail. It never ends. That's not necessarily a bad thing ^_^

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Just some questions and stuff
From: Moviman764@aol.com
Date: Tue, Jan 8 2002 5:05:18 PM EST

Hey just have to start by saying I love your site.

Ok I have two questions and two comments.

1). I was just wondering if the game that Comic Party was based off of was a hentai game or not? The only reason I asked is because the people created the game (I belive it was Leaf) are the same people who created several of the games that End of Summer was based off of.

2). Is the anime version of Marmalade Boy as good as the manga. I have only read a litle of the manga (what TokyoPop has released) and I really loved it. Now I am debating if I should see the show or not. I have sort of been dissapointed with the anime versions of some really well done manga, and I also have a limited anime budget, so I am choosing my titles wisely.

Ok now the comments.

I read your review for Maico 2010, and I remember that it was stated that there was very little adult content in it. Well the manga version is being printed in the States no, so of course, just to get a little taste of the show I decided to pick up the first book. OH MY GOD!!! This is the closest thing I have ever gotten to a hentai manga (there is no sex but there is TONS and TONS of nudity and sexually related situations. Also later on some naughty tentacles...ewww!). Now I am not saying that the manga is bad or poorly written, it is actually a well done series considering the content. But I think that in the review it should be reflected that the show was based off a very erotic manga (just so people don't end up reading something that they think will be tame.)

My second comment is about your Cream Lemon review. This is just a little quick one. You said that no episodes have been released state side. That isn't actually true. There are several DVDs and VHS tapes available (and no they are not fan subs). I belive a few of the Black Cat manor episodes, and some of the space parodies are available (I know for a fact that none of Ami series or any other episodes where brought over). While I have yet to actually watch the tapes or DVDs (the quality of the boxes make wonder about the quality of the product) I had read on Hentaijump.com that they where actually dubbed by porn stars (and badly at that). You can actually buy them at RightStuf.com

Well thanks for your time.
~Moviman764@aol.com

Answering your questions first...

1) Comic Party was originally, in fact, a hentai game for the PC. The Anime Encyclopedia mistakenly calls the TV series a Dreamcast tie-in, when in fact, the Dreamcast dating sim was the second incarnation of this work. To be more specific, this is the exact same crew who worked on To Heart (which is why they're constantly lampooning that series). If you check Google, you'll even find reviews on the games that this series was based on. Like To Heart, little to no hentai content in the TV series, though.

2) Seasons one and two of Marmalade Boy are, in fact, my favorite anime of all time. Since they're almost directly based off the manga stories (the translation of the art style is near-perfect), they are comparable to the manga in quality, if not improved by having an absolutely perfect voice cast for the characters, especially Miki and Yuu, the way-too-cool Miwa Satoshi (voiced by the same Ohta Shinichirou as the announcer on Iron Chef no less O_O), Suzuki Arimi, and hapless Rokutanda Tsutomu. It's great, and I can't recommend it enough to fans of the manga.

Season three of Marmalade Boy was NOT based on the manga, as the continuing adventures of the cast land the lead characters in New York City (well, at least it's *supposed* to be New York City). It's nowhere near as good as the first two seasons, but the ending returns for a grand finale back in Japan, where just about everyone ends up hooked up with someone (with *sniff* notable exceptions *sniff*). It's still plenty watchable, regardless, and kudos to TokyoPop for taking a chance on this title here in the States! ^_^

On your comments...

Yeah, the manga version of Maico is quite a bit racier than the anime version. The anime was severely toned down because of its television airing, and that's primarily due to the trigger-happy censors in the years following Evangelion. When we wrote that review, the manga was not yet available in the US - we'll have to make a quick note of that fact when we switch servers later this month.

As for Cream Lemon - the episodes released in the States were not released under the Cream Lemon title per se. According to my trusty Anime Encyclopedia, episodes 3 and 15 were released in the Brothers Grime series as Gonad the Barbarian and The Search for Uranus (GAG!!!!), episodes 4 and 10 were released as Offenders of the Universe (double GAG!!!!), and 11 and 26 were released as Pandora: an Erotic Adventure (triple GAG!!!!), making Cream Lemon the single most mystifyingly named anime series in United States history. Perusing the online synopses for these titles, it's evident that the Brother Grime releases are, at best, bastardized versions of the originals ("Princess Layme"?!?), and the distributors (apparently, Excalibur films) had no intention of releasing them as being remotely authentic to the original. As for finding them at reputable anime retailers, you won't find them under Cream Lemon - Anime Nation lists a DVD release as "Creamy Lemon" (sic), which may be a Japanese release, and the Right Stuf lists nothing under "Cream Lemon" at all!

Saying there's a western release of Cream Lemon is kinda like saying there's a western release of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Which, technically is true, but no one in their right mind should ever accept Warriors of the Wind as the same as the original. Same with the Brothers Grime, or CardCaptors. Whether it's children's fare or hentai, if it's hacked to shreds, then it just isn't the same as the real thing. Especially when badly dubbed by fly-by-night pornographers who haven't a clue about how to deal with anime. Besides, they only released seven out of thirty-six episodes, which hardly qualifies as being complete by any criteria.

Thank you for your support, and happy viewing!

2002-01-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

It's time for .... Mail Call!

To:
Subject: Very Very good site!
From: gfcgamer@canbras.net
Date: Mon, Jan 7 2002 2:53:23 PM -0200

Hello, i'm Guilherme, I'm from Brasil.
But don't worry, I know speak english...
This site is Great!

I'm a Card Captor Fan, Because it shows something that have forgotten.
That is, friendship, respect, and tolerance.

Try to see... The beautifoul environment, the cute relation with her friends, this show to us how is important to be pure and innocent.

(something that Media, TV, etc... Let us forgot all days, like a Machine)

I see that a dubbed version is a trash. Some Unsentimental americans made this, I've deleted from my computer...

I have downloaded some good subbed version anime on Kazaa Media Desktop Software. (I have 10 firsts episodes, and I wacth here, on TV here too.)

You can Ask If you want share some episodes that I have on ICQ.

gfcgamer
gfcgamer@canbras.net

Bom dia, Guilherme!

Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline. In North America, Pioneer has already released a subtitled version of Card Captor Sakura which is available on DVD. Therefore, anime downloads of that series (Kazaa, etc) are about as legal in the United States as, say, Napster MP3s. Still, I agree with your sentiment about the English dub, which turned a five-star series into a one-star mockery.

If my memory serves me correctly, a lot more anime is aired on broadcast television in South America than in the US, so let us know about what's airing in your area!

Happy viewing!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: (no subject)
From: Blinkshadey@aol.com
Date: Mon, Jan 7 2002 10:30:32 PM EST

where can i get the END OF EVANGELION movie(not on LD). ;p

Manga Entertainment will be releasing the Evangelion movies on DVD and VHS this coming year. So be patient, it will come in due time.

Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2002 23:42:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Leon K
To: them@asu.edu
Subject: Help Wanted?

I really like your site, and enjoy both your reviews, and the format they are in. Unfortunately, often you are slow in reviewing newer shows. If you are interested I'd be glad to offer my services and write some reviews myself. No, I don't go to Arizona State, but rather San Jose State University. I wrote a sample review of Angelic Layer, not really so much for you, but rather for my own amusement. http://server34.hypermart.net/bovinus/AngelicLayer.html

Still, I'd be glad to offer my help and write in some reviews of shows you have not yet gotten around to making.

Leon Kitain

Say, that's not a bad review at all!

We're batting around a few proposals around the club, not the least of which is a reader review section, separate from the main THEM reviews. One of the problems I've run into on a reader review site (like Akemi's Anime World, Parent's Guide to Anime, or the late, lamented Anime Grapevine) is the schizophrenic nature of the reviews. When reviews are written by such a wide range of individuals, there's no such thing as bias or point of view - it's really a crapshoot.

One obstacle to a reader review page would be upkeep. Already we've found it next to impossible to keep up with the Reduced Anime page, which is why that is on hiatus. With our busy work and school schedules, as well as helping to run three (sometimes four) conventions annually, we have precious little time to spare with encoding html on the dozens, sometimes hundreds of files we have to deal with. The problem isn't getting the reviews written - it's getting them online!

Having our own dedicated server outside the University will alleviate the "slow updates" you're talking about, and it will enable us to do so much more than our current configuration at ASU. As for being a contributing reviewer, I'll definitely talk it over with our Faithful Lackey (Erik Wennstrom), and our Figurehead Emeritus (Raphael See). Then we'll talk.

Until then, happy viewing ... AND happy writing!

2002-01-07T10:46:00.000-08:00

New Review: Sin the Movie.

The phrase "anime-by-numbers" might be a clue as to the predictability and unoriginality of this title.

2002-01-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

First Mail Call of the New Year!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: How you doing?! :)
From: "DANIEL ZELTER" Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Jan 3 2002 11:45:39 PM -0800

Happy New Year, and I hope your friends and family are safe since 9/11! As
for Baoh, according to the Anime Encyclopedia, the manga was from the
creator of Jojo, but only lasted for two books. And frankly, I liked Zeiram.
The special effects were quite good for their day, and the story doesn't
drag like its anime counterpart. Zeiram 2's not so bad either. (It's
currently available from Media Blasters on dvd.) Anyway, please review Kekko
Kamen next. It's kind of like Goldenboy in terms of obscenity, but it's much
better than Cutey Honey in terms of humour. Also, be careful with Violence
Jack, if you decide to review it for hentai. It's so offensive, they even
censored some of the manga when it first came out.(On a side note, it's
basically what takes place between Devil Man and Devil Man Lady. Oh, and
please review Devil Man Amon.) As for hentai you should review, check out
New Angel and Magical Twilight. They have no tentacle rape. Finally, since
you're a fanboy, any opinions on NSYNC having a cameo in Attack of the
Clones?

Sincerely, Daniel Zelter

Good to see you, Daniel!

I recently had the opportunity (ahem) to peruse the Baoh manga, courtesy of Viz. It's actually nowhere as good as the anime, much less Jojo's Bizarre Adventures.

As for Zeiram, I've seen one of the live-action movies, and I found where Iria tended to drag a bit, Zeiram just seemed to go for all-out camp. I guess I just don't get Japanese live-action, but rubber suits have never done anything for me, I guess.

When we get a hold of a rental copy of Kekko Kamen we'll review it. It looks pretty amusing, though we haven't seen Gekko Kamen which it parodies.

Though Violence Jack is not "technically" a hentai title, we have extreme reservations about it. I admit we're not in a great hurry to watch stuff in the ultraviolent genre of film (MD Geist, Genocyber, Mad Bull 34). As for Devilman and Devilman Amon, we'll get to those eventually, though we have to say we're definitely not the biggest fans of Go Nagai out there. We liked Devilman Lady and Cutey Honey though...

I've already seen Magical Twilight, so that is a candidate for review, as is The Elven Bride. I've not seen New Angel yet, though. The place that used to rent out hentai titles (Tower Records) has liquidated its video rental collection, though, so we won't be able to get to that any time soon.

As for NSYNC's cameo, I must say that it's one hell of a publicity stunt, but since they're non-speaking extras, it really doesn't matter. Of course, if they start singing crap like, "Let me show you the shape of The Force," I will puke. If I even go to see Attack of the Clones, anyway - I'm leery of Episode II, seeing as Episode I wasn't all that great. I'm looking forward to The Two Towers myself. (And Return of the King, for that matter.)

Happy viewing!

2001-12-31T08:45:00.000-08:00

Last day of 2001, so for all (three) of this blog's readers, Happy New Year!

Mail Call!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: Opinion
From: YY Ch Add to Contacts
Date: Sat, Dec 29 2001 12:00:17 PM -0800 (PST)

Dear Carlos,
Thank you for your opinion. By the way, I hope you
have a Happy New Year. Oh...and are you posting on any
other forums currently?

I have a few more questions:
(1)Do you recommend 'Countdown: Akira'? Yes...it is a
hentai, but I'm more interested in a good story and
engaging characters. I saw a 'Countdown: Akira Saga'
and a 'Countdown: Akira Complex'. Is one the edited
and the other the unedited version? Or is it just my
eyes?

(2)Do you recommend Mezzo Forte?

(3)Now...you know that I hate DBZ. However I like the
original DB for its toilet humor. I'm aware that three
of the DB movies are commercially available in US.
Knowing my taste, which one would you recommend?

Thanks again.

Hey again!

1) So far, the only tape of the Countdown series we've screened is the first tape, which had very unconventional and interesting stories for a hentai title. Countdown Akira comprises the final three episodes of that series, and though we haven't seen it, it looks to be better than the first two (which aren't bad to begin with). Akira Complex is the unedited version, Saga is the edited version, though why people would want to see hentai with the hentai scenes removed is beyond me. (Kinda like Street Fighter without the violence.)

2) We haven't seen Mezzo Forte yet. It looks suspiciously like a rehash of Umezu/Umetsu Yasuomi's Kite and the Cool Devices episode Yellow Star (which were, in fact, the same crappy anime, with marginally different endings). Therefore, we are extremely leery of Mezzo Forte.

3) Ooh. The original Dragon Ball was a whole lot of fun - I've been procrastinating on a review of it, though, because I've seen less of it than other, more qualified members of THEM. That also applies to the movies, so I'll have to ask them (after they come home from winter break). If you've seen and enjoyed Dr. Slump, the third film is a crossover with that series (which is located in the same universe as Dragon Ball). I would imagine all three movies should be good, though again, sight unseen, I really don't know.

Happy viewing!

2001-12-29T12:08:00.000-08:00

Good news - The Anime Review website, by Jason Huff, has moved to http://www.theanimereview.com . Enjoy!

2001-12-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

For now, Reduced Anime is on hiatus, but will return with the change of servers in January. We have a lot of submissions to go through, so please be patient. In the meantime...

Despite having to go to my day job even on Saturdays, something always makes me feel that life is so much more rewarding for working on THEM Anime Reviews. Here's an e-mail that just makes my day. ^_^

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: thank you
From: Noelle Mendoza
Date: Sat, Dec 29 2001 8:04:05 AM -0800

I just wanted to thank you for your page. I'm a anime club advisor for a high school in South San Francisco, California. It's hard to cipher through the good anime and the junk. Your reviews have helped me decide what is appropriate for my students to watch, and anime that is worth purchasing. Again thank you and I look forward to reading your future reviews.

Sincerely,
Noelle Mendoza

Thank you very much! On behalf of THEM, I feel honored and gratified knowing we've been of help to you and your students.

In retrospect, one of the things I truly wish I had when I was in high school was an anime club. Nowadays, there are anime clubs in most of the high schools in my neck of the woods, but only a few years ago, all I had even *heard* of anime in high school was Vampire Hunter D and vague snippets of something called El-Hazard. Unfortunately, the web presence of anime reviews in the mid-90s was nonexistent, and I was only clued into the better titles by working for a video store (a futile war of attrition), and subsequently, finding and joining the staff of THEM Anime Reviews in college.

My wife, however, was able to screen various anime through the anime clubs in the high schools she attended when she was younger, which could never have been possible without advisors like yourself. In fact, THEM itself, being a campus organization, is reliant on the presence of an advisor to continue its very operations.

And so we owe you a debt of gratitude in return.

Best of luck to you and your club, and happy viewing!

2001-12-28T10:34:00.000-08:00

Mail Call!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Opinion
From: YY Ch
Date: Thu, Dec 27 2001 2:31:01 PM -0800 (PST)

Carlos,
Hi. I'm not sure if you remember me but we used to
converse at AGV a lot. Anyway, I'd like your opinion
on an anime title: Seraphim Call. What are your
thoughts? Recommend? Not recommend?\

Thanks

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Send your FREE holiday greetings online!
http://greetings.yahoo.com

Good to see you again! I remember back before we used to converse at AGV. The loss of that site is lamented, but I'm glad we've been able to keep in touch.

In any case, I haven't yet seen Seraphim Call, but apparently it's based off a dating sim with a sci-fi twist, sort of like Sentimental Graffiti meets Gundam. I'll review it if I get my hands on it, but so far no one in the club has seen it yet. The art, I must say, is beautiful, but then, that's par for the course in the genre.

Dating simulation game-based anime are of considerably varied quality: refer to our reviews of To Heart, Himikoden, and Sakura Wars, as well as our new review of Comic Party at the temporary THEM Anime Lite site.

Hope that helps a bit.

As always, happy viewing!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: Utena as a test sample.
From: "Aaron White" Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Dec 27 2001 7:18:11 PM -0600

Hi, it's Aaron White, onetime drunken gadfly of the Anime News Network
message board. I hope you had a splendid holiday. Anyway, I'm writing
because my brother got me the Utena movie for Christmas, and after watching
it I casually checked up on your review of it. In the spirit of watching
the watchmen, here's my review of the review.

"...quite possibly the most visually beautiful movie I have ever seen..."

Fine, but really? More so than Honneamise, X, Akira? Sleeping Beauty? The
Fleischer Superman shorts of the forties? Fantasia 2000? (And that's just
among animated films.) If so, how so? You give an indication of what's
beautiful about the movie, but not of what makes it more beautiful than
other films.

"...The story can be a bit hard to follow at times, as the visuals do
overpower the prose..."

How does that make it hard to follow? Often a primarily visual story can
work in a more direct fashion than a verbal one. The silent films of
Chaplin or Buster Keaton aren't all that difficult to follow, even today.

"...For just as the plot reaches its zenith and all becomes clear and we're
ready to see Utena and Anthy beat the enemy both within and
beyond...director Ikuhara lights his bong and decides to 'play around' with
the ending."

The implication here is that a bait-and-switch has occurred, that we don't
get to see U. and A. overcome their challenges. Yet that is precisely what
happens! They escape from the solipsistic, circumscribed fantasy world in
which they were no more potent that straw dolls, they defy the Prince who
was falsely established as the ideal figure of the story, and they come to
terms with the other characters. How, exactly, is this a failure?

"The second we see Utena enveloped in giant car wash sponges and emerge as a
shiny pink corvette after what is most possibly the DUMBEST magical girl
transformation scene in the history of anime, we knew it was all downhill
from here (both literally and figuratively). The movie devolves into a
demented wet dream straight out of the pages of Low Rider magazine. I was
cringing as all that was built before in the movie was just tossed aside
like it didn't matter after all. Ikuhara tried to make it fit, he really
did, but in the end, all it manages to do is end the movie on a sour note
and leave the viewer wondering what the heck just happened."

First, I don't see anything objectively problematic about the trasformation
scene. You've got every right to dislike it, but since it makes sense in
the context of the story (Utena is literally and figuratively Anthy's
vehicle out, and Anthy literally and figuratively "drives" Utena out. Utena
provides the power, Anthy the guidance. It follows logically from
everything that's gone before) what's the problem? Nothing in the narrative
was "tossed aside." If you didn't jibe with the conclusion, that's fine,
but there's a big difference between "Here's my personal response" and
"Here's the self-evident nature of the film."

"...the Dance in the Rose Garden, the best part of the movie..."

Why? I thought it was a fine scene-it made a strong point about Utena and
Anthy's relationship, and it was aesthetically well designed-but how,
exactly does it tower above the rest of the film? If all you really mean is
that it's your favorite part, why don't you just say so?

None of this is meant to be ugly or a personal affront; if I didn't think
you were good writers with substantial insights I wouldn't bother writing.
I also didn't write on the basis of "I disagree with their opinions, so I'll
challenge your opinions." It's not your opinions that I take issue with;
it's just the presentation of personal response, which is centered around
the author, as if it were interchangable with critical analysis, which is
centered around the subject.

That said, have a splendid new year!

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

Good to see you again, we've talked beforehand.

Properly this should be addressed to my wife, Christina, who wrote the review, but I'll answer your questions as best I can, seeing that she is unable to reply via e-mail on a regular basis due to lack of access. (I'm at work, on my lunchbreak. Otherwise I couldn't reply either!) However, I may not be able to answer your questions as directly as you may like, so bear with me here.

As for the beauty of the film, the stylistic nature of the animation is very attractive, especially in the scenes of the rose garden. While I don't totally agree with it being the *prettiest* I've seen, I certainly appreciate it more than the murky darkness of Akira and the unfortunate inconsistency of Fantasia 2000. This would be a matter of personal preference - it should help to know that Christi is a fan of shoujo-style anime, and would prefer something like this to Wings of Honneamise due to stylistic preference.

As for the visuals - at times the setting of atmosphere can be laid on so thick that the plot comes off as not being too apparent. And the ending - it's not that Utena and Anthy DON'T overcome their challenges, but they do it in a way that comes completely from left field considering the consistency and continuity of the events leading up to the showdown. It's kinda like replacing Rose of Versailles with Initial D and condescendingly telling the audience it's all the same story. The themes may be similar, but the contexts simply are not.

Again, this is an interpretation of the events of the film, and criticism does factor in a good deal of personal response. Most of our readers are not here for a lesson in film study - they want to know whether to rent, buy, or even think of viewing an anime based on whether they will find it entertaining, enlightening, or any combination of the two.

THEM Anime Reviews is not intended to serve as a scholarly analysis of Japanese animation. We're hobbyists, not film students. While we do occasionally range into that, the primarily raison d'etre here is to tell you whether we liked a show, and why.

An example of this can be seen in Raphael See's Dagger of Kamui review, where he completely eschews scholarly analysis and tears into what he perceives as the film's shortcomings, amid just a bit of cynical hyperbole.

You may want to try Susan Jolliffe Napier's Anime: From Akira to Princess Mononoke for a more scholarly treatment of film study and critical analysis in reference to Japanese animation.

Have a splendid New Year yourself, and best of luck to you. Happy viewing!

2001-12-27T13:32:00.000-08:00

More mail!

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Love Hina: Good or bad choice?
From: "antoine allen"
Date: Wed, Dec 26 2001 6:04:03 PM -0500

Hey there! Love reading those reviews, and a great help in deciding what anime to rent or buy. I was curious about about the new anime, "LOVE HINA" and I just want to know if you or any one at THEM has seen this anime and whether or not anyone enjoyed it. I have read some reviews about this anime and most thought it was good, although clichéd. I know that Bandai has liscensed it and it will be released in Febuary, so maybe I should just download one sample episode from the internet, but I would like to hear the opinions of THEM, if they have seen the whole series.
Thanks anyway, Antoine
P.S. Are you still pissed off about what NELVANA did to Cardcaptor Sakura?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. Click Here

Hey Antoine! Good to see you again!

Considering that I've converted a Love Hina subway-pass holder to hold my work badge, you can call me a certified fan of the series. However, I've read vastly more of the manga by Akamatsu Ken than the anime, which I've seen only snippets of. Though I think they made Naru's character a bit TOO violent in the anime, I really enjoy what I've seen. (Not to mention I *love* Horie Yui.) Of course, Christi has seen almost all of Love Hina and thoroughly recommends it (not least because she sympathizes with Naru, something that should probably scare me more than it does ^_^). All told, it's a solid four-star anime, and a complimentary review should be shortly forthcoming.

And yes, I'm still pissed at Nelvana for their treatment of my second-favorite series. But since they released a subtitled DVD of the original uncut Card Captor Sakura series, I can forgive it.

I'm too busy to be mad anyway - I'm looking forward to my favorite series (Marmalade Boy), which looks like it's going to be released very shortly by TokyoPop.

Happy viewing!

2001-12-27T09:15:00.000-08:00

Blogger's back up, so...

First, I will take this opportunity to announce our intention to move permanently off the ASU servers onto an external server. Since we have grown reliant on non-students to continue the maintenance and expansion of THEM Anime, we can no longer stay with a server that limits access to those who are currently ASU students. Negotiations are underway with the club, and since it's coming out of our personal funds and not from the club's fund, it should be okay. This means, incidentally, that the ban on hentai reviews has been lifted, though THEM will probably only review select titles out of that genre for obvious reasons. In the meantime...

New Reviews: Cream Lemon and Tales of Eternia

One smutty, one sweet. Take your pick.

2001-12-24T09:55:00.000-08:00

Good morning! It's Christmas Eve, and we're getting ready to celebrate, but we've got time for ...

Mail Call!

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: saber marionette j info
From: "ross erdmann" (knuckleheadiii@hotmail.com)
Date: Sat, Dec 22 2001 8:18:40 PM -0600

Yes, in the Animevillage sub Hanagata does call Otaru his 'best friend' but it's very apparent that Otaru is his significant other. I watched the first four episodes before I read anything about the series and I figured that he was homosexual by episode two. Most people I've shown this series to have figured it out by episode one or two. He gives really big hints by the time episode three roles around and I doubt anyone would wonder about his relationship (one-sided, Otaru never aknoledges it) by episode eight. Just thought I'd tell you. Oh, and is it just me, or is the part [spoiler removed] kind of scarry?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Well, the whole "best friend" thing is a bit of a strange translation. Hanagata says (quite often), "Otaru daisuki!" Literally, it means, "Otaru is very liked very much (by me)", or, "I like Otaru very much." However, a better translation is, "I love Otaru."

On a world where there are only men, homosexuality would probably end up being the norm rather than being taboo. However, it seems this caused problems among the marketers and translators of SMJ, which is disappointing, but not unexpected. So the dub and the subtitles try to downplay Hanagata's flamboyant homosexuality (which is pretty stupid, when you really think about it).

And that part is a bit frightening, because, though they're marionettes, you still feel for them as characters. (Had to remove the spoiler from the public Mailblog, though. Hope you don't mind.)

In the immortal words of our Faithful Lackey...

Toodles!

2001-12-21T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's our amigo, Shingetta-san from Puerto Rico! Continuation of a conversation that may not have completely gone on the Mailblog. Oh well.

To:
Subject: Hi!! this is Shingetta again!!! (I will explain you that thing about "ATE"!!
From: "Familia Green"
Date: Fri, Dec 21 2001 7:20:00 PM -0400

corgreen@coqui.net
Ya Carlos-san!!!(Hi Carlos)
Well...man! you ask me to explain you that thing about "ATE" when I wrote you my opinion for the Japanese voice-actors of 3x3 Eyes:
When I said "ATE", I said that it was EXTREMLY GOOD or SUPERP the Japanese voice-acting, in other words: ATE= IT ROCK'S
and when I said "The actor ate it without leaving nothing under the plate" I meant the actors did a VERY good job. It was very strange that you didn't knew what I was talking about because I also wrote "I totally agee with you".

Man! you right when you wrote that Pai's voice in English#2(Pioneer's dub) was dissappointing, Pai looked like she was 30 year old and not 14...in my opinion: the only things that were good on that stupid re-dud are the voice Yakumo and Jake MC Donnald, when Yakumo said to Pai -"Stay Alive"- and the part when Yakumo said -"AAHH!!??"- when he saw Pai after four year ago.

P.S: Try to see the anime Black Lion because I know that you whon't like it.. so I like to see a ONE star on your anime's rating reviews HAHAHAHA!!! Please,don't take this advice as a negative thing.

Well!!! sayonara,adios, goodbye

We should have that review for 3x3 Eyes very soon. Yeah, I figured that "to eat" something must be slang for "to be good at", though that saying isn't used at all here. I'll have to assume that it's a saying from around where you're from, but I totally agree with you. I wasn't thrilled with the Pioneer dub of 3x3 Eyes 2, especially in light of their usually excellent localization.

At some point in time, we will have a review for Black Lion, though from advance reports on that show, I'll have to wait to find a place that offers it for rent. No way am I going to spend money to something with that kind of word-of-mouth!

Ciao!

2001-12-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

Anime reviews might be a bit delayed over this weekend. Considering it's the weekend before Christmas and all.

We must say one thing more: so far, 5 out of 5 THEM members think Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring is the best fantasy movie ever made. The others are going to see it this weekend.

If you have any way to go watch this movie, DO SO. ^_^

2001-12-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

New Review: Eat-Man

Not boffo. Not boffo at all.

2001-12-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

David Blackman (consumatehatred@hotmail.com) e-mailed us twice more, saying we were sheltered and naive for being offended by violence and sexual content in anime, and insisting that the average American isn't as "conservative" or "trapped in a bubble" as we are.

He supports this theory with the spurious logic that since NAMBLA is an American creation, and we have less strict laws on gun control (he never said compared to where), then we must be more "liberal"-minded and enjoy stuff like this.

Just because violence and sexual content exist in anime doesn't give us the obligation to like it or seek it out. We know it's there. We choose not to like it. That isn't "naivete" or "living in a bubble". That's taking a stand, and that's having a definite opinion.

I don't think in totally sheltering children, but being too lenient isn't good either. Yes, you make the point that there's worse stuff out there. That doesn't make things any better. Even the lesser of evils is still an evil. And your point that "the average person isn't as conservative as you" is still a fallacy and an assumption. But since you're also convinced we're arrogant and self-interested, you won't listen to our points either.

Again, insulting us directly isn't a very effective way of getting our respect or sympathy.

The other thing is that this is a website run by Americans, and while we understand that the morals and beliefs of the Japanese people are different (well, duh!), we don't expect our viewers to live by them. We're not going to compromise our views on some "one-world-culture" fallacy - Americans are going to disagree with Europeans, Africans, Asians, what-have-you just because the point of view is so obviously different. And guess what? We don't think either the Americans OR the Japanese have the "perfect" culture. There is no such thing.

You're not going to change our minds, and we're not going to change yours. Call it a day and move on. Don't you think you've wasted enough time?

Trust me, Raph would've put you down much harder than this.

2001-12-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

New Review: BAOH: The Visitor.

Boy, does it suck. And I STILL don't get the title.

2001-12-20T11:16:00.000-08:00

New Review: Comic Party.

The Anime of the Month, right here. Go watch it NOW! ^_^

2001-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

This question's been asked before, but I think it's time we gave a definitive answer on this one.

To: miwasatoshi@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: On Your Mark
From: TAESU@aol.com
Date: Thu, Dec 20 2001 12:52:27 AM EST

How about reviewing On Your Mark music video by Hayao Miyazaki?

We've decided not to.

Music videos like Chage and Aska's On Your Mark and the Matsumoto Leiji-inspired Daft Punk videos, as well as the animated short for Wish don't really qualify as being valid reviewing material for our site. Though a wonderful expression of the art of animation, these videos are not meant to be independent works in and of themselves as anime, but rather, to highlight and complement the music they were created for. Also, with a typical runtime of three to four minutes, music videos are far different in scope from even the shortest episodes of TV series. Even Kaikan Phrase, though arguably a promotion for the band Lucifer, still has a storyline and plot as a television show ... On Your Mark is just a tad too short to express more than a concept, or a short story, and while it's really cool, it's still nowhere near the scope of, say, Whisper of the Heart or Sen to Chihiro no Kamikushi.

If we were to review everything that remotely qualifies as anime, we'd also have to review video games with anime cutscenes, or the like. And that's really not the purpose of our site.

Though we heavily enjoy On Your Mark as an animated work, we feel that it's not quite what we're looking to promote in an anime review. Just as Roger Ebert and other movie critics do not review music videos, so we choose not to. We hope you understand.

2001-12-18T17:32:00.000-08:00

New Review: Mon Colle Knights.

Just because it's cute doesn't mean it's good. -_-

2001-12-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last night Christi, Eric, and I watched a pair of anime, BAOH and Sin, that we will soon be reviewing. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately for our readers), neither one of them was any good. Genetics, bloody death, and precocious little girls fawning over the leads. We'll get to those reviews very soon.

In the meantime, more mail!

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: an anime you missed
From: "Zane R-S" zane_rs@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, Dec 15 2001 4:24:39 PM -0600 (Eastern Standard Time)

One anime I think you should review that you haven't found yet is the series Inu Yasha. I have watched several episodes of this series and have found it to be quite entertaining. I'm not sure if its out on video yet or not, but fansubs are quite common. I checked your review list and your "not quite reviewed yet" series list and it wasn't on either of them.

P.S. If you do review the series and find it interesting, e-mail me. I'd like to know that I at least made a difference.

Well, several of THEM's affiliate members are big fans of the manga Inu-Yasha, and they have seen fansubs of the TV series. Hopefully we'll be able to review it over soon when they come back to Arizona for the holidays. Just keep checking our site - your e-mail's already in Mailbag, and since that is a permanent feature of THEM, consider yourself to have already made a difference.

Happy viewing!

2001-12-15T14:11:00.000-08:00

New Review: NieA_7, from Carlos Ross.

About darn time, too.

2001-12-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

FYI: Anime soon to be reviewed!

3x3 Eyes (by request)
3x3 Eyes 2 (by request)
Gestalt
Hand Maid May
Kishin Corps (aka Geo Armor)
NieA_7

2001-12-14T09:20:00.000-08:00

And here's some mail from, I'd assume Puerto Rico? ^_^

To:
Subject: About your rating system! ONEGAI SHIMASU Read it! please!
From: "Familia Green"
Date: Fri, Dec 14 2001 4:40:31 AM -0400

corgreen@coqui.net
Ya! Uatashi ua Shingetta-san (Hi, Im Shingetta)

This is what I want you to read:
Your rating-anime system is SUGOI (tremendous) and original(for example: PG to PG-13) but my question is: Why don't you rate the Japanese or English voice acting as same you rate the anime on your start reviewrs(*)?

I know that sometimes you also rate the voice acting on your reviewrs but not all the time, I only ask that you could think about it, so please write me if you accept or deny.

I saw Final Fantasy in English and Japanese and you were right when you said that both dubs were bad. Sooner or latter I will see Gowcaizer to know how bad the voice acting was in both dubs.

P.S: I recommend that you guys rent or buy the Anime 3*3 Eyes so I can see your review of this masterpiece. I know that you will give this anime a **** stars knowing your rating system.

Sayonnara,adios,goodbye

Well, we don't rate different components of a title like our colleagues at Anime Cafe do. The way THEM Anime reviews its titles is as a whole package. Many of our earlier reviews were written before bilingual DVDs were on the market. Therefore, either the English or Japanese tracks were available (and not both) on many titles (for example, Battle Arena Toshinden which we've only seen in English, and FLCL which we've only seen in Japanese). Some titles, like Brother, Dear Brother, aren't available outside Japan commercially, and therefore have no English voice acting to comment on. Also, we don't tend to comment on voice acting jobs that are merely adequate because other aspects of a title grab our attention more.

A tip on your nihongo: my Japanese professor back at ASU drilled into our class that calling yourself -san is a bit of a breach of protocol, and is considered fairly rude. Of course, I'm not offended, but a native Japanese speaker might look at you funny. Same for any of the other honorifics (-chan, -sama, etc) - these are for other people, not for yourself.

And 3x3 Eyes is slated to be reviewed soon - we saw 3x3 Eyes and 3x3 Eyes 2 in their entirety at the last convention we ran, and it is quite excellent, though I vastly prefer the Japanese track (with Hayashibara Megumi) to the English track, which while still good, doesn't quite feel the same without her as Pai. We will actually be separating the series into its two OAV series components. Unfortunately that was on September 8, and writing those reviews got delayed somewhat by the events three days after.

Happy viewing!

2001-12-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: T.H.E.M. Reduced anime.
From: Brian Randall Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Dec 13 2001 12:18:20 PM -0800

No more? Two years and two days to the last update... :p

--
I write fanfiction. Too much of it. You can read it here, thanks to
a kind grant from the Larry F foundation:
http://members.tripod.com/lwf58/fan_fiction/durandall/index.html
--
Haiku of my lament:

Forgive my spelling,
my U.S. education,
is the source of blame.

We have *tons* of Reduced Anime submissions waiting in the wings. However, Reduced Anime has always been, and will always be a sidelight to the main purpose of this site: concise, well-written reviews of anime. We will be adding Reduced Anime as we are able to, but for now, we can't really update Reduced Anime at this time.

2001-12-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

Here we go again.

To: themreviews@animelovers.zzn.com
Subject: Re: I Love Your Site!
From: "David Blackman" Add to Contacts
Date: Tue, Dec 11 2001 5:45:25 PM +0000

you seem to have entirely missed the point of my arguement, I did not mean
to suggest that just because a movie has violence it deserves to be watched.
I was merely attempting to point out, by comparison to Tetsuo, that
Genocyber is not that violent a film and I can honestly say that I watched
it without seeing anything that particularly disturbed me which by the logic
of your review makes me 'demented'.
Nor did I mean to suggest that anime was just for adults. My arguement was
that some anime is for kids, others for adults and some, as you say, that
can be watched by both (Princess Mononoke being a good example) and that it
is therefore wrong to reveiw an anime based on its suitability for children,
something that THEM seem to do a lot, when it may never have been intended
to be seen by children.
Finally I never meant to suggest that Genocyber and Tetsuo were among the
best examples of "Japanese pop culture", just that they should not be
dismissed as bad films because they contain scenes that may be offensive to
some people.

Hopefully this makes things a little more clear.

Oh and "I'm an adult, and *I* find Genocyber to be offensive
(and not very good), as does every other member of THEM who has seen
it", it says in the reveiw that you didn't 'subject' anyone else to it.

Other members of THEM have watched Genocyber on their own time, but I didn't make the rest of them watch it, so that comment holds true. Besides, why would I disseminate a title I personally despise? That makes no sense.

And you seem to have missed my point: that the title's unsuitability for adults with any sort of moral conviction (much less children) only exacerbates the fact that it only has a lackluster plot and very poor animation. You forget that many adults may not personally want to see animated titles with excessive gore and violent content. The advisory isn't just for parents of children, you know.

I have, in fact, seen more offensive material animated since I wrote that review, like Cool Devices, and I see no need to dignify such titles with anything more than a black-listing. Sure, others can watch it on their time, and enjoy it. I just don't think it's the job of THEM Anime Reviews to cover those titles, and frankly, I'd rather watch and review titles like NieA_7 and Jin-Roh than concentrate on sludge like La Blue Girl and Demon Beast Invasion. It's not that hyper-violent or pornographic anime aren't offensive to "some people" ... it's offensive to MOST people, especially in the United States. And most of it *is* bad, with little to no plot and poor voice acting and animation. Again, I refer you to Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin, which is bloody, yet well-acted, animated, and written. And there are some hentai titles that are actually entertaining, but they have decent plot and characterization, rather than relying on shock value.

It's not that we're dismissing ultra-violent titles, merely because they're violent. It's just that almost every title in the genre has nothing BUT the violence! And that's not what we call good anime, or good *anything*.

Again, this is the website and opinions of THEM, not of any other organization, or anybody else. We have the right to state our opinions, just as you do yours. And if you're not bothered by slow-motion images of children being blown to pieces, well then, I'm not going to ask you to be offended, since you apparently aren't.

However, I (and most people I know) am offended by scenes like that. I won't deny anyone the right to watch Genocyber, but I sure as hell won't advocate titles like it, and I won't lie to my readers and say I didn't find it offensive.

Would you rather have an honest opinion, or one that always agrees with you?

Good day, and happy viewing.

2001-12-10T17:01:00.000-08:00

Oh boy, looks like Genocyber has got its fanatics too.

To: themreviews@themanime.org
Subject: I Love Your Site!
From: "David Blackman" Add to Contacts
Date: Mon, Dec 10 2001 10:52:57 PM +0000

a few comments on your 'reviews'

genocyber
"For very strong-gutted (or demented) adults only. Extreme amounts of
violence in this one, especially aimed (literally) at children, that will
make any sane viewer truly ill."

You should watch Tetsuo which has a man shoving metal in his leg and
masturbating over it or Tetsuo 2 with a man turning his arm into a gun and
blowing up his own baby with it. Genocyber is nothing

"I was lucky to pop this in on an empty stomach. Otherwise, I would've lost
my lunch.[...] I thank my stars I didn't accidentally subject the rest of
THEM to this utter offal."

You probably should have let them watch they might have been a bit more open
minded about the film and not judged it entirely on the fact that there are
children killed in the film. At any rate the review probably would have had
some point if someone else had watched it.

Anime is not just for kids. Although some of the stuff may have been made
for kids a lot of it, Genocyber included, is aimed at adults and shouldn't
be reviewed as if you're expecting to be able to watch it with your
children.

Bearing this in mind, your site ultimatley comes across as a collection of
the pointless, narrow minded and worthless opinions.

Oh and Kaneda has the entire plot explained to him when he tries to rescue
Tetsuo.

*jotting down Tetsuo and Tetsuo 2 as live-action titles never to watch*

Just because something is violent doesn't give it credence or importance. I guess you missed that point. You see, Ninja Scroll and the soon-to-be-reviewed Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) OAVs are examples of very good titles that happen to be violent. However, we feel that the plot and characterization were superior in those titles, and therefore, they deserve merit.

We have not, do not, and will not merit an anime title merely for the fact it's "for adults". In fact, some titles that we feel are not suitable for children (Angel's Egg, Spring and Chaos, Brother Dear Brother) are that way not for violence or sexual content, but because the themes and questions are mostly beyond the experiences of children.

Besides, generalizing all anime as "for adults only" is foolish and ridiculous. El Hazard, Princess Mononoke, and Magic User's Club are all examples of good titles that can be watched by children AND adults. (And I'm still searching for the parent who can sit through an entire episode of Mon Colle Knights.)

If you think the narrow scope of titles like Genocyber and Tetsuo are the best that Japanese pop culture have to offer, then you are looking for something completely different for entertainment than THEM, or the rest of our readers, want.

And guess what. I'm an adult, and *I* find Genocyber to be offensive (and not very good), as does every other member of THEM who has seen it, not to mention almost every other online anime reviewer I know. Does that make me any less of an anime fan or any less credible of a reviewer? Hell no.

No opinion is worthless -- at least now you know we certainly don't share the viewpoints you do. I hope someday you can accept that fact. Good day.

For your edification, here are links to other reviews of Genocyber. You might not agree with them, either, I'm afraid.

THEM rated 1 of 5 stars
Anime Meta-Review rated Burnable
Lord Carnage rated 0.5 of 5 stars
Anime World rated 2.5 of 5 stars

2001-12-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

I've just mailed several of my colleagues in response to the current situation.

For now, THEM Anime Lite will be located at http://www.geocities.com/miwasatoshi/them.html. Right now, we have new reviews coming up for Spring and Chaos and (Seihou Tenshi) Angel Links from Jason Bustard. More coming soon!

----

And here's a very neat piece of mail for you.

To:
Subject: just to let you know...
From: Carter Cathcart Add to Contacts
Date: Sat, Dec 8 2001 9:34:23 PM -0500

...that we'll be starting on the other 13 episodes of the Ping Pong Club
after the new year....I guess that folks are liking what we did!

Thanx for the great review of the 1st 13.

Jimmy Zoppi (Maeno)

Oh boy. I know many a member of THEM who will be pleased with this news! We're looking forward to seeing more episodes of this show come over here. ^_^ Thank you for the e-mail and your support for our site!

Many of our readers will recognize the names of both Jimmy Zoppi and Carter Cathcart from their roles on titles such as Slayers, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and Pokemon. Best of luck to you, and we're looking forward to seeing the newest adventures of the craziest club in anime (at least until we here at THEM convince a studio to make one for *us* ^_^).

2001-12-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Though we are not yet able to access ASU's FTP servers, we plan to link this site to the main THEM Anime site in the near future. We will keep you posted.

Jaa!

2001-12-06T16:51:00.000-08:00

This mail is in response to a request for THEM joining up with another site, 8th Day Anime (EDA). THEM has politely declined this request. Here's the follow-up.

To:
Subject: Re: Reviews on your site
From: "michael farriella" Add to Contacts
Date: Thu, Dec 6 2001 6:52:17 PM -0500

Okay then, i respect the decline. But to clear the air and keep all
questions out of my tiny little head...there is no chance in having them
reviews on eda?

I mean, it would be perfectly known that its "hosted by Them reviews (Huge
link)..." Sharing information....

thank you for your time
Michael Farriella

Well, THEM Anime policy, formed by Raphael See and perfected and distilled by myself is this:

---

Though we recognize our colleagues' and fans' desire to host our reviews on their sites, we feel it is in our best interests to keep our reviews on our own site, backed up only by our own computers. That way we can keep tighter control on plagiarism, which is a big problem with Internet review sites, as well as keeping from cluttering Internet search engines with copies of our reviews.

We have several solutions to this.

First off, if you want to make a review site of your own, then, by all means, write your own reviews! Nothing states your opinions better than the words you yourself write.

If you would like to use our reviews for an essay, a research paper, or other scholarly work, be sure to credit us, use the exact page URL the review is on, and use the proper format as suggested by the current bibliographical guidelines.

If you'd like to link to our reviews, or to our review page, we are a link-free site. However, claiming ownership or sponsorship of our reviews is not permitted unless expressly stated by THEM, one of the junta members of THEM, or a sufficient quorum of the club membership.

---

Therefore, 8th Day Anime may certainly link to our reviews. However, no full copies of reviews may be used in the site, and full credit must be given for any text taken from our reviews. We had to adopt this stance after a rather nasty incident with another online review site regarding uncredited (plagiarized) reviews - we almost had to get the Arizona State University attorneys involved, and that's a mess we ALL want to avoid. It takes the effort and time of a great many people to compile, maintain, and update an informative site such as THEM Anime. If you'd like a reviews section on your site, then certainly I support starting a page of your reviews and opinions, as long as they are yours.

If you'd like a good example of how to credit and use others' reviews on the Internet, please refer to the Anime Meta-Review site run by Andrew Shelton, which features his own reviews, with comparisons to the opinions of other reviewers around the 'Net.

Best wishes in your online endeavors.

2001-12-06T16:22:00.000-08:00

Ah, the first place of mail. Well, really, it's from our US Army Correspondent, PFC Jason Bustard. So here goes.

To:
Subject: I like it..:)
From: "Jason Bustard"
Date: Thu, Dec 6 2001 3:53:47 PM -0800

Your daily diary on that one site is cool..:) I was thinking of all the funny things I could jot down that happen during one of MY work days...but most wouldn't be funny except in context. On a similar note, my platoon is going to sabotage the other companies offices this weekend by opening thier ceiling mesh and filling their 15'x10'x8'high staff offices entirely with inflated balloons (we intended to use syrofoam packing peanuts originally, but they were cost prohibitive at 50 dollars per 50 cubic feet (ugh). Ah...life in Army Aviation....

Another thing, I noticed you made a comment that Card Captor Sakura and lemon would be a chaotic evil mix......(plays eriee music) someone did. I tried to find the fanfic site again, but it seems to have been summarily crushed by the inflated sense of moral decency that most sponsored web services have now adays. (I.E. Geocities ganked it.)

Another digression: The ubiquitous PFC Bass and myself were having a deep philisophical discussion the other week (well actually HE was drunk and I was just egging him on...) when we struck upon a funny (if heretical) thought...

Jesus in a hardsuit.

Bubblegum Christ! (i'm going to hell for that one.)

(And if you laughed, you are going with me ^_^;;)

The conversaion turned all sorts of ways, such as turning various bible stories into big-robot-blow-up-tokyo sentai anime. ("Hoooooly crucifix beeeeeeeeeaaaam!!")
and other such nonsense....and to finish it off, Jeruselam Tank Police. Then we stoped laughing and realized..."Holy [expletive], Israel actually HAS that...."

What a strange world we live in..:)

Ja matta.

Jason Bustard
"The motto of Army Aviation: Fix It Till It's Broke"

It could be worse. It could be Jerusalem Tank Police vs. Bubblegum Christ. Throw in Ojousama Bin Laden and you've got a blasphemous trifecta!

*slips one notch toward Chaotic Neutral*

Seriously, we're all just glad to know you're okay at Fort Campbell and in good (fanboy) company. We even promise *not* to send you that review copy of Ai no Kusabi for good measure.

Don't ask. Don't tell.

2001-12-06T14:06:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the brand-new THEM Anime Mailblog. Mailbag has been, in the past, hard to update due to the sheer number of e-mails we receive, and spotty FTP access to the ASU servers we run on. This is pretty beta for us, so please bear with us, and thank you again for e-mailing THEM Anime!