Winter 2007

The characters from previous .hack//G.U. Games and .hack//Roots receive an email from Ovan. He is requesting them to go to Hidden Forbidden Festival where is set up a mysterious summer festival. There they find an AIDA Chim Chim who wishes to peacefully co-exist with the other players of The World. It then transforms into the word “Returner”, so they assume it to mean that Ovan will return to The World.

These events occur in Westland, New York, during the 21st century. With a sharp knife, a murderer is indiscriminately killing people… A girl witnesses one of these murders, and the knife is turned on the helpless girl shaking with fear.

Meg returns to this town with Joe to celebrate the “birthday” of Shirley, who used to live with Meg. Orphans, they had decided that the day they first met would be her birthday. In the past, Meg had taken care of three little children, including Shirley, just before meeting Joe. The children were then adopted by a police officer, Sam. He possessed a strong sense of justice and they are supposedly living happily together now.

Meg and Joe happen to help a person and receive a reward. They buy a present for Shirley with the reward money and go to meet Sam. However, they notice him acting strangely. Upon questioning him, he explains that Shirley was assaulted by a murderer and seriously injured. Joe says to the grieving and angry Meg, “Let’s exact revenge on the murderer for Shirley.”

However, the murderer gradually approaches them from behind. The cruel black eyes fall on Meg and Joe… To make matters worse, a dark plot casts its shadow over Meg, Joe, Sam, and the whole town.

A boy is walking home through the city where he finds a new path that he follows. It starts to rain and he seeks shelter with the aid of a girl. He falls in love with the girl. He gets a feather, and if he always carries it, they will meet again. He returns to his home following the path, but the next day he cant find it again. Time progresses and he forgets the girl. 50 years later he returns to the same city and he dreams of the girl. He is still dutifully carrying the feather.

Written, drawn, and directed by famed illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.

Long ago, the blacksmith Adin forged a belt of seven powerful gems, one from each of the seven tribes of Deltora. Wielding the belt’s unparalleled power, he repelled the Shadow Lord’s attempt to overthrow the kingdom. Adin was crowned king of Deltora, but he never forgot that the enemy remained unbeaten.

Centuries later, memory of the Shadow Lord has become faded and almost forgotten, and the people of Deltora see their monarchy as detached and uncaring. Much to their dismay, the Shadow Lord strikes once more, breaking the Belt of Deltora by scattering the seven gems across the continent. Jarred, a close friend of the young king Endon, assists him and his wife in escaping from the castle as the Shadow Lord takes over, and they part ways to go into hiding.

The Shadow Lord now reigns over Deltora and many years pass under his tyrannical rule. However, there is a glimmer of hope in Jarred’s son Lief, whom he has lovingly raised and trained to find the scattered gemstones and reassemble the Belt of Deltora. Along with his companions Barda and Jasmine, Lief must face devious enemies and dangerous beasts to oust the Shadow Lord and return peace to Deltora.

Dr. Taylor was on a paleontology mission with his son, Max in Africa. Rex, Max’s best friend, joins along as well. When Max had stumbled across some magic stone slabs with images of dinosaurs, the boys and their friend Zoe were being called out by the dinosaurs for help. It seems that an evil organization called the “Alpha Gang,” led by the nefarious Dr. Z, traveled back in time to hunt down the dinosaurs so that they could take over the world by using those dinosaurs. It is up to Max, Rex, and their friend Zoe to travel around the world, defeating Dr. Z and the Alpha Gang while hunting down the dinosaurs.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Manabi Straight! follows the lives of a group of young high school girls living in the year 2035 while they attend the all-girl Seioh Private High School. Since the birth rate has dropped dramatically, schools are being closed down due to the sheer lack of students available to teach. Morale in schools has dropped dramatically, and Seioh is no exception.

The story begins when the main character, Manami Amamiya, transfers to Seioh. After some initial hijinks involving a futuristic scooter and a swim meet, followed by an inspirational school song performance, she is inducted as the student council president. The story that follows pertains to Manami working with Mika Inamori, the only other student council member, and three other classmates named Mutsuki Uehara, Mei Etoh, and Momoha Odori, in student council matters. After some remodeling of the student council room, Manami and her friends set forth to plan for the upcoming student festival.

(Source: Wikipedia, edited)

An animated spin-off from the Densha Otoko (Trainman) TV drama.

In the drama, actor Itoh Atsushi plays the otaku Yamada, whose main love in life is the Mina anime, a cutesy busty heroine with floppy rabbit ears and carrots sticking out her rear.

Mina itself is a character homage which triggers back to the Daicon Animation done by GAINAX where a similar nameless bunny girl appeared. Densha Otoko futher featured an opening with scenes which were appearing back in the Daicon Animation.

(Source: AniDB)

The year is 20XX. Mysterious huge robots called “Giant Robo (GR)” started to appear all over the world and destroy cities. The earth was covered with fear. And their next target is Japan! The hero of this animation Daisaku Kusama, who works in a diving shop, encounters a mysterious girl, simply called V who leads him to make a contract with an enormous robot “Giant Robo 1 (GR1)” at the ancient ruins (Minami Yonaguni Island) in Okinawa.

He made a contract with UNISOM (good guys) and was approved to be a commander of GR1. Thus his battle has begun against GRO (bad guys) and creates a lot of dramas. Before long, Giant Robo of the 21st century will ask the world the true meaning of its power.

Ever since she was young, Yuno has always had an interest in art. Now that she has been accepted to Yamabuki Arts High School, it means one thing—moving out. Living in a dorm at Hidamari Apartments alone, Yuno meets her neighbors: the hyperactive Miyako, the self-conscious Hiro, and the mature Sae. Despite their different personalities, they go to the same school, spend time together, and develop a strong friendship. Yuno’s life won’t be so lonely after all!

Hidamari Sketch revolves around the antics and day-to-day lives of the girls living at Hidamari Apartments.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

This short 6 minute 3D CGI film of Kenshiro’s final battle with Raoh was created in 2006 and came out on DVD in 2007. This will most probably remain an exclusively Japanese release.

Loosely based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, modern day Japan sees a similar struggle for power between different rival schools with the three strongest being; Kyosho Academy led by Sousou Moutoku, Nanyo Academy by Sonsaku Hakufu and Ryuubi Gentoku from Seito High School. Together these three tousei, each with their own mangatama, fight for the honor of becoming ikkitousen and fulfilling their fated destiny through battle and conquest.

(Source: ANN)

In 19th century France, a struggling single mother, Fantine, leaves her three-year-old daughter Cosette in the care of her new acquaintances, the Thernadiers. Unfortunately, Cosette’s caretakers prove to be anything but loving, and the poor girl is subjected to repeated abuse and forced servitude. Still, she endures the torment in the hopes of seeing her mother once again.

One night, while doing errands for her host family, Cosette is assisted by an honorable stranger named Jean Valjean. After a brief conversation with the young girl, Jean acknowledges her as the type of person he has been seeking and rescues her from the clutches of the Thernadiers. They make their way to a nearby town where Cosette enjoys a new life thanks to her savior.

Under Jean’s guidance, Cosette promises to help others with her newfound freedom. She pledges to heal the nation, ensuring that no one else suffers her fate. Though the road ahead is paved with tragedies left by the French Revolution, this idealistic girl will not rest until France is freed from poverty and suffering.

This is a special episode of Lovedol. It’s also called episode 13 of the series.

Lovedol, or Lovely Idol, is a girl group consisting of two generations of idols. The 3rd Generation is about to make its debut, but to their surprise, they have been delayed! The vague reason is only that “they lack something.” The manager, and the 3rd Gen. girls too, must find the answer.

Having bid farewell to his former teammates at Kaido High School’s baseball club, Gorou Honda returns to his hometown eager to continue playing. Attending a new high school proves to be more difficult than he initially expected, as Tetsufumi Egashira’s merciless slandering of his name prevents Gorou from being accepted into any school with an existing baseball team.

Left with no other options, Gorou joins Seishuu High School, where his childhood friend Kaoru Shimizu also attends. However, Seishuu has always been an all-girls school until two years ago, so there is not yet a dedicated men’s baseball team.

But nothing will stop Gorou in his pursuit of Koshien. He must now create a baseball team from scratch with the seven male students at Seishuu, but all of them are complete amateurs! He decides to train the incompetent team up to nationally competitive levels, but such a feat is easier said than done. Will Gorou once again perform miracles? Or will he give up on achieving his goal of defeating Kaido with his own team?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

It has been two and a half years since Naruto Uzumaki left Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, for intense training following events which fueled his desire to be stronger. Now Akatsuki, the mysterious organization of elite rogue ninja, is closing in on their grand plan which may threaten the safety of the entire shinobi world.

Although Naruto is older and sinister events loom on the horizon, he has changed little in personality—still rambunctious and childish—though he is now far more confident and possesses an even greater determination to protect his friends and home. Come whatever may, Naruto will carry on with the fight for what is important to him, even at the expense of his own body, in the continuation of the saga about the boy who wishes to become Hokage.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nezumi Monogatari is the story of two mice called George and Gerald who embark on a journey together with three friends to find the “Dragon of Light”.

Shinichi Chiaki is a first class musician whose dream is to play among the elites in Europe. Coming from a distinguished family, he is an infamous perfectionist—not only is he highly critical of himself, but of others as well. The only thing stopping Shinichi from leaving for Europe is his fear of flying. As a result, he’s grounded in Japan.

During his fourth year at Japan’s top music university, Shinichi happens to meet Megumi Noda or, as she refers to herself, Nodame. On the surface, she seems to be an unkempt girl with no direction in life. However, when Shinichi hears Nodame play the piano for the first time, he is in awe of the kind of music she creates. Nevertheless, Shinichi is dismayed to discover that Nodame is his neighbor, and worse, she ends up falling head over heels in love with him.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Pankun is a baby panda who was abandoned in a forest where pandas live. His favorite possession is an old mitten that was in the box with him when he was abandoned. Pankun loves bread, and his tummy rumbles whenever he sees the two pieces of bread, Shokupan and Koppepan.

A series of shorts parodying the main series Prism Ark.

Saiga is a normal high school student with a gift in mathematics. His daily routine is disrupted when his family gets news that his Father’s remains have been discovered—a noted archeologist and researcher who had gone missing while exploring a site many years before. Among his remains were notes and artifacts that needed to be identified by the family near a notable triangular mountain in Japan known as “Japan’s pyramid”, a place suspected by some to be man-made. A meteor containing a strange robotic lifeform falls from the sky and begins to cause destruction, putting Saiga in danger and causing a mysterious bracelet from his father’s research to activate and merge him with an ancient robot burried within the pyramid—a robot the runes describe as Reideen. It is now up to Saiga and guardian Reideen to fight against this unknown alien threat from the sky.

(Source: ANN)

When Yukari Morita decided to look for her missing father who disappeared in the South Seas, she had no idea how far her journey would take her. Just traveling to the Solomon Islands is a long way for a high school girl to go on her own, but then Yukari runs into an astronaut from the Solomon Space Association, which has been trying to build a rocket powerful enough launch a man into space.

Upon meeting the petite Yukari, however, SSA director Nasuda realizes that she’s small enough to go up in a less powerful rocket the SSA has already built! So he offers her a deal: if Yukari agrees to become their astronaut, the SSA will help find her missing father! Will Yukari have the right stuff to blast off in the wildest space quest ever?

After being best man at his best friend’s (Saitou Toshihisa) wedding, Nagai Atsushi realizes that he might have fallen for him. Nagai, drowning in his sorrows and hatred for the new bride then meets Honda Kenzou, another guest at the wedding. Honda takes care of Nagai when he was dead drunk and now Nagai can’t stop thinking of both Honda and Saitou.

Whether it is the future or the past it is the world of fantasy and horror hiding in the shadow of the demon city. In the city, consecutive mysterious incidents that cannot be solved by science have occurred. To solve the incidents, they gather three girl detectives possessing special abilities.

Hayama Kotono. She is an orphan living in a convent.
Shirafuji Natuski. She is Kotono’s classmate and a pop idol.
Hijiri Misaki. She is a mysterious girl who fights against nightmares of her previous life.

Those who want to bring the Judgement Day to the world.
Those who want to save the world.
Which is justice, and which is evil?

When Kotono encounters a boy who lost his memory, the wheel of the story begins to move but slowly. Then, solving the mysteries, the three girls will confront the fate that will influence the existence of the human beings.

(Source: AnimeNfo)

Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora revolves around the life of Kuu Shiratori, a seemingly normal high school girl who enjoys her school life in the giant city Academia, which is thought of as a symbol of recovery for humanity since already ten years have passed since the greatest disaster mankind had ever seen, occurred. Kuu has recently been having a recurring dream where a prince meets her and takes her away. One day, while all the students at her school are preparing for the upcoming school festival, the prince, whom she has met several times in her dreams, appears. The prince, Kyoshiro Ayanokoji, requests of her just as he had done in Kuu’s dreams, “Let’s go… together…”

(Source: Wikipedia)

In September 1998, a string of seemingly random suicides leaves Japan baffled and devastated. But a detective agency specializing in paranormal occurrences notices that there are a few glaring, disturbing similarities tying the deceptively unrelated cases together: All the victims are schoolgirls, and all of them have jumped to their deaths from atop the ancient Fujou Building, a skyscraper that is scheduled to be bulldozed soon.

To investigate the cause of these disturbing events, the head of the agency, magus Touko Aozaki, dispatches Mikiya Kokutou and Shiki Ryougi. The kind and surprisingly normal Mikiya serves as a stark contrast to the cold and mysterious Shiki, who possesses the “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception”: an abnormal ability which allows her to see, and bring, an end to all things.

Dark and philosophical in tone, Fukan Fuukei is the first installment in the seven-part movie series Kara no Kyoukai, adapted from the light novels by Kinoko Nasu.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

In the winter of 1995, Mikiya Kokutou passes a young woman during a late night stroll in the snow. Clad in a striking white kimono and bearing an enigmatic gaze, Shiki Ryougi smiles at Mikiya who stares back with curiosity. Later that spring, Mikiya notices Shiki at his high school entrance ceremony, and they become acquaintances through lunchtime conversations. As Shiki begins opening up to him, Mikiya learns about her unique upbringing.

Meanwhile, a series of unprecedented murders takes place across Mifune City. Seemingly related, these murders are particularly brutal and warrant a large scale police investigation. Because of his cousin’s work as a police investigator, Mikiya is given insight into the investigation. Concerned for Shiki’s safety, Mikiya decides to monitor her actions, but in doing so, he stumbles upon a truly frightening discovery that changes his life forever.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Something evil is stirring in the shadows of Tokyo…

During the spring of his senior year in high school, quiet Tatsuma Hiyuu transfers to Magami Academy in Shinjuku. The mysterious boy’s “outsider” status and his profound skills in martial arts quickly earn him the friendship of class delinquent Kyouichi Houraiji. Through an uncanny connection and a happenstance challenge, he also meets Yuuya Daigo of the wrestling club, the captain of the girls’ archery club, Komaki Sakurai, and Aoi Misato, the Student Council President.

During their encounter, there is a sudden, harsh disruption of the Ryumyaku (literally Dragon Pulse, otherwise known as Dragon Vein or Dragon Stream), the flow of arcane energy. The surge awakens within the five teenagers a latent power, giving them each a supernatural ability. Enlightened to their newly acquired gifts by Hisui, the young heir of the Kisaragi Clan who maintains his family’s antiques shop – as well as their duty to protect Tokyo from Oni (demons) – the Magami students decide to use their power to protect the city from the onslaught of dark forces.

Battling the demons alongside Hisui Kisaragi, the five unlikely friends discover that they may have to face a greater threat to Tokyo other than destroying a few malevolent, random monsters. The Ryumyaku had been disrupted by force, from someone invoking the Dark Arts – and that person has a wicked desire to unleash a long-dead evil.

Can the teenagers overcome their own fears and flaws to fight against the Dark Arts? And soon they will also have to face their own destinies as they discover their Stars of Fate.

This anime is based on a manga, which was based on the Nintendo role-playing video game originally released in 1998.

The five girls plus Coco, Nuts, and Milk all go to visit a castle-themed theme park, where they dress up as princes and princesses and go off to have a fun-filled day. However, Coco and Nuts end up kidnapped! The girls have to save them with the help of two inhabitants of the Mirror Country, Hidarin and Migirin, by battling Shadow, an evil clown, and five girls who are also from the Mirror Country that look very familiar…

Yumehara Nozomi, a regular student, finds a magical book called the Dream Collet in the library and meets Coco and Nuts, two creatures from the Palmier Kingdom. They plead with Nozomi to restore their world, which has been destroyed by an organization called the Nightmares, by completing the Dream Collet and finding the 55 Pinkies to make any wish come true. Meanwhile, the Nightmares are moving into the real world. Once Nozomi agrees to help, Coco and Nuts transform her into the magical girl Cure Dream and turn four fellow students into her Pretty Cure team.

(Source: ANN)