Alex Marshall's Blog (11)

If there is one thing I hate more than a bad anime, is a bad anime video game. And sadly enough, with very little exception, almost every single video game based on a anime series is horrible. Why is that? Well similar to games based on movie franchises, these games don’t have any heart or soul to them. What I mean by that is the same hard work that is put into a good video game or a good anime is not put into these hybrids. Normally what happens is both companies are looking to just make more m… Continue

So today I decided to take on a behemoth of an anime as far as popularity and mainstream attention. I'm talking about The Pokemon or Dragonball Z of the current (pre-teen) generation: Naruto. Naruto is a young boy from the ninja village of Konoha and plans to one day become the Hokage, or strongest ninja in the entire clan. The only thing stopping him is that he is a complete misfit and moron to boot. The one thing that he really has going for him is kind of a double-edged s… Continue

Welcome to a world where humans and vampires have made a truce to try and maintain peace between the two races. The cornerstone for this pact resides in the Cross Academy where human students attend during the day, and vampire students attend at night. At the same time, two students, Yuuki and Zero serve as prefects, students who attend the Day class, but patrol the school grounds at night to make sure no vampires attack any humans. Welcome to the world of Vampire Knight. This story is t… Continue

Another movie in the Rurouni Kenshin saga finds Kenshin with his crew on vacation. They run into another swordsman who rights injustices in the street and befriend him. Only to find out he is a part of a terrorist group planning a rebellion against those in charge of the Manji government as revenge for a massacre of their people. Oh and Kenshin also is responsible for killing this guy’s brother during the war. Personally, I'm a huge Kenshin fan. This movie on the other hand, not so much.… Continue

What happens when a black family from the south side of Chicago moves to the elite suburb society of Woodcrest? Everything you could feasibly imagine. Based on the popular nation wide comic, The Boondocks takes off where Dave Chappelle left off. This show covers every social injustice (racial or not) and makes it into a complete laugh riot. From minor issues such as text messages and Bluetooth headsets; to major political and racial issues such as the treatment of Katrina victims and the… Continue

It’s the future. The human race has master all sorts of feats of computer technology including: prosthetic bodies, telepathic radio burst transmissions, holographic portable HUD’s and AI controlled robots with personalities. This is the world of Ghost in the Shell. In this series, the story follows an elite police task force known as Section 9, which specifically deals with technology based crime (both violent and non-violent). The main character, known as “The Major”, is a bionically enh… Continue

Code Geass presents a world where Britannia has taken over the world and started demoralizing nations by renaming them as Area numbers. Japan is renamed Area 11 (the people are also thusly renamed 11’s instead of Japanese). The story is centralized around LeLouch who is actually a member of the Britannian Royal Family, but is out to destroy the empire to avenge his mother’s murder by the Emperor. LeLouch meets a strange girl that gives him the power to control people’s minds by making eye… Continue

This show is about Roger Smith; a man who lives in a post-apocalyptic world where a strange toxin has cause the whole world to lose their memories. Simultaneously, the elite, both good and bad pilot giant robots and have battles with each other at varying points (although giant robots are considered illegal and cause police to treat all pilots as criminals). Roger is a negotiator, and frequently, uses his giant robot, the Black MegaDeuce, aka Big O, to handle situations that tend to spin wildly… Continue

The producers of Batman Begins & The Dark Knight have gone the way of the Animatrix and developed a sequel/prequel to the two hit blockbuster movies. The twist, this movie is done via anime with six of the greatest anime directors out there. Just like Animatrix, these stories are not necessary to understand the gap between the two films, but it is a nice addition to the story, and allows for further character development as well as relationship development as well… Continue

This anime is centered on Alphonse and Edward Elric; two brothers who attempted to revive their mother from the dead using alchemy. In their failed attempt, Ed loses his arm and leg while Al loses his entire body. To save his little brother from dying, Ed creates a large set of armor that is empty, but carries Al’s soul inside. Afterward, Ed gets a metallic arm and leg made of material known as Automail. From that point forward, Ed and Al set out to find the legendary Philosopher’s Stone in orde… Continue

Another Adult Swim show, Shin Chan. This show is centered around a perverted kindergartener and his misadventures. Other characters include his girl obsessed father, his mother who is obsessed with getting breast implants, a loser next-door neighbor who can’t get into college, and many other colorful characters. This is essentially a mature mix of Nickelodeon’s Doug and Rugrats. This show overall is pretty hilarious. From the quality of animation, it seems to be a rather old show, but the write… Continue