reviews

8 Man After
When I first started watching 8 Man After, I wasn't too sure I'd like it. It was a bit bloody for my tastes. For a while I thought it was going to be about politics, and I don't do politics. But once I watched some more and the plot became a little more interesting, I decided it wasn't bad. The animation was fairly good, but nothing eyepopping. Although I think the major characters could have been developed more throughout the story, there were many minor characters who were not just a part of the background that made the story more interesting. The story line also had enough complexity and enough underlying themes to keep you interested. And the major characters, who seemed somewhat simple at the beginning, finally revealed a little more of themselves toward the end. 8 Man After has its flaws, but it was still good enough to earn a five or six in my mind.
- Sarah Orr

Cowboy Bebop
For the first four episodes of Cowboy Bebop, the plot was very easy to follow - the main characters are bounty hunters willing to search the far corners of the universe to bring in criminals for a few bucks. The next episode expands on the main character, Spike, and his clouded history, but things don't get too strange to follow, only a bit more mysterious. The sixth episode is a bit strange, but has an easy-to-follow ending where everything comes together.
As a newcomer to the anime lovers' world, plots which can be followed without too much brainwork are more appealing to me. I like to follow what's going on and at the same time be able to concentrate on other aspects of a show.
I liked the opener for each of the episodes a lot - reminiscent of 60's/70's spy movies. The characters introduced in the series so far are interesting, fun, and well-developed. The animation is detailed and precise. The action is fast-paced but well thought out and coincides with the plot of each episode - it's not full of just some more gratuitous fight scenes. And you can't forget the music - Japanese blues/jazz is great!
I would have to give Cowboy Bebop a 6 or 7. I sat and watched the six episodes I borrowed all the way through. My dad caught the last of the fifth episode and stayed to watch the sixth. After that was through and I left the room, he hollered behind me, "Hey, Sarah! Have any more of that Bebop Cowboy stuff to plug in?" I think he became slightly addicted, and wants the soundtrack. Interest from a non anime fanatic is always a good sign.
- Sarah Orr

Note: After finishing the entire series, I think it deserves more of a 9 - very good series!

Crying Freeman
"Before you kill me, sleep with me, so I don't have to die a virgin." I really thought Crying Freeman was going to be a disappointment once I saw that was the basic plot, but it actually turned out to be good. The animation was good and the main characters were interesting, even if the minor ones weren't exactly fascinating. Crying Freeman didn't reveal his past until toward the end, and there were several moments throughout when you wondered what his story was. Even though he is an assassin, you can still tell there is something more about him. He is not just a ruthless killer, either. He thinks things through and gives his victims a chance to escape if it is deserved. Though he shoots the first victims seen, he has a bit more creativity to his methods later on. And Emu Hino, Freeman's lover, turns out to be more than the starry-eyed innocent she seems to be in the beginning. While she does have her head in the clouds a bit when it comes to Freeman, she also doesn't go chasing blindly after him as you might expect. The two are caught between the Chinese mafia and the police, which makes for a story that doesn't sit in one spot for long. So even though the entire reason for the story is really kind of lame when you consider it by itself, the entire story is fairly good. I give Crying Freeman a six or seven.
- Sarah Orr

The Dagger of Kamui
F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Show me a hero and I'll write you a tragedy" certainly rings true for this movie. Jiro, the main character, is found abandoned by his mother as an infant. Several years later, he comes home to find his adoptive mother and sister murdered. He is looking around the house, when he finds a dagger beside them. He bends over and picks it up (I don't recommend picking up a weapon at a crime scene -- it looks rather suspicious), when the villagers arrive. They wrongly accuse him of parenticide and he flees the village. He joins Tenkai, a priest, who helps him kill the man he says is the murderer. Tenkai then trains him to be a Ninja. After that, he finds his real mother, discovers the man he killed earlier his real father, and then is accused of killing his real mother after she is murdered. So he flees once more, to take care of a woman he injures. He finds out later she is his half-sister, only as the man who is telling this takes her life. As if that weren't complicated enough, that's only half the story! Along several stages of his journey, he discovers he has inherited a mystery from his father (yes, the one he killed). After the mystery of the treasure is solved, he then returns to take revenge on Tenkai for the damage he's done to Jiro's family, and this is during the middle of a war. Such a complex story line makes for a great movie that seems to last longer than it really does, but never has a boring moment. The characters keep you guessing as to what Jiro is going to find out next about them or himself. Jiro's character is extremely well developed, and those of the minor characters are well developed and believable as well. The animation in this is a bit dated, as the movie is from 1985, but is still well done, and covers scenery from the forests of Japan to the deserts, Indian reservations, and saloons of Nevada. Overall, The Dagger of Kamui definitely earns a nine.
- Sarah Orr

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