Anime Movie Reviews

Demon City Shinjuku
Demon City Shinjuku is the story of a boy, Kyoya Izayoi, who must finish thetask his father began 15 years earlier, and destroy the evil sorcerer Rebi Rah before he unleashes the forces of hell on earth.

Escaflowne
It's important from the start to watch the movie for its own sake, not just because of the series. Rather than a sequel or prequel, Escaflowne the Movie is a darker, more angst-ridden retelling of the story. Rather than trying to cram the entire thirteen hours of story from the series into an hour and half, Kazuki Akane has taken the essence of the story and reshaped it into something new.

Gall Force: Eternal Story
Though a good friend of mine rates this as the worst anime movie ever made, it's not quite that bad. Chances are you'll like and enjoy some part of the movie, since it's basically a conglomeration of ideas found in many other popular SciFi movies and stories. Set against the backdrop of a vast interstellar war...

Grave of the Fireflies
Grave of the Fireflies is one of the most beautifully done and tragic films I have ever seen, anime or otherwise. One of the great antiwar films, Grave of the Fireflies far surpasses other antiwar anime, both in story and in visual style. The film as a poetic feel to it in parts, and the ending brought tears to my eyes.

Green Legend Ran
Green Legend Ran presents a stark vision of Earth's future. Plants and animals are gone, the oceans have evaporated. Earth is a barren desert, with only a few remote settlements have water, with the exception of the mysterious "Greens". The Greens are the home of the Rodoists, bizarre cultists who worship Rodo, the alien who turned Earth into a wasteland as punishment for Mankind's mistreatment of the Earth's environment.

Jin-roh: The Wolf Brigade
I had been looking forward to Jin-Roh for some time. The detailed and realistic animation, combined with the alternate-history setting (one of my favorite genres) had my mouth watering. Unfortunately, Jin-roh was unable to deliver on it's promise. The interesting setting, and and topnotch realistic animation could not save the movie, which was bogged down by an overly obtuse and slow paced story.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death + Rebirth
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the most popular and well know anime series ever. It's combination of action, comedy, and human drama caused it to almost single handily revive the giant robot genre of anime. It's ending, however, left many fans unsatisfied, confused, and even angry. Death & Rebirth is the first part of GAINAX's attempt to retell the ending in a form more pleasing to fans.

Vampire Hunter D
Vampire Hunter D is classic anime, and a horror story as well. Set 10,000 years in the future after a great war has destroyed the world's civilizations, Vampire Hunter D combines a very original setting with a gripping tale. The world is full of all manner of strange creatures from unusual mutants out of Science Fiction to classic Horror/Fantasy creatures such as vampires.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is breathtaking. It lives up to the promise hinted at in the first Vampire Hunter D movie, and gives the viewer beautiful animation, heart-pounding action, and a multi-layered and engrossing story. Bloodlust stands head and shoulders above it's predecessor, and further develops both the characters and world of Vampire Hunter D.

Wings of Honneamise
An amazing story of mankind's first leap into space, on a beautifully imagined fictional world. One of studio GAINAX's (of Evangelion fame) early works, Honneamise beautifully depicts the struggle of a world entering the modern age, and the narrow line it walks between salvation and destruction.