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   the After Colony alender.  The UC timeline is the original, while the   
   newer Gundam Wing universe uses the AC timeline.  Other than that they   
   have giant robots and semi-realistic near-future Earth space   
   civilizations at war, they don't interelate much.   
      MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM was the first 'gritty' and 'realistic' giant robot   
   stories, paving the way for other series.  Before MS GUNDAM, most giant   
   robot stories were vehicles for selling toys in Japan.  GUNDAM   
   revolutionized the genre by putting a background and a more realistic   
   use of giant robots.  GUNDAM is war story, with extras.   
      Adding in ambiguous allies and enemies and an unusual manifest   
   destiny, it managed to tell a compelling story of a young man thrust   
   into the middle of an unwanted war.  He and the ship he ends up on   
   become the pivot on which their history is decided.  The UC timeline has   
   the colonies rebelling against a static Earth Federation.  One of the   
   more interesting points is that no one is really good or evil, per se.   
   Both have faults and heroes, both have their villans.  The Gundam units   
   are on Earth's side for the most part.   
      MS GUNDAM, STARDUST MEMORIES, WAR IN THE POCKET and MS TEAM 08 all   
   are based (loosely) in the UC timeline.  They all use or make mention of   
   the One Year War.   
      Many GUNDAM shows are available from Bandai in North America.   
      GUNDAM WING (and the finale, GUNDAM WING:  ENDLESS WALTZ) are based   
   in the newer AC (After Colony) timeline.  A repressive Earth government   
   is tyranizing everyone, holding an iron grip over their colonies.  The   
   colonies finally rebel, using five Gundam mobile suits.  Piloted by   
   young freedom fighters, they are the colonies best hope to break the   
   iron grip of Earth.  Part soldiers and part terrorists, the young pilots   
   fight and interact with foes.  Still a war drama, GUNDAM WING puts an   
   effort into some social commentary on war and death.   
      GUNDAM WING has been televised in the U.S., and is available from   
   Bandai in North America and Madman in Australia.   
      [Entry by Arthur Hansen]   
      
      GUNDAM WING:  see GUNDAM   
      
      GUNDAM WING:  ENDLESS WALTZ:  see GUNDAM   
      
      GUNNM:  see BATTLE ANGEL   
      
      GUNSMITH CATS:  Rally Vincent and May Hopkins are bounty-hunters in   
   Chicago.  Rally is a sharp-shooter with a passion for fast 70's sports   
   cars, and May likes explosives - lots of explosives.  A BATF agent   
   named Bill Collins "hires" Rally to help him break up a gun-smuggling   
   ring, and big trouble ensues, leading eventually to the Mayor's   
   office.  Based loosely on the manga by Kenichi Sonoda.  Good art and   
   animation.  Some violence and lots of shooting.  Three episodes.   
   Subbed and dubbed.  From ADV Films.   
      [Entry by Ben Cantrick]   
      
   H   
      
      HAIBANE RENMEI (variously translated as ASH WINGS ALLIANCE,   
   CHARCOAL FEATHERS FEDERATION, or variations on these; review written   
   after 3 episodes):  HAIBANE RENMEI is a mysterious and low key story   
   about a girl who wakes up to find she's become an angel, complete with   
   wings and halo.  Unable to remember her past life or even her name,   
   she finds herself in a community of angels (or Ash Wings as they call   
   themselves, due to their pale grey wings), who live a pretty ordinary   
   life near a town of normal people who treat the angels as a   
   subservient race:  tolerated, but not allowed to possess money or wear   
   new clothes.  But the town is surrounded by a high wall, and no-one   
   knows what lies beyond it, and no-one has ever been beyond it apart   
   from the crows and some mysterious beings who periodically visit the   
   town but whom no-one is allowed to talk to.  The main character and   
   general look of the people are reminiscent of LAIN, and HAIBANE RENMEI   
   seems to have started life as a (LAIN?) doujinshi.   
      [Entry by Shez]   
      
      HERE IS GREENWOOD:  Hasakawa has the worst luck:  He's late for his   
   high school entry exams, then he's late for high school, and his older   
   brother has married the woman of his dreams.  As he heads to school,   
   he figures things are looking up, until he finds out he's been put in   
   "GreenWood", the dorm notorious for its weird residents.  Having a   
   roommate who looks like a girl is the *least* of his problems ...   
      [Entry by Catherine Johnson]   
      
      HEROIC LEGEND OF ARISLAN:  see ARSLAN SENKI   
      
      HUMANOID:  Fairly retro feel here in a story about the creation of   
   a scientific genius, referred to as a "humanoid".  The planet on which   
   this happens is also the resting place of other and greater   
   technology, power which the planetary governor wouldn't mind getting   
   his hands on.  The story seems to revolve around the development of   
   the humanoid, some of which is voluntary, indeed resonant of KEY THE   
   METAL IDOL, and around the deeds of the governor as he realises his   
   folly...   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
   I   
      
      I CAN HEAR THE SEA:  A snotty Tokyo girl moves to a provincial sea   
   town, there she clashes with her new classmates in high school.  Told   
   from the perspective of one of the local boys who is first appalled by   
   her, but later befriends her when he finds out about the divorce of   
   her parents and helps her cope with her family problems.  A sweet,   
   subdued story about growing up to be an adult and about first love   
   with some interesting insights into everyday life of Japanese school   
   and college students.   
      [Entry by Hanno Mueller]   
      
      ICZER-1:  A three-part SF OAV involving hideous monsters from   
   space, cute but lethal girls, and two giant robots.  Meant to be taken   
   only semi-seriously, but has some great slime-monsters that'll make   
   your skin crawl.   
      [Was available from US Renditions when US Renditions was still in   
   operation.   - Rob Kelk]   
      
      ICZER-3:  Earth has been taken over by Big Gold's daughter (see   
   ICZER-1) and Iczer 1 is in no fit state to do anything about it.  All   
   there is left is Iczer 1's little sister, Iczer 3, but she is very   
   much a rookie.  Just as well that Nagisa is waiting aboard the only   
   remaining Earth ship, sitting waiting on the moon along with its crew.   
   The story is very similar to Iczer 1 except that there isn't quite so   
   much body-snatching; each episode seeing the crew and Iczer 3 battle   
   each of the baddies (mostly rejects from the Negaverse!!!).  Iczer 1   
   and Iczer 2 both emerge at the end, by the way.  Iczer-3 is available   
   subbed from USMC.   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
      INU-YASHA:  Hundreds of years ago in Feudal Japan, during the   
   Sengoku Jidai (or Warring States Era), there was a half-demon,   
   half-human hybrid named Inu-Yasha.  He sought to capture the Shikon no   
   Tama (or Jewel of Four Souls) for himself, but Kikyo, the priestess   
   who had guarded the jewel, sealed him away with a sacred arrow.  On   
   her deathbed, she was cremated along with the Jewel ... but the story   
   does not end there.  In the modern age of the present day, Kagome   
   Higurashi, a seemingly ordinary girl, is thrust back into the Sengoku   
   Jidai by a magical well, and must now protect the mysteriously   
   reappeared Shikon no Tama from the fearsome demons and ogres that   
   wander across the land.  But can she rely on Inu-Yasha, the   
   resurrected half-demon, to help her defend this enigmatic jewel?  A   
   gothic horror/adventure series, with romantic comedy elements, from   
   Rumiko Takahashi (creator of RANMA 1/2 and MAISON IKKOKU).  Licenced   
   by Viz.   
      [Entry by Nicholas A. Jalowick]   
      
      IRIA (a.k.a. ZEIRAM, THE ANIMATION):  Set in a future time Iria is   
   a bounty hunter in training.  She, her brother Gren and their boss Bob   
   are hired to for a rescue mission when the most dangerous lifeform in   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)