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      Ooookaaay.  Go doesn't appear to be the best basis for an engrossing   
   drama, but this anime conversion from a popular manga is surprisingly   
   good.  Hikaru's development from lazy kid to determined adolescent is   
   engaging, as are the accompanying characters who get involved as he   
   learns to play Go for himself and chases after Touya, aiming for a   
   career as a professional Go player and attempting to discover the "Hand   
   of God", the perfect move.  The animation quality is usually very good   
   (with occasional lapses).  Time passes and the characters grow up,   
   visibly, over the years.  The Go games that are the focus of the story   
   are animated in a surprisingly dramatic manner and the tensions between   
   the players are made clear.  The details of the Go world in Japan, China   
   and Korea are accurately portrayed; the writers did a lot of research to   
   enhance the story.   
      The series is still available on fansub from Elite-Fansubs as no   
   licencing deal has yet been agreed.  The manga is being published by   
   Viz.   
      [Entry by Robert Sneddon]   
      
      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   
   the galaxy Zeiram shows up as part of the cargo.  Escaping to the   
   planet Taowajan with no idea on the fate of Gren or Bob, Iria must   
   deal with the authorities idea of urban renewal which is to allow   
   Zeiram to run loose in a city slum.  Later on all records of the   
   rescue mission have vanished and Iria must contend with a conspiracy   
   that wants to silence her before she can find out what their plans for   
   Zeiram are.  (6 episode series on VHS and DVD by US Manga)   
      [Entry by Bruce Grubb]   
      
      IRRESPONSIBLE CAPTAIN TYLOR:  Through a series of coincidences (or   
   are they?), Justy Tylor (aged 20) becomes captain of the Battle   
   Cruiser Soyokaze, which is full of misfits and rejects.  His   
   easy-going, do-your-own-thing manner annoys and confuses friend and   
   foe alike, and his amazing successes keep people wondering:  Is he   
   incredibly lucky or incredibly clever?  Available from The Right Stuf.   
      [Entry by Catherine Johnson]   
      
   J   
      
      JOURNEY TO THE WEST:  see GENSOMADEN SAIYUKI   
      
      JUBEI NIMPUUCHO:  see NINJA SCROLL   
      
      JUNGLE TAITEI:  see KIMBA THE WHITE LION   
      
      JUUNI KOKKI (aka THE TWELVE KINGDOMS, CHRONICLE OF TWELVE   
   COUNTRIES, JUUNI KOKUKI):  Youko Nakajima is summoned into another world   
   alongside two of her classmates after she is attacked by mysterious   
   beasts at school, and becomes embroiled in a political struggle over the   
   rule of one of the Twelve Kingdoms that make up this world.  This is   
   only one of the storylines that occupies this 45 episode series, however   
   -   
   later story arcs follow others who have been swept into the Twelve   
   Kingdoms through Youko's perspective.  What perhaps seems like a   
   slightly stale coming-of-age girl-in-another-world story is given a   
   darker twist than many other such shows, featuring racism, assassination   
   and betrayal.  There's a lot more focus on political and cultural   
   aspects compared to, say, ESCAFLOWNE, although the slow pace and   
   excessive angst may put some off.  The first two story arcs are   
   available on DVD in Region 1 from Media Blasters, with the first disc of   
   the third arc due shortly.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
   K   
      
      KALEIDO STAR:  (Review written after five episodes)  A shoujo show   
   that doesn't exclusively pander to girls, this is the story of Sora, a   
   girl who moves from Japan to the U.S. to audition for a circus troupe   
   that's loosely based on the Cirque du Soleil.  Besides beautiful and   
   dynamic acrobatic routines, there's some nice interaction that happens   
   between the characters, plus Sora has a good deal of chutzpah and   
   doesn't act like a fish out of water.  The series also throws in quite a   
   bit of believability in the hurdles and humiliations that she faces in   
   her quest.  There are some cliches to begin with, but there seems to be   
   a move away from that later and the series so far has some good humorous   
   touches.  In all, this is a beautifully drawn series that carries itself   
   with a lot of vitality and gusto without being overly bombastic or   
   saccharine.   
      This was directed by Junichi Sato, the director of SAILOR MOON,   
   PRETEAR, and MAGIC USERS CLUB.  It's rare to see a series that is so   
   visually exuberant and that conveys a strong sense of wonder.  The   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)