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      SPELL WARS:  see SORCERER HUNTERS   
      
      SPIRITED AWAY (a.k.a. SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSHI):  Once upon a   
   time, a girl named Chihiro and her parents were driving to the father's   
   new job in a new city when they stopped to explore a strange tunnel.   
   This tunnel lead to the spirit world, where Chihiro's parents were   
   turned into pigs and Chihiro had to work at a bathhouse while she looked   
   for a way to turn her parents back into people.  Chihiro met a lot of   
   strange people while she worked at the bathhouse, and learned a lot   
   about herself at the same time ...   
      This may be the closest that Hayao Miyazaki has come to telling a   
   European-style "fairy tale", although there are more than enough   
   Japanese elements in the story to make it strange to western eyes.   
   Other than the parents' transformation sequence, there is nothing in   
   this story that a young child would find frightening, although there are   
   a few things that may start them asking questions that some parents   
   aren't ready to answer.  As always, please preview this movie before   
   letting your children watch it.   
      Available from Disney.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      STARDUST MEMORIES:  see GUNDAM   
      
      STRANGE DAWN: STRANGE DAWN is an intriguingly naturalistic take of   
   what happens when you drop two ordinary 16 year old girls into a   
   parallel world populated by constantly warring tribes of knee-high   
   people who hail them as superheroes:  Where are the toilets?  Oh no,   
   we don't have any clean clothes!  Do we really want to be saviours, or   
   should we just keep our heads down and look for a way home?  The   
   attention to everyday concerns may sound comical but actually it makes   
   the whole thing believable, and heightens the impact of the violence   
   which punctuates the tale as rival factions fight over the girls.  The   
   story is complex and mysterious:  every character has their own   
   agenda, and neither we nor the girls really know what's going on, and   
   in their case they are not sure they even want to know.   
      The series is 13 episodes long, and a nicely blended mix of cel and   
   CGI.  The DVD version is both sub & dub.  The dub has a mixed   
   Anglo-Australian-European sound to it which non-American viewers find   
   refreshing, but many American viewers can't bear.  The voice acting is   
   good and in keeping with the tone of the original; however the   
   translation itself is a salutary reminder of the ambiguities of the   
   Japanese language: where it's possible to translate a sentence in two   
   different ways, the dub infallibly picks the wrong one.  This just   
   adds to the overall air of mystery though, so the dub is undoubtedly   
   destined to be a cult classic, especially when you throw in the   
   complete absence of lip sync.   
      Partially released in North America by Urban Vision.   
      [Entry by Shez]   
      
      SUPERGIRL MARIS:  see MARIS THE CHOJO   
      
   T   
      
      TAIHO SHICHAUZO!:  see YOU'RE UNDER ARREST!   
      
      TANK POLICE:  see DOMINION   
      
      TENCHI MUYO:  A story about a teenage boy, the pretty alien girl   
   who loves him, the other pretty alien girl who loves him, the *other*   
   other pretty alien girl who loves him, and a few other pretty alien   
   girls (some of whom love him, too).  And they all just happen to be   
   some of the most powerful people in the universe.  The plotline varies   
   between sit-com and space opera, occasionally in the same episode.   
   The plot of the first OAV series was heavily re-written to become the   
   basis of TENCHI MUYO TV.  The first two OAV series are available in   
   North America from Geneon under the name "Tenchi Collection" - in fact,   
   this was Geneon's flagship title - and an edited version has been aired   
   on U.S. cable TV.  The North American rights to the third OAV series,   
   currently in production, are held by Funimation.  The manga (with the   
   translated title "No Need for Tenchi") is available from Viz.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      TENCHI MUYO: MIHOSHI SPECIAL:  A side story to the TENCHI MUYO OAV   
   series, this is Galaxy Police officer Mihoshi's recounting of her   
   biggest case ever.  The names in the story have been changed to   
   protect the innocent, of course, but Mihoshi changes them to the names   
   of her friends!  Somehow, the relationships just don't change...  This   
   comedy marks the first alternate TENCHI MUYO continuity, the first   
   appearance of Kiyone, and one of the earliest appearances of Magical   
   Girl Pretty Sammy.  Available on VHS as part of the "Tenchi Collection",   
   or on DVD as part of the "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy" collection, from   
   Geneon.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      TENCHI MUYO TV:  Tenchi Masaki is an ordinary schoolboy until   
   gorgeous alien women (with their little sisters and meowing spaceships   
   in tow) start to crash-land in his backyard.  A little bit of URUSEI   
   YATSURA and a little bit of RANMA 1/2, with some "Star Wars" homages   
   thrown in for good measure.  The TV series is generally considered a   
   parallel universe to the version of the story told in the OAV series.   
   Highly recommended for fans of romantic comedies and sci-fi adventure.   
      [Entry by Dave Menard]   
      [Available from Geneon.   - Rob Kelk]   
      
      TENCHI IN TOKYO (a.k.a. SHIN TENCHI MUYO):  This latest installment   
   of Tenchi fun is yet another parallel universe from the OAV and first   
   TV series.  In this story, Tenchi goes off to school in Tokyo leaving   
   the girls behind in Okayama.  This doesn't sit well with the passel   
   of alien women, especially since Tenchi's getting awfully close to   
   that new girl, Sakuya...   
      [Entry by Dave Menard]   
      [Available from Geneon.   - Rob Kelk]   
      
      TENCHI MUYO movies   
      TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE!:  Tenchi and the girls must race back in time   
   to keep an intergalactic criminal from altering the past.  The first   
   Tenchi movie, based off the TV series continuity.  Spectacular   
   animation combined with a good story make this film in many ways the   
   best Tenchi feature.   
      TENCHI MUYO: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS (a.k.a. MANATSU NO EVE):  Known   
   as "Midsummer's Eve" in the UK and Europe.  Tenchi's daughter appears,   
   but who's the mother?  And what does all this have to do with Yosho's   
   childhood on planet Jurai?  Not as well received by fans as the first   
   Tenchi movie, DoD is nevertheless high-quality animation, though the   
   story may seem to be a little rushed.  This may be due to the   
   long-circulated rumour that the plotline was originally written for a   
   third OAV series.   
      TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE 2 - TENCHI FOREVER:  According to Pioneer/AIC,   
   the *final* TENCHI MUYO TV feature.  "Forever" does a fair job of   
   resolving some of the longstanding conflicts between the two primary   
   rivals for Tenchi's heart, and the bittersweet ending suggests that   
   Tenchi has finally made a choice.  A languid pace makes this feature   
   tricky viewing, especially compared to the more frenetic pace of the   
   earlier films.  Worth watching only if you are willing to invest the   
   attention needed to appreciate this final chapter.   
      [Entries by Dave Menard]   
      [Dave's comment about the first movie being the best is his   
   opinion - some people, including the list maintainer, like the second   
   movie better.  All three movies are available from Geneon.   - Rob   
   Kelk]   
      
      TENKU NO SHIRO LAPUTA:  see LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY   
      
      TETSUWAN ATOMU:  see ASTRO BOY   
      
      THOSE OBNOXIOUS ALIENS:  see URUSEI YATSURA   
      
      TIME STRANGER:  An involving variation on THE TERMINATOR, with   
   slight nods of the head towards TIME BANDITS.  The animation is very   
   good and the story, complex.  Feudal Japan is depicted nicely and in   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)