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   manga, as opposed to the caricatures of Belldandy and Keiichi in the   
   OAV series, and the plotline is reminiscent of Fujishima's best work.   
   (The only real problem some people have with the movie is that Mara   
   once again doesn't make an appearance, but, given the subject matter,   
   there's really no logical way for her to have been in the story.)   
      This movie is available in North America on DVD from Geneon, and   
   in Australia from Madman.   
      (See also OH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.)   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      AH MEGAMI-SAMA:  see OH MY GODDESS!, AH MY GODDESS! and ADVENTURES   
   OF THE MINI-GODDESSES.   
      
      AI YORI AOSHI:  A young college student sees a beautiful Japanese   
   girl dressed in a kimono and sandals lost in a train station.  From this   
   unlikely coincidence, childhood sweethearts Kaoru and Aoi are re-united.   
      Kaoru was the heir of the Hanabishi family.  Aoi is heiress to the   
   Sakuraba family.  Kaoru ran away from the Hanabishis and Aoi was simply   
   told "the engagement is off".  Aoi would not accept that her her first   
   true love would end like this, so she rushed off to Tokyo to find him.   
   The story gets more complicated when Aoi's mother sets them up in an old   
   house to hide their romance.  Miyabi, Aoi's guardian, hides their   
   secret by running the house as a boarding house, accidentally attracting   
   a harem of young girls all vying for Kaoru's attention.   
      This anime has two stories going on: a classic Japanese romance from   
   the age of the samurai and a LOVE HINA'esque harem story.  But at its   
   heart, Ai Yori Aoshi is a very strong character anime; all the   
   characters are interesting with depth.  Tina Foster, an American who   
   grew up in Japan, acts the extrovert to hide her loneliness of feeling   
   like a stranger in both cultures.  Mayu is rich and intelligent, but her   
   parents treat her more as a prized piece of furniture than their child;   
   the only love in her life came from an act of kindness by Kaoru.  These   
   complex stories enmesh and develop over time.  The characters are   
   explored even further in the second series, AI YORI AOSHI - ENISHI.   
      It's a really good series for those who like romantic stories with a   
   strong ensemble cast.   
      Age: 14+  Warnings: Frequent fan service, suggested nudity and mature   
   situations.  Available in North America from Geneon.   
      [Entry by Travers Naran]   
      
      AIM FOR THE TOP!:  see GUNBUSTER   
      
      AISHITERU ZE BEIBE (a.k.a. LOVE YOU BABY):  Kippei is a lackadaisical   
   high-schooler, popular with the girls but not ready for commitment.  One   
   day he arrives home to find his young cousin, five-year-old Yuzuyu-chan   
   there.  Her mother has abandoned her and the family decide Kippei should   
   be the one to look after her.  Thus begins a story of responsibility and   
   maturity on Kippei's part and a chance for stability and happiness for   
   Yuzuyu-chan.   
      Like fungus, this anime grows on you.  Yuzuyu behaves like a real   
   five-year-old, scared by her mother's disappearance, comforted by   
   Kippei-onii-chan, making friends at the kindergarten.  There is a little   
   drama; Kippei becomes the focus of a stalker and Yuzuyu gets caught up   
   in the action, but mostly this is Kippei learning that actions have   
   consequences and Yuzuyu learning that she is still loved and her   
   mother's disappearance was not her fault.   
      Tsuzurahara Miyu, Yuzuyu's seiyuu, makes her sound like a real   
   five-year-old.  The animation quality is not very high but carries the   
   story adequately.  The OP and ED songs are catchy and addictive,   
   matching the upbeat mood of the series.   
      This series is still unlicensed.   
      [Entry by Robert "nojay" Sneddon]   
      
      AKIRA:  An adaptation of a longer manga work, the story (as far as   
   the anime is concerned) surrounds a gang, in particular the leader,   
   Kaneda, and his friend, Tetsuo, and a secret government/military project   
   to tap the psychic abilities of children.  Tetsuo encounters a "child"   
   from these experiments and soon after starts to exhibit some abilities   
   of his own following his abduction by the military.  Kaneda is caught up   
   in the events that follow as first he tries to find his friend and find   
   out what has happened to him, then has to battle with Tetsuo as his new   
   found powers start to run out of control.  Who is Akira?  A question   
   that runs through the whole convoluted plot but, to find out, Tetsuo   
   risks himself, his friends and the whole city.   
      The production was masterminded by Katsuhiro Otomo, and has been   
   touted as one of the best productions of its type, having won awards   
   around the world.  However people that are fans of the manga series   
   should be aware of the compacted nature of the production.  There is   
   also one attempted rape scene.   
      Originally released in the US by Streamline Pictures, later licenced   
   to Geneon (aka Pioneer).  In Australia this is available from Madman, in   
   the UK it is available from Manga Video.   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
      ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT-GIRL NUKU-NUKU:  The Mishima Heavy   
   Industries corporation wants its prototype android back, to use as a   
   war machine.  Lady Akiko, head of Mishima, wants to take her son   
   Ryuunosuke from her ex-husband - preferably by force.  Ryuunosuke, on   
   the run with his brilliant and eccentric father, just wants the   
   friendly kitten he finds on Christmas Eve.  When it all comes   
   together, the result is "Nuku Nuku" Natsume - the brain of a cat, the   
   appearance of a lovely schoolgirl, and the raw power of a war machine,   
   living with Ryuunosuke and 'Papa-san' as Ryuunosuke's sister and the   
   family's protector.   
      The original six OAV series is nicely animated, delightful   
   action-comedy.  The TV series that followed kept most of the same   
   characters but changed the situations heavily, and is reported to have   
   suffered from a Monster-of-the-Week plot.  The later OAV series, "Nuku   
   Nuku Dash," not only changed the situations but changed Nuku Nuku's   
   character design and her personality from bubbly and upbeat to teary,   
   and is generally considered disappointing by fans.   
      Available from ADV.   
      [Entry by Antaeus Feldspar]   
      
      ANGEL LINKS:  The second show in Sunrise's "Toward Stars" universe,   
   but nowhere near as wide in scope as its sister series OUTLAW STAR,   
   ANGEL LINKS tells the story of Li Meifon, a teenager who is named heir   
   to a large interplanetary corporation on the condition that she operate   
   a pirate-hunting service for free.  This seems simple enough on the   
   surface, but why does Meifon already have a grave marker?   
      This is science-fantasy space opera, but not quite in the same vein   
   as its sister show - the scope is much smaller than what's shown in   
   OUTLAW STAR.  It's also half the length of the previous series, mainly   
   because the writers didn't have to explain everything to the audience.   
      ANGEL LINKS is available as a four-DVD box set from Bandai in North   
   America.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      ANGELIC LAYER:  Mizaki Suzuhara is moving to Tokyo.  Upon arriving at   
   the train station, she gets lost (it's her first time in Tokyo) and   
   wanders outside, where she witnesses a battle that wows her on a   
   gigantic screen.  It turns out that the battle was part of Angelic   
   Layer, a game that's very popular.  She gets drawn into the game and   
   goes on a wild adventure.  This series has something for everyone, from   
   the comedic wiggly-squiggly Icchan, to more heart-felt moments, and even   
   intense battles.  So go out now, and see the series that one of the   
   voice actresses calls "DRAGON BALL Z for Girls!"  Available from ADV   
   films.   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)