[continued from previous message]   
      
   the After Colony calender.  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 interrelate 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 villains.  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 tyrannizing 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   
      
      GUNSLINGER GIRL:  This is a thirteen-episode series set in modern-day   
   Italy, rife with political and police corruption, organised crime and   
   terrorism.  A shadowy government agency uses cyborged adolescent girls   
   as assassins, tied to their supervisors ("fratello", or siblings) by   
   brainwashing and mental conditioning for obedience and loyalty.  The   
   story is often bloody and violent but also includes scenes where the   
   girls interact with each other and their fratello in a remarkably   
   sympathetic manner.  Each of the girls featured has a distinct   
   personality, often mirroring their fratello for whom they feel   
   "affection" in differing ways.   
      In the wrong hands this series could have been superficial; Madhouse   
   are to be congratulated on avoiding the obvious pitfalls.  The character   
   animation is not the finest but the backgrounds are faithful to the   
   Italian cities the stories are set in.  The violence is realistically   
   displayed; blood and death are inextricably linked in this series.   
   Technically, the depiction of firearms is pretty well spot-on.  Each of   
   the girls has a signature weapon and uses it appropriately, a rarity in   
   anime.  American R1 licencing was announced by FUNimation in June 2004;   
   the R2 Japanese DVDs are already being released.   
      [Entry by Robert Sneddon]   
      
      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.   
   Available from ADV Films.   
      [Entry by Ben Cantrick]   
      
   H   
      
      HACK//SIGN:  see .hack//SIGN  (at the beginning of the Primer)   
      
      HAGANE NO RENKINJUTSUSHI:  see FULL METAL ALCHEMIST   
      
      HAIBANE RENMEI (variously translated as ASH WINGS ALLIANCE,   
   CHARCOAL FEATHERS FEDERATION, or variations on these):  HAIBANE RENMEI   
   is a mysterious and low key story about a girl (Rakka) who wakes up in   
   an unfamiliar but seemingly normal world, except she now has pale grey   
   wings and a halo.  Unable to remember her past life or even her name,   
   Rakka is welcomed into a community of other winged and haloed girls.   
   Are they angels?  None of them know what they are, so they simply call   
   themselves Haibane (grey wings).  The nearby town is populated by normal   
   people, who seem to view the Haibane as little more than beggars.  A   
   high wall surrounds the entire district and no-one, Haibane or human,   
   knows what lies beyond; only the crows and some mysterious visitors to   
   the town are able to go beyond the wall.  In the early episodes Rakka   
   spends her time making friends and finding out about her new world, but   
   her carefree days come to an abrupt end halfway through the series when   
   one of her new friends mysteriously disappears, leaving Rakka bewildered   
   and grief-stricken.  From then on the series has a much darker tone, as   
   Rakka looks into her soul and wonders how she ended up in this walled   
   place (a refuge or a prison?), and tries to learn the secrets of the   
   inscrutable Haibane Renmei (Haibane Union), the monastic order which   
   regulates their lives.   
      The series is by Yoshitoshi ABe who also did the character design of   
   LAIN, who Rakka resembles.  13 episodes.   
      [Entry by Shez]   
      
      HAPPY LESSON:  Most ordinary boys Chitose Hitose's age can only dream   
   of a harem of beautiful women.  Many of them are at that rebellious   
   phase in thier lives, fighting their parents at every step.  Imagine his   
   surprise when in one fell swoop, Chitose suddenly finds himself living   
   with a harem of five beautiful women, who all want to be his mother!   
      Ordinary boys of Chitose's age might for at least part of the day   
   replace the annoyances of family life with the annoyances of school   
   life, but even here, Chitose finds no reprieve, as his 'mothers' are   
   also his teachers!   
      Throw in a cute younger sister, an idol older sister, an 'evil'   
   genius, and the class representative who wants his head on a platter (or   
   a string tied around his heart), and it's a safe bet that Chitose   
   Hitose's life is anything but ordinary.   
      A harem comedy that turns the genre on its head, HAPPY LESSON is a   
   fun filled romp of an answer to the question, "What is family anyway?"   
      Available in North America from ADV.   
      [Entry by Abraham Evangelista]   
      
      HARE NOCHI GUU:  see JUNGLE WA ITSUMO HARE NOCHI GUU   
      
      HELLSING:  Great Britain's secret weapon against things that go bump   
   in the night is a paranormal division called Hellsing, which keeps a   
   vampire named Alucard as its ace agent.  He is very effective in dealing   
   with the targets, but he's also snarky, sadistic, and has the hots for   
   his "Master", one Integra(l) Hellsing.  This tale of vampires as vampire   
   hunters has it all: a buxom young vampire who angsts about losing her   
   humanity, a kickass butler with killer floss, a division of the Vatican   
   dedicated to wiping out monsters, and of course the aformentioned   
   Alucard and Integra.  Some of the animation quality is atrocious, but   
   overall the series is dark, cool, and leaves you cheering for more.  26   
   episodes, subbed and dubbed.   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)