XPost: rec.arts.anime.fandom, rec.arts.anime.misc, aus.arts.anime   
   From: robkelk@deadspam.com   
      
   (continued from Part 2)   
      
      
   E   
      
      EARLY REINS:  If you love classic bullets-flying-everywhere Western   
   movies and good-looking anime girls, this one's for you.  No steampunk   
   or any other modern trappings (unless you count one character's short   
   skirt, and even then, no panty shots).  Very reverent (but not without a   
   sense of humour), very entertaining, very recommended.  One OAV.   
      [Entry by David Watson]   
      
      EARTH DEFENSE FAMILY (a.k.a. THE DAICHIS):  A very different take on   
   the classic "fighting team defending the Earth" theme as the Daichis, a   
   contemporary and very dysfunctional Japanese family, are unexpectedly   
   offered the opportunity to turn their lives around by becoming a team of   
   masked fighters who must defend the Earth against an alien invasion. But   
   nothing is what it seems - the agreement to become the "Earth Defense   
   Team" turns out to be a very Faustian bargain, the family finds out that   
   their own problems don't go away just because they can beat some alien   
   monsters, and in the end the divisions within the Daichis threaten the   
   Earth itself.  EARTH DEFENSE FAMILY is masterful and thoroughly   
   entertaining mix of action, comedy and social commentary.   
      [Entry by Dave Baranyi]   
      
      EARTH GIRL ARJUNA:  Juna Ariyoshi is involved in a mysterious   
   motorbike accident with her boyfriend Tokio.  She awakens to find   
   herself "dead", and privy to a horrifying vision of the destruction of   
   Earth's environment by man, and controlled by fearsome worm-like   
   creatures known as Rajah.  She is given a second chance at life by the   
   apparition of Chris Horken, a crippled telepath, if she agrees to   
   become the Avatar of Time and protect Earth from the Rajah.  But Juna   
   is not at ease with this role - although she utilises her power to   
   save Tokio, she is petrified of the monstrous Rajah, and has   
   difficulty reconciling her environmental awareness and protection with   
   her modern life - how would you feel if you heard the voices of all   
   the creatures killed to make your food each time you ate?  An   
   extremely high budget shows through in the detailed character   
   animation and computer effects - although some rendering doesn't mesh   
   very well - and another high quality soundtrack from Yoko Kanno   
   present an extremely polished show.  However, the environmental   
   message can become extremely heavy handed, which aggravates many   
   viewers - this thought-provoking "magical girl" show tends to polarise   
   viewers.   
      ARJUNA is available in North America from Bandai, and in Australia   
   from Madman.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
      EL HAZARD:  Makoto is your average high-school kid.  A bit of a   
   nebbish, he likes Nanami and is constantly hounded by her big brother   
   Jinnai, though not about Nanami per se.  Makoto and several of his   
   classmates get sucked through a portal to another world where he and   
   his friends each seem to manifest a superpower.  There is a war going   
   on between the human people of the world and the insect-like Bugrom.   
   Makoto and his friends try to help the humans, aided by the three   
   priestesses of Muldoon, while Jinnai ends up on the wrong side,   
   helping the Bugrom.  Hilarity, action and adventure ensue, including   
   the discovery of an ancient evil power, a woman named Ifurita who only   
   Makoto can defeat.  Good art and animation.  Silly and fun.  This   
   summary applies only to the OVA version; there is also a TV series   
   with the same characters.  Comedic violence only.  Seven OVAs.  From   
   Geneon.   
      [Entry by Ben Cantrick]   
      [Parental Advisory:  Some characters in this OAV series have what   
   has come to euphemistically be called "alternative lifestyles", and   
   not all of them are villains.  If this bothers you or your children,   
   watch the TV series "El Hazard: The Wanderers" instead of the OAV   
   series.  - Rob Kelk]   
      
      ELFEN LIED:  While escaping from a secret government lab and leaving   
   a trail of bodies in her wake, Lucy (a not entirely human being) is   
   struck by a bullet and stricken with amnesia.  Found by Kouta, she's   
   nursed back to health as Nyu, a cute girl learning to live from scratch.   
      Extremely Violent (ELFEN LIED makes GANTZ look pedestrian), ELFEN   
   LIED is a drama that drives it's gripping plot with sin, guilt,   
   redemption, blood and nudity.  Definately not for children, or the   
   squeamish.   
      Available in R1 from ADV.   
      [Entry by Abraham Evangelista]   
      
      ENDLESS WALTZ:  see GUNDAM   
      
      ESACAFLOWNE:  see VISION OF ESCAFLOWNE   
      
      EVANGELION:  see NEON GENESIS EVANGELION   
      
      EXCEL SAGA:  This anime is an example of insanity in motion.  Each   
   episode is a parody of different styles of anime, and in the first   
   episode the heroine, Excel Excel dies several times, then goes off to   
   kill her manga artist (talk about breaking down the 'fourth wall').  In   
   later episodes you meet others that get involved in the story, and she's   
   joined by Hyatt, a girl that dies about as much as possible, but she   
   keeps on getting back up.  Not to mention the fact that she keeps a   
   stray dog named Menchi as an emergency food supply.  Released by ADV in   
   North America.   
      [Entry by Bill Martin]   
      [PARENTAL ADVISORY:  ADV Films quite properly rated this show at   
   "17+".  Many episodes have a high violence quotient, some of the   
   language is inappropriate for minors, and the final episode should be   
   listed in the Anime Hentai Primer.  Definitely NOT for children.  - Rob   
   Kelk]   
      
   F   
      
      FAKE:  A very gay detective story with young man and woman in care of   
   the officers in an alternate version of NYC.   
      The senior detective, who is in love with the younger who is   
   Japanese-American, sets up a vacation for both in England.  He bribes   
   the young man to stay behind so that he and the object of his affection   
   can enjoy a truely romantic weekend.   
      Too bad the hotel they have chosen is the scene of a mystery which   
   has attracted the attention of a senior officer of the NY State Police.   
   A woman vanishes and then the kids show up to prevent seduction.   
      Well the vacation is already spoiled when a flaming fellow officer   
   insists on following them to the site and they get a harsh suprise on   
   their return to the station house.   
      Very amusing!   
      One 60 minute OAV, from Anime Works   
      [Entry by bobbie sellers]   
      [Parental Advisory:  FAKE does touch on male/male romantic   
   relationships, but it's clean.  There isn't even any nudity in it past   
   the occasional male chest.  - David Watson]   
      
      FAM AND IHRIE:  see RUIN EXPLORERS   
      
      FANCY LALA:  FANCY LALA is the story of a girl and her magic sketch   
   book.  I think that cleared all of the DBZ heads out.  For the rest of   
   you, no, there are no magical princesses fighting evil by moonlight,   
   nor are there any convoluted love polygons.  What we have here is a   
   simple show about how a young girl, Shinohara Miho (all names in   
   Japanese name order) obtains the power to grow just a bit older from   
   some 'funny dinosaurs' (Pigu and Mogu, her wise helpers ... yea right,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)