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   challenges that a real person brings?  CHOBITS can be mistaken for a   
   shallow seinen (college student) story about a boy who finds a   
   beautiful "Persocom" girl robot, but this story came from the all-female   
   Osaka manga team Studio CLAMP, and nothing is ever what it seems with   
   them.   
      A country boy, Hideki Motosuwa, moves to the big city to get an   
   education and comes across Chii, a Persocom left in the garbage.  In   
   this near future, Persocoms are walking personal assistants, PCs and   
   cellphones, made to look like beautiful humans, and of course people   
   begin to become obsessed with them.  In finding out the history of Chii,   
   Hideki learns the secret history of Persocoms and that Chii may be the   
   legendary "chobits" model: a model that has true emotions.  And who is   
   the mysterious author of those children's books that seem to be talking   
   about Chii and Hideki?   
      The story works on so many levels.  There's the wonderful (and   
   ultimately platonic) love story of Hideki and Chii, but the series also   
   asks interesting questions, like "How do people change when we can have   
   a relationship with a robot?" and "What happens when we forget about the   
   humans we used to have relationships with?"  From a silly exploitation   
   premise, CLAMP manages to create an intriguing philosophical love story.   
      Advisory: Mature content and very suggestive scenes; 16 years and up.   
      [Entry by Travers Naran]   
      
      CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT:  see RECORD OF LODOSS WAR   
      
      CHRONO CRUSADE (a.k.a. Chrno Crusade):  It is the late 1920s, America   
   is experiencing a boom economy, and the rich keep on getting richer...   
   and with all that money, they find they have time to pursue other   
   things, and number one on the list... Devil worship.  That's not jake,   
   so Sister Rosette Christopher, her demon friend Chrono, and the other   
   members of the Holy Order of Mary of Magdelene must combat this terrible   
   new menace.  Rosette has her own reasons for fighting the demons, as she   
   searches for her long lost brother, Joshua.  This is definitely not a   
   kid's show, however, the Christmas episode is a heart-warming one,   
   definitely worth sharing.  This series starts off slightly dark,   
   switches to comedy every now and then, but can and will get very dark,   
   very fast.  So don't be a Mrs. Grundy, go out and watch this show.   
   Note:  Of all the anime I've seen, this is the one that uses Christian   
   symbols most closely to their true symbolism, and even though it seems   
   to be just a Nuns With Guns show, it's much deeper than that.   
      [Entry by Bill Martin]   
      
      COMBUSTIBLE CAMPUS GUARDRESS:  see BAKUEN CAMPUS GUARDRESS   
      
      COWBOY BEBOP:  A jazzy group of bounty hunters meet up and travel   
   the galaxy.  Lots of great individual episodes as well as a main   
   storyline running through them all.  Sharp animation that shows how   
   well the hand drawn and computer mixed can look.  Great music and even   
   the dub is actually pretty good.  Instant classic which appeals to a   
   wide audience, otaku and non-otaku alike.  Available from Bandai in   
   North America, or Madman in Australia.   
      [Entry by Shawn Granger]   
      
      CREST OF THE STARS: CotS (a.k.a. SeiMon from "Seikai no Monshou") is   
   a   
   hard sci-fi story set amidst an era of interplanetary empires and   
   galaxy-spanning war.  Humanity has colonized the stars, and the   
   resulting new order has become one of vast, conflicting empires.  The   
   male lead is the son of a free planet's president who "sold out" his   
   people to the ABH empire when they came to invade.  Now nobility himself   
   and all but deprived of friends, family, and homeland, Jinto must enter   
   the ABH military in the hopes of eventually assuming his rightful place   
   in the nobility.  His first contact with the genetically enhanced ABH is   
   Lafille, a *very* special young woman whose identity and significance to   
   the political fabric of the empire becomes only gradually apparent.   
      The show hits all the bases:  politics, deeply imagined culture and   
   futuristic technology, action both in person and between space   
   fleets ... and most importantly character development, as Jinto and   
   Lafille grow up as individuals while growing together as people.  The   
   chemistry between them is the focal point of the animators for this   
   show, and they pull it off with style. Visuals aren't bad at all either,   
   as expected of Bandai's frontline animators at Sunrise.   
      If you want something fluffy, something with major fanservice,   
   something hyperkinetic, or can't take serious sci-fi, SeiMon is probably   
   not the anime for you.  If the above description sounds interesting,   
   however, I recommend picking up the first volume and seeing what you   
   think.   
      Available from Bandai in North America, and Madman in Australia.   
      [Entry by Mark L. Neidengard]   
      
      CRIMSON PIG:  see PORCO ROSSO   
      
      CROMARTIE HIGH:  You know something strange is afoot when the opening   
   warning of an anime says "Kids, imitating this will get your thrown in   
   jail" instead of the usual "Step Away from the TV and turn on the   
   lights".   
      CROMARTIE HIGH chronicles the misadventures of a delinquent   
   high-school class who's misfit members more resemble traveling circuis   
   attractions than students.  With a cast that includes a gorilla, a   
   singing robot, and a student with more than a passing resemblance to   
   Freddy Mercury, CROMARTIE HIGH is sure to entertain fans of wacky   
   low-brow comedy.   
      Available in R1 from ADV.   
      [Entry by Abraham Evangelista]   
      
      CRUSHER JOE:  Old-style comic-book action from the writers that   
   later went on to create "Dirty Pair":  Feature movie and two OAV   
   episodes available, from the TV series about team Crusher and their   
   leader Joe, four mercenaries (and one robot) who'll tackle any job in   
   the galaxy that needs doing, no matter how impossible... ESPECIALLY if   
   impossible.  Available from AnimEigo.   
      [Entry by Derek Janssen]   
      
      CYBER CITY OEDO 808:  In a world dominated by the criminal element,   
   the forces of law and order turn to setting criminals up to work off   
   their penalties by becoming unwilling foot soldiers in the march   
   against crime.  Three such criminals are followed in this series, each   
   with a mission to complete within a given period of time, otherwise a   
   device locked on their necks will make sure they do not get another   
   chance.  With each successful mission, a portion of their sentences is   
   erased.  (Manga)   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
   D   
      
      THE DAICHIS:  see EARTH DEFENSE FAMILY   
      
      DAMEKKO DOUBUTSU:  Zen-Zen! Dame-Dame!  Turning the roles of the   
   animal kingdom on thier heads, Damekko Doubutsu tells the story of Uruno   
   the cowardly wolf, who moves into the forest of misfit animals.   
   Befriended by Usahara (a delinquent bunny who smokes), and Chiiko (a   
   clumsy and slow cheetah), Uruno fits in perfectly with his   
   not-quite-right neighbors.   
      Cute and funny, DAMEKKO DOBUTSU's 5 minute episodes are perfect for   
   comedy fans trying to squeeze in a quick fix.   
      [Entry by Abraham Evangelista]   
      
      DETECTIVE CONAN:  see MEITANTEI CONAN   
      
      DEVIL HUNTER YOHKO (a.k.a. MAMONO HUNTER YOHKO):  Mano Yohko is   
   your average Japanese High-School girl.  However, what she doesn't   
   know is that she's 108th in the line of Devil Hunters, women who must   
   battle supernatural demons to keep the world safe.  Silly more than   
   scary, and not without the ecchi (sexual) overtones and occasional   
   violence, this is a fun but fluffy series.  No grand concepts, just   
   silly, occasionally dramatic fun.  However, the sex and violence   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)