[continued from previous message]   
      
   contrast with the large number of colourful and perky series out there,   
   KINO'S JOURNEY tells the story of a young wanderer and a robotic   
   motorcycle who journey through various countries, staying no more than   
   three days at a time.  Many of the countries and individuals encountered   
   either engage in self-destructive behaviour or have ugly aspirations.   
   Kino, while largely a moral agent, at times skirts the line of amorality   
   in just drifting through these situations.   
      This is a fascinating series with solid storytelling that's chock   
   full of black humour, irony, surrealism and cynicism.  Despite the   
   general downbeat nature of this series, there's a undercurrent of   
   happiness to it (not a little of which is embodied in the very laid-back   
   Kino).   
      Available in North America from ADV Films.   
      [Entry by Michael Lo]   
      
      KISHIN HEIDAN (a.k.a. KISHIN CORPS or GEO-ARMOR):  An interesting   
   admixture of World War II, an Alien invasion, and the giant robots   
   captured alien technology makes possible.  Fast-paced adventure,   
   available from Geneon under the name GEO-ARMOR.   
      
      KODOMO NO OMOCHA (aka KODOCHA; CHILD'S TOY):  Sana Kurata is a   
   child actress renowned for her hyperactivity and her role on the TV   
   show of the title (yes, a show within a show; cute, innit?), and is   
   the adopted daughter of the eccentric author Mariko Kurata.  Despite   
   her stardom, she still goes to a non-exclusive school, in which her   
   class is terrorized by a bully named Akito Hayama, a cold and quiet   
   boy who manages to rally the other boys around him and make the class   
   hell for the teacher.  When Sana decides enough is enough and stands   
   up to him to try to get him to stop, she discovers just how troubled   
   he and his life actually are, and eventually goes from enemy to   
   friend ... or is it even more?   
      Zany comedy and very touching drama exist side by side in KODOCHA's   
   shoujo frame, and it still manages to work very well.  While the TV   
   series still hasn't been announced as licensed yet (and it's hard to   
   say if it ever will, since it's over 100 episodes long and its pace   
   and puns make it difficult to translate), TOKYOPOP is now releasing   
   Miho Obana's manga under the name KODOCHA.   
      [Entry by David Watson]   
      
      KOI KAZE:  KOI KAZE deals with sibling love.  It is also a warning   
   against divorce and sibling separation.  In this case the father is   
   responsible for the divorce which separated the older brother, Saeki   
   Koshiro, from his 12-years-younger sister, Kohinata Nanoka.  The two   
   meet without knowing who they really are, and a love begins.   
      Nanoka has an easier time accepting her feelings than Koshiro, who   
   goes through considerable emotional torment a severe emotional   
   involvement.  This contains lots of poignancy as the relationship will   
   fall outside acceptable social limits and expose them to persecution, if   
   not prosecution.  Nanoka does have problems with love sickness noted by   
   her high school friend, and then with the abandonment of the friend to   
   be with Koshiro.   
      A co-worker of Koshiro's, Chidori Kanane learns of the situation and   
   externalises all the negativity he has been feeling.  Nanoka drives her   
   off as she attempts to come between the inappropriate couple.  She also   
   works the previews as a dominatrix.   
      The most physical affection we see between Koshiro and Nanoka is   
   hugging.   
      If the creators had wanted a real polemic against incest, they   
   might have continued down the path a few years after Nanoka has   
   completed school and they live together under social pressure and   
   in obscurity, but instead they concentrate on the initial encounters   
   and the realisation of the problem.  It ends hopefully with   
   Koshiro's acceptance of his love for Nanoka.   
      Three DVD volumes from Geneon, 13 episodes, fully acceptable English   
   voice actors and good subtitles, standard extras plus a little bear   
   playlet in the last volume.   
      [Entry by bobbie sellers]   
      
      KOKO WA GREENWOOD:  see HERE IS GREENWOOD   
      
      KURENAI NO BUTA:  see PORCO ROSSO   
      
   L   
      
      LAIN:  see SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN   
      
      LANDLOCK:  Firstly, this is *not* a Shirow story.  It merely uses   
   some character designs.  A typical brother and sister eventually find   
   that they have more to them than meets the eye.  Or two eyes; each one   
   a different colour!  This story is a typical quest to save the world   
   against insurmountable odds and evil mentors.  Available from Manga   
   Video.   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
      LAPUTA, CASTLE IN THE SKY:  Young Pazu's life is turned upside down   
   when a girl, Sheeta, floats down from the sky into his sleepy mining   
   village wearing a mysterious blue pendant.  Together they search for the   
   flying castle in the sky, Laputa, while pursued by nefarious government   
   forces after the secrets that Sheeta and her pendant hold.  A   
   rip-roaring adventure classic from Studio Ghibli and master director   
   Hiyao Miyazaki, with an almost relentless pace, animation that still   
   impresses twenty years after it was made and amazing attention to   
   detail.  Available in both US Region 1 and UK Region 2 on DVD - the UK   
   release is unfortunately dubtitled, although the dub (from Disney) is of   
   excellent quality.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
      LAST EXILE:  Claus Valca and Lavie Head, two young Vanship pilots in   
   the flight-dominated world of Prestale, become embroiled in a massive   
   war for power after rescuing a young girl, Alvis Hamilton, from the   
   wreckage of a Vanship stalked by a mysterious mechanical creature.   
   Gonzo's flagship series to mark their 10th anniversary is undeniably   
   visually impressive, and perhaps most successfully recaptures the   
   blending of shounen action and shoujo romance pioneered by ESCAFLOWNE of   
   any recent series, although there are some moments when the plot could   
   do with tightening up a little - overall, however, LAST EXILE is an epic   
   adventure that should appeal to most audiences.   
      Available on Region 1 DVD from Geneon, in Australia from Madman, and   
   forthcoming from ADV in UK Region 2.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
      LAUGHING TARGET:  Taken from the "Rumik World" series of short   
   stories, this horror story concerns Yuzuru, who has a childhood   
   sweetheart.  When this girl, Azusa (bethrothed to him as a young boy),   
   returns to his life, strange things start to happen, especially to   
   Yuzuru's current squeeze.  When people start dying and Yuzuru's   
   girlfriend is threatened, Yuzuru has to start to find out about Azusa's   
   past and make some unpleasant decisions.  Was available from USMC.   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
      LEGEND OF BLACK HEAVEN (a.k.a. KACHOU OOJI):  On the outside, Ooji   
   appears to be a typical Japanese middle-aged middle manager; married to   
   a wife who wants a home of their own, father of a son who wants Dad's   
   attention, working for a boss who just wants things to run smoothly, and   
   so on.  But things were not always this way, and years before Ooji was   
   the lead guitarist in a fairly successful rock band, and the urge to   
   look back and remember is never far away.  Things come to a head when   
   Ooji's wife throws out his old guitar and Ooji becomes despondent over   
   the loss of this final symbol of his youth.  But then a mysterious and   
   beautiful new colleague tempts Ooji with a new guitar and a chance to   
   play.  Ooji is lead off as if in a trance and finds a chance to release   
   his soul through his music.  But there is a very odd catch to this   
   bargain - Ooji's music is the source of power for the weapons of one   
   side of an interstellar war that is going on unbeknownst to Humanity,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)