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   tied magically to a world of sentient cats from which a kitten princess   
   was lost during a terrible war some time before.  Various forces from   
   that cat world are now secretively roaming the human world, looking for   
   the missing princess for different reasons.  And Taruto appears to be at   
   the center of this search.  Taruto has certain abilities that suggest   
   that she may be that missing princess - in particular she has some   
   ability to do magic, albeit in a rather unpredictable and uncontrolled   
   fashion.  But every so often something seems to take over Taruto's usual   
   kitten-like self that allows her to do much more than normal.  Various   
   funny, poignant, mysterious and antic events take place during the first   
   three quarters of the series.  Then the final story arc brings together   
   all of the background events as forces of the cat world actively start   
   to pursue their quarry.   
      All-in-all, NEKO TARUTO was one of the most enjoyable, intelligent   
   and sweet fantasy anime I've ever seen.  The creators of this story took   
   a classic plot, filled it with wonderfully likeable characters and   
   brought a sense of self-consistent fantasy to the entire mix that made   
   the story truly "magical".  Each episode brought something unique and   
   different to a very traditional story and managed to make the blend   
   totally unforgettable.  The best comparison I can make is in the way   
   that everything comes together in some of the better Miyazaki fantasy   
   movies.  This is a "must see" anime for anyone who loves classic   
   fairytale-style fantasy.   
      [Entry by Dave Baranyi]   
      
      MAHOU TSUKAI TAI (a.k.a. MAGIC USERS CLUB):  This series starts   
   with an alien craft entering the Earth's atmosphere, devastating the   
   carrier taskforce sent to intercept it, and ... stopping in the middle   
   of the Pacific.  Meanwhile, Sae is trying to make a good impression on   
   her afterschool club leader Takeo so that he'll notice her, although   
   it shouldn't be too hard to notice someone in a club that only has   
   five members, even if it is a club for people who can actually cast   
   spells (although the rest of the school thinks it's for people who   
   practice stage magic).   
      Despite the alien and the magic, this is a coming-of-age story   
   about five unusual teenagers, told with compassion and humour.   
      Six OAVs and a sequel TV series (which actually *is* a sequel   
   instead of being a remake), translated by Anime Works.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      MAI-HIME:  16 year old Mai Tokiha and her younger brother Takumi are   
   transferring to their new school, the Fuuka Academy, by ferry.  After an   
   eventful journey involving mysterious shining red stars and a frenetic   
   fight between the sword-wielding Mikoto and the gun-toting Natsuki, Mai   
   discovers that she is a HiME, a girl with special powers who must defend   
   Fuuka against Orphans, monstrous creatures that menace the area.  As   
   more and more HiMEs are discovered, the stakes hot up with mysterious   
   prophecies, the consequences of their powers and several insidious   
   organisations wanting to control the HiMEs - or destroy them.   
      Studio Sunrise throws several clichés together - high school comedy   
   drama, some bishoujo (and occasional bishounen) fanservice, superpowered   
   action with "mecha" - and surprisingly manage to make something that   
   sticks together fairly well.  MAI-HIME is fairly unoriginal in   
   execution, but the fact that there's something for almost everyone,   
   coupled with excellent animation and strong characterisation, means it's   
   almost bound to be enjoyable in some respects.   
      At the time of writing, MAI-HIME is still running in Japan, with 18   
   episodes of 26 aired - the Japanese Region 2 release has begun with the   
   first two episodes on DVD.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
      MAISON IKKOKU:  A young man in love struggles to achieve his   
   impossible dreams.  The widow who can't forget her beloved husband knows   
   she has to move on.  The handsome, worthy tennis instructor vies for the   
   widow's love.  The harpy-like friends keep the young man and the widow   
   apart.  That, in a nutshell, is MAISON IKKOKU:  a slice of everyday life   
   in a seedy suburban Tokyo boarding house.   
      Real life is the setting for this romantic comedy from Rumiko   
   Takahashi (RANMA 1/2, INU-YASHA).  Godai is a "ronin", a young man who   
   failed to get into college.  While he struggles to pass his entrance   
   exams, he moves to a boarding house closer to Tokyo and gets neighbours   
   right out of a wacky sitcom, who drive him to distraction and tease him   
   mercilessly.  The day he swears to leave Maison Ikkoku forever, the love   
   of his life shows up to become the new manager, Kyoko Otonashi.   
      Kyoko is a young widow who hasn't recovered from her loss.  Her   
   father-in-law offers her the resident manager position at this boarding   
   house he owns until she decides what she wants to do with her life.  So   
   begins the impossible dream for Godai.   
      This love story is interesting because it breaks the rules.  Godai is   
   *not* the perfect hero.  The rival, Shun Mitaka, isn't a complete jerk.   
   It feels more realistic than other romance stories, yet is also a very   
   typical one.  The story is filled with laughter, touching moments and   
   wonderful characters.  And when the ending unfolds, it is a wonderful   
   moment that just about breaks your heart.  Even guys who hate romantic   
   stories love this series.  Advisory:  Mature situations.  Ages 13+.   
      Available from Viz.   
      [Entry by Travers Naran, edited by Rob Kelk]   
      
      MAJO-NO TAKKYUBIN:  see KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE   
      
      MAMONO HUNTER YOHKO:  see DEVIL HUNTER YOHKO   
      
      MARIS THE CHOJO (a.k.a. SUPERGIRL MARIS):  Unlike the other "Rumik   
   World" stories by Rumiko Takahashi that have been turned into anime,   
   this OAV is not at all serious.  Maris is a super-strong   
   troubleshooter who just can't stay out of debt.  (She dreams of   
   getting rich, or at least breaking even, but fate conspires against   
   her.)  One day, she's assigned to track down the kidnappers of one of   
   the richest eligible bachelors in the galaxy...  This OAV is one of   
   the few anime to have a Jackie-Chan-style "blooper reel" under the   
   ending credits.  Was available from USMC.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      MARMALADE BOY:  Miki is your typical teenage anime girl, popular in   
   school, star of the girls' tennis team, happy with her life.  Until   
   the day she came home from school and her parents told her they are   
   divorcing.  Not just divorcing, but also swapping partners with   
   another couple they met on their recent vacation.  And this is just   
   the first 5 minutes of episode 1!  Based on the manga by Yoshizumi   
   Wataru, Marmalade Boy follows Miki, Yu, the teenage son of the other   
   couple in the partner-swap, Meiko, Miki's best friend, Ginta, Miki's   
   tennis teammate, Arimi, with her ever-present group of male followers,   
   Suzu, famous teen model, and others through 76 episodes of high school   
   romantic comedy/drama that often has viewers semi-suicidal with its   
   unexpected plot twists and turns.   
      Licenced by Tokyopop.   
      [Entry by Jeanne Hedge]   
      
      MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO (a.k.a. MOBILE BATTLESHIP NADESICO):   
   Aliens attacking Martian colonies.  Dead parents leaving orphaned   
   children to defend themselves.  Doesn’t sound funny does it?  How about   
   a mech pilot who keeps hiding from the fights so he can cook?  A Cyber   
   girl with a deep depression?  An anime fanatic who screams battle cries   
   from his favorite anime?  It all makes NADESICO one of the funniest   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)