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   no futuristic elements in PATLABOR) or the thoroughly dysfunctional   
   cast.   
      The second OVA series is essentially a continuation of the TV series;   
   but the first OVA series is less well-conceived, and should probably be   
   watched only if you come to like the TV series.  The movies are very   
   different, being serious works not atypical of Mamoru Oshii's direction.   
      Manga Entertainment released the movies both theatrically and on   
   video.  The TV series and OAV series are being released by USMC.   
      [Entry by David Damerell]   
      
      PHANTOM QUEST CORPORATION (a.k.a. YUUGEN KAISHA):  Hard-drinking,   
   hard-shopping Ayaka Kisaragi is the head of the "Phantom Quest   
   Corporation", an eclectic team of ghostbusters whose members include   
   Ayaka with her magical sword, a huge Buddhist priest, a   
   flame-summoning schoolgirl, and a brilliant little boy whose financial   
   acumen is all that keeps Ayaka's shopping from ruining the company.   
   The animation is beautiful and fluid, and the soundtrack songs catchy   
   indeed.  Four OAVs, available from Geneon on two tapes or one DVD.   
      [Entry by Antaeus Feldspar]   
      
      PLANETES:  In the relatively near future, space debris has become a   
   problem to mankind's continuing expansion into the stars.  PLANETES   
   follows the adventures of the Debris Section of Technora Corp, a   
   space-based company, after the arrival of idealistic new recruit Ai   
   Tanabe.  The misfit staff - including the slacker Hachimaki, tragic   
   ferret-obsessed Yuri and the heavy smoker Fee - make the most of their   
   job, which is laughed at by the rest of the company, but Tanabe's   
   arrival catalyses changes which will see the Debris Section become   
   important to mankind's survival in space.   
      PLANETES is basically PATLABOR in space, where the sci-fi setting   
   serves mostly as a background to an excellent character drama laced with   
   wry humour (however, the space aspect is realised more accurately than   
   in many shows - the ships make no sound in a vacuum, for example!).   
   Whilst slow - the first half develops the characters before a real   
   over-arching plot develops about halfway through - the writing is   
   exquisitely judged, with plot developments relying on the series as a   
   whole, and generally winning characters (although some may find Tanabe's   
   optimism wearing at least to begin with).   
      PLANETES is licensed by Bandai for release in Region 1 around June   
   2005, with the manga already available in full from Tokyopop.   
      [Entry by Andrew Hollingbury]   
      
      PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH:  PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH is a shoujo anime that   
   centers on the concept of reincarnation.  Based on the original manga   
   by Saki Hiwatari published in "Dreams and Flowers" magazine, this   
   story follows seven year old Rin Kobayashi who has dreams of another   
   life.  These dreams are shared by his neighbor Alice Sakaguchi and two   
   of her high school classmates Jinpachi Ogura and Issei Nishikiyori.   
   The three of them decide to search for others who may share the same   
   dreams while Rin sets off on his own agenda.  In these dreams, they   
   all seem to live on a base on the moon.  From that base they study the   
   Earth, its politics, resources, music, wildlife etc.  In total there   
   are seven scientists, each one seemingly gifted in some way.  They   
   feel a fondness for the Earth and wish they could be a part of it.   
   Full of emotion, complex relationships and a myriad of characters that   
   the seven who share the "Moon Dreams" encounter, PLEASE SAVE MY EARTH   
   is one of few anime that will truly make you think and feel.  Complete   
   OVA series available on one DVD from Viz Video.   
      [Entry by Terrence Walker]   
      
      PLEASE TEACHER!:  see ONEGAI TEACHER!   
      
      POKEMON (a.k.a. POCKET MONSTERS):  Before you all start gagging,   
   yes this is a full blown, card carrying anime.  The story is loosely   
   Earth like in its setting, however the world in this case is inhabited   
   by many different "Pocket Monsters" or "Pokemon", which people trap   
   and train to compete in fighting competitions.  Of course there are   
   all sorts of rules attached to this, plus the obligatory baddies, in   
   this case a boy and girl team (Team Rocket) and their pet Pokemon.   
   Dubbed and on show on TV virtually everywhere, with two films also   
   released to date.  Both the anime and manga are available from Viz.   
      [Entry by Chika]   
      
      POPOTAN:  Three cute sisters travel from place to place with their   
   maid in a teleporting house, skipping forward in time as they go.  As   
   they do this, they meet people and change lives, often having to   
   confront losing friends as they continue on in their search for a   
   certain person who can help them understand why they've been set on this   
   journey.  [Note:  "Popotan" is the sisters' term for tanpopo, the   
   Japanese word for dandelion.]   
      Licenced in North America by Geneon.   
      [Entry by "HiEv"]   
      
      PORCO ROSSO (a.k.a. KURENAI NO BUTA or CRIMSON PIG):  Directed by the   
   master Hayao Miyazaki, is a light-hearted but mature and sentimental   
   film set in the 1920 Italian Adriatic, as a valiant pilot (who happens   
   to be a pig) fights air pirates for his honor and for his lady.  Top   
   notch animation.  Available from Disney.   
      
      PRINCESS MONONOKE (a.k.a. MONONOKE-HIME):  While on a quest to find a   
   cure for a curse, a young man named Ashitaka finds himself caught in a   
   war between a mining village and the local forest spirits.  Each side is   
   represented by a strong-willed woman - on the miners' side is Eboshi,   
   the leader of the village, and on the spirits' side is San, the Mononoke   
   princess.  Ashitaka, Eboshi, and San find themselves caught up in a   
   search for the Forest God, who is believed to be able to bestow great   
   gifts upon mortals...   
      This was the first film directed by Hayao Miyazaki after Studio   
   Ghibli signed their now-famous distribution deal with Disney, and it   
   showed fans that the deal made no difference to the kind of stories that   
   Studio Ghibli would tell.  It was also the first Studio Ghibli movie   
   released in North America on DVD, setting the standard for Disney's high   
   quality anime releases.   
      Parental Advisory:  PRINCESS MONONOKE is not a film suitable for   
   pre-teens.  There are some graphic depictions of violence, and some   
   characters die messily.  Preview this movie before letting your children   
   watch it.   
      Available from Disney.   
      [Entry by Rob Kelk]   
      
      PRINCESS NINE:  Ryo Hayakawa is a "natural" at baseball - despite   
   being in high school, her pitches are faster than some from the pros.   
   Kisaragi Girls' School forms a team around her in order to be the   
   first girls' school to win the Japanese high-school series at Koshien,   
   a tournament that has been restricted to teams of boys only.  But   
   that's secondary to the people on or involved with the team - Ryo and   
   her rival Izumi Himuro, Kisaragi Boys' School's team's star batter   
   Hiroki Takasugi (who both Ryo and Izumi have feelings for, but not the   
   same feelings), Ryo's childhood friend Seishiro, the boisterous Hikaru   
   and the quiet Yuki who were first to join the team after Ryo, and too   
   many other characters (most with hidden depths to them) to name here.   
      Like many other shows (such as MAGIC USERS' CLUB), PRINCESS NINE is   
   about growing up and learning who you are, and not what it looks like   
   it's about at first glance.  But the baseball games are interesting,   
   too, and manage to keep the viewer's attention even after repeated   
   viewings.  And who wins when Ryo pitches against Hiroki?  That would   
   be telling ...   
      PRINCESS NINE is available from ADV Films.  ADV's series website is   
      
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   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)