Thursday, July 7, 2005

   Having....little....sleeeeppp.....
This happens to us all around summer time, when too much fun stuff piles up and we sacrifice the healthy and sane practice of sleeping in order to cram in all into what time we can. ^__^;; In my case, it has been the watching of a few series. So, for any and all who care, I will post about them here, now! *internet not on list of must-do stuff...slow connection...urk!*

RAYEARTH I&II
The premise: in order to save the world Cephiro from crumbling, the Pillar of Cephiro (a person who keeps the world from collapsing or falling into war through his or her will and prayers - a her in this case) summons three teenagers (age 14) from Japan to become the Magic Knights. In order to save the world, they must revive three Rune Gods (that resemble mecha suits once they're 'donned') and save the princess from the evil high priest Zagato. They are met by master mage Clef, and granted magic by him before he is turned to stone by Zagato, and from there get weapons from mastersmith Presea made of the evolving ore Escudo. In the second, the three are pulled back to Cephiro by an unexplained force, once again, but for what? And by whom?
My opinion: NEVER SEE THE FIRST!!! With that said, I will recommend reading what happens in the first, or if you must watch it, see only a few episodes. Those would be the episodes that actually are referenced in the second - the one where Ascot turns good (Umi slaps him - a true friendship!), the one where Presea dies, the ones where Ferio comes in (there are about three or four that are important) and the last two, maybe three. Well, and the first one, so you get a feel for what is going on. Otherwise, be prepared for a series oozing with cheesy lines like "I can win because my friends are with me!", and other such cliche and sickeningly sweet situations.
The second is worlds better. The main characters no longer remind you of the heroes in a bad old RPG, and the plotline actually takes a slightly more mature route (slightly, you are reminded.) There is still very little swearing, very little blood (though there is some) and some weird, rather kiddish situations (the princess of Fahren loses the archery match to Fuu because she chose targets that resemble something that grosses her out...). But there are some rather mature situations, as well - Eagle from Autozon seeks to become the Pillar, and doesn't care about what Lantis (his friend from Cephiro) thinks of him because he's going to die soon of a lung disease, anyway (looks like typhoid). And there is love, fulfilled and unfulfilled. And regret. Really, the second grows up, but I'd still only recommend it if you don't mind putting up with a few cliche remarks and aforementioned odd situations. While the first ranks a 2 or 3 in my book, the second I'd up to an 8.

HELLSING
Premise: The Hellsing organzation in England is a special forces kind of swat team geared toward dealing with vampires and other undead...and they employ a vampire. Two, after the first episode, when police-girl Cecia Victoria, in order to not die once Alucard shoots her in the lung, decides to become a vampire. Integra Hellsing is the organization's leader, and she is a strong but obssessed character intent on keeping the Hellsing's honor and integriy intact. When they start encountering man-made vampires, who is behind it all? And why? And through is all, Cecia must get used to the baggage that comes with being a vampire.
Opinion: Wow. What can I say? I liked it a LOT. The plot was interesting, the characters rememberable, and the ending a satisfying and yet open-ended conclusion. Only 13 episodes, in length, but a great 13 episodes. There are none that can be skipped if you wish to follow Cecia's acceptance of being a vampire, and even if you don't, there are only a few then that you can skip. They waste no time. ^__^ The music is a little generic, but one really sticks out - a battle song with a really nice beat - though the opening and ending songs are forgettable (I don't remember, them, in other words). However, this series more than makes up for it in overall plot and characterization. While definitely a mature title (I'd rate it R, myself, sometimes), I definitely recommend it. A 9.5 out of 10.

THOSE WHO HUNT ELVES
The premise: Three Japanese people are accidently summoned to another world when high priestess of the elves Celcia casts a spell that, unfortunately, has a side-effect of summoning things from their world. And when she attempts to send them back, inscribing a spell onto her skin, Junpei, the guy, makes a comment about 'shouldn't she be naked?' that makes her lose her concentration, and the spell is split into five pieces. Now, they must look for the spell fragments on the skin of five female elves, so to find them...they must strip them. The three people, by the way, are martial artist and simple-minded brute Junpei (who's in love/idolizes Airi), Airi, a famous actress, and Ritsuko, a gun-happy teenager who somehow acquired lots of heavy artillery and...a tank.
Opinion: Funny!! This is a series you remember and laugh about. They may not shy away from swearing, but it's done in such a way that you can't help laughing alnog. You don't see anything, so you don't have to worry (or get your hopes up, if you were) about seeing anything you'd rather not see. Really, the only mature thing about it is the subject and the language. Other than that, I'd recommend it!! ^__^ Here's to you, cuzzy! :P And Karl, who supplies me with such wonderful serieses for me to while away the time with. ^__^ In my book, either a 8.5 or a 9. (I'm still watching Those Who Hunt Elves II, so give me a little time about that) One thing to point out, however, is that both the first and second are 12 episodes each, 6 on a disc, so they're incredibly short and a little on the sparse side in explaining just what they're all doing in the beginning of the first series. ^__^
Comments (0)