Open the Shijintenshou......

Fushigi Yuugi -- This is my top 1 favorite anime ever! I fell in love with Fushigi Yuugi's story and characters since the first time I saw it. It has drama, romance, action, comedy, adventure and mystery rolled into one 52-episode animation series!

I already mentioned that Fushigi Yuugi is a 52-episode anime. The series was taken from the 18-volume manga by Watase Yuu. The story that was in the series are taken from volumes 1-13 of the manga: the real FY story arc. Volumes 14-18, the Tenkou arc, is the storyline for the second FY OVA. The story arcs of the three Fushigi Yuugi OVAs:

FY OVA I - happens within the arc of the series
FY OVA II - happens after the series
FY OVA III - happens 10 years after the second OVA

What is Fushigi Yuugi all about?
Fushigi Yuugi is the story of a girl, Miaka, who one day visits the library with her best friend, Yui. Miaka then wanders off to the restricted section as she tries to find a red bird that caught her attention. Yui finds Miaka in the restricted section when a book suddenly falls open in front of them from one of the shelves. The title of the book was "Shijintenshou"...

As soon as they start reading the Shijintenshou (Yui was reading because Miaka can't read Chinese characters), the both get sucked in the book by a red light and find themselves in ancient China. They meet a group of slave drivers who were about to take them away but they get saved by a mysterious man with a mark on his forehead. Then Yui and Miaka go back to the real world just as they were thanking the man. Soon enough, Miaka enters the book again, finds out that she is in a country called Hongnan (Konan) and is promising the young emperor of the country to become the Priestess of Suzaku...and that's how Fushigi Yuugi starts. If I continue more than that, I'll end up telling the whole story.

Fushigi Yuugi was influenced by ancient Chinese myths. Shijintenshou translates to "The Universe of the Four Gods". These four gods are the ruler of the North, South, East and West and their powers are based on the four basic elements: ice, fire, wood and water respectively. These gods have 7 constellations each under them (28 known constellations of the ancient times have been divided into 4). Oh and these gods are represented in animal form too.

For a breakdown of the gods and their constellations:
Genbu (direction: north, element: ice, animal: white tiger) - Uruki, Tomite, Hatsui, Namame, Hikitsu, Inami and Urumiya
Suzaku (direction: south, element: fire, animal: phoenix) - Tamahome, Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Mitsukake and Chiriko
Byakko (direction: east, element: wood, animal: reptile) - Tokaki, Subaru, Tatara, Kokie, Amefuri, Karasuki and Toroki
Seiryu (direction: west, element: water, animal: dragon) - Nakago, Amiboshi, Suboshi, Soi, Ashitare, Tomo and Miboshi
I'm hoping that that tempts you enough to watch Fushigi Yuugi. Honestly, it's something that girls would like more although I've had guy friends who liked the story as well. It's a feel-good anime. You'll cry with them, laugh with them and the characters (and story) really grow on you.

O castitatis lilium...

Elfen Lied -- This has definitely got to be one of the goriest, saddest and most twisted anime I've ever seen.

What is Elfen Lied?
Elfen Lied is an anime/manga created by Okamoto Rin. The story revolves around a Diclonius named Lucy who was stranded in an island inn where she washed up after being hit on the head by a sniper's bullet. The hit caused her to have split personality disorder, her other "self" was called Nyu by Kouta and Yuka - the people who found her. Nyu's appearance causes Kouta to remember events from his past that seemed to be buried so deep that he forgot about them while the lab where Lucy escaped from ordered a man-hunt for her.

What is a "Diclonius"?
A Diclonius is a mutated human. You can tell them apart from other humans because they have horns on their heads that resemble cat ears. A diclonius possesses telekinetic powers that they can use through their "vectors".

What are "Vectors"?
Vectors represent a diclonius' power. They are like invisible hands surrounding the diclonius. They seem invisible because they move at speeds that the eyes cannot keep track of.

How does this post's title relate to Elfen Lied?
The title is taken from Elfen Lied's opening song, "Lilium". It's a Latin song, btw.

Elfen Lied is not recommended for those who are under 18 and those who have weak hearts and stomach. That's because a lot of killings happen and they are represented quite graphically. Nude and torture scenes are present too. I did like Elfen Lied though. Putting the violence aside, it's a sad story, especially Nana (another diclonius) who wanted to be accepted by the man she calls her father. It's tragic too...

Which is why if you're over 18, has a strong heart and tummy, watch Elfen Lied.

Azumanga Daioh

Azumanga Daioh -- Meet Yomi, Sakaki, Kagura, Tomo, Osaka and Chiyo. Six high school girls whose daily antics will never fail to give you a good laugh. They're crazy, gullible, absent-minded...and uhm...plain stupid.

Azumanga Daioh is based on a 4-volume manga (Japanese comics) by Azuma Kiyohiko. The series has 26 episodes but each episode is divided into 5 mini episodes. Azumanga Daioh doesn't really follow any story. In a general sense, it just shows the lives of six girls during their high school years. It starts when they're in their first year of high school and ends with their graduation - well..when they were accepted in different collages.

I'll tell you a bit about the major characters:
Yomi - she can't stop eating but she's always on a diet. Yomi's always aggravated by her friend since junior high, Tomo.
Tomo - she wants to be the best in everything but her stupidity always messes things up. She's loud, annoying and thick-skinned too.
Kagura - what she lacks in brains, she makes up through sports. She's second to Sakaki in terms of athleticism.
Sakaki - she's reserved, admired not only by boys but by girls too. Sakaki's the best in sports in their whole school and she's secretly obsessed with anything cute.
Osaka - her head is always up in the clouds. Osaka has a different view of the world, she spouts randomness at any given time, she sucks at studying and sports...but that makes her, IMO, the funniest character.
Chiyo - she's a 10-year-old genius who skipped grades and is now a high school student. Chiyo is still a child despite the level of her brain, she's always cute in whatever she does, and she owns a big dog that she rides on the back - Tadakichi-san.

Other characters:
Kaoru - she has the biggest crush on Sakaki but unfortunately, Kimura fancies her.
Yukari - she's the girls' homeroom teacher. She's an adult version on Tomo and she gave Chiyo a trauma.
Nyamo - she's the school's PE teacher and Yukari's friend (and rival). Students like Nyamo better than Yukari in terms of personality.
Kimura - he's the only male cast and the school's literature teacher. He loves high school girls and is open about him being perverted.

You should watch Azumanga Daioh because I promise you won't regret it at all. It might even become one of your favorite anime series! It's funny and it's a good way to relax and have a good time, by yourself or with your friends. I also have to admit, the things Osaka blurts sometimes sound so witty, she might just be a genius too!

Who's afraid of the X-marked swordsman?

"The bluest sky is infinitely high and crystal clear..." - Gentatsu

Rurouni Kenshin -- If you're a fan of anime, that means you know what Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X) is. I think almost everyone, fans or not, has seen Kenshin fight using his Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu technique. People have seen him encounter opponents that grow stronger with every episode like Saito Hajime of the Shinsengumi, Shinomori Aoshi of the Oniwabanshu and Shishio Makoto of the Juppongatana.

Er... If you have no idea what Rurouni Kenshin is, I'll give you a bit of an overview.

Rurouni Kenshin, also called Samurai X, is a manga series by Watsuki Nobuhiro that was animated in 1996. The story revolves around Himura Kenshin, a wanderer who is known as the greatest swordsman in Japan during the Edo period. He was an assassin of the bakufu (Japanese government) who wanted to atone for all the lives that he took. The anime (and manga) tells us what happens to Kenshin as he meets new friends and old enemies alike while trying to accept that his past is part of him.

There are also two Rurouni Kenshin OVAs: the "Tsuiokuhen" (Recollection) is about Kenshin's childhood where he was found by his master, Hiko Seijuro, until he turns 18; the "Seisouhen" (Reflection) is about Kenshin and Kaoru's life years after the story of the series happens. A Rurouni Kenshin movie was also created called the "Ishin Shishi he no Requiem" (The Requiem of the Ishin Shishi) where Kenshin meets another samurai whose friend was slain by Kenshin when he was still an assassin. (I won't write about anything more than this because I might slip and give away spoilers.)

Rurouni Kenshin is a very good anime to watch if you're into Japanese history, well-drawn fight scenes, samurai, weapons, or just plain anime. I have to mention that the dialogues in Rurouni Kenshin are very deep and poetic and they reflect the period where the characters live in (an example being the quote I used to start this entry). Oh I also have to mention that most of the main characters in Rurouni Kenshin are based on real people who lived during the Edo period and not only the characters, but the historical events as well like the Shinsengumi, Saito, Okita, the Tokugawa era and the Meiji restoration among others.

Here's a list of my favorite Rurouni Kenshin characters:

1. Saito Hajime - used to be part of the Shinsengumi and Kenshin's enemy; his character is based on a real Saito Hajime who was also part of the Shinsengumi
2. Himura Kenshin - was known as "Hitokiri Battousai"; became a wanderer to try and atone for his sins
   
3. Shinomori Aoshi - head of the Oniwabanshu who wanted to defeat Kenshin to gain the title of "strongest swordsman"
4. Shishio Makoto - head of the Juppongatana; consumed with hatred for the government
5. Hiko Seijuro - Kenshin's master; runs a sake business since he retired from being a Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu swordsman
6. Soujiro Seta - one of Shishio's Juppongatana; learned how to keep smiling due to his past
7. Muto Shougo - a Christian who claimed to be the second Messiah; knows Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu
   

Do watch Rurouni Kenshin. I've never heard of anyone not liking it even a bit. If you're going to watch it for the sake of watching it because you're an anime fan, then by all means, watch Rurouni Kenshin from episodes 1 to 98. However, if you're watching it because you want a brilliant anime to add to your list, I suggest you stop watching after the Kenshin and Amakusa Shougo episodes because the rest are bad fillers that, I admit, caused Rurouni Kenshin to be pulled out and discontinued. Despite this, it really is a great, great, great watch!

Fist of the North Star

Fist of the North Star, or Hokuto no Ken in Japanese, is probably one of the most violent anime I've ever seen. It is violent, but undoubtedly (and surprisingly) amusing.

At the time in the future when the Earth is nothing more but a desolate land, the weak humans are reduced to slavery while the genetically-modified strong ones battle each other for supremacy. Since technology has almost been completely forgotten, these "fighters" use martial arts to gain dominance over the rest.

Don't get me wrong though. Fist of the North Star isn't only about brutal fighting to prove who the strongest man is. There of course is a story underneath all the martial art action. The one on the picture (on your left) is called Ken and he is the successor of the Hokuto school of martial arts. His friend Shin, however, is the successor of the Nanto school of martial arts.

Here are some true or false questions regarding the plot of the anime (get your pens and papers):
1) Are you thinking that this is the usual anime plot where friends fight each other because they're torn between their friendship and their loyalty to their affiliation?
2) Are you thinking that a girl is involved?
3) Are you thinking that it's the usual "friend-steals-girlfriend" reason that's why a war between the two rival schools is unfolding as you sit in front of your TV eating popcorn?

Answer: All are TRUE.
If you got 1 question correct, give yourself a cookie. If you got 2 questions, 2 cookies. 3 questions correct, 10 cookies.

Okay, Shin steals Ken's girlfriend, named Julia, and Ken is out looking for her. I won't tell you what else happens because it would ruin the movie and all so I'd advice you to get a copy. If you love all those gory fight scenes, I'd recommend this one.

Oh, it's not for the faint-hearted.