Best Anime Openings for Christmas Insanity (Part one)

For a Christmas season, anime publishers are sure waging an all-out war for sales. No joke.

Every company, from Funimation to RightStuf, is decking out their line-ups with loads of licensed shows, re-releases and special value deals.

With all that said, which ones are the best? I've decided to cover all the bases in a simpler, more creative way: through anime opening videos.

Why videos? Well, these particular openings easily sum up what the series is. It doesn't force people to go through the stress of watching the entire series just so they know every pro and con of the series. The openings just show the best that the series has to offer. Nothing more.

So here are links to my top 26 anime openings. I'll start with the first six:

26. Rurouni Kenshin

I had to choose 26 openings instead of 25, because I couldn't forget Rurouni Kenshin. My brother and I had a blast watching almost every episode of this show. It was probably the best anime for people who really needed something to feel good about.

And Kenshin was the type of person to make you feel good. He's funny. He's an unstoppable samurai. He's a family man too. He's always there for his girlfriend. Isn't that cute? That's why I had to include Kenshin. There's always a good Kenshin DVD in the bargain bins.

25. Welcome to the NHK
The complete series is available for only $20 now. It's a crazy satire about a social recluse who drops out of college. He hallucinates about talking kitchen appliances. It's really funny.

Now you really have no excuse to miss out on buying this series. Besides, who could ever forget the uber cute "Purupuru-pururin" song?

24. Trigun
Although I still have a grudge against the overly fantastic gun battles near the end of the series, "Trigun" is an incredibly well-animated show. The characters are spunky. The story is intensely dramatic. And it's now available in a $30+ box set.

Believe me, you can never go wrong with a tall guy toting huge semi-automatics on his red trenchcoat.

(Note: It's not available on amazon.com, because of packaging issues. Sorry! Look on other websites, such as rightstuf.com)

23. Soul Eater Opening #2
This is easily the most eclectic show from anime studio Bones. Soul Eater combines Tim Burton visuals with Rurouni Kenshin-style battles for an epic coming-of-age story. Maka is also one of the smartest and toughest female leads to ever grace an anime series.

It's a pricy series of box sets, but it will satisfy anyone who loves long shonen shows. The battles are some of the best you'll ever see in an anime series.

22. Code Geass, Second opening for R2
Sure, the story is a completely profound tale of a teenage boy who is held bent on world domination. That's why you have to get the series. Code Geass is the funniest, and the most exciting, giant robot show ever made.

The entire series still isn't cheap, but it definitely will impress anyone who watches it in its entirety.

21. Lucky Star
There really isn't any slice-of-life anime as cute and realistic as Lucky Star. For a show, it makes for a remarkable snapshot of high school life. This one also isn't cheap, but moe fans will always want to pick this series up. It has the most adorable characters imaginable.

Stay tuned for part two, coming next week.

Images courtesy of photobucket.com

DVD Review: Lucky Star Comes to an End

After the disappointing fifth volume in "Lucky Star," I really hoped for a good wrap-up for this series. After all, "Lucky Star" is one of the most educational series about Japan for Americans.

And thankfully, "Lucky Star" wraps up with far more exciting end-of-high school activities in episodes 21-23 and a stylish cheerleading routine in episode 24.

Considering that "Lucky Star" was more of a mix-up of jokes compared to Azumanga Daioh, volume six is much more neatly organized from episode 21 to 24. There's still the same mixed bag of anime jokes with some dramatic side stories, but each episode has a unique theme to it in volume six.

In episode 21, Kuroi-sensei announces that her senior class will be taking a field trip to Kyoto. The episode opens with a fascinating look at the Buddhist temples. In the middle of the trip, Kagami receives a letter from a boy to meet at a bus stop in the middle of the night. It's an emotional, but surprisingly realistic side story for the series. And thankfully, Konata makes sure to cheer up Kagami from her melancholy mood.

However, the series also features a touching spiritual reunion with Konata's mother. Or rather, the ghost of Konata's mother. Konata (with an "o") actually spends some special time talking with her father about her mother, who died a few years after Konata was born. And then the ghost of Konata's mother appears in the room. Even though Konata cannot see her, this is a very heartwarming episode where her mother checks up on how her daughter is doing.

Some of the best jokes of "Lucky Star" take place in episode 23. Konata, the most observant high schooler, actually catches on to the secrets of her little cousin's friends. It's a little too embarassing for the cute cousin, Yutaka, to read the explicit manga drawn by her friends, or to hear from Konata that Minami secretly hopes to grow bigger breasts. But thankfully, Yutaka doesn't seem to mind, and they actually become far better friends thanks to Konata.

The humorous "Lucky Channel" segment of the series also takes a dark turn when Minoru Shiraishi arrives on the set with his body scratched up and his clothes tattered. Turns out he was getting water from Mount Fuji for the selfish host Akira Kogami. From then on, Minoru Shiraishi yells that he's so tired of working with Akira, picks a violent fight with her and rips apart the "Lucky Channel" set in his rage.

Now that's edgy stuff that we will never see in the "Animaniacs" show. But it's probably the funniest turn for "Lucky Channel," in which the audience is left wondering whether Minoru and Akira will even have a job when the series is over.

However, probably the best episode is episode 24, also known as the infamous episode with the full cheerleading routine of the "Lucky Star" girls. Sure, it's really just an excuse for cosplay fangirls to perform the same dance routine at anime conventions. But it looks great, and it sounds oh so irresistably nonsensical. And surprisingly, the serious, studious Kagami is really hyped about the cheerleading dance.

It's a tearful but wonderful farewell to one of the best slice-of-life anime series I have ever seen. Certainly it's a little more based on down-to-earth everyday life than most anime, but this is exactly what makes "Lucky Star" so special. It's a simple anime about schoolgirls who love talking about anime and manga, without magical powers or flashy special effects.

It still doesn't beat out the cute everyday humor of "Azumanga Daioh," but volume six of "Lucky Star" is a definite must-buy, with some of the most heartfelt moments of the series.

Image courtesy of kurogane.animeblogger.net

DVD Review: Do you feel lucky...star? (part 5)

Up until now, I couldn't stop watching "Lucky Star." Sure, the jokes were childish conversations about video games and J-pop culture, but I loved it.

However, volume 5 is one of the more lackluster volumes in the Lucky Star series. The jokes aren't as funny, and the dialogue is almost too cumbersome at times.

There are some humorous moments, though. Episode 17 of this series takes us in the final year activities. All the students have to give their preferred majors after high school, but Konata still wants to become a brigade leader. It's a reference to "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya." Good grief.

I was glad that this episode also featured a dramatic part, in which the smart Kagami gets a little steamed at her older sister for bossing her around. Thankfully, her sister gave her credit for all the work she did, purchasing groceries at the end of the day. Certainly it's not the most dramatic thing I've seen in a series, but it really changes up the typical Lucky Star formula.

While parts of episode 18 are somewhat hit-and-miss, Lucky Star has a ball in episode 19 with making all the Gundam references they can possibly make, blurring and censoring all the names and images of the series. In fact, even Konata and her dad's eyes are covered with a black box, presumably because they look like Gundam robot eyes?

Every once in a while, Lucky Star has some zany, ridiculous computer-generated sequence. In episode 19, Yutaka's manga-writing friend, Hiyori Tamura, goes through an intense slow-motion tripping sequence in the school hallway, twisting onto her back just so she can save her drawing hand. Now THAT'S how an anime company uses computer animation!

However, the most memorable part of this DVD is in episode 19, when Tamura and her friends walk by someone cosplaying as Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist. Tamura can't help but take as many camera photos as she can, and send her photos over the phone. After all, this is THE Edward Elric we're talking about.

However, those are the best parts. Many of the other jokes are not that funny at all, involving cute everyday jokes that just didn't crack up my funny bone. The jokes in episode 20 about mosquito bites were so, so repetitive and boring. Thankfully, Tamura cranked out all the jokes she possibly could in episode 19. She's easily the most exciting character, who loves manga and takes every single effort to fantasize people as her favorite anime characters.

If only all the other characters tried to do this. I wasn't impressed with episode 20 at all. Hopefully something more interesting happens in the final volume, but I'm not betting all my money on it.

Image courtesy of robololi.wordpress.com

DVD Review - Feeling a little Lucky...Star (part four)

Lucky Star is culminating into a comedy masterpiece, with the over-the-top store employees and Minoru Shiraishi's goofy ending songs.

I'm sure everyone already knows I've said that this series is okay and not the greatest I've ever seen. Yet, the art sequences and characters have some pretty funny sequences after a small lull in excitement on the third DVD.

For example, episode 13 is a humorous Valentine's Day episode. Konata and Tsukasa pull off some really clever dating game jokes, in which Konata fantasizes an entire scene in which Kagami runs off to give giri (obligation) chocolate to a guy she likes. She says, "Excuse me for the chocolate having a distorted shape," and the guy says in a romantic, handsome voice, "Silly girl, what's more important than shape is the fact that you gave it to me." Of course, this is all before we realize that it's all a scene in Konata's imagination.

Episode 14 introduce's Konata's little cousin, Yutaka Kotabayakawa. Yutaka is the tiny, shy new high schooler who just moved into Konata's home. She's very cute and she often gets more than a little creeped out by Konata's father, who leaves the bathroom door open when he's on the john. Yutaka also gets more than a little embarassed of her police officer cousin, Yui, who tells Yutaka that now that she's graduated, she should go out for a drinking party.

Just so you know, Japanese people really aren't like Konata's family. Still, this show is really, really funny.

This show also has plenty of fun April Fool's jokes. In episode 15, Konata tells Kagami that she's already finished with her homework, before saying, "April Fool's!" Really, Konata should just do her homework...

In episode 16, Konata's friends visit her working her part-time cosplay job at a maid cafe. Konata practically becomes their "servant" for a day and does a stunningly accurate impersonation of the grumpy Haruhi Suzumiya. It's especially fun to watch Konata's snobby impersonation and Kagami's strict attitude butt heads against each other. However, there's nothing more enjoyable than Konata's impersonation of the famous Haruhi Suzumiya ending credits dance. Talk about epic.

Meanwhile, Akira is getting very, very moody and mean in these recent episodes. It's still funny, although it has a dark satirical edge criticizing the honor system of film production in Japan. Akira especially goes postal when she's only given one short line in her script for the Lucky Channel segment. Thankfully, the producer gives Akira a special karaoke part in the next episode to cheer her up. Unfortunately, she only sings at a deserted karaoke room with no one except Minoru Shiraishi and a waiter serving drinks.

Boy, it's hard out there for a Japanese actress. Thankfully, the cast still has tons of fun shooting the live action ending clips for the show. Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi includes some of the fun video clips in which they run around Hokkaido with Super Soakers. They also film swordfights and wedding scenes...hm...

Lucky Star makes for a great anime-style sitcom show. Certainly, it's a little more grounded in the real world than Haruhi is, but it has plenty of great jokes involving Yu-Gi-Oh and countless other dating sims. It gets better and better as the series moves on, and volume four had the greatest variety of parodies, everyday jokes and cosplay dancing.

Image courtesy of moggling.com

DVD Review - Catch Me Lucky Stars (part 3)

Disc three of Lucky Star doesn't have as many clever anime references, but it features some more in-depth looks into Kagami's home, as well as a special Comiket episode.

Certainly "Lucky Star" isn't the most exciting anime. Most of the episodes focus on the everyday lives of four high school kids who love Japanese anime and video games, with Konata as the leader of the girls.

But it is very funny. Just to get a sense of the humor in this disc, episode 9 focuses on the kids studying for a test. Konata typically goes back to her MMORPG in the middle of studying. She meets her teacher online on the same game, telling her to stop playing and study. Good grief, doesn't her teacher have anything better to do?

This disc is more notable for the part in episode 10 where Tsukasa and Kagami visit Konata's house. Konata's father is a writer who loves young girls, but for quite different reasons than what one might thing (yeah, he's not quite a pedophile). Even though Konata's mother died, Konata shows her friends a picture of her mother, who looks almost like young Konata! How could this be...?

So that's why Konata's father gets so inspired to write whenever he hangs around little girls. How weird...

Meanwhile, in the episode 11, Kagami gives her father some Christmas presents. Then Kagami's cousin, Yui comes in after spending a night on the town, drinking. Why is she drunk driving, even though she's a cop? And Yui's husband called her on her cell, so Yui's ready to drive back to her home. Oh dear...

The best episodes in this DVD, episode 12, is definitely worth watching. Konata, Kagami and Tsukasa had to Comiket. For anyone who doesn't know what this is, all the big manga and doujinshi artist arrive at the Ariake convention center to sell all their manga to fans. Manga fans flood inside the subway cars to head to Comiket. And of course, Konata gives Tsukasa and Kagami a floor plan and maps out the tables they have to visit on the map. She's sure an expert when it comes to anime and manga conventions. Of course, Tsukasa and Kagami get more than a little lost in their epic journey through the convention floor.

Konata's choices range from weird to bizarre. For example, Konata designates Kagami to a strange booth selling a hentai (pornographic) manga with men and chains. Kagami's freaked out at first, but she can't stop reading it! Boy, young girls and their manga these days...

The Lucky Channel segment at the end of the episodes isn't nearly as funny as it used to be, since we already know what to expect from the sultry Akira and her quirky co-host Minoru Shiraishi. However, Akira does manage to get into background in episode 12...as a cardboard cut-out.

I'm surprised at how much life Lucky Star still has, even though the anime really doesn't have much substance compared to other slice-of-life anime.

And The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi extras are excellent in volume 3. The big spotlight of his film trip in Kyushu included a film clip in which Minoru is chasing desperately after his bus while two actresses talked about the food they ate.

I honestly have no idea how the group's film clips are going to come together on the last episodes of Lucky Star, but so far, their film shoot has been really funny. We'll have to wait and see how it turns out.

Image courtesy of wikipedia.org

DVD Review - Lucky Me! It's Lucky Star (part two)

Although "Lucky Star" was a little hit-and-miss in its first four episodes, volume two really nailed my funny bone with some sneaky anime jokes.

Let's face it--"Lucky Star" is not exactly original--most of its jokes are only funny if people have seen the anime series which the characters reference. However, these make for some very elusive inside jokes.

For example, episode 5 introduces us to Yui Narumi, Konata's cousin. Yui is a police officer, seen patrolling the summer festival. However, she spends more time playing carnival games with Konata and the kids, and eventually gets dragged off by her superiors.

Yui has some clever jokes--in episode 6, she engages in an Initial D-style race with someone who passes her on the freeway. It's an intense-looking race, until we notice that Yui is only driving at 45 mph. Talk about heavily dramatized!

Oh and let's not forget the elusive Neon Genesis Evangelion joke, in which their teacher, Nanako, drinks a can of beer and re-enacts Misaki as she says "CAAAAAAH! This is delicious!"

Konata's struggle to do her homework makes for some awesome jokes on the same caliber as Calvin and Hobbes. Konata usually ends up taking a short break playing an MMORPG online, which usually turns into a really, really long break. Sometimes Konata finds an extremely rare item, and she decides to spend all night using it with her guild. Other times, Konata chats with her teacher online on the same MMORPG. Who knew that Konata's teacher plays the same MMORPG?

Episode 7 is a great parody in itself--Konata spends her time acting like Sachiko in "Maria Watches Over Us." She re-enacts the famous sensual opening scene where Sachiko unties her classmate's neck tie and reties it again. Konata also spends a disturbing amount of time trying to hit on her classmates.

Maybe Konata should stop watching anime--she's almost too hooked on cosplaying and acting as her favorite anime characters.

Tsukasa also gets a new cell phone--but like any person who isn't acquainted with modern technology, Tsukasa doesn't even know how to type in someone's name in. Her phone plays anime tunes in the middle of class. Eventually, the phone dies out when it enters the washing machine.

Lastly, Konata gets the last laugh in the episode 8 in the last relay race. Miyuki finishes the relay, and Konata remarks that Miyuki conveniently won by using her breasts to hit the ribbon as a fan service moment.

The Lucky Star gang also has a blast mutilating their own karaoke version of the Dragonball Z theme "Cha-la Head," at the end of episode 5.

Sure, only anime nerds will probably understand these jokes, but this anime has some of the best anime-oriented jokes ever. While this is not the must-have anime series for everyone, it is the best anime series for anime junkies, and "Lucky Star" deserves credit for some of the best jokes about anime.

As a fun extra, the music composer for Lucky Star, Minoru Shiraishi, continues his random journey through Kyuushu in "The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi." He dances and sings the Lucky Star theme and the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya theme in the most inconvenient places on rocky coasts and cliffs. According to director Yasuhiro Takemoto, these scenes will be used in the ending sequence for Lucky Star. Already, Shiraishi's making a fool out of himself, so the end product should look pretty goofy.

Image courtesy of audibble.wordpress.com