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Puni Puni Poemy
Anime.Comedy A.D. Vision
The two-part OVA "Puni Puni Poemy" retains the tone but not the plot of the 2000 series "Excel Saga". The only returning character is Nabeshin, the caricature of director Shinichi Watanabe. Poemi Watanabe has two missions: to become a voice actress and to save the Earth. When evil aliens who have tether balls dangling from their crotches kill her parents, she moves in with the nutty Aasu sisters, who command useless superpowers. As in "Excel Saga", there are some funny parodies: an old fish becomes the bejeweled sword Poemi uses when she transforms into her super-guise of Puni Puni Poemi, and adoring Futaba Aasu spoofs Tomoyo in "Cardcaptor Sakura". Unfortunately everything is pitched at a breakneck pace, with the actors hysterically screaming their lines over "fan service" nudie shots. The results are more exhausting than amusing. (Rated 17 and older: nudity, violence, gross humor, profanity) "--Charles Solomon"

R.O.D. - Read or Die
Anime.Action Wea Corp
The Library of Congress never planned for this!

A sinister plot is afoot and only one schoolteacher, a special agent with an affinity for literature, can stop it. She is Ms. Yomiko Readman - Better known to her colleagues in Section A of Library Special Operations as "Agent Paper". Someone is bent upon procuring a rare lost Beethoven manuscript and has enlisted a few of history's most extraordinary personalities, through stolen DNA, to aid in the endeavor. Readman and her fellow super-powered operatives must tangle with the likes of Tokugawa-Era scientist Gennai Hiraga, aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, and 19th century entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre in a desperate race to find the books and save the world!

Action and adventure abound in this thrilling Anime series featuring top-rate animation directed by Kouji Masunari (Kokoro Toshokan). Contains the complete R.O.D. series - Three 30-minute episodes!

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 01 - The Paper Sisters
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment
I first saw the original OVA of R.O.D. at Anime Express in Daytona, this was about 6 mnths b4 it was put out on market. Meanwhile in those months I desperately tried to make the DVD my own......but I had to wait. Now we have a series, uckily it is linked to yomiko and crew, cuz if it wasn't it wouldnt have been as good, well IMHO. The characters are funny, with witty dialogue and hilarious situations, with the right touchs of emotion. The action is superb, and these sisters do more things with paper than I ever dreamed of Yomiko doing. The middle episodes are kinda boring, but it is giving us nice deep character development, so be happy with it.

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 02 - Undercover Student
Anime.Action Pioneer Video NR
As the broadcast version of Read or Die continues, it shifts to a darker mood than either the original OVA or the previous episodes. Michele, Maggie, and Anita, who were serving as bodyguards to novelist Nenene Sumiregawa, suddenly undertake perilous missions for the mysterious Dokusensha organization. They're pitted against a vampire-like professor, an actor who can impersonate everyone and anyone, and an English scientist conducting bizarre experiments on human subjects. These villains and Junior, a boy at Anita's school who looks and sounds like a girl, are all somehow linked to a rare volume stolen from a British library. Collectors would pay $1 billion for "The Book of Pulsing Flesh." The filmmakers may eventually succeed in tying these disparate elements and moods into coherent story, but it's going to be a formidable challenge. (Rated 13 and older: violence, ethnic stereotypes, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 03 - The Past
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment
Working for Dokusensha always led to interesting missions, in fact, it was through Dokusensha that the Paper Sisters met. However, Dokusensha also introduced the sisters to their darkest enemies and in the heart of Dokusensha itself the sisters will reveal what it means to be a family.

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 04 - Turning Point
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment NR
The paper Sisters attack Dokusensha's headquarters in Hong Kong to rescue Nenene, although they must first defeat legions of machinegun-wielding security guards, laser-firing robots and an even more dangerous foe- another paper master! Taking advantage of the chaos, Mr. Carpenter kicks-off his own plans and the world will tremble from the conflict!

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 05 - The Darkest Hour
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment
Running for their lives, our heroes seclude themselves in Yomiko’s parents' cabin deep in the woods to plan their next steps. Yomiko then enlightens everyone about what happened during the British Library incident and Anita is reacquainted with her past. Meanwhile, Joker, who has been aware of their every move, sends another agent with his own unique abilities to retrieve the remaining book in his plan.

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 06 - End of a Dream
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment
Twisted Fate!

A devastated Anita returns to her school seeking consolation and help from old friends, but Mr. Carpenter's impact upon the world has left scars that will haunt Anita forever. With no place to turn, Anita makes a pact with The Paper to stop Mr. Carpenter and save what's left of her life - a life that he seems to know better than she does!

R.O.D. The TV Series - Vol 07 - The New World
Anime.Action Geneon Entertainment NR
Despite the success of the global brainwashing, Mr. Carpenter's plan to restore Great Britain to its position as the dominant world power remains incomplete. To execute the final stages, he takes his prisoners back to the British Library with only the remaining Paper Masters to oppose him! With the constant surprises they've suffered up to this point, what will they find when they finally make it to England?!.

Ranma 1/2 - Movie 1 - Big Trouble in Nekonron China
Anime.Action Pioneer Video NR
It's just another day at the Tendo Anything-Goes Martial Arts Training Hall - that is, until a strange girl named Lychee and her giant elephant Jasmine arrive to settle a score with lecherous martial arts master Happosai. Apparently, a very long time ago, Happosai gave Lychee's great-grandmother half of a legendary scroll guaranteed to bring happiness to whoever was holding it. The women of Lychee's family have been waiting for three generations now, and the prince STILL hasn't come - but of course, the moment Lychee lets the scroll out of her hands, the prince finally appears. Only now it's Ranma's reluctant fiancée Akane that's holding the scroll, and the long-awaited prince is only too ready to sweep his lucky bride off her feet. Now Ranma & Co. have no choice but to follow Prince Kirin's majestic flying barge all the way to Nekonron, China, where they find themselves in a showdown with the Seven Lucky Gods of martial arts!

Ranma 1/2 - Movie 2 - Nihao My Concubine
Anime.Action Pioneer Video NR
The second theatrical feature in this popular series, based on Rumiko Takahashi's "manga", continues the comic adventures of a clutch of mismatched teenaged martial artists and their families. In the best anime tradition, the girls are buxom and long-legged, and sport minimal outfits that cover less of them than do their cascades of hair; the guys are slim, cute, and somewhat thick-witted.
The gang wrecks a yacht on the mysterious floating island of Togenkyo, ruled by Prince Toma, who's been seeking a bride by kidnapping girls wherever he drifts. Naturally, Toma is attracted to Akane, Ranma's fractious girlfriend. Ranma sets out to rescue her, but the dark-haired boy is transformed into a busty, red-haired girl whenever he's splashed with cold water. When the inevitable transformation occurs, Ranma finds him/herself as a bridal candidate, competing doggedly in such off-the-wall events as "survival flower-arranging" and "obstacle-course cooking."
Some Western viewers may take offense at the lighthearted treatment of kidnapping and the lecherous little old man who steals the tops from the girls' bathing suits. But Takahashi and Iuchi play everything for laughs, including a subplot involving the water from an enchanted spring that turns everything it touches irrevocably male--the obvious solution to Ranma's problem. The results are fast-paced and zany, but don't always make much sense. "--Charles Solomon"

Ranma 1/2 - OAV
Anime.Action Viz Video NR
Since its debut in the "manga" weekly "Shônen Sunday Comics" in 1988 and as an anime series a year later, Rumiko Takahashi's gender-bending comedy "Ranma 1/2" has been a popular favorite in both Japan and the United States. The first OAV episodes make it easy to understand why: the stories blend outrageous physical comedy, absurd situations, and likable, obtuse characters with just enough sentiment to keep the humor from becoming mean-spirited. Ryota Yamaguchi's screenplays push the nutty situations to the maximum, and director Junji Nishimura keeps the action moving. School blowhard Kuno hatches a phoenix that looks more like an outsized marshmallow Easter chick than the noble bird of legend: it imprints on Ranma, causing no end of trouble. An enchanted brooch produces 180-degree revolutions in the emotions of Shampoo, the Chinese girl. When she wears the pin right-side up, she chases Ranma harder than ever; when she wears it upside-down, she detests him with equal fervor. A demon escapes after 300 years of imprisonment and possesses members of the cast: Ranma and Ryoga use their martial arts skills to bombard the monster with charms that would recapture it--if they had spelled the magic formula correctly. The filmmakers balance these absurdities with gentle moments that anchor the character relationships. When Akane knits a scarf for Ranma in "Tendo Family Christmas," it looks like it's been attacked by a flock of voracious moths. He happily dons it and hands her a gift he bought with money borrowed from her venal sister Nabiki. Not realizing that Akane's spirit has been trapped in an enchanted doll, Ranma holds it and reflects on the things that make her attractive to him. The warm moments play against the exaggerated slapstick--when Akane punches Ranma, he literally goes flying--and vice versa. "Ranma" fans will want this three-disc set in their libraries; newcomers will find it an excellent introduction to one of the best-loved anime series of all time. Not rated; suitable for ages 12 and up: minor nudity and cartoon violence. "--Charles Solomon"

Ranma 1/2 - Season 1 - The Digital Dojo
Anime.Action Pioneer Video NR
When I first heard of Ranma 1/2, the premise alone made me steer clear. A boy, cursed in an ancient Chinese spring, turns into a girl whenever splashed with cold water. Hot water undoes the curse, but only until the next time. I wanted nothing to do with this gender bender series billed as a martial arts sex comedy. I couldn't have been more wrong.A good friend made me watch it, and I was hooked. In a series that pokes fun at gender stereotypes, with martial arts hijinx, a mismatched marriage engagement between the hapless Ranma Saotome, cursed to become a girl in cold water, and the boy-hating Akane Tendo, who would sooner die than admit her feelings for Ranma, this is a hilarious series. Season One introduces us to the amazing characters; Ranma, Akane and her sisters, Kasumi and Nabiki, and several rivals for both the hearts of Ranma and Akane. As we watch Ranma struggle to deal with not one, but two engagements, as the Chinese Amazon warrior Shampoo enters the scene. And marvel at the antics of the eternally lost boy, Ryoga Hibiki, Ranma's rival for Akane's heart, and bearer of a "dark secret". Let me put it this way, if you want a great laugh that you know will always be around to treasure, then you can't go wrong getting Ranma 1/2 on DVD. Your sense of direction would have to be worse than Ryoga Hibiki's to pass this up.

Ranma 1/2 - Season 2 - Anything Goes Martial Arts
Anime.Action Ventura Distribution
This set of 22 episodes constitutes the second broadcast season of Rumiko Takahashi's gender-tweaking slapstick comedy. The many combat scenes are executed in slightly fuller animation than in the OAVs, and there's a little more nudity in the bath scenes, including a shot of Ryoga's bare buns. But the freewheeling mixture of mayhem, metamorphoses, and martial arts continues--with just a touch of sentiment to leaven the insanity. When Ranma and Akane have a run-in with a pair of champion figure skaters, they reduce the rink to a wading pool, with a little help from the geographically challenged Ryoga. Shampoo the Chinese Amazon returns with her wizened Great-Grandmother Cologne, who teaches the cast a variety of ancient fighting techniques. Ranma and Ryoga battle kendo champion and gasbag Kuno, his twisted sister Kodachi, ninja Sasuke, and Happosi in their frantic search for a Japanese Nan'niichuan (Enchanted Drowned Man Spring)--only to discover it's a franchise that's gone out of business. Even the redoubtable Ranma has a weakness: he's afraid of cats. But he breaks through his fear and demonstrates his mastery of the recherché technique of "Cat-Fu." Ranma often acts like a jerk, but he assuages Akane's hurt feelings by eating the cookies she baked, even though he knows ptomaine will follow. At a time when many American animated series are imitating live action, Ranma 1/2 is a zany reminder of the special fun only animation can provide. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: Slapstick violence, nudity, mildly risqué humor. --Charles Solomon

Ranma 1/2 - Season 3 - Hard Battle
Anime.Action Ventura Distribution
The third broadcast season of Rumiko Takahashi's long-running transgender comedy was clearly one of the high points in the series: "Am I Pretty" may well rank as its funniest installment. When he insults her cooking yet again, Akane clobbers Ranma with an iron skillet--which somehow brings out the feminine side of his nature. The normally loutish Ranma suddenly becomes obsessed with frills, fine cooking, and extreme modesty (he blushes at the sight of his own jockey shorts). The results are hilariously incongruous. "Ryoga's Miracle," in which the geographically challenged Ryoga Hibiki finds a miraculous soap that seems to counteract the transforming spells of Jusenkyo, is only slightly less uproarious. The season begins with Ranma acquiring the last thing he needs or wants: another would-be fiancée, Ukyo, a champion okonomiyaki chef. The cross-dressing contretemps reach new heights of absurdity with the arrival of Ukyo's admirer, Tsubasa; soon no one knows who's who or what's what. Meanwhile, Chinese Amazon Shampoo serves pork buns laced with a love potion; Kuno banishes the long-suffering Sasuke, who takes refuge at the Tendo Dojo; and the entire cast competes to win a trip to China in the Miracle Martial Arts Obstacle Race. The set concludes with a no-holds-barred farce as Ranma attempts to change the past and keep himself from falling into the accursed spring at Jusenkyo. A must-have for Ranma fans. Unrated; suitable for ages 12 and up: Slapstick violence, nudity, mildly risqué humor. --Charles Solomon



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