11. Cowboy Bebop Review

(From left to right)
Spike Spiegal, Jet Black, Faye Valentine, Ein, Edward

This is the Anime Analyzer popping in to talk about a series that I have taken a strong liking to as of late... Cowboy Bebop.

The setting of the series takes place in 2012 where the earth has become barely inhabitable by the human race. A hyperspace gateway (a means of high speed transportation across space) explodes near the moon causing it monumental damage. This explosion causes a large amount of debris to crash down upon the earth wiping out a large amount of the population. In reaction to this, most of what remained of the human population left the earth and began to colonize other planets within the solar system, asteroids, and including several planet's moons. The towns seen in the show are mixture of futuristic technology and signs of the old west. Ever since the earth was struck by the moon's debris, the government has been taken over by interplanetary crime syndicates and the ISSP (Inter-Solar System Police) limiting the amount of justice carried out for laws broken. In response to this corrupt law, the bounty system of the old west was reinstated. Criminals with bounties include fugitives, terrorists, and other various criminals. Bounty hunters, who are more commonly referred to as cowboys are the ones who turn in criminals for the cash rewards. The currency of the la- well space... is called woolongs (which is the equivalent to Japanese yen).
The story revolves around a group of cowboys (and girls) travelling space looking for bounties on a spaceship called Bebop. The crew consists of five bounty hunters.

Spike Spiegel

Spike is a former member of the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. He is a master at gun fighting and hand-to-hand combat. He specializes in a combat called Jeet Kune Do. This is a martial art founded by Bruce Lee, which involves inflicting damage on the enemy with minimal movement, and great speed. His memory is haunted by his time in the crime syndicate, and by a relationship with a woman he knew named Julia.

Personally he is a very laid back guy who takes life in stride. 

                                                  

Jet Black

Jet is a former member of the ISSP. He resigned when he came to the cold realization that the force had been almost completely corrupted by the crime syndicates that now ran the solar system. This didn't stop Jet from continuing to fight crime, he just changed his method by becoming a bounty hunter. Jet suffered an accident where he lost his arm. There is technology that could perfectly repair Jet's arm; but Jet prefers to keep the cybernetic replacement as a reminder of his past.

Ein

Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Ein is a super-intelligent canine with higher capabilities than the average dog. Apparently from experiments that were done on the dog, Ein is capable of such feats as sniffing out data and communication with animals who are another species. Spike and Jet recovered Ein for a bounty, only to find out that the bounty had been taken by someone who gave the client a different dog.

Faye Valentine

Faye Valentine is new to the business of bounty hunting. She was cryogenically frozen because of an injury she had sustained many years ago. Due to the lack of medical science in her time period that was lacking in the now-distant present, she was frozen. She possesses a gambling addiction that annoys Spike and Jet to no end. Despite her disputes with her two fellow bounty hunters, they always remain together... strangely.

Edward

Edward is a young girl who has a knack for all things cybernetic and electronic. She is a skilled computer hacker who is capable of bypassing high-security networks with barely any effort. This is a surprising feat considering her interesting exterior. Ed is hyperactive, always happy, and has little-to no common sense regarding common decency. She has developed a strong relationship with Ein, and assists the Bebop crew in jobs that require her technical expertise.


When you view television programming, there are types of shows that follow a strict story line without veering off from the main course, and shows that have a different situation in every episode. These situations will have nothing to do with each other. Cowboy Bebop is a mixture of these two types of shows. It expands the story, while at the same time doing things that don't have a lot to do with the plot.
Cowboy Bebop is one of the older anime in the industry, but it is definitely worth the watch. If you are into westerns or sci-fi, this show is an interesting combination of the two as I have previously stated. The episodes cover a variety of television genre such as comedy, romance, tragedy, history, and one episode is actually a public service announcement regarding pollution which takes on the genre of horror. The music is a nice mix of classical and jazz, giving the show a very soothing feeling. The episodes are always interesting, the voice acting is realistic, and the art style isn't half-bad. The only thing that would deter people from Bebop (like many other anime) is actually the art style.
I have met many people who refuse to give anime a chance just because of its appearance. There are times where the "lip-flaps" aren't synchronized with the speech of the characters, and times when there is no movement at all yet there is still talking or music going on. My advice... Watch Cowboy Bebop with an open-mind just like all other anime.

That's all for now, I hope this review has attracted you to try out Cowboy Bebop or maybe just anime in general. Until next time...

I am the Anime Analyzer

Signing off...

Cowboy Bebop Episode 01

10. Elfen Lied Review

Elfen Lied

Hello, I am the Anime Analyzer. In this installment of the Anime Analysis blog I will be reviewing an anime that has sent shivers up my spine in both anime and manga form.

This is my Elfen Lied Review

Lucy In Casual Clothing

Elfen Lied translates from the German term for "Elf's Song." This series revolves around a mutated, human species known as "Diclonii" or "Diclonius." A diclonius looks nearly identical to a human being with some key differences. For one, a diclonius has two horns on top of their head that resemble cat ears; and most diclonii's hair is pink in color (as seen above.) The most frightening difference between diclonii and humans is the vectors that are attached to the back of a diclonius. Vectors are invisible arms attached to the back of the diclonius that act as natural weapons. Depending on how old, what personality a diclonius has; the vectors may have a further range and deal more damage.  It is built in a diclonii's DNA to eradicate the entire human race so that diclonii can become the new dominant species of the planet. It is understood that diclonii are an advanced form of human. Now that you know what a diclonius is... It is time for me to explain the story of this frightening anime series. 

The story's main character is a young, Diclonius woman by the name of Lucy (real name is Kaede). Lucy was captured by a facility that was created for the sole purpose of "saving" the human race from the diclonius threat. Lucy was captured due to her attempt to save a friend. Considering that Lucy was about thirteen at the time of capture, I am assuming that she was imprisoned for five years with that knowledge.

 Lucy Imprisoned

During one of the routine checkups on Lucy, A guard had wandered too close to her. Due to Lucy's vector range of two meters, she killed the man without hesitation. Once Lucy had killed him, she stole the key from the guard's pocket and undid her restraints. This is where the viewer learns just how terrifying a diclonius' power truly is. Lucy casually walks through the facility; being ambushed by guards at several points. In each of the encounters the guards attempt to shoot Lucy down, to no avail. She blocks the bullets with her vectors as if it were nothing at all. Once Lucy wanders close enough to the guards, it is almost as if they are being cut apart by an invisible blade. At the final checkpoint, Lucy walks through the door to encounter a group of armed guards with one of the directors of the facility, Kurama. 

Director Kurama

Many years ago, just before Lucy was imprisoned, she had met Kurama. Kurama and his men had been given orders to capture Lucy by any means necessary. When Kurama's team had arrived in town, Lucy had been friends with a young girl who she played with daily. This girl was close to Lucy because of the fact she did not judge Lucy because of her unnatural hair colour and horns. When Kurama's team found where Lucy had been hiding, Lucy's friend had been caught in the crossfire. The young girl's life was in danger; Lucy was ready to kill every single man Kurama had brought to defend her. Kurama decided that the best course of action would be to make a deal with Lucy.
"If you come with us, I'll save the girl's life." Lucy agreed and went with Kurama to be detained. Unfortunately the young girl did not survive and Lucy had found out this had happened. Lucy's rage subsided slightly when Kurama himself had visited Lucy in her cell and personally apologised for not keeping his promise.

Lucy Is Ambushed

A young woman who is the assistant to Kurama trips over her own feet in front of Lucy while trying to deliver coffee to Kurama. Just as Kurama tries to beg Lucy not to kill her, Lucy tears off the young woman's head.
"Fire!" Kurama shouts.
Lucy lifts the young girl in front of her as a meat shield as the barrage of bullets assault the young woman's corpse. Once the bullets stop flying, Lucy begins to walk towards the group of men. One of the guards tries to attack, but is killed before he can do anything. Lucy continues to casually walk past all of the men; knowing fully well that they cannot harm her.

Sniper's Cross-hair on Lucy

Lucy is making her way out of the facility; a sniper has been issued orders to kill Lucy with an anti-tank rifle. When the sniper fires, Lucy's helmet is knocked off and it appears that she is still alive after the shot. Lucy falls into the water below....

Enough pictures; let me summarise the rest of the episode. Lucy meets up with two young adults by the names of Kouta and Yuka. Their meeting is a bit bizarre though. Lucy washes up on shore while Kouta and Yuka are reminiscing about the childhood they spent as this beach. When Kouta gazes upon the naked Lucy standing at the shoreline, he starts experiencing flashbacks. Lucy has apparently lost all her memories and has taken on a childish demeanor; also, all Lucy says is "Nyu" which is the Japanese translation for Meow.
As the series goes on, you find out more about how Lucy and Kouta's pasts intertwine. The agency Kurama works for is still trying to capture Lucy; the question is... Will Kouta be caught in the crossfire?
Elfen Lied is an extremely explicit anime. There is presence of profanity, nudity, vulgarity, murder, gore, and extremely depressing scenarios. I only recommend this anime to people who are incredible tolerant of emotionally impacting shows. I'll be honest, this anime had me crying by the end of it. Elfen Lied is not recommended for a young audience, faint of heart, or people who are sensitive to discrimination. The Ontario Film Rating System would rate this anime "R."

Thank you for reading this instalment of the Anime Analysis Blog. My hope is that this review has perked the interest of the right audience to view Elfen Lied. Until next time I am...

The Anime Analyzer

Signing off...

Elfen Lied Episode 1 (Watch At Your Discretion.)

9. Tales of Graces Review

(From Left to Right: Asbel, Sophie, Cheria, Hubert, Malik, Richard, Pascal.)

In this installment I will be talking about the story of a video game called Tales of Graces. In this review I won't be talking about the video game itself, but more-so the story in the video game that resembles an anime quite well. Tales of Graces has a better story than many anime I have witnessed. Tales of Graces was drawn in an anime style making it seem like an actual anime itself; this is because it is a style of video game called JRPG (Japanese Role Playing Game.) It is a common occurrence for this kind of game to take on anime-like features. The game-play makes the experience of viewing Tales of Graces much more appealing, but I think my readers will find the story just as good.

Tales of Graces take place on a planet known as Ephinea. On Ephinea, there is no electricity to power things, but rather a magical substance known as Eleth is the main life-source of the residents on Ephenea. Eleth powers electricity, makes food, items, medicine, and adds elemental properties to weaponry. So... Eleth is pretty important is what I'm saying.

The story begins seven years before the real plot begins. Tales of Graces has an incredibly long story-line and for me to describe to you the first two hours of it would still leave you confused; for your convenience, I will summarize Tales of Graces with key plot points

From Left to Right: Young Hubert, Young Asbel, Young Cheria.

• Asbel Lhant is a seventeen year old boy who is a knight in-training. He is next in line to be the lord of Lhant, a small country inside the Windor kingdom.
• During Asbel's childhood, he met two people that would change his life forever; a strange, young girl by the name of Sophie who has lost her memories; and Richard, the prince of the Windor kingdom, and heir to its throne.
• Asbel decides one day to show Richard and Sophie the hill he likes to go to. When the three arrive at the hill, they are ambushed by Richard's sword instructor, Bryce; Bryce wishes to kill the prince so that he can poison the king and have a better shot at taking the throne.
• Thanks to the combined efforts of Asbel, and Sophie: Bryce is slain and Richard is safe. This causes Richard to feel a strong debt towards Asbel, which stays through the coming years.
• Later on... Asbel goes to Barona, Windor's capital, to meet up with the young prince. Asbel asks Richard if he can go inside the Windor castle. Richard responds with the idea that although they can not go into the castle, there is a secret passage through the church that goes to the castle.
• Asbel takes Sophie, Hubert (his brother) and Cheria (Asbel's friend) to go to the castle as well. The secret passage to the castle is long and filled with monsters; but our group manages to defeat the monsters up until a certain point. The group (Asbel, Cheria, Hubert, Richard, and Sophie) encounters a deranged looking creature that appears much stronger than the creatures the group has faced thus far. It defeats everybody except Sophie. It is at this time that Sophie reveals that she is able to use laser attacks and puts everything she has into obliterating the terrible beast. Asbel blacks out before he can witness the outcome of the battle.

• 2 months pass by...

• Asbel awakens in his bedroom with his father at the bedside. Asbel is informed by his father that he was brought back to Lhant by Barona's guards. When Asbel inquires about Sophie, his father tells him that she died protecting him. Asbel had made a past promise that he would always protect Sophie because she had no memory of her past and no knowledge of where her family is. Asbel feels that he has failed, and that he is not worthy of being the lord of Lhant. Finally Asbel is informed that Hubert has been adopted by the Oswell family of the country Strahta. This means that Asbel will likely not see his brother again.
• Asbel's emotions take a toll from his friend dying and his brother being taken away from him. In his rage; Asbel decides to leave Lhant and become a knight of the Windor kingdom like he always dreamed. He leaves a letter to his friend Cheria and takes off to Barona for the next seven years.
  
  

• Seven years later...

• Asbel has nearly completed his knight training when he encounters his old friend Cheria roaming the streets of Barona. Cheria tells Asbel that he is urgently needed back at Lhant; the Fendel kingdom is trying to take over Lhant. Hearing this information, Asbel takes off to Lhant without delay.

Tales of Graces only gets more emotionally impacting from there as you play on through the story. Hubert becomes a very well read young man, and a certain person makes a reappearance. From personal experience I can tell you that Tales of Graces is an incredible series and if it were made as an actual anime, it would make an incredible amount of money. The voice acting is exceptional, the music is just as terrific, and it will be a memorable experience for anyone who knows the whole story (like myself.) If you are a fan of RPG video games you will absolutely adore Tales of Graces. As for any surveyors of anime who stay to television... I suggest you just watch a walk-through of the game.

I hope this review encouraged you to check out Tales of Graces and hopefully you will take a look into it. Until next time... I am

The Anime Analyzer

Signing off... 

8. Death Note Review

Left: L
Right: Light Yagami

In this installment of the Anime Analysis Blog; I will be reviewing an anime that has made quite a name for itself due to its suspenseful story-line and unforgettable characters. This is my Death Note review.

Light Yagami is an extremely intelligent high school student who has become bored of the world he lives in. Crime is at an all-time high; death and bad happenings almost completely surround the media. Light thinks that "this world is rotting."
In the world of the Shinigami (Death Gods,) life has become dreary as well. This is extremely apparent to a certain Shinigami by the name of Ryuk. Ryuk decides that the human world is boring, so he drops one of his "Death Notes" into the human world. Once he has done so, he goes into the human world to "retrieve it." When in reality Ryuk wants to see who will pick up his death note, and how that person will use it.

A death note is an extremely special kind of notebook. The notebook has a special power, and rules on how to use that power. There are many rules, but I will display the important rules for your convenience.

1: The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
2: This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
3: If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person’s name, it will happen.
4: If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.
5: After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
6: The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of the original owner, i.e. a God of death/Shinigami.
7: The human who uses the notebook can neither go to Heaven nor Hell.
8: The notebook shall become the property of the human world, once it touches the ground of (arrives in) the human world.

Light is on his way home to work on his school work when he notices a notebook fall from the sky and land on the grass. Curiosity gets the better of him; Light walks over and picks up the book. It is a black notebook with a single distinguishing feature. The book reads "Death Note" at the top..

Light reads through the rules of the notebook and assumes it's some prank played by an immature student (who wouldn't?) Despite his better judgement, Light brings the book home to test it out. 

When Light comes home, he immediately goes to his room and tries using the Death Note. He takes the rule of thinking of the person's face when writing the name into consideration before he writes. Light turns on his T.V; there is an urgent news broadcast of a man holding an orphanage hostage for ransom. The criminal's face and name is shown on the television screen; Light writes down the man's name (Kurou Otoharada) on the first page of the Death Note. Forty seconds pass by and nothing happens. Light is not surprised by this fact and goes back to his work.
Suddenly the victims of the hostage situation run out of the building; none of them are harmed. The police force charges the building and finds Kurou dead on the floor. The report says that he died by a heart attack.
.

Light is astonished by this information and immediately considers the possibility of this being a coincidence.
Light: "I have to make sure this thing actually works, to make sure that wasn't a coincidence."


Light goes out to a local convenience store to buy some comic books. Outside there is a young woman being harassed by a group of bikers. Light overhears one of the men introducing himself, his name is Kasaragi Tetsuo. Light remembers the fifth rule of the Death Note. 5: After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Light writes Tetsuo's name down in the Death Note then writes that he will die by being hit by a truck. The men try to molest the girl, but she runs across the street after 40 seconds. Tetsuo tries to chase her on his bike; he hops on his bike and goes onto the street. A truck comes out of nowhere and kills him instantly.


Light has no doubts anymore, he knows the power of the notebook is for real. Light races home.
Later on, while Light is at his desk, he encounters the Shinigami (Death God) Ryuk. Ryuk informs Light of the darker meanings behind having a Death Note.
Ryuk: "Having the Death Note means that you can go to neither heaven nor hell. When anyone touches the notebook, they see the Shinigami who originally owned that notebook; which is me." Light says that he already prepared for Ryuk's terrifying arrival, and says that " I'm glad you're here Ryuk, I want to show you something."
Light reveals to Ryuk the first three pages of the Death Note; each page is packed with the names of the worst criminals in the world. Light's plan is to rid the world of all the evil people who are corrupting it. Humans will begin to notice all of these criminals dying and think of it as too convenient. They will know there is someone out there judging the wicked, and all people will learn to start living their lives as good people.
Light's goal is to be the God of this new world of kind and hard-working people. The populace has designated this bringer of judgement as "Kira" (which means killer in Japanese.) When the world has accepted the way of Kira, Light will reveal himself and take over the world as its God.
The Death Note series gets much more interesting as you continue to watch it. A highly respected, and talented detective by the name of "L" has been contracted to find out the identity of Kira. L and Light have many mental confrontations over the series that overjoy the viewer. Death Note is a true intellectual anime.

The music in the series adds to the drama perfectly, it helps to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. The voice acting is very well done as well, like most of the anime I have reviewed. Death Note is suggested for an older youth audience and over. If you are a fan of suspense, story, and crime mystery; Death Note is definitely the anime for you. My hope is that this review will urge you to try out the Death Note anime.
Until Next Time; I Am...
.
- The Anime Analyzer

Signing Out...

http://justdubs.tv/death-note-episode-1-english-dub/


^ First episode of Death Note; Youtube has taken the full episode down so I must link you to it in this manner.

7. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Review

In this installment of the Anime Analysis Blog, I will be talking about one of the most interesting anime I have encountered; The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.

Kyon is your average high school student. He has average grades, average friends, and an average life overall. This all changes when Kyon meets Haruhi Suzumiya. Haruhi is an odd girl whose personality changes from melancholy to extreme-optimism in a fraction of a moment. Haruhi is quite a popular girl in Kyon's school; she is in many athletic teams, she is considered attractive by many of the school's men, but she is quite an "oddball" as Kyon puts it. Haruhi's goal is to create a club in school known as the SOS brigade. The main purpose of the SOS brigade is as Haruhi puts it, "to find supernatural stuff like aliens, ESPers, and any other supernatural phenomenon."

Kyon was dragged into the brigade by Haruhi against his will, but contradictory still goes to the club meetings every day after school. As the series goes on, three unique characters are introduced to the main cast.

Mikuru Asahina: A very shy girl who is literally roped into joining the SOS brigade, and is usually the victim of Haruhi's crazy ideas. In reality she is a time traveler who has come from the future to keep an eye on Haruhi Suzumiya.

Yuki Nagato: Yuki is an extremely quiet girl who apparently only joined the SOS brigade because Haruhi took over the literature club's room, which only had a single member, Yuki. Nagato is actually an alien sent from a being known as the "Data Overmind" to do the same thing as Asahina; to keep an eye on Haruhi Suzumiya.

Itsuki Koizumi: Itsuki is a cheery young man who also attends Kyon's high school. He is the only member of the SOS brigade to actually join willingly. In reality (wait for it...) he is what is known as an ESPer. An ESPer is a human being that possesses psychic powers. Most ESPers belong to an agency known as "The Agency"; whose main purpose is to keep the world safe from Haruhi Suzumiya.

It is at this point that you are probably wondering what the big deal with Haruhi Suzumiya is. Haruhi has powers that she does not know herself. She has the power to bend reality itself depending on what her current emotions and thoughts are. In the beginning of the series when Haruhi explained to Kyon that she wanted to find supernatural phenomenon, there is some speculation from the fan community that Itsuki, Yuki, and Mikuru were all created by Haruhi subconsciously.

Throughout the series the five main characters have many different adventures. They participate in the school's spring fair as a club, go around town looking for suspicious activity, bug collecting, and many other amusing things. All the while making sure that Haruhi doesn't (essentially) destroy the entire world because of a mood spasm. All of Haruhi's fellow SOS members have the responsibility of keeping the world safe.

This series was originally in the form of written literature; novels if you will. The series has two seasons, a movie, and to this day is still an extremely popular anime despite it being on a supposed permanent hiatus.

The viewer of this anime will be amused by the wacky things that happen during the series, and Kyon's irritation, and melancholy because of Haruhi. The series has serious moments where it explains the plot and how dire the situation with Haruhi actually is.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a great anime for people who don't need action every episode and enjoy a good comedy, but like the comedy to have a good plot. The cast of this series are well known, well-talented voice actors who bring the show to life whenever they speak. This anime was a pleasure for me to watch and I found it greatly amusing. I encourage you to give this anime a try.

Thank you for reading this review and I hope that it has encouraged you to try watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Until next time, I am...

-The Anime Analyzer

Signing out...

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Episode One

6. Naruto (Shippuden) Review

In this installment of the Anime Analysis Blog I will be talking about what is quite possibly the most popular anime airing on television; Naruto. The Naruto series is cut into two different shows, Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. In Naruto, Naruto is 12-13 years old, and in Shippuden he is 15-16 years old. This means that there is a two-year time skip between Naruto and Shippuden. If I reference any historical events, I will be referring to how many years ago chronologically it is from Shippuden's standpoint.

Naruto is based on the tale of a young ninja by the name of Naruto Uzumaki. Ever since Naruto's birth he has been outcast from his own village because of a dark secret he holds within himself. Sixteen years ago, a demon fox with nine tails attacked Naruto's home, the Hidden Leaf Village. The fox reined destruction and death upon the village when it attacked. The fourth Hokage, who is the leader of the village, sacrificed his own life so that he could defend the village from the Fox's wrath. The Hokage sealed the fox into the body of a newborn baby, Naruto Uzumaki. The entire village either knew or heard rumors of Naruto's curse and isolated him for that very fact. Naruto's life was miserable for the fact he had the demon fox sealed within him, and the fact that his parents died in the "Fox attack" all those years ago.
                                                                                                                                                                   
In the Naruto world, there are different levels of ninja. These levels represent how powerful and disciplined the ninja is. The line goes...
Academy Student: A student who must go to school to earn the rank of Genin (beginner ninja.)
Genin: A ninja who has just started out and is usually assigned to a squad and squad leader. The leader is always a Jounin.
Chuunin: This is the next level of ninja. Genin who have passed the Chuunin exams can become Chuunin.
Jounin: Are expert-level ninja, who have earned their status by going on numerous missions and completing tough tasks. Jounin are well respected and are assigned to a group of three Genin to train usually.
Anbu: Anbu and Jounin can be considered the same level of skill. The "Anbu Black Ops" are a special operations unit that takes care of the tough missions and are a matter of national importance.
Kage: The strongest and most respected ninja in the entire country. This ninja has gained Kage status by becoming the wisest,strongest, and most respected. There are five Kage, since there are five countries in the ninja world. There is the Hokage (Leaf Village,) Kazekage( Sand Village,) Mizukage(Water Village,) Tsuchikage(Rock Village,) and the Raikage(Lightning Village.) All of these Kage worked extremely hard to get where they are is what I am explaining.
The pilot to the Naruto series is quite memorable to any person who has watched the series:
                                                                                                                                                                   
The beginning of the episode tells of the "Fox Attack" that I had previously mentioned, the fact Naruto had the demon fused into him, and him being outcast by his fellow villagers for holding such an evil demon. Thirteen years later Naruto Uzumaki is a student in the Konoha Ninja Academy. Naruto is defacing the Hidden Leaf Village's "Hokage great faces."
The great faces are almost a direct parody of the faces on Mount Rushmore. The difference being that the faces are of the four Hokage who have reign over the Leaf village.
                                                                                                                                                                   
Naruto is caught by his sensei (teacher,) Iruka Umino. Iruka makes Naruto clean up the mess he made on the great faces. Iruka sympathizes with Naruto's curse and doesn't blame him for the countless number of lives that were taken by the nine-tailed fox. Later on the next day, Naruto encounters one of his teachers at the ninja academy. The teacher, Mizuki, tells Naruto of a place where a sacred scroll is hidden that teaches forbidden Jutsu (ninja techniques.) He tells Naruto that if he gets the scroll, he will be given great power, enough power to obtain revenge on all the people who mocked, and feared him.
                                                                                                                                                                   
In Naruto, Jutsu are the various abilities ninja use throughout the series. Jutsu is divided into many different categories. I am not even kidding, there is quite a large variety so I will summarize as best I can. Finally, I will quickly explain that ninjas have "Chakra." Chakra is spiritual power within the human that grants ninjas the ability to use Jutsu. The more a ninja trains, the higher their chakra reserves grow.
                                                                                                                                                                   
Ninjutsu: These techniques go from elemental attacks to manipulation of what most consider impossible in the real world. Examples of those techniques are such as creating a mist, creating clones of yourself, and switching places with a nearby object.
Genjutsu: Genjutsu are illusionary techniques used to control, impair, and basically disable your enemy from doing anything. Genjutsu can be used to put someone in a dream where they are unaware of the world around them, fooling the person into thinking one of their body parts doesn't work, and create such mental trauma that would leave the enemy in a coma.
Taijutsu: Taijutsu is purely physical attack. In our world, people could consider Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Fisticuffs, wrestling, or any physical style of fighting is considered Taijutsu.
                                                                                                                                                                   

The village ninjas find out that the sacred scroll was stolen. Mizuki tells the Anbu Black Ops and Iruka that he saw Naruto take the scroll. Mizuki, Iruka, and the Anbu all head out to find Naruto. Iruka ends up finding Naruto reading through the scroll. Iruka scolds Naruto about stealing the scroll, however, Naruto is confused about why Iruka is mad at him. Naruto had no interest in getting revenge on the villagers, he had a different agenda. Naruto has a dream to become the Hokage of the leaf village, to do that he'll need to (quote) "learn lots of awesome jutsu." Mizuki shows up on the scene and reveals that his real intention was to sell the scroll to an evil ninja, Orochimaru. "Now that I've told you everything, it's time to die!" Mizuki yells as he throws a giant ninja star at Naruto. In a flash Iruka defends Naruto from the hit. The star digging into Iruka's back. Iruka goes down, and Naruto becomes furious. Naruto summons over forty clones of himself around Mizuki. "How dare you touch my sensei, I'm going to kick your ass!" Naruto declared as all of his clones tackled Mizuki and began to beat him almost to death. Iruka awakens and congratulates Naruto on defeating the corrupt Mizuki. Naruto is given Iruka's headband which is a symbol of a ninja graduating from the academy. Naruto has finally become a Genin.
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Naruto has a slow pace in its story and isn't too hard to watch if you watch every episode. The show can become quite emotional as you watch Naruto struggle to realize his dream of being hokage. Throughout the series Naruto meets new people, learns to become stronger, and learns valuable life lessons. If you like anime, then Naruto is definitely a choice for you. It is aimed at a teen-adult audience and has blood and murder. The ninja world is not at all realistic which may be a turnoff for some people who prefer a realistic setting in their television program. Many well known voice actors are in the series which makes the characters feel like real people.
Hopefully this review has attracted you to Naruto and gives you an urge to try it out.
Until Next Time This Is...

The Anime Analyzer

Signing off...

5. One Piece Anime Review (Edited)

One Piece is an anime that is set in the "great era of pirates." The series was created and drawn by Eiichiro Oda. One Piece is an ongoing anime; the first episode aired October 20th, 1999.

One Piece tells the story of a young pirate by the name of Monkey D Luffy. Luffy's goal is to become the "pirate king." A prestigious title that was only ever held by a single man: Gol D Roger. Gol D Roger (AKA Gold Roger) was the powerful, well-respected, enthusiastic leader of the Roger pirates. The greatest pirate crew to sail the seas. When Gold Roger's journey of piracy came to a close; he turned himself over to the World Government (the antagonist organization of the series.) When Gold Roger was brought to his execution in Loguetown, his final words; when asked about where he hid his treasure, would start the great era of pirates. "My treasure? If you want it, you can have it. Seek it out! I left everything in my life at that place!" 
These words drove pirates all over the world in search of where Gold Roger had hidden his fortune. This treasure was dubbed "One Piece" by the lips of the world. Gold Roger is the inspiration to many pirates in the series; including Monkey D Luffy.
The series starts out on a cruise ship, where a party is being held. The men on deck spot a barrel floating in the sea, thinking it must of fallen off of the ship. They haul in the barrel; and bring it to the storage area below deck. Later on, a pirate vessel; led by a wanted criminal: Iron Club Alvida, sieges the ship; and promises not to hurt any passengers, as long as there is no resistance when the pirates raid the ship of all its valuables. Three pirates, including a young boy named Coby go below deck to steal the cargo. The pirates spot the barrel the deck-hands had stored down there. The pirates initially believe that this barrel is filled with alcohol; the older pirates decide to crack open the barrel and take a break. Despite Coby's warnings, the largest pirate tries to open the barrel. He is surprised, and struck by a man who was sleeping inside of the barrel, Monkey D Luffy. Luffy accidentally knocks the man out; the pirate who was not struck runs above deck to warn captain Alvida, leaving Coby in the room with Luffy. Before Coby can even ask Luffy's name, Luffy runs out of the room, and finds where all the ship's food is stored. Luffy starts eating all the food, but is interrupted by the confused Coby. Luffy introduces himself confidently as the man who will become king of the pirates. Coby is shocked to hear someone say such a thing with such confidence. His initial impression of Luffy is that he is quite mad. Their conversation is cut short by Alvida crushing the ceiling above them. Luffy quickly jumps through the ceiling onto the deck. He is surprised to find himself surrounded by pirates. They try to detain Luffy; but fail because Luffy has special powers. Luffy has become a "rubber man" because of him consuming a devil fruit.
Devil fruit are a very important concept in the series. Devil fruit bestow powers to anyone who consumes them. Devil fruit powers are divided into three categories. Logia (elemental,) Zoan (animal transformation,) and paramecia (everything else.) The biggest drawback to a devil fruit-user is the weakness to water. When one consumes a devil fruit, the victim can no longer swim; and if they come in contact with water, they will lose their strength, until they drown. The One Piece series introduces many characters with their own varying devil fruit abilities. Some of them are powerful, some of them are useless. Luffy's rubber body allows him to be impervious to bullets, electricity, and any attacks from a blunt object (maces, fists, etc...)

Alvida was unable to defeat Luffy due to his rubber body. Once Luffy has defeated her; he hijacks the nearest escape boat and leaves the ship, with Coby in tow.
Later in the series, Luffy recruits new members to his pirate crew, and even gains a ship. All of the crew mates Luffy recruits have different personalities, and some even have devil fruit powers.
One Piece is a terrific series, and a great watch for pretty much anyone who enjoys anime. This series even teaches some valuable life lessons. Such as never giving up on your friends, always fight no matter how grim the odds, and not letting anyone deter you from your goals. The story is so compelling that once you finish an episode, you will be dying to know what happens in the next one.
One Piece has action,adventure,fantasy,comedy, drama, and tragedy. The fan base of this series is quite extensive, since it fulfills so many different tastes. The series currently has 585 episodes and still ongoing every Sunday.
The artwork is somewhat "cartoon-y" but it doesn't reflect all the aspects of the show. This show is fantasy, not reality; so that may be a deterring factor to some watchers. The length of the series is another thing that might make it hard for some people to get into. Since One Piece is no longer airing on north American television. This is due to the handiwork of a well-known north American dubbing company known as "4Kids." When 4Kids did the English dub for One Piece, they censored a lot of things that made One Piece what it actually is. In this blog post, I will upload a video showing you exactly what I mean.
The music used in One Piece is (what is the best word to describe...) Extravagant! The openings of One Piece are quite catchy, and can get stuck in your head very easily. Even while I am writing this review, the first opening of One Piece is stuck in my head, along with other openings as well. That might just be because I enjoy the music of One Piece so much.
The last thing I will say in this review is that if you would rather watch One Piece in English, instead of Japanese; you should check into a dubbing company called Funimation. They are currently dubbing One Piece, and have not censored any of the episodes they have done.
It is my great hope that this review will make you, at the least, check out One Piece. It is an excellent, and well made series/anime.

Until Next Time, This Is...

The Anime Analyzer!

Signing off...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFpYrEkEiNY (P.S: This is a link to a Youtube video that shows the difference between the uncut and 4kids version of One Piece. Try to spot out the differences :P)