Denkyu: Anime Webzine

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 x 20cm/8-inch piece of Wakame Seaweed
960ml/32fl.oz. Dashi Stock
1 tbsp Sake
2 teasp Light Soy Sauce

1. Soak the wakame in cold water for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place the dashi in a large saucepan and bring slowly to the boil.
3. Add the sake and soy sauce to the dashi and mix well.
4. Rinse the soaked wakame, drain well and cut into 2.5cm/1-inch pieces.
5. Add the wakame to the saucepan and simmer for 1 minute only. Serve immediately.

Cubes of tofu can also be added to the soup at the same time as the wakame.

By Andromeda

An inspector with authority from the president and the Federation is looking for a man with many aliases, but is known as Mister. Coming to a desert planet, she goes to the penitentiary looking for him, having received a tip. Soon after arriving though, terrorists attack, forcing a lockdown and the bomb squad being called in. Could they be breaking out Mister? That would mean he’s really there.

While the terrorists have pretty much taken control of the penitentiary, another attack takes place. Twelve young women and girls descend into the courtyard dressed in gothic baby doll garb and well armed. They are assassins, sent there as well to look for Mister. Apparently he holds the key to something very precious that other’s want.

The planet Graceland is doomed to be blown out of the sky by the Federation. Upon this planet is hidden a treasure that Mother and the twelve sisters are looking for. One little orphan girl, Franca, holds the key to where this treasure is hidden and only Mister knows where she is. Or is he the only one? It now becomes a race. Who can get to the girl first and who will find the treasure hidden on a planet that is about to be destroyed?

What I liked about Coyote Ragtime Show is that each of the characters had such different personalities. Inspector Angelica is tough and smart while her new partner Chelsea seems to be quite ditzy but has an amazing memory. Mister is a happy go lucky type of guy, able to find humor and fun in things.

One of the scenes I liked the best in this DVD was the bar fight scene where you are introduced to Franca. It’s down right hilarious. This series actually reminds me of Cowboy Bebop but with more of a story and a darker atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this one to all. Nothing really special to say about the extras though.

Licenser: ADV
Production: ufotable
Length: 100 mins
Retail: $29.98
Availability: 01.16.07

By Andromeda

An injured man is found and taken in by an old healer and her two granddaughters. When he awakens, he finds that he has no memory and wears a mask that he cannot remove. Even those that found him have no clue who he is, why he is wearing that mask or what he was doing near their village. Just as they are curious of him, he is curious of them.

Unlike his kind saviors, the masked man doesn’t have animal ears or a tail. Curious about this he reaches down and touches Eruruu’s tail. This causes a reaction he didn’t expect, her blushing and him ending up on the ground. Apparently that’s just one of those places you don’t touch. So many things to learn in such a strange place.

Utawarerumono is set in a fantasy feudal Japan with a comical twist, similar to Inu Yasha but not quite as comical. It seems as if everyone but the mystery man has dog ears and tails and instead of horses they have large lizards to ride on and pull carts.

Everyone so far seems to be happy with their daily lives until one day someone destroys the shrine of the forest goddess. Now with the wrath of Mutikapa-sama, the guardian of the forest, fear has taken hold of these people. Having been given the name Hakuoro by the healer, the masked man decides to help those who have helped him. With the villagers help and discovering a secret, Hakuoro just may defeat this vengeful beast.

But this isn’t the only problem that Hakuoro, Eluluu, and the villagers run into. After all, this is an age where a government has a strangle hold on the people. Cross the government and you’ll find yourself facing a strong enemy who will do anything to take you out, even wipe out whole villages.

This series drew me in with the first episode. It made me curious as to who this man was, why he couldn’t remove the mask on his face, why he didn’t look like anyone else, and why no one seemed to question why he wasn’t like the rest of them. The humor that comes along at the right moments was just enough to make me smile and laugh softly, never taking away from the story that’s being told.

The opening and ending songs are good enough for me to want the soundtrack. Not to mention the art was bright and clean, giving appeal to the eye. One of the extras included on the DVD is an omake that was quite hilarious and made me hope that in the following volumes to come, there will be more.

Licenser: ADV
Animation Production: Oriental Light and Magic
Length: 125 mins
Retail: $29.98
Availability: 01.16.07

By Andromeda

A year after her mother dies; Rino Rando gets the opportunity to go to a private school, paid for by a person that she’s never met, her pen pal. This mysterious person, Mr. Poppit, not only is paying for her schooling but also has paid for an apartment near by for her to live in. I don’t know about you, but this just doesn’t seem right. Puuchan doesn’t think so either.

Puuchan on the other hand is also something that doesn’t seem right. You see, he’s a puppet that seems to have a permanent spot on Rino’s hand that has a completely different personality of Rino. Another odd thing, besides a girl walking around talking to a hand puppet all the time is that the puppet plays a father figure to her.

Once Rino and Puuchan arrive at Miyagami, they realize that things aren’t going to go as smoothly as they hoped it would. An arsonist is running around town and decided to burn down the apartment building that Rino was supposed to live in. Having shipped all her things ahead, she now is not only homeless, but has no belongings other than the things she carried with her on the trip. But maybe things will look better once she starts school at Miyagami Academy.

While talking of her situation to one of her new classmates, Rino becomes nominated to be class representative. But what are the chances that the new girl in school will get that honor? Apparently it’s very high. Her new friend Ayu-chan nominated her for a reason though. Student council members get free room and food while at school. So maybe things are looking better.

This student council though isn’t any normal student council. It’s the Best Student Council. Not only does it run the school, but it has taken it upon themselves to police the community. They are equipped with an assault squad, a vehicle squad and a covert squad. It’s like a regular military force. By a fluke, Rino not only makes class representative on her first day, but becomes secretary of the Best Student Council.

This comes as a shock to nearly the whole school and many of the students can’t understand why Rino made it onto the Best Student Council. She’s not the brightest, failing her tests miserably, or good at sports. Not to mention she’s clumsy.

So what does she bring to the group? Why did the President of the best Student Council pick her? Rumors start to fly about Rino and the President. Those opposed with the President are upset and in disbelief. The Paparazzi Club, Photography Club and the Newspaper Club all team up to find out just what’s going on. The Best Student Council though has to protect the integrity of the President and the Council and it becomes a game of spies and assassins.

Best Student Council is a quirky comedy that anyone will find cute. The main character Rino is just so cute and loveable and there are hints of hidden things that slowly unravel as the story progresses as to why Rino has been brought to this school and why the President has taken such a liking to this strange girl. Each character in the story is different as well to give a good variety.

I would recommend this light hearted anime to anyone. It’s good for any age person to watch.

Licenser: ADV
Animation Production: J.C. Staff
Length: 125 mins
Retail: $29.98
Availability: Now Available; Vol 2 Available 03.13.07