Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Clannad (クラナド)


Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Format: Game, Light novel, Manga, TV anime, Original video animation


Clannad (クラナド, Kuranado) is a Japanese visual novel created by the software company Key, who also produced the successful titles Kanon and Air. Key released a limited version for the PC on April 28, 2004, and the regular version less than four months later on August 8, 2004. The visual novel was later ported to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. The gameplay in Clannad follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters.

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

Burst Angel (2004~)

Burst Angel

Alternative Names (異名):
爆裂天使, Bakuretsu Tenshi, Burst Angel, Angel's Adolescence, Explosive Angel, Ангелы смерти (Russian), Взрывные Ангелы (Russian), バクレツテンシ (Japanese)
Genre: Cyberpunk, Mecha, Yuri (百合, genre)

TV anime
Director: Koichi Ohata
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
Studio: Gonzo
Licensor: FUNimation Entertainment, MVM Films, Madman Entertainment
Network: TV Asahi
English network: FUNimation Channel
Original run: 6 April 2004 – 14 September 2004
Episodes: 24 (List of episodes)

Manga: Angel's Adolescence
Author: Minoru Murao
Publisher: Media Works
English publisher: Tokyopop
Demographic: Shōnen
Magazine: Dengeki Comic Gao!
Volumes: 3

Original video animation
Burst Angel: Infinity
Director: Koichi Ohata
Studio: Gonzo
Licensor: FUNimation Entertainment, MVM Films, Madman Entertainment
Released: March 23, 2007


Burst Angel (爆裂天使, Bakuretsu Tenshi) is a Japanese animated television series directed by Koichi Ohata, from a screenplay by Fumihiko Shimo, and produced by the Gonzo animation studio.

Burst Angel takes place in the near future, after a rise in criminal activity forced the Japanese government to allow citizens to possess firearms and establish the Recently Armed Police Taskforce (RAPT). The series follows Kyohei Tachibana, a culinary school student who dreams of becoming a pastry chef, and the band of mercenaries he works for.

The series aired on TV Asahi from April 6, 2004 to September 14, 2004, totaling 24 episodes. An original video animation, Burst Angel Infinity, was released on March 23, 2007. The music for both the series and OVA was composed by Masara Nishida.


Plot

In the near future, due to an unusual rise in criminal activity, it has become legal to possess firearms in Japan so lawful citizens can protect themselves. At the same time, the government established the Recently Armed Police Taskforce, whose methods are exterminating criminals rather than arresting them.

The story opens with Kyohei Tachibana, a student at a culinary arts school with dreams of someday becoming a patissier, motorcycling down an inner city street and becoming caught up in a shoot-out between a mysterious silver-haired woman and a psycho gangster. Kyohei escapes unharmed and ends up working as a cook for Jo, Meg, Amy, and Sei in an effort to gather up enough money to travel to France. The girls, ranging in ages of eleven to nineteen, turn out to be pseudo-mercenary agents for a larger international group known as Bai Lan.

Burst Angel focuses on the group as they investigate a series of mutated human monsters with odd glowing brains that cause various amounts of mayhem in Tokyo.


Characters

NameDescription

Jo (17)Silver hair, red eyes, carries twin Desert Eagles and is known as "The Angel from Hell." She has superhuman abilities from her artificial creation, usually followed by the appearance of a glowing tattoo on her left arm and shoulder blade. They resemble wings and are often called "The Wings of the Devil" and will glow when Jo is put under a lot of stress when fighting. Jo also puts Meg over anything else, which she stated when telling Meg that she fights for her only. When she is not fighting, she enjoys watching horror or gore related movies.

Jo would eventually rediscover her past as a genetically engineered war machine in human form. After being forced to surrender with Meg and others held hostage, Jo returns to the secret labs for reprogramming and conditioning at RAPT R&D. Jo's counterpart, Maria, freed her to only prove who was the strongest; Jo managed to remove her will to defeat her and restores her true humanity. Jo realized that she has to destroy RAPT at the source all for all that has happened as well as help Sei. Meg was highly opposed to the idea after seeing her go through a lifetime of combat and feels it's not their problem. Jo knocks Meg out, bids her farewell and leaves her communicator and jacket behind for her to remember by. After fighting their way into RAPT HQ, Jo destroyed RAPT's most powerful bio-tech brain and the whole building collapses. It is unknown whether Jo survived the explosion or not, But in a trailer in the dvd edition of the OVA, it shows that Jo and Maria are both alive and Jo is apparently under Maria's control.

Megumi (15)Meg has red hair, carries a small revolver, at times a large armor piercing rifle, and dresses like a cowgirl. Meg is highly prone to be captured and only to be rescued by Jo. She is the very best of friends with Jo and is 100% loyal to her only. It's suggestive throughout the series and manga that her feelings for Jo might be romantic, possibly bisexual since she's into men. She first met Jo in New York City, a year before the beginning of the series. Since then, Meg and Jo teamed up and became bounty hunters until Sei hired them. Meg enjoys eating and loves buffets. Her true hair color is not red, but actually black.

She was once an orphan in New York City, but managed to encounter Jo. At first she was reluctant to keep Jo around because of her destructive capabilities, but after some time they learn to appreciate and trust each other. After they took Sei's offer as employees of Bai-lan, they have been performing supportive roles for Jo's missions. Meg often would be an undercover agent for info and provide cover fire for Jo. After she finds out Jo's origin, she feels Jo no longer should fight, but was left alone on their final mission. Jo knocked her out and left her belongings to her.




http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burst_Angel
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3560


Anime series | Manga series | Manga (year of release missing) | Anime OVAs | Anime of 2004 | Anime of 2007 | Action anime and manga | Science fiction anime and manga | Western (genre) anime and manga | Anime with original screenplays | Dengeki Comic Gao! | Funimation Entertainment | Shōnen manga | Yuri | Anime distributed by Madman Entertainment


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burst_Angel