Paradise Kiss is one of the many examples of the quick turnaround time between the original Japanese airing of an anime and its US release, which has become common for the anime industry of late. Originally airing in October 2005, Paradise Kiss—or ParaKiss, as it is frequently shortened to—is a comedic look at the fashion industry in Japan from the perspective of four fashion school students who form the label from which this anime takes its name.

None of those students are the point-of-view character for the show, however, with that part being taken by Yukari Hayasaka, a student from a high-ranking high school, who is preparing for her college exams. Yukari, who is very beautiful yet very unfriendly, is approached by the members of ParaKiss, who want to use her as the model for the clothing they design. While ambivalent at first, Yukari is drawn into the lives of those four designers, which are much different than her own. Continue reading “Paradise Kiss: A Look into the World of Fashion”

It’s a story you’ve seen countless times before: Five powerful individuals are called together to battle for a magical object that will grant them incredible power. With such a “creative” plot, and promises of action, magic and a forgettable protagonist, the overall prognosis for Fate/Stay Night would seem rather dim.

And, to be fair, if you absolutely detest fighting anime, it will probably remain so. If there’s more than one episode that doesn’t include at least one fairly major battle between two or more of the magicians and their “servants” (summoned spirits that take the form of heroes and villains from various mythologie), I can’t recall it. Continue reading “Fate/Stay Night: Another Way to Look at Things”

This month, I got my hands on the first DVD of the much-anticipated Hellsing Ultimate OVA, and I have to say I’m a little disappointed.

The original show ranks high on my list of favorite anime, although I probably wouldn’t put it in the top five. Still, it combines vampires, gunfights, a dark and realistic setting and an exceptional plot into a single series, and to top it all off it was animated by Studio Gonzo – famous for such shows as Last Exile, Full Metal Panic! and Samurai Seven.

It’s a lot to live up to, but fans were salivating at the idea of being able to continue beyond the not-ending that wrapped up the original series. Since Ultimate was created to better follow the manga – and was written after the last of the books was released – it promised to provide both more of the vampiric action that had propelled the original show to fame and a satisfying resolution to the source of the technologically created “freaks” (as the lead characters affectionately call them). Continue reading “Hellsing Ultimate: Flashy, but Plenty of Room for Improvement”