Geek of Oz

Nowadays, it seems as though anime series' find it difficult to play things straight. That is to say that, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a series that is a straight laced detective story, action adventure or just a plain old comedy. Such is the same with Un-Go. Instead of being a plain old detective story, it is infused with a healthy dose of the supernatural. He pursues his job as the "Last Great Detective". Others call him the "Defeated Detective". What's certain is that he's Shinjurou Yuuki, a young man with a passion for mysteries and a talent for solving them which has made him the target of dark forces now stirring within the sinister underworld of a near future Tokyo. That could prove lethal, given that not even the other "good guys", including the police, are exactly on Shinjouro's side. Fortunately Yuuki's not completely on his own, and with the aid of his uniquely talented associate Inga, he...

Before this review starts it's very important to note that No.6 takes place in 2013, after a great and devastating war. It's time to panic, people! In 2013, after the great war devastated the world, six city states remain, created by The Babylon Treaty. Sion is a boy assessed as having the "highest-ranked intelligence" at age 2, allowing him access to the luxurious "Cronos" living area. On his 12th birthday, he meets a troublesome boy called Nezumi, who has just escaped from a reformatory and on the run from the authorities. As punishment for harbouring a fugitive, the Public Security Bureau strips Sion of all his privileges, resulting in expulsion from "Cronos". After four years of banishment, Sion and Nezumi meet again, resulting in the revelation of the secrets and mystery behind the city No.6 - Siren Visual

Before delving into the review for this release, it seems pertinent to touch on the fact that this is the last work of the sadly departed Umanosuke Iida. From 1987 until his passing in 2010, Iida worked as the director on some of the most recognizable titles in the anime realm. Getting his start on the anime incarnation of Go Nagai's Devilman he then went on to direct Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team , Hellsing , Vandread and more recently Shangri-La and Towa No Quon .  Set in the not too distant future, people are born with fantastic gifts, abilities that allow them to do anything from communicating with animals to teleportation. Unfortunately, the world is now run by The Order, a clandestine organisation that use another organisation, Custos, hunt down the gifted youngsters known as "Attracters". Armed with an assortment of deadly cyborgs, The Order track down and capture, or kill, Attracters but they have to get through Quon first. Follow on after the j...

Every now and then an anime series comes along that has all of the hallmarks of greatness. A series that is the epitome of all that is good in anime like unbounded creativity, glorious animation and story lines that befuddle as much as delight. Star Driver... is almost that series. On the southern edge of Japan, the inhabitants of Southern Cross Island lead seemingly normal lives - but far beneath the surface of this quiet island lies an ancient secret that lays dormant until Takuto Tsunashi washes ashore one night... Upon enrolling at Southern Cross Island High School, Takuto and his friends become embroiled in a conflict with a clandestine society to control giant machines, called Cybodies, sealed under the island whose powers are bound by special shrine maidens. What secrets will Takuto dig up, and how will he deal with the obstacles that lie ahead of him? This struggle will threaten to tear apart the entire island!

Gosick (-ゴシック-) is the latest in a string of mysterious European gothic inspired anime series. A handful of series such as Black Butler and to a lesser extent D.Gray Man have previously burst onto the scene to great fanfare while Gosick slinked under the radar amid a smattering of controversy.  Set to be released in the United States by Bandai Entertainment, Gosick's Western release was cancelled when Bandai pulled out of the American market at the beginning of this year.  Much to the surprise of anime geeks everywhere, Aussie anime company Madman  are the only company outside of Japan to official license and release Gosick! To put it another way, Gosick has only been officially released in its country of origin and Australia. So, was it worth the effort?

I'll apologise in advance if this review reads slightly disjointed. I went into reviewing Darker than Black (Season 2) - Gemini of the Meteor ( 流星の双子 - ジェミニ)  without ever having watched the first season, a greater mistake than I initially anticipated. To say that I started off entirely befuddled in the world of DTB is an understatement of monumental proportions. "Two years have passed since Hei and Yin escaped the Syndicate after the events of the first season. Making their way to Russia, Hei encounters a young girl named Suou Pavlichenko, whose family is gradually pulled into the war between contractors and various intelligence factions. Meanwhile, Misaki Kirihara has quit her position in Foreign Affairs to begin her own investigations into Hei, the Contractors and the Syndicate."