More from Commarine:
This month, I'm reviewing two mangas and one BIG anime!

   Manga



Princess Resurrection
Hiro is an ordinary boy who has moved to a new city to live with his older sister.  However, when he reaches the mansion she supposedly works at, it's empty. Confused, he tours the streets trying to find his bearings. Suddenly, he get hits by a truck. Dying, the last image he sees is a blonde girl in gothic clothing looking down at him with a sinister smile. To his surprise, he wakes up in the morgue with no damage from the accident and little knowledge of how he's still alive. Thus begins the misadventures of Hiro as he fights to protect his new master (the gothic girl) against her other siblings in the war for the throne of all monsters. For poor Hiro, it seems resting in peace after death is no longer a privilege he can enjoy.

Main Characters

Hime: Princess Resurrection, the second princess and daughter to the king of all monsters, she is locked in a war against her siblings for the throne. Even though she shows no interest in the throne, the constant attacks by her siblings has forced her to have servants to protect her. Though she usually delegates the hard work to her servants she is not above getting her hands dirty and taking that fight to her enemies.
Hiro Hiyorimi: The new boy in town with a particular habit of dying. His new found half-immortality is due to the blood of his new master Hime. Every time he dies, a drop from Hime resurrects him, completely unharmed. The blood however doesn't prevent him from dying in some of the most gruesome (and funny) ways possible.
Flandre: A lolita-maid android in service of Hime. And if that's not moe enough, the only word she can say is Hooba.  Despite her stature, she is incredibly strong and seemingly invincible making her the best weapon in Hime's arsenal.
Sawawa Hyorimi: Sister to Hiro and maid to Hime. Despite her years of service to Hime, she is oblivious to her supernatural nature and has no understanding in Hiro's new found immortality. All questions aside, she is happy that Hime allowed Hiro to stay with them even though she doesn't understand the relationship between the two.

Why I like it: When I first took notice to this manga, I thought 'oh great, another shojo princess manga about unnecessarily excessive magical attacks and awkward moments between her and some effeminate guy.'  How wrong I was! As I began reading, I soon realized that the manga was likely more written by Robert Rodriguez than by CLAMP. Unlike other princess mangas, when Hime fights an opponent, she doesn't use some intricate magic wand to fight, but rather any weapon of opportunity. For instance, when an invisible man invades her house, Hime attempts to dispatch her enemy with the most effective weapon at hand, a chainsaw. The ensuing battle between Hime and the invisible man is one of the most bloody and entertaining battles I've seen with a girl in a frilly dress. Another thing I love about this manga is Hiro. Despite his immortality, he is still human. So when he goes into combat with Hime's monstrous enemies, he usually ends up dead. Even though he knows he may die in an incredibly gruesome and painful way, he still fights and serves Hime without restraint. This makes him the most endearing and funniest character in the story. Like the old saying states: Don't judge a book from its cover. Princess Resurrection is a surprising and refreshing example of how old proverbs can be true.

My Verdict: I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a new twist to the old Sailor Moon genre.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days
Shinji Ikari has a normal boring life.  He lives in a normal apartment complex with his mother and father and is constantly pestered by his next door neighbor Asuka and his childhood buddy Kaworu.  However, Shinji's normal life is changed drastically when he bumps into an extroverted, yet socially awkward girl named Rei Ayanami. His life is further changed when a being of light appears before the city forcing Shinji and his friends to be a part of a program of defense known as Evangelion. Now, Shinji and Asuka must balance school life and teen romance with the EVAs and the giant beings known as Angels.

Main Characters

Shinji: A normal kid that ends up embroiled in giant robots and strange love triangles. He tries to balance it all in attempt to create a better life for himself.
Asuka: A friend of Shinji since the age of four, she is constantly at his side trying to motivate him to do more. Despite her brash nature toward Shinji, she harbors a secret crush for him which becomes more apparent as a new rival appears.
Rei: A perky, optimistic new transfer student to school. Her cheery nature however, is an attempt to hide her clumsy and clueless side. She soon finds interest in Shinji due to his willingness to help her out when she has trouble, much to Asuka's dismay.
Kaworu: Another childhood friend of Shinji. He shows an immense interest to his best bud which leads many to believe he is another competitor to Shinji's heart.  Kaworu however, hides a dark secret that may one day not just destroy Shinji's personal world, but the world in its entirety.

Why I like it: In the last dream sequence in the original anime series, Shinji imagines a world where his life was much simpler and his mother was still alive. This series is the realization of this world. As implied before, many of the main characters are radically different to the characters of the original series. The supporting characters also change in many ways. The strong commander Misato is now the sassy homeroom teacher for Shinji and friends. The tech-head Ritsuko is now the school nurse. And the biggest change, Shinji's parents (Gendo and Yui Ikari), are both alive and happily living together with Shinji. The main focus of this story is the relationship between Shinji and the other characters.  As a result any events pertaining to EVAs and the Angels is on the back burner. This is similar to how Full Metal Panic Fumoffu focused on the relationship between Sousuke and Kaname instead of the battles with armslaves. However, where the story in Fumoffu is more comedic, the story in Angelic Days is heavy in relationships and the stress that follows. This is still a different feel to the more teen angst ridden emotions contained in the original story. I am sure many people will bash this story due to its radical change in the characters of one of the most beloved animes ever made, but this is exactly that reason it's a great story. It's an innovative look at old characters in a new setting and how they react to new situations.  Keep in mind, many animes have done this before to great success (Tenchi for instance), so don't judge it till you read it.

My Verdict: If you're anxiously waiting for the four new Evangelion movies and can't stand it, this may be a good manga to hold you over.
Anime


The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Kyon is a young student ready to start high school. All seems well in school until he meets up with a strange girl named Haruhi. Her strangeness is first noticed by Kyon in the beginning of school went she stated that she wanted all aliens, time-travelers, and espers to meet up with her as soon as possible. Against his own will, Kyon begins to talk to Haruhi making him the only person to successfully garner her attention. Kyon's life gradually spirals out of his control as Haruhi drags him everywhere and forces him to join her new club known as the S.O.S. Brigade, a club designed to search for espers, time-travelers, aliens, and everything supernatural. Despite its ordinary look and ordinary club members, Haruhi and the S.O.S. Brigade are more than what they seem. Kyon's life will never be the same.

Main Characters

Kyon: Normal guy who falls face first into a friendship with the strangest girl in school. As his school life progresses, however, he finds out that Haruhi may be more than she seems.
Yuki Nagato: A quiet book worm who joined the S.O.S. Brigade by default (she was the only member of the literature club and allowed the Brigade to share her club room). She however confides to Kyon that she is an interface to an alien intelligence known as the Integrated Data Entity and that Haruhi is a powerful being she was sent to observe. Despite her admission to Kyon, the validity of Yuki's story is yet to be seen.
Mikuru Asahina: An upperclassman in Kyon's high school, she was forced to join the S.O.S. Brigade by Haruhi to simply for her moe appeal. Despite her shy nature, she soon admits to Kyon that she is a time-traveler sent from the future to investigate a chrono-anomaly that seemed to emanate from Haruhi. Like Yuki's story, Mikuru's story is still in debate to Kyon.
Itsuki Koizumi: The last member to join the Brigade, he is a midyear transfer student who is constantly smiling and seems to give in to any of Haruhi's demands. Like the other two, Itsuki confides to Kyon that he is and esper sent by the 'Agency' to observe Haruhi who they believe is possibly a god. Once again, his remarks are subject to debate in Kyon's mind.
Haruhi Suzumiya: A weird girl and possible creator of the universe. Though a normal girl in appearance, many organizations believe she has control of everything in existence. If she gets bored or dissatisfied, she may recreate the universe more to her liking. To prevent to destruction of the current reality, the Brigade attempts to keep her happy. This leads to the belief that the Brigade was not created by coincidence. Kyon however is a normal being, and other members can't understand why he is there to begin with. This may be explained later as the anime progresses.

Why I like it: Due to the big S.O.S. Brigade launch party that is happening at AX this year, I felt this is the perfect time to review this anime. According to Newtype, this anime is considered the most popular anime ever in Japan. As such, it has created a fanbase more in tune to the cult following common to Star Trek or Lords of the Rings. They even created a name for their particular obsession: Haruhiism (this is very fitting since the anime suggest Haruhi may actually be a god). Her image has popped a over the world including weird places such as a protest rally in the Middle East. Though, I tend to stay away from cultish shows and movies (the followers tend to creep me out), I can see why this anime is so popular. To begin with, it's completely different from anything anime that has come out before. What seems to be a slice of life anime, its thinly veiled sci-fi aspects alters the ones original perception of the story. Also unlike other animes, this one is watched out of order. For instance it is believed the second episode of the anime is actually the first. Other episodes are similarly out of order to give a lost, yet intrigued feel to the watcher. Though confusing, it's a unique experience to watch the series in this manner. The characters are very funny and one could get emotionally invested in them as the story progresses. Now I have only seen the first DVD of the anime (it's the only one dubbed) I think this anime is great and a welcome addition to any otaku's library.

My Verdict: I may never fall into the cult that is Haruhiism, but I will wait patiently for the latter DVDs to come out. If you watch it, you might do the same.