Spring 2007

What happens when two people love each other but just aren’t meant to be together? Takaki Toono and Akari Shinohara are childhood friends, but circumstances beyond their control tear them apart. They promise to stay in contact, and although the progression of time widens the distance between them, the chain of memories remains ever-present.

Byousoku 5 Centimeter is a romantic drama that focuses on the mundane and harsh reality of long-distance relationships. Stuck in the past and unable to make any new memories, Takaki and Akari cling to the hope of seeing each other again. They live their everyday lives half-heartedly, both hurting themselves and the people around them.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

When he was a young boy, Afro witnessed his father be cut down in a duel at the hands of a man known only as Justice. After taking the life of Afro’s father, Justice cast aside his Number Two headband and took the Number One to claim its godly powers as his own.

Years later, having obtained the Number Two headband which grants him the right to challenge the Number One, Afro moves forward in his hunt for revenge on the man who murdered his father. There is just one thing that stands in his way—everyone else in the world! Though the Number One can only be challenged by the Number Two, the Number Two can be challenged by anyone. As his enemies gather to try and take the title of Number Two, Afro must fight through a myriad of foes and obstacles if he hopes to reach the Number One and claim vengeance once and for all.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Mysterious cards came down from the sky one day. Capable of summoning powerful creatures from another dimension, they became the centerpiece of a new game called Bakugan. The game gained instant popularity among children and teenagers, with the best of them competing in a worldwide ranking.

Meanwhile, war for domination over Vestroia, the homeland of Bakugan cards, rages on. Invaded by the White Dragon Naga and his servants, the Doom Beings, the realm becomes increasingly destabilized. Dimensions begin to merge and many Bakugan players come to realize that their pastime is not merely a game.

Danma Kuusou, one such Bakugan player, intends to become the World Ranking’s leader someday. However, during one of his fights he experiences a vision of a clash in Vestroia. The fight suddenly moves to Earth, where Danma comes into possession of a talking, mighty fire Bakugan, Pyrus Dragonoid.

He soon gets dragged into the conflict, and together with his Bakugan Brawlers team, must traverse the dimensions and restore balance in a ravaged world.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ren Mihashi was the ace of his middle school’s baseball team, but due to his poor pitching, they could never win. Constant losses eventually lead to his teammates bullying him and reached the point where his teammates no longer tried to win, causing Mihashi to graduate with little self-esteem. As a result, Mihashi decides to go to a high school in a different prefecture where he has no intention of playing baseball. Unfortunately, upon his arrival at Nishiura High, he is dragged into joining their new team as the starting pitcher.

Although unwilling at first, Mihashi realizes that this is a place where he will be accepted for who he is; with help from the catcher Takaya Abe, he starts to have more confidence in his own abilities. Abe, seeing the potential in Mihashi, makes it a goal to help him become a pitcher worthy of being called an ace.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

When a shapeshifting demon with a thirst for human flesh, known as “youma,” arrives in Raki’s village, a lone woman with silver eyes walks into town with only a sword upon her back. She is a “Claymore,” a being manufactured as half-human and half-youma, for the express purpose of exterminating these monsters. After Raki’s family is killed, the Claymore saves his life, but he is subsequently banished from his home. With nowhere else to go, Raki finds the Claymore, known as Clare, and decides to follow her on her journeys.

As the pair travel from town to town, defeating youma along the way, more about Clare’s organization and her fellow warriors comes to light. With every town cleansed and every demon destroyed, they come closer to the youma on which Clare has sought vengeance ever since she chose to become a Claymore.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

It has been 10 years since Heaven’s Gate appeared in South America and Hell’s Gate appeared in Japan, veiling the once familiar night sky with an oppressive skyscape. Their purposes unknown, these Gates are spaces in which the very laws of physics are ignored. With the appearance of the Gates emerged Contractors, who, in exchange for their humanity, are granted supernatural abilities.

In the Japanese city surrounding Hell’s Gate, Section 4 Chief Misaki Kirihara finds herself at odds with an infamous Contractor codenamed Hei. Called “Black Reaper” in the underground world, Hei, like his associates, undertakes missions for the mysterious and ruthless Syndicate while slowly peeling back the dark layers covering a nefarious plot that threatens the very existence of Contractors.

From the mind of Tensai Okamura comes a sci-fi thriller taking the form of a subtle exposé on a war in which political positions and justice have no sway—a war waged exclusively in the shadows.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

In the near future, augmented reality has become a key part of daily life. A gentle middle school girl named Yuuko “Yasako” Okonogi and her family have just moved to Daikoku City despite rumors of people disappearing. There, her grandmother, nicknamed “Mega-baa,” runs a shop called Megasia that specializes in illegal tools which interact with parts of the virtual world.

Mega-baa also hosts an unofficial detective agency called “Coil,” a group of children around Yasako’s age who find and handle corruption of the virtual world. Yasako gets involved with the group when Fumie Hashimoto, a playful member of Coil, helps rescue her cyberdog Densuke after getting trapped in virtual space while chasing a mysterious virus. Also investigating these corruptions and viruses is an abrasive hacker named Yuuko Amasawa, who the others take to calling Isako.

Can Coil discover the truths behind the mysterious viruses and corruption, and if they can, at what cost?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nobita requests of Doraemon the Moshimo-box and wishes for the world to become a place where the use of magic is possible. Witchcraft replaces science and technology and everyone makes use of it on their daily lives, except for Nobita, who, like usual, isn’t very good at conjuring spells. Frustrated, he plans on returning things to their past state, but his mother threw the Moshimo-box away.

One day, Doraemon and his friends meet Professor Mangetsu, who studies magic and magical beings such as goblins, and his daughter Miyoko, and are warned of the dangerous approximation of the “star of the Underworld” to the Earth’s orbit.

With the future of the planet at stake, the group must travel to the Underworld and pierce the heart of the Underworld King with a silver dart, as detailed in the ancient texts of “The Chronicles of the Underworld”. Their attempts are, however, thwarted and Miyoko captured.

Doraemon and his friends then decided to use the Time Machine to return to the past and, using Dorami’s Moshimo-box, they manage to restore the Earth. The events on the Underworld continue, however, to take place in a Parallel Universe, where Miyoko is still captive. As a result, the group is once again forced to travel to the Underworld and defeat its tyrannical ruler once and for all.

(Source: AniDB)

Nadie is a bounty hunter with an attitude, and she’s got a lock on her next target: Ellis, a young amnesiac girl who is a suspect in the murder of a famous scientist. Nadie manages to apprehend Ellis, but on a whim, decides to accompany her to Wiñay Marka, a place which supposedly holds the key to unlocking Ellis’s memories and her mysterious past. However, Nadie cautions Ellis that this does not mean she will go free—once Ellis has found what she is looking for, Nadie will turn her over to the authorities. With Ellis’s connection to a gemstone called the Inca Rose as their only guide, the two set off on their journey south through Mexico to search for the mysterious “Eternal City” of Wiñay Marka.

Based on the Emily of New Moon novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Emily is an orphan who gets sent to live with her relatives on Prince Edward Island, after her father dies. In New Moon she lives with her Aunt Elizabeth, Aunt Laura, and Cousin Jimmy, and learns to adapt with the help of her imagination and new friends.

(Source: ANN)

In the faraway village of Haworth, a new chapter in Emma’s life has begun. Now employed by the wealthy Molders family, Emma has resolved to put the past behind her. She’ll have to adjust to a new house, a charming (but eccentric) new mistress, and a host of fellow servants, some with buried pasts of their own.

Meanwhile, back in London, William is doing his best to uphold his father’s wishes as the Jones family heir, but try as he might, he can’t forget Emma. Yet, whenever he feels at his worst, Eleanor is always there to comfort him with a warm, shy smile. Could the answer to his broken heart be right before his eyes?

(Source: RightStuf)

Tachikoma TV series that aired on Animax. Unlike the previous “Tachikoma na Hibi,” which were auxiliary episodes to the main Ghost in the Shell SAC and 2nd GIG, the special version has longer stories based on various Japanese and Orthodox folklore. Later re-released on a BD box with all the Tachikoma shorts.

Simon and Kamina were born and raised in a deep, underground village, hidden from the fabled surface. Kamina is a free-spirited loose cannon bent on making a name for himself, while Simon is a timid young boy with no real aspirations. One day while excavating the earth, Simon stumbles upon a mysterious object that turns out to be the ignition key to an ancient artifact of war, which the duo dubs Lagann. Using their new weapon, Simon and Kamina fend off a surprise attack from the surface with the help of Yoko Littner, a hot-blooded redhead wielding a massive gun who wanders the world above.

In the aftermath of the battle, the sky is now in plain view, prompting Simon and Kamina to set off on a journey alongside Yoko to explore the wastelands of the surface. Soon, they join the fight against the “Beastmen,” humanoid creatures that terrorize the remnants of humanity in powerful robots called “Gunmen.” Although they face some challenges and setbacks, the trio bravely fights these new enemies alongside other survivors to reclaim the surface, while slowly unraveling a galaxy-sized mystery.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

According to Murphy’s Law, “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” and truer words cannot describe the unfortunate life of the hard-working Hayate Ayasaki. Abandoned by his parents after accumulating a debt of over one hundred fifty million yen, he is sold off to the yakuza, initiating his swift getaway from a future he does not want. On that fateful night, he runs into Nagi Sanzenin, a young girl whom he decides to try and kidnap to pay for his family’s massive debt.

Unfortunately, due to his kind-hearted nature and a string of misunderstandings, Nagi believes Hayate to be confessing his love to her. After saving her from real kidnappers, Hayate is hired as Nagi’s personal butler, upon which she is revealed to be a member of one of the wealthiest families in Japan.

Highly skilled but cursed with the world’s worst luck, Hayate gets straight to work serving his employer all the while trying to deal with the many misfortunes that befall him. From taking care of a mansion to fending off dangerous foes, and even unintentionally wooing the hearts of the women around him, Hayate is in over his head in the butler comedy Hayate no Gotoku!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

When the Golden Race invited other races to join them in the stars, three sentient races answered their call. The Goldens called them the Bronze, Silver and Heroic Tribes. Just before the Gold Tribe left to travel to another Universe, a fourth race appeared, traveling to the stars on their own accomplishments. The Golds named the human race the Iron Tribe. During the passing of time, humanity suffers at the hands of the more dominant races and is now facing extinction. Following a prophecy left by the Gold Tribe, Princess Deianeira sets out to search for the powerful being who might be able to save humankind. She meets a wild haired boy on an abandoned planet—a fateful encounter that will not only change the fortunes of Humanity, but also the fate of the universe.

In 2007, the Punishment of Sexual Perversions Law came into effect. The city is surrounded by a squadron wearing protective suits and they begin to arrest any who look like perversions. No wonder that Inukami Master Keita and Inukami Yoko are wanted for Class A perversions. What will happen to Keita, Yoko, Kaoru’s Inukami, and the other lovely perversions? What about Karina?

Thirteen-year-old Karin Hanazono feels like her life can’t get any worse, Her parents died when she was younger, leaving her with an aunt who doesn’t hesitate to call her stupid and useless over her poor grades. Her only friend, her cat named Shii-chan, passed away recently, leaving her completely alone. All she has left of her parents is a ring given to her by her mother, which she treasures dearly as the sole thing left of her past.

Kamichama Karin begins the moment her life takes a turn for the better, when she is approached by Himeka Kuujou, a cute girl who has also lost her parents, and Kazune Kuujou, her cousin who finds girls to be troublesome, both of whom are searching for a goddess. Her mother’s memento ring shines brightly in their presence and fills her with its radiance, making her smarter, faster, and capable of granting wishes. It turns out that her ring allows her to become the very goddess they were looking for, and now that she has awakened that power, others will come after her for it…

One morning, Wataru Hoshino found a sleeping girl—in nothing but her underwear—in his room. When she woke up, she quickly escaped by jumping out of the window, but not without punching Wataru in the face first. This girl, Rinna Sawaki, ends up being a transfer student of Wataru’s school, as well as the new roommate of Wataru’s dormitory.

Wataru lives with four other girls and their school teacher, but due to Temizugawa Heavy Industry’s cancellation of their aviation branch—South Sakojima Island’s major company—the families involved with the corporation have to be evacuated in one year. As a result of this, the four girls have to leave the island in one year’s time.

Knowing this, Rinna refuses to become friends with Wataru and the other girls, because of the pain that she might experience as a result of their eventual separation; however, Wataru disagrees with her, and over the course of the year, tries to convince her otherwise.

(Source: ANN)

The Imperial Seal has been passed down through the generations since ancient times. It confers great power unto the warriors that it chooses. This is the story of those warriors.

It is a time of chaos and of civil war. It is a time when great armies clash in titanic battles and great heroes carve their names in history. It is also a time of death and destruction, when the people of the land live in constant fear of the sword. Onto this stage steps the reluctant Rikuson (Lu Xun), whose family had been the guardians of the Imperial Seal up until it was stolen by Sonsaku. At the behest of his mentor Rikuson offers his services to Sonsaku with the intention of confirming the will of the Imperial Seal. However, assassins strike down Sonsaku and the Imperial Seal is lost. So begins, Rikuson’s journey to recover the Imperial Seal and discover his destiny.

(Source: AniDB)

Love is unusual for Koizumi Risa and Ootani Atsushi, who are both striving to find their ideal partner in high school—172 cm tall Koizumi is much taller than the average girl, and Ootani is much shorter than the average guy at 156 cm. To add to their plights, their crushes fall in love with each other, leaving Koizumi and Ootani comically flustered and heartbroken. To make matters worse, they’re even labeled as a comedy duo by their homeroom teacher due to their personalities and the stark difference in their heights, and their classmates even think of their arguments as sketches.

Lovely★Complex follows Koizumi and Ootani as they encourage each other in finding love and become close friends. Apart from their ridiculous antics, they soon find out an unexpected similarity in their music and fashion tastes. Maybe they possess a chemistry yet unknown, but could love ever bloom between the mismatched pair?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Lucky☆Star follows the daily lives of four cute high school girls—Konata Izumi, the lazy otaku; the Hiiragi twins, Tsukasa and Kagami (sugar and spice, respectively); and the smart and well-mannered Miyuki Takara.

As they go about their lives at school and beyond, they develop their eccentric and lively friendship and making humorous observations about the world around them. Be it Japanese tradition, the intricacies of otaku culture, academics, or the correct way of preparing and eating various foods—no subject is safe from their musings.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

After scaling Mt. Everest, mountain climbing partners Saruwatari Gorou and “Lostman” Jack F. Woodbridge see the ISA Space Station, and each vows to make the trek into outerspace. When Helium 3, a new energy source, is discovered on the moon, NASA forms a new project named “Nexus” to harness that energy for use on earth. This is the story of the two and the paths they take to see their dream become a reality in the quest to harness the next-generation energy source.

(Source: ANN)

On the precipice of a cataclysmic drought, the Star Readers of the Shin Yogo Empire must devise a plan to avoid widespread famine. It is written in ancient myths that the first emperor, along with eight warriors, slew a water demon to avoid a great drought and save the land that was to become Shin Yogo. If a water demon was to appear once more, its death could bring salvation. However, the water demon manifests itself within the body of the emperor’s son, Prince Chagum—by the emperor’s order, Chagum is to be sacrificed to save the empire.

Meanwhile, a mysterious spear-wielding mercenary named Balsa arrives in Shin Yogo on business. After saving Chagum from a thinly veiled assassination attempt, she is tasked by Chagum’s mother to protect him from the emperor and his hunters. Bound by a sacred vow she once made, Balsa accepts.

Seirei no Moribito follows Balsa as she embarks on her journey to protect Chagum, exploring the beauty of life, nature, family, and the bonds that form between strangers.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

During his summer vacation, middle school student Nagasumi Michishio travels to the Seto Inland Sea. One day, while swimming at Mio Sun Beach, his leg suddenly cramps. No one is close enough to notice his desperate screams for help, and so he sinks into the ocean, where he is left to drown alone. Just as he loses consciousness, however, a mermaid appears and saves his life.

That night, Nagasumi is visited by his savior, a girl who introduces herself as Sun Seto—a mermaid from a yakuza family. As it turns out, under mermaid law, a mermaid whose identity is revealed to a human must be punished by execution. To avoid this harrowing outcome, the Seto family propose a solution: Nagasumi must marry Sun or die at the hands of Gouzaburou, Sun’s father and boss of the Seto clan. Faced with no other option, Nagasumi takes her hand in marriage.

Now, the newlyweds face the difficult task of keeping their relationship secret. Between Gouzaburou’s unending attempts on Nagasumi’s life and the eccentric antics of a slew of antagonists, a genuine and innocent love blossoms between the pair as they adapt to their new life.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ikuto Touhohin just had a fight with his old man, one that led him to make a rash decision to run away from home. He boards a ship, deciding to take a vacation, but the ship is suddenly hit by a huge storm—one that sends Ikuto overboard! When he regains consciousness, he realizes he is still alive on some island. An isolated island. An isolated island with nothing but girls. Beautiful girls. Stranded on an island with only girls, no electricity, gas, radio, television, like he was back in the stone age.

(Source: AniDB)

In Edo in the mid-1800’s, fireworks maker Seikichi Tamaya and his friends struggle to live under the harsh morality laws imposed by the strict city councilor, which ban all luxuries, including fireworks. One day, a strange girl stops by Sekichi’s shop with an equally strange request: she wants Sekichi to build a firework that can reach the moon.

The film opens with Nefeltari Vivi flying with Pell in a brief flashback. Returning to the present, Vivi and the Straw Hats meet Crocodile’s subordinate Mr. 2 Bon Clay. Mr. 2 shows the Straw Hats his devil fruit ability, which allows him to assume the form and voice of anyone whose face he has touched. Vivi describes a brief history on how the Baroque Works leader Crocodile has used Dance Powder while posing as the country’s hero. He has also tricked the rebel and royal armies into fighting each other. Once in Alabasta and after crossing the desert, the Straw Hats find the rebel’s base deserted, while the rebel army, led by Vivi’s childhood friend Koza, witnesses the port town Nanohana being burned by members of Baroque Works disguised as soldiers of the royal army. The rebels decide to attack Alubarna, where at the same time Mr. 2 impersonates the king, Nefeltari Cobra, and orders the royal army to engage. Meanwhile in the desert, the Straw Hats are intercepted by Crocodile and his partner, Ms. All Sunday. Crocodile aims for Vivi, but Luffy stays behind and distracts him, while the other Straw Hats escape. In the ensuing fight, Crocodile defeats Luffy by impaling him through the chest with his hook and buried alive.

When Hiro Hiyorimi tries to save a beautiful young woman from certain death, he ends up a dead hero himself! However, since the drop-dead girl is Hime, daughter of the King of the Monsters, his “reward” is to come back as a not-quite-living soldier in her honor guard of horror! That means helping fight off the army of supernatural monstrosities Hime’s siblings are unleashing against her in hopes of moving up the ladder of succession.

And if facing off with vampires and zombies isn’t bad enough, how can anyone be prepared for the REALLY weird ones, like were-sharks, pandas and killer dumplings? This sure as hell isn’t the afterlife Hiro was hoping for, but the really sad part is that Hime is the good girl in all of this… or at least as close to good as you can come when you’re on the wrong side of the gates of hell!

Taking place in the past it offers a view at the Saiyuuki quartet before their formation and their journey to the west. First OVA starts with Sanzo and his master, also with Ukoku (known as a later Ni Jianyi). Second OVA shows first meeting of Goku and Sanzo. Third OVA considers the events after Hakkai’s sins and his trial (that we know from first season of “Saiyuuki”) and his decision to live in Gojyo’s house.

New York City, the late 1920s. The battle with Nobunaga is over, the city restored to peace…until the owner of Little Lip Theater informs Shinjiro… “This time, the leading lady will be…you.” Thus Shinjiro, disguised as the actress Petitmint, is forced into the role of “Cleopatra.” The Star Division members set out to persuade a reluctant Shinjiro, beginning a chase across the five boroughs. Meanwhile, a dark-skinned youth and his servant have appeared unexpectedly in the midst of the flourishing city. His eyes, concealing a silent wrath, are fixed upon nothing less than the Statue of Liberty. Now Shinjiro and company must protect this city of hopes and dreams from a new menace while safely raising the curtain on a new show.

Kazuma Yagami is a user of “Fuujutsu,” the ability to control the wind. He returns to his old home, the noble Kannagi household, after being banished four years ago for his inability to control fire and his subsequent defeat in a duel at the hands of his younger cousin, Ayano Kannagi.

Returning after such a brutal exile already gives rise to many conflicts, but to make matters worse, several Kannagi family members have recently been murdered with Fuujutsu. This leads the Kannagi family, including the hot-headed Ayano, to suspect Kazuma as the culprit. Now, Kazuma must not only clear his name, but also aid the family he shares a mutual hatred with, in order to discover the true identity of the killer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Shuurei Kou and her friend Eigetsu To, a boy prodigy of humble origins, have been appointed co-governors of the Sa province, one of the eight provinces in Saiunkoku. Together, they decide to make the province an academic research center in the hopes of bringing a long overdue prosperity to the region.

However, while Shuurei goes to the capital to obtain approvals for the ambitious project, the Sa province’s recently established tranquility is threatened by a pandemic that brings both death and turmoil as it begins to spread among the people. Counting on Eigetsu to monitor the situation until her return, Shuurei seeks support from her allies to find a suitable treatment. Yet, Eigetsu’s past personal conflicts distract him, providing an opportunity for opponents of Shuurei’s position to take advantage of the troubles and undermine her authority.

Becoming a government official has been Shuurei’s lifelong dream, but it is no easy task for the first woman undertaking such a position. Will she step up and overcome this great challenge or give in to the looming adversities?