The AnimaTure

We all know the story behind highlander from the famous movies where christoffer lambert starred as Connor Macleod.
The concept was about immortality and how people could achieve it and this was due to luck of surviving a severe wound that has a 99% chance to lead to your death.
They gain immortality by luck and learn about it with the time they have been given.
The only way to die is to have their heads removed from their body.
It is not a gift for most because they still feel the pain that a normal human would get before they die.
The immortals are different, they feel and will always feel even with their superior regenerative body, they feel the pain.

Some achieved great wealth, others became villains.
The ultimate goal was to be the only one so they have to kill each other as a survival to the fittest.

Highlander: The Search for Vengeance starts of with a battle in medieval England where the highlanders are fighting the English army. Collin Macleod dies in battle and gets called ' a true Macleod, of the Macleod clan'.  Immortals can feel the presence of another immortal and this is how they find each other even when they're miles apart from each other.

What annoys me is that when the movie starts we get to see Collin fighting demons and later on we get to see normal humans and nothing more.

It has the same setting as the original highlander, the immortals battle each other and the victor gets the powers from the defeated one with a lighting show attached to it.

The most awesome character is the villain Marcus Octavius.

A Roman centurion that has achieved immortality before Collin had achieved his and has been Collin's nemesis for centuries.

Something tells me that they are in America as the bar is pretty 'American styled'. The music just gives the feeling of the American mood and the people have that gangster and depressed look.

Later on we get to hear that they are in New York. We get to see Dhalia going up to Collin and a flashback tells us a bit more about Collin's past.

Collin gets drugged and his beloved one is going to his future nemesis to ask him not to attack the Macleod clan.

Out of pity for the attempt to stop Octavius it ended in a slaughter of the Macleod clan and with the only surviving Collin, he swore to seek revenge.

Here is where Collin's adventure starts as a one-man army against the Roman army and Marcus Octavius. The flashback is over and Dhalia is convincing Collin to come with her as he would end up 'dead' sooner or later which is practically a joke for him.

Marcus Octavius is a leader of a company that rules the city and he keeps to his old Roman ways of having his own personal Colosseum with his golden chamber.

Marcus's flashback on how he met his companion that he owns whom is also an immortal thanks to him, is staying with him since the 17th century.
Dhalia tried to seduce Collin to go to bed with her but he has no interest for such matters as she was trying to get a favor from him.

Collin left Dhalia's place and saw Marcus on a screen display which made his blood boil and another flashback started.

The first battle between Collin and Marcus at a disadvantage that Collin was not wearing any armor and got a severe wound to the head.
 
He only survived because Marcus is a Roman and Romans are religious and hereby Collin survived as he fell of his horse on holy ground.

Markus was irritated by this and mumbled that Collin was a lucky man.
Collin regained his consciousness after a year or so as time flashed by and he was being watched by a druid called Amergan. He warned Collin to lay down his sword with a subtle hint that even if he is a mortal that he has to worry about pain.

 Later when Collin is raiding the 'tower' he finds out that Marcus is asking him to come at him by inviting him with the elevator doors that open up. We see flashbacks of the fierce battles that both Collin and Marcus had throughout the ages.
Collin has found new love but also forced to leave her and since then he threw away his emotions of love and trust.

Collin kept on fighting Marcus and every battle they fought, Marcus escaped. It was as if Marcus was playing with him. We see that Marcus eventually joins the Axis army and Collin on the side of the Allies. Every time they fought and Colling was about to die he was on holy ground which Marcus had no choice to let him alive.

The flashback from medieval war to the world war 1 setting is just amazingly done. Marcus clearly shows us that he is toying around with Collin as he is superior to Collin in every way.

Collin dies again and comes back alive and Dhalia founds out that he is immortal. Dhalia gets mad because everyone she knows is going to fight Marcus while the odds are too big.

An army of robots, high tech weaponry against a group of townspeople with normal weapons. Colling is strong enough to defeat a whole base on his own but hes nothing against a helicopter and Dhalia saves his back and he goes on his way to Marcus once again.

Marcus's catchphrase is true but also barbarian itself.

'Barbarians will be barbarians, they never change'

The Romans killed barbarians because they didn't want to do anything with Rome's ruling and treatment as non-Romans. The town is ready for a new beginning as collin Macleod of the Macleod clan has finally defeated his nemesis. Collin wanders off once again but this time not with vengeance in his heart.
I gave Highlander: The Search for Vengeance a 4 out of 5 on Anime-Planet

~The Anima-Ture~  

                                                                          Episode 1
 It starts with Holo having a bad dream which she explained in the first series that she won't fall in love with a human being as their lifespan is shorter then that of wolves.

Lawrence's humor about having a surprise is quite funny.
Holo's reactions to everything is also making me giggle as she is acting like she doesn't care when she actually does or she acts like she cares but actually doesn't.
The only things she always will care about is food, beverages and good beds.




They get to meet Amati on the way to Kumerson and Amati falls in love with Holo 'disguised' as a nun.

Amati is young but how young he is, is a guess for me.

I think hes about 14 if i have to guess it from his looks, height and voice.

What still bothers me is why Holo, a self proclaimed 'Wise' wolf that is from the village of Yoitsu, can't find her way back towards her village. Wolves have a strong nose and remember the path the take to get somewhere so i am quite confused why she can't find it on her own anymore.

Holo having a hangover is also a funny sight to see.

Just as i can only move my hands when I'm drunk, Holo moves her tail to say bye or 'it's okay'.

We see Holo remembering another village that has a lot of hot springs that is 'near' her hometown and is totally depending on Lawrence to get her there.
This time we start with Lawrence having a nightmare from the previous season. In secret Lawrence is going out to hunt for folktales and gets information about a certain person that he should meet up with.

Here is that typical perverted Holo moment that makes me put up a smile.

Only dense people won't get the hint but i guess you have to be so dense that you don't even know what sexual intercourse is.

Lawrence enters the ghetto of alchemists and in the medieval times people were afraid of alchemists because the people thought they studied magic that is a curse and sin from hell.

I like his reaction when he gets told that some do study the ways of magic which made him stop walking.

We get the story of Holo's village Yoitsu. It was destroyed by a moon-hunting bear and then Lawrence received further information how 'Horou' looks like.

It was exactly like Holo was, a young girl that likes to dance and drink with wolf ears and tail.

Adelle is a woman that everyone would like to have as a wife.

 Her reactions towards her husband are just hilarious. I also like how Lawrence runs at full speed and he is being looked at by the townsfolk. 

 It starts with Amati calling out to Lawrence and attempting to 'free' Holo but it is more like selling a woman for a contract. Holo is pretty relaxed when Lawrence is telling her what happened and she just acts as a young fragile girl that won't leave her companion no matter what happens.


Festivals in medieval times were always fun to watch and participating in one would just be splendid.

No matter who spills drinks on a person they will laugh it away and now there are fights, drugs and partypoopers ruining the fun.

Now we get to see a sad Holo as Lawrence received a letter that had a woman's scent on it which Holo could smell.

 Lawrence tells Holo that he knows where she is from, heard about her and to narrow the region down he is looking for more information so she would be returning home faster then anticipated.

She was happy but we get a flashback that she is unhappy because she'll have to part with Lawrence.

They don't actually tell us that Holo is sad when she has to part with Lawrence but from the previous season and just a few moments of season 2 we know it.

We get a major turnabout when Holo could actually read and she read the letter that Lawrence received and burst out in fear, sadness and despair. She found out that she is a homeless and a townless person running around looking for her hometown that has been destroyed. This is where we see Holo being mad at Lawrence and Lawrence cry although he covers his eyes. 

 Holo referred to someone that really 'loves' her and Lawrence is daydreaming about what Holo could be doing. We get to see scenes that didn't actually happen as it was Lawrence's imagination.

What is confusing me is why every translator puts up 'Horo' when we read it from the Manga that it is written 'Holo' and now confirmed in the series also confirmed as Holo wrote it herself on a contract.

Lawrence is now challenging Amati to a duel from merchant to merchant which Amati accepts when Lawrence brings in Holo as a part of the duel.

We learn the difference between a traveling merchant and a shop merchant.

Series like these will always teach us things that they don't teach us in school or they don't think we should know about it because it is the same thing for them or that it is just useless to know in our daily lives.

Warehouses are different from markets and markets are different to shops and so goes the circle of difference.

This episode was about the plan that Lawrence was preparing to still win this duel even if it means to use underhanded methods to achieve victory. It is not like he'd be planning a murder or anything like that, as i said before it is a battle from merchant to merchant so their battlefield is the market and the value of certain items.
  
 We actually get to learn about how a merchant should treat their cargo that they buy and sell.
We also get to see how the price value changes and get the full explanation why it goes up and down.
The duel has started and it seems like Lawrence has gotten himself in a pinch.  

Now we just got to see his thinking about Holo and Amati together and close to kissing. We get to see Lawrence sweating and panicking the whole duel while Amati stays calm.
There is one mistake i noticed and that is that an alchemist apprentice bowed while excusing herself.
This is what they only do in Japan and to my understanding they are not in medieval Japan as there are no samurai to be seen or typical Japanese buildings. Towards my annoyance that Lawrence knew he'd win from the start even when panicking and all that because he knew Holo was the one that bought the pyrite from Deanna's alchemists.  
 It starts of cute with Holo sleeping and Lawrence patting her, then the scene changes towards a chilly winter. Holo is warming herself in the back as Lawrence is taking the cold head on because he has to. Holo started about burned rice and then Lawrence's stomach made a sound and Holo had to laugh. They arrive at a gloomy town where everyone is getting a checkup for weapons or illegal items. The town is so gloomy that you want this episode to end quickly. Not much is actually happening in this episode.


 It starts with Holo running in front of Lawrence and ignoring him because he left her alone until dawn. They are both looking for the way towards their destination and are wandering in an forsaken alley that no one visits as if it's forgotten.

Holo shows us that she is very jealous just because Lawrence smiled at the nun, she's  stepping on his foot.to get the smile off.

 Holo is giving of the hint that she is afraid of something to Lawrence but it is a vague hint which we could understand with ease. She is afraid of loving Lawrence because she does not know what it will bring forth. 


There ain't much special about this episode except that Holo is the 'object' again for selling.

Also we get to see how the church steals from friends and still try to get into good terms with everyone.

For more information Lawrence goes back to that one young flirty girl and she admits that other girls would flirt with him because he has a nice and beautiful girl with him.

They are going to make the deal to sell Holo off and of course with her need for adventure she doesn't decline. 

The way the Bishop is drawn like is making me think that he is a very dark person that would even kill children that get in his way. It's funny that Lawrence touches Holo's tail and she gets a bit agitated.

Holo wants to stop traveling with Lawrence but he wants to bring her home no matter what. He does convince her to keep on going.

What i did not except to see was a big fight like rebellions and in medieval times, these were always quite messy. 


 Nothing special to it once again except that Lawrence now unfolds Fleur's real plans and that she tries to kill Lawrence for the money from the deal of selling Holo.

She eventually hits Lawrence in the face knocking him unconscious. It is funny that Horo hits him in the same place where he got a cut from Fleur because she is back.
We see Lawrence spontaneously kiss Holo on the lips and that was the end of it.

*additional notes*

I love the voice actor for Holo as the voice fits the character just perfectly.

I love Holo for her behavior and she is just as cunning as a fo-er wolf.

I do hate the random 'drama' moments that the raging violins start playing.
I gave Ookami To Koushinryou 2nd Series a well deserved 4 out of 5 on Anime Planet

~The Anima-Ture~

A simple story that turns into a dark story. I think anyone would do the same thing as the main protagonist if we were in his place. Everyone was using him and to his mistake, he gave his life for granted to abuse.
We get to see him thinking with a pain in his heart as he hates being called 'inept'. A person who is a good for nothing human being. He came across this special shop which gave gave him chills down his spine as he entered it. It was the ability shop and he didn't believe it until he bought his first ability at a precious price, part of his lifespan.

Fascinated by his first purchase he wanted more. He wanted to be acknowledged by everyone, even by those he holds dear.
 His jealousy and thoughts of being 'inept' made him go insane and he pushed his own limits. Not only did he lose his best friend whom he was in love with, he lost his sanity, his abilities and his life.
He was glad for what he did after he realized that he lost his best friend and wished for everything to be alright again.

The shopkeeper, by his surprise, told him about 'personal insolvency' but what that is about is for you to find out.

Art style : Decent
Story : Catchy and understandable
Page-count : I want more like this one!
 I gave Ability Shop a 3.5 out of 5 on Anime-Planet  

*additional information*

Some versions have differend translators and in this one there is one thing that is wrong. The note from the group 'Imangascans - Vongola_cross' about she having a lisp just because 'she's kinda neko so this will show up a lot'. 'ne' is not something a cat-like character would say, instead of 'ne' they say nya. Second, she has a catcap on which is not giving away that she is a catgirl. Also when we see the shopkeeper the first time there should be 'Oh?' instead of 'Are.' . Details...

~The Anima-Ture~
To start this adventure entitled Jango's Dance Carnival, we get to see golden speakers build into a mountain which i would love to see someday in real life.

As the title for this OVA is hinting away we get to see Jango.

If you've forgotten about Jango you should be ashamed!

He is the Michael Jackson of One piece and his humor is just random and so are his actions.

He was hungry so he goes into a tavern where he is drinking and dancing instead of eating and just at that moment of enjoyment, the marines drop in.

The dumbest line I've ever read and heard is

Anyone with a bounty on their head quietly step forward! I'll make your arrest less painfull.

Seriously?

They are to put that line in there without making it sound more appealing?
So Jango was dancing and that is how the marines noticed him and he started to run.

He runs past our beloved Strawhat pirates and one of the marines remembers Luffy's face and the price on his head so they went for them instead.

The music is what saves Jango and then we get to see some decent animation.
Everyone starts dancing with the same rythm and moves and with the smooth movements which is making it a little less impressive, and as we know Japan for their 'ecchi' factor they decided to have most clear and sharp characters, young attractive girls that are perfect.


I'd say they are all comparable with the young Nami as you see Nami dancing with some marines.


They all have the same build except that they have been given other clothes and hair and that is just it.


The whole island breaks and the dance party is over and Luffy and Jango are the only ones left dancing and even Jango doesn't know why.

My answer would be that they think they are hypnotized as they are both very dull, easy to impress and believe quite everything.


 I gave One Piece: Django's Dance Carnival a 2.5 out of 5 on Anime-Planet.









 I recommend you all to watch this as you'll surely have a laugh and it does not take away much of your time.

There is 1 mistake with the voice acting as they all stop at the dead end and make a sound 'areh?' and the mistake is that the voice actor for Luffy is also saying this when not stopping there. You see Luffy pushing them down after two seconds.

~The Anima-Ture~ As always the animation is smooth and amazing. Pirate soccer is just amazing in One piece. Coby as a goalie is quite funny. They're all like, kicking the ball to kill Coby and the best shots are those coming from Chopper, Jango and Bon Clay. The one from Bon is just epic in my opinion. So we see them shooting some penalties and everyone scores from Luffy's crew except Chopper.
Sanji has the strongest legs in the world of One piece which is already contradicting with the fact that Chopper destroyed the ball by kicking is super hard while Sanji's kick is a million times stronger and the ball flies around the world into the goal.

The Luffy pirates are the Pirate soccer kings and the ending is quite fitting and a typical Luffy action. Usopp, honored be thy butt, as thy be blue like the sea and the sky, hurting as flames from hell. I'll quit with the poem and just say he gets his ass kicked fairly hard.
I give One Piece: Dream Soccer King! a 3 out of 5 on Anime-Planet.

It sure is worth to watch this short OVA as some of you who like One Piece surely want to rewatch some of the scenes. Duration of this OVA : 5 Minutes and 32 seconds.

~The Anima-Ture~

We see a big battle in space as a prologue with the gundams but the sound is in the background so that we know it is just a review from the past or previous story.

One thing i already hated was that the prologue speaker was emotionless which ruins the intro already.

I've always known Gundam wing with English dubs as a child and i have to say that this is one of the few where English dubs are decent.
We get to see two gundams being send of in a huge meteor towards the sun for their destruction.

An army of pink, white and blue, following the orders of a little girl while one could kill her and take over command.
What does bug me is that all the gundam pilots are around 16 years old but have a grown-up voice that is deep which annoys me.

We get so to see Duo, Heero and Quatre working as a team again to stop the current state of war again.

As a major mistake made by Heero when he was young we get to see the mistakes of the Mangaka and animators.
The whole city gets blown up, even skyscrapers are destroyed but just one single body remains intact yet dead.
The dog that was accompanying a young girl that gave Heero a flower.

 The whole city blown up to pieces and yet the dog is a body while all the rest is dust.

We see Zechs returning in just a slight moment but quickly it goes back to Duo and Heero on their way towards the battle zone.

There are actually many things i noticed when rewatching everything now.

The sounds used for machinery, slicing, exploding, hitting, deflecting and so on are all the same in almost every Gundam series.

Battles are all the same way. As an example; When there are transport ships getting attacked, the piloted machines always pop-up in front of it and then destroys it, flies away and then the ship explodes.

Then a huge battle starts with mobile suits flying out of the mothership and little transports.

We see Wufei and Trowa fighting at the side of the revolution against Heero and Duo.

Heero and Duo lose the battle because they have underdeveloped pilot suits and both escape from battle.


Quatre's plan to get the Gundams back is a deadly plan but once he gets them, they are going to open up a can o' whoopass.

We get to see all 5 doctors in turn with each person they give their Gundam too.

The gundams are the strongest of all mechanical machines and can't be destroyed that easily.

It would take a few nukes to destroy just one gundam but the gundam that Heero pilots is the strongest one so it would take a dozen of nukes and then it might be destroyed.

I have to say that soldiers are dumb people as the Revolution soldiers were cornering Heero, Duo and Trowa in the control room but they didn't knew that Trowa was working on their side so they didn't think twice about him being a traitor.

The soldiers entered the room after Heero punched Duo unconscious and escaped the room.

The way they let the narrator speak and the combination with the scenes we see and the song makes us feel sad about what is about to happen.

What we do know is that this is just a 2 days and 1 night war as they let out the logic of time.

Just take the example as 50 days to get to the meteor that got reduced by 280 hours is just a one-way trip towards the meteor.

Getting back seems to be no problem at all as they just got back in a few hours.

We get to see the battle end very quickly as the main headquarters is destroyed which eventually stops all revolting soldiers from defending and attacking.

The dramatical scenes are so staged and fake that we all should share the same thought 'ooookaaaaay....LAME!'.

All weapons get burned as the second age of peace will be confirmed with this.

Once there is a colony making weapons in secret they are screwed as the gundams get destroyed too.

What troubles me is that they now self-destruct their gundams for the second age of peace when they could've done so the first time that the age of peace started so logical sense is ruined here.

Marimaia is now being taken care of and she is not in prison but outside in front of the grave of her father.

I want to destroy a couple cities too with an army and get shot if i just get away with it like that.

I gave Gundam wing - Endless Waltz a 3.5 out of 5 on Anime-Planet.


The voice acting is emotionless on many moments where it needed drama as yelling was like whispering to each other.

Gundam Wing and Gundam Wing OVA and the movie all have a strong nostalgic feeling for those who watched this when they were young.

No doubt how bad it is or could be, you'd still watch it and like it because you grew up with it.