Tokyo Underground

Title: Tokyo Underground
Alternate Title: None
Genre: Action, Adventure
Run time: 24 minutes
Episode count: 26
Vintage: 2002
Review:

Tokyo Underground is an anime based on a group of people being taken underground and researched do to their ability of being able to control nature's elements. This anime was centered around a plot that could have been well done. However, it falls short. Its basically another boy saves girl with help of friends story mixed with a little bit of slap stick humor to keep the average consumer watching.

I expected good things out of this anime and it failed. With the story line it is written from it could have been a great serious or action adventure anime, but it comes off as a semi serious comedy when all is said and done. They even throw in the obligatory fight tournament like other series such as YuYu Hakusho and Flame of Recca. Even that is done poorly and shortly.

The animation is standard. There were no wow factors or anything innovative. They didnt even mix animation styles. This is your basic consumerism anime (make it fast, cheap and just enough fun for people to buy and forget everything else).

Now, they did do one thing right they made decent fight sequences that were interesting. They used elemental powers in unique ways and everyone had a special skill. This is the only thing they did even remotely well.

This anime is just too generic when it could have been so good if the writters and animators had put any effort into this at all. Because of this I rate them a 6 out of 10. Nothing great but it wasn't horrible. Just bland.

Next up: Texhnolyze

Flame of Recca

Title: Flame of Recca
Alternate Title: Recca No Honoo
Genre: Action, adventure
Run time: 23 minutes
Episode count: 42
Vintage: 1997
Review:

Flame of Recca at first glance is just a copycat anime. It copies animes like Yu Yu Hakusho with the story line. The characters are rather ordinary. You have the usual I will win no matter what you throw at me main character, the usual dumb beast character who over powers opponents by brute force and luck, and for good measure you have the character on the leads side even though he hates his guts. With that being said this anime does have a bit of flair. It takes its story line from a baby ninja of the hokage clan being sent forward in time with his arch enemy and brother. Add in some fantastic weapons based on spirit and controling natural elements and you have something decent and fun to watch without being overly long like its predecessor.

The animation was rather good with nothing flashy. Its typical of the same style animation as was used in Yu Yu Hakusho. However, they did do a good job with the use of blood. A lot of animes go over the top with mass amounts of blood spewed in every direction or the total of absence of blood. This anime is right in the middle not to much and not to little.

Now for the rating. The fight scenes were top notch and it had the typical I have to talk thing that ticks me off, however, the monologues where of minimal length and it always had to do with that inner battle so I wont take points off for that. However, this anime is not original in the least it steals all of its elements from other animes so I will dock it a couple points for that. Over all I give it a 7.

Next up: Ai Yori Aoshi