OK, I admit it, I love cartoons. Not your Saturday morning He-Man and Pokemon cartoons, but real animated stories for adults, sort of. I am talking Anime here, stuff geared for teenagers who probably shouldn't be allowed to watch it.
I've been focusing on three sites for my fixes, Hulu, Funimation and Anime Network. Hulu is all free and has other shows besides anime like Sons of Anarchy (friggin awesome dude!), Funimation has tons of free shows and others they try to get you to pay to DL or buy, and Anime Network is a subscriber service that also has a lot of free shows. Some are totally free, some you have to register with the site for but are still free, and some you can only watch if you subscribe for $6.99 a mo or $14.99 for a quarter, the best deal. You can probably get plenty of kind toons from the freebies, though. Here are some of the ones I've especially liked so far. I will be reviewing more in the coming weeks. So, get your anime on!
Jyo-Oh-Sei http://www.hulu.com/jyu-oh-sei?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime I had to watch this one from start to finish. This is on Hulu only so far, and it's worth the watch! Two young boys are dropped on a wild planet where they have to survive a ruthless bunch of warring tribes.
Death Note http://www.hulu.com/death-note?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime A young man finds the Death Note, a book that kills whoever's name is written in it. He sets out to change the world, and the greatest detective in Japan sets out to solve the mysterious killings. I was glued to all 37 episodes for over a week, subtitled but worth the effort. A fantastic story line and great animation!
Baccano! http://www.hulu.com/baccano?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime Another really different one. This one involves warring mafia families, one consisting of immortals, prankster robbers, and street urchins all fighting each other on trains and in the streets. It's set in 1930's US in an unnamed Chicago-like city. Truly unique and another one worth watching from start to finish.
Gunslinger Girl, Gunslinger Girl II (El Theatrino), Gunslinger Girl OVA http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=36 http://www.hulu.com/gunslinger-girl-il-teatrino?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=286 I've only started watching GSG II so far, I love it! The whole premise is insane! Little girls whose bodies are destroyed by violence or accident are rebuilt into cyborg killer hit-waifs. Only the Japanese!!
Kite Liberator http://www.hulu.com/kite-liberator?c=Animation-and-Cartoons/Anime A teenage crime fighter wipes out evil and corruption in Tokyo. so far only a 1 hour movie. I hope they come up with some more episodes!
Coyote Ragtime Show http://www4.funimation.com/video/?page=show&b=18 So far Funimation only has 4 episodes posted for free, it's a real tease because this is a really fun show. An arch criminal named "Mister" has broken out of prison and teams up with the daughter of the King of the Pirates and a band of raggedy pirates to find the King's booty and save the planet Graceland from total destruction. But here's the coolest thing: A team of Killer Robot Gothic Lolitas! It just doesn't get any better than that!
Mezzo http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Mezzo/Watch I really like this one. There's a teenage fighter girl, a 20 something slacker and a middle aged guy who's obsessed with noodles, they are the Danger Service Agency. They hire out to do various dangerous jobs, the girl is the one who does all the work! It's funny and has good story lines. All you have to do is register on Anime Network to watch this series, keep your Yen.
Devil Hunter Yohko - http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Devil-Hunter-Yohko/Watch This is kind of traditional, with a distinct Chinese style to the heroine's dress and kung-fu fighting. The story line is kind of traditional too, a magical demon fighter girl with a kind of dorky teen girl sidekick. Great production values but subtitled only that I've seen. Unfortunately for subscribers only on Anime Network.
Elfin Lied http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Elfen-Lied/Watch This is really different. Nyu is a childlike waif found by a couple of teenagers naked on a beach, little do they know she is a dual personality mutant with a vicious killer living inside her. touching, charming and very gory! First episode is free, the rest are subscribers only.
Koi Koi 7 http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Koi-Koi-Seven-Subtitled/Watch This series riffs on the old power rangers style of fighting teams, there's stylized posing, teen panties and of course, giant robots piloted by schoolgirls. Shows like this make me realize how twisted the Japanese really are. Subscriber only on Anime Network
Steam Detective http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Steam-Detectives/Watch Steamboy spinoff about a teenage boy detective in a steam powered world. Entertaining and there's no giant robots or full metal suits. Well there are some robots, but they're steam powered and not at all like the typical full metal stuff. Pretty wholesome and one of the few that would be good for the kids! Subscribers only on Anime Network.
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