That may sound like a super fantastic Otaku nerd convention in Tokyo, it's really just referring to an anime kick I've been on for the past month or so. It's actually quite unusual for me, I'm not a big anime or manga fan and the art style in general doesn't appeal to me at all. However I've managed to watch two full length movies, complete an entire season of one series and start a second one, with a third in the proverbial queue. Here's a quick breakdown and my impressions of each.
Series - Ergo Proxy
This is the show that started me on this downward spiral. Interestingly enough, I discovered this series by seeing the cover of a DVD at Best Buy. It looked cool so I downloaded an episode when I got home. I watched it and promptly returned to Best Buy to purchase the series. The quick and dirty on the show is this: Main protagonist Real Mayer is investigating a mysterious creature known to her only as a Proxy. Things quickly progress into a dark futuristic view of dystopia and some very deep theological and psychological ideals mashed in with classic Japanese sci-fi. I was very impressed with the animation and thankfully it never strayed into "huge eyes" territory, which is one of the reasons I stay away from most anime. Combine that with excellent voice acting and a satisfying conclusion that made me wish for a continuation of the series and I had found a true gem. I will probably watch through the 24 episode season again just to pick up on details I know I missed the first time around. I highly recommend this.
Movies - Appleseed & Vexille
I'm combining these two since they are both produced by the same studio and are really very similar in most every aspect. For me, Appleseed was more satisfying mainly due to better characters, tighter story and more cooler robots. Robots go a long way in making something cool. Both are visions of a post-apocalyptic Japan (as was Ergo Proxy) which sure seems to be a major theme with Japanese entertainment. Appleseed does a better job than Vexille in explaining the situation at hand and then resolving the story. Vexille really had me going "huh?" for most of the movie, be it with gaping plot holes, completely uninteresting characters and really stretching at times to make us care about anything in the movie. At least Appleseed makes you want to jump in a mech and kick ass, Vexille just makes you want to smack someone. If it wasn't obvious already, Appleseed is my recommendation. I have picked up it's sequel and will post an update when I watch it.
Series in Progress - Witchblade
This series is based on the American comic books from Top Cow. The comic was one of my favorites years ago when Michael Turner was handling the art chores, and recently it's been getting rave reviews under new writer Ron Marz. I had heard of this anime version when it first came out but wasn't really interested until now.
Play magazine has given it glowing reviews twice so I figured I'd check it out while my appetite for anime remained high. I'm three episodes in right now and have to say I think I'm hooked. While completely different than the comics, the animation is intense with a building story line of the Witchblade vs escaped genetically enhanced weapons. There's also a certain, ahem, adult flavor to the show, with strategically placed camera shots and the almost erotic manner the main character exhibits while in combat. It sounds like a weird mix and it is, but somehow it's working. I'll update again when I finish the series.
Stuff in the Queue - Blood the Last Vampire and Blood +
The movie (Blood the Last Vampire) and series (Blood+) based on a young girl caught up in the discovery of monstrous vampires and her mysterious ability to kill them. I happened to catch about 15 minutes of this on cable one night and didn't know what it was at all until I saw the same clip on YouTube. Gotta love the intarwebs. The main thing that intrigued me was the vampires. These aren't your romantic, debonair Anne Rice vampires that have been so popular. Rather, these things are nasty, violent, and barely humanoid in appearance. I found them much more interesting and saw great potential for scary stuff to happen here.
So there you have it. I'm sure my anime obsession will burn itself out soon and give way to another push into novels or games, but for now it's keeping me entertained.
Michael Turner, in my opinion one of the greatest comic book artists of the past 20 years, passed away on Friday after a long battle with cancer. He was only 37 years old. 
