English: A Certain Magical Index
Original (Japanese): とある魔術の禁書目録
Homepage: Project-Index
Publisher: J.C. Staff
Genre: Action, Magic
Original: Manga by Square Enix
Info urls: AniDB, AnimeNFO, ANN, Wikipedia (en), mangaupdates
Bloggers: Random Curiosity, Kookun, Moetron
Videos: OP, ED, promo, Streaming
Manga: Offline, Online (scanlators Hidoi)
Images: E-shuushuu

Plot

In a world full of espers and supernatural powers, magical powers are still out of question. However, soon our here Touma will discover the existence of magic. He is the who finds Index. Index, a little girl drooping on Touma’s balcony fence. This girl got a perfect memorization, which allows her to remember every single drop of rain that falls, any leaves on trees and all faces she sees.

This remarkable ability is misused by her society , the church. They forced her to learn 103,000 forbidden grimoirs. Grimoirs are forbidden books containing powerful spells.  At the end, the church burned all copies, making Index the last library to the forbidden grimoirs.

Remembering those 103,000 forbidden books makes her a potent target for all who seek power.

Index, however, is optimistic and has powerful will to survive. Realized she will destroy any lives she contacts with, she decides to almost life in seclusion.

When Touma discovers the fact he cannot accept her fate and starts to make a life with Index. Using his own rare ability to dismantle esper and magic powers, he will be her guardian. As he learns of her deceivement he is willing to put his life to risk and safe her. Will it be enough, to safe Index, or is there more?

Zero no Tsukaima

Season 1 ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ aniDB
English “Zero’s Familiar”
Season 2 ‘Zero no Tsukaima Futatsuki no Kishi’
English “Zero`s Familiar – Knight of the Twin Moons”
Season 3 ‘Zero no Tsukaima Princess no Rondo’
English “Zero`s Familiar – Rondo’s Princess”
Resources*: aniDB, animenewsnetwork, animeNFO
*The site also contains information about later seasons, search yourselves …
Genre: Romance, Magic, Fantasy, Ecchi, Humor
Episodes: Season 1 to 3 are 13, 12 and 13
Blogs: Random Curiosity(se3), Tenka Seiha (se3)

Plot summary

Zero no Tsukaima starts when our failing magician Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière ‘failed’ to summon a familiar. Louise houses in the Tristein Magical Academy to become a fully fledge ‘noble’. People at this planet are noble if they are able to perform spells. People without the privelege are the rabble.

Becoming a mage is quite a task but Louise makes it an horrible experience. All spells she chants fails in a dramatic way. Her reputation is well known and she’s called Louise Zero, ’cause she can do zero spells. Now, epsiode 1 season 1, the day to proof her gift is set. The day of summons were a noble must summon a familiar to guide the mage in his entire life.

Rozen Maiden

Duration: ~24min each episode
Episodes: 2 Seasons each 12 episodes
OVA has 2 episodes
(and 8 volumes manga)
Licensed status: Geneon Entertainment (DVD version only)
Licensed date: 29th May 2007
Genre: Action, Shoujo, Drama
Official Homepage
Promo (official, youtube)
Trailer Rozen Maiden (fanmade, veoh)
For more resources check below, a DDL for the first ep is also available, you can also watch the entire series, both seasons and OVA online in good quality. Please read on.

General Information

The first volume of the manga was published in Japan 25th March 2003. In 7th October, 2004 the new anime series ‘Rozen Maiden’ aired, which was a success. A year later, on 21th October 2005, the second season named ‘Rozen Maiden Traumend‘ was aired and nearing the ending of the show an OVA was introduced. Traumend is German for Dreaming.

Webpages: Official Homepage, AniDB, Anime News Network, Wikipedia
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Seinen, Swordplay, Virtual Reality
Type: Series
Aired from: 06/04/2006 till 28/09/2006
License status: Bandai (source: animeondvd)
Trailer: http://www.dothackers.net/media.php
(I hate people who direct links to files, so instead here is the page)

Why I start watching

.Hack … A game, a manga, the series, the ova, the movie. .Hack becomes a common concept in the anime world. However I’m sure it won’t be as famous as Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura or Neon Genesis Evangelion. Urm, okay, let’s see. I started watching these series because .Hack was such a good series. I just loved .Hack//Dusk, also known as, .Hack//Legend of the Twilight . After I watched the trailer I found out this .Hack series is again about “The World”, a virtual reaility game in which .Hack plays. However the place totally differs. The review next, without spoilers.

The world of .Hack// Roots

.Hack//Roots is placed after a huge timespan of .Hack//Legend of the Twilight. The world still exists, however it’s dancing on the cliffside. Player killers makes it hard for beginners and moderated players can’t protect there wares. Haseo, our hero starts the game in this development. Playing for just a few hours I get struck be a few player killers. Mad Haseo wants to quite, but suddenly Ovan arrives. A mysterious guy who wants him to be strong. He revives Haseo and makes sure he remains in the world.

Thick, flap-flap… A parcel drops down on the doormat. I wrap up the papers and shocked I hear the dvd loose in the box. I crosses my fingers as I take out the plastic. ‘no damage, no damage’. The case opens and I unfold a undamaged dvd inside my hands. Lucky! I check the bill’s note and frankly … that’s odd. The title is misspelled!

Disappointed I look down to my new acquired dvd which has the misspelling text all written at the case’s title. Instead ‘Cossette’ it reads ‘Cosette’. Pff, sorry Kaze, but if you type the title wrong how bad will the subtitles and translations be? What should I expect next? A bit depressed I take out the dvd and put it into my notebook. After a bit tweaking around in the menu I realise Kaze has no support for seeking! They also lacked translating the copyright text which isn’t too bad. No copyright so it seems. I double checked and really choosed Netherlands, but I get a France copyright text each time. So as stupid as I am I believe there is no copyright, ’cause it’s not written anywhere in the correct language and law reference.

Offical homepage: ink-chan.com
Year: 2007
Quality: Avarage anime
Genre: Ecchi (Pantsu), High School, Lolicon, Magical Girl
License: -none-
Anime District: Yes, Kedex

Ink Nihihara is a regular schooler, urm high school student. She’s the smallest of the class and at first sight you’ll probarly say she’s just a primary school student. It’s what happens all the time and it really pisses her off. At any case she is the best student in the class and has a crush on Nao Tezuko. Nao has no idea Ink loves him, to him she’s just a small shy girl.

Name: AIR
Duration: ~24min each episode
Episodes: 13
Licensed status: ADV Films
Licensed date: August 2007 by releasing a dvd
Genre: Romance, Shoujo
Alternate Information Source
Official homepage, AniDB.net, Wikipedia

ADV films is offering AIR first episode for free, until 9 september 2007, that is. You can get the free download at their site.

I will write a description of AIR later this (or the next) day. So keep your eyes open for AIR first impression. (Nope I got AIR since the beginning and thus have the series before it got licensed (which is august 2007). Yeah, lucky me … However, I didn’t feel like it was worth to buy. Still it’s good to watch, very good to watch.)

Update: Ok, I’ll past this down to another post next day. Seems my internet connection is pretty ‘lazy’ at the moment.

Other titles: Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa
Laputa The Flying Island
Year:1986
Duration: ~2h 2m
Producer: Studio Ghibli
Synonyms: Castle in the Sky
Information: anidb
Homepage: http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/laputa/
Related anime at Hirvine: Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle

Studio Ghibli performs always great works. That’s exactly the reason why I watched this movie of 1986.

A group of white-haired children walks the earth for the past 500 years. They always looks like eleven years old kids who disappears and appears as they want to. Leaving their family, where they grew up, behind. Awarded by AnimeReactor Awards for the Best Fantasy Anime of 2005 I just have to blog this.

This isn’t just an regular anime. A deep plot is hidden in this mysterious series. The children who reincarnate each time has a mission. The need to track down a girl, an innocent girl who’s in trouble because of them. They have done something very bad and most take responsibility. They failed for a few lives to find her, but they continue living on, searching for her. However their time is limited. With their 12th rebirth their memories and knowledge will rapidly fade away. They most hurry.