Kawasaki Hitomi is no ordinary girl. Even though she is a freshman on the high school track team and does all sorts of 'normal' things, she has one ability -- she can sometimes see the future. This 'sight,' coupled with the strange pendant her mother gave her, sends her to a world of swords, sorcery, fire-breathing dragons, and giant mecha. There she fights alongside Van, Allen, Merle, and others to stop the conquering of the world by Dilandau, Volken, and their cohorts. Essential to the fight are armored suits powered by dragon gemstones. Some are used by Dilandau's minions, and some by Van and Allen. However, a central piece to this all is Hitomi and her ability to see the future, which has grown strong on this world that has Earth in close view in the night sky.
Despite all this, she is just a normal girl with no special abilities (other than her sight, which still works sporadically) trying to survive on this mystical world long enough to get home. The question is: can she?
The Vision of Escaflowne is beautifully done, with superb animation in comparison to other TV series, and regular use of computer animation in wonderful ways. This series should be a classic for a long time to come, and definitely should be given a chance.

Well, it's back! VERSUS KNIGHT LAMUNE & 40 FIRE is out for another season, with most of the old characters back in action (in various ways). Third Yusha Lumness is introduced as the galaxy's savior, the son of the Second Yusha Lumness, who married Milk and lived happily ever after (or so we think). This time the enemies are Pheromone, Dundy, and Aburaam. Guiding Lumness in his struggle are Kakao and Parfait (played by the voice of Evangelion's Soryu Asuka Langley), with Da Cider back as Lum's partner. Of course Kaizel Fire is back too, and together they'll save the galaxy or blow it up fighting amongst themselves.
While it has its funny moments, this show really isn't as good as I hoped it would be. The quality of the animation is second-rate at best. The writing could be better, but I'd like to think the scripts might get better as the writer gets used to the genre. The quality of the animation is a lost cause, however. The seiyuu are decently talented, and it shows--it's just a shame they have to be one of the two good points of the entire series. The other interesting point is the opening song, which is what attracted me to the show in the first place. In any case, I would avoid getting this second series of VERSUS KNIGHT LAMUNE & 40 FIRE until you see it in a used anime shop in Suehirocho (Tokyo). While this show might be appealing to little kids, fans of the original series might be disappointed by this sequel; if so, they really should avoid this.

Another recent TV series, KODOMO NO OMOCHA ("Children's Toys"), which is rather wild and funny. I completely enjoy this series because of its feel and its unpredictable characters.
The main character of this series is Sana, a wild pre-pubescent teen who's getting involved with the TV scene. Very charismatic, she has the ability to get the rest of the girls to gravitate to her. This helps her to become a TV star, recognized and adored by many. Her manager, Rei (whom she claims as her boyfriend) is not only her manager, but her chauffeur and bodyguard. Sana's antithesis is Hayama, a boy her age in her class who she claims is an oni (demon). Hayama is a quiet, rather emotionless kid who seems to be picked on by Sana unnecessarily. Because he doesn't care one way or the other, the boys generally start rowdy fights in-class (their teacher is rather ineffective as an authority figure) with the girls. Of course, the usual schemes abound: blackmail, spying, dares, humiliation, etc. That's what makes this show so fun. Of course, these two adversaries seem to be gravitating closer and closer to each other; as time goes by Sana watches Hayama more and more closely...
The animation is not the best, but not really second-rate, either. The wild fight scenes are well-executed, and get one's attention very quickly. The writing is pretty good, and it intersperses comedy with character development. Finally, the soundtrack is well-timed and amusing, from the opening theme of Juukuji no News (7 o'clock news) till the end. While this can officially be considered Shojo anime, this is really fun for everyone who enjoys a little comedy now and then. (continued)

TENKYUU NO ESCAFLOWNE, VS KNIGHT LAMUNE & 40 FIRE, KODOMO NO OMOCHA briefs by Orin Starchaser.