Archive for Kazune Kawahara

Animes…the ones I want to watch

Posted in Japan, Movies, psychology, Random with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 31, 2009 by Poonam Vaidya

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After watching the Bleach movie, which was depressing but I liked the effects…I have decided to watch more… these are my picks or Anime ‘Wish List’ if you will

1. Air the Movie

Air is a 2005 Japanese animated film directed by Osamu Dezaki and written by Makoto Nakamura based on the visual novel of the same name by Key.

Yukito Kunisaki (Hikaru Midorikawa), a traveling puppeteer, arrives in a small sea-side town in the hopes of earning money at the upcoming summer festival. At the same time Misuzu Kamio (Tomoko Kawakami) is just leaving school after discussing her summer project with one of her teachers. Choosing to do a project on the history of the town, Misuzu finds a book containing the story of Kannabi no Mikoto (Chinami Nishimura), the inspiration for the upcoming festival. After crashing her bike and encountering Yukito on the beach, Misuzu invites Yukito to stay at her home until the festival begins after learning that he has no place to stay. After meeting Misuzu’s eccentric aunt Haruko (Aya Hisakawa), and getting a hangover the next morning from drinking with her, Yukito accompanies Misuzu throughout the town as she does research for her project.

As the two become closer, the story of Kannabi no Mikoto, or Kanna for short, begins to unfold, telling how Kanna, the last of the winged beings, fell in love with her guardian Ryūya (Nobutoshi Canna) while being sequestered in a palace under penalty of death if she attempted to leave. As the two eventually become lovers, Kanna reveals her desire to escape and use her wings to fly to her mother, whom she was separated at birth from. Eventually, Ryūya decides to help Kanna see her dream and the two plot their escape.

2. The Place Promised in our Early Days

The anime follows the story of three friends living in Aomori on the northern end of southern Japan: two boys, Hiroki Fujisawa and Takuya Shirakawa, both child prodigies; and one girl, Sayuri Sawatari. In 1996, the three are in eighth grade, their last year of middle school, and they are fascinated by the Hokkaido Tower visible across the Tsugaru Strait to the north.

On the last day before spring break, one of Sayuri’s friends, Kana Matsuura, confesses to Takuya that she has romantic feelings for him, but he does not return her feelings. Takuya tells Hiroki that he should date Kana instead, but Hiroki declines, as he is actually romantically interested in Sayuri. Hiroki stays after school for archery practice while Sayuri stays after school for violin practice; they ride the train home together and get to know each other, and Sayuri becomes close friends with the two boys.

The two boys have found a crashed Maritime Self-Defense Force drone plane. Naming it the Bella Ciela, they work on rebuilding the plane, scrounging parts from their workplace, the Emishi Manufacturing factory, with the help of their boss, Mr. Okabe. The three teenagers promise to one day fly to Hokkaido to visit the Tower. However, before they can do this, Sayuri mysteriously disappears during the summer.

Three years later…

3. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女, Toki o Kakeru Shōjo?), also referred as TokiKake for short, is an animated Japanese film produced by the animation studio Madhouse and distributed through Kadokawa Herald Pictures, first released in theaters in Japan on July 15, 2006

Makoto Konno (Riisa Naka/Emily Hirst), a girl attending high school in Tokyo’s shitamachi, realizes she has the power to go back in time and re-do things (called a “time-leap”) when she impossibly avoids a fatal accident at a train crossing one day.

Bewildered, she consults with her aunt (Sachie Hara/Saffron Henderson) throughout the film, who then implies that she is the protagonist (Kazuko Yoshiyama) from the original novel. At first, Makoto uses her power extravagantly to avoid being tardy and to get perfect grades on tests, and even relive a single karaoke session for about ten hours. However, things begin to turn bad as she discovers how her actions can adversely affect others.

Makoto ends up using up more of her leaps to recklessly prevent undesirable situations from happening, including an awkward confession of love from her best friend Chiaki Mamiya (Takuya Ishida/Andrew Francis). Eventually she discovers a numbered tattoo on her arm which counts down with each leap. She determines that the tattoo indicates that she can only leap through time a limited number of times. With only a few time leaps left, she attempts to make things right for everyone, but impulsively uses her final leap to prevent a phone call from Chiaki asking if she knows about time-leaping. As a result, she is unable to prevent her friend Kōsuke Tsuda (Mitsutaka Itakura/Alex Zahara) and his girlfriend, Kaho, from being killed in the accident at the train crossing that Makoto was originally involved in. As Makoto watches the accident in horror, time suddenly stops.

Chiaki reveals that he is a traveller from the future and leapt through time in order to see a painting being restored by Makoto’s aunt, as it has been destroyed in the future. While walking in the frozen city, Chiaki hints that his original era occurs after a world wide catastrophe decimates mankind. He then reveals that he has used his final leap to prevent Kōsuke’s accident and has stopped time only to explain to Makoto what the consequences will be. Having revealed his origins and the source of the item that allowed Makoto to leap through time, and being unable to return to his time period, Chiaki must disappear. Makoto realizes too late that she loves him as well.

True to his words, Chiaki disappears when time begins again and Makoto is upset. As she tries to come to terms with losing him, she discovers that Chiaki’s time-leap had inadvertently restored one time-leap to her: Chiaki had leapt back to before Makoto used her last leap. Makoto now leaps to the moment when she gained her powers, at which point Chiaki still has one remaining time-leap. She reveals everything that he told her in the future concerning who he is, the ability to leap through time, and his reasons for extending his stay in her time frame. Shortly before returning to his time period, Chiaki says he will wait for her in the future and Makoto replies that she will run towards it.

4. Harukanaru the movie

One rainy day, Akane crosses path with a kind young man who tacitly offers to her his coat. On their second encounter, he confesses that he has no recollection of who he is, his name or his past, but feels contented by just being with her. Besotted, Akane sets out to find his name, and to unravel his enigmatic connection with a famous cursed dance rumoured to kill anyone who attempts to perform it.


5. Ah! My Goddess The movie

Morgan le Fay heads to the Lunar Prison on the moon and releases the seal. She is able to make contact with a small mask that reveals that they must unite for their common goal.

On Earth, it is the start of the New Year at Nekomi Institute of Technology, and various clubs seek to recruit new members. The Motor Club is one of them, and tries to lure new applicants with a display of the vehicles they race with, including the new two-seater Keiichi Morisato and Belldandy will be using in an upcoming race. Many new members initially join, including Morgan in human form. However, most of them are scared away by Toraichi Tamiya and Otaki Aoyama.

That night, while the club members celebrate, Keiichi inadvertently finds himself in a compromising situation with club member Hasegawa. Belldandy runs outside, with Keiichi in pursuit. When Keiichi catches up to her, she apologizes; Keiichi simply smiles and comments upon the arrival of spring. Comforted, Belldandy smiles back and tells him in a flurry of cherry blossoms that she hopes she can spend all of her springs with him. Celestin, a former mentor of Belldandy, then appears. Urd flies in and angrily orders Celestin to step away from Belldandy. Refusing to step away, he turns Belldandy around and gives her a kiss on the lips, whereupon Belldandy collapses, much to everyone’s shock. Urd then attacks him with a lightning bolt, but he has disappeared. At the temple, Urd finds out that Belldandy has been infected with a virus. Peorth calls to inform Urd that Yggdrasil has also been compromised by the virus, and isolates The Heavens from Earth as a security measure until it is stopped, meaning that Belldandy cannot receive treatment until the matter is resolved.

When she finally regains consciousness, Belldandy can not recall memories of Keiichi, even though she can identify Skuld and Urd immediately. Urd recognizes the symptoms as selective amnesia and informs Keiichi that all of Belldandy’s memories after their first encounter must have been sealed. Proving Urd’s speculation, Belldandy informs Keiichi that she may grant him one wish. After Skuld reprimands him, Keiichi craftily wishes that Belldandy’s memories be restored, but as Yggdrasil is down, Belldandy finds that she cannot process the request. Skuld attempts to restore Belldandy’s memory with a number of inventions, but the most they do is remind Belldandy to give Keiichi her business card. Unable to find an immediate solution, Keiichi decides to accept the current situation for the moment, and try to live as normally as possible.

When the Motor Club is told about Belldandy’s condition, they are shocked, but also concerned about their upcoming race; the competition is a mixed-gender race. When Sora declines the opportunity, Morgan offers to take Belldandy’s place. Unsure about her skill, the club gives her a trial-run with Keiichi; seeing them ride the bike causes some traces of memory to return to Belldandy.

Up to this point, Keiichi has managed to remain surprisingly stoic despite Belldandy’s condition. However, as he drives back to the temple that night at dangerously high speeds, he is so immersed in his troubles that he subconsciously expects Belldandy to aid him in making a sharp turn, without realizing that those memories remain locked and this almost causes an accident. Realizing Keiichi’s guilt stirs something in Belldandy’s heart, perhaps a faint reminder of the love they once shared.

When Belldandy accidentally uncovers a photo album filled with pictures of the two at the temple, she realizes just how deeply her amnesia has affected Keiichi. Realizing the recent emptiness in his smiles inspires Belldandy to get to know him better, starting by opting to remain as Keiichi’s partner in the upcoming race despite her amnesia. When an irritated Morgan hears about Belldandy’s renewed resolve, she challenges Keiichi and Belldandy to a race, teaming up with Megumi at Keiichi’s request. Despite their best efforts however, Megumi and Morgan are no match for the two, and what’s more, the experience apparently unlocks more of Belldandy’s memories.

That night, Belldandy accidentally overhears a discussion between Keiichi and her sisters regarding Celestine’s role in the current crisis. Realizing that Celestine erased her memories and inserted the virus, Belldandy stumbles out into the night, shocked and confused. Taking advantage of the situation, Celestine lures Belldandy away and when Urd arrives, he uses the virus to turn Belldandy against her elder sister in combat. Keiichi and Skuld’s arrival causes a massive amount of uncontrollable energy from Belldandy as she struggles to reaffirm her sense of self, knocking out everyone in the vicinity. Successfully finding the side of her that she hid away after Celestine’s betrayal allows her to safely dissipate the energy, though she faints in the process. Skuld wakes up to find the locality ravaged in the aftermath of the battlefield. When she spots Celestine calmly stepping down the stairs, she summons Noble Scarlet and angrily knocks Celestine with a thunderbolt into a screen, causing water to flood. Keiichi awakens just in time to notice the oncoming wave, and rushes to cover Belldandy, so that he will take the brunt of the blow for her. Belldandy awakens to find Keiichi comatose on the ground and hysterically tries to revive him.

6. Princess Mononoke

Set in feudal Japan, a time of upheaval of samurai and isolated villages, Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince,[2] Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown (Tataraba in the original Japanese), and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it.

The film begins with Ashitaka receiving a curse during a battle with a demonic giant boar called Nago which is threatening to destroy his village. During the fight, Ashitaka receives a wound on his right arm; the cursed wound will spread to the rest of his body and eventually kill him. Ashitaka resolves to journey to the boar’s origin, the lands to the West, and find a cure for the curse. He cuts his hair, signifying his permanent departure from his village,[3] and rides out with his steed Yakul, his loyal red elk. On his journey, Ashitaka passes by a village suffering a samurai attack. Some samurai attack him, and Ashitaka defeats them with the supernatural strength of his cursed arm. In a nearby town he meets Jigo, a wandering monk impressed by his feats of arm, who informs Ashitaka that the god of the forest in the mountains of the west may be able to help him.

Kodama of the forest.

A nearby town in the mountains of the west, called Iron Town or Tatara Ba,[4] continually clears the nearby forests to make charcoal to smelt ironsand, leading to battles with beasts attempting to protect their diminishing forest. In one such battle, a pack of wolves, led by the wolf god Moro, attack villagers transporting rice. They are accompanied by San, a human girl adopted by the wolves whom the people of Iron Town call ‘Princess Mononoke’. In the attack Moro and several villagers are injured. The day following the battle, Ashitaka finds two injured villagers near a river. While rescuing them, he sees San treating Moro’s wounds, and she disappears quickly. He returns the villagers to Irontown passing through a forest full of bestial gods, including diminutive sprites called kodama. Also in the forest is the Forest Spirit (Shishigami in the original Japanese), described as a “god of life and death”, who takes the form of a deer-like kirin during the day and a large shadowy “night-walker” (Daidarabotchi) at night.

Ashitaka is given a warm welcome when he reaches Irontown. He learns from the leader of Irontown, Lady Eboshi, that the giant boar which cursed him was once a forest god called Nago and that Eboshi had shot the boar, driving it to madness. On hearing this Ashitaka is filled with rage and must restrain his right arm from killing Eboshi. He is dissuaded from doing so by lepers whom Eboshi has taken under her care and employed as gunmakers. She also employs former prostitutes in her famous ironworks in order to free them from brothels. Irontown is then infiltrated by San, who attacks Eboshi. Ashitaka intervenes to stop the two sides’ fighting and takes San back to the forest, but is severely wounded when he is shot through the chest. With his curse’s power, he manages to open the gate and leave the town, but collapses soon afterward. San presents Ashitaka to the Forest Spirit who heals his wounds but does not remove the curse.

San soon learns that the boars, under the leadership of the boar god Okkoto, are planning another attack on Irontown. Eboshi prepares for the assault and sets out to destroy the Forest Spirit. The head of the Forest Spirit is believed to grant immortality. Jigo, who is now revealed to be a mercenary-hunter, plans to give the head to the emperor; in return the emperor promises to give Irontown legal protection against the envious daimyos coveting the town’s prosperity. Eboshi, however, suspects (rightly) that the emperor’s agents are also assigned to take control of Irontown at the most opportune moment. Meanwhile, Ashitaka recovers and falls in love with San, something she has difficulty accepting due to her lifelong hatred of other humans.

In the ensuing battle, Irontown successfully sets a trap for the boars, devastating their army. Jigo’s hunters also succeed in corrupting Okkoto in the same way as Nago, and San becomes entangled in Okkoto’s demonic tentacles. Moro, also badly wounded, saves San, and then is killed, along with Okkoto, by the Forest Spirit, in mercy for their suffering. Eboshi then succeeds in shooting off the Forest Spirit’s head while it is transforming into the night-walker. Jigo collects the head while the body is transformed into a god of death covering the surrounding land with a lethal black ooze that completely destroys all life and turns the land barren. The hunters scatter before the ooze and the population of Irontown moves into the surrounding lake, leaving Irontown to destruction. Ashitaka and San manage to take the head from Jigo and return it to the Forest Spirit. It collapses into the lake and the land becomes green again. Ashitaka and San part, vowing to see each other occasionally while Ashitaka, finally freed of his curse, will help rebuild Irontown. Eboshi survives, albeit without an arm, and vows to rebuild Irontown along more harmonious lines. The film ends with a kodam appearing in the rejuvenated forest.

7. Lovely Complex

Alternative title:

LoveCom
ラブ★コン (Japanese)
러브★콤 (Korean)
Genres: comedy, romance, slice of life

Themes: Love, school life, Sports
Risa Koizumi, taller than the average girl, and Atsushi Ootani, shorter than the average guy – their constant bickering and comical love-hate relationship is well-known throughout the school. They act similarly and love the same music, and their friendship is full of laughing, shouting at each other, and of course, lots of jokes about one another’s height. But when Risa notices her feelings for Ootani growing, she’s worried. She doesn’t know if he can ever see her as more than a friend. With her friends rooting for her, she struggles to make him see how she feels about him, and that a romantic relationship between a tall girl and a short guy can work. Oblivious Ootani doesn’t make things easy for her, but she stubbornly perseveres in her own unconventional way, determined for her feelings to get through to him, and finally be returned. If only she could do it without driving herself and everyone else crazy in the process…

8. Kazune Kawahara (Also called High School Debut)

High School Debut (高校デビュー, Kōkō Debyū?, also known as Koukou Debut) is a shōjo romantic comedy manga by Kazune Kawahara (河原 和音, Kawahara Kazune?). It was serialized in Japan by Shueisha in Bessatsu Margaret from 2003 to 2008 and collected in 13 bound volumes.

Haruna Nagashima gave her all to softball in middle school, now that she has made her high school debut, she has decided to give her all for a new goal: getting a boyfriend and falling in love. However, she has one small problem—since she never paid any attention to fashion or trends in middle school, she has no idea how to go about attracting her yet-to-be-found love. But a chance encounter with Yoh Komiyama (who’s the school prince) provides her with the opportunity she needs. If he coaches her in how to become attractive, surely she can find herself a boyfriend.

Yoh then agrees to coach Haruna, after her great persistence. But he tells her she mustn’t fall in love with him. And that is exactly what happens. The story from then follows Haruna as she debates whether she should confess to Yoh, or keep her secret to herself.

9. Akira

AKIRA (アキラ?) is a 1988 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Katsuhiro Otomo based on his manga of the same name.

In 1988, Tokyo is destroyed by an apparent nuclear explosion that leads to the start of World War III. Thirty-one years later, Neo-Tokyo, a metropolis built on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, is troubled by political strife and gang violence. Shotaro Kaneda leads his motorcycle gang, including Yamagata, Kaneda’s right-hand man, Kai, and Tetsuo Shima, Kaneda’s best friend, in a war with another gang called the Clowns. As Kaneda and Tetsuo battle a pair of Clowns on a highway, Tetsuo almost runs into a child with wizened features (Takashi) and is injured when his bike suddenly explodes. Tetsuo and the child are taken away by armed soldiers. Kaneda and his gang are taken in for questioning, where Kaneda unsuccessfully flirts with a young girl named Kei, and the group are later released.

Tetsuo, under watch by Colonel Shikishima and Doctor Onishi, is discovered to have mental frequencies similar to “Akira“, a boy with powerful, almost god-like, mental abilities. Akira was the cause of the explosion that started World War III thirty-one years earlier. Aware that another gifted child, Kiyoko, has had visions of Neo-Tokyo’s destruction in the same manner, the Colonel orders the doctor to kill Tetsuo should the powers manifest any further. Tetsuo escapes and meets up with his girlfriend Kaori and steals Kaneda’s motorcycle. They are attacked by Clowns who attempt to sexually assault Kaori, but Kaneda and the gang show up and defeat the Clowns. As Kaneda helps Tetsuo and Kaori recover, Tetsuo begins to suffer a very painful headache as the ping sound occur and begins to fall down and sees his belly tear and his organs spilled out. A government van arrives to take him away, refusing to answer Kaneda’s questions. Later that evening, Kaneda sees Kei, helps her avoid arrest, and goes with her to the Resistance headquarters. Kaneda offers to help after they reveal their plan to infiltrate the hospital that Tetsuo was taken to.

That night, Tetsuo is attacked by the three psychics Espers, Takashi, Kiyoko and Masaru, causing his powers to manifest further, killing a doctor and damaging the hospital in his attempts to find them. In the Espers’ room, Tetsuo learns that Akira was a young boy with similar powers, now in cryogenic storage below the new Stadium being built for the upcoming Olympics, and that he may be able to help Tetsuo remove his pain. The Colonel, Kei, and Kaneda, converging on the Espers’ room, learn that Tetsuo is heading for the Stadium to meet Akira. Kei and Kaneda are detained, but Kiyoko, speaking through Kei, explains that Tetsuo must be stopped, and helps them escape. That night, Tetsuo attacks his fellow gang members, killing Yamagata for whom he harbored a bitter hatred. He then departs for the stadium. Tetsuo fends off full-force attacks by the army on his way to the Olympic Stadium. At the Stadium, Tetsuo unearths the Akira chamber to find it empty except for the organs of Akira stored in jars. Kaneda, having learned of Yamagata’s death from Kai, uses Tetsuo’s moment of confusion to fight him with a laser rifle, but Tetsuo is able to dodge the attacks. The Colonel tries to shoot Tetsuo using a orbital laser weapon, managing only to sever his right arm. Tetsuo takes off into orbit and destroys the weapon, then spends the night recovering at the Stadium, psychically forging himself a new arm from inorganic material. His girlfriend Kaori arrives and tries to calm him down as his powers create immense physical pain.

The Colonel pleads with Tetsuo to return to the lab, but Tetsuo thinks it is a trick to kill him and attacks the Colonel. When the Colonel fires back, with Kaneda joining the fray, Tetsuo is unable to keep control any longer, and his body begins to transform into a gigantic mass that crushes and kills Kaori. The Espers, watching from afar, realize the only way to stop Tetsuo is to call forth Akira, his life force contained in the body parts in the chamber under the stadium. Akira’s manifestation causes another explosion, and the Espers teleport the Colonel to safety. Despite warnings from the Espers that entering the field will prevent Kaneda from being saved, Kaneda enters the field to try to save Tetsuo. The Espers agree to sacrifice themselves to save Kaneda, and also enter the field. Kaneda experiences Tetsuo’s and the Espers’ memories, including how much Tetsuo trusted Kaneda as a friend and how the children obtained their powers. The Espers remove Kaneda from the field and tell him that Akira will be taking Tetsuo “away” and to find somewhere safe to ride out the explosion. The explosion engulfs much of Neo-Tokyo, and when it disappears, leaves a void that is quickly filled by the nearby ocean. Kaneda wakes up to find that Kei and Kai are safe, and they drive away from the ruined stadium and the dying city. The credits begins with a Big bang and Tetsuo saying three last words, “I am Tetsuo”.

10. Excel Saga

Genres: action, comedy, science fiction

Themes: Parody

Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)

Plot Summary: Hyperactive Excel does anything and everything to try to please her lord, Ilpalazzo, who wants to take over the planet. Excel’s misadventures takes her and her partner, the ever-dying Hyatt, all over the world, meeting several strange people as they go. Everything is bizarre and goofy, as any kind of anime or entertainment genre gets mocked and spoofed.

11. Paprika

Genres: fantasy, horror, mystery, psychological, science fiction, thriller

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: In the near future, a revolutionary new psychotherapy treatment called PT has been invented. Through a device called the “DC Mini” it is able to act as a “dream detective” to enter into people’s dreams and explore their unconscious thoughts. Before the government can pass a bill authorizing the use of such advanced psychiatric technology, one of the prototypes is stolen, sending the research facility into an uproar. In the wrong hands, the potential misuse of the device could be devastating, allowing the user to completely annihilate a dreamer’s personality while they are asleep. Renowned scientist, Dr. Atsuko Chiba, enters the dream world under her exotic alter-ego, code name “PAPRIKA,” in an attempt to discover who is behind the plot to undermine the new invention.

12. Perfect Blue

Genres: drama, horror, mystery, psychological, thriller

Age rating: Mature (May contain sex, drugs, and extreme graphic violence)

Plot Summary: Pop idol Mima quits her group in order to pursue an acting career. But not everyone is happy especially a crazed fan that stalks her. People around her are being murdered and Mima starts to lose her sanity.

13. Phoenix 2772

Genres: adventure, drama, science fiction

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: Phoenix 2772 starts with twelve minutes without dialogue, much like a silent film, recalling the birth and education of Godo. In this brave new world, children are born in test tubes and are raised by computers and robots. Godo learns the skills that will make him into a great pilot, assisted by the robotic wonder Olga. Everything that Godo needs is provided for him until he eventually goes for training with his automaton companion. He soon realizes that the world is not what he expected…


14. Sailor Moon R (movie)

Sailor Moon R: The Movie is the first of three theatrically released Sailor Moon movies. Its full name in Japanese is Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R The Movie (劇場版 美少女戦士セーラームーンR, Gekijouhan Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R?). The English dub is called Sailor Moon R the Movie: Promise of the Rose.

The movie opens with a young Mamoru on the roof of a hospital: he hands another small boy a rose. The little boy thanks him and says “No one has ever given me a gift before” and dissolves into thin air as he vows to bring Mamoru a flower. The movie flashes to the present day. Mamoru, Usagi, and the rest of the four “Inner” Senshi are at a botanical garden. Usagi tries to steal a kiss from Mamoru, but when he notices that they’re being spied on he walks off outside alone.

Suddenly the fountain a few feet from him mysteriously goes silent and a pink rose-petal floats past him. The sky goes dark and thousands of flower petals fall out of the sky as the girls come outside, Usagi and Chibiusa laughing and giggling. A young man about Mamoru’s age appears and the flower petals vanish. Usagi runs up to Mamoru, asking him if he saw the flower petals, but the young man interrupts her and takes Mamoru’s hand. Mamoru has no idea who the man is and Usagi is terrified of what’s occurring. She tries to remove the man’s hand from Mamoru, but the man gets angry and pushes Usagi down. He vows that no one will prevent him from keeping his promise: he shoots flower petals at the group and then vanishes in a flurry of them. While the girls question the identity of the young man, Mamoru mutters “Fiore… it can’t be.”

Later, back at Rei’s temple, the group (without Mamoru) discuss an asteroid approaching Earth and on which Luna and Artemis have discovered traces of vegetal life. The talk degenerates into gossip about Mamoru’s and Fiore’s possible relationship, while Usagi thinks about how Mamoru had told her he had no family and was alone, and how she had promised him she would be his family from now on.

Fiore sends a flower monster, Glycina, to Tokyo where it begins draining the life energy from the populace. The Guardian Senshi free the people, but suffer injuries. It emerges that Fiore is working with a Xenian flower. Fiore resumes his attack, but just as he seems about to kill Sailor Moon by impaling her on his claw-like fingernails, Tuxedo Mask jumps in front of her and takes the hit himself. Mortified, Fiore takes Mamoru’s limp body back aboard an asteroid rapidly approaching Earth and begins to revive him in a crystal filled with liquid.

Mamoru remembers a young Fiore, who had made friends with him just after his parents died. Mamoru had assumed that the boy was an imaginary friend. Fiore had had to leave Mamoru as the Earth’s atmosphere was unsuitable for him, but before they parted, Mamoru gave Fiore a rose. After that, Fiore wandered the galaxy, searching for a worthy flower for Mamoru, and found the Xenian blossom, which takes over his mind. He then returns to Earth, seeking revenge on the humans who had made Mamoru lonely.

Meanwhile the Senshi have found out that the energy from the asteroid matches the evil energy of the flower monster, and conclude that Fiore must be hiding there and keeping Mamoru prisoner. After Luna and Artemis tell them about an old legend regarding the Xenian flower and how it destroyed planets by using weak-hearted people, the Senshi teleport to the asteroid to battle Fiore and rescue Mamoru.

Hundreds of flowers cover the asteroid. Fiore confronts the Senshi and tells them of his plan to scatter flower seeds all over the planet, draining humanity’s energy. The Senshi then fight hundreds of flower-monsters. The monsters then combine into one and ensnare the Guardian Senshi; Mars tosses Moon aside before it can get her too. Fiore orders Moon to drop her weapon, the Cutie Moon Rod, and surrender, or her friends will suffer. They urge her to fight, but she drops the weapon and begins to cry. Xenian’s control over Fiore weakens with the display of emotion and the flower monsters disappear.

The Xenian then possesses Fiore’s body. Mamoru breaks free as Fiore begins to attack Moon. Fiore accuses Usagi of inability to understand his loneliness, causing the Guardian Senshi to remember their own loneliness. The Guardian Senshi tell Fiore that without Usagi, they all would have been alone, and beg him not to kill her. Fiore goes to stab Usagi, and Mamoru throws a rose and collapses. Usagi is safe. The rose embedded in Fiore’s chest blooms and causes the Xenian’s possession of Fiore to break.

Fiore feels betrayed by Mamoru and all the flowers on the asteroid vanish. However, the asteroid continues to hurtle towards Earth. Usagi wakes up, and despite her friends’ warnings uses the Ginzuishou to try to change the course of the asteroid. However, Fiore suddenly grabs Usagi’s brooch in an attempt to stop her. Usagi grabs Fiore, who is suddenly shown a vision. Fiore realizes that Usagi had given Mamoru the rose that Mamoru gave to Fiore. Fiore becomes overcome with emotion, and the Xenian is destroyed. Fiore vanishes, and Mamoru and the Guardian Senshi lend Princess Serenity their powers to sustain the Ginzuishou as the asteroid descends towards Earth. The Ginzuishou breaks, the asteroid breaks up, and Usagi dies. The girls and Mamoru cry over Usagi, but Fiore reappears and thanks Mamoru. He gives Mamoru a nectar-filled flower with Fiore’s life energy. Mamoru wets his lips with the nectar and kisses Usagi, reviving her.

I saw this movie. I don’t reccomend it anymore.

15. Sailor Moon S (movie)

Genres: adventure, drama, magic, romance


Themes: Henshin, Magical girl, Sentai

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: An unusual snow storm hits Tokyo and the Sailor Senshi discover that an evil snow queen Kaguya, wants to freeze the entire earth. It’s up to the Inner Sailor Senshi along with the Outers, to defeat the Queen. Meanwhile, Luna falls in love with a human astronomer named Kakeru whose girlfriend is an astronaut about to take a space shuttle mission. Kakeru becomes ill and Luna wishes she could be a human to help him.

16. Sailor Moon Super S (movie)

Genres: drama, magic

Themes: Aliens, Henshin, Magical Girl, Sentai

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: Everywhere around the world, the children sleep. Unaware of danger lurking in the shadows. But tonight, a strange darkness floats in the wind. And the children, one by one, begin to disappear. It seems to be a supernatural force that feeds on their dreams. The evil queen, Badiyanu, and her loyal fairies assist in using the “Black Dream Hole” to swallow the earth. It is up to Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers to prevent the approaching Darkness.

17. Spirited Away

Genres: adventure, drama, fantasy, supernatural

Themes: magic, spirits

Age rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)

Plot Summary: On their way to their new home, a young girl, Chihiro, and her parents stumble into what appears to be an abandoned theme park. But all is not as it seems, as the theme park is a bath-house for the spirits, and not a place where humans are welcome. Chihiro must fend for herself and rescue her parents, as they have been turned to pigs as punishment for eating the food meant for the gods.

18. Ranma Movie 1 Big Trouble in Nekonron, China

Genres: action, adventure, comedy

Themes: gender switch

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: All is well at the Tendo residence when from out of nowhere, a Chinese girl named Lychee appears, seeking revenge on Happosai for a broken promise made since her birth. Things get worse when Kirin and the Seven Lucky Gods appear and abduct Akane to take as his wife. Ranma and the gang must travel to Nekonron, China, and save Akane from getting married to Kirin.

19. Ranma Movie 2 Nihao, My Concubine

Genres: action, adventure, comedy

Themes: gender switch

Age rating: Teenagers (May contain bloody violence, bad language, nudity)

Plot Summary: Ranma and the gang are invited to a boating trip with Kuno. Unfortunately, a storm destroys the yacht and everyone is stranded on a remote island. The whole situation goes even more awry when one by one, the girls disappear without a trace. Ranma then finds out that the girls are abducted by Toma, ruler of the island, as part of his personal harem.
20. Howl’s Moving Castle

Eighteen-year-old Sophie, who runs her late father’s hat shop, encounters the mysterious wizard Howl by chance. He takes a liking to her. This attracts the attention of the Witch of the Waste, who has been seeking Howl’s heart for herself. She curses Sophie, turning her into an old woman. Unable to tell anyone about the curse, Sophie decides to look for Howl in the Wastes. Along the way, she befriends an animated scarecrow she names Turnip Head. They come across Howl’s moving castle. Once inside, Sophie meets the fire demon Calcifer who powers the castle and recognizes that Sophie has been cursed. Calcifer offers to break the curse in exchange for Sophie’s help in breaking the pact between him and Howl. When Howl appears, Sophie announces that she is the castle’s new cleaning lady. As she adjusts to life in the castle, she discovers that the front door is a magic portal leading to several places. She also learns that Howl is vain and immature, and that the Witch of the Waste’s vengeance is due to Howl’s past behaviour towards her.

Howl receives summons from the King, who orders his various assumed identities to fight in the war started by the disappearance of Crown Prince Justin. Howl refuses to fight and suspects that it is also a trap set by his mentor, the King’s Head Sorceress, Madame Suliman. Howl sends Sophie as his mother to decline. At the palace, Sophie runs into the Witch of the Waste and is told that her curse is unreversable. As Madame Suliman is against the forming of pacts between sorcerers/sorceresses and demons, she punishes the Witch by draining all of the latter’s power. Losing her (more) youthful facade, the Witch returns to her true age, and becomes a seemingly senile old woman. Suliman tells Sophie that Howl will meet the same fate if he does not contribute to the war. As she is telling Madame Suliman that Howl is not really cowardly, but rather honest and kind, Sophie briefly reverts to her youthful self. She turns back into a old woman when Madame Suliman responds. Howl then arrives to rescue Sophie, with the Witch and Suliman’s asthmatic lapdog Heen tagging along. He gives Sophie a magical ring that would guide her to whomever she thinks about. Suliman, knowing Sophie’s true identity, begins tracking her to get to Howl.

Sophie learns through Calcifer and dreams that Howl transforms into a bird- or demon-like creature to escape pursuers and interfere in the war, but each transformation leaves it more difficult for him to return to human form. Sophie’s love and care for Howl and the others at the castle have gradually pushed her closer to her true age, and she now looks younger and is no longer hunched. Howl shows his appreciation for her by transforming the castle so that it becomes neater, more pleasant, and can lead to Sophie’s old room.

Sophie’s still young and beautiful mother, Honey, visits one day, feigning affection and cheer. She is actually under Suliman’s threats, and the former Witch of the Waste discovers the spying “bug” Honey leaves behind. Before the bug is destroyed, it alerts Suliman to their location, and she sends troops to capture Howl. Howl transforms and draws the guards away, while Sophie and Calcifer bring the castle to the Wastes though Calcifer’s power is rapidly fading. The Witch of the Waste sees Howl’s heart in Calcifer’s diminishing flames, and grabs it. To save her from burning, Sophie douses her with water. Calcifer is reduced to a small, blue flame, and is no longer able to control the castle. The castle breaks apart, and Sophie and Heen are thrown over a cliff.

Sophie recovers in tears, believing that she has killed both Calcifer and Howl, as their lives are interconnected. As Howl’s ring crumbles, she asks to be guided to Howl. It points to the remains of Howl’s castle door; she walks through it. She finds herself in Howl’s favourite childhood spot, and soon discovers that she is in Howl’s past. She sees Calcifer being caught by Howl as a falling star. To save Calcifer’s life, Howl gives his heart to him and thus loses the ability to love. Before being returned to the present, Sophie shouts for attention, and asks him to wait for her in the future.

Back in the present, Sophie finds Howl and realizes that he has been waiting for her all along. He carries her to the others and then collapses. She takes Howl’s heart from the Witch and puts it back in his chest, breaking the bond between Howl and Calcifer. Calcifer returns to his original form and flies away. The remains of the castle, no longer powered, slide down the cliffs. Turnip Head stops the fall and saves everyone, but is damaged. Sophie gives him a kiss, and he transforms (back) into the missing Prince Justin. The Prince thanks Sophie for breaking the curse as his true love, but Sophie then kisses Howl, her true love. By now, she has all but transformed back to her youthful self but in hair colour, which is left gray. Prince Justin leaves to put an end to the war. Madame Suliman, who has been watching through Heen’s eyes, orders her subjects to cease fire. Later, Howl, Sophie, and the others are seen aboard a new flying castle powered by Calcifer of his free will. Howl and Sophie embrace and kiss.