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Meiran
Reviews
The Haunting (1999)
Expect less, get more
I'll be absolutley honest, I don't understand those that cannot stand this film. The cinematography was beyond what I expected, the special effects were seamless. This was the kind of film that makes me proud to be an aspiring filmmaker.
So the characters weren't so deep you couldn't follow a line of dialogue, but were you expecting Shakespeare? So the plot was pretty much predicatable, but was Titanic really a surprise in any way?
I was amazed at how much I enjoyed this film. Because I managed to let go of preconceived notions and let myself be scared, I let my imagination run wild rather than expecting the movie to do it for me. I slept with the lights on because I kept seeing faces and movements in the shadows. I used the film as a vehicle for enjoyment, and that's what it was. Stop expecting your movies to be James Joyce and let them be Jan De Bont. It's a movie, not a masterpeice. Enjoy yourself. If you're the type that goes to the theater to have a little fun and let go, you'll surely enjoy The Haunting.
Weißkreuz (1998)
Lots of blood, violence, and actual character development.
I'll admit, I've only seen through the seventh episode of a decent fansub. But it was extremely good, I highly recommend it. There's more to it than weekly assassinations and bloody deaths, each character has a complex past that is revealed slowly. While it could be considered graphic by an American not used to cartoons meant for older audiences, it's rather conservative when compared to other anime.
The animation is good, the storyline is great, the seiyuu are amazing to say the least. It's well worth the money to get a fansub.
Fushigi Yûgi (1995)
Don't watch episode one if you don't have time to watch the rest...
Fushigi Yuugi has taken over my group of friends, and I've heard it's a phenomenon that happens every time it's introduced to people who love anime, or even just like it. People crave the tapes like no tomorrow, and if you don't have access to all of them right off, it's probably a good idea not to start. They like cliffhanger endings, and to really make you care about the characters so much you're dying to know what they're going to do, what's going to happen...
I'm not going to bore you with a plot summary, but I will give you this word of advice: After episode 10, the show slowly becomes more adult in nature. It's an emotionally overwhelming show, and the dubbed release is marked 13 and up, which is probably wise. As a college student, I saw things that bothered me greatly. Please don't expect a perfectly light-hearted Sailor Moon-esque anime, it isn't. It's something much deeper, and much better.