You know, I don't know when I really became interested in owning videos? I have always loved the movies, sci-fi in particular, but I never had a real urge to own copies of the movies I liked. I think it was when I started to watch anime (Japanese animation or japanimation for those less in the know.) Of course, I have always watched anime; there were several shows translated in english and french and I always thought they were a cut above what was offered by American, Canadian and European shows of similar ilk. But Japanese animation always had that extra Zing! that made shows interesting even when edited and translated. The first videos I bought were Lord of the Rings by Ralph Bakshi, Return of the King and The Hobbit by the same company and Akira. Lord of the Rings and Akira were giants when they came out. They pushed the envelope of animation techniques and made animation movies acceptable for adults. I was mesmerized by both when I first saw them. Now, after what I have seen come out of Japan (or wherever Japanese animation is made) I realize it was the novelty of the item that made it special. I have seen better where animation technique and story-telling go. The absolute best animation I have seen, hands down, is a little four volume OAV (original animation video: animation that is offered in video form exclusively, it was not out in the cinema or on T.V. first) called You're Under Arrest! based on a manga by Kosuke Fujishima, who is also the creator of Oh! My Goddess. Both manga were translated and published by Dark Horse. The Anime for YUA! is distributed by AnimEigo. While admittedly, the stories for YUA! are simple and somewhat childish, the animation is knock-down gorgeous! Sad to say, I only have volumes 1 and 2 of the series and want (no, need!) to get the rest of the series. I have a large library of video tapes now. I've sunk a lot of money into it (the investment even justified buying a new VCR). At last count, I had about 100 tapes, 15 of which are commercial movies (i.e. Hollywood) and 11 are fan-subs. The rest are commercial anime tapes. One thing that can be said is that I never do things by half. When I get interested in something, I really get into it. Picks and Reviews: Movies: The Princess Bride. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." (sotto vocce) A classic of adventure and comedic adventure movies. The Princess Bride tells the story of the true love between a man named Westley and a young woman named Buttercup. When Wesley is thought dead, Buttercup agrees to marry evil Prince Humperdinck. Near the wedding date, Buttercup is kidnapped by nefarious men who are beaten one by one by a mysterious masked stranger: the Dread Pirate Robert. In the heat of making good his escape with the beautiful Buttercup, Roberts reveals he is no one else but her true love, Westley. Action! Danger! And True Love! This movie has everything in large doses. The central characters are all larger than life and this enhances the flavor of the movie. ... "To the death," he said, advancing. Westley gave a soft shake of his head. "No," he corrected. "To the pain." ... "To the pain means this: if we duel and you win, death for me. If we duel and I win, life for you. But life on my terms." ... "The first thing you lose will be your feet," Westley said. "The left, then the right. Below the ankles. You will have stumps available to use within six months. Then your hands, at the wrist. They heal somewhat quicker. Five months is a fair average." ... "Next your nose. No smell of dawn for you. Followed by your tongue. Deeply cut away. Not even a stump left. And then your left eye-" "And then my right eye and then my ears, and shall we get on with it?" the Prince said. "Wrong!" Westley's Voice rang across the room. "Your ears you keep, so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish-every babe that weeps in fear at your approach, every woman that cries 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will reverberate forever with your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. ..." ****1/2 Anime, Commercial: Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness. The latest offering for Tenchi fans. The story revolves around Mayuka, a girl who appears one summer day and claims to be Tenchi's daughter! The story is good and introduces some twists we don't expect. The animation is the usual Tenchi level of excellence; you can't fault the style or the technique. **** Anime, Fansub: Fushigi Yuugi. As most Japanese anime T.V. shows, this one started out as a manga. It tells the story of Miaka, a high-school student who loves food as she gets thrown bake in time (or through the dimensions) to ancient China. After some harrowing moments, such as almost being captured and sold as a slave, she is hailed by the local ruler as the legendary Maiden of Suzaku, the local patron-God. To return home she is told that she must gather all seven of Suzaku's senshi. Once they are reunited, she will be able to use the full power of Suzaku to fulfill her greatest wish. Of course, finding the seven senshi will not be easy... The animation is above average for a T.V. show (even when compared to the level of excellence shown by other Japanese shows). The story is a mix of adventure, character developments and love interests (the manga was originally targeted for adolescent girls, a genre called shôjo manga). It keeps my interest, the story is good and the characters are interesting. It also was the first fan-sub I have ever seen; I caught it in the anime-room at a local convention a few years ago. I don't yet have the entire serie but I intent to, I have 8 out of the fifty-odd episodes of the T.V. series and none of the movies and OAV. Update August, 1998: Fushigi Yuugi is being slated for commercial release to the North American market. Cool! In fact, it should be out now. Go get it! What are you waiting for? There's no time like the present... ****