Wendee Lee Movies
Gotham City has Batman and New York has Spiderman, but what dark hero protects the gritty, future Tokyo? The answer is the Karas, the main characters of this feature-film-length anime of the same name. Blending 2D cell-shaded animation and 3D computer graphics, Karas: The Prophecy finds the delicate balance between the humans of Tokyo and the ghostly beings that inhabit the city in a parallel universe suddenly disrupted. For thousands of years, the peace has been kept by noble beings called the Karas, who strive to make both the dark and light sides live in harmony. Power breeds corruption however, and now Eko - a former Karas who once swore to protect the city and maintain the balance there -- has since grown bitter and vengeful. He has granted some malicious poltergeists physical bodies so that he can personally rule the humanity he once served. The incarnate of the city, Yurine, must come to the people's aid and so she creates a new Karas to battle the old one. Two Karas have never existed in the same city before, and as a battle for the fate of humanity ensues, it is certain that only one will remain. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jay Hernandez, Matthew Lillard, (more)
The title of this Japanese anime series was an acronym for the Immortal Grand Prix, the most celebrated robot tournament of the year A.D. 2049. The human contestants in this tournament were obliged to maneuver their giant robots along a 60-mile track, racing and battling at top speed. Having won the IG-2 championship, the rookies of Team Satomi had earned the right to compete in the coveted IG-1. Managed by Mitsuko Satomi, granddaughter of the chairman of the once-mighty but now floundering Satomi Heavy Industries, the team was led by "forward" pilot Takeshi, a stubborn and rebellious youth. Other team members included Liz Riccardo, the obnoxious, hoydenish "defender" pilot to whom winning was the only thing that mattered; and child prodigy Amy, the team's "midfielder" and "tactician," who was able to merge her personality with that of her cybernetically enhanced cat Luca. The current IGPX champions were the members of Team Velshtein, coached by Sir Hamgra, who was Takeshi's mentor despite the fact that they were technically rivals. Providing the menaces were the foul-playing Yamma, Timma, and Dimma of Team Sledge Mama. Rounding out the cast were IGPX mechanic Mark Ramsey, who kept secret the fact that he was heir to a fortune, and announcer Benjamin Bright, the fabled "Voice of IGPX." In America, IGPX was sneak-previewed by Cartoon Network in "microseries" form in the fall of 2003 (presented in 5-minute serialized fragments), returning as a half-hour series by popular demand on November 15, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Haley Joel Osment, Michelle Rodriguez, (more)
- 2004
The title character of this half hour animated series was a gigantic reconditioned robot. Young coach potato Coop had rescued the robot from a junkyard where it had been rusting away for 60 years, then retooled the pile of metal to create the world's largest plaything. At this point, young Kiva, a visitor from the future, appeared before Coop and demanded that he surrender Megas XLFR to her. According to Kiva, the robot was essential in saving the "present" universe from the villains of the future, headed by evil alien Glorft. Trouble was, Coop had so extensively modified Megas that he was the only person able to control the robot. Thus it was that Coop found himself in the unenviable position of potential savior of the universe, a burden he tried to share with both Kiva and his best pal Jamie. Created by George Krstic and Jody Schaeffer, Megas XLR had originally been titled LowBrow,but was rechristened on the eve of its Cartoon Network debut on May 1, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David DeLuise, Wendee Lee, (more)
- 2004
- Add Le Portrait de Petite Cossette [Anime OVA Series] to Queue Add Le Portrait de Petite Cossette [Anime OVA Series] to top of Queue
Eiri sees visions of the beautiful, wide-eyed Cossette whenever he comes into contact with an antique glass he found in his uncle's shop. She looks almost frighteningly youthful, like a petite doll in a flouncy dress. This glass is haunted by the girl's spirit, and for 250 years she has waited for someone with whom to make contact. Now that Cossette has found someone, however, everyone thinks he is going crazy for seeing what must be hallucinations. Can Eiri give Cossette's spirit the help she has needed for so long or will she be imprisoned in the glass forever? ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- 2002
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Making its Japanese TV debut on July 3, 2002, the half-hour anime series Witch Hunter Robin was assembled by the prolific cartoon-merchandising combo of Sunrise/Bandai. The premise was predicated on the knowledge that witches still existed in the modern world, with rogue witches being the most deadly and dangerous of the species. The international organization SOLOMON was dedicated to hunting down and destroying these witches, using as its principal weapon a substance called Orbo which contained the witches' evil powers long enough to allow the "good guys" to triumph. The Japanese branch of SOLOMON, known as STNJ, was under the leadership of short-tempered Chief Kosaka. The newest member of this branch was Robin Sena, a girl named for the King of the Witches. Because of her awesome ability to control the element of fire, Robin had been raised in a monastery to keep her protected from the world -- and vice versa. Although a welcome addition to STNJ, Robin has to constantly monitor her powers lest they destroy both herself and her new co-workers. Others on the STNJ team were Robin's partner Amon, whose punkish demeanor kept hidden a number of dark secrets; Doujima, a lazy young lady who landed the job because of family connection; Karasuma, who could sense positive and negative vibes (which came in handy when detecting SEEDS, or potential witch families); Michael, who managed to avoid execution after hacking into STNJ's computer by agreeing to join the organization -- and to remain under "house arrest" all the while; Robin's roommate, Touko; and rookie member Sakaki. Also on hand was Robin's mentor, a mysterious lawyer named Nagira. In America, the 26-episode Witch Hunter Robin was added to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" schedule on February 16, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kari Wahlgren, Crispin Freeman, (more)
The first Japanese anime series created specifically for America's Cartoon Network, The Big O nevertheless made its official debut over Japanese television on October 13, 1999. The series was set in Paradigm City, some forty years after the metropolis was devastated by "the Event," an unspecified catastrophe which also wiped out everyone's memories. The citizenry of this post-apocalyptic society lived under martial law with Roger Smith (aka "The Negotiator") forsworn to look after the best interests of the populace. Helping Roger are his butler, Norman; his android companion, Dorothy; and his robot "bodyguard," the titular Big O. Although Roger was at first loyal to the leaders of Paradigm City, he began to seriously question their right to rule as he delved deeper and deeper into the secrets of the distant past. The Big O made its American premiere as part of the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block on April 2, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Lucas, Lia Sargent, (more)
The popular animé series Cowboy Bebop gets its own feature-length film with the aptly named Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. Set in the late 21st century, it jumps into the series' story line just prior to its conclusion, with the bounty hunting crew of the interstellar craft Bebop chasing a hacker aboard a tanker into a major city on Mars. As crew member Faye Valentine closes in on the tanker, she witnesses its catastrophic explosion, which soon appears to be a viral terrorist attack as the death toll continues to mount in the days following. Furthermore, Faye caught a glimpse of the person responsible for the blast and is thus the only surviving witness of the crime. After the government puts out a large bounty for the perpetrator's capture, the Bebop gang -- slacker Spike Spiegel, former policeman Jet Black, and hacker girl genius Edward -- begin their own hunt for the mass murderer, who is eventually revealed to be one Vincent Volaju. Vincent, it turns out, was the lone survivor of a governmental medical test and now seeks revenge by unleashing the same microscopic robotic virus used in the tanker explosion on the unsuspecting city. The Bebop crew must scramble to prevent Vincent from carrying out his plan, as well as try to locate an anti-virus to counterattack the effects of Vincent's virus. Released in both dubbed and subtitled cuts in the United States in 2003, Cowboy Bebop - The Movie premiered in Japan in 2001. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Lucas, Beau Billingslea, (more)
While some children spend their summer vacation playing ball or going to the beach, seven kids use their free time to help save the world in this feature-length animated adventure adapted from the popular television series. While attending summer camp, a group of kids playing with computers are transported into a digital universe, where they make friends with the Digital Monsters, or Digimon, creatures of the electronic world who can transform themselves into more advanced beings at will. However, while the children have been befriended by good Digimon, there are also evil Digimon, and a ruthless Internet Digimon is ravenously swallowing up communications data from around the world. The Internet Digimon has the potential to take over worldwide communications -- including military weapons-launch technology -- if the good Digimon and their human friends cannot stop its schemes. Digimon: The Movie was adapted from two shorter Japanese films using the Digimon characters, and was prepared for U.S. release by the same team who Americanized the original Japanese anime series Dejimon Adobencha. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lara Jill Miller, Joshua Seth, (more)
Originally broadcast in 1998 with 12 episodes on TV Tokyo, Cowboy Bebop also aired in 2001 as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming with an excellent English-dubbed soundtrack and all 26 episodes. The action-packed and hyper-styled animé is a very human drama in a futuristic setting about crime-fighting adventurers. Set in the 21st century, the Earth is a wasteland and the solar system has been fitted with hyperspace gates -- sort of an expressway for spaceships -- where criminals and gangsters continue to proliferate. Enter the misfit bounty hunters of the rickety ship called Bebop. Spike Siegel is the ultra-cool Bruce Lee-style fighter, who harbors painful memories that he covers up with a cynical wit. Jet Black is a former cop and a decent mechanic, who carries around memories of his own troubled past along with his mechanical arm. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale and compulsive gambler with a massive debt, who yearns to discover her identity prior to her cryogenic freezing. Along with the self-styled computer hacker girl called Ed and the data dog, Ein, the bounty hunters try to earn their keep and get through the day. The visual style is unique in the animé genre, using inspiration from old pulp adventure stories, film noir, and Westerns. Along with the original jazz compositions from The Seatbelts, the soundtrack incorporates rock & roll and blues references. Style reigns in the world of these futuristic outlaws, but not at the sake of substance. The tragi-comic family of the Bebop crew deals with the realities of loneliness and isolation, as well as shoot-em-up action and bittersweet romance. Alternately poignant, destructive, and hilarious, Cowboy Bebop has become an exceptional science fiction series. The series would be followed by a feature-length adventure, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie in 2002. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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