Spring 1997 Anime

Pokémon are peculiar creatures with a vast array of different abilities and appearances; many people, known as Pokémon trainers, capture and train them, often with the intent of battling others. Young Ash has not only dreamed of becoming a Pokémon trainer but also a "Pokémon Master," and on the arrival of his 10th birthday, he finally has a chance to make that dream a reality. Unfortunately for him, all three Pokémon available to beginning trainers have already been claimed and only Pikachu, a rebellious Electric type Pokémon, remains. However, this chance encounter would mark the start of a lifelong friendship and an epic adventure!

Setting off on a journey to become the very best, Ash and Pikachu travel across beautiful, sprawling regions with their friends Kasumi, a Water type trainer, and Takeshi, a Rock type trainer. But danger lurks around every corner. The infamous Team Rocket is always nearby, seeking to steal powerful Pokémon through nefarious schemes. It'll be up to Ash and his friends to thwart their efforts as he also strives to earn the eight Pokémon Gym Badges he'll need to challenge the Pokémon League, and eventually claim the title of Pokémon Master.

(Source: MAL Rewrite, edited)

Just after Utena's parents died she was consoled by a prince who gave her a ring with a rose crest on it. Utena was so impressed by the Prince that she vowed to become one herself one day. A few years later Utena is attending Ohtori Academy where she gives all the teachers headaches because she dresses in a boys uniform so she can be like the prince she met long ago.

After Utena's friend is insulted by a member of the Student Council, Utena fights in a duel for her friends honor. Utena's rose crest allows her to enter the dueling arena where Utena wins the duel and becomes engaged to the Rose Bride. Unknowingly, Utena is pulled into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride. As she becomes fond of Anthy, the Rose Bride, she must fight to keep her friend safe and to discover the horrifying secret behind Ohtori Academy.

(Source: Anime News Network)

In search of fame, fortune, and foreign food, Lina Inverse sets sail on a collision course for the new world! What she finds there are vengeful enemies, a bunch of high-and-mighty dragon lords, and a new quest to save the world from destruction. What’s a girl gotta do for a little vacation?

(Source: Software Sculptors)

Tenchi decides to move to Tokyo in order to lead a normal life in the big city. While in Tokyo Tenchi meets a girl named Sakuya. They soon fall in love but as it turns out a dark sinister force has created Sakuya to get at Tenchi and rule the earth. Now Tenchi must balance love, friends, and life while defending the earth one last time.

(Source: Anime News Network)

Hajime Kindaichi's unorganized appearance and lax nature may give the impression of an average high school student, but a book should never be judged by its cover. Hajime is the grandson of the man who was once Japan's greatest detective, and he is also a remarkable sleuth himself.

With the help of his best friend, Miyuki Nanase, and the peculiar inspector Isamu Kenmochi, Hajime travels to remote islands, ominous towns, abysmal seas, and other hostile environments. His life's mission is to uncover the truth behind some of the most cunning, grueling, and disturbing mysteries the world has ever faced.

(Source: MAL Rewrite)

The story takes place in 19th century China during the Qing Dynasty, where the Emperor was weakened and the country was close to chaos. It is also during a fictitious era called "The Era of the Cooking Wars". It was an era in which top chefs with different cooking styles tried their best to improve their skills and to become the best chef in China. It is a country where insulting a high-grade chef or fooling around with cooking could land a person in a jail, and impersonating a top-chef is as good as usurpation of authority. Chefs compete with each other in order to gain respect and even power, but also with the risks of losing everything.

The country of China has four major regions: Beijing, Szechuan, Shanghai, and Guangdong.

The beginning of the story takes place in Szechuan, Mao's birthplace.

After the death of Mao's mother, Pai, who was called the 'Fairy of Cuisine', Mao becomes a Super Chef in order to take the title as Master Chef of his mother's restaurant. However, before he takes his mother's place as Master Chef, he continues to travel China in order to learn more of the many ways of cooking, in the hopes of becoming a legendary chef, just like his mother. During his journey, he meets great friends and fierce rivals who wish to challenge him in the field of cooking.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Sasahara Natsuki is a poor bounty hunter in a world where monsters and humans live together. Most of her cases involve monsters infringing upon the rights of humans, who are protected by law from their generally more powerful neighbors. Being half-human and half cat-beast, Natsuki straddles the two societies and tries to understand and respect both while enforcing the law. She is assisted by a werewolf named Batanen who is afraid to admit he loves her; another werewolf named Tommy; and a Kyubi fox demon named Sakura who has her own plans--which include eating Natsuki to complete her her nine tails and thereby her magical powers.

(Source: Anime News Network)

The CLAMP school, with its integrated curriculum from kindergarten to post-graduate studies, was founded by the largest of Japanese business empires, the House of Imonoyama. Funded entirely out of its own deep pockets, it was hoped that the school would be a haven for young men and women on whose shoulders our future would rest.

The School is open to any talented individual, irrespective of his or her lineage or financial standing and is known to count scores of singularly talented pupils. It is furthermore also famous for its harboring of a remarkable percentage of party animals. Not even the bright and talented minds of CLAMP School can keep the campus free of crimes and mysteries. Or can they? Join Nokoru, Suoh and Akira, our case-cracking kid detectives, as they save the day and even the odd damsel in distress!

(Source: Bandai Entertainment)

Maze wakes up with amnesia in a zany fantasy world, only to find herself surrounded by evildoers and baby-sitting a spoiled princess. Luckily, she’s developed explosive superpowers to help her cope! But the powers come with a strange side effect… Every night, Maze transforms into a flirtatious man!

(Source: Software Sculptors)

Hareluya Hibino has one ambition in life: to conquer the entire world! Despite his tough exterior, he’s not a bad person, and when push comes to shove, he’ll do his best to help those in need. Together with aspiring painter Kiyoshiro, Hareluya will take on whatever curveballs life may throw his way.

(Source: Sentai Filmworks)

Saito High is a high school with its spiritual beings and a principal whose hobby is collecting occult paraphernalia. The school has the prophecy-chosen members of the Holy Student Council to protect it. These students have problems of their own; Haruto Houjo, the president, has a way of summoning spirits, and would resign from his duty for a normal life if it weren't for the principal.

Kazumi Ryodo, the next member, is good at being possessed and has something for the Hanako. The last member is Mutsuki Asahina, who is a master of exorcism and is attracted to small boys. Unfortunately, these three are in charge of keeping the school in line and defending the world from supernatural beings, and this mission brings them through wacky predicaments.

(Source: Anime News Network)

A courageous young man tries to find the only person who can save his planet from the most terrifying beast in the universe -- the great white whale Moby Dick -- in this futuristic anime adventure set in 4699. But locating the outlaw Captain Ahab and his elusory crew of whale hunters and persuading them to put an end to the leviathan's long reign of terror won't be easy. Will Ahab take up the challenge one more time?

Musashi lives with his father. His mother left them three years ago. Musashi believes she will come back to them. One day they move from Tokyo to a village in the countryside. Musashi hates living in the countryside and asks his father to take him back to Tokyo. He wonders if his mother will be able to find him in their new home.

Soon after moving to the countryside, Musashi happens to see a man fishing for bass with a decoy fish. Musashi is fascinated by lure fishing. He learns a lot from the man, and discovers that his mother's father was a grand champion of bass fishing. Musashi feels that fishing could lead him to his missing mother. He shows a marvelous talent for lure fishing and takes trips to many places around the world in search of various incredible fish. Through fishing, Musashi comes to enjoy living amongst nature.

(Source: Official Site)

Through the Italian National Broadcasting Network, Tezuka Osamu received an ardent request from the Vatican to make the Bible into animated form. This request was probably made to see how the Bible would be depicted by the non-Christian Tezuka Osamu. Tezuka Osamu accepted the request and spent an entire two years to complete a pilot film. It was about the story of Noah's ark, with the enthusiastic Tezuka Osamu not only writing the scenario but also drawing pictures by himself. During production, however, he unfortunately passed away, so Director Dezaki took over the film and completed it.

(Source: AniDB)

Bamboo-Lee, Dah-Lee, and Slo-Lee are three bears with a goal: to save the world before more species become extinct. But can the bears stand up to the spineless villains behind Ratco Corporation? With Ai-Ai the pink dragon on their side, they may be able to rescue the environment before it's too late.

(Source: MAL)

The third show in the Virtual Trilogy, a mix of anime and live action shots.

In the beginning of the 22nd century society advanced rapidly. Now even children are able to become real doctors, a task before that took two and a half decades to achieve. And nanomachines became prevalent to fight disease. Keita is a Nanosaver, a child doctor who uses the virtual world to apply life saving techniques by entering the body and treating the patients in a virtual medical station (VMS). As more and more patients are taken in, various mysterious are uncovered about them.

In the second half of the anime, a small Ethanarian alien and galactic federation is introduced.

An NHK toddler's anime following a Spoon Princess and other kitchen themed characters.

Chō Tokkyū Hikarian is about a series of bullet trains that are turned into robots. The robots, along with two humans named Tetsuyuki Shinbashi and Minayo Kanda, have to stop an alien invasion.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Compilation recap movie for the series Shin Seiki Evangelion. Due to the struggling production of the movie 'End of Evangelion' delaying the film a month before it was set to release, this film was announced to 'hold fans over'.

During the early 21st century a meteorite crashed into Antarctica. After scientists went to study the crash a gigantic explosion followed, classified as the 'Second Impact'. Shinji Ikari is a fourteen year-old boy who has come to Toyko3, a city that also serves as a fortress, to meet up with his father who left him many years ago. The city also happens to be under siege by monstrous creatures called 'Angels' at the time of his arrival. Somehow Shinji finds himself in Evangelion Unit 01, and manages to synchronize with the giant robot. Shinji is told to become its permanent pilot, and is thrown into combat as the city's last defense for fighting off the angels. However, as Shinji fights, he begins to realize the truth behind the Angels, the Second Impact, man's struggle against God and what he truly is afraid of.

(Source: Anime News Network)

Taking the original story of Detective Conan, this first Conan film follows his adventures as he struggles to find and capture a mad bomber who's loose in his home town. Chasing bomb after bomb, Conan must stop him before he destroys a skyscraper in the middle of the city, which has the potential to cause millions of dollars in damage and kill hundreds. Who's planting the bombs? What are his motives? Gather clues with Conan and find out!

An action comedy film depicting the Nohara family who get caught in a fight between two clans, Tamayura and Tamayomi. Set in Tokyo and Aomori (northern end of Japan's main island). The Tamayomi clan had plotted to revive the evil genie Jarke and to conquer the world. To stop Tamayomi's plot, the three gay brothers (Rose, Lavender and Lemon) from Tamayura clan wrested Jarke's ball, which was a key to revive Jarke, from the bar girl gang of Tamayomi clan, but Shinnosuke's younger sister Himawari swallowed down the ball. The Nohara family, with the three gay brothers and a female detective Yone Higashimatsuyama, fights a fierce battle against the Tamayomi gang chasing them.

(Source: Manabu Tsuribe)

Set in 19th-century Belgium, this classic tale, based on the Flemish novel by Oui'da, celebrates the affectionate bond between an innocent boy and his faithful dog. The stunning animation, a masterful combination of traditional and computer-aided animation, captures the natural splendor of the Flanders countryside and recreates the spirit of this classic story that has captivated audiences world wide for more than 130 years. In fact, the popularity of The Dog Of Flanders led the local Belgian government of Flanders to dedicate a statue to Nello and Patrash in 1985, immortalizing their devotion to each other.

(Source: AniDB)

It started as a sociological experiment. 6 different people were brainwashed to think that they were a family and then put in arbitrary situations to see how they would react. However, when a taping of the families conducts is sold in a desperate attempt to make a little capital it instantly becomes a success. Now the family is a first rated show and their every move is broadcasted around the world without them knowing it. But when a clogged toilet sets off a chain of events that ultimately frees the family from the room they are confined in the broadcasters, not willing to lose their source of income, set out to hunt down and recapture every member of the Eternal family.

(Source: Anime News Network)

Haruka finds a cat in an abandoned building and names it "Nyan". Little does she know that this cat is actually "Ultra-Nyan" who has come from outer space. Using his mysterious powers, Ultra-Nyan helps Haruka and her friends foil the plans of a couple of no-good catnappers.

Thousands of years in the past, a young boy named Hermes is named as a future great hero in a prophecy. Hermes grows up to save a beautiful princess and face the evil king Minos of Crete.

Barua of the Magic Race (Vile Tribe) has kidnapped students of the Magic School. Elie, Rena and Senia,are asked to look for them by the schools master. Along their search they find interesting and crazy things, and get into trouble as usual. Upon finding the students, they find their magic is not strong enough to save them, but they get some help from an unwanted friend.

(Source: Anime News Network)

The story depicts the interaction of the children of the island and their teacher, Yoshioka Makotoware who is unable to speak because of a childhood accident.

A movie based on the best-selling novel by Shizuka Ijuin.

Based on a same name children's fantasy picture book by Takeshita Ryuunosuke.

A catastrophic earthquake has left Tokyo, and most of the Earth for that matter, under the sea. Aika is a salvager who retrieves various remains from the watery ruins. When Aika accepts the dangerous mission of locating and obtaining the mysterious Lagu, she discovers that she's not the only one after it.

(Source: MAL)

The world is a dark, brooding place populated by humans, but ruled in reality by powerful beings known as the Darkstalkers, and there is constant conflict between them as they try to determine who is the most powerful of them all. Zombies, vampires, werewolves - all of them compete in contests of strength and sheer will to attain their own personal goals.

All of this becomes moot when a race of Aztec robots called the Huitzil decide that humanity isn't worth saving, and start waging war on the world, while in the sky, a solar god from outer space plots the conquest of Earth. And the Darkstalkers must become unwilling allies in order to save the world.

(Source: AnimeNfo)