Nodame Cantabile

Disregard for alchemy’s laws ripped half of Edward Elric’s limbs from his body and left his brother Alphonse’s soul clinging to a suit of armor. To restore what was lost, the brothers seek the Philosopher’s Stone. Enemies and allies – the corrupt military, the Homunculi, and foreign alchemists – will alter the Elric brothers course, but their purpose will remain unchanged and their bond unbreakable.

Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière’s name is so long and her spell-casting skills are so poor that everyone at the Tristain Academy of Magic just calls her “Louise the Zero.” Louise’s humiliation only increases during an important second-year test, she inexplicably summons Saito Hiraga, a totally normal teenager from Tokyo. Now she’s stuck with him and Saito’s stuck with the lousy life of being a familiar.

For as long as he can remember, Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts. But when he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper who battles evil spirits known as Hollows, he finds his life is changed forever. Now, with a newfound wealth of spiritual energy, Ichigo discovers his true calling: to protect the living and the dead from evil.

When they were young, the brothers Mutta and Hibito promised each other they would become astronauts. Now, in 2025, Hibito has followed his dream to become the first Japanese on the moon, but Mutta has just been fired from his job. His brother reminds him of their childhood promise, and Mutta decides once again to aim for space.

Yuuta Takemoto, Takumi Mayama, and Shinobu Morita are college students who share the small apartment. Even though they live in poverty, the three of them are able to obtain pleasure through small things in life. The story follows these characters' life stories as poor college students, as well as their love lives when a short but talented 18 year old girl called Hagumi Hanamoto appears.

Ichinomiya Kantarou grew up with the ability to see demons, but was isolated and bullied by others who did not share the same gift. Instead, he became friends with the demons, gaining a great attachment to their existence. One day, Kantarou was told about the strongest demon, the one known as the ogre-eating Tengu. Amazed by the news of his strength, Kantarou vowed to find this demon who was far stronger than any other, deciding to call him Haruka when he did so. Since this time, Kantarou searched far and wide for the ogre-eating Tengu with no luck, making his living by becoming a folklore writer and demon-buster. On a particularly difficult job, Kantarou had finally found news of a nearby shrine supposedly the place where the ogre-eating Tengu was sealed.

Balsa the spearwoman is a wandering warrior, who takes on the task of saving lives, in atonement for a past sin. On her journey, she happens to save a prince, and is tasked with becoming his bodyguard. And he is going to need one, for his own father, the emperor, wants him dead. Throughout the story, Balsa's past will come to light and they will uncover mysteries about Chagum's condition while developing a family-like relationship with each other and others.

The movie is more or less a retelling of the first few episodes of the series that is not much more than a slightly padded director's cut. You do learn some interesting details such as where Yugi's dad is, a look at the flame haze who was in the city before Shana, and even a couple of new powers for the Reiji Maigo. The story is certainly fleshed out quite a bit more and the final 15 minutes of the film comprise a surprisingly powerful conclusion (worth the price of admission on its own), but I would have liked a more original story rather then a highly polished version of one that I've already enjoyed. In the end, spectacular visuals, great new music, and well thought out additions to the core story leave you feeling glad to have seen the film. On the other hand, the fact that anything new that was added obviously doesn't change the events that come later in the series means that established fans will likely leave the experience less than satisfied.

The pain that everyone cannot escape when living: the living, old, sick, and death. The way to save it is through Buddhist enlightenment. At the end of a war, a prince who obtained the Buddhist enlightenment became the Shaka Nyorai and saved the world. Long time has passed since that, currently the latter age of decadence. Mara, the worry that once tried to destroy Shaka's enlightenment, has made a contract with the devil in order to seek revenge against Shaka. He begins to control people with worries. Meanwhile, a team centering around Shaka, called the Thirteen Buddhas, and the two benevolent deities who protect the dharma, Taishakuten and Bonten, have stood up to fight against Mara to protect people from worries. A battle between Mara and the Buddhist gods that involves people begins now!

Murdered by a demonic being, 15-year-old Yuji Sakai has his life force replaced by a flame that dims with each day. When the flame dies, no one will remember he was ever alive. This is how he meets Shana: a warrior with a burning sword, and the will of a god as her guide. The two form a bond as Yuji becomes Shana’s accomplice in her battles to keep the balance between the ordinary world and hers.

In the future, Earth is at war with aliens. This heralds the creation of a mecha unit called the Sonic Divers, piloted by three girls to counter the threat.

"This is a tale that took place long ago. There once lived an old man and an old woman. The old man went into the woods to cut down some grass and the old woman went to the river to... (You know the rest.) The ogres had finally been defeated, but apparently, there were more ogres living elsewhere, so Peach Boy crossed the sea... It was an amazing feat to defeat the ogres and a joyous feat that Peach Boy saved many lives. But the one thing that went wrong... Was that they had fun. This is nothing more than a "What if"... What if there was more than one peach that tumbled down the river?

Kasugano Haruka and his sister Sora have lost both their parents in an accident, and with them all their support. They decide to move out of the city to the rural town where they once spent summers with their late grandfather. At first everything seems familiar and peaceful, but changes come as Haruka starts to remember things from his youth.

After his father’s death, Ichiro is left to care for his siblings alone. They’re barely scraping by with only a small inheritance and his job as a manga artist, which isn’t going so great. That is until a talented and beautiful assistant is hired! Her name is Shiori, and she’s a gift from above—literally. While working late one night, her true identity is revealed and they’re instantly engaged!?

In the fallout of nuclear war, the last of humanity survives with the help of life-like androids known as Dolls. Built to serve, some fight in wars as Tactical Dolls or T-Dolls. Now, an elite team comprised of T-Dolls are sent to face a new rogue threat, Sangvis Ferri. Leading them into battle is their new human commander, M4A1.

The story of a young woman fighting for her survival in a real "urban jungle." Only 18 years old, Kuniko Hojo finds herself at the heart of the battle for humanity's future when she discovers that the government which rules Atlas intends to continue marginalising the less-privileged masses outside the tower - by force, if necessary.