The Pundit

Tokyo Express 06

By Tim Adams ⋅ August 7, 2006 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Tokyo Express 06 is a showcase of four different series of Madman’s upcoming anime releases.

Eureka 7 is another in a long-standing tradition of Japanese animation that involves a 14-year-old and a giant robot. This series sees teenager Renton living in an isolated city, wishing he’s somewhere else. Once Eureka and her trusty robot arrive the show takes it up a notch. It might be a little too heavy on the philosophical meanderings, but once put out for general consumption the kids are going to eat this up.

Basilisk is about two waring clans of ninjas and how two people on opposite sides have fallen in love. Part Romeo and Juliet, part Ninja Scroll, this one is for lovers of the more classic and adult style of anime.

Speed Grapher, very different from the other three episodes on offer, plays out like Film Noir. It’s the story of a man trying to uncover a conspiracy, who has the strange ability to make things explode once he has photographed them. It is definitely aimed at an older audience as it includes all sorts of adult themes. I personally thought this was one of the better offerings from Madman this year. Be warned however, that the animation sometimes isn’t the best.

Naruto is a basic story about a young orphaned boy at ninja school with a mysterious past. He’s a prankster with a good heart, and once he is told some of what his past involves he steps up to the plate and becomes the scholar and ninja that he was born to be. It’s very light on plot with crude animation and backgrounds looking like they were cast-offs from an eighties cartoon. However this was only the first episode and further episodes may see the series evolve into something better than a ninja version of Dragon Ball Z.