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This week:
DEATH BY FANSUB

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Magic Knights Rayearth    During a chance meeting at the Tokyo Towers, three girls are sucked away to the magical land of Cephiro, a place on the brink of destruction due to its "Pillar" losing the power needed to maintain the world. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu, must now forge through this strange new place to reach their destiny - to awaken their innate powers, find the Mashins - great spirits of magic- and to become the legendary Magic Knights that save Cephiro. But first, they need to overcome many obstacles - within themselves and all around them - as the sorceror Zagato tries to prevent their journey to Pillar of Cephiro.

Magic Knights Rayearth has been collected into 6 graphic novels and is being translated into English. It ran for 49 episodes. To find out more about it:


Mahoromatic    In the ongoing covert war between humans and alien invaders, androids are the perfect soldiers, and there is none better than Mahoro. However, even machines have their limit, and Mahoro is running out of time - to be exact, she has a year left until her systems shut down. To reward her diligence, the Vesper organization allows her to use her remaingin time any way she likes ... and she chooses to become the housekeeper to an ordinary junior high school student named Misato Suguru! Of course, there is a hidden connection between the two, as well as a new one that blossoms. To keep things lively, Gainax throws in a lot of fan service and an alien resurrection, endangering Mahoro's android identity when she must protect Suguru and her new-found friends.

Mahoromatic is an endearing blend of shoujo and mecha anime. It is a 12-part TV series, with the second season currently airing in Japan. For more information:


Mahou Tsukai Tai    A couple years ago, a gigantic cube of unknown origin and purpose entered the sky above Tokyo. Frightening at first, the cube proved to be no threat and the citizens soon came to accept it and the small probes it would occasionally send down... Except one small club of would-be high school magicians. Sae, Nanaka, Akane, Takeo, and Aburatsubou believed that people shouldn't be so complacent about the intruders and planned to chase out the mysterious aliens. The group soon finds themselves battling droids and escaping detection as the aliens become alarmingly curious about the young magicians (and their various body parts). Their most earnest (and unknowingly, powerful) magician to be, Sae has a hard time getting the trick of even flying. Things aren't looking too good when everyone else is captured, unless Sae can find the ability within herself and save everyone.

Mahou Tsukai Tai was a 6-part OAV series and is currently being made into a TV series. For more information:


Marmalade Boy    What would you do if your parents decided to switch partners with another couple they met on vacation just weeks ago? Miki Koishikawa did the expected - she freaked out. It didn't help that the other couple -- the Matsuuras -- happened to have a totally attractive teenage son who just happens to be Miki's age and that the two families would live in one big house all together! To complicate matters, Miki discovers that her old friend Ginta has had a crush on her, but she has suddenly developed feelings for her new step-brother Yuu! So, now Miki must adjust to this strange predicament the best she can, learning maturity and personal insights along the way. This series covers many relationships and love triangles - much like an animated soap opera.

Marmalade Boy ran for 76 episodes, with 8 graphic novels. To find out more about the crazy love in this series, visit:


Maze: Mega Burst Space    A girl wakes up in the middle of the forest in a magical and pre-technologic world… and finds out that her house has just crushed an evil being. (No, no the Wicked Witch of the West) She knows that her name is Maze, but has forgotten all else -- how she got there, who she is, and where she’s from. When she happens upon a kidnap attempt on the young Princess Mil, Maze unexpectedly stops the ruffians with a burst of energy from her hands. Called “Form” in this world, the energy blast is a mixture of mental and physical willpower harnessed… and when combined with Mil’s powerful spiritual armor, Villgaurd, it becomes a deadly weapon! As the duo travel back to Mil’s kingdom, currently under attack by an invading religious army, another unexpected thing happens. After the sun sets, Maze transforms into a coarse, girl-crazy boy! With this totally strange addition, Maze now has several mysteries to figure out: Who she is, who this Male Maze is, and what her dreams mean - dreams filled with images of city-life and a boy with a gentle smile. Of course, Maze’s personal concerns are just one part of the bigger weave of plots -- involving the world’s history, a fight against encroaching evil, and the source of Form itself!

Maze was a 26 episode television series. There is also a 2-part OAV which tells a different simpler story and adds some new elements and characters. For more information on Maze, check out this link:


Miracle Girls    As a set of twins a bit more special than others -- Mikage and Tomomi are able to communicate telepathically and transport wherever they want to when in physical contact. However, as close as they are, there couldn’t be sisters more different! Whereas Mikage is academically- focused and feminine, her younger twin is more of an athlete and tomboy. Both girls have boy problems though, as we see in the first part of the series. But, the mood takes a serious turn when mysteries about their family and their powers come into question. Across the world in Scotland, two purple flowers seem to resonate with the twins' powers, as do the matching flowers in their room. What is the meaning of the flowers? And who are the other set of twins in Great Britain seemingly identical to Mikage and Tomomi?

Miracle Girls is an anime that ran for 51 episodes in 1993. For more information:


Momoiro Sisters    Sakura and Momoko are sisters, dealing with everyday sibling rivalry and *ahem* feminine issues, from first kisses to office romance. Similar to "Sex and the City," this series of short episodes addresses problems every girl faces in her life: dieting, clothes, and sex. It's a light-hearted anime with a great balance of ecchi humor and realism.

Momoiro Sisters is a 24-episode series (each episode is about five minutes long). For more information:


Mononoke Hime    Finishing his regular patrol on the perimeters of his village, the young warrior Ashitaka notices something horribly wrong. A creature is tearing wildly through the forest, destroying all within its path simply with its evil aura. Before he’s able to kill the beast, Ashitaka’s arm is tainted with the Tataragami’s curse, an incurable slow-growing infection that will eventually consume him. He must now go in search of the "Shishigami," the ancient God of the Forest, and appeal to it for help. On his way, he finds the villagers of one modern fort in a constant battle against the forest’s “Wolf” spirits, one of whom, it seems, is actually a human girl! After spotting the "Mononoke Hime," as she’s called, Ashitaka is immediately fascinated. He manages to save her life from the fort’s leader, Lady Eboshi - a cunning woman who also has plans to find the Shishigami... in order to kill it for payment. Soon he and the Mononoke Hime San must join forces in order to prevent Eboshi's goals from being realized.

Disney/Miramax will be releasing Mononoke Hime, or the Princess Mononoke, in theatres on October 29th as a feature-length movie. For more information, please visit this site:


My Dear Marie    A lonely computer geek named Hiroshi despairs of ever being noticed by his dream girl, the popular Marie. So in compensation, he creates a robot in the image of Marie, and names her, originally enough, after the girl. Trouble comes when the two Maries eventually meet, causing Hiroshi to quickly lie that his robotic Marie is his sister! Since everyone miraculously believes him, everything runs smoothly from there… for a while. Robotic Marie and Hiroshi get along very well, and treat each other affectionately, like brother and sister. Hiroshi amazingly enough lands a date with the real Marie, and even more astounding, it turns out that Marie likes him too! Up until that point, Hiroshi and the robotic Marie have been getting along very well, but now she’s begun to develop serious feelings for him. What’s a guy to do?

A 3-part OAV series, My Dear Marie has been released to video in North America. Please try this link for detailed information:

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