One of the best anime ever made!
919829
The music, the voice acting, the interesting visual style... and some great story telling too!

General overview:
It is the story of The Count of Monte Cristo as told (more or less) through the children of those whose lives are being ruined by the count.  It is a great take on a great classic story.  A few minor differences in the core plot, and a lot of additional content that simply isn't in the book, so opinions may vary for those who are hard core on preserving the original story... but in general I think most people will like it, and I generally like it better than the book.

Why only 4 stars?
The video quality.  For a DVD it isn't completely awful... but man could it use a re-render in HD, or even a re-render as progressive SD instead of interlaced.  The visual style is of anime outline and drawing style, and then texture fills instead of gradients.  It is a weird look that takes a little getting use to, but due to the limitations of mpeg2 and DVD size (to say nothing of cramming 6 episodes on 1 disc) you end up with some weird inconsistent texture issues.  For example, in one scene where there is little complexity everything will look fine, but in the next shot that is a little more complex some of the textures go flat or lose detail altogether and become a big colored blob.  And the thing is that while the stand-alone DVDs are a little better with only 3-4 eps per disc, even those are interlaced and not as visually amazing as originally intended.  But as there is no Bluray version available, or even in the pipeline as far as I can tell, this is still good enough quality to enjoy, while costing much less than the original limited release run.

Still an amazing show.  Still worth a purchase.  Still worth watching over again every few years, but it could be a little better quality.  It is unfortunate that it will probably never have enough popularity to warrant a better release on bluray.
4062514
This was the anime that made me an anime fan. Beautiful animation, interesting story, endearing characters and just enough episodes to not become irritating made this perhaps my all time favorite of the genre. Everything I hoped for in this series ACTUALLY HAPPENED! Didn't like an obnoxious antagonist? Got to watch him get brutally beaten. Wondered why certain character arcs seemed to be going nowhere? Those characters got their moment well before the final episode. I've seen many (too many) anime since this one hooked me, but none have ever captured the wonder this series brought.
4739354
NO SPOILERS!

This was one of my favorites growing up, up there with Bubblegum Crisis and Macross.  Even among those series, this has the best anime storyline of all time.  It seems to have been the prototype for epic story arcs to come in later anime series like Masterforce, Gaogaigar or any Brave Series, and Gurren Lagann.

The show starts out small but soon grows into intergalactic war.  The charm is that it never loses its main focus, the characters.  In fact, while the settings grows in scope, the character development just gets better and deeper.

The animation quality still holds up and is pretty amazing to watch.  Not all anime looks good 25 years later and on a big screen.  This DVD transfer is top quality and the sound is great.

Nostalgia is one thing, but my two daughters loved this series as well.  They really dug the story and science lessons.  If you enjoyed it as a kid or are into retro anime, then this is a must purchase.
3355139
Shirou lives alone after his adopted father passed away and left him with a huge house. Shirou has the ability to reconstruct objects with his magic. He stumbles across a classmate and a couple warriors in a battle after school. He soon becomes part of "The Holy Grail War". A battle fought every so often to obtain the Holy Grail. The winner gets to make a wish. He becomes the master of a legendary warrior spirit. Her name is Saber. Togther with their ally Rin and her servant, Archer, they will fight against ruthless enemies for their 1 most precious wish.

This anime is simply amazing. It has action and drama mixed together with mythology and magic. The modern day setting with legendary mythical heroes is really cool. I normally prefer anime dramas (Kanon, Clannad, Air, etc.) over action series, but this anime combines the 2 genres very well. The voice cast, animation, story, and soundtrack are all top notch. It's a very addicting series. There are many great, and memorable characters that keep you interested in the story and wanting to know more about them. There is also a dash of comedy thrown in there to lighten the mood. It's a very well rounded series with a lot to offer. I honestly think that no matter what genre of anime you're into, Fate Stay/Night will make you a happy camper. I highly recommend it and I hope you enjoy it!
3607468
this disc includes the frist 3 episodes of takahashi's best, in many people's oppinion.  this anime/manga series has already placed as one pf japan's top anime ever, along side ranma 1/2, rurouni kenshin, gundam wing, and several others as a top ten thus far in history.
this anime is AWESOME in japanese.  its got a prime and perfect vocal cast, including Kappei Yamaguchi (Ranma saotome himself) as Inuyasha. the voice of akane plays kikyou in this story.
Viz followed this example well.  the voice of kasumi in english is kikyou, and far to gentle for it.  the second voice of ranma in the dub plays inuyasha in english.  the voice does NOT FIT AT ALL!  and i won't even compare shippou and kagome.  it's bad.  BAD!  the translation is fair, not exact on anything, as dubs always are... and i've heard that later scenes may be deleated in the dub, because they are discussing running it on TV in the US.
the story itself, as many already know, is about a young girl who falls through a well and lands in sengoku jidai.  there she inadvertantly unseals inuyasha, a hanyou, from an eternal sleep, and since kagome looks like the girl who sealed her, and is, in fact, her reincarnation, the two don't get along very well. from the start.
however, it slowly evolves into 'something more' as many obsticles and arch enemies come into play, and we meet new friends.  get this, you'll love it, i promise!
4638626
This anime is by far one of the best ever made great story and animation its the best steam punk series ever made i just wish that the entire 26 episodes would have made it to umd by i would still recomend this for your collection.
3108830
A complete period piece and a classic anime every fan should watch!  In fact, my review does it no justice.
3019173
Oh boy, samurai champloo. It's an amazing idea. Blend the soul of hip-hop with the heart of a ronin warrior and what you get is one of the best animes ever made in my opinion. In 26 episodes this series manages to hit every note. Amazing character development, beautiful artwork, and many great lessons about the journey in life we take and the people on those paths. The music compliments the incredible visuals. Artists like nujabes, fat Jon, and tshuchi flow perfectly as if the music itself is a character in the show. Do yourself a favor and watch this amazing anime. It is truly underated gem. I am sure that after a watch you will pick up the soundtracks or be humming it's tunes like myself.
4305419
If you like Anime this is one of the best. A really good plot with well fleshed out characters.  I would compare it very favorably with Death Note, Kill la Kill and DanganRonpa (the video, not the game which I have never played).  Also, the English voice over actors are very good.  The opening theme for the first season is great, but the second season, not so much.  But that is a minor nitpick, overall it has a very good soundtrack.

I definitely recommend this.  Note, you definitely don't want to watch this with young children around, lots of nudity and language.
3232875
This show is my all time favorite anime. Give this a shot if you're a fan of anime!!!
2223119
This story has got to be one of the best on te market. This series has it all in it. The music is great and i recommend buying the cd. The series talks about a boy named Shinji and how he lives a miserable life in his eyes. Until one day his dad calls him in and tells him to pilot EVA UNIT 01(which is a type of mech). The story gets better and better when they introduce my favorite character Asuka. If your an anime fan then you don't want to miss out on this great anime!
1236799
Very well done, the visual effects, acting, and atmosphere of the entire series is phenomenal. If you like anime series this is one of the many great anime's to get.
2669691
Amazing movie! This movie is awesome! I love the concept of the internet and everything, the story is fun, high energy, and just so intense you feel like your right there! This is one of the best anime movies I've seen in awhile, the animation is amazing, voice acting is great, story is fantastic. This is a must watch for any anime fan! It really reminded me a lot of "Digimon The Movie".
3369846
This is one of the best anime out right now. I'm going to buy this because i want to support Funimation. I love this anime. I love it some much that i workout to some of the openings in this show. The best opening in my opinion is the first one. I'm buying this to because i am getting a PS3 for Christmas, so i will have the DVD and the Blu Ray. If your thinking about getting this, stop thinking and just buy.
4896473
Great plot, good symbolism, moving and some of the best Anime art that I have ever seen. The closing sequence is AMAZING! BTW, I love this movie so much I made a larger than life model of a character (a Kodama, or forest elf/fairy/spirit/gnome) and have a username as it.
4647502
I loved it. If you like anime, fantasy anime specifically, you'll love this! Also, if you like comedy you'll love this! The extensive use of SD [super deformation, aka chibi] makes it laugh out loud hilarious! Also, the  storyline is so deep, you'll be waiting to find out what happens next, even  after seeing only one episode! The characters are funny, and they have deep  personalities, unlike many animes which leave you with boring characters.
If you've read the Magic Knights Rayearth manga, you may be a little  disappointed. The anime keeps the same basic storyline, but there are many  changes, and the anime is more drawn out. The music is excellent as well. I  love the openning song. The ending song is also great, but not as good as  the opening song.
Overall, Magic Knights Rayearth is an extraordinary  anime. I would recommend it to children as well as adults!
3477049
One of the best anime I've ever seen. I cried all the way through. The ending is so satisfying.