First things first, I want to mention the book's artwork and layout, both of which are simply amazing. This book only measures 9x6, but it is going to stand out more than most others on your local retailer's shelf because of the book's excellent visual design. It is printed in full color all the way through, and unlike some full color books (that just have a sprinkle of color here and there), this book is jam packed with colorful artwork and graphic designs. The artwork itself is amazing, and it is, needless to say, all done in true Japanese Anime style. When it comes to Anime, artwork is something that's very important, and this book doesn't fall one step short on holding up that end of it.

The game uses GOO's Tri-Stat System that has been garnering so much attention lately. The system is very simple and runs very, very quickly. As the title Tri-Stat would imply, characters have only three stats--Mind, Body, and Soul. Each is simple and straightforward, representing exactly what its name would imply. All die rolls are made with two d6s. For stat checks you just try to roll the dice under your stat, and for skill checks you more or less just add the skill to whatever stat and try to roll under that. It's simple, it's fast, and it works great. Aside from the basic die rolls, most other things in the game are kept simple as well. Damage is fixed, making it easy to work with, and you never have to waste time playing around with messy saving throw charts or anything of the like.

The greatest aspect of this easy to use system is that it complements the game so perfectly. The action in Anime is fast and furious, with just enough time for you to pause for a couple of cool freeze frames as you perform some amazing or bizarre feat upon your opponents. The quick die system allows you to spend more time describing the action than worrying about mechanics. This is more important in Anime than in other genres, because there is a certain style that must be captured for it to "feel" right. Anyone who's seen an Anime film will know just what I'm talking about. The Tri-Stat system is just right for making that work perfectly.

The second edition has undergone a fair amount of revision. Much of this is little streamlining types of things (many of which, I must say, are annotated very well for players of the first edition); however, those who've played the game before are bound to notice the hundred and some additional pages that have been added to the book. So where did it all come from? Well, the vast majority of this material is in character creation. The book combines a lot of the material from the two first edition sourcebooks (Hot Rods and Gun Bunnys and Big Robots, Cool Starships) and adds greatly to it, making it all a smooth, coherent whole.

The character creation section comprises the vast majority of the book (page-wise it outnumbers game mechanics about 7 to 1), and there are options here for doing just about anything. If you want to play a magical school girl, out to find love and save the universe, you can do it. If you want to play a martial arts master, exiled from his clan and wandering alone in a world filled with demons, you can do it. If you want to play a young, hot-headed military kid who flies through space in a super-powered mecha...you get the idea.

With all of these special abilities you might expect things to get a little bit complicated when it comes to game mechanics. Amazingly, the writers have managed to keep everything just as smooth and streamlined as the basic die system. Most of the abilities that have any sort of special effect are very self-contained. If there is a game mechanic that must be performed, then it's explained in the ability's description. The only place where the game gets even remotely heavy-handed is in the mecha section, but the folks who like the whole mecha theme are the ones who tend to like all the details and options that can be played with anyway. Even something as complicated as magic is kept simple. The book doesn't burden you down with pages upon pages of spells and other miscellany. It simply gives you a run down of the typical styles of magic that appear in Anime, a basic game mechanic for casting spells, and the rest is left to be hammered out by the GM and the player.

Of course, there is a very subtle aspect of these character creation options that makes them even more truly representative of Anime. Having two hundred pages of your book devoted to character creation throws your emphasis very heavily in one direction--on the characters. The one thing about nearly all Anime is that they are very, very character-driven. The plots and settings are usually elaborate, but the characters are always the focus, and they are always unique and exciting. This game spends the majority of its time allowing you to build just such a character for yourself. This aspect makes the game an even better representation of Anime than it already is.

The final chapter in the book spends a lot of time discussing just what it is to roleplay in an Anime world. If you're already an Anime freak, then much of this might be old hat, but it is a tremendous resource for us novices. The book explains the major genres of Anime and the themes that recur throughout each. A few sample campaign worlds are even given. In addition, it has a handy little glossary that defines all the weird and unique things that appear in Anime films. These guys really know their stuff. Ever wonder what a Bosozoku or an Ofuda was? This book has it.

For gamers who are big fans of Anime, this book is simply a must buy. For those of you who like even a little bit of Anime, this book is still a worthwhile investment. In fact, it quite possibly stands a chance of making full-time Anime fan out of you. At the very least, it will give you the chance to yell out stuff like "Hyper Flare Fireball Attack!" while slaying foes at your gaming table and have loads of fun doing it.