Aria The Natural Sub.DVD Part 1 It will never win over those bored to tears by the deliberately reassuring first season, but those once wooed by the soothing magic of Neo-Venezia will be delighted at the chance for a return trip. 2009-03-07
Hey, Answerman! Brian gets a response to last week's column from a name you may recognize, then tackles questions on Yu-Gi-Oh!, how to approach guests at anime conventions! All that plus your answers to last week's Hey, Answerfans! 2009-03-06
Buried Treasure - Domain of Murder This week, a little known detective story from the early 90s, now forgotten by even Japanese fans. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it's sure fun to watch. 2009-03-05
Girl's High #11 - Watch it free on ANN! Eriko's about to have a reunion with a boy she's had a crush on for years. The girls have to help pretty her up for the occasion, but the night will be full of surprises for everyone. (USA/CAN only, TV-14) 2009-03-05
The X Button - The During Years Todd gets the Final Fantasy IV sequel he's wanted since 1992, Japan gets games about cross-dressing anime rock stars and Bigfoot, and readers get the chance to win a copy of Prinny for the PSP! 2009-03-04
Aria The Natural Sub.DVD Part 1 It will never win over those bored to tears by the deliberately reassuring first season, but those once wooed by the soothing magic of Neo-Venezia will be delighted at the chance for a return trip.
Vampire Knight GN 6 After the fast-paced, aesthetic gloom and doom of the previous volume of Vampire Knight, volume six represents a refreshing shift of tone. Matsuri Hino consciously begins to distance the plot from its previous focus on Zero's familial angst and starts moving the plot in the direction of some seriously Machiavellian vampire politicking.
Welcome to the NHK DVD 6 If Misaki and Sato's relationship is the heart of the series, this volume is all heart. And in grand NHK style, it's twisted, somewhat blackened heart.
Dragon Ball Z Season 8 DVD Set The Z fighters meet the wizard Babidi and eventually also Majin Buu as the last major DBZ story arc begins. Although this block of episodes still clings to the series' action greatness, the cracks in its well-tested formula start to show here.
Xenosaga: The Animation DVD Complete Collection Those unfamiliar with the franchise will find Xenosaga: The Animation largely unintelligible. Fortunately, it is just entertaining enough that intelligibility is not strictly necessary.
Tokyo Majin DVD Season 1 This action/horror series about magically empowered teenagers fighting off magical threats to Tokyo may provide some temporary excitement but ultimately is a forgettable production that falls well short of what it could have been due to writing flaws.
Dororo GN 1-3 According to Vertical, Osamu Tezuka's Dororo is “a subtle allegory of the individual and society's struggle for wholeness in a world ruled by chaos.” Sounds promising, doesn't it? Too bad that it's the same as calling Naruto “a gripping narrative of man's struggle construct and maintain a complex civilization in the face of his entropic, bestial nature.”
Vampire's Portrait GN 1 Vampire's Portrait is not the best BL to be published in English, not by a long shot. Those seeking a virtuoso sequential art vision should probably just look elsewhere.
Oh My Goddess! GN 31 ... one of the less profound offerings in the series, but for some, that's exactly what makes it so enjoyable, harkening back to the series' early days with well-timed slapstick and just a pinch of magic.
Doujin Work DVD 1 Sure it's as substantial as a bucket of helium, but that doesn't prevent the first fifty minutes of this disc from being a fine diversion.