Ariadna RIVAS

The Click - April 26 - May 2
Brian grunts and scratches himself inappropriately while uncharismatically doling out more info on shows that invade the talking picture box. This week, Code Geass arrives and more! Oh so much more! Good Lord! 2008-04-26

Hey, Answerman!
This week: advocacy sites, anime fans who get all bent out of shape and pissy when you say you don't like their favorite show, a circle of bunnies, and completely uninteresting and banal awesome first-time photos of the interior of Answerman's bunker. Also: Hey, Answerfans! 2008-04-25

Buried Garbage - Suikoden Demon Century
Suikoden is appalling. It's as painfully insulting to one's intelligence as Tekken or Battle Arena Toshinden, but without the excuse of being a video game tie-in dictated by committee planning and corporate branding. 2008-04-24

Kite Liberator DVD
Many will hate Kite Liberator. Its story is nonsense. It chops and splices genres in the silliest way possible. But taken as a gentle, self-reflective Tarantino-style satire, it works. And lord, if it isn't a whole lot of fun...

Yozakura Quartet GN 1
It has all the ingredients of greatness: distinctive characters ... action-adventure potential ... But processing those ingredients into something successful is obviously going to take more work.

Strawberry Panic! Sub.DVD 1
If you like seeing girls blushing and getting flustered over other girls (with no guys around) then this may be a series for you. Although it does improve, its merits are otherwise only barely enough to sustain it.

Monochrome Factor GN 1
This ripoff of a ripoff does such a good job of copying everything else in the supernatural genre that it's hard to tell where the imitation stops and an original story begins.

Kitchen Princess GN 5
Yakitate Japan for girls? All right, so Kitchen Princess doesn't quite have the insane humor, but Volume 5 shows that it contains all the other essential ingredients for a great cooking series.

Kagetora GN 8
This story of a young ninja and his cute but incapable charge/student wallows in an intensive display of utterly stereotypical romantic comedy content, but looks good doing so and still manages to be mildly entertaining.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service GN 6
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service may be a shining jewel in the supernatural genre, but even this masterful series has its off-days. Volume 6 is one such disappointment.

Galaxy Angel II GN 3
Unless you're a fan of the franchise and simply must know why Nano-Nano has a tail and Kahlua a split personality, or you're a sucker for any kind of harem romance, this manga is unlikely to captivate.

Hell Girl DVD 4
As restrained, elegant, and superbly atmospheric as ever, Hell Girl continues to vary its basic formula in small, telling ways but remains as stubbornly repetitive as ever.

The Wallflower GN 14
Toss any expectations beyond those for a passing diversion and some good chuckles out the window. Wallflower is back to treading water.

Crest of the Stars novel 1
Fans of well-detailed worlds will doubtless fall in love with the meticulously-constructed Abh race and empire featured here. Whether you're a long-time fan or a complete newbie to the franchise, it makes for an excellent read.