Yasuomi Umetsu's action-packed extravaganza marks Anime News Network's first full anime title available for free on our video player! Click the picture above for the subtitled version, or click here for the dubbed version. (Sorry, USA/CAN only)
Negima!? Spring & Summer Specials DVD Trips to the beach and an elaborate new resort allow another go-around for Class 2-A shenanigans in a pair of OVA episodes loaded with pervasive fan service and visual gimmickry. They can be quite funny and offer definite, if shallow, entertainment value. 2008-12-11
The X Button - Dead Souls Todd delves into the latest Valkyrie Profile, Sega's new multi-front RPG project, and an allegedly ultimate set of shooters, all in a failed attempt to avoid talking about a maid fighting game. 2008-12-10
RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Naruto Cantabile BLEACH VS. NARUTO, ROUND TWO! Who will win? (Correct answer: One Piece.) But OP isn't being reviewed here, so too bad. Instead we've got Nodame Cantabile, The Quest for the Missing Girl, and more! 2008-12-09
Shelf Life - Squash Knives This week, we kick it Bronte style, with some old fashioned love stories, and some flesh-eating blobs.
- Emma S2
- Otoboku v.2-3
- Pumpkin Scissors S1 P1
- Shonen Onmyouji v.4
Negima!? Spring & Summer Specials DVD Trips to the beach and an elaborate new resort allow another go-around for Class 2-A shenanigans in a pair of OVA episodes loaded with pervasive fan service and visual gimmickry. They can be quite funny and offer definite, if shallow, entertainment value.
Death Note DVD Box Set 1 This collection covers the first half of the popular suspense series. That's twenty episodes of self-centered asses duking it out with their brains while peons die like flies. Undeniably engrossing but highly off-putting.
One Thousand and One Nights GN 5 An enticingly exotic, creative marriage between writer JinSeok Jeon and artist SeungHee Han made in manhwa heaven. Though inspired by the classic Persian story cycle of the same name, this is no mere comic adaptation—the series thrums with its own unique aesthetic and sensual sensibilities.
Atelier Marie and Elie –Zalburg Alchemist– GN 1-2 If you are one of those fans familiar only with those examples of the Atelier franchise available in North America or—Heaven forbid!—altogether ignorant, this manga will feel, for all intents and purposes, like reading a fanzine when you are not a member of its particular fandom.
Vexille Blu-Ray This film is basically the anime world's latest tech showcase, sure to be remembered more for its grand ideas and presentation than the actual execution or quality of story.
You're So Cool GN 1-2 You're So Cool is, at its heart, about a monster of the male persuasion who is eventually tamed and brought back into the benevolent fold of humanity by a willing woman's feminine power—that of her grace and her compassion. Unfortunately, while Seung-Ha is unquestionably a monster of horrific proportions, Nan-Woo is neither particularly graceful nor willing.
Strawberry Panic! Sub.DVD 5 Whenever its central romance takes center stage there's a palpable sense that Strawberry Panic might just salvage something more than lesbian titillation from its mess of romantic clichés.
School Rumble Season 2 DVD Part 1 The shift from hectic, secretly muscular romantic comedy to formulaic time-killing schoolyard farce over the course of this box set is remarkable, if only for its abruptness—like the flipping of a switch after episode six.
Ghost Hunt Season One Part One Despite some weak points, the first season of this supernatural mystery series succeeds because it spins good enough, and elaborate enough, stories while also offering a sharp look and a highly likeable female lead.
Ghost Talker's Daydream GN 2 If it had stuck just to the supernatural side, it would have ended up as Yet Another Ghost-Hunting Manga, but are wanton acts of sex, violence and depravity really a legitimate creative solution?
The Recipe for Gertrude GN 1 This could have been a fun, easy-going antidote to the poisonous angst-miasma that dominates the shoujo market but the confusing artwork sabatoges it at every turn.