Francesco PANNOFINO

The Spring 2009 Anime Preview Guide
The Spring 2009 anime season is officially underway! Our 24-7 preview guide begins; check back every day for new reviews from ANN's editorial team!

Previews Available Now:
07-Ghost
Ristorante Paradiso
Cross Game
Tears to Tiara
Basquash!
Valkyria Chronicles
Sengoku Basara
Pandora Hearts
Shin Mazinger Shogeki Z-Hen
Shangri-La
Natsu no Arashi
Dragonball Kai
Saki
Asura Cryin'
Arad Senki -Slap Up Party-
Hayate the Combat Butler season 2
Phantom ~Requiem for the Phantom~
K-ON!
Queen's Blade
Chi's New Address
Mainichi Kaasan 2009-04-03

Buried Garbage - Arcade Gamer Fubuki
A 4-episode punch-to-the-soul that not only drained me of my zest for my job but life in general. 2009-04-09

The X Button - Tales of Tales
Todd encounters a Silent Hill remake, more Tales titles, Queen's Blade: Spiral Chaos, the shonen-manga crossover to end them all, and a rare chance to see Kino's Journey in a video game. 2009-04-08

Anime News Nina! - 2009-04-08
Airport security isn't prepared for Paola. 2009-04-08

Chicks On Anime - Tales from the Rental Front
We take a look at what it's like to run a brick-and-mortar anime video rental business, and how it's held up over the years. 2009-04-07

Shelf Life - The Guardian
This week is all about demon busting, in its many forms. Who knew exorcism could be so fun?
- D.Gray-man s.1, pt.1
- Fullmetal Alchemist s.2
- Moribito v.1-3
- Shuffle boxset
2009-04-06

Astro Toy with Rob Bricken: Nendoroid Miku Hatsune
Nendoroid's take on the famous animated idol singer comes across Rob's desk. 2009-04-05

Battle Angel Alita: Last Order -Angel Goes Nova GN 10
Despite getting too ridiculous for its own good and seeming to be running short on ideas, this series still kicks butt on the artistic front and still tells a solid story. Above all, it still has Alita, and she is back, front and center, where she should be.

Love Pistols GN 1-3
Perversity in one's choice of manga reading material, if Tarako Kotobuki's Love Pistols is any indication, is a habit that, enjoyed once, may well become permanently addictive.

Baccano! DVD 2
Can a series that sometimes gets tremendously gory also be tremendously fun? This one seems intent on proving that a series can be both. Its plethora of converging story threads, combined with the ongoing antics of Isaac and Miria, make watching this an involving and highly entertaining experience.

Akihabara@DEEP GN 2
Much of volume two of Akihabara@DEEP takes place in the world of a fictionalized MMORPG world, but if you think you are merely in for a hackneyed version of .hack, you are in for the surprise of your life: One of the top manga series first published in English in 2008 is getting even better.

Ghost Slayers Ayashi DVD Part 1
A novel hybrid of adventure and education: call it a monster-bashing kanji lesson.

Psychic Power Nanaki GN 1-3
Psychic Power Nanaki is a series that you should feel safely empowered to avoid entirely.

Darker than BLACK DVD 3
It's just a shame that Tensai Okamura and his raft of talented collaborators couldn't swing something better than “good enough.”

Claymore DVD 4
Clare encounters one of the “Big Bosses” of her world and gets involved in a major multi-Claymore expedition as she continues to collect new allies and skills and steadily “level up.” The series' shonen roots are becoming more prominent, but it still looks great and still packs a lot of action punch.

Negima!? neo GN 1
It may have the cute girls and the magical combat, but right now it's just going through the motions—and not creating any real magic at all.

Princess Resurrection Sub.DVD
This series about a chainsaw-wielding princess of monsters who turns an 8th grade boy into a half-immortal servant may not be a particularly good series, but it is a fun one. In this case, that's (just) enough.

UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 3 DVD 1
Gets back to doing what the series does best: brainless fan-service comedy of reassuring emptiness.