François MAIRET

The Spring 2010 Anime Preview Guide
Our Spring Preview has begun! Keep checking back daily for new previews from our team of critics.

Previews Now Available:
Heroman Episode 2
Senkou no Night Raid
Big Windup! Season 2
Giant Killing
Mayoi Neko Overrun!
K-On! Season 2
Hakuouki
Working!!
Kissxsis
Arakawa Under the Bridge
Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan
Angel Beats!
Kaichou wa Maid-sama!
Ichiban Ushiro no Daimao
B Gata H Kei
Ikkitousen: Xtreme Xecutor
2010-04-01

ANNCast - Diabolical Ruh-minations
Anime scholar and author Brian Ruh joins us to talk about a whole bunch of smarty-pants topics like anime in academia and the films of Mamoru Oshii. Plus: Van Von Hunter, the Spring 2010 anime season and the shrinking Japanese anime industry. C'mon in! 2010-04-08

Sakura Con 2010
Couldn't make it to Sakura-Con this year? ANN's got the breakdown of what you need to know from the biggest convention in the Pacific Northwest 2010-04-08

The X Button - Tried and True
This week: Monster Hunter Tri is previewed, Xenoblade is expanded, a hectic shooter lands in an unlikely place, and the Squishy Tanks return. 2010-04-07

Anime News Nina! - 2010-04-06
First they came for the webcomics, and I said nothing. 2010-04-07

Anime Boston
Did you miss Anime Boston? No worries, we've got a rundown of New England's biggest anime convention. 2010-04-06

Fairy Tail GN 10
For all its fancy wizardry, idiosyncratic characters, and far-off adventuring, this series still carries a heavy whiff of the tried-and-true, the overdone, the familiar.

Strike Witches
Uses fanservice to appeal to one group of fans, but the series' high-action alternate history sci-fi world, great character development and well-executed comedy make it possible for others to enjoy as well.

The Twelve Kingdoms - Skies of Dawn (novel 4)
The paths of three 16-year-old girls from vastly different situations converge during a rebellion in the Kingdom of Kei in this fourth offering from Fuyumi Ono's acclaimed fantasy series. Ono's longest and most ambitious storytelling effort yet is a real page-turner but suffers from production problems.

You're Under Arrest: Full Throttle DVD part 1
The babes of Bokuto Traffic Section are back for another round of cases, looking sexier than ever! While the cases more commonly edge in the serious direction and some of the circumstances have been altered since the last series, this is really just same-ol', same-ol' as YUA goes.

Slayers Revolution DVD
As with past installments in the franchise, this one offers lots of high-spirited, typically light-hearted fun populated densely with flashy displays of magic and wanton destruction. It even has an actual plot and the same English dub cast, too! Though hardly fresh, it can be entertaining.

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII is an experiment in some ways and a throwback in others, streamlining combat while indulging in the glitzy theatrics of its predecessors. It's also a test of just how much bland introduction a player can take.

Aria the Origination DVD
Fourteen episodes (and one OVA) of elegiac beauty that soothe even as they mourn the franchise's passing.

Soul Eater DVD Part 2
Juicy entertainment, fully fortified with all the laughs, gasps and style necessary for a full-course shonen fightin' meal. And without the after-meal bloating often associated with such eating.

Alice in the Country of Hearts GN 2
It may be impossible to beat Lewis Carroll at his own game, but as Alice in the Country of Hearts shows, there are still ways to succeed ... simply by adding new rules to the game.

Detroit Metal City GN 4
The events of the Satanic Emperor music festival bring this storyline to a turning point, forcing Negishi to come face to face with a shocking truth about his musical career. It looks like things could remain interesting for quite a bit longer.

Gunparade March Anthology (manga)
If you're already a fan of Gunparade March, then Last Dance Gunparade might be an amusing bit of miscellany. Taking the characters outside of the main storyline and throwing them into non-combat situations has plenty of entertaining possibilities.