The Gallery - Azusa Ogawa Azusa Ogawa joins us for a look at flying pigs, ethnic labels on art, and turning bizarre English into funny manga. Plus: Anime Expo Alley Shopping Guide!
2009-06-27
Hey, Answerman! Before heading off to this year's Anime Expo, Brian answers questions about parental neglect, "anime inspired" shows, scuzzy hentai games, plus Hey Answerfans!
2009-06-26
Ponyo Ponyo is, from its very first frame to its very last, a pure fairytale. And ultimately, that may be why Ponyo may be considered something of a letdown by longtime fans of the artist. If Princess Mononoke was a sumptuous 7-course meal, Ponyo is a well-crafted crème brulee.
Shugo Chara! Episodes 38-51 Streaming ... stands out as one of the defining works of its genre and of its era. Which is not too bad for a heroine with multiple personality disorder.
Shikabane Hime: Aka Episodes 1-13 Streaming Shikabane Hime is no brainless gorefest; it's a hard-hitting action-horror hybrid with an inward bent that keeps its gut-crunching violence anchored in human realities.
Pretty Cure Episodes 1-14 Streaming Though slavishly formulaic and distinctly kid-oriented, this series about two starkly contrasting 8th graders who become a magical girl duo still looks good enough, and is distinguishable enough in its action components, to warrant at least a sampling by anime fans with diversified interests.
Fushigi Yûgi -VIZBIG Edition- GN 2 Watase's Fushigi Yûgi is without a doubt one of the titles to set the standard for what “manga” in the United States has come to be. For this reason alone, it is a must-read. But even if you couldn't care a whit about its historical significance, it's still a fun story that may be enjoyed purely on its own terms.
Children of the Sea GN 1 It has been said that the deep ocean is the true "final frontier"—and no story makes that notion come alive quite like Children of the Sea.
Heroic Age DVD Part 1 It wants to be a feeling person's space opera, but hasn't the smarts or the skills to be anything but a space-based waste of time.
Tail of the Moon Prequel: The Other Hanzo(u) GN Tail of the Moon Prequel: The Other Hanzo(u) is best recommended for those who wish to try Tail of the Moon without the multi-volume commitment or for those who have already been sold on the entertainment merits of the Hanzo(u)s and their respective girlfriends.
Clannad Sub.DVD Part 2 Tomoya handles his harem of girls, but ultimately focuses on one of them, as the initial Clannad series wraps up. While hardly masterpiece-level entertainment, it does the job it was intended to do: provide appealing moe entertainment to a fan base who revels in this kind of thing.
Galaxy Express 999 Episodes 1-13 Streaming ... a series that concerns itself more with the triumphs and tragedies of the human condition than with explosion-laden interstellar wars.