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Black Bird GN 1
A bodice ripper with lots of bodice ripping but no sex (at least in the first volume)? And lots of blood drinking but no vampires (yet)? That would be the deliciously dirty Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji (Backstage Prince).

Law of Ueki DVD Complete Series Box Set
Light, peppy fun throughout and unexpectedly satisfying in conclusion, it's an underdog of a show that manages to win in the end. What could be more appropriate?

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.

The Flat Earth/Exchange GN 1-2
Raise your hand if you miss the Japanese manga of the last quarter of the 20th century—those bleak, post-apocalyptic tales of convoluted geopolitics and suggestive male bonding that made the careers of the likes of Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), CLAMP (X)…and, in her own more modest fashion, The Flat Earth/Exchange creator Toshimi Nigoshi.