Encyclopedia

Manga - J

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

Buried Treasure - Glassy Ocean
One boy's oceanic flight of fantasy becomes an incredible journey over an ocean of glass. 2009-06-25

The X Button - Blade Arts
This week: CLAMP works on the latest Tekken, Golgo 13 trivia hits the DS, Bamboo Blade lands on the PSP, and the secret double life of an old anime series is laid bare. 2009-06-24

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.

Murder Princess DVD
Yes, it's fun, but it's ephemerally so, and you can't help but get pissed at the irreplaceable slice of your life that it eats away.

Rasetsu GN 1
Relatively few manga characters are interesting and memorable enough to carry the weight of a series title on their (typically) ectomorphic shoulders…and Rasetsu of the mediocre disappointment Rasetsu, alas, is no exception.

Darker Than Black DVD 2
Aside from proving that the series can entertain when it loosens up, this is basically more of what volume one offered: science-fiction intrigue with some surprisingly bloody action and a bit of a mean streak.