Nine: Kanketsuhen (special)

The X Button - All E3, All The Time
The X Button's first birthday kicks off with an E3 roundup, a Claymore game, Starfy, Miami Law, Dirty Pair: Project Eden, and a present for all loyal readers. 2009-06-03

Anime News Nina! - 2009-06-03
Nina and Paola weigh their options. 2009-06-03

Chicks On Anime - Producing a DVD
Funimation's DVD producer, Clarine Harp, talks to us about the ins and outs of DVD production, and what goes into every step. 2009-06-02

Astro Toy with Rob Bricken: Dark Pucelle by Enterbrain
Rob inspects a brand-new statue from an obscure old PS2 game... with Krauser's help. 2009-05-31

Sand Chronicles GN 3-5
The delicate balance between sentimentality and bathetic ridiculousness is one that Hinako Ashihara walks quite well, and the intimate exploration of the characters' rather unremarkable—let's be honest with ourselves here—exploits are utterly riveting.

Big Windup! Episodes 1-7 Streaming
Tells a simple story (a group of guys, a baseball diamond, and a game they really want to win) with sly suspense and unexpected complexity.

Ouran High School Host Club DVD - Season 1 Part 2
More antics of the cross-dressing Haruhi and the bishonen Host Club guys continue as the series delves into backstories. While these episodes do show some depth, for the most part they stick to the series' strength: shallow, silly fun. In that sense, they work just fine.

Claymore DVD 5
The massed Claymore battles in snowy Pieta heat up, but the character development is as much the key in what is arguably the series' second-best run of episodes. Most who watch this volume will find themselves impatiently awaiting the next one.

Ghost Slayers Ayashi DVD Part 2
You know those anime characters who make purple toxic-waste dishes by tossing in ingredients willy-nilly with no attention to the harmony of taste or texture? Well this is the anime they would make.

Sky Crawlers, The (Blu-ray)
The Sky Crawlers is an intense experience, and a level of artistic expression far beyond the levels even the best anime strives towards. And to those that look beyond the surface, it's actually a pretty damning portrayal of the anime business and its fans.

KenIchi the Mightiest Disciple DVD Season 1 Part 1
Despite an annoying start, this silly variation on The Karate Kid eventually becomes surprisingly entertaining in its sampling of various forms of martial arts and the tactics involved in using them efficiently. It's cheesy, but fun.

Night Head Genesis DVD 4
It takes patience to enjoy Night Head Genesis. That is, when there's enjoyment to be had.

Hayate the Combat Butler GN 11
An easily accessible sense of humor, which rotates between slapstick and parody and the characters behaving in exaggerated ways, is what helps to keep the series entertaining.

Dojin Work Sub.DVD 3
It ain't fall-out-of-your-seat funny, but it's fast and unfailingly amusing right to the end, with just enough insight into the artistic process to keep from fading into complete insubstantiality.

Lovely Complex Sub.DVD
With a likeable girl-next-door in the lead role and a story that bounces between wild comedy and heartfelt confessions, this tale about "the long and short of love" is definitely worth a look.