Jen QUICK

Hai Fidelity - L'arc~en~Ciel: Kiss
The very first installment of our brand new biweekly music column with resident expert Rachael Carothers! This week, Rachael gives us the lowdown on Japanese supergroup L'arc~en~Ciel's latest album, Kiss! 2008-02-26

Shelf Life - Capture the Flag
Dangers from the front lines, and the ills of performance enhancers, all in this week's column. There may also be lots of cute girls.
- DBZ: Trunks/Bardock dbl. feat.
- Flag v.2
- Negima boxset
- Venus Versus Virus v.2
2008-02-25

ANNtv - Anime Jump Show: Galaxy Angel
Anime Jump Show is back, with a review of Galaxy Angel and a classic old Tezuka series. Plus, all the week's news! 2008-02-23

The Click - February 23 - 29
Brian refuses to allow you to read his column unless you first solve an arcane puzzle wholly unrelated to anything in particular, except for maybe your long-since-forgotten SAT scores. Later: new episodes of Black Lagoon and more! 2008-02-23

Nobody's Boy Remi Sub. DVD 3-4
Perhaps more merciless (and sentimental) than the opening episodes, Remi does nothing here to betray what came before. It's still the same resolutely old-fashioned story filled with small joys and towering tragedies.

Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Just like casual gamers would benefit from putting down Fish Tycoon and trying something more engaging, hardcore gamers might want to take a night off of Gears of War to see what's going on in the Mysterious Village.

Witchblade DVD 4
There may have been a time when Witchblade was only about torpedo-chested women battling it out, but this set of episodes takes a deeper, more introspective turn.

Gyo GN 2
With all that pesky introductory nonsense out of the way, Junji Ito gets down to what he does best: undiluted grossness.

Blood+ Part 1 DVD
Rife with sword-flashing violence but not action-clogged, its heart worn on sleeve but not too sappy, Blood+ is a simple, solid action-adventure: entertaining, involving, and sometimes powerful.

King of the Lamp GN
Respectable artistry and two strong chapters are enough to merit a look by older fans of shojo anime who are not bothered by the inclusion of sexual situations or heroines who get treated roughly at times.

The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye DVD 4
Despite a one-episode drop-off in artistic quality, the series regains its stride with this intimate, self-contained four-episode story arc. It may not be a shining example of originality but executes well.

One Piece: Movie No. 8 DVD
A glorified recap episode, this film is more a reminder of times past than a work of art, but given the length of time we may have to wait before an un-butchered version of those times is available, it's better than nothing.

Missing: Spirited Away Novel 1
If you've ever wondered what it's like to get lost in a dreamlike spirit world, try visiting this one.

My Heavenly Hockey Club GN 3
Like the rest of the series so far, this installment of My Heavenly Hockey Club is good fun, but not terribly deep.

A Midnight Opera
A wholly derivative, over-the-top, ludicrously amateurish foray into the now-tired realm of supernatural gothic drama.