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Astro Toy with Rob Bricken - Play Arts Reimi
Rob checks out a member of Square Enix's "junior varsity" RPG series, Star Ocean. 2009-08-09

The Gallery - Amy Reeder Hadley
Eisner-nominated artist Amy Reeder Hadley drops in to chat about her previous work with Tokyopop and her current role as artist of the critically acclaimed Madame Xanadu. Oh, and there's a bit about unicorn chicks and Sailor Moon fighting sequences too. 2009-08-08

Hey, Answerman!
Note: the following Hey, Answerman! contains frank discussions of sexual material, nerdy dialogue, and season-related content. 2009-08-07

Baccano! DVD 4
The closure it brings to the stories of the Flying Pussyfoot passengers makes this volume a must for their fans. And the clever, action-packed insanity of it all makes the whole shebang a must for any fan, period.

Sand Chronicles GN 6
Were you just to ruffle through the pages of a random volume, you would think that this is just another stereotyped schooldays shoujo manga romance. You would not suspect, from the typical, airy shoujo artwork, that the treatment of such themes as out-of-wedlock pregnancy and parental suicide would be placed center stage.

Kaze No Stigma DVD
The first half of this series about a cool and cocky wind magic-user and his temperamental fire magic-user cousin is hardly awful but definitely does not stand amongst the better recent efforts of its type. Weak writing and overripe characterizations eventually cause what little early promise it has to wither.

Phantom Episodes 1-13 Streaming
A beautiful, slowly engrossing and occasionally surprising anti-action action anime. Perhaps Bee Train's best series of this stripe since Noir.

Baby & Me GN 14
This isn't Baby & Me's best volume—that honor goes to the wringing thirteenth volume—but it is in many ways the most representative one.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Premium OVA Collection DVD
Decidedly for hardcore fans of the original show, the short running time and the forgettable nature of most of the shorts will be enough to make most fans hesitate before buying. However, two segments are compelling enough to make the disc a necessary purchase, in the end.

Naruto Box Set 13 DVD
Naruto and his revolving supporting cast complete missions in the Land of Birds and Land of Sea, amongst others. Despite some amusing moments and one decent story arc, this set represents one of the lowest and least memorable stretches of the first series.

Fullmetal Alchemist GN 19
The series has always been packed with high-flying adventure moments, but you can just tell when you run into the ones that really matter. And this is one part of FMA that really, really matters.

Vampire Knight GN 7
The seventh volume of Vampire Knight, among the strongest of the series published thus far, hits all of the requisite fangirl squeal buttons…and then some.

Gakuen Alice Sub.DVD
From its opening frame, the series exudes a pure, honest desire to entertain that is no less endearing for not being backed up with the skill to pull it off.

Toward the Terra Sub.DVD 3-4
Despite only a sprinkling of action scenes and some other flaws, these eight episodes continue a compelling narrative and regularly satisfying level of dramatic tension. Giving one of the main characters a villainous bent proves especially interesting.