Chieko TAKAYAMA

New York Anime Festival 2009

Coverage available now:

Japanese Seiyuu and US Voice Actors Panel
Yoshiyuki Tomino Keynote and Focus Panel
Viz Media
Manga Entertainment
Bandai Entertainment
Del Rey
Aniplex
Vertical Industry Panel
Tokyopop Industry Panel
Funimation Industry Panel
Opening Ceremonies
2009-09-25

Kannagi Fan-Art Contest Winners
Contest 2009-09-27

ANN Needs New Hardware
Help ANN set-up another goddess 2009-09-25

Hey, Answerman!
This week, the dried-up corpse of Brian answers a duo of questions regarding anime dubs and why Adult Swim hates anime with a fiery passion. There's also a new Flake of the Week and Hey, Answerfans aplenty! 2009-09-25

Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion DVD
Spit and polish notwithstanding, you're better off sticking to the television series.

Daphne in the Brilliant Blue DVD Collection 2
Nearly smothered under outlandishly risqué costuming and retread story ideas is some surprisingly entertaining content which mixes humor with a semblance of true sentiment and actual plot. Although still far from great, the series is definitely better in its second half than it looked like at first.

Eureka Seven - good night, sleep tight, young lovers -
The basic concepts of the Eureka 7 TV series get a radical reinterpretation in a self-contained, highly accessible movie version full of bold actions and bolder emotions. Despite a darker edge, it still delivers spectacular action sequences and a convincing central couple.

Darkside Blues DVD
Ah, Darkside Blues…that 80 minute refugee from the good old days of violent, post-apocalyptic late twentieth century anime that make absolutely no sense because they are actually bolt-on bonuses to otherwise more comprehensible manga series.

Big Windup! Part 2 DVD
The problems with this second half are not enough to derail the show, but the experience is way less satisfying than it should be. Such is the power of its characters that I still can't help but love the whole package.

.hack//G.U. Trilogy Sub.DVD
A big sloppy mess with some snazzy imagery, a few cutting shards of romance, and some excellent acting by a top-flight cast.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo GN 3
The manga version puts the focus back on the most interesting character: the Count himself. As a result, the plot reaches full steam in a very powerful way—but sadly gets derailed in the later chapters.

Cencoroll
It's a film that defies any and all expectations of both medium and genre, that makes us marvel and has really little time to do much else.

Blade of the Immortal GN 20-21
Is everything one could ask for in a climax: violent, smart and brimming with gory schadenfruede.

Berserk GN 28
The clues it contains about the future direction of Guts' journey—and the relentless monster action—ultimately save it, but unless the series regains its bearings soon this will begin to qualify as a genuine slump.

Gundam SEED
Gundam SEED is not only hands down the best of the alternative timelines, but stands as one of the best Gundam titles period.