Takatoshi KUMAKURA

The Fall 2008 Anime Preview Guide
The fall anime season has begun, and Anime News Network's famous 24-7 preview guide returns! Check back daily over the next two weeks for our critics' takes on the latest shows from Japan!

Reviews Available Now:

To Aru Matjutsu no Index
Kyo no Go no Ni
Tales of the Abyss
Gundam 00 Season 2
Kannagi
Rosario + Vampire Capu2
Linebarrels of Iron
Casshern Sins
Hyakko!
Akane-iro ni Somaru Saka!
Clannad ~After Story
Toradora!
2008-10-04

Shelf Life - Jars of Claymore
There are tons of little girls this week, but only one of them will grow up to become a deadly Claymore. The rest will just squeal really loudly.
- Claymore v.1
- Kanon v.6
- Lucky Star v.3
- Negima?! Spring/Summer
2008-10-06

Astro Toy with Rob Bricken: Portrait of Pirates - Usopp
Rob inspects the newest meticulously detailed figure from Megahouse's Portrait of Pirates line, Usopp. 2008-10-05

ANNtv - NYAF08 Cosplay Fun Reel
The sights, the sounds... Check out all the wacky and wonderful cosplayers from this year's NY Anime Festival with ANN's own Bamboo Dong! 2008-10-05

ANNtv - NYAF08 Dealers and Industry
The fans weren't the only unusual things at New York Anime Festival. Check out the unique wares and industry hotshots frequenting the dealer room! 2008-10-05

The Gallery - Jessie Lam
Evan sits down with Jessie Lam, sketch artist and colorist for the series Neozoic. 2008-10-04

The Click - October 4th - 10th
Brian is angry about Toonami's death! This means he talks angrily about things tangentially involved with Batman: Gotham Knight's premiere and new episodes of Naruto and more! 2008-10-04

Don't Blame Me GN 1-2
Even though it is one of her earliest, Don't Blame Me, nearly ten years later, continues to be one of Yugi Yamada's best. Highly recommended to anyone who likes slice-of-life manga…particularly to those who do not normally read BL. Yamada stretches the genre to its limits, and the results are simply not to be missed.

Short-Tempered Melancholic GN
An unflinching dose of cute, designed to awaken the heart-fluttering schoolkid in all of us ... just don't expect too much.

Galaxy Angel AA DVD 1-4
The Angel Brigade is back for another round of 27 half-episode stories. Despite the occasional serious episode, it generally remains a delightfully and consistently funny piece of fluff which requires no long-term commitment or prior familiarity.

Bleach DVD 12
This volume can only be described as down-time, but it's pretty good down-time for all that. Just beware the extended flashback at the end.

Astro Boy 1&2 GN
Read Astro Boy for fun or for history—not for philosophical enlightenment packaged as classic manga.

Laya, the Witch of Red Pooh GN 1-2
The two-volume Korean manhwa series Laya, the Witch of Red Pooh is one of the most appealing titles you will ever have the privilege to flip casually through…and one of the most appalling titles you will ever have the misfortune to actually read.

Gundam SEED Destiny TV Movie II
The central movie of the Gundam SEED Destiny TV series compilation project may actually improve upon its source material because its editing actually limits or eliminates some of the series' key weakness. Not good, but not bad, either.

One Piece DVD Season 1 Part 2
A build-up-heavy slice of a steadily improving shounen adventure, the second part of One Piece's first season isn't revolutionary, insightful, or even particularly smart or original. It's just massive fun.

Pumpkin Scissors DVD 4
Begins as slack as the last two volumes, but soon picks up with a story arc that returns to the themes of reconstruction and postwar readjustment that set the first volume apart, all while ramping up the action quotient.

Gun Blaze West GN 3
The saga of Nobuhiro Watsuki prematurely ending Gun Blaze West is probably more interesting than the saga of Viu Bannes actually traveling to Gun Blaze West.

Aria GN 1
With a feel-good philosophy at its core, Aria's first volume is 180 pages of pure, serene happiness.