Encyclopedia

Anime - Z

Pluto GN 5
Once again, Pluto continues to impress with its multi-layered plot and suspenseful pacing, even though the key villain still refuses to show himself fully.

Shugo Chara! GN 7
Shugo Chara! works on different levels, and for those who can enjoy both the kiddie side and the edgy grown-up side, that just makes it twice the fun.

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.

Gakuen Alice GN 1
Gakuen Alice mangaka Tachibana Higuchi, who wanted to make her third series cheerful, delivers a delightful shoujo series well worthy of its U.S. publisher's push for the frontlist.