Now Streaming: Fist of the North Star Series II 1-43 (sub) The most ridiculously violent children's show ever made (yes, this was supposed to be for kids) is back! Join Kenshiro on a journey across the globe as we all learn the value of friendship. And arterial spray. [discuss]
2010-08-15
ANNCast - Yes We Kun Joining us this week is the CEO of Crunchyroll, Kun Gao, to talk about the company's future, how things are going right now, and their upcoming online manga thingy. Also: Zac and Gia try to fill a half an hour and mostly succeed! It's super fun!
2010-08-13
Hey, Answerman! - Generic Blues This week on another harrowing episode of Hey, Answerman! Brian talks at great length about lousy generic shows and how and why they're made, touches a bit on digi-subbing with a digi-subber himself, and wraps it up with a big "Con Gripe" edition of Hey, Answerfans!
2010-08-13
Streaming Preview: High School of the Dead full episode 1 Our friends and Anime Network wanted to make sure you knew they have the following items on special right now: Japanese teenagers, zombies, and jiggle. Gee, I wonder what show they could be talking about? [discuss]
2010-08-12
Crimson Cross GN Does the world really need another vampire story right now? Digital Manga seems to think so. Perhaps it's the success of their Vampire Hunter D releases, a manga cult-classic, or maybe it's just certain outside influences. Either way, Crimson Cross is about as ‘vampire’ as you can get… unfortunately.
Highschool of the Dead episodes 1-6 How much you like this blending of horror and high school romantic comedy/drama clichés will largely depend on how jaded (or not) you are about the Zombie Apocalypse genre. It certainly delivers on its promise of plentiful action, bloody violence, and fan service, though, and tells a remarkably good story so far.
Hellsing GN 10 This isn't the series firing on all undead cylinders; it's the series cleaning up its loose ends before closing shop.
Naruto Season 3 Box Set 1 Sasuke tries to depart the Hidden Leaf Village, and Naruto tries to stop him, leading to their long-awaited head-to-head in this regrouped rerelease of earlier boxed sets. While some parts are tedious and typical franchise and genre flaws are evident, this set has some of the first series' best content, too.
Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino BLURAY The bad news is that the improvements in plotting and strong new characters are overshadowed by a more negative difference between the seasons: the 1st was slow, but the 2nd is boring. Il Teatrino's writing is sharp, but its direction is limp.
Soul Eater DVD Part 4 If something in the show interests you, chances are it's resolved here, and probably via an earth-shaking butt-kicking.
Alice the 101st GN 1 Well suited to its place in the Doki Doki imprint, which bolsters series intended as go-betweens from shoujo to boys' love, Alice 101st achieves the shoujo character-driven charm with an inkling of boys' love bait for the fans. If you enjoy coming-of-age stories told in parallel to honing a creative craft, then Alice the 101st could very well be a book for you.
Master of Martial Hearts DVD A capable high school girl gets involved in an all-women underground fighting tournament to save a new friend in this five-episode OVA from ARMS. A kissing cousin of Ikki Tousen, the series is largely not worth watching unless dependence on nudity-laced fan service works for you.
My Bride Is a Mermaid Season 1 DVD Part 1 Throws everything it has into high-energy humor, knowing full well that neither its plot nor its characters can carry it. And for the most part, it works.
Demon King Daimao Episodes 7-12 Streaming Prior to this there was always a chance, however slim, that the series would somehow salvage itself. After episode seven alone, no such illusions remain.
The Good Witch of the West GN 3-4 It is a general rule of thumb among those with experience with various forms of Japanese media that adaptations are not as good as the original material. The Good Witch of the West proves to be an unforgettable—not to mention not to be missed—exception to this rule.