Encyclopedia

Manga - F

Negima! GN 26
There have been better volumes of Negima! than this one. The kind of churning and plot maintenance going on in this installment doesn't make for very effective storytelling.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei GN 6
The one big knock against Zetsubou-sensei has always been that the humor is hit-and-miss—but Volume 6 looks like the first to have nonstop hits all the way through.

Maoh: Juvenile Remix GN 1
The do-or-do-not power-debate parallels to Ando's own personal questioning as a whole – how much effect can a person's words have and what is someone's personal responsibility to stop being a bystander to injustice? While its direction remains up the air, Maoh Juvenile Remix opens with a compelling first volume full of questions worth trying to answer.

Golgo 13 Collection 1
Premier assassin Golgo 13 is out to execute a baker's dozen of hits in this dubbed release of the first quarter of his first TV series. This purely episodic series gets its appeal from its widely-varied scenarios and watching Golgo's consummate professionalism and unstoppable skill in action, not from character or plot developments.

Detroit Metal City GN 5
For a series that once started out with such a clear, hilarious premise, it seems to have lost its way—and is trying anything to get back on track.

Heroman Episodes 8-13 Streaming
You couldn't ask for a better cap to the series' first arc: thrills, fun, and a conclusive end to alien hostilities. As such, it's a little ironic that it's the episodes that follow that truly prove the series' mettle.

Trigun: Badlands Rumble
Trigun: Badlands Rumble is exactly the kind of experience that Trigun fans have been waiting for. Everyone else, however, may want to save it for a lazy afternoon when some light popcorn entertainment is all that's needed.

Chi's Sweet Home GN 1
The book's list of chapter titles holds nothing back in letting readers know what they're in for when they pick up this first volume: A Cat is Lost, A Cat Goes to the Vet, A Cat Plays, A Cat Is Home Alone, etc, etc. Rinse and repeat is the name of this kitty-cat game.

Flower in a Storm GN 1
A gun-toting rich boy lays claim to a super powered schoolgirl – sadly, Flower in a Storm doesn't entirely live up the expectations insinuated by its own synopsis. Ran Tachibana is more selfish than bad-ass and Riko Kunimi's super powers fall flat on the coolness scale when they're reduced to a mere sideline quirk.

Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor Blu-Ray
The classic story about boy meets bioarmor, thus becoming a monster-bashing hero, gets a solid Blu-Ray treatment from Funimation. While the series has many flaws, it does work as an action piece as long as one does not expect a definitive ending or much character depth.

Jin-Roh Special Edition DVD
...Jin-Roh, with it's excellent production values, is a must see...