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People - Z

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.

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu
All in all, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a genuinely solid effort and a thoroughly hilarious comedy spinoff. Fans of the first season and newcomers to Full Metal Panic! alike will be certain to find something enjoyable in this series when it's released by ADV in the near future.