The Mike Toole Show - A Fist Tale
Mike gets in on the head-exploding action with another look at the Fist of the North Star franchise. 2013-07-29

The List - 7 of Anime's Most Expensive Bits of Merchandise
Collectors better save their pennies if they want to get one of these items in their hands. 2013-07-28

ANNCast - Two Shrewd Dudes
It's the dog days of summer, so that means Zac and Justin take it easy, shoot the breeze, and take your Twitter questions! 2013-07-27

Answerman - All of Your Streams
It's a new column with a new Answerman, Justin Sevakis! This week, why are the anime on Netflix and Hulu are so different? Why are Japanese DVDs so expensive? And what IS an Original Event Anime, exactly? 2013-07-27

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Yu-Gi-Oh!
Warning: this column on card-collecting phenomenon Yu-Gi-Oh was actually written by Dark Jason. 2013-07-26

La Corda d'Oro GN 17
For reverse harem fans or even those leery of the genre, La Corda d'Oro has consistently been an enjoyable story about both music and romance, and maybe even the romance of music. If its ending is not as conclusive as one might have wished, it is still a good one.

Sleeping Moon GN 1
If you're looking for hardcore yaoi romance, this is not the series for you, but if you enjoy a supernatural tale with ominous overtones and the possibility of more serious romance in the next volume, give Sleeping Moon a chance.

Toriko GN 16
As with most Toriko volumes, this is a book to gulped down rather than savored.

Ruin Explorers DVD
If you always thought about picking this title up but never got around to it then this is the version that you want. Newcomers will find a fun couple of fantasy adventure hours that will consistently entertain without straining your brain.

Flowers of Evil Episodes 1-13 Streaming
A work of piercing insight, staggering stylistic bravery, skillful narrative manipulation, and superbly nuanced characterization—all turned towards endlessly upsetting, disturbingly seductive ends.

Black Magic M-66 Sub.DVD
This early effort by the creator of Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed excels in its depiction of android vs. human combat, and is worth a recommendation on that alone, but offers little else.

Umineko WHEN THEY CRY Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch GN 1
With this omnibus, we find ourselves caring a lot more about what happens, not just in terms of the story, but to the characters as well.

Sankarea: Undying Love GN 1
Tragicomedy is not unknown in the manga realm, and Sankarea just may be a very good entry into that genre, and this introductory volume offers us sadness, hope, and humor with a dollop of fanservice to top it off.

Naruto Shippūden DVD Set 14
A perfect storm of drama and action, back-story and plot advancement, and some surprisingly deep thoughts on what it means to strive for peace.

Devil Survivor 2 The Animation Streaming
All in all this is a fairly solid bit of entertainment. If you like your stories dark with a glimmer of hope, Devil Survivor 2 should fit the bill.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
If it resembles so many other things -- which have drawn inspiration, however indirectly, from Super Mario -- then what's most exciting about this Paper Mario is that it has shed the kruft of what we've been forcibly made to consider "RPGs" and, in doing so, has come to resemble nothing so much as itself.