Asian Erotic Animation DVDs Untranslated

Anime News Nina! - 2010-03-03
Paola learns a hard lesson. 2010-03-03

The X Button - Life During Wartime
A preview of Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love headlines this week! Todd also covers the risks of Metroid: Other M, the debut of Final Fantasy XIII, the fate of Yakuza 3, and the idea that not all game-based anime has to suck. 2010-03-03

Handley's Attorney Comments on Obscene Manga Case
Christopher Handley's defense attorney Eric Chase addresses some of the questions surrounding Handley's sentencing for possession of obscene manga. 2010-03-02

Letter From The Encyclopedist
A call for help 2010-03-02

RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Portrait of a Hero
Sick of winter weather yet? At least you can't get sick of manga when there's new stuff like Hero Tales, Shakugan no Shana, and Portrait of M & N coming out. See what else is new in the latest RTO!! 2010-03-02

Shelf Life - Rah Rah Rahmen
Cooking cats and unlicensed medical practitioners round out this week's less-than-stellar selections.
- Black Jack (2004) ep 1-5, Special
- Detective Conan: The Phantom of Baker Street
- Neko Rahmen ep 1-13
2010-03-01

Case Closed: The Last Magician of the Century DVD
This solid, surprisingly involving mystery movie about a Fabergé Egg heist which turns complicated (and deadly!) is easily accessible even to a complete Case Closed/Detective Conan neophyte.

Blade of the Immortal GN 22
Half forward march and half lingering look back, this isn't the series' most focused installment. It is, however, a fulfilling one, particularly for long-time fans curious about where Rin and Manji's relationship may be going.

To Love-Ru DVD Collection 2
More shenanigans involving Rito, his alien princess fiancée, and the bevy of teen beauties surrounding them ensue, generating more consistent comedy and fan service gold than the first half. Not a great series, but as frivolous entertainment goes, you could certainly do far worse.

Slam Dunk GN 8
Slam Dunk overcomes its brief slump and is on fire once again, delivering terrific sports action while continuing to build an engaging story around its characters.

Chu-Bra!! Episodes 1-5 streaming
It's not purposely trying to be tasteless—it simply doesn't know any better.

Genshiken 2 DVD 3
After a second volume that took discomfiting humor so far that it was just plain discomfort, this final volume manages to reclaim some of the show's charm—if only by cutting back on the faux porn.

Linebarrels of Iron DVD Part 1
A student is given control of a powerful robot only to prove as callously cruel as his opponents in this messy, ugly and mercurial mecha offering from Gonzo.

Maria Holic DVD Complete Collection
A lesbian transfers to an all-girls school where her first crush turns out to be an evilly manipulative boy in disguise in an energetic, gleeful comedy which flavors its humor with outright weirdness. If this series fails to entertain some viewers, it certainly will not be for lack of effort.

Hidamari Sketch Sub.DVD
With Hidamari Sketch, Akiyuki Shinbo finally shatters the standard comedy barrier and ends up in the realm of the abstract.

Devil May Cry DVD
From the food gags to the enormous stack of hack-and-slash clichés that form the show's script, “dumb and contrived” are really the best words for this. Just repress the urge to “press A to scroll through the text” because sadly, this is not a video game, and this narrative oatmeal does not work outside of cutscenes.

Canon GN 1
Canon radiates solid quality from its no-frills vampire mythology to its stolid mid-90's shoujo artwork. Touches most of the right bases for a supernatural drama, even if it doesn't excite right off the bat.