Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru OP ED Opening Ending OST

Anime Eiken Chapter 110

2011-04-21T04:22:00.008-07:00

Eiken 110

Kyon was certain that high school life was going to be boring…but he couldn't have been more wrong. No, when his bizarre classmate Haruhi Suzumiya is around, desperate to rustle up evidence of “aliens, time travelers, and espers” and recruit him as inaugural member of her newly formed Save the World by Overloading it with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya Brigade (a.k.a. SOS Brigade), things are anything but boring. Kyon soon learns, however, that Haruhi is not just a crazy girl with delusions of supernatural proportions; she actually is a girl of supernatural proportions, unconsciously able to recreate, alter, or destroy the universe at will. A number of supernatural secret agents have assembled at Kyon's high school in order to observe and, if necessary, contain her.

Anime Oumagadoki Doubutsuen Chapter 25

2011-04-21T04:22:00.007-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/oumagadoki_doubutsuen/

The three episodes included on this DVD are primarily character development episodes. The viewer is treated to how Kazuki is adjusting to life in the parallel world and how he is coping with the people there. This is the typical anime where the male hero is surrounded by a gaggle of females that all are interested in him. While it is rather clichéd, it does a good job of entering new ground. The nature of this show seems to be one step away from getting serious. Fortunately, it remains light in tone, even as even bigger robots move against the heroes. For those who like a bit of suspense with their comedy, volume 2 delivers with a heck of a cliffhanger.

Student Housing continues the pace set forth by the first volume. More character development occurs as the characters settle into a daily routine with each other. The larger sub-plot continues to drive this series forward in a logical manner. Keeping up with it, the characters continue to entertain as they all go through with their own agendas. Dual is a fun series to watch without the heavy baggage of taking itself too seriously. There is quite a bit for everyone, the big robots, the pretty girls and the bumbling of a boy in the middle!

Anime T.R.A.P. Chapter 11

2011-04-21T04:22:00.006-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/t_r_a_p/

The DVD uses soft subs for everything. This is important to note because, while watching the English dub, signs aren't translated. Since some of the jokes refer to things that have been written down, a viewer might not get the full joke until they watch the Japanese dub with subtitles on. It would have been nice to have an option to turn on subtitles for sign translation.

The extras included on the DVD are rather extensive for the middle disk of a series. Included are: a set of character bios told from the perspective of Kazuki, the non-credit ending and line art with notes from the creators. Also hidden throughout the DVD is a set of omake animations. These animations are little slide shows that carry a joke from the show.

Game Fortune Arterial Chapter 24 23

2011-04-21T04:22:00.005-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fortune_arterial/

Student Housing is the second volume released in the Parallel Trouble Adventure Dual! Series. It contains 3 episodes continuing the adventures of Kazuki as he struggles with life in a parallel world. The DVD contains an English dub as well as the original Japanese dub with English subtitles.

Art and character designs for this series are superb, with the characters following the expected traits for a standard anime show. The mecha designs, while not truly original, work well with the setting of the show. There is a bizarre mixture of cgi shots that get a bit distracting, but thankfully, they are usually static shots, or strict shots of the mecha, leaving no uncomfortable mixing with traditional cel animation. The CGI shots of the bots in the hanger are actually rather frivolous and could have just been left out.

The English dub is well done, with no stiffness in the cast. Being a romantic comedy, it's important that the voices reflect that playfulness of the characters. Most wording changes in the English dub seem to be there strictly for timing sake. Some of the sexual innuendo does get a bit watered down, but for the most part it doesn't affect the overall meaning of what was being said.

Anime Orange Marmalade Chapter 11 10

2011-04-21T04:22:00.004-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/orange_marmalade/

Kazuki is your typical high school boy. Well, almost, because he sees things no one else can see. Now he finds himself interacting with those visions, and fighting a war so that he can return home. Of course, this world's not so bad. He only has 4 girls fighting for his attention!

Settling into the routine of fighting evil robots and going to school is the easy part for Kazuki. The hard part? Getting used to his new big sister. Of course, it gets stranger when a new neighbor appears and the mysterious D moves in as well!

Anime Q.E.D. - Shoumei Shuuryou Chapter 18.4 19

2011-04-21T04:22:00.003-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/q_e_d_shoumei_shuuryou/

The dialogue in this volume is good for a Tokyopop translation, which means nobody tried to go overboard with attitude or rewriting, and at the same time it avoids the stilted incompleteness of "pure accuracy" translations. The overall effect is one of a snappy, contemporary teen comedy. Background words and sound effects are sometimes translated, but apparently it happens on a case-by-case basis, as there are still plenty of untouched sound effects and a few stray kanji characters floating around. Extras are absent from this volume aside from the artist's postscript, and a slightly blurred first-chapter title page is the only letdown in an otherwise sharp print job.

Now, it would be easy to say that this entire story is a steaming pile of cliché and should be burned to the ground, but if one can work within the boundaries of the cliché and still produce entertainment, then sometimes that's good enough. In that respect, Metamo Kiss is good enough. Driven by a memorable cast of characters, this first volume delivers a high-energy romp through the perils of body-switching. That's about all it does, though, and even then it has to be rigged with convoluted rules and plot devices to make the story work. It's fun to look at, and fun to read, but it's got ways to go before becoming first-rate comedy. File it with the other boy/girl switch scenarios and pick it up when you're in the mood for something light.

wallpaper Onani Master Kurosawa Chapter 31 30 29 28 27

2011-04-21T04:22:00.001-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/onani_master_kurosawa/

Plot devices aside, the characters in this series are probably the strongest aspect, with distinct personalities that play off each other well. Not many shoujo series have a male in the lead role, but that's what makes Hana memorable as the central character—he's strong-willed, he's pragmatic, and he's a guy who has to play a girl half the time. Twin brother Konatsu is a suitably moody foil, with his indifference bordering on meanness, although he also reveals a soft side when it really matters. Surprisingly, love interest Nanao is the one main character that lacks a third dimension so far—sure, her obnoxious attitude helps to start conflicts, but beyond that, her portrayal is shallow. It's a minor disappointment among a cast where even the family members are appealing (the switch between the sister and the cat is just too cute).

Along with good characterization comes good character design, as this volume's cover clearly shows. Hana's two-tone hair and Nanao's curly locks are merely the surface of what are distinctive visual traits for just about everyone in the series, and there's not a single character that could be called ugly or forgettable. Bold, energetic linework also boosts the madcap comedy factor; this is clearly not your typical wispy, garden-variety shoujo, but something made of stronger stuff. Even the lapses into super-deformed style are appealing, and Omote clearly has a strong grasp of the visual shorthand for a choke hold (useful whenever someone needs to vent), as well as having a clever little convention for showing when characters are currently switched. Layouts and backgrounds, however, are much more ordinary, following a "draw wherever you can fit it in" aesthetic. Although not necessarily crowded, the panels just don't flow well from one moment to the next, and they fail to use the space of the page to their advantage. Somehow, the comedic beats are there—they just don't show up visually.

Anime Fist of Legend Chapter 6

2011-04-21T04:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/fist_of_legend/

How many ways are there to mess with gender? You've got boys dressing up as girls, girls dressing up as boys, boys transforming into girls, and now, boys and girls switching bodies. Please join us in the collective sigh of exasperation: "Great, not another one." Which is not to say that Sora Omote's entry into this territory is bad. In fact, it's got its fair share of entertainment value, with attractive characters, strong personalities, and a natural flair for comedic situations. But along with such highlights come the usual pitfalls of the genre: cheap plot contrivances, roundabout "rules" for body-switching, and of course, the confusion of having to remember which character is really talking. Metamo Kiss gets off to an energetic start, and delivers exactly what it promises, but no more than that.

Reading through just the first chapter, one gets the feeling that this was one of those "Do a one-shot and we'll decide if we want to continue it" projects. The early character designs are a little off, the pacing is ragged, and it's a struggle just to finish the chapter. Once the initial conditions are set, however, things start to click; the rest of the volume is a romp of switch-on, switch-off madness as Nanao and Hana (that's short for Kohanamaru) try to get the best of Konatsu. Unfortunately, the slick comedic pacing also relies on some of the most ridiculous plot devices known to humankind, with physics-defying "accidents" that lead to inadvertent kisses, as well as tricky rules and conditions about body-switching designed for the sole purpose of complicating the story. Let's just say they get plenty of mileage out of that twin brother relationship.

read online The Innocent Vincent Zandri

2011-04-15T04:38:00.009-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00452V7TM?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00452V7TM

Even though the disc is dubbed only, this doesn't hamper the series much. The dub works well with the characters' personalities, and although sometimes the girl in the series can sound incredibly annoying and screechy, the acting is commendable. The problem with the characters is not their voices, but their personalities. The natures of some of the main characters are frustrating to watch, especially the cowardliness of one of them, and the annoyingly self-absorbed hyperactive egotism of another. With the exception of a few side characters, the people are the bane of the series. They hardly interact with one another at all, making the main feature of the series the battles, which, given its young male target audience, makes sense.

On the positive side, the animation in the series is fluid, which is a nice touch. Surprisingly, the parts that have a tendency to get choppy are the battle scenes, where it sometimes looks as though the animators tried to cut as many corners as possible. Instead of clear cut fights, the scenes are oftentimes just fiery clouds of vagueness. They serve their purpose, but are disappointing sometimes, especially when a character is set to use a special attack, which is hidden by fogs of fire. The art in the series is smooth and clean, and gives it a crisp look. The only issue with the art is the oversimplified character design, which sometimes gives the people a fake look.

read online Paid in Blood (NCIS Series #1) Mel Odom

2011-04-15T04:38:00.008-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1414303068?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1414303068

Airing in America on Cartoon Network's Toonami block, Zoids is now available on dubbed DVD from Pioneer Entertainment. Providing countless marketing opportunities, Zoids is a show that is fun and exciting for kids, and mildly entertaining for anyone else. The fourth volume of this series includes four episodes, and a few extras. Among those on the disc include a miniature character profile, with pictures and scant descriptions of a few of the Zoids and their respective pilots. There's also a score book that keeps track of all the battles, and also the winner of each. It's no surprise that the Blitz Team has won virtually every battle, so this extra is rather useless. Also, to no surprise, one of the extras on the disc includes a Hasbro commercial for Zoids action figure model kits. Perhaps the only worthwhile, and extremely cool, special item is the shiny insert-sized sticker that comes with the DVD that features one of the Zoids, and also a few specs on the machine. The weight of the disc rests on the contents of the disc, and with the scraggly story line, it's one that can only be watched one episode at a time.

While each of the episodes are interesting on their own, the overall story line of the series makes no logistic sense. No explanations are given as to why Zoid pilots fight battles with one another in the middle of nowhere for no reason, or even why the bad guys in the series are even bad. Also, there seems to be no continuing plot line whatsoever, as the tidbits that seem to connect with each other are often interrupted by random episodes. The story can more or less be described as a set of multiple plot lines that are continued once every volume or so. When watched continuously, this can be dull, but when watched once a week, or daily, as television episodes were made to be watched, it can be rather entertaining. It's easy to see how it would enthrall children, and even mecha-loving anime fans when watched on TV.

read online Paid in Blood (NCIS Series #1) Mel Odom

2011-04-15T04:38:00.007-07:00

read online Saving Rachel: A Donovan Creed Novel John Locke

2011-04-15T04:38:00.006-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935670018?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1935670018

Fans sometimes complain about how ADV leans too much on a core roster of regulars for its dubs, but could anyone voicing English dubs these days fit the role of Sato better than Chris Patton? And while Greg Ayres' voice may not be a great match for Daisuke Sakaguchi as Yamazaki, he has just the right temperament for his role, too. Stephanie Wittels (Kano in Air and Yayoi in Air Gear) also is a nice fit as the kindly but not naïve Misaki, and none of the more minor casting choices and performances should generate significant gripes, either. The English script stays relatively close to the original, even using “gal game” as the original did instead of terms more familiar to American fans like “hentai game” or “ero game.” The only notable changes are the addition of bonus parodies in some of the Next Episode previews, including one that any fan of Neon Genesis Evangelion should catch. (Why it wasn't in the original script, when it offered such a golden opportunity, baffles me.)

Typical Extras include clean opener and closer. Also present is Conspiracy Handbook 101, ADV's title-specific alternate name for their regular glossary inclusion. In this case it includes several content-specific terms like “doujinshi” and “Akihabara” which diehard otaku may be familiar with but more casual fans are unlikely to know. Both 2.0 and 5.1 English language tracks are available.

It may not have any actual nudity, but the first volume contains enough swearing, suggestive content, and adult subject matter to warrant a TV-MA rating in the USA. It otherwise invites comparisons to the also-fan-centered Genshiken, but whereas that series took a more loving and sentimental look at fandom, this one delivers an uncompromising examination of the seedier side of fandom and commonly-associated social disorders. It offers some laughs but its first volume works far better if one regards it more as a drama piece.

read online 13 Little Blue Envelopes Free with Bonus Material Maureen Johnson

2011-04-15T04:38:00.005-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004T5V4L6?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B004T5V4L6

NHK will never be mistaken for an artistic masterpiece, but does have its visual good points. Background art, especially when depicting cityscapes and city streets, looks good and carry impressive detail, and close-up shots of characters usually fare well. Its male character designs set Yamazaki and Sato apart from run-of-the-mill college-aged males leads, and Misaki has a suitably fresh and attractive look without being overtly sexualized except in Sato's fantasies. (Although the pink parasol is overkill.) Sato's early hallucination scenes also have just the right feel. Hitomi, the recurring former senpai of Sato, has a more typical look, and character renderings which are never especially sharp become far rougher in many distance shots. Worse, the quality of the character artistry and animation suffers an atrocious breakdown for a while starting about nine minutes into episode 4. Even beyond that weak point the animation rarely looks good.

No fault can be found with the musical score, which never strikes a wrong note and flawlessly sets and enhances the mood of every scene. Most impressive in its light guitar, piano, and harmonica themes, it also offers nice rock, J-pop, and synthesized numbers and ratchets up the tension and anxiety of the more demonstrative scenes. This is a soundtrack worth listening to as an OST. An unremarkable J-pop number fronts each episode, while the thoroughly bizarre closer “Dancing Human Baby” (just try following the lyrics) mixes piano with heavy metal guitar, drum beats, and lyrical styling,

read online Thicker than Blood C. J. Darlington

2011-04-15T04:38:00.004-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1414334486?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1414334486

But the first volume does not limit itself to just analyzing hikikomori. It also explores other aspects of extreme otakudom, such as the nature of hentai/ero/gal games and otaku strongholds such as doujinshi stores and maid cafés. As much as you might want to think these elements are aggrandized for sake of parody, they may strike too close to reality for the comfort of some viewers.

An interesting trio of main characters forms the core of the recurring cast and goes a long way towards humanizing the story. Although how Sato slid into his hikikomori lifestyle is not explored in this volume, he serves as the tool to explore all the darker sides of obsessive fan behavior and social dysfunction, which sets him well apart from the normal girl-shy anime male lead. Yamazaki represents a character type rarely seen in anime: a hard-core otaku who doesn't appear to be socially maladjusted but retreats deep into his hobbies because of his anger and displeasure with reality. (His rants against real girls vs. hentai game girls are particularly revealing.) Misaki serves as the compassionate, insightful outsider who somehow knows Sato and sees saving him from his hikikomori nature as a “project.” Her tone at times suggests she may have an ulterior motive, but at this point in the series she still represents the uncompromising hope for a more mainstream life.

read online 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover Linda Wisdom

2011-04-15T04:38:00.003-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/140221085X?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=140221085X

ADV's advertisements for this one are a little misleading. Those who go into Welcome to the NHK expecting it to be something wacky like Excel Saga or playfully funny like Full Metal Panic! Fumoffu? are in for quite a shock, as anime comedies don't come any darker than this. Sato's actions, behavior, and situations certainly do have some humor inherent in them, but at times laughing at Sato feels as dirty and distasteful as laughing at the “special needs” kid you knew in school, the one stuck with the mentality of a 3-year-old. Think about the first volume more as a sociological and psychological case study which generates the occasional laugh and its true value and appeal appears.

Based on a light novel of the same name, the NHK anime explores two sociological phenomena that, while not unique to Japan, seem to be more prevalent there than anyone else in the world: NEETs (i.e. individuals aged 15-34 who are Not in Employment, Education, or Training) and especially hikikomori. The latter in particular has recently been the subject of jokes in anime, but nowhere else will you find such an in-depth look at what it actually means to be a hikikomori and how pathetic an existence it actually is. The first few episodes hit all of the major points which typify the hikikomori lifestyle: sleeping 16 hours a day; reluctant to leave one's room; rarely associating with other people; devoting all waking time to some combination of Internet porn, hentai games, TV, manga, or anime; not bothering to maintain personal hygiene; and withdrawing from society in general. So self-absorbed and limiting is this lifestyle that it can hold a grip akin to drug addiction on a subject, and like with drug addicts, an outside intervention is often required to drag a person out of it. Misaki presents such an “out” for Sato, but like with any drug addict he has to admit he has a problem and dedicate himself to doing something about it before he can be helped, and like with addicts, that usually requires hitting rock-bottom first. That, in essence, is what we see in episodes 2 and 3.

read online When You Went Away Michael Baron

2011-04-15T04:38:00.001-07:00

College dropout Sato is a hikikomori, an individual who has completely withdrawn from society and holes himself up in his apartment, and has been for going on four years. Not even the obnoxiously loud music from next door can snap him out of it, and his demented mind has come to the conclusion that he is the subject of a conspiracy to keep him down by the secretive NHK. Hope arrives on his doorstep one day in the form of Misaki, a pretty, friendly young woman who claims that she can help him escape his dead-end lifestyle, but Sato is reluctant to accept her help and finds himself caught in a web of lies upon trying to deny what he is. The discovery that his music-playing neighbor is actually Yamazaki, an otaku disenchanted with real life whom he knew in school, only drags Sato further into the pit but does offer him an interesting opportunity: to convince Misaki that he is not just hiding away in his room, he will make a “gal game” (i.e. hentai game) as proof that he is a “creator.”

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0981956807?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0981956807

pdf Backstage Pass: Sinners on Tour Olivia Cunning

2011-04-15T04:38:00.000-07:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1402244428?ie=UTF8&tag=animeotaku00-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1402244428

This being one of Del Rey's earlier releases, there are some publishing kinks in the first volume: blurry artwork, dull paper, and blotchy inks, but those problems are gone by the next two volumes. Meanwhile, the company's dedication to good translation is always evident—frequent cultural and language notes accompany the natural, conversational dialogue. Some attempts at dialect feel forced, like the effeminate modeling agent and the hard-talking gangster in Volume 3, but the text is generally a smooth read. Japanese sound effects are left alone, with small, unintrusive translations placed alongside each one.

Even if you're not into pretty boys or horror-themed pop culture, it's easy to appreciate a comedy of clashing personalities. Sunako isn't going to turn into the ideal woman anytime soon, and that's fine, because it just means more awkward hilarity between her and the "perfect" boys at the boarding house. Because of its situational nature, the story doesn't move forward much, and the art could use more detail and effort. But as far as teenage comedies go, The Wallflower definitely has enough humor and heart to entertain.

Ayahatori Shoukanjou chapter 4 oyasumi

2011-04-07T05:52:00.000-07:00

Ayahatori Shoukanjou http://www.mangafox.com/manga/ayahatori_shoukanjou/

Otherwise the plot continues to lumber towards its conclusion with all the urgency of a turtle out for a stroll. It so delights in being obtuse that, even with only a handful of episodes left, it still continues to throw out more questions than it answers. Some may still find the plot about the Proxies and Vincent's lost memory worth watching, and the whole business with the possible second Re-l should raise a few eyebrows, but at this point the main reason to stick with the series is to see what cute thing Pino will do next, and to a lesser extent to watch sexy Gothish chick Re-l. With five volumes now socked way, the verdict on Vincent is final: he's just dull, and all the build-up about his search for identity and powerful alter ego can't change that.

The one place where these episodes strike new and different artistic ground is in the Smile Land content in episode 19, where Manglobe does a fair adaptation of classic footage of Walt Disney speaking and drawing the characters he made famous. The AutoReivs of Smile Land get designs and an animation style more in line with classic old-school American animation than any anime influences, which certainly distinguishes them against the dreariness of the rest of the series' look. Otherwise this volume maintains the visual strengths and weaknesses of previous volumes: excellent background art, sometimes inconsistent quality on character art. What little action these four episodes offer looks good.

Honey X Honey Drops chapter 54 53 52 Complete

2011-04-07T05:48:00.004-07:00

That is a question that the penultimate volume of Ergo Proxy does not even attempt to confront, but should. More than once before in the series characters have been put into a weird dream state to convey some message or abstract bit of character development, but here the series does it for two full episodes in a row. Taken individually, both dreams tell worthy stories; Pino's excursion through the blatant Walt Disney/Disneyland rip-off in episode 19 may look fluffy on the surface, but it spins a good and hard tale about AutoReivs and a Proxy designed to make people happy who desperately attempt to maintain their purpose despite encroaching obsolescence, the impending end of humanity, and the artificiality of their efforts. Vincent's dream in episode 20, which finds his perspective trapped in Re-l's body after her return to Romdo but may (or may not) actually be a split personality case, follows the EP tradition of mucking with the viewer's mind and perceptions. Having two dream episodes back-to-back is a little too much, however. Did writer Dai Sato start to run out of ideas, or did he just become so enamored of his own vision that he lost sight of how his story structure might actually play out?

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/honey_x_honey_drops/

Bartender Chapter 49 manga mukya!

2011-04-07T05:48:00.003-07:00

While Vincent, Re-l, and Pino complete their journey to Mosk, Raul temporarily finds himself on the lam in Romdo when his defiance of the Regent gets his citizenship stripped. At the same time Deadelus has his own schemes cooking beyond his examination of the Proxy, ones that involve a possible replacement for Re-l.

Meanwhile, Vincent, Re-l, and Pino find nothing more than a wrecked husk of a city at Mosk and tantalizing clues about Vincent's past and possible counterpart Proxy. Everything points to the answers they seek being back in Romdo, but on the return trip both Pino and Vincent find themselves wrapped up in strange dreams, one involving the amusement city Smile Land, the other perhaps a prophecy of what might come to pass when they all arrive back at Romdo.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/bartender/

Jesus Chapter 5 manga read online

2011-04-07T05:48:00.002-07:00

In two separate on-disc interviews, director Hiroshi Nagahama talks with character designer Yoshihiko Umakoshi and art director Takeshi Waki. The two interviews confirm the central role that artwork plays in making Mushi-Shi what it is and demonstrate the unforced affection its crew has for it. A clean version of Ally Kerr's excellent opener is also provided along with, unfortunately, only one of the many unique, delicate closers that Toshio Masuda composed for the series.

Don't let all the digging scare you off; it isn't necessary to deconstruct the series to enjoy it. Doing so allows one to better quantify exactly what the elusive magic of this series is, but the magic is present and irrefutable regardless of how deep one wishes to dig. Unlike the works of more overtly intellectual directors like Mamoru Oshii, this series doesn't try to blast you from your anime doldrums with the proverbial shotgun. Instead it lures you gently away with a siren song of genuine wonder and enchantment, an irresistible tune as compelling as anything the Pied Piper ever composed.

Jesus http://www.mangafox.com/manga/jesus/

Sweet Black Chapter 4 3 2 1 book

2011-04-07T05:48:00.001-07:00

The series matches the quietly affecting drama with recurrent intellectual concerns explored with equally unobtrusive flair. The mushi have their own ecology—webs of interaction and feeding, their own rules of behavior and logic. Tragedy in their contact with man comes not from malice but from ignorance of their ecology, just as the solutions come from Ginko's understanding and knowledge. The series regularly revisits ideas about subjectivity, in the "living god" episode exploring the differences in the perception of time between normal people and those possessed by mushi. Even the implications of Ginko's lifestyle are briefly explored in the rainbow episode. It's impossible to root under the surface of this series without practically tripping over an interesting idea, but they are free of the ponderous philosophizing and endless sophistry that might otherwise interfere with the series' ability to simply entertain.

Funimation has dubbed this title with unusual fidelity and accuracy given their rather notoriously liberal ways. The tenor of the acting, the careful casting of its lead (as well as Adashino, the only other recurring character), the attentive translation and scripting—it's all pitched perfectly to preserve the unique charm of the series. The issue with retaining some of the more difficult nuances of complex ideas is gone, and every emotional twinge of the original makes the transition intact.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/sweet_black/

Pumpkin Scissors Chapter 15 read

2011-04-07T05:41:00.004-07:00

The stories described by this imagery demonstrate a beauty that goes beyond the merely aesthetic. The structure is purely episodic, which might be a liability in a lesser series, but in Mushi-Shi simply highlights its preternatural ability to weave dramas of often wrenching power in the bare twenty-three minutes allowed per episode. There's a deeply felt sympathy, a core of kindness and understanding that the writers bring to bear on these occasionally tragic tales. The result is warm and unutterably human, insinuating viewers into the mystical via emotions and dilemmas that are often painfully real and familiar. The living rainbows, tidal waves of snakelike mushi and glowing pools of liquid life-force might be little more than fanciful images were not the path to each paved with life circumstances—the desire to make a parent proud, the need for closure after the death of a loved one, the fear and glory of self-sacrifice—that transform them into subtle emotional forces with a power that belies their lack of traditional theatrics.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/pumpkin_scissors/

Love So Life Chapter 21 manga read

2011-04-07T05:41:00.003-07:00

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/love_so_life/

Unique works that defy classification are extremely rare in any medium. While not without precedent, Mushi-Shi is quite unique, and definitely difficult to pin into a category. The quality of Mushi-Shi goes beyond simply squirming away from categorization though; it's a work so beautiful on so many levels that it gives chills, a treasure so precious that only a fool would pass it by.

It's a near-perfect confluence of imagery and the story-telling art. It weaves tales of wonder with exquisite images, with mountains, fields, plains, plateaus, rivers and oceans. Settings possessed of a hypnotic natural charm, full of trees and rocks and life; settings enhanced by the ethereal beauty of the mushi while simultaneously being the only imaginable places where such creatures could dwell. Humans and their constructs, instead of standing in contrast to the wild, blend seamlessly in—part of the natural order rather than outside of or in opposition to it. Every episode includes at least one sequence of transcendental power, of almost religious awe—a woman dissolving into a foaming mass of mushi, children on a mountaintop pouring clouds into the sky from their mouths and ears, a rainbow river of light bursting from the ground and flowing into the heavens. The animation of these moments—and the remainder of each episode—is superb without grandstanding or calling attention to the skill with which it is deployed. The indescribable thrill that accompanies those moments would be unthinkable without it, as unthinkable as it would be without the support of Toshio Masuda's haunting, achingly beautiful score.

Kuragehime chapter 24 konnani

2011-04-07T05:41:00.002-07:00

In five more tales of Ginko's eternal study of the otherworldly creatures known as mushi, the wandering mushi-shi provides his services to yet another group of mushi-affected humans. A boy hires him to cure his sweetheart, who was transformed against her will into a "living god" by her ruthlessly opportunistic father. A search for food brings him to a village that has weathered famine using a forbidden manipulation of the life-force from which the mushi spring, one that sacrifices the life of a villager to ensure a bumper harvest. He assists a young man trying to come to terms with the death of his wife after she disappeared during a domestic dispute, and helps another young man trying to capture a rainbow and bring it to his ailing father. Later his old friend Dr. Adashino requests his assistance in curing three village children after an inkstone in the doctor's care afflicts them with a potentially fatal disease.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/kuragehime/

Houkago Play Chapter 3 asobi

2011-04-07T05:41:00.001-07:00

Go! Comi's production of the first volume offers respectable cover art, page quality, and binding. Its translation flows smoothly, with sound effects in original form with accompanying unobtrusive translations where space allows and in English only where space is tight. It opens with a page explaining Japanese honorifics and closes with a page of Translator's Notes, with a five-page bonus manga taking a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Hikkatsu! directly before the latter.

The first volume of Hikkatsu! is not the funniest, best-looking, or most entertaining manga title out there, but it has enough pseudo-martial arts in it, and has good enough comic timing with its quirky sense of humor (Puppy Eyes Enthusiast Clan?!?), to qualify as a satisfying light read.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/houkago_play/

Mr. Fredward's Duck Chapter 18 aishiteru

2011-04-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Serious, single-minded Shota has so little personality himself that adding in two much more colorful recurring characters becomes an absolute necessity to maintain a reasonable comic tempo. Hot-blooded, imaginative Momoko walks around with a pigeon on her heard, regards pigeons as her parents, and fantasizes about making Shota her husband, although Shota seems oblivious to her affection. Kanji is your typical con man, one who can show an honest side but more often just acts like a fast-talking swindler. Towards the end of the volume female karate expert Asuka, who also appears destined to become a recurring character, enters the picture but has little time to establish much of a personality beyond a fiery devotion to revenge. With her introduction the story seems to take a serious turn, though given the construction of the first three chapters that trends seems unlikely to last.

Yagami's artistry uses background art sparingly, instead focusing more on the characters and what they are doing. His character designs do not conform to normal anime stereotypes but do not stray far from them, either, with the pencil-thin Momoko, with her sleeveless Chinese-style top and lanky build, garnering the most distinctive look. Shota, by comparison, can look satisfyingly manly but is most consistently noteworthy for having a more specifically Asian design than the norm for anime titles, while Kanji is most noteworthy for a somewhat caricatured appearance featuring incredibly big lips. The artistry, on the whole, is not among the sharper or more refined examples of manga art out there, but it gets by for what it needs to do: depict the jokes in a funny fashion and convincingly portray what passes for action scenes.

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mr_fredward_s_duck/

Strobe Edge Chapter 39 read manga fre

2011-04-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

# 04-05 3 Strobe Edge http://www.tenmanga.com/chapter/StrobeEdgeVol10Ch038/237645/

Whenever Takeru asked her mother why she was born with a boy's name, her mother always told her: "Because girls grow up to become demons." But little did Takeru know just how true that was—for deep within the temple where she lives lies a terrible secret, a demonic weapon called the Witchblade that consumes its bearer with bloodlust. Now in high school, Takeru's life is torn apart when demons come after her, her family, and her friends. Only by taking on the powers of the Witchblade can she hope to kill the demons, but will the weapon's violent nature turn Takeru into a monster herself? With only her friend Kou to protect her, Takeru must stop the demon invasion, while also uncovering a shocking conspiracy as to why the demons were awakened in the first place.

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to Chapter 14 マンガ家さんとアシスタントさんと

2011-03-21T02:29:00.002-07:00

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to Chapter 13 マンガ家さんとアシスタントさんと

2011-03-21T02:29:00.001-07:00

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to Chapter 12 マンガ家さんとアシスタントさんと

2011-03-21T02:29:00.000-07:00

A Life Description about the Mangaka Aito Yuuki and his Assistant Ashisu Sahoto. Aito-san doesn't understand the feelings of the characters on his stories. So he asks Ashisu to help him. Ashisu would do everything for the work, she would even let him touch her breast so he will know how it feels like! A story about an mangaka, his assistant and the editor

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mangaka_san_to_assistant_san_to/?no_warning=1

In 1987, the anime world was introduced to a series called Bubblegum Crisis, which was brought to the States in 1991. Garnering a large fan base, it spawned an OVA series called Bubblegum Crash, and a new series called Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040. There was also a three-part OVA series by the name of AD Police. Due to its radically different nature, AD Police was never as widely accepted as its Bubblegum counterparts. Then in 1999, AD Police was revamped, and a new TV series was born. Released in North America by ADV, AD Police - To Protect and Serve is legions better than its predecessor, as it focuses more on plot and character development than just gore and fighting. Overall, it's an engrossing series, with a fast moving story line, intriguing personalities, and exciting fighting scenes. The only problem with the said fast plot is that the twelve episodes aren't that well equipped to deal with it. Sometimes, the viewer is forced to drawback and figure out what's going on in the scene, as many things are left unexplained and awkwardly thrown in. If one were to excuse the sometimes unintelligible plot twists though, a solidly good series would still be left, as there are many aspects of it that make it worth watching.

Mangaka-san to Assistant-san to Chapter 11 マンガ家さんとアシスタントさんと

2011-03-21T02:21:00.000-07:00

A Life Description about the Mangaka Aito Yuuki and his Assistant Ashisu Sahoto. Aito-san doesn't understand the feelings of the characters on his stories. So he asks Ashisu to help him. Ashisu would do everything for the work, she would even let him touch her breast so he will know how it feels like! A story about an mangaka, his assistant and the editor

http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mangaka_san_to_assistant_san_to/?no_warning=1

With all twelve episodes collected onto a two-disc set, the DVD box is a super bargain for those who are planning on watching the series. Each disc contains six episodes, with trailers for other ADV series on the first disc, and extras on the second. Among the extras include production sketches, which feature line art of the mechas and other objects in the series. Also included is a character gallery, which amusingly, features many shots of the women characters scantily clad, and posed in provocative positions, a well as just some general shots of the other characters. Another extra on the disc is a section entitled "notes." This is a chapter devoted entirely to background information about the people and entities in the series, such as the weapons used by the AD Police, the scientific developments of the Genom Corporation, and other useful tidbits. Another appreciated feature is the chance to view both the opening and ending title sequences without credits.

Starry Sky Episode 6 Watch online English sub Download Free

2011-03-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Plot Summary: The heroine, Tsukiko, enrolled to a school that was recently changed from all-boys school to co-ed. Since the area where the school is conveniently rural and the rather exclusive curriculums the school has, up until now the heroine is the only one female who enrolled to the school.

Alternative title:
Suta Suka (Japanese)
スタ☆スカ (Japanese)
Genres: romance, slice of life
Themes: bishounen, male harem, school

Cast

Akira Ishida as Kotarō Hoshizuki
Daisuke Hirakawa as Hayato Aozora
Daisuke Kishio as Naoshi Haruki
Daisuke Ono as Suzuya Tōzuki
Fumiko Orikasa as Tsukiko Yahisa
Hikaru Midorikawa as Yō Tomoe
Hiroshi Kamiya as Ryūnosuke Miyaji
Jun Fukuyama as Azusa Kinose
Kenichi Suzumura as Tsubasa Amaha
Koji Yusa as Iku Mizushima
Mamoru Miyano as Shiki Kagurazaka
Souichiro Hoshi as Homare Kanakubo
Tomokazu Sugita as Kanata Nanami
Yuuichi Nakamura as Kazuki Shiranui

Junichi Suwabe as Ooshirou Shirogane

watch Starry Sky 06

Starry Sky 05 http://www.mediafire.com/?tcqgp2bb1yxzgic

Strawberry Panic!
Sub.DVD 5 - Fifth Waltz
Shizuma's feelings for Nagisa are never entirely clear, which, coupled with Nagisa's babe-in-the-woods innocence, adds an edge of potential emotional exploitation to the pairing that it never quite loses even as the series draws it to a definite, satisfyingly preposterous conclusion. Were it not for the distractions of the supporting cast, their relationship could easily carry the series—as the Shizuma-focused fourth volume proved. The final episodes are studded with little reminders of that potential. Shizuma's violent, private display of despair at Nagisa's drifting affections is nicely melodramatic, and Mai Nakahara continues to milk Nagisa's underlying vulnerability for all it's worth. Whenever the two take center stage there's a palpable sense that Strawberry Panic! might just salvage something more than lesbian titillation from its mess of romantic clichés.

Highschool of the Dead OVA 1 eng

2011-03-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

release date
The Blu-ray Disc will include the side story "Drifters of the Dead" and will run about 20 minutes long. The Blu-ray Disc edition will be limited to pre-orders only, which will be taken until February 10, 2011.

Genres: action, drama, horror, romance, thriller
Themes: Ecchi, fanservice, Gore, harem, zombies

Cast

Junichi Suwabe as Takashi Komuro
Marina Inoue as Rei Miyamoto

Ayana Taketatsu as Arisu Maresato
Eri Kitamura as Saya Takagi
Hitomi Harada as Zeke
Junko Takeuchi as Rika Minami
Kishô Taniyama as Kōichi Shidō
Mamoru Miyano as Hisashi Igō
Miyuki Sawashiro as Saeko Busujima
Nobuyuki Hiyama as Kōta Hirano
Yukari Fukui as Shizuka Marikawa

High School Of The Dead OVA 1

Whether or not a viewer likes this mix of horror and high school romantic comedy/drama clichés will largely depend on how jaded (or not) the viewer is about the Zombie Apocalypse subgenre, as the execution so far has been a classic exercise in carrying out genre conventions. The standard story progression has remained intact so far: a wave of zombification spreads so fast, and so without precedent, from an unknown source that authorities are quickly overwhelmed and society gradually collapses into barbarism. Pockets of survivors unite for mutual well-being, displaying character behaviors and associations that they normally would not, as they struggle to fight through the zombie menace. The threat isn't always from the zombies, either, as other humans can sometimes pose an equal danger. The only difference here is that the story mostly focuses on a group of teenagers who have to, at first, fight their way out of their high school – a twist to the story concept that has not been used previously, as such movies typically focus on adult characters.

Black Lagoon Roberta's Blood Trail OVA 4

2011-03-03T01:41:00.000-08:00

Genres: action, drama, psychological
Themes: girls with guns, pirates

Opening Theme:
"Red fraction IO drive mix" by MELL
Ending Theme:
#1: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" by EDISON

Releases date
2010-07-17 (Japan BD 1)
2010-07-17 (Japan DVD 1)
2010-09-08 (Japan BD 2)
2010-09-08 (Japan DVD 2)
2011-01-07 (Japan BD 3)
2011-01-07 (Japan DVD 3)
2011-03-02 (Japan BD 4)
2011-03-02 (Japan DVD 4)
2011-05-11 (Japan BD 5)
2011-05-11 (Japan DVD 5)

watch Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail Episode 4 part 1

watch Black Lagoon: Roberta’s Blood Trail Episode 4 part 2

This being a former Geneon 2007 creation, naturally neither volume has any significant Extras. They even hide their reversible covers behind opaque cases.

In addition to an epilogue which brings the second season back full circle, the series ends with one tantalizing question: did Rock just not have time to look away in one key late scene, or did he deliberately not do it? Until the green-lit third season comes to fruition, though, that's all we have of the animated content for now.

Princess Resurrection OVA episode 2 eng

2011-03-03T01:36:00.000-08:00

related to Princess Resurrection (TV)

Alternative title:
Kaibutsu Oujo (Japanese)
怪物王女 (Japanese)
Genres: action, supernatural
Themes: dark comedy, gore

Releases date
2010-12-09 (Japan DVD [Ep. 1] bundled with manga volume 13)
2011-03-09 (Japan DVD [Ep. 2] bundled with manga volume 14)

Cast
Miyu Irino as Hiro Hiyorimi
Saori Hayami as Hime

Ai Kayano as Sawawa
Aki Toyosaki as Reiri Kamura
Akira Ishida as Emile
Eri Kitamura as Liza Wildman
Jouji Nakata as Gilliam
Yuka Iguchi as Flandre

Yuka Iguchi as
Flanders
Fratellis

Kaibutsu Oujo: Princess Resurrection 02
http://www.mediafire.com/?dji351jfbfjmu3b
Monster Princess OVA Episode 2
Princess Resurrection OVA 2

For mature audiences, the simple script will come across as cliché. The show follows the standard quest type storyline with a reluctant hero and his various rivals. The 4 episodes continue the main plot line while adding to the number of characters with power stones. Falcon remains one step behind his father, as he must deal with a strange assortment of villains. As is typical for this type of show, each villain is increasingly tougher causing Falcon to find new and unique ways to defeat them.

Power Stone remains a simple adventure show with a very standard plot line. It is a bright and colorful show with character designs pulled right from a video game. Hampering its rise in popularity is a watered down script and lack of the original Japanese version. Throw in creative scene editing, and you're stuck with a show that just won't catch on with the majority of Anime fans. With a stronger push the show could easily be a favorite among its target audience, but right now, it is simply lost in a crowd of clones.

Hen Zemi OVa 2 English sub

2011-03-03T01:30:00.000-08:00

release date
The second original anime DVD will ship in the limited edition of the fifth manga volume on March 23, 2011

Number of episodes: 5

adapted from Abnormal Physiology Seminar (manga)

Related anime:
Abnormal Physiology Seminar (TV) (alternate retelling)

Alternative title:
Hen Zemi (Japanese)
変ゼミ (Japanese)

Genres: comedy, erotica
Themes: ecchi, perversions, school

Opening Theme:
"Mania e Kirakira" (マニアエキラキラ) by Kana Hanazawa
Ending Theme:
"Hen ・ Rin ・ Sham ~Hen da yo. Rinse no ato ni Shampoo te~" (変・リン・シャン ~変だよ。リンスーの後にシャンプーて~) by Kana Hanazawa, Minoru Shiraishi, Norihisa Mori & Takashi Matsuyama

Hen Zemi – Episode 02 http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZQGM55GX

The series does just fine in some other aspects, though. Hime convincingly comes across as a girl who is burdened with a heavy weight of responsibility for someone her age but has yet to entirely bury her youthful frivolity underneath that load. The series' best running joke, about Hime being labeled a “tsundere” and then using the word as the chorus for her peppy theme song about Sakurashin, should be consistently amusing to veteran anime fans, as should the more subtle jokes about the randy “Ward Chief” (aka. land god) and his penchant for having his female assistant don a constantly-changing array of cosplay-like outfits. Akina questioning the nature and purpose of his own power gives him some added depth and the series does offer a balanced mix of powers for its core team: a telepath, a super-strong character, an all-around melee powerhouse, a summoner, and an exorcist. The team lacks a true energy blaster and a defensive specialist but still works satisfyingly well when they coordinate their efforts.

The artistic effort comes courtesy of Nomad, a studio which often assists but rarely does lead work on anime projects; they are probably most familiar to American anime fans for their primary production work on Rozen Maiden and sola. Nomad's artistry can be sharp, with some very nice individual pieces of background art and vibrant coloring and rendering of its characters. The problem, though, is that animated features are sometimes a little too vibrant compared to its background pieces, creating some regular minor flaws with the integration of background/foreground textures – a common problem in the earlier days of digital coloring but one not seen as much lately. Character designs are ordinary except for the land goddess who dresses like a sword-packing Christian nun and Hime, who is not overwhelmingly pretty but cuts a stylish look with that long, flowing scarf. The practicality of her get-up is another story, as the long scarf does get in the way of her fighting on at least one occasion and one would think that wearing a short skirt would not be very practical for someone who goes around hopping from rooftop to rooftop. Despite that, though, there is barely a whiff of prurient fan service here; the series gets a TV-14 rating for violence, but this may be one case where the rating is a little too conservative. The animation is good at times, including some nice perspective-shifting scenes and one scene where flower petals fall in both the foreground and background of a character, with CG effects mostly limited to the growth of tree limbs in the series' later stages.

Yozakura Quartet Hoshi no Umi OVA 2 watch eng

2011-03-03T01:21:00.000-08:00

Genres: action, comedy, supernatural
Themes: harem, superpowers

Yozakura Quartet ~Hoshi no Umi~ (OAV)
related to Yozakura Quartet (TV)
adapted from Yozakura Quartet (manga)

release date
The new DVD will ship with the limited edition of the 10th manga volume on April 8, 2011. It will include the second Yozakura Quartet ~Hoshi no Umi~ episode and "bonus footage."

Cast
Misato Fukuen as Hime Yarizakura
Miyuki Sawashiro as Kotoha Isone
Saki Fujita as Ao Nanami
Yuuki Kaji as Akina Hiizumi

Ai Matayoshi as Rin Azuma
Aiko Ōkubo as V Juri F
Daisuke Ono as Kyōsuke Kishi
Haruka Tomatsu as Tōka Kishi
Kaoru Mizuhara as Zakuro Kurumaki
Natsuko Kuwatani as Yae Shinatsuhiko
Rie Tanaka as Mariabelle
Sachi Matsumoto as Yūhi Shinatsuhiko

Yozakura Quartet ~Hoshi no Umi~ 01 http://www.mediafire.com/?th41gtt1w70z6qp
Yozakura Quartet ~Hoshi no Umi~ 02 http://www.mediafire.com/?guw0gqc07gd6zy4

The extra scenes were written with an eye to maintaining the tone and spirit of original story, and do such an exceptional job at this that someone who's seen the anime and didn't know differently wouldn't recognize this as the work of a different writer. This fleshing-out does help clarify some things, such as Noboru's sense of aimlessness at being left behind, the purpose of the Tarsian expedition, and the fact that Mikako probably knew for a long time in advance that she was going on the mission. In fact, the writing's only significant flaw is that it muddles some issues of physics concerning high-speed long-distance travel and time dilation, which could easily be ignored if it wasn't actually a plot point.

Whether or not the additional scenes and characters are actually necessary or desirable is another story. Part of the appeal of Voices was how tight, uncomplicated, and beautifully-paced the story was in telling a grand tale of long-distance love in only 25 minutes of time. The manga loses little of the emotion of the original, however, so it's doubtful that fans of Voices will mind. What may be more of an issue are some changes towards the end. Mikako's time on Agharta plays out a bit differently, and the ending extends beyond where the anime does. Those who really wanted to know What Happens Next may be satisfied, and it's not a bad ending evaluated independently, but it pales in comparison to the lump-in-your-throat power of the original ending.

Gundam UC OVA 3 watch download

2011-03-03T01:13:00.000-08:00

part of [Gundam], sequel of Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack (movie)

Related anime:
Mobile Suit Gundam UC Bande Dessinée (manga)

Alternative title:
Gundam UC
Gundam Unicorn (French)
Kidō Senshi Gundam Unicorn (Japanese)
Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Genres: action, drama, science fiction
Themes: mecha, military, real robot

Ending Theme:
#1: "Ryusei no Namida (流星のナミダ; Tears of Falling Stars)" by Chiaki Kuriyama (ep 1)
#2: "Everlasting" by Kylee (ep 2)
#3: "Merry-go-round" by CHEMISTRY (ep 3)

Adapted from the Monthly Gundam Ace novel series of the same name, authored by bestselling Japanese writer Harutoshi Fukui.

Releases date
2010-02-20 (Japan Vol. 1 PlayStation Store release)
2010-03-12 (Global Vol. 1 BD & DVD: Day of the Unicorn)
2010-10-30 (Global Vol. 2 PlayStation Store release)
2010-11-12 (Global Blu-Ray 2: The Second Coming of Char)
2010-11-12 (Global Vol. 2 BD & DVD release)
2011-04-07 (Global BD & DVD: Volume 3)

Gundam Unicorn HQ 03
http://ifile.it/axz17nr/gu-03-400p-muxed.mkv

watch Gundam Unicorn Episode 3 part 1

watch Gundam Unicorn Episode 3 part 2

Inviting further comparison to Yellow Submarine is the absolutely amazing music courtesy of Japanese punk band The Pillows. It's hard to imagine this series working without the slew of rockin' upbeat tunes that accompany the slam-bang antics. The series' many musical action setpieces have a life of their own and are by themselves great achievements. Oftentimes FLCL appears to be more a of music video than an anime - the only difference is FLCL looks and sounds better than anything you'll see on MTV these days.

A feast for the eyes and ears, this is what good animation is all about.

Amazingly, FLCL pulls off this technical marvel and makes it all mean something, too. These final two episodes bring Naota's adventures to a inspiring conclusion while packing in all the ribald energy that makes the series so enjoyable. First is a hilarious spoof of media violence in which Naota declares war - literally - with his father for Haurko's affections. Soon every character is firing their guns away in a furious hailstorm of cartoon bullets for no apparent reason. Naota starts to let the power trip go to his head - literally - when his machismo manifests itself as another giant creature bursting from his subconscious. Then in the climatic episode our hero must finally come to terms with his feelings for Haruko, who appears to have been using him for her own ends all along. Abandoning Mamimi, his family, and his friends, Naota stumbles at first but finally finds the strength he has been missing since his brother left for the US. Oh, and he saves the planet along the way...something about Medical Mechanica harnessing the power of Atomsk to iron out the wrinkles in all our brains....

Koe de Oshigoto! OVA 2 Watch download

2011-03-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

adapted from Koe de Oshigoto! (manga)

Alternative title:
Koe de Oshigoto! The Animation (Japanese)
こえでおしごと! The ANIMATION (Japanese)
こえでおしごと！ (Japanese)

Opening Theme:
"Koi no Mahou" by MAKO and Ayano Ishikawa
Ending Theme:
"Kuchibiru Chuck" by MAKO, Ayano Ishikawa and Maina Shimagata

Releases date
2010-11-17 (Japan BD 1)
2010-11-17 (Japan DVD 1)
2011-03-16 (Japan BD 2)
2011-03-16 (Japan DVD 2)

Koe de Oshigoto! OVA Episode 2
http://www.mediafire.com/?3grx48n3tj64s3e

watch Koe de Oshigoto! OVA Episode 2

Of course what those holding off until now really want to know from a final volume review is: how does it end? Tying up every loose end and providing neat closure to every relationship would be a betrayal of the series' clear-eyed slice-of-life structure (a slice is a slice because it isn't complete, you see), yet the conclusion is as deeply satisfying as it is open-ended. Only certified churls will be able to complete this volume without an ear-to-ear grin plastered on their faces.

Director Koji Masunari re-teams with many of the staff-members he used on R.O.D. the TV, so it's no surprise that Kamichu! achieves a similar level of quality. Scriptwriter Hideyuki Kurata abandons the narrative fireworks of the second half of R.O.D. in favor a more muted, subtle approach, coaxing emotions from the audience rather than wringing it from them. Character designer Taraku Uon moves further away from the slick sexuality of the Please! series, cleaving closer to reality for Kamichu!'s cast. Yurie is almost potato-faced, Mitsue is exactly the kind of girl that would usually be a background character, and Matsuri is believably pretty. Miko is adorable, as is Shokichi, but neither is blindingly so. The entirely unnatural spirits that populate the town provide a cartoonish contrast to the more realistic humans. The town itself is marvelously detailed: full of crumbling steps, buildings just shabby enough to have character, cracked sidewalks, a suitably world-weary shrine, and lots of trees and sunshine; a veritable fount of small-town charm. As befits the show's more personal tone, the animation's greatest strengths (as strong as it is overall) are in its understanding of the physics of human movement (crawling, squirming, walking, biking, and running) and an eye for faces that emphasizes expressiveness over glass-doll good looks. Characters may not win any beauty pageants, but you will always know what they're feeling.

SD Gundam Sangokuden movie watch download

2011-03-03T00:51:00.000-08:00

Chō Denei-ban SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors (movie)

part of [SD Gundam]

Related anime:
SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors (TV)

Alternative title:
超電影版SDガンダム三国伝 Brave Battle Warriors (Japanese)

Genres: action
Themes: historical, mecha, parody

Cast

Hiroki Yasumoto as Guan Yu (Kan U) Gundam
Masayuki Katou as Zhang Fei (Chō Hi) Gundam
Yuuki Kaji as Liu Bei (Ryū Bi) Gundam

Atsushi Miyauchi as Lu Bu (Ryo Fu) Tallgeese
Mutsumi Tamura as Ma Chao (Ba Chō) Blue Destiny
Rikiya Koyama as Hu Zhen (Ko Shin) Gyan
Tetsuo Komura as Dong Zhuo (Tō Taku) Zaku

Really, the show's art direction and execution are what shine the most. The animation is really quite excellent for a show based on a relatively short manga series, and the music, mostly famous tunes taken from the Nutcracker Suite, really punctuate the beauty of the visuals. The character design is fairly unique if at times a little unappealing; everyone kinda looks the same, short with big hair and huge eyes. This volume's biggest revelation is the arrival of the crow princess Kraehe, whose transformation sequence – and the veritable army of crows she brings with her – adds a suitably dark and sinister stylistic element to the series. All in all, the visual presentation of this series is second to none.

The lone complaint about volume 2 concerns the tone of the series; the teenage angst in this show has been cranked up to 11, to the point where in the later episodes on this disc, the characters spend most of their time staring half-lidded at the ground, questioning themselves, their feelings, their motives, and their own self-worth. Frankly, at times it all gets a little too weighed down by the angst factor. It's a very small (albeit sometimes irritating) stain on an otherwise excellent show.

Air Gear OVA 2 Air Gear Vol 2 Air Gear 2

2011-03-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

Ending Theme:
"Forest walker" by a flood of circle

Releases date
2010-11-17 (Japan DVD Volume 1)
2011-03-17 (Japan DVD Volume 2)

Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori -Break on the Sky- (OAV)
side story of Air Gear (TV)

Alternative title:
エア・ギア黒の羽と眠りの森 -Break on the Sky- (Japanese)

watch Air Gear OVA Episode 2 part 1

watch Air Gear OVA Episode 2 part 2

After reading enough rote, predictable manga, one develops a faculty for ignoring tripe and focusing on the little enjoyable moments floating around in it. Kazuki's abrupt but deadly serious confession. A sweet sisterly display of affection between Tsukasa and Yuu. These moments leave a pleasant warmth behind when finished, but a quick calculation reveals the cold, hard truth about this book. Those moments total about seventeen pages. The book is two hundred long. That means under ten percent of the book is actually worthwhile. Which is to say that 90% of it is inconsequential tripe. That's a sobering number.

In a series that has made its bread and butter by being as light, fluffy and uplifting as possible, it's no surprise that it only makes any real impression when breaking mold with a touch of bittersweetness. Kazuki's confession doesn't end well, and Yuu and Tsukasa's moment of bonding comes about due to their very different interpretations of the same sad childhood memory. Notice, however, that neither incident directly involves Mugi. That isn't a coincidence. Mugi is a ghost, a narrative placeholder, a good-natured blank slate onto which we are expected to project ourselves. By the way, isn't expecting us to project ourselves onto an oatmeal-bland nonentity just a sneaky way for the author to call us oatmeal-bland nonentities? At any rate, unless you happen to be an oatmeal-bland nonentity, it's almost impossible to care what happens to Mugi, so any attempted bittersweetness involving him ends up vanishing with an inaudible squeak of narrative despair.

Tegami Bachi Reverse episode 25

2011-02-19T00:14:00.002-08:00

Opening Theme:
#1: "Chisana Mahō (小さな魔法; Little Magic)" by Stereopony (eps 1-13)
#2: "Yakusoku (約束; Promise)" by Suga Shikao (eps 14-)
Ending Theme:
#1: "Wasurenagusa (勿忘草; Forget-Me-Not)" by Piko (eps 1-13)
#2: "Perseus (ペルセウス)" by Yamazaru (eps 14-)

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 25 part 1

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 25 part 2

Letter Bee REVERSE 23 http://www.mediafire.com/?6dkhlk3lqj60d2h
Letter Bee REVERSE 24 http://www.mediafire.com/?nv0oqdv1oxkwa72
Letter Bee REVERSE 25 http://www.mediafire.com/?f8z1ayz1tgov3ul

Tempestuous spring now a thing of the past, Yumi is looking forward to summer vacation with her beloved Sachiko. They plan a getaway to Sachiko's vacation home, a place she has loved dearly since childhood. Both are thrilled at the proposition of spending a few days together, but nasty old reality interferes in the form of a gaggle of jealous debutantes who waste no time in raking Yumi over a bed of their own poison tongues. After an unpleasant experience like that, cooperating with the Hanadera student council during the Hanadera School Festival should be a cinch, especially since her brother Yuki is on the council. But Sachiko has no intention of meeting with a bunch of sweaty boys, so Yumi hatches a plan with a long name and a simple goal: to cure Sachiko of her male-phobia. That she would even dare hatch such a plan is an indicator of how far Yumi has come—far enough that she even has fans of her own. One particularly ardent one—Kanako by name—becomes a problem when she begins dogging Yumi's every move. Could Yumi have finally found a candidate for her own soeur? And is befriending a stalker really a good idea?

Tegami Bachi Reverse episode 24

2011-02-19T00:14:00.001-08:00

Opening Theme:
#1: "Chisana Mahō (小さな魔法; Little Magic)" by Stereopony (eps 1-13)
#2: "Yakusoku (約束; Promise)" by Suga Shikao (eps 14-)
Ending Theme:
#1: "Wasurenagusa (勿忘草; Forget-Me-Not)" by Piko (eps 1-13)
#2: "Perseus (ペルセウス)" by Yamazaru (eps 14-)

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 24 part 1

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 24 part 2

Season two may be more intense and season one sweeter, but season three is arguably the best of the Maria franchise. It's certainly the most technically polished of all the seasons, thanks to its OVA-sized budget, but more importantly it is the most relaxed and mature stretch of material the series has to offer.

Why does being relaxed make season three good? Well, to begin with, the series has a bad habit of getting a little overwrought when it makes a grab for the heartstrings. If you didn't go into the final episode of season two prepared, its swooning conclusion was downright embarrassing. Granted, the OVA has plenty of the franchise's patented pseudo-romantic sisterly bonding—its fans would be bitterly disappointed if it didn't—but only occasionally does it delve into the kind of emotional excess that periodically threatened to turn the previous seasons into guilty pleasures. Once, to be exact: during a tear-stained reunion scene at the Hanadera School Festival. Rather than constructing towering emotional climaxes, the OVAs are more concerned with introducing new characters, tying up the odd loose end (Rosa Canina), or simply spending time with the cast.

Tegami Bachi Reverse episode 23

2011-02-19T00:14:00.000-08:00

Opening Theme:
#1: "Chisana Mahō (小さな魔法; Little Magic)" by Stereopony (eps 1-13)
#2: "Yakusoku (約束; Promise)" by Suga Shikao (eps 14-)
Ending Theme:
#1: "Wasurenagusa (勿忘草; Forget-Me-Not)" by Piko (eps 1-13)
#2: "Perseus (ペルセウス)" by Yamazaru (eps 14-)

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 23 part 1

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 23 part 2

Letter Bee REVERSE 22
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Letter Bee REVERSE 21
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Which is exactly why this season excels. Drama is fine, but Maria's real draw is its cast. They're a darned likeable a bunch, and it's a real pleasure to watch them live their lives without any emotional crises clouding things up. In some ways this is an extended coda to the first two seasons, a “what happens after” reward for weathering the emotional peaks and troughs of those first twenty six episodes. If so, all rewards should be so rewarding. The ups and downs of their fledgling relationship behind them, Yumi and Sachiko's relationship takes on a warm and quietly satisfying stability. Watching them (or Yoshino and Rei, or Shimako and Noriko, if you prefer) enjoying their relationship and reaping the benefits of emotional travails past is fulfilling in a way that's just a tad disturbing if you think about it too hard. And the relationships haven't been alone in their maturation: the third season is a virtual showcase for the growth that the cast, right down to tertiary players like Tsutako, has shown. It's hard not to feel a little proud (and afterwards a little uncomfortable for feeling a little proud) as Yumi proves her skill as a canny mediator and Yoshino emerges as an iron-willed leader of men...er, girls.

Tegami Bachi Reverse episode 22

2011-02-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

Opening Theme:
#1: "Chisana Mahō (小さな魔法; Little Magic)" by Stereopony (eps 1-13)
#2: "Yakusoku (約束; Promise)" by Suga Shikao (eps 14-)
Ending Theme:
#1: "Wasurenagusa (勿忘草; Forget-Me-Not)" by Piko (eps 1-13)
#2: "Perseus (ペルセウス)" by Yamazaru (eps 14-)

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 22 part 1

watch Letter Bee: Reverse Episode 22 part 2

If all that sounds a little tame for your tastes...well, it probably is. The introduction of Kanako adds some urgency to what Yumi calls her "soeur problem" and unfolding school events—a cultural festival, sports meet and school trip—provide some forward momentum, but this season is all about the affectionate interplay between its various leads, and it shows. Each episode unfolds with leisurely ease, lingering on small, telling events—Kanako's studied attendance to Yumi's every need, Yumi's aimlessness when separated from Sachiko, Toko's badly-disguised affection for Yumi—as it patiently advances its overall plot. It's the pacing of a series that has matured along with its characters. The first season was a scrappy comedy/drama, the second a mildly episodic melodrama. The third is a series that has learned to trust its characters, giving them the time and space to charm viewers without recourse to plot manipulations or wringing emotions. At times it can be powerful (Yumi's performance at the evil debutantes' party), at others funny (the hilarious undercutting of Yumi and Sachiko's over-dramatized reunion by an ill-fitting panda suit), but mostly the show is simply and purely enjoyable.

Black Bird Chapter 33 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.006-08:00

Black Bird Chapter 32 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.005-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

Some manga are popular because they are good. Others are popular because they're bad. And some are popular simply because they're a blast. Slam Dunk is one of the latter. Subtlety, intelligence and insight are not its forte—though when necessary it can display (low) degrees of all three—and profundity is the farthest thing from its mind. Slam Dunk just wants to have fun. And it does—in spades.

The fun begins and ends with Hanamichi. An inspired choice for lead character, he's no ambitious hothead or modest but superbly skilled athlete. He's a lunkheaded thug with a hair-trigger temper, all the wrong motivations, and an extraordinary wealth of misguided confidence. In short, he's a fount of situational comedy whose natural genius for athletics allows him to occasionally be really cool. As a character he manages the seemingly impossible task of balancing likeability and extreme hubris, thanks largely to his habit of leaving himself open to extreme comeuppance. A fact which allows Takehiko Inoue to set up some very funny sequences involving Hanamichi's rotten luck in love.

Black Bird Chapter 31 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.004-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

As the abundance of humor and romantic disaster suggests, Slam Dunk is more romantic comedy than sports manga as of yet, though more than once Inoue does succeed in seamlessly combining the two. Hanamichi's first Slam Dunk is suitably impressive and ends with a pratfall worthy of the Loony Tunes, while his first game—a one-on one with the captain of the basketball team—begins with a series of pratfalls and ends with a moment of pure slam-dunkin' cool. Nevertheless, Inoue is more concerned here with establishing his cast, allowing Hanamichi to swing from lovelorn apathy to sudden violence and from cheerful idiocy to animal cunning, and detailing Haruko's one-sided crush on star rookie Kaede Rukawa.

Inoue's art hasn't reached the heights here that he would later achieve in Vagabond, but it's far from bad. He has an eye for sight gags—the finest probably being Hanamichi's hilarious guarding technique—and constructs fine punk fights. He hasn't ironed out all the kinks in his basketball action, as physically impossible feats abound, but they're nonetheless dynamic and exciting. He has a fondness for heavy shounen-style hatching and a real way with anger, which elevates action scenes an artistic level or two above the lighter sequences, many of which also depend on crowded little square panels. His guys all look about forty years old, but Inoue draws cute girls and fabulously 'tude-heavy punks (oh, the pompadours). He knows exactly when to insert full-page impact shots, but doesn't truck much with backgrounds or atmospherics.

Black Bird Chapter 30 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.003-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

Viz gives the title the all-star treatment, reprinting the entire first chapter in color and tacking a glossy color extra (about NBA star LeBron James) and a big sticker of Hanamichi onto the end. Their “read this way” arrows have become a Shonen Jump staple, and anyone expecting anything other than complete English replacements for all sound effects will be sorely disappointed. The art is clean and consistent throughout, and the translation wisely resists the temptation to fill the punks' mouths with slang.

Overwhelming fun aside, Slam Dunk isn't without hints of better and more complex things to come. A short jolt of heartbreak for Haruko suggests a hidden potential for real romantic complications, and the basketball that squeezes itself in between the goofing off has in it the promise of real sports excitement if allowed free reign. And with thirty volumes to come, you can be damned sure that Inoue will have plenty of space to do just that.

Black Bird Chapter 29 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.002-08:00

Black Bird Chapter 28 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.001-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

When you're tasked with rebooting a series that nearly killed itself with filler, filler prevention has to be a high priority. Maybe it's a cruel, hard fact of logistics that the canon material will run out. Maybe, like death and taxes, filler is one of life's inevitabilities. But that doesn't mean that you can't struggle like hell to postpone it for as long as possible.

Looked at that way, Naruto Shippūden's battle to stay on the canon path almost seems kind of noble. If only its effect on the show's quality wasn't so negative. In its desperation to stretch Masashi Kishimoto's plot over as many episodes as it can, the show ends up slowing itself to a crawl that'd make a snail blush. Director Hayato Date breaks out every time-distending cinematic device known to man. If there's a chance to insert a shot of birds taking flight, or debris blowing ominously in the wind, or trees rustling in a breeze, he'll take it. Any pretext to pad out a conversation or a fight with unnecessary reaction shots (to Every. Person. In. The. Room) will do. Every shot is held for a few seconds too long, every pan is a degree too slow. No one speaks unless it is preceded or followed by a thoughtful silence. If an event is mentioned, by god it'll be shown too. And explained, at length. Armed with such a formidable array of time-wasting devices, is it really any surprise that the series can spend an entire episode on a bridge watching Naruto power up? It's Dragon Ball Z all over again.

Black Bird Chapter 27 read

2011-02-16T04:41:00.000-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

Admittedly, the ponderous pace fits the serious tone of Shippūden, particularly here as it gathers itself for the long-delayed reunion of Naruto and Sasuke. Bristling with betrayals and studded with emotions like regret and remorse and frustration, with some fear and hate thrown in just for that extra fun factor, this is hardly the breezy entertainment of early Naruto. And the change in style and pace reflects that. The shift from the punky energy of composer Toshio Masuda to the grim chanting of Yasuharu Takanashi, the exchange of dynamic action and flashy editing for long shots and longer takes, the preference for lonely emptiness over colorful crowding: it all serves to emphasize the new graveness of Naruto and his life.

Which would be fine if that was as far as it went. Unfortunately, Date pushes the draggy new style to such extremes that it becomes a detriment to the very things it's supposed to be supporting. Scenes that should crackle with tension, that should land like Mohammed Ali uppercuts, are so bloated with portentous pans, so drunk on their own plodding importance, that they bore rather than thrill. Naruto and Orochimaru rearranging the landscape during a duel; Naruto discovering that three years has not changed Sasuke's self-destructive thirst for revenge. These are BIG scenes. So big that Shippūden actually started with the latter one. These are the scenes that the series' gravitas should most benefit. Yet they haven't even half the impact of, say, the relatively disposable Chunin Exam fight between Rock Lee and Gaara. And we won't even speak of the soporific havoc wreaked on the dark ninja plots, with their interminable explanations during which Naruto and company stand around jawing instead of busting jaws.

Black Bird Chapter 26 read

2011-02-16T04:40:00.000-08:00

Read Black Bird Manga Online

The world is full of mysterious "things," but life keeps on going peacefully because no one can see them--except Misao. Harada Misao has the special power to see these "things," but she doesn't tell anybody and tries to continue leading a happy high school life. Though she's jealous of her friends who have boyfriends, she's just like a normal teenage girl as she keeps having dreams about a boy she met when she was younger who has the same power as she does. Her mundane life suddenly changes when goblins try to eat her, and her old friend Kyo comes back to protect her from them. Then, she finds out that she is personally being sought out as goblin food and that Kyo is a goblin, too. Will she still marry him like they promised when they were children, based on her faith in him that he has no bad intentions towards her? Will she even be safe at school now that Kyo has become her new homeroom teacher? Her exciting teenage life is just about to begin.

http://www.mangareader.net/1003/black-bird.html

Half is better than nothing though. Unlike the Gaara kidnapping, which was both overextended and uninteresting, this arc actually matters, particularly if you're invested in either Naruto or Sasuke, or even Sakura. Remnants though they are, there's excitement to be found in Naruto's monstrous duel with Orochimaru, sadness in Sakura's feelings for Sasuke, tension in Naruto and Sasuke's reunion. Sai's evolution beyond his role as an antagonistic Sasuke replacement fails to similarly involve, but it does improve his standing and opens up intriguing possibilities for future development. The return, however momentary, of Date's adventurous showmanship plays its part in these emotional remnants—the nifty flourishes during Sasuke's grand entrance(s) and the inhuman sound effects and amorphous texture of Naruto-as-Nine-Tails are particularly memorable—but series' successes are more a result of Kishimoto's characters, and to a lesser extent his writing, besting Date's destructive filler-delaying tactics than of any kind of director/source symbiosis.

Vampire Knight Chapter 75 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.006-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

http://manga.animea.net/vampire-knight.html

The dub is suitable and surprisingly decent, considering what a train wreck it could have been. ADV has cast the girls in the series with obviously talented and seasoned actresses capable of pulling off believable teenage girls. They're a little over-the-top sometimes and occasionally dip into overacting, but given the hyperactive nature of this series, that's to be expected. The males tend to overact a little more than the women do, and considering the roles they're given, it's a little excessive at times; still, the dub does its job reasonably well without ruining the feel or intent of the series. You might prefer the Japanese dialogue; considering how intensely Japanese the show is, that might be a better option.

Basically, if you're a shoujo fan at all, you're going to find something to love about this show. It's light, fun, entertaining, and well-written. Occasionally the show slips into didactic moralizing at the end of the episode, but given the audience is impressionable teenage girls, that's to be expected and rightfully excused. Anime fans owe it to themselves to check this show out. It'll keep us all entertained until Kodomo no Omocha finally hits our shores.

Vampire Knight Chapter 74 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.005-08:00

Vampire Knight Chapter 73 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.004-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

http://manga.animea.net/vampire-knight.html

No one really expects a Ten Little Indians set-up like this to be anything but contrived, so the patently artificial plot isn't such a problem. More irksome is the ease with which one can whittle the suspects down to two. A choice between two suspects is still a mystery though, even if not a terribly good one, and the finality with which Victorique kills any supernatural speculation is further reason for optimism. Disdain for magic is always a healthy sign in a mystery series.

While increasing the opportunities for vicarious sleuthing, the series doesn't forget to maintain its less intellectual pleasures. Victorique and Kazuya made a good team before, and they only get better as Kazuya's competence and courage become obvious and Victorique's quirks grow into worrisome personality flaws. Victorique also injects some odd humor into the decidedly nasty goings-on with her adorable little Holmes pipe and heartily fake laugh (used to mock the superstitions of panicky potential victims). The next episode promises further development for both, and perhaps even a boost in action, so with luck the show's diversionary properties will continue to improve, even if its mysteries don't.

Vampire Knight Chapter 72 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.003-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

http://manga.animea.net/vampire-knight.html

After being kicked off of Lucky Star and wasting obvious talent on the puff o' fluff Kannagi, director Yutaka Yamamoto finally gets a project that he can sink his teeth into. The future: the Fractale System, a mega-network of computers, controls life for humanity. Everyone is guaranteed a comfortable living, the only requirement being that at a specific time they offer up a single prayer. Contact between people is minimal, most humans preferring to stay where they are and send digital doppelgangers to do their work for them. Young engineer Clain is one of a few who go out regularly, usually to junk bazaars where he digs up old data. On one such trip he meets Phryne, a real-live girl, who is being pursued by real-live bad guys in a real-live airship with real-live machine guns. Things aren't the same after that.

Vampire Knight Chapter 71 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.002-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

Vampire Knight - Chapter 71

Fractale is actual science fiction. Not a prefab action tale with fantastical future trappings, or a space opera that uses its setting for purposes of exoticism, but a story built around an idea of the future that reflects back on the modern world. The series treats it quite matter-of-factly, even lightly, but the idea of a world in which social lives are lived solely via digital avatars has something mighty discomfiting to say about the direction our social-media inundated world is going. Clain's family even goes so far as to raise him by doppelganger, with predictably alienating results.

That said, it's the series’ almost old-fashioned sense of adventure does the real seducing. Its blend of charming banter, blithely spunky youngsters, likeably inept villains, and retro aerial combat is reminiscent of nothing so much as early Hayao Miyazaki (and, not coincidentally, Nadia), though with enough Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou thrown in to let you know that it's Yamakan's baby. A beguiling mixture, and with a working brain to boot. Sign me up for episode two.

Vampire Knight Chapter 70 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.001-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

http://manga.animea.net/vampire-knight.html

Review: After Aoi Hana tanked, you'd think that animators would balk at another Takako Shimura adaptation. They didn't, and we got Wandering Son. If I knew who to kiss, I'd pucker up right now. It's spring and Shuichi Nitori is entering middle school. Many of his classmates from elementary school are attending as well, but so too are a variety of students from a variety of different grade schools. Among his continuing classmates are protective firebrand Chiba and bespectacled best friend Makoto, but most important is boyish Yoshino Takatsuki, a girl with whom Shuichi has a long and complicated history. In grade school they discovered that they shared dissatisfaction with their assigned genders: Yoshino liked being seen as a boy, and Shuichi wanted to be a girl. Shuichi wrecked their comfortable relationship with an ill-timed confession of love, but as they enter junior high an unpleasant incident gives them the chance to reconcile.

Vampire Knight Chapter 69 read Free

2011-02-08T19:33:00.000-08:00

Description
Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Genre
Drama Romance School Life Shoujo Supernatural

http://manga.animea.net/vampire-knight.html

Wandering Son treats its sensational subject matter with a becoming quietude, a simple realism that is gentle and understated almost to a fault. In that way it is quite similar to Aoi Hana; it approaches alternate gender identities with the same frankness, seriousness, and refusal to sensationalize with which Aoi Hana approached homosexuality. For that alone the series deserves hearty praise. It's more than just praiseworthy, though. It's also a superb story, written with unassuming yet daunting skill and populated with fine, ineffably human characters. It quietly evades the didacticism that could so easily have afflicted it and never, ever talks down or underestimates your intelligence. It can be a bit confusing at first since the cast eschews easy identifying markers and the script leaves it to you to straighten out the convoluted histories of its protagonists. The rewards are worth the work, however. By the by, the skill with which the series brings to life the washed-out minimalist beauty of Shimura's art is positively startling. Not a series for all tastes, but nearly perfect for those whose taste it is.

Vampire Knight Chapter 68 read Free

2011-02-08T19:18:00.000-08:00

Danball Senki Episode 8 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.006-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

The boxes are nice (they're shaded, have a blue gradient and everything), and English credits on the opening are a fun luxury, but if you can't get a title-free opening sequence, fer Christ's sake, DON'T cover up the entire screen with a box! When will these people learn that it's NOT important enough to sacrifice the opening for!! (It would be one thing if they only did this to one episode on a tape, or even supplied an unadulterated opening, but alas, it is not to be.)

With an energy level that makes Dragon Half seem like a Sunday picnic with Grandma, Haunted Junction is certainly for everyone who's not easily offended (and preferably already knows about the rampant child idolization in Japan). Now if we can only do something about that opening, we'll be all set!

Danball Senki Episode 7 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.005-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

17-year-old Daigo is a prodigy with the sword in 1880s Tokyo, an era where samurai have faded from the scene, while his friend Shirô is a prodigy in the newly-forming discipline of judo. When they and two female friends investigate a painting in a supposedly still-unoccupied house, they encounter a mysterious foreigner who turns out to be none other than the legendary Count Dracula, who has paid a visit to the Far East to fulfill a strange promise made centuries earlier. At once captivating and horrifying, ruthless and yet respectful of the way of the warrior, Daigo finds in the Count a foe unlike any he has ever faced. When the cast of victims steadily begins to rise, Daigo and his associates must face the challenge of a lifetime: reign in the spread of Dracula's baleful influence before he can unleash irreparable harm on their country.

Danball Senki Episode 6 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.004-08:00

Danball Senki Episode 5 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.003-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

Kikuchi's take on Dracula portrays him as an elegant monster, one who can simultaneously bewitch women, make men nervous, and set warriors on edge. He gives Dracula the standard nobleman's air and vague intimations of loneliness but also characterizes him as a man whose long history with warfare has led him to respect warrior ways and traditions – in other words, those who carry on the way of the samurai, even in an era where samurai no longer exist, intrigue him. Giving him a reason to be in 1880s Japan requires a bizarre plot convolution, but once you bite on that the story becomes a standard tale about men first trying to figure out what they're dealing with and then trying to thwart vampire mischief before it claims their friends and loved ones. Naturally fight scenes involving the sword and various martial arts forms abound.

Danball Senki Episode 4 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.002-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

Although Kikuchi's writing is at its best in action sequences, the historical detail he infuses into his setting may be the bigger draw. His angle on early1880s Tokyo emphasizes the martial arts revival movements growing at the time, especially the then-brand-new discipline of judo. Many of his characters are actual historical figures: Jigoro Kano really was the man who founded judo at his Kodokan dojo, Shiro Saigo really was one of the discipline's earliest stars, and Kaoru Inoue did serve as Minister of Foreign Affairs during much of the 1880s. Rokumeikan, the site of a party Dracula attends late in the novel, also was a real place with a reputation for introducing Japanese to Western culture, and Kikuchi shows a thorough knowledge of Tokyo's geography and attitudes at the time.

Danball Senki Episode 3 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.001-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

Flaws show when considering the technical merits of Kikuchi's writing, however. His writing style seems firmly aimed at what would be called a Young Adult audience here in the States, but that does not excuse its general weakness. Passive voice gets used far too much when easy active voice options are available, questionable organizational choices abound, and the dialog, while not exactly lame, could use some work in places. Pacing remains firm and steady through most of the story but falters in the last chapter, and the vague ending leaves a lot to be desired. The writing also features some questionable word choices (“weary” when “wary” would be more appropriate, for instance), but the blame there may rest more on the translation.

Danball Senki Episode 2 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

Del Rey Manga's production of this 262 page novel includes an Afterword by Kikuchi, an About the Author blurb, and a Glossary that defines several key Japanese terms but also lacks a few important ones. Uncharacteristically for Del Rey publications, it includes no explanation of Japanese honorifics. It is printed on very light paper stock, which makes it equivalent in thickness to a manga with less than 2/3 of its page count. Numerous interior sketches and the superb color cover art are the work of Katsuya Terada, a prolific cartoonist probably best-known to American fans as the character designer for Blood: The Last Vampire and the concept artist for the live-action versions of Cutie Honey and Devilman.

Flaws in the writing, a forced premise, and a weak ending weigh it down, but Dark Wars still offers enough action, historical detail, and effective horror content to (barely) carry it through. It may not represent stellar writing, but could still hold interest as a supernatural period piece.

Danball Senki Episode 1 Subbed

2011-01-27T07:40:00.000-08:00

The February issue of Shogakukan's Monthly CoroCoro Comic magazine is confirming next Saturday that the Inazuma Eleven soccer anime series will continue airing past March in a new timeslot. Starting on March 2, the anime will move to Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (Another game-based anime, Danball Senki, will follow at 7:27 p.m. — which is roughly Inazuma Eleven's old timeslot.) Mainichi Kaasan currently holds the 7:00 p.m. timeslot.

The official website for the Danbōru Senki television anime series is streaming a 197-second promotional video. The anime adapts a "near-future, plastic-model-building role-playing game" which Level 5 (Dragon Quest VIII, Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven) will ship in Japan on March 17. In the game set in 2050, the player controls tiny battle robots called LBX (Little Battler eXperience) as they battle it out in dioramas built from reinforced cardboard.

The anime will premiere on TV Tokyo on March 2.

Danball Senki Watch And Download

His long-time goals finally close to realization, Prince Montague wastes no time in sentencing the captured Juliet to death, but he is unable to convince his own son that Juliet has taken advantage of him. Juliet also has other steadfast allies willing to come to her rescue as well as one other who seeks to use her for another purpose. For his role in helping Juliet escape, Romeo finds himself exiled to the Gradisca mines, a harsh, hopeless place where those who have committed lesser offenses work themselves into the ground (both literally and figuratively), while Juliet is spirited away to Mantua, home to the summer estate of Lady Ariel, William's mother. Though forced apart, Romeo and Juliet both independently work to create a world where they can be together, while back in Neo Verona Mercutio maneuvers to gain greater power, though at a possibly unwelcome cost. Ultimately it falls to a freshly-resolved Juliet to lead the Capulets' bold strike against Montague, and the return of the Red Whirlwind to the stage heralds the beginning of the crusade. Even as Montague faces ultimate defeat, however, the danger is far from past, for the continent of Neo Verona itself is crumbling as Escalus, the tree that supports everything, withers. To save the world, a sacrifice must be made; does this mean that Romeo and Juliet's love was truly never meant to be?

Hourou Musuko Episode 8 Video

2011-01-18T22:42:00.002-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

The music in the series is also a mixed bag of quality. Whereas much of the music consists of tinny sounding pieces that sound like they were lifted out of a NEO-GEO fighting game, there are rare instances when the music will be delicate enough to actually enhance the scene rather than hamper it. This is apparent mostly during dramatic interludes when the background music will switch to soft instrumentals, such as piano and violin duets, and light marimba melodies. It is tracks like these that make the music in the series bearable. Even with these pieces, though, Ranma ½ isn't a series that will prompt casual fans to rush out and buy the soundtracks. This is especially the case for this season, where even the vocals are less enjoyable than the preceding seasons. Both the opening and ending are generic and lifeless, which is a stark contrast from some of the other more well-known Ranma themes.

Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 7 Video

2011-01-18T22:42:00.001-08:00

Hourou Musuko Episode 6 Video

2011-01-18T22:42:00.000-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

In modern day Japan, magical ability is measured by the number of times a person can use magic in their life. Regular folks don't get much more than a hundred, while the gifted students at Aoi Academy average about eight thousand. Then there's 17-year-old Kazuki Shikimori, whose lifetime count is a pathetic eight. However, his ancestry consists of history's greatest magicians, so if the power's not in Kazuki, it's got to be in his next of kin. That's why three of the school's hottest girls—naïve Yuna, outspoken Kuriko, and sword-swinging Rin—are determined to get into his pants. From childhood promises to troubled ghosts to mythical beasts, it seems that calamity awaits Kazuki at every corner, waiting to exhaust his magic count ... as if he isn't exhausted enough trying to escape the clutches of three crazy girls.

Review:

Ah, the harem genre! What would anime be without it? A much more tolerable form of entertainment, probably. Maburaho is another entry into the fanservice-choked "moe" trend of the early-to-mid-00's, this time bringing magic and spellcasting to the table. If you like big pouty eyes and even bigger boobs and random scenes of undressed girls, then make sure to add this to that ever-growing list of guilty pleasure titles. Some of the better scenes are inspired enough to be appreciated without raging hormones, but to fully enjoy Maburaho, you've got to be ready for the familiar premise of a below-average guy fending off girls who literally want to have his babies.

Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 5 Video

2011-01-18T22:41:00.003-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

This series starts out like so many others: Kazuki wakes up late for school, but not before having a childhood memory that totally telegraphs all the major plot points. The first touch of originality comes when we see Aoi Academy students flying into campus, and again when a student leaves a doppelganger in his seat so he can skip class. Unfortunately, all those clever touches are forgotten as soon as Kazuki's love interests arrive, and it rapidly descends into a directionless love comedy. "Comedy," of course, is a subjective term, and most of the jokes here—senseless violence, lingerie peeks, boobs in the face—get old really quickly. Add in all the filler with the girls making mushy romantic proposals to Kazuki, and the result is an entertaining premise wasted. By Episode 4, most of the magic just involves energy attacks, turning this into some kind of Dragon Ball Potter ... with more girls.

But what could be wrong with more girls? Well, the ones in Maburaho are so stereotypical that you can't even call them rip-offs, because that would require them to have enough personality to resemble other characters. Yuna, Kuriko and Rin are taken straight out of a character creation handbook, minus the embellishments that would make them unique. Kazuki has the same problem; he's the typical loser guy that stars in every harem series, and the historical background behind his magic ability is an overused story device. Taking the choose-your-own-bishoujo formula and throwing the concept of "MAGIC" at it does not automatically make a series appealing; it's about building interesting characters within that formula.

Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 4 Video

2011-01-18T22:41:00.002-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

Shinichiro Kimura, a veteran of this genre whose resume boasts Hand Maid May and Burn Up Excess, takes the helm here and demonstrates how to space out the timing of panty and lingerie shots. This makes for some odd pacing, like a girls' changing room scene right after a dramatic rescue in Episode 3, but it can all be explained with magic anyway. J.C. Staff handles basic animation duties, achieving their usual fanservice standards (see Ikki Tousen) with glossy hair and perfect curves for the girls. However, the childish linework robs the character designs of any finesse, and when the animators do go into detail, it's only for several seconds at a time. The behemoth in Episode 4 is beautifully designed, yet it only gets a few minutes on screen; similarly, the snow scene towards the end of Episode 2 is an emotional triumph that makes everything else in the show look even duller by comparison. Flashes of brilliance aren't enough to support a series if it's filler everywhere else.

The soundtrack has the same problem as the artistic quality—remarkable at times, but otherwise packed with filler. There's some strong dramatic scoring when Kazuki's magical history is revealed (along with a great visual montage), or when Kazuki and Yuna remember their childhood, but the rest of the background music is synthesized light pop at its most mediocre. The theme songs are just as fluffy; they're cute and pleasant to listen to, but hardly worth remembering.

Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 3 Video

2011-01-18T22:41:00.001-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

Language enthusiasts might be interested in the interview with translator Richard Kim on the DVD, but even a translator's insights can't save an English dub that sounds strangely artificial. It's not that the voice cast overacts or goes into monotone, but everyone seems to be putting on a plastic imitation of emotion, rather than speaking with actual feeling. Then there's the exciting guessing game of how to pronounce Kazuki's surname—is it ShikiMOri? ShiKEEmoREE? ShikkyMURRAY?—making this a disc that would be best enjoyed by switching to subtitles. Make sure to look in the DVD case, though, because the "Magic Times" insert contains some cute 4-panel comics by Kuriko and Rin's Japanese VAs (who happen to be pretty decent with a pencil).

Maburaho feels like more of an unfinished prototype for the harem genre than an actual anime series. The plot is there, but it lacks any defining elements besides the general theme of magic; the characters are there, but they don't have any particular traits apart from being, well, the one loser guy and the cookie-cutter hot girls chasing after him. There's the occasional promise of great animation and great drama, but not enough of it, and the plain artwork makes it look like the staff forgot to put the finishing touches (except for the T&A, of course). If they had just taken more time to think about what to put into the story, and how to make the visuals stand out, but then you'd be watching Negima instead... which is more fun anyway.

Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 2 Video

2011-01-18T22:41:00.000-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

It used to be so rare for the dead to come back to life and hunt the living, but unfortunately for the Kogun Sect, these superpowered zombies, known as shikabane, are on the rise again. When a person dies with strong regrets, otherworldly powers can seize their troubled corpses and bring them back to life as twisted, rotting immortals who despise and hunt the living. Thankfully, the Kogun Sect has a weapon against the shikabane: other shikabane who have made pacts with their monks and become “shikabane-hime” who will be forgiven their spite in both lives and accepted into heaven if they destroy 108 walking corpses in the name of the order, for only the living dead can kill their own kind.

One corpse princess, Makina Hoshimura, couldn't care less about getting into heaven, but holds a personal grudge against the gang of shikabane that resigned her to her fate: the Seven Stars. Her contracted monk, Keisei, assists her in her revenge for his own reasons, while his younger brother Ouri becomes fascinated with Makina and haunted by the world she is bound to by death.
Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Hourou Musuko Episode 1 Video

2011-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Shuicihi Nitori appears to be a shy and quiet preteen boy, when he transfers to a new school he quickly makes friends with the tomboyish Yoshino Takatsuki who sits next to him. It soon becomes apparent that both Shucihi and Yoshino are more than simply a sensitive boy and masculine girl, they both are transgendered. Together they decide to take the first steps toward becoming the people they want to be.
Hourou Musuko Episode 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
[ adapted from Hourou Musuko (manga) ]

Opening Theme:
"Itsudatte." (いつだって。) by Daisuke
Ending Theme:
"For You" by Rie Fu

Genres: drama
Themes: crossdressing, school

Hourou Musuko Episode Watch online

Undoubtedly Gainax's most zombielicious outing, Corpse Princess doesn't do much else to set itself apart from the studio's other formative outings: There are boobs and there are explosions and to try and make sense of it is to miss the point entirely. The only question remaining is whether its razor edge is still sharp…and that's a tricky question.

On the one hand, Makina is every bit the corpse-killing warrior princess her stern image projects, not just another pretty face with unnatural combat skills flashing her underwear in all her close-ups. (Okay, the underwear part is still true.) She's a complex, conflicted and likable ice queen despite, and maybe because of, her faults. When she enters the fray, the results are always mesmerizing rather than cringe-inducing, though no less brutal for it. The undead, it seems, come in all shapes, sizes and gruesome demises. There are corpse nerds, corpse babies, and an SUV that eats people. It's bloody good fun from tooth-and-claw struggles to the blowouts that end with thousands of rounds emptied on the floor. The organization protecting these shikabane-hime is unique, dark and carnal. It's a recipe for a spooky, sexy time.
Hourou Musuko Episode I II III Hourou Musuko Episode IV V VI Hourou Musuko Episode VII VIII Hourou Musuko Episode IX 10 XI Hourou Musuko Episode XII XIII

Starry Sky Episode 3 Watch online English sub Download Free

2011-01-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

Plot Summary: The heroine, Tsukiko, enrolled to a school that was recently changed from all-boys school to co-ed. Since the area where the school is conveniently rural and the rather exclusive curriculums the school has, up until now the heroine is the only one female who enrolled to the school.

Alternative title:
Suta Suka (Japanese)
スタ☆スカ (Japanese)
Genres: romance, slice of life
Themes: bishounen, male harem, school

Cast

Akira Ishida as Kotarō Hoshizuki
Daisuke Hirakawa as Hayato Aozora
Daisuke Kishio as Naoshi Haruki
Daisuke Ono as Suzuya Tōzuki
Fumiko Orikasa as Tsukiko Yahisa
Hikaru Midorikawa as Yō Tomoe
Hiroshi Kamiya as Ryūnosuke Miyaji
Jun Fukuyama as Azusa Kinose
Kenichi Suzumura as Tsubasa Amaha
Koji Yusa as Iku Mizushima
Mamoru Miyano as Shiki Kagurazaka
Souichiro Hoshi as Homare Kanakubo
Tomokazu Sugita as Kanata Nanami
Yuuichi Nakamura as Kazuki Shiranui

Junichi Suwabe as Ooshirou Shirogane

Starry Sky 02 http://www.mediafire.com/?xic3g0wkccp7k80
Starry Sky 03 http://www.mediafire.com/?vavipgzg2cp48o0

watch Starry Sky 03

Strawberry Panic!
Sub.DVD 5 - Fifth Waltz
While the writers are desperately trying to breathe life into Amane and Hikari's relationship, the director has clearly given up. Masayuki Sakoi's spare direction is fully capable of exploiting the obviously limited budget, as when the sad, minimalist score, highly stylized visuals, and vulnerable character designs with their big, shimmery eyes combine to silently express romantic longing and unspoken loss during the opening of the Etoile election. But when the focus drifts away from the central relationship, he loses interest. There's a sad, flatly animated excuse for a tennis showdown in which distant figures move like cardboard targets in a carnival game, some embarrassingly stiff horse-riding action, and it's hard not to notice how bland his use of the forgettable designs for Hikari and Amane is in comparison to his striking, subtly sexual usage of the instantly compatible color-coordination of Nagisa and Shizuma.

Bakuman Episode 25 watch online

2011-01-09T04:37:00.004-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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By some definitions, Understanding Chaos isn't an anime at all! It's the one-man animation project and dream of Terrance Walker. Reaching an approximate 20 minutes, it's a side-story and technical demo featuring characters of an apparently larger vision. This is the product of one extremely dedicated American who's bent on making an animated short in the style of anime. And it's all done in his very own home, too.

Finding the correct approach to this title is difficult as it's very different from the normal review-load. For one, it can't be viewed as just another standard anime title. Anyone could easily pick it apart and throw a boatload of criticism at it. But, since a single person is handling it all, it's actually quite amazing. It's absolutely stunning what just one man can do with digital animation.

Bakuman Episode 24 watch online

2011-01-09T04:37:00.003-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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Understanding Chaos is the short tale of a man who finds himself in a chaotic situation where he just doesn't know what to do. Played out in a science fiction setting, he is in the midst of confrontation. It becomes apparent to him that everything he believes in may be false. Tension rises and frustration sets in. It's one of those situations you find yourself in that no matter what you do, you're screwed from every angle and there's absolutely nothing you can do to save yourself or make things right. Understanding Chaos tells of this man's reaction.

Characters move a little jerky at times, the big confrontation could have been made more exciting, Mr. Walker isn't that great of a voice actor, and a wider variety of camera angles could have been used. Okay, I've gotten that out of the way.

Bakuman Episode 23 watch online

2011-01-09T04:37:00.002-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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Bakuman - 23
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It's amazing what Terrance Walker came up with all on his own. All with consumer products and equipment, he successfully made several beautiful scenes of animation that are very reminiscent of higher budget anime films of today. Understanding Chaos proves that with the digital revolution, anyone can follow his or her dreams and anything is possible.

Along with the 20-minute feature is a 50-minute documentary of how Understanding Chaos came to be. Mr. Walker explains each step he took in making the film, tells of the computer programs and equipment he used, and goes into detail with some of the more complex scenes. Any aspiring animators or even just people with a tiny bit of curiosity should find this all extremely interesting. It shows that just a little bit of time and dedication, anyone can do this. It's a very motivating and inspiring piece. Definitely something to check out for anyone who's been thinking about getting into this field.

Bakuman Episode 22 watch online

2011-01-09T04:37:00.001-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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Bakuman Episode 21
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The Understanding Chaos DVD isn't really something one would buy for a deep entertaining story. There's just not enough here to warrant such a purchase. However, for someone interested in animation, drawing, or just being creative, this can be a very motivating disc. By the time I was done watching, I even found myself day-dreaming about what I could accomplish with just a little time in front of these animation programs. Understanding Chaos is going to get your creative juices flowing. If you love animation, Understanding Chaos might be right up your alley.

Bakuman Episode 21 watch online

2011-01-09T04:37:00.000-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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Bakuman OP Single – Blue Bird [Kobukuro]
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Bakuman Episode 20 http://www.mediafire.com/?asil0pnuqa6cedb

The second phase of the chûnin exam is over, and Naruto and Co. have barely managed to pass. Unfortunately, too many applicants made it through the second round, so a little culling is in order. And so a preliminary examination for the final stage of the chûnin exam begins. That Naruto will live is a given, but can the manga survive... a tournament?

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2011-01-09T04:36:00.000-08:00

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2011-01-09T04:35:00.000-08:00

Summary: Moritaka Mashiro, a junior high school student, content to live out a relatively normal life as any other does, is persuaded by his classmate, Akito Takagi, to become an aspiring mangaka when the latter realizes his natural talent as an artist. However, Moritaka is reluctant to pursue his dream as his uncle, once a mangaka with his own serializations, died from overwork trying to regain his lost status.

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This is a tournament story arc, and as such, certain traditions must be observed. The pairings are designed to maximize both the interest and the surprise. Revealing who fights who would be unfair to those who don't already know the pairings (both of you) since guessing who will face off with who is half the fun of a tournament, but suffice to say many of the pairings are both quite interesting and quite unexpected. The fights are often interrupted by long-winded (and sometimes redundant) explanations of strategies and special techniques, and by flashbacks designed to explicate the combatants' motivations. The fights themselves are long, involved, and chock full of dramatic turnarounds. In others' hands, this formula has resulted in many a waste of readers' time, but Kishimoto knows exactly how to keep the action relevant and—most importantly—exciting.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 24

2011-01-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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Mangaka Jin Kobayashi is best known in the West for School Rumble, which has been adapted into an animated series of the same name. The Natsu no Arashi! manga is his current ongoing serial, and its respective animated adaptation does this storyteller of quirky but undeniably prodigious talents proud. Studio Shaft spins a property which, produced badly, could have been just another tasteless magical girlfriend spoof, into pure gold.

Indeed, you know it's going to be good right from the get go in episode one, which features a rollicking, offbeat—but not incomprehensible—back and forth through time as the character try to avert disaster by cherry bomb (a.k.a. “cutie cherry”). Really. It's a spectacular introduction to a series that actually requires quite a bit of background explanation, provided throughout later episodes in palatable doses, and the hook is surely enough to keep eager audiences coming back for morem stormy adventure.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 23

2011-01-08T23:54:00.005-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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Subsequent episodes develop numerous subplots that skillfully interweave character development with zany character development. Ironically, by about halfway through the show's thirteen episode run, you will realize that the title character Arashi and her thirteen year old sidekick protagonist are the least interesting personage around. Competing for attention include the provocative “master” of the café, a girl pretending to be a boy, and a muscle-bound private detective who, as it turns out, is also connected to Arashi. Those who enjoy the homoerotic will be particularly gratified by the anime's final substantive subplot, which involves two female ghosts who are, as they say, hopelessly devoted to each other.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 22

2011-01-08T23:54:00.004-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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Arguably the most interesting character of Natsu no Arashi!, though, is the café's other resident ghost, the one time German exchange student Kaya. Ironically more Japanese in outlook and personality than any of the ostensibly Japanese characters in this series, she is also a tragic figure secretly nursing a doomed romance. Several episodes midway through the series take her and the cross-dresser Jun back in time to meet the doomed object of Kaya's affections. The love story blends with a backdrop delivering the expected pacifist stance on the horrors of warfare, and it is left painfully unresolved. You will really feel for this character, but she has her reasons for refusing to change history.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 21

2011-01-08T23:54:00.003-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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That being, of course, the threat of temporal paradox. This threat is beautifully and emotionally resolved throughout the course of the show, and it is done so in a way that is both ingenious yet wonderfully easy to understand (not a given when the subject is time traveling). In fact, so many of this series' assets lie in the execution: While the animation quality is only average and Kobayashi's character designs are not, shall we say, his greatest artistic strength, the anime is chock-full of well-conceived, attractively developed settings and stylized scenes. The surreal stock scenes between Yayoi and Kanako, for example, are reminiscent of the best of Shoujo Kakumei Utena. If you are keen, you may even catch the occasional allusion to otaku favorites such as Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei. The tasteful eroticism of the opening animation sequence also proves pitch perfect.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 20

2011-01-08T23:54:00.002-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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The soundtrack is a good bump above the average, and the upbeat opening and ending themes deliver with just the correct amount of trendy pop sensibility and sing along addictiveness. Remarkable anime music can be in short supply these days, so this is a nice change of pace. A couple of the seiyuu also sing—passably well—late in the series, so if you are a fan of that sort of thing, be sure to stay tuned till the end.

For some shows, even thirteen episodes feel interminable. But for shows like Natsu no Arashi!, thirteen episodes feels like the mere tip of the iceberg. This series has so much more of everything to offer just about any conceivable profile of anime fan, so it is fortunate that more animated installments are in the works. This is an excellent anime and easily one of the best of its sort to be released in recent memory.

Memories Last by Maon Kurosaki

2011-01-08T23:54:00.001-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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Like those of many children, 10-year-old Ryunosuke's parents are divorced. The difference is his father is a genius inventor and his mother is the maniacal head of a major weapons manufacturing conglomerate. When Kyusaku left his wife he not only took their son but the prototype battle android he was developing for the company, and the enraged Akiko sends her Office Lady Commandos to retrieve her child and her new weapon. Ryunosuke's pet cat is gravely injured in the failed attack, but Papa-san has the solution: implant the cat's brain into the robot's frame. With the body of a schoolgirl, the power of a superhero, and the mind of a feline, the All-Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku gleefully thwarts Akiko's attempts to forcefully regain custody of Ryunosuke, all the while trying to patch up the broken Natsume family.

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2011-01-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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Anime has been plagued recently by a disturbing glut of “robot girlfriend” shows. Young boy finds and/or inherits a sexy female android who is solely devoted to her new master, protects him from harm, flaunts her assets for the camera, does his laundry, cooks his meals, and flaunts her assets for the camera. Some of these series are not without their merits, but at their core they are little more than hormonal adolescent fantasies put to celluloid, and the formula changes little from show to show. But All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku is refreshingly different. It's one of the earliest entries in the genre--an Inspiration rather than Imitation. It lacks the ecchi angle of its spawn; Nuku Nuku's relationship to Ryunosuke is that of a nanny or big sister, not a love slave. And it's got a tremendous amount of heart.

Toaru Majutsu no Index Season 2 Episode 19

2011-01-08T23:52:00.000-08:00

Opening Theme:
"No buts!" by Mami Kawada
#2: "See visionS" by Mami Kawada
Ending Theme:
"Magic∞world" by Maon Kurosaki
#2: "Memories Last (メモリーズ・ラスト)" by Maon Kurosaki

Genres: action, comedy, drama, fantasy
Themes: Superpower

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“Nuku Nuku's” top priorities are comic battle sequences between scantily clad female combatants, and the heroine is often ogled by salivating male admirers, but it never descends to the fanboy fantasies of other series in this vein. Unlike the competition, “Nuku Nuku” doesn't feel like it was made exclusively for gawky teenagers who are too shy to get a date. The key difference is the dynamic between Nuku Nuku and Ryunosuke. Prepubescent Ryu has no sexual designs on his robotic guardian, nor does she for him, and their mutual affection is innocent and pure. She also provides Ryu with a stable family environment (if one can call the explosions and mass carnage that follow in her wake stable). Taking on the duties of the boy's absent mother, Nuku Nuku fills a void rather than fulfills a fantasy.

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2011-01-08T23:01:00.005-08:00

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2011-01-08T23:01:00.004-08:00

Ichigo Kurosaki used to have it easy: activate Soul Reaper powers, defeat evil Hollows, save the world from spiritual chaos. But now he and his friends face a new enemy: the Arrancars, who have harnessed the power of Hollows and plan to take down Soul Society. Ichigo is training frantically to gain the power he needs to fight the Arrancar, but will he ever be able to control his Hollow self for more than eleven seconds? Meanwhile, strong-armed Chad and brash sword-wielder Renji are sparring at Urahara's shop, while Ishida is battling his father to regain his Quincy powers, and Orihime wonders if her healing abilities will be strong enough for the looming conflict. Everyone's abilities will be put to the test when the Arrancars suddenly spring into action ahead of schedule ...

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, supernatural
Themes: giant weapons, spirits, superhumans

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Power Stone: The Search Continues brings 4 more episodes to this amusing series. Lacey Entertainment continues to push this series as entertainment for a younger audience with a kid friendly dub filled with various American pop-culture references. ADV's part in this series is simply in authoring and distribution, keeping this release as simple as possible.

The release itself contains the 4 episodes in this continuing series as well as the standard cache of ADV previews. Much like other shows brought over targeting younger audiences, there is no Japanese language track included. Despite the lack of extras, the release is well done with a simple menu system. Colors are crisp and clear showing off the colorful characters and their surroundings.

Bleach Episode 312 Watch Video

2011-01-08T23:01:00.003-08:00

Ichigo Kurosaki used to have it easy: activate Soul Reaper powers, defeat evil Hollows, save the world from spiritual chaos. But now he and his friends face a new enemy: the Arrancars, who have harnessed the power of Hollows and plan to take down Soul Society. Ichigo is training frantically to gain the power he needs to fight the Arrancar, but will he ever be able to control his Hollow self for more than eleven seconds? Meanwhile, strong-armed Chad and brash sword-wielder Renji are sparring at Urahara's shop, while Ishida is battling his father to regain his Quincy powers, and Orihime wonders if her healing abilities will be strong enough for the looming conflict. Everyone's abilities will be put to the test when the Arrancars suddenly spring into action ahead of schedule ...

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, supernatural
Themes: giant weapons, spirits, superhumans

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The script of Power Stone is filled with lots of clues showing that Lacey Entertainment is hoping to cash in on the potential mass-market appeal of the show. The script is filled with very current pop-culture references that many of the younger audience would relate to. With comic character designs originating from the shows video game origins, this show simply screams mass-market appeal with a ton of tie-ins such as action figures, video games and all the other fun "kid" merchandise. With flashy battles and various "kid"ish jokes, Power Stone has the potential to gain a larger audience amongst the young teen set.

Working against the mass-market appeal is the original Japanese script, racy character designs amongst the female cast and the occasional showing of Japanese references. Most actual script references are easily changed to easily recognizable English references and Japanese script is easily air brushed from the scene. Any risqué shots of female cast members are simply edited down a bit or again, covered by the dialogue to make actions seem much more tame in nature.

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2011-01-08T23:01:00.002-08:00

Ichigo Kurosaki used to have it easy: activate Soul Reaper powers, defeat evil Hollows, save the world from spiritual chaos. But now he and his friends face a new enemy: the Arrancars, who have harnessed the power of Hollows and plan to take down Soul Society. Ichigo is training frantically to gain the power he needs to fight the Arrancar, but will he ever be able to control his Hollow self for more than eleven seconds? Meanwhile, strong-armed Chad and brash sword-wielder Renji are sparring at Urahara's shop, while Ishida is battling his father to regain his Quincy powers, and Orihime wonders if her healing abilities will be strong enough for the looming conflict. Everyone's abilities will be put to the test when the Arrancars suddenly spring into action ahead of schedule ...

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, supernatural
Themes: giant weapons, spirits, superhumans

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For mature audiences, the simple script will come across as cliché. The show follows the standard quest type storyline with a reluctant hero and his various rivals. The 4 episodes continue the main plot line while adding to the number of characters with power stones. Falcon remains one step behind his father, as he must deal with a strange assortment of villains. As is typical for this type of show, each villain is increasingly tougher causing Falcon to find new and unique ways to defeat them.

Power Stone remains a simple adventure show with a very standard plot line. It is a bright and colorful show with character designs pulled right from a video game. Hampering its rise in popularity is a watered down script and lack of the original Japanese version. Throw in creative scene editing, and you're stuck with a show that just won't catch on with the majority of Anime fans. With a stronger push the show could easily be a favorite among its target audience, but right now, it is simply lost in a crowd of clones.

Bleach Episode 310 Watch Video

2011-01-08T23:01:00.001-08:00

Ichigo Kurosaki used to have it easy: activate Soul Reaper powers, defeat evil Hollows, save the world from spiritual chaos. But now he and his friends face a new enemy: the Arrancars, who have harnessed the power of Hollows and plan to take down Soul Society. Ichigo is training frantically to gain the power he needs to fight the Arrancar, but will he ever be able to control his Hollow self for more than eleven seconds? Meanwhile, strong-armed Chad and brash sword-wielder Renji are sparring at Urahara's shop, while Ishida is battling his father to regain his Quincy powers, and Orihime wonders if her healing abilities will be strong enough for the looming conflict. Everyone's abilities will be put to the test when the Arrancars suddenly spring into action ahead of schedule ...

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, supernatural
Themes: giant weapons, spirits, superhumans

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Just one volume ago, Bleach showed us how to take the average shounen-action training arc and raise it to the level of the extraordinary. Loaded with metaphor and abstraction, Volume 25 of the series featured Ichigo literally battling himself to master his Hollow side—and winning in dramatic fashion.

Too bad, then, that Volume 26 never even thinks of striving for those artistic heights.

This is the average shounen-action training arc done exactly by the book, and it almost runs the entire series into the ground. Clearly, the challenges of storyline management have gotten the better of Tite Kubo—the first chapter opens with an update on how things are going in Soul Society, followed by a brief check-up on Chad and Renji's friendly match, and Ichigo's ongoing struggles, and Ishida doing his Quincy thing, and meanwhile Orihime is wandering around having pangs of self-doubt. And those are just the main characters. It won't take long for readers to start wishing for the good old days of "power up for five chapters and talk about how strong you are," because that's the kind of stuff this series handles really well, overdone as it may be. By comparison, all this training and plot advancement is officially a bore.

Bleach Episode 309 Watch Video

2011-01-08T23:01:00.000-08:00

Ichigo Kurosaki used to have it easy: activate Soul Reaper powers, defeat evil Hollows, save the world from spiritual chaos. But now he and his friends face a new enemy: the Arrancars, who have harnessed the power of Hollows and plan to take down Soul Society. Ichigo is training frantically to gain the power he needs to fight the Arrancar, but will he ever be able to control his Hollow self for more than eleven seconds? Meanwhile, strong-armed Chad and brash sword-wielder Renji are sparring at Urahara's shop, while Ishida is battling his father to regain his Quincy powers, and Orihime wonders if her healing abilities will be strong enough for the looming conflict. Everyone's abilities will be put to the test when the Arrancars suddenly spring into action ahead of schedule ...

Genres: action, adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, supernatural
Themes: giant weapons, spirits, superhumans

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But there's one more update that hasn't been mentioned yet: what the bad guys are doing, and that's what gets the story moving again. After all, there's a world to be conquered and special powers to be acquired, and Aizen's band of villains aren't just going to sit on their hands and do nothing. The latter chapters in this volume do not disappoint: the Arrancars engage several of Soul Society's finest in battle, Ichigo finally gets a second chance at Grimmjow (and is able to put up a fair fight this time), and a certain funny-hat-wearing shopkeeper makes a dramatic entrance. It's times like these when Bleach lapses into being an unapologetic, straight-ahead battle series, and ultimately shines as an example of the genre: plenty of thrills, surprises, and rivalries to keep everyone entertained. Yet even this burst of action has its shortcomings: after sending in so many Arrancars at once, the story arc never quite figures out who to focus on, and the result is similar to the book's first half—too much jumping around between different situations. Even the showdown between Ichigo and Grimmjow, which should have been the headliner, comes to an abrupt stop. But another subplot suggests that there may be hope for this story arc yet ...