Takeshi OBATA

Astro Toy - Tamashii Spec Tekkaman Blade With Pegas
It's Giant Robot Time on Astro Toy, this time with a look at Tekkaman Blade. 2011-09-18

Gia's List: Anime's 7 Most Uncanny Lookalikes
It's not unusual for a pair of anime characters to look similar, but these doppelgangers may be a little overkill. Coincidences? Homages? You tell us! 2011-09-17

ANNCast - Rambling Men
Zac and Justin sit down guest-free to chat about what they've been watching: Eden of the East: Paradise Lost, Mardock Scramble, Trigun: Badlands Rumble and more! Plus: Star Wars, of course! NOOOOOO! 2011-09-16

Hey, Answerman! - Omnibus In Absentia
This time on Answerman, Brian listens to a frustrated CLAMP fan's plight of missing Omnibuses (Omnibusi? Omnibus's?), listens to another fan's quandary about light novel audiobooks, and finally a question about Hey, Answerman itself! Not to mention the obligatory round of Answerfans answers! So read it already! 2011-09-16

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - ComiPo!
Jason reviews the new manga creation software, ComiPo!, and comes up with a creation of his own. 2011-09-15

Spice and Wolf II Blu-Ray + DVD
Combines a honed narrative sense with a greater focus on Holo and Lawrence's relationship to create a sophisticated cinematic confection the quality of which is quite simply beyond denial.

Detroit Metal City GN 10
Detroit Metal City should perhaps have been half the length it is, but it goes out with, if not a bang, then a promise. Soichi resolves some of his internal issues, makes an effort to get the girl of his dreams, and finds a kind of happiness. If you've stuck with the series this long, there's really no reason to stop before finishing it.

Sound of the Sky DVD
Moe military girls man an outpost on the edge of a war-ravaged civilization in a series which aspires, with some success, to expand the narrative range of heavily moe titles. Nozomi's production of this release, though not dubbed, is complete and professional.

Yuruyuri Episodes 1-7 Streaming
You want to know what nothingness feels like? The pure absence of sensation, the black void of total thoughtlessness? You don't have to die or get stranded in deep space. All you have to do is watch Yuruyuri.

Mardock Scramble: The First Compression DVD
A troubled teen prostitute returns from the brink of death as a cyborg in this trilogy-initiating short movie. It eventually proves to be the kind of graphic, imaginative, and super-charged fare which got many enthusiastic about anime in the first place.

Animal Land GN 1
Makoto Raiku says in the afterward that he is trying to tackle difficult issues not often seen in manga and that he is somewhat surprised to find himself writing an animal story. But branching out can often reap large rewards, and that is definitely the case here as Raiku sets out into uncharted territory.

Black Bird GN 8-10
Black Bird has never really aspired to be literature, but in at least two of these three volumes it also loses the right to call itself “good.” The disturbing aspects of Kyo and Misao's relationship far outweigh the romantic ones, making this an almost textbook example of what you don't want in your daughter's love life.

Mystic Archives of Dantalian Episodes 1-6 Streaming
A rich slice of atmosphere wrapped in a thin veil of sleuthing. Plenty tasty most of the time, but leaves you feeling kind of empty in the end.

20th Century Boys GN 16
Each new installment is declared "the most important one yet!" Volume 16, however, is one that actually lives up to the hype ... telling the villain's side of the story.

Higurashi: When They Cry GN 14
The final volume of the first of Higurashi: When They Cry's answer arcs is a heart-wrenching, gut-churning compilation of images that will remain burned into your eyes long after the final page is turned. Ryukishi07 does answer the central questions posed in the “Cotton Drifting Arc," but not the main mystery behind the entire series of Hinamizawa murders.

Monster GN 8-9
Hits the halfway point on its highest note yet. Pass this up, and Johan will come get you in your sleep. If you don't know how terrifying a prospect that is, then get reading now.