[Morning]

The Mike Toole Show - War Stories
Mike straps in for a look at one of the very first manga ever published in the US, the fighter pilot drama Area 88. 2011-11-06

Gia's List: The 6 Most-Abused Anime Protagonists
Not all anime heroes fight their way out of trouble, but that doesn't mean they don't get pummeled. Here are the ones who get it the worst. 2011-11-05

Hey, Answerman! - Tooting One's Horn
This time on another thrilling Hey, Answerman! Brian replies to your queries about anime based on Western properties, the "doujin" market, working in animation, and what exactly is the name of the bunnygirl from Daicon III and IV? Tune in to find out! 2011-11-04

ANNCast - Guy Kiley
Former Senior Vice President of Tokyopop Mike Kiley is our special guest this week, and he runs us through his long and storied career at the shuttered publisher. We cover it all - the heady early days, the not so heady later days and the company's untimely downfall. You've been waiting for this one! 2011-11-03

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Gojin
Jason dusts off a bit of weirdness called Gojin, dabbling in tokusatsu. 2011-11-03

Naruto Shippuden The Movie: Bonds DVD
Bringing in new directorial blood and heavier ties to the franchise's main body isn't going to help anything if your script is an assemblage of used parts.

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura GN 4
Most of this volume's action is in the past, but the last chapter sets the characters up for a grand battle for the princess. It is easy to overlook the lack of forward movement in the plot, but it still may be more rewarding to read this and volume five together when it comes out.

Gate 7 GN 1
If you have never read a Clamp series before, you have more of a chance of enjoying this one. If you've been a reader of the group for a while, however, you may find yourself less thrilled, as Gate 7 really does nothing new.

Yu Yu Hakusho Blu-Ray Season 3
The Dark Tournament ends and the Chapter Black saga begins as the series enters perhaps its strongest run of material to date. Still too predictable to be great, but pretty good nonetheless.

Dragon Ball Z Kai Blu-Ray 6
Despite some annoyances and repetitiveness, this portion of the Android Saga, which overlaps into the beginning of the Cell Saga, still conducts an involving build-up towards upcoming epic battles.

Tenjo Tenge GN 3
It truly is the fighting that makes the series worth it—the crushing in-your-face blows, the crackling bursts of superhuman energy, the intense looks on the combatants' faces. But how much longer will readers be satisfied with that?

Himawari! Season 1 Sub.DVD
A girl struggles to become a proper ninja in this innocuous and surprisingly clean 2006 series. Its quirkiness is mildly entertaining, but it only occasionally goes far enough on dramatic or comedy fronts to achieve better than that.

Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection Blu-ray
A sad farewell to a long-running franchise, as well as a very final conclusion.

Hyde & Closer GN 5&6
The major problems here lie in volume six. Volume five is still a romp, albeit is bloody and sometimes scary one, and brings about climactic change in Shunpei's character. Volume six is potentially a game changer for our heroes, but it is so disjointed in execution that the plot suffers.

xxxHOLIC GN 17
While this volume does contain a good helping of the cryptic mystic-babble that has consistently earned this series lower grades, the parallels with Tokyo Babylon give readers something to look for and also force us to question what the ultimate outcome will be.

Tokyo Majin DVD 1
Despite many flaws, including lack of originality and trouble deciding whether it wants to be a lighter or more decidedly horrific tale, the series shows at least some potential as a decent supernatural action title.