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Anime Expo 2012
We're live from Anime Expo 2012 in Los Angeles! Panel reports will be posted all weekend long.
Available Now: Opening Ceremonies - ANNCast Live - Tatsuo Sato Focus Panel - Aniplex of America - Viz Media: Neon Alley - Ryo Horikawa Focus Panel - Nozomi Entertainment - Yuki Kajiura Focus Panel - Bushiroad Panel - Crunchyroll Panel - Vocaloid Panel - Nobuhiko Okamoto Panel - Sunrise Panel - NIS America Anime Panel - The Future of AX Panel 2012-06-29

Anime Spotlight: Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere 2
Horizon is back! (Note: further Spotlight titles will be delayed over the course of the next week. Thanks for your patience.) 2012-06-26

Natsume's Book of Friends Ask It & Win It Contest
Come up with a great interview question for director Takahiro Omori, and you could win a copy of the Natsume's Book of Friends season 1 & 2 premium edition from NIS America! 2012-06-30

Gia's List: The 7 Most Inconvenient Phobias in Anime
Reason #693 not to be an anime character: whatever you're phobic of is common in your world or situation. 2012-06-30

ANNCast Live at Anime Expo 2012
Zac and Justin take questions and hand out prizes of dubious quality at Anime Expo 2012! 2012-06-29

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Satsuma Gishiden
Jason checks out the brutal and unforgiving samurai world of Hiroshi Hirata. 2012-06-28

The X Button - Virtual Goods
This week is import time with ateliers, online slugfests, and a city gone wild! Plus Tales of Xillia 2, Assault Gunners, and another Kinect problem. 2012-06-27

Panty & Stocking - Win It Before You Can Buy It!
Win the complete series DVD before you can buy it, and even a poster signed by the Japanese cast! 2012-06-25

Kuroko's Basketball Episodes 1-7 Streaming
Gets some help from an interesting core concept, but the main reason it works well is simply because it knows its basics: good characters, exciting action, and the occasional good chuckle.

Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike Blu-Ray + DVD
While Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike seems slow while you're watching it, reflection shows it to be a worthwhile viewing. With its slow pace and long runtime, attention deficit viewers may prefer to watch it in two sittings, but overall the gorgeous animation, well-acted characters, and suitably heroic soundtrack all work together to make it palatable.

Hunter × Hunter Episodes 14-26 Streaming
Like the thirteen before them, these are thirteen very easy episodes to watch. They pass in a highly pleasant rush of mildly atypical, lightly character-based adventure. If you don't count the tournament in the middle.

Modern Magic Made Simple Sub.DVD
No matter how fluidly the code flies it cannot disguise the fact that the story isn't making a whole lot of sense. Perhaps the novels do a better job. The anime, however, leaves much to be desired.

Kurenai Sub.DVD
In an environment of trite interpretations of common plots, this story about a young man trying to protect a precocious young girl is a breath of fresh air. It impresses with its distinctive artistic touches and the quality of its writing and animation.

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor
A Steel Battalion developed by From Software (whose sterling mech pedigree includes Armored Core and Chromehounds) should be an unqualified success. Instead, here's a game that could only live up to the lowest possible expectations, a game that only works very rarely, and even when it does it isn't very fun.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica GN 1
On its own, the manga of Puella Magi Madoka Magica isn't going to dupe most readers into thinking that it is a story of sweetness and light. Whether it is because we are predisposed to look for the dark underbelly by now or simply because Hanokage doesn't try to hide it, the true nature of the tale is very much in evidence.

Honey Darling GN
Given a more concise pace or more books to tell the story in, this could have been Only Serious About You with a cat instead of a little girl. As it is, we have a nice story about two guys who happen to live together with a cat and an author who suddenly remembered that she needed them to end up as a couple.

RIN-NE GN 8
If you're a Takahashi fan, chances are you're still enjoying Rin-ne. It isn't anything new or groundbreaking, but it is still fun in the way that most of her longer series are. Those who got fed up with Ranma ½ or Inu Yasha for dragging on, however, will be nearing the end of their patience.

Starry Sky GN 1
Starry Sky starts off slow and while it does become more enjoyable, it never really achieves as much as other reverse harem tales. Perhaps the best way to enjoy this book is to simply turn off your brain for a bit and let Tsukiko's slightly insipid memories carry you away.

Gunbuster Sub.DVD
A sharp (albeit English dub-free) and long-awaited release of the classic 1988 OVA series, its quality shines through all potential distractions. One of those rare titles that should probably be in the collection of any serious anime fan.