News

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Two-for-one Special: The Tankoubon Hunter
Jason goes for a twofer with manga about falconry and snakes. 2013-05-09

The X Button - Industrial Evolution
This week: how Steam will or won't change imported games! Also: New Etrian Odyssey, company business, and yet another aborted remake. 2013-05-08

RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Rivers of Babylon
As the weather heats up, so does the suspense ... Find out what thrills await in series like Tokyo Babylon, Durarara!!, 21st Century Boys and more! 2013-05-07

The Stream - Water World
It's a new season of simulcasts! This month, creepy flowers that make guys steal gym clothes, aliens, skinless mega monsters, dating sims, and way more robots than you could shake a stick at! 2013-05-06

Interview: Kazuya Murata, Director of Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet
A few questions for Kazuya Murata, the man directing this spring's Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet. 2013-05-06

Kids on the Slope Blu-Ray
Jazz music is much the stars as the main cast in this story about teens who become friends in late 1960s Japan. Great sounds and good character development bolster what is otherwise a fairly pedestrian character drama.

One Piece DVD Season 4 Part 4
When the set ends, it's on a note of combined hope and sadness that drives us onto the next volume as surely as the mounting disasters of last volume drove us to this one.

Baka and Test OVA BD+DVD
You may not get anything substantial from this brief OVA, but it's a lot of fun to watch regardless.

Vampire Knight GN 15 & 16
Overall these are both a good read and may help to renew flagging interest in the saga, particularly if you keep paying close attention to the details. The devil may not be in there, but some of the plot threads most certainly are.

Dawn of the Arcana GN 8 & 9
If you don't like drawn-out fantasy, this probably isn't the series for you, but if you don't mind the pace, Dawn of the Arcana remains an interesting story with a heroine who isn't as strong as Story of Saiunkoku's Shurei, but is still nobody's damsel in distress.

The Flowers of Evil GN 5
Flowers of Evil reveals adolescent sexuality for what it really is: desperate, awkward, even embarrassing. These emotional mind games are what make the story irresistible.

Psychic Detective Yakumo Sub.DVD 1-3
Psychic Detective Yakumo manages to carry subplots through connecting episodes with an impressive smoothness and to maintain an even pace throughout, giving us a real sense of what the novels might be like rather than feeling like a rushed adaptation.

A Certain Scientific Railgun DVDs 1 and 2
Sometimes spin-offs can be better than the original, and this A Certain Magical Index offshoot is one such case. Though not spectacular in any respect, it offers solid, consistent entertainment with flashes of stronger content.

Shakugan no Shana S BD+DVD
The three stories in the OVA vary widely in tone and quality, as well as importance to the franchise, making this feel a lot more like a supplementary disc than a self-contained release.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan Blu-Ray
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan's first thirteen episodes are surprisingly low-key and comfortable while still containing enough action to keep the viewer interested.

Kingyo Used Books GN 2
The series continues to be a double-sided enigma, drifting inconsistently between warm slice-of-life narrative and mind-numbing encyclopedia entries disguised as manga.