Encyclopedia

Manga Releases

Astro Toy - Super Action Statue Joseph Joestar
Dave revisits the Super Action Statue line with another Jojo's Bizarre Adventure item. 2013-08-19

The List - 7 Wonderfully Weird Anime Spin-Offs
This week's list is dedicated to that small section of anime series spun-off from other, earlier anime series. 2013-08-18

ANNCast - Homecoming Kings
We're back from Otakon! So we're gonna talk about Otakon! And also take your Twitter questions! Yay! 2013-08-17

Answerman - Tech Specs
Reverse importation -- is that really a big problem? How do you make DVD and Blu-ray subtitles? And why can't you get a bilingual anime over iTunes? All will be answered in this week's Answerman! 2013-08-17

Interview: Shinji Takamatsu
Director Shinji Takamatsu talks about his experience working on the Daily Lives of High School Boys. 2013-08-17

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Bride's Story
Jason heads out on the Silk Road in search of Kaoru Mori's modern classic. 2013-08-16

Lovely Complex Sub.DVD
There may be more intelligent, better-written, and more important romances out there, but for sheer joy in the watching, Lovely Complex is king. (Or queen, if you prefer). 2013-08-16

Blue Morning GN 1
As it continues, Blue Morning has the potential to really develop into an involving, interesting story with some weighty emotional ground. If Katsuragi grows as a character into someone we can like or at least sympathize with, then this story could go places.

Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee GN 14
One of the few times that the series shifts into full-on, mainstream shonen battle mode. This volume has plenty of exciting and awe-inspiring moments, but it lacks any major surprises.

Lovely Complex Sub.DVD
There may be more intelligent, better-written, and more important romances out there, but for sheer joy in the watching, Lovely Complex is king. (Or queen, if you prefer).

Appleseed XIII BD+DVD
The first series version of Masamune Shirow's renowned manga deserves credit for its ambitious use of CG, symbolism, and allusions to Greek mythology, but it wields its symbolism like a blunt weapon and its episodes vary too widely in quality.

Dragon Ball [3-in-1 Edition] GN 1
Akira Toriyama's talents are clear to see, with the ever-growing roster of characters, a joyful sense of adventure, and visuals that are cuddly and cute yet action-packed.

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic GN 1
It is clear that this series is only just getting started. There are some pacing and story issues that look as though they will even out as the tale continues on, and overall Magi's first volume has a lot of promise.

Valvrave the Liberator eps 7-12
While the second quarter of this series offers plenty of dramatic twists and turns and lots of mecha action and new mechas, it will probably be most-remembered for one particularly daring scene.

Muromi-san Episodes 1-13 Streaming
Just wants us to laugh, and tries plenty hard to make it happen.

Dragon's Crown
Dragon's Crown suffers from a stubborn refusal to hold anything back, yet it's worth a look beneath its controversial surface. There's an uncommonly well-crafted brawler lurking there.

Bleach DVD Set 16
What would happen if a hero's weapon came to life? The answer to that open-ended question deserves a better treatment than this one.

Genshiken 2 DVD 3
After a second volume that took discomfiting humor so far that it was just plain discomfort, this final volume manages to reclaim some of the show's charm—if only by cutting back on the faux porn.