Minoru HIROTA

5 Things I Learned From SyFy's "Heroes of Cosplay"
Zac Bertschy thought he knew what the world of cosplay was all about, until Syfy's new reality TV series showed up. 2013-09-10

The Stream - Swim City
The Stream is back for Summer 2013 with all new simulcast reviews. 2013-09-10

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - To Terra...
It's a desperate struggle to return to Earth in Keiko Takemiya's classic shojo sci-fi tale. 2013-09-12

The X Button - Sweet Somethings
What does Sweet Fuse have to do with Hunter S. Thompson? Aksys Games tells us! Plus Shantae, Phantasy Star, Guilty Gear, and two new takes on the Vita. 2013-09-11

RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - 'Round Midnight
Which manga series are included among this semester's required reading? Find out as Attack on Titan, Midnight Secretary, Helter Skelter and others get the RTO!! treatment. 2013-09-10

Stella Women's Academy, High School Division Class C3 Episodes 1-6 Streaming
There's an interesting vein of character growth running beneath Stella's adorable surface; a vein that starts to show worrisome teeth as the series proceeds.

Killer is Dead
Grasshopper's motto is "punk's not dead," but Killer is Dead forces the question "which parts are punk and which parts are pandering?"

Sword Art Online Blu-Ray 1
Sword Art Online isn't the most perfectly written show and it suffers from a few logical issues that can distract from the enjoyment of what is otherwise a fun, interesting tale of an RPG gone real.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan GN 16
Usually, a manga volume that catches the end of one story arc and the start of another ends up being a mixed bag of plot points—but this one keeps a steady focus on where it's headed.

Case Closed GN 47
Volume forty-seven of Case Closed continues the series' tradition of difficult but plausible mysteries and stylized artwork that makes for entertaining reading.

Wolfsmund GN 1
Wolfsmund pulls few punches and hits you in the gut.

Higurashi: When They Cry GN 25-26
The Festival Accompanying Arc is off to an interesting start, already full of early answers, and it is clearly going to take its time getting to June of 1983. This is both good and bad, as these are things we really want to (and need to) know, but also fosters a sort of impatience as we wait to get back to the point where we've been.

Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar's Game GN 2
Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus and Liar's Game is one of the strongest entries into the Alice world, building upon Hearts and Clover rather than just retelling.

High School DxD BD+DVD
Ample nudity and a strong musical score highlight this tale of a perverted young man who literally becomes a sexy female devil's pawn. Although merely a decent series overall, it is one of the best of recent fan service-focused titles.

Haganai: I don't have many friends BD+DVD
A group of wacky characters trying to act out a storyline that doesn't exist.

Detroit Metal City Live Action DVD
A misguided attempt to turn Kiminori Wakasugi's viciously funny skewering of musical pretensions into an inspirational comedy, saved from total disaster only by a committed lead performance.