Shinichi HIRAI

Shelf Life - Rose Garden
We look at the classic Rose of Versailles, as well as two spin-offs.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun s1 pt 1
- The Rose of Versailles pt 1
- Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar pt 1
2013-05-20

The List - 7 Anime Odd Couples
Opposites attract in this week's column about strange duos who oddly work out. 2013-05-18

ANNCast - Suki Party Weekend
Eri Maruyama, International Business Development for Daisuki.net, stops by to tell us about the new streaming site. But first, Justin and Zac talk summer movies and take your twitter questions! 2013-05-17

Hey, Answerman! - Attack on Deadlines
This week on Hey, Answerman! Brian defends Attack on Titan from its Attack on Broadcast Deadlines! Then: a special guest talks about Digimon on DVD, and we discuss the existence of media criticism in Japan! Fun times abound! 2013-05-17

Attack on Titan episodes 1-6
A young man tries to battle back against giant humanoids who feast on humans in this graphic, visceral, and fantastically intense action/horror story. Its great strengths overcome writing and production value inconsistencies.

Pokémon the Movie: Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice Dub.DVD
If this film causes more permanent damage than most Pokémon outings, that's wholly the fault of its main character, Keldeo.

Blood-C BD+DVD
... either one of the most brilliantly shocking horror series ever created, or one of the biggest practical jokes ever played on an anime-viewing audience.

Mikunopolis in Los Angeles Blu-Ray
The lively music, flashy visuals, and digitally-generated performers result in a form of entertainment unlike any other.

Berserk: The Golden Age Arc II: The Battle for Doldrey
On the whole, The Battle for Doldrey is a mixed bag of strengths and weaknesses. While that may be true of most things, there are few places where those lines are so clearly drawn as in this film.

InuYasha Movie Blu-ray Complete Collection
Four movies, all so rigidly formulaic that they could be sequential remakes. This is an entertaining set all told, but you can get the same experience (or better) by watching the first film four times.

K-ON! The Movie Blu-Ray
The movie finishes what the TV series began, with a story that goes beyond a typical episode, but stops short of being an epic, life-changing experience.

Sailor Moon GN 8 -10
The fourth story arc of Naoko Takeuchi's Sailor Moon saga, known to many fans as “Sailor Moon SuperS,” may have a reputation from the anime as being one of the weakest arcs, but the two and a half volumes that make it up in the manga are among the best the series has to offer.

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.

Vampire Knight DVD
A girl finds herself torn between a vampire she deeply respects and a human-cum-vampire she wants to protect in this lightly Gothic shojo romance offering. Despite many seemingly trite elements, good execution and effective mood-setting carry the series.