Kiyoko YOSHIMURA

The X Button - Fine Time
This week: a new Toshinden, a new Etrian Odyssey, a new Queen's Blade, a new level of violence for Nintendo, and a bunch of pointless awards. 2009-12-30

Shelf Life - Home Alone
Erin takes a break from her holiday festivities to devour more anime.
- Dragon Ball Z - Dragon Box
- Evangelion: 1.01 You Are (Not) Alone
- Hanasakeru Seishonen ep 1-4
2009-12-28

El Cazador de la Bruja DVD Part 1
There's a laconic humor to the show that keeps it fun even as the lack of direction leaves you fuming.

Moribito DVDs 5-6 and 7-8
Piecing together the mystery behind the Nyunga Ro Im forces opposing groups to work together to protect Chagum and stave off a devastating drought as this superb fantasy series concludes. A visual and storytelling masterpiece, it stands as one of the decade's highlight series.

Hunter x Hunter DVD Set 4
If the first three sets were all about Hunter's potential as a grown-up shonen title, this is the potential grown up.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei GN 4
This series looks at what makes us human, and finds something far greater than warmth, or wonder, or madness, or despair. It finds laughter.

Spice and Wolf DVD
A wolf goddess who no longer feels needed takes on humanoid form to accompany a traveling merchant in this surprisingly mature, and very different, fantasy series. The naked wolf girl might get your attention, but the wonderful character dynamics and unique plots will keep you coming back.

Sgt. Frog DVD Season 1 Part 2
Other than a waning of the first set's novelty, nothing has changed. Which is a good thing. Energetic and occasionally gut-knottingly funny, not to mention basically harmless, this is five hours of guilt-free fun.

Gundam 00 DVD Season 1 Part 3
Doesn't rectify its shortcomings so much as it steamrolls them with brute narrative force. A propulsive ending to an often uneven first season.

Bamboo Blade DVD part 1
Despite a shaky start, the first half of this light-hearted series about the building of a high school girl's kendo team soon becomes a fun and astonishingly endearing look at the passion that sports can induce in its participants. Familiarity with, or interest in, kendo is hardly necessary.

Clannad After Story Sub.DVD 2
Tomoya and Nagisa start formally building their lives and family together, but tragedy awaits, as this Key/Visual Art's title concludes. Though generally well-written and very emotionally powerful, the series pushes its drama too far and too hard, requiring a cop-out ending that will disappoint some.

Naruto Shippūden DVD 1
Gets the ball moving again after the filler of the first series, returning to the machinations of the Akatsuki and pushing its characters up a couple of levels power-wise. Slow moving, but at least it moves.

Avenger DVD
The setting may be different and there are some new gimmicks, but Avenger is really just the latest version of the “Loner Warrior of the Wastes” subgenre of action series. Nice artistry and action, but its (lack of) originality and storytelling won't dazzle anyone.