Forget the old series, this reboot by Akiyuki Shinbo and Shaft features less fan service and lots more parody! Check out the first four episodes dubbed, or the first half of the show subtitled right here. The second half is coming later this week! [discuss]
ANNCast - This One's About Reviews! It's an entire show about the dizzying highs and terrifying lows of reviewing anime with Mike Toole, Japanator's Brad Rice, and Anime World Order's Clarissa Graffeo. Plus: we mess around with the mixing board, and Witchblade on Bluray! 2009-11-20
Hey, Answerman! This time in Answerman-land: Pseudonyms? Germany? Shonen tragedy? Yes! And more. Like, Hey Answerfans, to be exact. 2009-11-20
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee Episodes 1-6 streaming This is an anime for those of us whose inner child does not dream of conquering the world, but simply making it a better place ... one delivery at a time. 2009-11-20
Anime Festival Asia 2009 The biggest English-friendly anime convention isn't in North America, it's in Singapore. Justin Sevakis is on the ground, blogging the festivities and discovering what it's really like to be an otaku in this tiny little country. Updated 11/18 2009-11-18
The X Button - Theme Music Todd tracks down the Xbox 360's highlights for next year, plus Ace Attorney Investigations, Endless Frontier Exceed, and the vast history of censored anime box art. 2009-11-18
Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee Episodes 1-6 streaming This is an anime for those of us whose inner child does not dream of conquering the world, but simply making it a better place ... one delivery at a time.
Comic Party: Revolution DVD Another in the growing field of otaku-life comedies. Although perhaps comedy is the wrong word. Aren't comedies supposed to be funny?
Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk DVD Forget that it was based on a game only two generations removed from Pong; this is unexpectedly involving popcorn fare with a wickedly circular sense of humor. Good stuff all around.
Blue Drop Sub.DVD Complete Collection An amnesiac girl enrolls in an all-girl boarding school where she meets and forms a tumultuous relationship with a secretly alien beauty in this sci fi-themed yuri series. Despite its gimmicky foundation, this nearly-overlooked gem is elegant in execution as it focuses more on developing its characters and relationships.
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie Blu-ray Fullmetal Alchemist is a series for the ages, and even if this part of it doesn't quite live up to its earlier incarnation, it's well worth watching and definitely worth owning. Fans will deeply appreciate this better-looking re-release.
Hayate the Combat Butler Sub.DVD Part 2 The (small) boost in emotional content notwithstanding, this is still the series to hit up for a watching experience that is consistently fun and never taxing.
Magikano: The Complete Series DVD This is a collection of gags in search of a plotline, and when it finally does find a story to tell, the change in tone is so abrupt that you end up wishing it had stayed pointless and stupid.
Dragonaut: The Resonance DVD part 1 A young man becomes obsessed with a young woman who can transform into an alien biomechanical dragon in this weak effort from Gonzo. While not a total disaster, it does not give much hope for the rest of the series.
Rosario + Vampire GN 9 If this is the kind of stagnation and dullness that permeates the monster world, then we should all be thankful for being human.
Battle Angel Alita: Last Order GN 12 Alita is back and even more powerful than ever, but aside from a couple of fantastic scenes the story progression lacks the sense of excitement and anticipation commonly seen earlier in the series. Seeing one of the all-time-great sci fi action series in such a storytelling decline is saddening.
Monochrome Factor GN 1 This ripoff of a ripoff does such a good job of copying everything else in the supernatural genre that it's hard to tell where the imitation stops and an original story begins.