Staff Breaks

Astro Toy: K-On! Prop Plus Petit Trading Figures
David inspects a tiny version of the four gals from K-On!, in trading figure form. 2010-03-14

Hey, Answerman!
Another Hey, Answerman wriggles its way onto your webscreens with questions about anime screenwriting, the Haruhi Suzumiya novels, and how to rekindle your anime interest! All that and a new Flake and Hey, Answerfans! Who could ask for anything more? 2010-03-12

ANNCast - Homeward Bund
We had a controversial topic this week so who better to pour gasoline on the fire than Anime World Order's co-hosts Daryl Surat and Gerald Rathkolb? Dance in the Vampire Bund edits, the rise (and fall?) of moe anime, a rejection of irony and much much more! Plus: GoGo Monster, Tortov Roddle and Media Blasters' woes! 2010-03-11

Baka and Test Episodes 1-4 Streaming
Just waiting to charm the pants off of anyone who stumbles upon it. Or at least those among them that can stomach the occasional stinker of a rom-com cliché.

Neo Angelique Abyss Sub.DVD
Those who are easily distracted and entertained by pretty things will quickly feel like a cat trapped in a room full of catnip-stuffed mice, and the cover price of these two DVDs is almost worth it based on animation quality alone.

Eureka Seven GN Collection 1
It's not just a recitation of giant robot battles and alien adventures, but an honest tale of love, friendship, and growing up, set against the backdrop of an epic planetary struggle.

Arata: The Legend GN 1
What's going on around Arata seems interesting, yet it's hard to care when he spends the vast majority of his time whining about how betrayed he feels.

Claymore BLURAY
The Blu Ray version of this dark, graphic fantasy series about blond female warriors wielding big swords offers very little that the original DVD releases did not. Though the series shows pronounced shonen influences, it is still, at essence, a very human story, and that makes all the difference.

Dragon Box Z Set 2
Does post-Vegeta-arc DBZ bog down like a fat-bottomed tourist in quicksand? Will cool power-ups and guys putting fists through each other save it anyway? Is it all worth buying yet again? Find out this and more on today's Anime Review Z!!

Case Closed: The Phantom of Baker Street DVD
It's about action-packed sleuthing, which this movie does decently at the end ... but fumbles through a painful beginning and poorly paced middle to get there.

Beast Player Erin Episodes 26-50 Streaming
Where its first half was the story of a young girl maturing into a woman, its second is the story of that woman, bullied by the winds of change into becoming the cornerstone of a new era.

Evangelion: 1.11 You Are [Not] Alone BLURAY
The movie revamp of the first six episodes of the landmark 1995 mecha series is now available on Blu-Ray, complete with Extras. It triumphs most gloriously in its intensity and ultimately delivers well as both an action-oriented piece and dramatic psychological study.

Case Closed: The Last Magician of the Century DVD
This solid, surprisingly involving mystery movie about a Fabergé Egg heist which turns complicated (and deadly!) is easily accessible even to a complete Case Closed/Detective Conan neophyte.

Excel Saga DVD 5