More on Shadow Skill

Buried Treasure - Magic User's Club
Magic User's Club has plenty of pratfalls, jiggling boobs, mecha, aliens, yaoi gags, cute girls, amazing animation... and intelligence. It's pure-hearted, and yet smart enough that even the most jaded fan would have a hard time disliking it. Pretty rare combination, that. 2008-08-21

Interview: Satoshi Kon
An in-depth chat with Satoshi Kon, director of Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers and Paprika. 2008-08-21

Anime News Nina! - 08-20-08
Nina and Kevin experience an anime hangover. 2008-08-20

The X Button - Blown Away
Overwhelmed and outgunned, Todd takes on an insurmountable game lineup as well as the mysteries of Mega Man 9 and the reasons why everyone should play Bangai-O Spirits. 2008-08-20

RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Haruka Kanata
We are fighting dreamers! And this week we fight for reviews of Monster, Haruka, Black Lagoon, and the Import of the Month That Must Not Be Named... 2008-08-19

Shelf Life - Cracking the Code
This week is all about starting revolutions, finishing your battles, and going where no one's gone before. Mainly Florida, but after the world's long since been destroyed.
- Code Geass part 1
- Freedom v. 4-6
- Simoun v. 3-5
- Strawberry Panic v. 2-3
2008-08-18

School Rumble-Extra Class DVD
This collection of supplemental bits scattered across the length and breadth of the series is meant primarily for devoted fans of the TV series or manga. They do at least occasionally generate laughs but do not offer as much fan service as advertised.

Soul Rescue GN 1
2 souls saved, 1 soul lost to damnation, 9998 souls left to rescue. Few are likely to find these stats especially promising, and those rolling their eyes and groaning inwardly probably have the right idea.

Bleach DVD Box Set 2
Nestled in between two of the series' obligatory training sequences, this twenty-one-episode box set is an unsullied slice of Bleach at its skull-cracking, sword-fightin', shounen-action-cool best.

Bride of the Water God GN 1-2
Rightfully acclaimed in its home country of Korea, Bride of the Water God was 2006's top-selling sunjeong manhwa. Alas, the series is unlikely to repeat that success in the United States, if only because it will get lost in a flood of competing manga. But that does not, emphatically, make it any less of a must-see, and discriminating readers with a taste for fantasy-laced, shoujo romance will not be disappointed.

Cowa! GN
The plot development is too purely random and the artistic approach too simplistic for Cowa to be anything more than children's fare, but it's children's fare with a sweet center that never grows saccharine.

Toward The Terra DVD 1-2
Despite some flaws, this adaptation of a classic '70s manga about psychics and humanities'; endeavor to eventually return to an abandoned, ruined Earth proves to be a balanced, well-paced, and moderately compelling production.

Kamichama Karin Chu GN 1
Although you can, theoretically, read Kamichama Karin Chu without having read its prequel, this would not be, generally speaking, advisable. On the other hand, fans of the franchise may be pleased to know that the new series gets right down to business without rehashing what has come before. Unfortunately, whether you care a whit about that business is another matter entirely.

Bleach GN 1 Collector's Edition
For the fan who has everything, there was probably only one thing missing in your life, and here it is at last: Bleach in hardcover!

Death Note: Another Note, the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases (Novel)
Death Note: Another Note, the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases takes an innovative approach to the characters and the franchise that fans should find both refreshing and rewarding. While still a niche release that will not be fully appreciated by newcomers, it is, without question, the best Shounen Jump-spinoff novel to hit American shelves thus far.

Black Lagoon GN 1
Like its anime version, the manga version of this story of modern-day pirates in SE Asia revels in its harsh edge, graphic content, sex appeal, and certain self-aware sense of ridiculousness. In other words, it should suit any fan of R-rated Hollywood action movies just fine.

Jubei-Chan 2 DVD 1
With a rich arsenal of animation techniques and a decent plot to back it up, Jubei-chan 2 is an action-comedy that pulls off both the action and the comedy. Slick swordfights and nonstop gags form an oddly entertaining mix.