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Otakon Highlight Reel: Day 1

Hey, Answerman! - Fallout: New Vilification
Before dropping into your exquisite answers about sexism and objectification in anime, behold as Brian assuages fears about the death of dubs, misconstrued Puritanism, fansub empathy, and robot bunny-swarms! 2012-05-25

ANNCast - Men of Inaction
Zac and Justin are killing time before Memorial Day weekend, and what better way to do that than to take some super fun Twitter questions? Ghibli bluray discussion, movie chat, Sentai vs. Funimation and oh so much more! It's an hour and 6 minutes of PURE GOLD! 2012-05-24

Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Hitoshi Ariga
Jason checks out the work of the man behind the manga for both Mega Man and The Big O. 2012-05-24

The Stream - Hiiro Tale
This time on the Stream, zombie girls, flying robots, and more pretty boys than you can shake your stick at! Plus, find out which simulcasts got the axe this time around! 2012-05-23

Anime News Nina! - 2012-05-23
Robin returns with an epic new storyline for the summer that spans time and space! 2012-05-23

The X Button - Walk This World
This week: a look back at Monster World and the rest of Sega's Vintage Collections! Plus E.X. Troopers, Soul Sacrifice, and some rumors to astound and/or amuse you! 2012-05-23

Dawn of the Arcana GN 3
Dawn of the Arcana stumbled at bit in its second volume, but with this one we seem to be back on track.

Higurashi: When They Cry GN 18
As far as conclusions go, this arc has one of the strongest. While Eye Opening revealed some important information about the Sonozaki family in general and the twins in particular, Atonement makes us look at what information we already have in a different way.

Kimi ni Todoke Blu-Ray + DVD Box Set 2
Makes its way through three very different arcs as season one draws to a close. Peaks in the first arc, but even when it meanders or loses itself in side stories the series remains rich in emotion and character detail.

Upotte!! Episodes 1-6 Streaming
One might learn a few things about the history and mechanics of guns, and the goofy characters help to make the information stick, but Upotte!! makes too many desperate attempts to be funny and falls short when it tries to be serious.

Kids on the Slope Episodes 1-6 Streaming
It may not be the most visually striking, but the breadth and depth of what it has to say makes up for that. And for anything too profound to be expressed in words, Kids on the Slope expresses through music.

Mysterious Girlfriend X episodes 1-6
A girl's drool seems to carry unusual properties in this offbeat story about developing teen romances. Those who can get by the disgusting premise will find a fun series featuring one of the most intriguingly weird of all girlfriend characters.

Sailor Moon GN 4
While the story still has its logical flaws, it remains an engaging read that holds up well despite the passing of years and this volume continues to keep up both the promise and nostalgia of Takeuchi's masterwork.

Pokemon Movie: Black Dub.DVD
Overall, neither Pokemon the Movie: Black or its White counterpart really stands out from the already packed herd. While not terrible, these are films that can be safely left alone unless you or your child have a compulsion to truly catch 'em all.

Medaka Box Episodes 1-6 Streaming
It turns out that the great NisiOisin/Gainax collaboration is just another mission-of-the-week comedy. Sad, that. And boring.

Hiiro no Kakera Episodes 1-6 Streaming
Hiiro no Kakera is by no means a terrible show...it just isn't a very good one, either. With a stilted script and a team of heroes who feel incompetent, not to mention cookie cutter characters who do little to make themselves endearing or unusual, it does nothing to elevate itself above the masses.

The Twelve Kingdoms Novel 2
The original novel on which the anime's second story arc was based comes to life with a focus on the long-absent kirin Taiki. A wonderful world and wonderful writing make this novel just as engrossing as the first one.