Manga creator Arina Tanemura (Full Moon wo Sagashite) will endThe Gentlemen's Alliance Cross manga in the July issue (on sale on June 3) of Shueisha's Ribon magazine — and start a new manga called Mistress Fortune in the same issue. The announcement was made in the current monthly issue, which was released on May 1. The magazine says this is the first time that an artist has ended a series and started a new one in the same issue. Mistress Fortune will launch with a 52-page installment, including a color insert at the beginning. There will need to be at least 10 volumes to finish The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross in Japanese, and Viz Media will publish the sixth volume in English next month. Viz Media has also published or licensed Tanemura's I.O.N., Full Moon wo Sagashite, Short-Tempered Melancholy, and Time Stranger Kyoko, while CMX published Kamikaze Kaitō Jeanne.
Hey, Answerman! THIS TIME: Why don't anime openings have sound effects? Where's the cultural uproar about teenage anime fans that are into yaoi and hentai? And what's up with the otaku "stigma"? And a new Hey, Answerfans too! WHOOSH!
2010-02-05
Soul Eater Part 1 This title's use of classic formula has a delicious sharp edge on it that slices in and hooks deep from the start. You can hardly do better than Soul Eater.
Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic Anyone with a taste for gruesome hellish fun who is willing to check their more sophisticated sensibilities at the door will probably have a good time with this.
Hanamaru Kindergarten Episodes 1-4 streaming Hanamaru Kindergarten returns to the essence of slice-of-life humor, places it in an adorable classroom environment, and proves to the world that Cute Is Not Dead.
Gundam UC Volume 01 This first episode really feels like a short but impressive feature film, complete with a big budget and a movie-sized plot. A beautiful entry into the Gundam franchise thus far and a promising start for Universal Century fans.
Blade of the Immortal DVD 3 Less a self-contained series than a mega-sized version of one of those one-off OAVs from the 80s and 90s that were made as primers for their infinitely more comprehensive print versions.
The Skull Man DVD A newspaper reporter and his young photographer sidekick investigate reports of a mysterious masked killer in this 2007 mystery/horror tale from Bones. Its surprising complexity, numerous plot twists, and sometimes brutal violence can certainly keep a viewer involved.
Honey and Clover DVD Box Set 2 Flows, with all the eddies, detours and tributaries of life, straight to an offbeat but hugely satisfying conclusion. Bring on season two.
Fullmetal Alchemist GN 22 The endgame is in full swing, and the final goal is in clear sight, but how our heroes are going to get there ... is anyone's guess.
So-Ra-No-Wo-To episodes 1-4 An all-female military platoon plays music to the sky in a fortress at the edge of a war-ravaged civilization in this very different moe title. Despite some generic elements, its premise, setting, and tone distinguish it from other titles of its ilk and get it off to a good start.