The Index movie certainly looks good and has all your favorite characters, but for a sprawling franchise like this one, what can an 85-minute film hope to achieve? Theron finds out. ― The world of Academy City is such an expansive, involved franchise that bringing it all together in a single 85-minute move is a tall order. That is exactly where The Miracle of Endymion stumbles. It is so focused on tr...

column

9 comments

House of 1000 Manga - Apocalypse Meow

Mar 5, 12:00

9 comments

manga

Shaenon learns that war is hell, even if you're a fuzzy bunny, in Motofumi Kobayashi's hit manga. ― Apocalypse Meow The most disappointing title change from manga to English translation happened last year, when the American movie version of All You Need Is Kill was released as Edge of Tomorrow. (Okay, okay, All You Need Is Kill was a light novel before it was a manga, but bear with me, I'm riffing.)...

column

16 comments

The X Button - Disposable Heroes

Mar 4, 12:00

16 comments

games

This week, it’s import time with Dragon Quest, Doraemon, and God Eater! Plus Azure Striker Gunvolt, a new contender for Harvest Moon’s turf, and another old cartoon about video games! ― I mentioned the Power Team last week. It's not a very good cartoon, and it's notable mostly because it gave animated exposure to some video-game characters destined for obscurity. So perhaps I should cover an older c...

review

26 comments

Valvrave the Liberator Season 2 Blu-Ray

Mar 4, 12:00

26 comments

anime

Season two of the controversial Sunrise mecha action show arrives on Bluray, and Theron is here to find out if it manages to entertain, or if it's just here to baffle you. ― Since the beginning the Valvraves have been pitched as “the system that will reveal the truth of the world.” The first season, though, gave little indication that such a statement was anything more than typical colorful hyperbole...

contest

38 comments

Unbreakable Machine Doll Give-Away

Mar 3, 18:35

38 comments

anime

We're giving away this gorgeous Kotobukiya figure of Yaya! ― Today is the day that FUNimation Entertainment releases Unbreakable Machine-Doll (BD/DVD Combo) in regular and limited editions. To celebrate, FUNimation has decided to let ANN give away this beautiful Kotobukiya figure of Yaya from Unbreakable Machine-Doll (a $99 value). You may have seen Unbreakable Machine-Doll, but both of these comple...

column

32 comments

The Set List - Top 10 Musical Moments of Cowboy Bebop

Mar 3, 17:08

32 comments

music

Hope counts down the best moments where Yoko Kanno brought her A-game to Cowboy Bebop. Plus: your poll results, and vote for your favorite Bebop episodes! ― 3 2 1, Let's Jam! It's time for a Cowboy Bebop themed episode of The Set List. This week, I've ranked my Top 10 Musical Moments from the legendary jazz-and-blues inspired anime, and you can check them out in the video below! (Please note that we...

feature

108 comments

Interview: Kazuyoshi Fukuba, Executive Director of Pony Canyon

Mar 3, 12:00

108 comments

anime

PONYCAN USA launched a few months back with two shows: Denki-Gai and Yuki Yuna is a Hero. Executive Director Kazuyoshi Fukuba answers a few questions about what to expect, and what's up with those prices. ― PONYCAN USA is the newly-minted US distribution arm of Pony Canyon, which has been in the Japanese media business since 1966. PONYCAN USA follows the example set by Aniplex of America, in that th...

review

26 comments

Review: Space Dandy: Season 1 [Limited Edition] BD+DVD

Mar 3, 11:03

26 comments

anime

Shinichiro Watanabe's zany sci-fi showcase for his artist pals winds up on bluray today, loaded with special features in a limited edition with a hefty price tag. Mike Toole investigates. ― Space Dandy is a series full of magic-- a magic that first reveals itself late in episode 1, during a sequence in which the show's titular hero and his new pal, Meow, are forced to run away from a pack of jumbo-si...

contest

3 comments

Space Dandy Give-Away - Winners

Mar 2, 15:52

3 comments

anime

Find out if you won! ― Thank you (again) for entering our contest (again). Winners: Patrick Nakasone, Honolulu, Hi Hiddi Jordan, Bailey, Mi Saul Diaz, Arleta, Ca Watch for our next give-away coming SOON! In the meantime, head over to SpaceDandy.com to find out more about FUNimation's awesome Space Dandy sets.

column

37 comments

Shelf Life - Hellfire and Ice

Mar 2, 12:00

37 comments

anime

Lots of new releases this week. Plus, reviews of The Ambition of Oda Nobuna, and Hozuki's Coolheadedness. ― Jump to this week's reviews: Ambition of Oda Nobuna BD, Hozuki's Coolheadedness BD. On Shelves This Week Chronicles of the Going Home Club - Complete Series [Premier Edition] BD NIS America - 288 min - Sub - MSRP $64.99Currently cheapest at: $47.99 Right Stuf Synopsis: New high school student ...

review

22 comments

Eccentric Family Sub.Blu-Ray

Mar 2, 12:00

22 comments

anime

This little-seen family adventure about a group of tanuki living in Kyoto has careful writing and beautiful scenery; Nick Creamer thinks it might just be a modern classic. ― In the guidebook accompanying Eccentric Family, series composer Shotaro Suga speaks frankly of the difficulty of condensing an entire book into an anime, and the question of where to even begin telling the story. “There are just ...