Rurouni Kenshin review
Matt SchleyJust how much can a film hope to accomplish in two hours? Some hone in like a laser on one thing, seeking to make us laugh or cry, to make a point or defend a point of view, to create an atmosphere, or to thrill …Read more »
Anime Reviews
The Vault of Error – Char’s Counterattack
Paul Thomas ChapmanOne does not care to acknowledge the mistakes of one’s youth. I admit it. I cosplayed once, back in the days when all you needed to pretend to be your favorite anime character was some felt and a little fabric glue and more enthusiasm than …Read more »
The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki
A young college student falls for a quiet, mysterious boy in class. They spend time together, growing closer, until one day he reveals his secret: he’s half-wolf, able to transform at will. Instead of being afraid, the girl, Hana, embraces his difference, and soon they …Read more »
The Vault of Error – Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
Many years ago, when I was a lowly assistant-manager-in-training at Video USA Store #16 in Tarpon Springs, Florida, my supervisor, Stacy, once told me something profound. As we discussed film as an art form, Stacy looked me square in the eye and said, “Paul, sometimes …Read more »
Set a Date with Natsuyuki Rendezvous
Joseph LusterIt's a bit strange to say considering the varied style of shows on Fuji TV's late-night noitaminA anime block, but the second I saw images and trailers for Natsuyuki Rendezvous , I knew where and when it would be airing. Thankfully, the subject matter also …Read more »
Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
Ranma ½ used to mean something. It was a cornerstone of my early anime fandom, a show that hearkened back to an age long before high-speed Internet and digital distribution, before even the rise and decline of the DVD. It was an example of what …Read more »
The Vault of Error: Appleseed
In the near future, there is only war. Well, war and a metropolis run by beautiful, emotionally-supressed human clones known as Bioroids. This isn't Warhammer 40K we're talking about here. It's Appleseed , the big budget (by Japanese standards) CG-animated film from 2004 with more …Read more »
The Vault of Error: Wasted XIII
The near future: A cargo plane crashes in Tokyo Bay, scattering debris as it plummets from the sky. Among the wreckage is a ruptured container belonging to a biological research firm—a container that seems to have been torn open from the inside out. Some time …Read more »
Opening Up Gainax’s Medaka Box
Medaka Box follows the misadventures of the Hakoniwa Academy Student Council, ruled with a power-loaded fist by first-year student and fresh elect Medaka Kurokami. The premise is pretty straightforward: folks pop problems in the suggestion box, and Medaka and her council work to resolve the …Read more »
Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine
Daryl SuratFour years ago, back in 2008, first-time anime series director Sayo Yamamoto debuted with Michiko and Hatchin , a phenomenal television show with solid characterization and a distinct visual and aural style that in my mind seemed like a no-brainer for US release. I was …Read more »
First Look at Kids on the Slope
The year is 1966, and Kaoru Nishimi's move from Yokosuka to Kyushu is a bit of a culture shock. Suddenly this honor roll student is inserted into a world that he hardly understands. Seriously, that Kyushu dialect is tricky. It's clear from frame one that …Read more »
First Look at Mysterious Girlfriend X
Normally when a new series debuts I'm ready to jump right in for a first look, but opinions were so brutally split on Mysterious Girlfriend X ( Nazo no Kanojo X ) that I decided to wait for the second episode. Turns out that wasn't …Read more »
First Look at Gun Girls Anime Upotte!!
Do you like girls with guns? Great! Do you like girls who are guns? Because that's what you get with Upotte!! , a new series that takes moe and gun fetishism and pops then in a blender free of any sense of shame. This is …Read more »
First Look at Kuroko’s Basketball
Now that March Madness is over, and more than seven months stand between ourselves and more NCAA men's basketball, it might just be the perfect time for Kuroko's Basketball to start airing. Even those who couldn't care less about sports can find something to enjoy …Read more »
The Vault of Error: Bio Hunter
Love means never having to say I’m sorry for hideous bodily mutilation, because nothing sours the romance of the moment quite like sprouting teeth from some place that teeth were never meant to be. Of course, when dealing with an animator like Yoshiaki Kawajiri, hideous …Read more »