Top 5 Anime Licenses of 2009
The year 2009 has given otaku many reasons to be happy, and a lot of them have to do with all the recent licenses that companies like Funimation have been releasing at conventions all year. It was really hard cherry-picking the best, but without further delay here's the top five anime licenses of 2009. May 2010 be just as delicious and exciting.
1. Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone
It's the first in the series of movies re-hashing the popular Evangelion series, and Funimation is bringing it to our shores. Even better, most of the original English dub cast came back to do the new dub track! (What can I say? Spike Spencer will always be Shinji Ikari to me.)
Manga Review: Monkey High Volume 8
High School. A boy (Masaru). A Girl (Haruna). And everyone trying to get in their way. This love story comes to an end. With university exams, the high school festival and all the other stresses that come with being in love and about to head out into the world, these two must find their way to each other.
Highlights
Monkey High is the story of two who have been together through all of their high school years. The final chapters are full of love and strife. The opening chapter is the physical love that is discovered at this age. The awkwardness is revealed along with the sentimentality that often follows.
Manga Review: Baby & Me Volume 17
Takuya, being just a fifth grader, has an enormous task thrust upon him. His mother dies in a car accident and he moves into his father's home with his baby brother, Minoru. Takuya's father is often busy with work or out drinking after work and this puts the burden of taking care of his 2 year old brother squarely on Takuya. The series of events that follow them around are often funny and rather disturbing, but still provide for an active relationship full of action and humor.
Highlights
Manga Review: Mixed Vegetables Volume 6
What do you get when you mix two high school cooking students, pastry, sushi and a love triangle? Mixed Vegetables Volume 6 is what you get. Hanayu Ashitaba is the daughter of a well known pastry chef and all she really wants to do is be a Sushi Chef. Hayato Hyuga is the son of a prestigious Sushi restaurant owner and all he wants to be is a pastry chef. They both become very close and find that there is something deeper between them. Hanayu, gets a job working at Sushidokoro Hyuga to learn the trade. She and Hayato also attend the same cooking high school. There is one small twist, one of her father's employees, Maezawa, is also after Hanayu's affection.
Manga Review: Rasetsu Volume 3
Rasetsu is a Shojo manga. The story centers around Rasetsu, an 18 year old psychic who works for Hiichiro Amakawa, also a physic, who runs an agency dedicated to helping people who are having trouble with spirits. The real heart of the story is what goes on in between all the characters at the agency, influenced heavily by their own pasts. Yako Hoshino is the newest member of the team, a psychic who uses water to express his abilities. There is a complex connection between Rasetsu and Yako. The Agency also has Kuryu Iwatsuki, another psychic, and Aoi Kugi, the only non-psychic but eager helper.
Manga Review: Vagabond, Volume 30
Miyamoto Musashi is a legendary Samurai who was believed to be one of the greatest that ever lived. Vagabond is the ongoing fictionalized saga of this famed swordsman. Volume 30 has Musashi injured and pondering his own existence and the direction of his path. Will he turn to love or will he turn back to the sword? Has he found the enlightenment he sought or is his understanding just a fleeting dream?
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Movie Review: Ninja Assassin
Happy Thanksgiving all! In honor of Warner Bros. new release Ninja Assassin, we should cut the turkey tomorrow with a katana. Coming out at an unexpected time among the family holiday movies, Ninja Assassin is a blood soaked marriage of martial arts action and computer generated imagery that is sure to please fans of the genre.
Great Anime shown on Cartoon Network you can get on DVD
All of us have that friend; he’s always asking us “Why are you watching those Japanese cartoons?” This is a little guide to help that friend; some of them call this sort of thing “gateway” shows. At one time Cartoon Network was showing more anime than it was now, and these are some of the best shows that all aired on US television you can pick up on DVD. Most, if not all can be picked up in stores, but for the rest, there’s Amazon. So, without further ado, a list of 5 great shows that aired in the USA on Cartoon Network that you can pick up on DVD.
Manga Review: Maria Holic Book Two
Spending time at the Christian all-girls school, Ame no Kisaki, we meet all the quirky students. The quirkiest has to be Mariya and it’s the main character, Kanako who has to put up with most of his/her drama. Have fun getting to know these characters, along with other notables like the maid and dorm leader, in this verbal comedy.
Manga Review: D N Angel Volume 13
Another episode of Daisuke’s world. A young teen dealing with an unusual genetic quirk. Whenever he has romantic thoughts, his alter ego comes out. This is “Dark”, who is and art thief. Add to this a romantic triangle of sorts. Daisuke loves a twin, but at first his affection was directed at the wrong one, and Dark likes the other. Luckily the twins like him/them back. Although this certainly can make things complicated.
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