Megumi SATO

The X Button - Something's Wrong
The new year starts on an inauspicious note as games and magazines get canceled, DS dating sims get more disturbing, and Todd makes a bunch of predictions that cannot possibly come true. 2009-01-07

Chicks On Anime - Censorship Part 1
We talk censorship with Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide. 2009-01-06

RIGHT TURN ONLY!! - Fill in the Blank
Start the year off right! Check out reviews of Blank Slate, Negima, Momo Tama, and more! Also, in the spirit of New Year's, the Import of the Month is only for those of legal drinking age. 2009-01-06

Ramen Fighter Miki #3 - Watch it free on ANN!
Could it be? Miki has finally met her match, an enemy with unbeatable strength, and mandibles of death! And it's really good with kids! (USA/CAN only, TV-PG 2009-01-06

Anime in America: Carl and Theron's Best of 2008
What were the best series of the year amongst anime releases in North America in 2008? The best characters? The best dub performances? Reviewers Theron and Carl give their picks for the best of 2008, and more! 2009-01-05

Shelf Life - Saber Teeth
It may be a new year, but there's some old anime that needs to be watched. 1980s old.
- Claymore v.2
- Saber Rider & the Star Sheriffs Collection 1
- Tales of Phantasia
2009-01-05

Shin chan DVD
As difficult as the ugly artistic style may be to deal with, Funimation's “reversioning” of the long-running series does reward its viewers with plenty of laughs and dirty-minded fun. It is definitely not for those with a low tolerance for ribald humor.

Higurashi: When They Cry GN 1
One of the easiest and most effective ways to go about writing a horror story is to take something ordinary, something you see every day, and make it scary. Higurashi: When They Cry does just that: An ordinary harem manga plot, the sort you have seen a thousand and one times over, becomes terrifying.

Kyo Kara Maoh! DVD 2.8-2.9
It's heavy stuff with nary a boys-love gag in sight; anything less would have been anticlimactic. But it still isn't what Kyo Kara Maoh does best.

Sasami: Magical Girls Club DVD Season One
Yes, antisocial, potentially creepy male otaku are the intended audience in Japan, but Sasami: Magical Girls Club is so faithful to the magical girl genre that you should feel entirely safe allowing your six year old girl to watch it. And I lay odds she will be thrilled.

Yawara! DVD Box Set 1
Seamlessly blending romance, humor, life hurdles and sports intrigue, Yawara is a lesson in forthright entertainment done right. It is, quite simply, the most purely enjoyable series in years.

Black Lagoon GN 3
This series still accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do: to provide the kind of excitement that can only be had with a gang of gun-toting adventurers on the South China Sea.

Rozen Maiden Traumend DVD 2
At least the pretty colors and designs make the tedium worth sitting through.

Angel's Coffin GN
Angel's Coffin is a compact, standalone single volume loosely based upon the true story of a doomed love affair in which You Higuri selfishly indulges in all of her embarrassing creative excesses while treating her loyal readers to few of her creative strengths.

Rocket Girls Sub.DVD
It will surprise many to discover that behind the gimmicky premise, chintzy title and cutesy cover art, Rocket Girls is a pleasingly paced, charming tale of commercial space exploration.

Toward the Terra Sub.DVD 3-4
Despite only a sprinkling of action scenes and some other flaws, these eight episodes continue a compelling narrative and regularly satisfying level of dramatic tension. Giving one of the main characters a villainous bent proves especially interesting.

Mahou Sensei Negima! DVD 1
Despite being contrived, derivative, and predictable, enough elements come together just right to produce a charming and moderately entertaining variation on harem romantic comedies. Features a good but extremely loose English dub.