Gasaraki isn'tyour average anime series. The series is actually far beneath theaveragequality one might expect from any given anime out there and it managesto staythat way from its first episode to the last episode of the entireseries run.If you happen to see the series, it's possible that you will beconstantlywondering wha...Read the entire review

The Show:
 
The dueling comes to an end, the meaning of the Rose Brideis discovered and the End of the World is revealed all in the finalcollectionof Revolutionary Girl Utena:  TheApocalypse Saga.  It's a great collectionthat includes the animated theatrical movie that was based on the show,acouple of commentary tracks, and a massive book as well as an entirediscdevoted to extras.  Fans of the show aregoing to be pleased with this exemplary set.
 
Series Background:
 
When Utena Tenjou was a child both of her parents died. She was distraught and miserable until...Read the entire review

Sound of the Sky tellsthe story of the 1121^st platoonof the Helvetian Army. The platoon is entirely made up of young womenwho havetheir own aspirations and dreams to follow. Each character joined theplatoonfor a different reason. This is one of those quietly-paced anime serieswhichis determined to spend much more time developing the characters andfocusing ontheir stories than on telling a story with a gra...Read the entire review

Shingu:Secret of the Stellar Wars issurprisingly one of the more under-appreciatedanime series to find a release in North America in the past severalyears. Thisis an anime that focuses mostly on character development and thatdoesn'tsimply strive to emphasize one action sequence after another to ordinaryresults.Many anime series spend too much time focusing on the action and tosuch greatlengths as to eventually become uni...Read the entire review

The Series:  
 
Gravitation is a shounen-aianime.  I'm no expert at understanding theJapaneselanguage so this had to be looked up after viewing the series. It means'boylove'.  That means Gravitation...Read the entire review

THE SHOW:

Science fiction takes on a mystical bent with The Third: The Girl with the Blue Eye. The show blends together familiar anime tropes in an entertaining way but ultimately just misses the mark by failing to address some tonal issues. Our own John Sinnott reviewed the first five volumes of the series here. This release of the complete collection features all five of them plus the sixth and final volume of the show for a total of 24 episodes.

Before I go any further let me address the potentially confusing title of the show. This is not the third chapter in an ongoing story about girls with different colored eyes. This is also not the story of a girl with a single blue eye because she rakishly wears an eye patch ov...Read the entire review

When you're talking about classic anime shows that deserve to be brought back to store shelves, there is quite a few that come to mind. The anime market is so focused on what's new and shiny that these older shows tend to get overlooked by the modern anime fan. That's really a shame because there are some true golden nuggets that haven't been around for some time. One of those shows that comes to mind is Dirty Pair, and thanks to RightStuf/Nozomi Entertainment this oldie-but-goodie is on its way back into publication.

Dirty Pair originally came out in 1985. Produced by Sunrise the series received 24 episodes (plus two addition OVA episodes) and found itself directed by Norio Kashima and Toshifumi Takizawa. The franchise later when on to receive some OVA episodes, an animated film, and it was also revived as Dirty Pair Flash in 1994.

While t...Read the entire review

I dare say that when it comes to publishing anime, Rightstuf and Nozomi really know what they're doing. Just about every series I have ever seen from them stands out in terms of quality, uniqueness, and overall charm. The people who make licensing decisions seem to have a real affinity for anime that wins you over time and time again. A short while ago we looked at the TV series for The Irresponsible Captain Tylor and it was a prime example of everything we've come to expect from Rightstuf. Today we're looking at the follow-up series, The Irresponsible Captain Tylor OVA, and it's every bit as good.

Fans of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor certainly have something to celebrate with the release of the OVA. Granted the show has already been on the market for some time now, but those introduced to the franchise via Rightstuf's latest releas...Read the entire review

I dare say that when it comes to publishing anime, Rightstuf and Nozomi really know what they're doing. Just about every series I have ever seen from them stands out in terms of quality, uniqueness, and overall charm. The people who make licensing decisions seem to have a real affinity for anime that wins you over, and The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a prime example of that. This series has been around for quite a number of years and has seen a couple different releases, but it's just such a fun show to watch that it's something I go back to time and time again. If you missed out on Rightstuf's previous release, then their latest re-issue is definitely worthy of a bite.

The Irresponsible Captain Tylor is a 1993 anime that comes from the mind of Kouichiro Mashimo, whose other works include Sorcerer Hunters, Eat-Man, .hack, and...Read the entire review

Have you heard of Aria yet? If not then you're missing out on one of the most unique shows ever to come from Japan. I say that because Aria doesn't feature fan service, there are no giant robots, no evil doers out to take over the world, no heroes searching for glory, and no overarching plot churning away in the background. At its most basic Aria is a show about the every day life of a gondolier as she grows accustomed to the world around her. It's not exactly the most exciting series in the world, but it's certainly one of the most unique.

The thing that separates Aria apart from so many other shows is its attitude. This series is so laid back it's not even funny. When you watch an episode dedicated to learning how the mail is delivered, you'll understand what I mean. The focus of this anime is skewed to the every day life. The simple ...Read the entire review

Every once in a while a show comes along that is so decidedly different from the rest of the pack that it instantaneously stands out. Aria is one of those brands of anime. The original season was so lively, so unique, and so out there that it could best be described as remarkably fascinating. It marched to the beat of a different drummer, stood out in just about every way, and tried its hardest to bring you new experiences that you hadn't watched before. With that being said, it's definitely not a series for everybody.

The thing about Aria that made it so unique was manner in which it presented and paced itself. If you come to this anime looking for a non-stop, no holds barred action epic, you're going to be left wanting in a big way. This is a purposely slow series with an atmosphere that is tranquil to say the least. It's a relaxing adventure throu...Read the entire review

Every once in a while an anime comes along that instantly stands out from the rest. Whether it's because of a unique premise, an interesting art style, stellar story, or outstanding character development, these types of shows are a rarity. Rightstuf! found such a show when they licensed Emma: A Victoria Romance. The kicker is that Emma doesn't just have one of the aforementioned traits, it has them all.

The first season of Emma came out in July of 2008 and it proved to be an instant success. There series was unlike anything I had seen before and by the time the final episode rolled around I was anxiously waiting the second season. The show crafted such a unique world for its characters and told a rich romance story set within Victoria London. Not only that, but I found the art style and atmosphere of the show to be incredibly surreal. Emma<...Read the entire review

If you've got your finger on the pulse of the anime world chances are very good you have heard about Aria. The manga was originally released back in 2002 and some volumes are available in the States via ADV's manga line. A few years later the animated version followed suit and it more or less represented the manga well enough. Now, it's worth mentioning that Aria is something of an oddity. When the show came out it had 13 episodes to call its own, but it was so well produced and liked by audience that it was brought back for a second season. That second season landed 26 episodes and even that wasn't enough because the franchise went on to receive an OVA and yet another 13 episode season.

Naturally with that kind of pedigree leading the way many here on this side of the ocean were ecstatic. Considering the release was also being handled by Nozomi and ...Read the entire review

Yumi Fukuzawa has just been admitted to a celebrated Catholic all-girlsschool in Tokyo, the Lillian Girls' Academy.  One of the traditionsthat the school has is that first year students get paired up with an upperclassmanwho becomes their "seour" ("sister" in French.)  Seour's ...Read the entire review

The last story arc begins in The Third Volume 5, and it's a prettyexciting adventure for Honoka, Bogie, and her associates.&nbsp; This timethe sword dancer isn't up against a monster or common criminal, but a rougemember of The Third who has hijacked a weapon that could destroy the world.&nbsp;With an intriguing plot, some fun characters, and wildly entertaining battles,this show is ending on a high note.

Series background:

A horrible war engulfed the Earth.&nbsp; It devastated the ecology andkilled 80% of the population.&nbsp; Now the planet is watched over by TheThird, human-like aliens who get their names from the third eye on theirforehead.&nbsp; They carefully regulate how much technology humans areallowed to use and use mechanize...Read the entire review

Though I enjoy harem anime, I haven't watched too many romance shows.&nbsp;I liked Fushigi Yugi and really loved TheTwelve Kingdoms which both had strong romantic elements, but theywere more fantasy than romance in my mind.&nbsp; I didn't really like Suzuka,which was more of a straight boy-meets-girl story, so I was a bit hesitantwhen Boys Be... showed up on my doorstep.&nbsp; A romantic show aboutthree high school boys?&nbsp; I was prepared not to like it, but as thestory progressed I discovered that the strong supporting cast and realistic(well, for anime) situations really pulled me in.&nbsp; In the end, I wassorry it was only 13 episodes.