Actors & Directors
- Kyôko Terase
- Toshiko Fujita
- Bin Shimada
- Takaaki Ishiyama
- Masashi Hironaka
- Kazunori Mizuno
- Sakae Takayama
Creator: Motoaki Ikegami
Price: $97.98
Review Kishin Corps / Geneon [Pioneer]:
Actors & Directors
- Yuriko Fuchizaki
- Takehito Koyasu
- Kotono Mitsuishi
- Aya Hisakawa
- Kunihiko Ikuhara
- Tomoko Kawakami
Run time: 180 min.
Creator: Yoji Enokido
List Price: $49.99
Price: $45.95
Review Revolutionary Girl Utena Collector's Boxed Set / Software Sculptures/Wea V:A logical step for the young fan of anime is this series from the creator of the popular crossover hit Sailor Moon. The story line skews slightly older, not for its violence but for its complexity. The theme is modern mythology, not intergalactic warfare, so it's more interesting and less violent than in Sailor Moon. And less bubble-headed. Our heroine, Utena, is admired by classmates who share Sailor Moon's giddy hysterics, but Utena herself is solid, noble, and strong. Saved by a prince as a child, Utena dresses in the men's uniform of the expansive Ohtori Academy. Her goal is to be prince, and in this introductory disc (seven episodes, nearly three hours of material), she shows signs of becoming one. The scheming student council allows her into the mysterious forest arena, where she wins a sword duel (not played for blood) and wins the devoted loyalty of Anthy, the mysterious Rose Bride. They become a team, discovering the riddles of the arena forest and fending off challengers (while excelling in classes to boot). While some Westerners may read far too much into the sexual politics of the series, it's very old-fashioned at its core: Utena's affections are girded toward a duelist who just may be the prince who saved her years before. [+]Some mild domestic violence and oddly subtitled songs ("Absolute Destroy Apocalyptic," "Paleozoic Era in the Flies") will ruffle some parents, but for ages 9 and up it's engaging entertainment. Utena delivers for girls what Star Wars did for boys: a never-ending series of adventures that one can imagine themselves in, whether daydreaming or playing in the backyard. The DVD comes in both subtitled and dubbed formats. -Doug Thomas.
Release date: 2001-02-20
Creator: Nanako Haruna
List Price: $29.95
Price: $59.90
Review Can Can Bunny Extra (Sub) / Adv Films:
Actors & Directors
- Noboru Ishiguro
- Mari Shimizu
- Masako Sugaya
- Osamu Tezuka
- Kazuo Kumakura
- Hisashi Kachita
- Takeshi Kuwahara
Run time: 30 min.
List Price: $19.95
Price: $49.95
Review Astro Boy 8 (Dub) / Central Park Media:
Release date: 1999-09-28
Run time: 100 min.
List Price: $19.98
Price: $29.95
Review Tokyo Blue: Case 1 / Adv Films:Mika and Rin don't have anything in common. Except they're dynamite to look at. For instance, Mika fires a huge Magnum. Rin prefers a smaller gun. Mika's looking for the perfect man. To Rin, perfect means breathing. But when the Japanese government learns that a former convict might flee the country with perfect counterfeiting film for US $100 dollar bills, Mika and Rin get the case. They may get off on the wrong foot, but these ladies don't pussyfoot around. Justice has never been this tempting.
![Review Geneon [Pioneer] / Miffy - Miffy at School](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41KBEC82N5L._SL160_.jpg)
Release date: 2001-10-30
Run time: 25 min.
Price: $9.98
Review Miffy - Miffy at School / Geneon [Pioneer]:Includes episodes that introduce cuddly, yet interesting characters: Boris Bear and his girlfriend, Barbara, Kitty Nelly who wants to be an Indian, and Poppy Pig, plus episodes on Miffy's day at school and her flying plane with her Uncle Bob. Miffy has been delighting parents and children through out the world for over forty years. Join her now as she comes to life in this entertaining and educational television series. Miffy and her friends help children learn about colors, numbers and shapes, while having fun discovering the world around them. * Over 80 million books sold worldwide * Miffy is a delight for pre-schoolers, both educational and fun!.
Actors & Directors
- Luke Perry
- Paul Reubens
- Donald Sutherland
- Rutger Hauer
- Fran Rubel Kuzui
- Kristy Swanson
Review Buffy the Vampire Slayer:Fran Rubel Kuzui's 1992 tongue-in-cheek vampire comedy is sugarcoated horror, an unusual mix of the cute and scary, with a splash of postmodern pop nonsense to give culture critics something to think about. Kristy Swanson plays a Valley Girl who learns she belongs to a line of ancient vampire killers. After training under the watchful eye of a mentor (Donald Sutherland), she becomes a spandex-wearing, kung-fu kicking, stake-stabbing babe and the mortal enemy of a narcissistic master vampire (Rutger Hauer). The accent is all on cheery attitude, though the action can be as authentically unnerving as any other halfway decent monster movie. Paul Reubens, formerly Pee-wee Herman, has a small role as Hauer's fanged familiar. -Tom Keogh.
Actors & Directors
- Yoshiko Sakakibara
- Mamoru Oshii
- Ryûnosuke Ôbayashi
- Mîna Tominaga
- Toshio Furukawa
- Yô Inoue
Run time: 100 min.
Creator: Masami Yûki
List Price: $19.95
Price: $29.01
Review Patlabor 1 (Spanish) / Manga Video:This stylish science fiction detective story bears the stamp of director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell). "Labors" are gigantic robots used for everything from construction work to law enforcement, but a massive land reclamation project in Tokyo Bay is threatened by robots going on unexplained rampages. Patlabor cops Noah Izumi and Azuma Shinohara are called in to investigate, and soon find themselves trying to decipher the apocalyptic visions of E. Hoba, who wrote the operating system for the Labor robots and then committed suicide. Hoba introduced a virus into the software that could affect robots all over world and cause unparalleled destruction. In abandoned slum apartments and high-tech construction sites, he left clues about what he was doing-and why. But are Noah, Azuma, and their friends clever enough to second-guess a genius? And will their superior officers accept their conclusions? The first Patlabor feature has a darker tone and look than the previous OVA series. Oshii assumes the viewer already knows the characters, and doesn't bother introducing them. But this powerful tale of the dangers of over-reliance on technology is far superior to ordinary mecha features. The recent attacks of powerful computer viruses give the story an added relevance. [+](Unrated; suitable for ages 10 and older: occasional profanity and robot vs. robot violence. ) -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Christopher Murphy
- Noriaki Yuasa
- Yuko Hamada
- Eiji Funakoshi
- Miyuki Akiyama
- Nobuhiro Kajima
Run time: 80 min.
Creator: Nisan Takahashi
List Price: $24.95
Price: $79.99
Review Gamera Vs. Guillon / Neptune Media:This fourth entry in the Gamera series found the titanic turtle paralleling the cuddly direction of his competitor Godzilla. When two young, star-gazing children investigate a spaceship that has practically landed in their backyard, they are whisked away to Terra, our undiscovered tenth planet whose two "groovy spacegirls" are all that remain of a once-superior alien civilization. But the boys soon discover that their seemingly friendly hosts have sinister plans in mind for them. Never fear, for Gamera comes to save them, flying through space to battle the spacegirls' guardian Guiron, a giant, rhino-like beast possessing a razor-sharp steel blade for a snout. This movie is truly suited for young children, for older kids, and especially for adults will chortle at the unintentional humor arising from the cheesy effects, underplayed roles, and possibly the worst dubbing job in Japanese monster history. Taken as comedy, adults will find this a real camp gem-when the two boys witness Guiron slice 'n' dice a laser-spewing Gaos, one of them proclaims: "What a monster!" -Bryan Reesman.
Release date: 2000-08-15
Run time: 90 min.
List Price: $29.95
Price: $28.45
Review Armicron: In Outlaw Power / Raven Releasing:
Release date: 2000-12-05
Run time: 75 min.
Price: $14.98
Review Monster Rancher- Moo Attacks! (vol. 5) / Adv Films:When Moo takes Holly prisoner in his floating castle, Genki and his friends enlist the help of Falcon and his band of dragons to fly up to the castle, and rescue her. Finally, a band of pirate eyeball monsters takes a liking to Holly, and Suezo must play a card game to win her back! But can they get Holly before Gali’s evil army of Zuums come after them? Contains: Moo Revealed Holly's Rescue A New Departure.
Actors & Directors
- Tony Jay
- Gary Chalk
- Sharon Alexander
- Kathleen Barr
- Owen Hurley
- Michael Benyaer
Run time: 90 min.
Creator: Philip Mitchell
List Price: $14.98
Price: $44.99
Review Reboot 4: Battle Comes Home / Adv Films:The third season of this computer-animated series stumbles to a conclusion in these last four episodes. Despite the numerous writing credits, each episode juxtaposes long stretches of filler, where nothing really happens, with periods of frenzied but difficult-to-follow action. In "Showdown" archvillain Megabyte, who sounds like George Sanders as Shere Kahn in Disney's The Jungle Book, prepares to escape in a reddish sphere after a duel with Enzo. Mouse does something on a keyboard that causes tentacles to sprout from the sphere and destroy Megabyte. What she does and how she does it is never explained, and her preemptive strike prevents Enzo from destroying the villain, as a hero should. Simulations of Megabyte pop up in the next episode, while Bob struggles to save the cybercity, only to vanish inexplicably. The first all-computer-animated television series, Reboot inadvertently showcases the limits of the technology. The motion-capture technique gives the characters an unsettling weightless look, which robs their fights and gymnastics flips of any power. The elaborate surface patterns, brightly colored special effects, and three-dimensional camera moves can't disguise the fact that motion capture is still inferior to limited drawn animation. Rated "suitable for all ages," but violence (including suggestions of torture), grotesque imagery, and ethnic stereotypes are inappropriate for children under 10. [+]The show played in an edited form on the Cartoon Network. -Charles Solomon.
Actors & Directors
- Kazuhiro Furuhashi
- Ranma
- Noriko Hidaka
- Tomomi Mochizuki
- Sarah Strange
- Shinji Takagi
- Tsutomu Shibayama
- Megumi Hayashibara
- Myriam Sirois
- Takeshi Mori
Run time: 52 min.
Creator: Rumiko Takahashi
List Price: $29.98
Price: $26.95
Review Ranma 1/2 - Outta Control, Vol. 5: The Spirit of Furinkan / Viz Video:Hearts of Fire - An inspirational new teacher and a gung-ho new disciple at the Tendo Dojo make life more interesting for everyone involved - especially Ranma, since the teacher is especially interested in Ranma and Akane's future and the new disciple has more on his mind than just martial arts! Furinkan High School has never been a calm place, but the arrival of teacher Higuma Torajiro raises the chaos level to new highs. Handsome and muscular, Higuma preaches that every moment of youth must be lived to the fullest. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm is matched only by his complete lack of perception. He makes two students propose to Akane in the middle of class, then decides she and Ranma are preparing to elope. Once Higuma reaches a conclusion, he clings to it like a pit bull. Happily, his tenure at Furinkan High is brief. Another visitor upsets the fragile peace of the Tendo household in "Appearance. " Genji Heita is so impressed with Happosai's martial arts form, he begs to become his student. Built along the lines of a refrigerator-and boasting a comparable IQ-Heita does every chore he can find, which makes life awkward for perpetual freeloaders Ranma and Genma. Heita's training regimen backfires when Happosai teaches him to stage panty raids to augment the dirty old man's enormous collection of girl's undergarments. [+]Both adventures typify the slapstick humor that has made Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma one of most popular anime series in both Japan and the U. S. Rated 13 and older for mild sexual humor. -Charles Solomon.
Release date: 1998-11-11
Run time: 60 min.
List Price: $29.95
Price: $29.92
Review Delinquent in Drag (Sub) / Adv Films:
Release date: 2001-05-22
Run time: 52 min.
List Price: $28.95
Price: $26.95
Review Ranma 1/2 Martial Mayhem: One Lump or Two / Viz Video:
Actors & Directors
- Misty Daniels
- Jamie McGonnigal
- Lisa Ortiz
- Kevin T. Collins
- Nicole Tieri
- Junichi Sato
Run time: 75 min.
Creator: Akinori Endo
Price: $19.95
Review Magic Users Club: Should I Do (Dub) / Anime Works:
Release date: 2002-07-23
Price: $14.99
Review The Sound of Waves Parts 1 & 2 / Central Park Media:
Actors & Directors
- Ted Cole
- Takahiro Sakurai
- Don Brown
- Alaina Burnett
- Lisa Ann Beley
Run time: 88 min.
Price: $14.98
Review Zoids - The Supersonic Battle (Vol. 4) / Viz Video:
Actors & Directors
- Dorothy Elias-Fahn
- Lex Lang
- Richard Cansino
- Wendee Lee
- Kazuhiro Furuhashi
- Jane Alan
Run time: 125 min.
Price: $4.99
Review Rurouni Kenshin: Tales of the Meiji (Holy War, Dub) / Anime Works:
Actors & Directors
- Wanda Nowicki
- Mike Reynolds
- Kiefer Sutherland
- Elizabeth Berkley
- Takuya Sato
- Dan Woren
Creator: Chiaki Konaka
Review Armitage III: Poly Matrix:
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Kishin Corps, Revolutionary Girl Utena Collector's Boxed Set, Can Can Bunny Extra (Sub), Astro Boy 8 (Dub), Tokyo Blue: Case 1, Miffy - Miffy at School, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Patlabor 1 (Spanish), Gamera Vs. Guillon, Armicron: In Outlaw Power, Monster Rancher- Moo Attacks! (vol. 5), Reboot 4: Battle Comes Home, Ranma 1/2 - Outta Control, Vol. 5: The Spirit of Furinkan, Delinquent in Drag (Sub), Ranma 1/2 Martial Mayhem: One Lump or Two, Magic Users Club: Should I Do (Dub), The Sound of Waves Parts 1 & 2, Zoids - The Supersonic Battle (Vol. 4), Rurouni Kenshin: Tales of the Meiji (Holy War, Dub), Armitage III: Poly MatrixTop headlines: Rare pink iguana evaded Darwin: When English naturalist Charles Darwin explored the Galapagos Islands in the early 1800s, he, and countless scientists since, overlooked a hefty pink iguana. ›00:31 6 Jan, Tue NBC: Obama picks Panetta for CIA director: NBC News has learned that President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Clinton chief of staff Leon Panetta to be his CIA director. ›20:03 5 Jan, Mon Brunch to dessert: New Years Day feast: Start the first day of the year off right with delicious, home-cooked meals. 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Laura Bush's memoir, which is expected to be published in 2010, will provide an intimate account of her eight years in the White House, revealing her recollections of personal and historical moments. ›16:57 5 Jan, Mon Coulter: Liberals are assaulting America: In what might be her most controversial book yet, Ann Coulter calls out liberals for playing the victim, arguing that they are in fact the victimizers. Here is an excerpt from her new book, "Guilty." ›19:46 6 Jan, Tue Oil falls on worries of deepening recession: Oil prices fell Tuesday as fresh signs of a deepening U.S. recession trumped tensions in the Middle East and worries over natural gas shortages in Europe. ›20:49 6 Jan, Tue Bank of America CEO to skip '08 bonus: Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive and Chairman Kenneth Lewis is recommending that he and his top executives receive no bonuses for 2008. ›00:50 Mars trip proposed for space shuttles: The co-founder of a rocket launch firm has proposed an audacious plan to send astronauts on a one-way trek to Mars using a pair of tethered U.S. space shuttles that would parachute to the Martian surface. ›01:33 Slide show: Images: Remembering Jett Travolta: Intimate family photographs recall the son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston, whose life was cut tragically short on Jan. 2, 2009. ›17:39 5 Jan, Mon Toyota to suspend car production in Japan: Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japan plants for 11 days over February and March as it grapples with shrinking global demand. ›14:20 6 Jan, Tue Airlines fly into new year with wave of fare sales: A wave of fare sales has spread across the airline industry in the early days of the new year as the weak economy continues to put pressure on carriers to fill seats even after they drastically reduced capacity and some expressed willingness to cut more. ›23:31 6 Jan, Tue Lawsuits begin over coal waste spill: A group of land owners sued the Tennessee Valley Authority for $165 million on Tuesday over a dike burst that spilled more than a billion gallons of coal ash sludge. ›23:13 30 Dec, Tue 10 parenting resolutions for the new year: From reclaiming your home to planning a long weekend getaway, resolve to live a happier and saner life in 2009! Parenting expert Stacey Boyd shares easy ways to transform your habits and provide a healthier environment for your little ones. ›21:05 6 Jan, Tue Twins born on separate days, months, years: They're twins, all right, despite what their spanking new birth certificates say. ›22:58 2 Jan, Fri |
