FUNimation’s Case Closed: Season Four features 26 half-hour episodes of the wildly popular Japanese anime series “Detective Conan”. The main character is Conan Edogawa, a child with extraordinary intellect and keen observational skills.

Due to circumstance, Conan becomes involved as an observer and investigator in a series of mysteries, each typically lasting one or two episodes. Though the crimes may be fiendishly clever, in the end, Conan always discovers the perpetrator, and herein lies the beauty of the series.

As with any good mystery novel, clues revealing the culprits are provided to the viewer. To keep the answers from being too obvious, the audience isn’t privy to all of Conan’s insights, but we can basically sleuth the crime along with him. When he’s discovered the truth, Conan reveals it to us, and the genius way that he pieced it together. The result is a very satisfying series of puzzles with rational solutions, which makes at least one additional viewing of each story worthwhile.

A newcomer to Case Closed can easily jump into the Fourth Season DVD. Certain aspects of the supporting characters, and some of Conan’s amazing technological gadgets, may be a bit confusing when first encountered, but you?ll catch on.

What’s tricky is the series’ running hook. Conan’s really a teenage detective named Jimmy Kudo. Poisoned by some bad guys, he?s magically regressed to the age of an 8 year old body. To protect the people around him, Conan keeps his true identity a secret, and obviously hi-jinks ensue.

Visually, this series has a deceptively simple look. The clean appearance not only makes it easy to watch, but highlights important visual clues for you audience sleuths.

Though gore and mayhem are downplayed, Case Closed features murders ? and a lot of them. The violence is not extremely graphic, but there are plenty of images of corpses and the disturbing results of violent death throughout this series. It?s probably unsuitable for small children.

For lovers of mystery stories and puzzles, this is a great series. We?re looking forward to FUNimation’s release of Season 5, currently scheduled for May 2009, and hopefully they’ll eventually make it through all 500+ episodes that have aired in Japan.

Guyver: The Bio-Boosted Armor is a 26 episode anime series by OLM based on the first ten volumes of the popular Japanese manga of the eighties. The story follows young Sho Fukamachi in his fight against the malevolent Chronos Corporation after being accidentally merged with the mysterious Guyver Bio weapon.

In many ways, Guyver: The Bio-Boosted armor is a remake of the first Guyver Anime series from the early nineties. There are some nearly frame-for-frame matches, and it has the same Sci-Fi/Horror leanings of its predecessor. What this version does beyond its predecessor is flesh out the rather complex story of the Guyvers and their battles with the demonic Zoanoids.

Fans of the original anime series will learn the complexities that were absent from earlier anime, giving this outing the feeling of something cinematic. Having the span of 26 episodes to tell the story also allows some down time with the characters, as well as the obligatory anime recap episode two-thirds of the way through. The voice acting in the English version is better than the original, but not by much, and the translation is clunky at times.

The animation is good, but not spectacular, and takes the usual dip in quality in some episodes. One thing that the new version does not improve on is in the handling of the more climactic moments in the story. The original Guyver anime had great moments that used melodrama to capture the horror that Sho and his faithful friend Tetsuro felt when thrust into terrifying situations. The Enzyme battle, for example, as well as the last dual Guyver battle in episode Six of the original series is classic, but doesn’t quite get the same epic treatment here. That’s not to say that the battles aren’t well done, but they lack the kick and direction of its 80’s predecessor.

Overall, fans of the anime and of the manga should be satisfied with this Guyver redux. You’ll enjoy the Anime to Manga comparison in the special features, as well as the production gallery and the clean open and closing title sequences. If you’re a real Guyver fan, this series is definitely worth a look.

Licensor: Bandai Entertainment
Studio: BONES

We’ll be the first to admit it: Anime has been in a slump for the last 10 years. Sure, there have been a few gems, but if you’ve been in the game for as long as we have, you’ll be able to see the trends, and it is disturbing.

There was once a time when adults were the main protagonists. There were stories of surprising depth, and while the super-powered kids and teen angst was always there, it wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it is today.

Some might call modern anime “acknowledging the NEW audience”, while PopCultureShock argues that it simply isolates the older, more DEVOTED crowd. Sure, blonde ninjas in orange jumpsuits are great for a change of pace, but when they become the standard? That’s when it’s time for some serious reassessment.

Consider Sword of the Stranger a renaissance of maturity. A reminder that because classics like Dagger of Kamui, Samurai X, or even Spriggan are older, that the audience who loved that stuff hasn’t been forgotten.

Sword of The Stranger is an action knockout.

BONES, the animation studio behind Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo have pretty much put the stamp on anime swordplay, and The Sword of the Stranger captures their trademark attention to fluid choreography with aplomb.

The real treat is the surprisingly simple but effective story. To be fair, it’s retread stuff: Nameless awesome samurai meets mysterious mouthy kid. Bad guys want kid, samurai defends kid, and a reluctant friendship races toward some bloody conclusion.

Summarily, that’s probably the extent of it, but the characterization, steady pacing, and sincere attention to fleshing out the large supporting cast truly makes the journey one of the most memorable Samurai fiction of the last decade.

The fight scenes are the show-stoppers, and the reason why casual fans could argue that animated choreography can give live-action wire work a run for the money. Action takes place with frenetic camera and matter-of-fact violence, and first time director Masahiro Ando guides us through the mayhem like he’s been at it for years.

Sword of the stranger is a standalone film with no accompanying manga or long-running television series, which is rare. There are themes of cultural clash between feuding Chinese and Japanese factions, and despite some social musings, The Sword of The Stranger never sacrifices depth in its brisk pacing.

Even if the pseudo-political trappings aren’t your thing, there’s more than enough visual mastery in the beautifully choreographed action scenes to make The Sword of The Stranger worth the purchase when the movie goes to retail this year.

Adventures in Voice Acting is a DVD composed of five episodes, each covering a specific topic. From there, each episode is then split into even smaller parts dealing with more specific nuts and bolts of voice acting. Unlike many documentaries that are peppered with snippits of interviews, this is made up entirely of interviews–not just one or two, but dozens of interviews with various voice actors, producers, casting directors and more.

Never fear, though, it’s not simply light and fun interviews with voice actors, nor simply suggestions of what to do. No, the voice actors interviewed discuss the process itself, touching upon some of the technical and not-so-technical aspects of the job. Discussion ranges from the experience of being in the booth–having to glance from the script to the screen to the time stamp at the top of the screen, for example, or using green apples to remove ambient mouth noises–to the differences between doing anime dubs and original animation voice tracks. It’s really a fascinating DVD, even if you’re not thinking of trying to get into the business. Hearing actors share their stories of abject rejection, difficult personal lives, familial estrangement, and even what sounded suspiciously like a confession of suicidal thoughts, makes for some interesting viewing material.

The DVD also manages the trick of being discouraging and encouraging at the same time. Through the various tales of rejection and financial hardships it manages to demystify and perhaps even dash the various dreams of voice acting as glamourous and fun. The fact that several of the people had to maintain second jobs for years, in some cases decades, before being able to support themselves seems sure to scare away some who dreams of being a big name anime voice actor. Still, throughout this, the interviewees never quite cease to encourage the viewers to pursue their dreams, maintaining that persistence will pay off eventually. (It might just take ten or twenty years.) It certainly feels like a grounding experience for aspiring future voice actors, that’s for sure.

In addition to the five main episodes there are several bonus features which include vocal exercises and warm up-routines, to deleted scenes that discuss the voice actors’ own history with anime, and a lengthy text section with even more advice, hints and tips from the various people interviewed on the DVD.

If you’re interested in the business or thinking of entering it, this seems like a fantastic DVD to have. Even if you’re just curious as to what goes into making dubs, it’s probably worth a look.

Volume one of Adventures in Voice Acting is available now through the Bang Zoom! Entertainment website.

Bleach fans gathered in New York City on Wednesday night and again on Thursday (June 11th and 12th, 2008) for a screening of Bleach: Memories of Nobody. Producer Ken Hagino and character designer Masashi Kudo attended and introduced the sold out show. (This reporter was 15 minutes late and missed it.) Cosplay was encouraged, as TV Tokyo cameras were on hand to record fans’ reactions after the film. However, the Wednesday night crowd was less rambunctious than it could have been in the 80 degree heat. Very few attendees wore costumes beyond the free armbands given away to the first 100 guests.

The arm bands were really cool, but the movie was a little disappointing. Preceding the film was a long behind-the-scenes video of the Viz offices in San Francisco with a little too much Johnny Yong Bosch prancing and not enough footage of the Japanese talent. The video also featured Bleach creator Tite Kubo drawing a sketch of Ichigo in a long continuous shot before giving a short announcement about his upcoming appearance at San Diego Comic Con.

Film adaptations of existing long running anime series can be a bit of a let down. They never further the continuity of the TV show. Exceptions include the shockingly good Urusei Yatsura: Beautiful Dreamer and a Doraemon film about Aztecs which I have only seen dubbed in Cantonese (Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King). That aside, compared to Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Bleach: Memories of Nobody is like Masterpiece Theater. I really hated Clash in the Land of Snow, because the Naruto characters seemed to be inserted into an entirely unrelated film about non-Naruto ninjas – a film with it’s own color palette, characters, ninja tribes, and ninja magic power rules.

Memories of Nobody creates a pocket dimension to contain the insanely complex plot, coins a half-dozen new terms to help explain the plot, and introduces a Mary Sue-like soul reaper to guide us through. But it does successfully incorporate characters from the TV series, as well as familiar music cues. Bleach has a huge cast, and nearly all of the soul reapers get at least one speaking part in the movie, plus you get to see nearly everyone’s bankai. In short the film fulfills the minimum requirements of what one would hope to see in a Bleach movie.

The animation is very nice during the fight scenes, but falters a little during the less important conversational scenes. I noticed both Korean and Chinese names in the end credits, as well as Japanese names. I assume the more off-model scenes were done overseas.

The highlight of the film in terms of money-saving animation techniques is a long explanation of the plot by Urahara (Mr. Hat-and-Clogs) involving a flip-chart held by the muscular and silent Tsukabishi. The chart/analog-PowerPoint presentation got a great reaction from the audience. It’s a talented director who can both please the crowd and save money at the same time! It so happens Noriyuki Abe is a seasoned director of long running shows like Flame of Recca, Yu Yu Hakusho, Tokyo Mew Mew, Banner of the Stars, and GTO.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from a nauseating number of flashbacks to earlier in the film. The film is only 87 minutes long, and scenes from the first 15 minutes are used over and over again. Consider; there are only 87 minutes to establish Senna (the Mary Sue character), and have Ichigo grow to care about her enough to fight for her. Unfortunately 87 minutes is not enough time to make the audience care about Senna.

I’ve only seen Bleach through episode 40 or so, and I really feel like Rukia is a continually short-changed. In the TV show she’s put in prison for several seasons, and she is largely absent from the film. One audience member complained openly about the horrible skirt Rukia wears in the finally scenes of the film. Although it’s rude to talk in the theater, I agreed – that was a horrible skirt. I suspect that Rukia is every American fan’s favorite character, but not Kubo-sensei’s favorite.

Chances are good that your favorite character is in this movie and they do their bankai move. If your favorite character happens to be Toshiro Hitsugaya, and you’re not a film connoisseur, you might really enjoy this movie.

Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody will be available on DVD in October of 2008.

For those of you just joining us, here’s the recap: Light Yagami, a Japanese teenager troubled by the grief and suffering in the world, finds, completely by chance, a mysterious notebook. Dubbed the Death Note, Light soon learns that the book has the power to kill anybody whose name is written within. It isn’t long before Light starts using the book to mete out divine justice in the hopes of creating a utopia, and it isn’t much longer after that when people start to realize that there’s someone behind the deaths. Dubbed “Kira” by the general populace, Light continues his mad crusade in secret, confident that he is doing the right thing.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg, really; it’s the best I can do to compress the premise of the story into a few simple sentences. But there’s far more to this story than just a smart, somewhat immature kid finding a magical killing book. In fact, if you haven’t been watching since the beginning, you probably will be completely lost. Actually, let me rephrase that: you WILL be completely lost, period. Death Note is not the sort of show that you can just jump into, which is a bad thing in this day and age of waning attention spans and increasingly one-shot storytelling. However, in Death Note’s defense, it probably would not have worked any other way.

Death Note has been a series defined by thoughtful interaction and well-written, if not sometimes corny, dialog. Action is rare, making way for drama and mystery, as Light Yagami and his pursuer L seek to stop one another, without even knowing who the other truly is. One would think that having the two meet face-to-face would ruin some of the suspense, but that is not the case at all. The excellent “cold war” between the two characters only intensifies as Light finds himself in an unlikely position; a member of the task force created for the sole purpose of stopping Kira. Plans within plans aplenty as the uncertain but crafty L attempts to force Light to reveal his hand. Death Note also stands as a great example of a story where the antagonists are actually the heroes of the story while the protagonist is the villain.

Speaking of the protagonist, Brad Swaile is one hell of a voice actor. He manages to encapsulate everything about Light, this clearly disturbed and disturbing character, from the veil of faux sincerity he puts up in front of his father, L, and other investigators, to his very chilling megalomaniacal cackle whenever he renews his murderous resolve. VIZ Media’s voice actors are pretty good overall, but Brad’s interpretation of Light stands out. And while we’re on the topic of presentation, that’s something Death Note does very well, from a delightfully mythical introduction filled with religious imagery and engaging music, to the general ambiance of the environments, to the facial expressions of the main players, Light and L. I wouldn’t call the animation the best quality stuff I’ve seen on television, but it is very well done nonetheless.

Death Note still has some hurdles to overcome, though. With the character L, it is as if the writers created a character that is “too smart” for them. I won’t go into specifics, but some careful listening and application of critical thinking will make apparent the holes in L’s supposedly superhuman logic, holes that simply, given L’s character, should not be there. Another questionable element is the introduction of another character with a Death Note. This “second Kira” may have been inevitable given the underlying supernatural element present in the show, but it feels like an attempt to inject depth into a plot that should, by all rights, have enough depth of its own merits. And why is it that we see very little of Kira’s impact outside of Japan, anyway? Governments the world over are sending agents to Japan to stop Kira… yet there are no glimpses into how the world outside of Japan has changed due to Light’s influence. It’s a puzzling omission, one that I would have preferred to see included over a “second Kira.”

Death Note remains an enticing series, though I truly hope it doesn’t become weighed down by its own complexity. That would be a real shame. However, it remains a solid show. I just hope it stays that way for its remainder.

Volume three of Death Note is available now.

Below you’ll find a complete index of anime, book, manga, and movie titles reviewed this year at PopCultureShock. (Titles are alphabetized by category.) For help sorting the wheat from the chaff, check out our end-of-the-year features celebrating the best anime, books, and manga of 2007.

If you discover any broken links, or are directed to the wrong page, please drop us a line so that we can fix it. Thanks!

Anime and Movie Reviews

Afro-Samurai: Director’s Cut (Gonzo)
Aachi and Ssispak (Studio 2.0)
Bleach, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Bleach, Vols. 2-6 (Viz)
Death Note (Viz Pictures)
Death Note: The Last Note (Viz Pictures)
Dynamite Warrior (Magnolia Pictures)
Gamera the Brave (Kadokawa Daiei Pictures)
Hula Girls (Viz Pictures)
Kamikaze Girls (Viz Pictures)
Linda, Linda, Linda (Viz Pictures)
MÄR (Märchen Awakens Romance): Gateway to MÄR, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Mushi-Shi, Vol. 1 (FUNimation)
Mushi-Shi, Vols. 2-3 (FUNimation)
Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (Viz)
Naruto OVA: The Lost Story (Viz)
Paprika (Sony Pictures)
Ping Pong (Viz Pictures)
Samurai 7, Vol. 1 (FUNimation)
Taste of Tea (Viz Pictures)

Book Reviews

Aranzi Machine Gun, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.)
The Art of Naruto: Uzumaki (Viz)
The Art of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: Watercolor Impressions (Viz)
Boogiepop and Others (Seven Seas)
Brave Story (Viz)
The Cute Book (Vertical, Inc.)
Cute Dolls (Vertical, Inc.)
Don’t Worry Mama (DMP)
Dragon Sword and Wind Child (Viz)
Full Metal Panic: Fighting Boy Meets Girl (Tokyopop)
Fun Dolls (Vertical, Inc.)
J-Horror: The Definitive Guide to The Ring, The Grudge, and Beyond (Vertical, Inc.)
Japan-Ai: A Tall Girl’s Adventures in Japan (Go! Comi)
Japanese School Girl Inferno (Chronicle Books)
Kamikaze Girls (Viz)
The Man Who Doesn’t Take Off His Clothes (Seven Seas)
Manga: The Complete Guide (Del Rey)
Only the Ring Finger Knows, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Parasite Eve (Vertical, Inc.)
Twelve Kingdoms (Tokyopop)

Manga, Manwha and OGM Reviews

A – B

Alice on Deadlines, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Alive: The Final Evolution, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Andromeda Stories, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.)
Apollo’s Song (Vertical, Inc.)
Apothecarius Argentum, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Aqua, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Asian Beat, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Baku (Tokyopop)
Black God, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Blue Spring (Viz)
Boys of Summer, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Brave Story, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Bride of the Water God, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)

C – D

Canon, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Cherry Juice, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Chunchu: The Genocide Fiend, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
Chunchu: The Genocide Fiend, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Claymore, Vol. 2 (Viz)
Club 9, Vols. 1-3 (Dark Horse)
Crimson Hero, Vol. 6 (Viz)
Do Whatever You Want, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Dorothy of Oz, Vol. 1 (UDON Entertainment)
Dragon Eye, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Dragon Voice, Vols. 1-9 (Tokyopop)
Dramacon, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)

E – F

Eden: It’s An Endless World, Vols. 1-7 (Dark Horse)
Emma, Vol. 5 (CMX)
Empowered, Vols. 1-2 (Dark Horse)
E’S, Vol. 1 (Broccoli Books)
E’S, Vol. 2 (Broccoli Books)
Fall in Love Like a Comic, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Flock of Angels, Vol. 1 (Aurora)
Flower of Life, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Flower of Life, Vol. 2 (DMP)
Forest of Gray City, Vol. 1 (ICE Kunion)
Fumi Yoshinaga’s Truly, Kindly (BLU Manga)

G – H

Gakuen Alice, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Genju no Seiza, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Gin Tama, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Godchild, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Golgo 13, Vols. 1-6 (Viz)
Gon, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Gothic Sports, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
The Guin Saga: The Seven Magi, Vol. 1 (Vertical, Inc.)
Gunsmith Cats: Revised Edition, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
Gyakushu!, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Gyo, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Hanami: International Love Story, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
Hanami: International Love Story, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Hellsing, Vol. 8 (Dark Horse)
Her Majesty’s Dog, Vol. 7 (Go! Comi)
Heroes Are Extinct!!, Vol. 1 (DMP)
Heroes Are Extinct!!, Vol. 2 (DMP)
High School Girls, Vol. 7 (DrMaster)
Hikkatsu!, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Hollow Fields, Vol. 1 (Seven Seas)
Hoshin Engi, Vol. 1 (Viz)

I – J

I Hate You More Than Anyone, Vol. 1 (CMX)
I, Otaku: Struggle in Akihabara, Vol. 1 (Seven Seas)
I Shall Never Return, Vol. 1 (Aurora/Deux)
In the Starlight, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, Vol. 3 (Viz)
I.N.V.U., Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
Jim Henson’s Legends of the Dark Crystal: The Garthim Wars, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Jim Henson’s Return to Labyrinth, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Junko Mizuno: Pure Trance (Last Gasp)

K – L

Kanna, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Kare Kano, Vols. 8-21 (Tokyopop)
Kat & Mouse, Vol. 3 (Tokyopop)
Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 5 (Viz)
Kekkaishi, Vols. 1-9 (Viz)
Kekkaishi, Vol. 10 (Viz)
Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo, Vol. 1 (DrMaster)
The Key to the Kingdom, Vol. 2 (CMX)
King of Thorn, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Kurogane, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Kurohime, Vol. 1 (Viz)
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
La Corda d’Oro, Vols. 1-4 (Viz)
La Corda d’Oro, Vol. 5 (Viz)
Le Chevalier d’Eon, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Line (ADV Manga)
Love*Com, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Love*Com, Vol. 2 (Viz)

M – N

Mail, Vols. 1-3 (Dark Horse)
Manga Shakespeare: Hamlet (Self-Made Hero)
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet (Self-Made Hero)
Me & My Brothers, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
ME2, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Millenium Snow, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Million Tears, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Mitsukazu Mihara: The Embalmer, Vols. 1-4 (Tokyopop)
The Moon and Sandals, Vols. 1-2 (DMP)
MPD Psycho, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
MPD Psycho, Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Murder Princess, Vol. 1 (Broccoli Books)
Mushishi, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Mushishi, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
MW (Vertical, Inc.)
My Heavenly Hockey Club, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Nana, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, Vol. 9 (Viz)
Narration of Love at 17, Vol. 4 (NETCOMICS)
Nightmares for Sale, Vol. 1 (Aurora)
Nosatsu Junkie, Vols. 1-2 (Tokyopop)

O – P

Ohikkoshi (Dark Horse)
Only the Ring Finger Knows (DMP)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Operation Liberate Men, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
The Palette of 12 Secret Colors, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Parasyte, Vols. 1-2 (Del Rey)
Peach Girl: Sae’s Story, Vols. 1-3 (Tokyopop)
Picnic (DMP)
Pine Kiss, Vol. 5 (NETCOMICS)
Platina, Vol. 1 (CPM)
Phantom, Vols. 1-3 (Tokyopop)
Pop Japan Travel: Essential Otaku Guide (DMP)
Portus (Viz)
Presents, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Pretty Face, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Princess Princess, Vols. 1-2 (DMP)
Princess Resurrection, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Psycho Busters, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Puri Puri, Vol. 1 (DrMaster)

Q – R – S

Reborn, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Reptilia (IDW Publishing)
Rising Stars of Manga, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
R.O.D., Vols. 1-4 (Viz)
Run, Bong-Gu, Run! (NBM/ComicsLit)
S.A., Vol. 1 (Viz)
Samurai Commando: Mission 1549, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Satsuma Gishiden, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Shakugan no Shana, Vol. 2 (Viz)
Shaman Warrior, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
Shiki Tsukai, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Smuggler (Tokyopop)
Sorcerers & Secretaries, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)
Spring Fever (Aurora/Deux)
Street Fighter Alpha, Vols. 1-2 (UDON Entertainment)
Street Fighter: Sakura Ganbaru!, Vol. 1 (UDON Entertainment)
Suppli, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)

T – U – V – W

Tactics, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Tail of the Moon, Vol. 7 (Viz)
Tanpenshu, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
10, 20 and 30, Vol. 1 (NETCOMICS)
Tekkon Kinkreet (Viz)
Times of Botchan, Vols. 1-3 (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
To Terra, Vol. 3 (Vertical, Inc.)
Togari, Vol. 3 (Viz)
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (Last Gasp)
Train + Train, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi)
Translucent, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse)
Trinity Blood, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Undertown, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Uzumaki, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Vagabond, Vols. 1-6 (Viz)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Vampire Knight, Vol. 2 (Viz)
Venus in Love, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Vision of the Other Side, Vol. 1 (Drama Queen)
Walkin’ Butterfly, Vol. 1 (Aurora Publishing)
Wild Ones, Vol. 1 (Viz)
With the Light, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)

X – Y – Z

XS Hybrid, Vol. 1 (Dark Horse)
xxxHolic, Vol. 10 (Del Rey)
The Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 1 (Del Rey)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 4 (Viz)
Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 5 (Viz)
Yoki Koto Kiku (Broccoli Books)
Yubisaki Milk Tea, Vols. 1-2 (Tokyopop)
Yukiko’s Spinach (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)
Yume Kira Dream Shoppe (Viz)
Yurara, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Yurara, Vol. 3 (Viz)
Zombie-Loan, Vol. 1 (Yen Press)

Here are a few more great anime and manga that didn’t make the initial cut for our “best of manga, worst of manga” master list.

Anime

ONGOING RELEASES

• Hikaru no Go (Viz): This is one of my favorite anime series of all time.

• Death Note (Viz): I’ve only seen a few episodes, but the anime seems like a great adaption. It’s even available on iTunes!
• Welcome to the NHK: This was one of my favorite shows of 2007. It’s surprisingly suspenseful for a show about a guy who’s stuck in his apartment most of the time…

TOO EMBARRASSING TO ADMIT I LIKE

• Peach Girl (FUNimation): I really loved the Peach Girl anime. I’m so ashamed! I’m a sucker for the love triangle! Sae is so evil!

• Baki the Grappler (FUNimation): Definitely not for everyone, you’ll know if it’s for you based on your reaction to this: Baki’s dad is so tough he fought a polar bear shirtless in a snowstorm.
• Girls High (Media Blasters): This sub-only release that will only appeal to fans of the manga. I love this manga (titled High School Girls)! The anime is pretty good, I swear!

CLASSIC RE-RELEASES

• Gunbuster (Bandai Visual USA, $64.99): Everyone should own Gunbuster.

• Golden Boy (Media Blasters, $19.95): Golden Boy is a unforgettable, hysterically funny classic which you should own.
• Dragon Half – Puni Pui Poemy (ADV, $19.98) Two of the craziest comedy OVAs ever in one cheap set?! This is a great!!
• Ranma 1/2 (Viz, $49.98): The first season of Ranma is the best one, and a classic! It’s now more affordable than ever.
• Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (Bandai Entertainment, $19.98) Look, don’t show Jin-Roh at a party or anything, but you should really watch it. So should I…

I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY WATCHED IT… YET

• Black Lagoon (Geneon): I’ve heard so many good things about this!

• Mushi-Shi (FUNimation): Mushi-Shi is supposed to be really great, accessible, and the episodes are stand-alone… I’ve seen part of the first one.
• Cat’s Eye (imagineAsia TV) This super-cheap, sub-only release of a much older show is really remarkable. I just haven’t seen it…
• I Shall Never Return (Media Blasters, $19.95): I just read the manga of this yaoi series! It was amazing! I’ve got to watch this!
• Zipang (Geneon): A modern warship is sent back in time to change the course of WWII, y’know, or not. I haven’t seen it.

Manga

TOP SERIES I HAVEN’T ACTUALLY READ
I know I need to read these series – they are all either critically important or historically classic. They’ll appear on other people’s end-of-year lists, but for one reason or another, I haven’t gotten around to actually reading these books yet.

1. Phoenix (Viz)
2. Buddha (Vertical, Inc.)
3. Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms (Last Gasp)
4. Andromeda Stories (Vertical, Inc.)
5. To Terra (Vertical, Inc.)
6. Dr. Slump (Viz)
7. Emma (CMX)
8. Mushishi (Del Rey)
9. Drifting Classroom (Viz)
10. Hikaru no Go (Viz)

I read the first few volumes of Hikaru no Go, but fell behind. It’s one of my favorite anime series.

NOTABLE SERIES ENDING

• Iron Wok Jan (DrMaster, 27 vols.) The penultimate volume of Iron Wok Jan really knocked my socks off. I haven’t read 27 yet.

• Love Roma (Del Rey, 5 vols.) I haven’t read volume 5 yet, but I loved 1-4…
• Genshiken (Del Rey, 9 vols.) Genshiken came to an immensely satisfying conclusion.
• Kare Kano (Tokyopop, 21 vols.) I may have said the end of Kare Kano was like a knife to the face, but at least now I know how it ends.

Carlos Alexandre and Erin F., our two anime experts-in-residence, offer their takes on the best (and worst) anime of 2007.

Best Anime of 2007: Carlos’ Picks

MUSHI-SHI, Vols. 1-3 (FUNimation)
Breaking the mold of season-long/series-long continual plot lines, each episode of Mushi-Shi is a story in and of itself, having very little to do with other episodes other than sharing a common supporting character and theme. And each is meticulously crafted and highly entertaining.

What makes Mushi-Shi great is the clever way in which it casts a fantastical veil over very real and very believable familial strife. Every episode deals with family, whether blood or adopted, loving or spiteful. The creatures called mushi that fascinate and haunt the world of Mushi-Shi are representative of the fear of the unknown that families face, and how it can prompt great love or great sadness. You never know whether or not there’s a happy ending in store for any particular episode.

Mushi-Shi stands tall above the rest of the pickings this year, with vibrant visuals and sound, enticing storytelling, and expert voice work. The first four volumes of Mushi-Shi are out now, with the rest due in 2008.

Click here to read Carlos’ review of volume one; click here to read his review of volumes two and three.

DEATH NOTE, Vols. 1-2 (Viz)
I’ll be reviewing the first two volumes of Death Note soon, but even only four episodes in, it shows great promise, enough to warrant mention in a best of 2007 article. The idea of giving a thoughtful, intellectual youth a means to kill anybody he knows while remaining anonymous could have easily been mishandled, but wasn’t; Light, the show’s protagonist who obtains this power, is convincingly megalomaniacal, yet his actions and mindset are believable. That the scripting is ridiculously well-written and the English voice work very high quality only adds to the allure.

Best Anime of 2007: Erin’s Picks

GREAT TV BOX SERIES
Genshiken (Media Blasters, $39.95): Genshiken is amazing! This set is much cheaper than how I bought it… Genshiken is the story of a college anime club, and it works as a useful introduction to doujinshi and the world of Japanese fandom.

Kodocha, Vols. 1-6 (FUNimation, $79.98): Kodocha is hilarious, sweet, hyper, and suitable for kids 12 and up. The first six volumes are the best! Kodocha is a frenetic comedy about a child actor settling the war of the sexes at school and cheering up her depressed would-be boyfriend.

Haré+Guu (FUNimation, $99.98): You could be the hero of your anime club by screening Hare+Guu. Guaranteed! It’s just your typical jungle comedy story about a girl with a hyperdimensional stomach…

Paradise Kiss (Geneon, $59.98): I loved the ParaKiss anime more than the manga, with it’s angsty high-school senior year fashionistas and punks… Yukari is commandeered by some freaks at the local fashion trade school to model a dress in their school show.

Fighting Spirit (Geneon, $79.98): This is a great show, even if you don’t like boxing, or sports. It’s much more affordable nowadays… Ippo is a nice guy helping out with his family fishing business before he decided to turn into a pro boxer.

SUITABLE FOR MOST AUDIENCES
Princess Tutu (ADV, $49.98): Princess Tutu is a hard sell based on the title, but it’s a word-of-mouth hit. Trust me, you’ll want to see this. It might be a little too dark in the end for very young children. Ahiru is a ducked turned human who is trying to restore a prince’s heart. Will the creepy narrator pulling the strings ruin her story?

Kamichu! Complete Collection (Geneon, $79.98): Kamichu has nothing objectionable in it – it’s just good, sweet, and well animated. Previously it was too expensive to collect, but now you can watch it with your younger cousins. Junior high student Yurie suddenly discovers that she’s a Shinto goddess. She can see the tiny animistic gods in everyday life, and she gets involved in everyday adventures with her new powers.

BEST FILMS
The Wings of Honneamise (Bandai Visual USA, $79.99): ANN cleverly quipped in their gift guide: “The only thing larger than my beard is my laserdisc collection!” But seriously, everyone needs to see/own this movie.

Paprika (Columbia Pictures, $26.96): I love Satoshi Kon and Paprika is my new favorite film of his. (Click here for Erin’s review.)

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society (Manga Entertainment, $24.98): Solid State Society was solid entertainment, even if you haven’t seen all of the TV series, it’s still great.

Tekkon Kinkreet (Sony Pictures, $26.95): I reviewed this for issue two of Otaku USA, before I’d read the manga. Now that I’ve read the manga, I respect the movie a lot more. It’s fun, and Studio 4C is really starting to be awesome. Soon you’ll have to own all their movies…

To read more of Erin’s anime picks, click here.

Worst Anime of 2007: Carlos’ Pick

THE THIRD: THE GIRL WITH THE BLUE EYE, Vol. 1 (Right Stuf)
I honestly wish I could’ve picked Gackt: The Greatest Filmograpy for the honor of being named 2007’s worst, but, sadly, it isn’t anime. Honestly, I struggled to think of an anime I saw in 2007 that was bad enough to be named the year’s worst, but I couldn’t. See, most of the time, when I watch anime on my own, I avoid particularly cringe-worthy series; once I see the telltale signs of a dud, I stop watching. And the ones I’ve had to review that were released this year have not been so bad as to name worst of the year (not even the Naruto ones, imagine that!)

And then I remembered the first volume of The Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye. It’s the story of a little girl samurai who looks very much like Street Fighter character Sakura Kasugano, and her adventures in an alternate future with giant insects. Or something like that. Think of the manga Junk Force, but somehow even more contrived and less entertaining. Definitely the worst of 2007. Though, to be fair, it’s entirely possible that future volumes improved.

Worst Anime of 2007: Erin’s Pick

NARUTO THE MOVIE: NINJA CLASH IN THE LAND OF SNOW (Viz)
Amazingly disappointing, you can just skip this non-continuity story that works hard to artificially force Naruto and his friends into a movie totally unrelated to Konoha. I really love Naruto, but this movie stinks.

Mushi-Shi, Vols. 2-3

Distributed by FUNimation

Mushi, beings said to be life’s purest form, continue to haunt the beautiful forest-world of Mushi-Shi in the latest two volumes of this impossibly pretty anime series. And that, my friends, is a very good thing indeed.

The mandate has not changed at all since volume one. Ginko the vagrant Mushi Master continues his travels, helping everyday folks out with Mushi-related problems. As before, he seeks to impart knowledge, to ensure that human beings understand and coexist with the Mushi. And, again, his journey uncovers profound joy and deep sorrow, as he delves into the lives of the families affected by the Mushi. Misplaced loyalty, unconditional love, ghosts of the past; in the people he meets and attempts to help–and not always successfully–Ginko sees the best and worst sides of humanity.

Mushi-Shi is a series of individual short stories, each the focus of one episode. There is no overarching storyline, no build-up to some huge revelation, none of that. As with volume one, the order of most of the episodes in volumes two and three doesn’t really matter; so disconnected is each episode from the last that it’s difficult to tell just how much time passes between each story, or even if we’re seeing events in chronological order at all.

One episode does break the norm somewhat by presenting a flashback to Ginko’s more youthful days, and what precipitated his vagabond lifestyle. Interestingly, this is the only episode of the series thus far to actually feature Ginko as the protagonist, instead of simply a major character alongside someone else’s main. Though almost every episode is well-crafted, the flashback episode is especially enjoyable.

Mushi-Shi is an ironic anime. Through both Ginko and the Mushi, the show’s titular elements, we are shown the real subject of the series: families. It’s a clever method of storytelling: ultimately, the Mushi represents the unknown that we frail humans are so very afraid of, and Ginko’s wisdom is not always enough to fend off that fear or even prove it unfounded. The Mushi and the man who studies them are almost red herrings, a test to see if you, the viewer, can see what is really being told here. Every story is about family in some way, and, as most of you know, families are often the cause of much of life’s happiness and strife. It’s brilliant.

The only blemish in this otherwise masterfully written, animated, and scored cartoon is the occasional dip in animation quality present in some of the recent episodes. It is a very slight dip, but noticeable to the observant eye. But it is not enough to really matter. As I said in my review of volume one, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if more money went into a single episode of Mushi-Shi than into the majority of most other series you can think of. A slight decline in quality here and there does little to damage what is easily one of the most visually enticing animated series I have seen in the last five years.

Mushi-Shi is, and will likely remain, a very impressive series. Take some time out of your busy days to dedicate to this remarkable and genuinely emotional show. Unless you don’t give a lick about real storytelling, you shan’t regret it, I guarantee.