Anime Review

Anime Review

Starship Operators Volume 1

“Reality TV” Ron Simon, an American Television Studies academic, says “could be posited as the first post-modern genre, where nothing-identity, lifestyle, or relationships-is fixed; everything…

• 16th May 2009
Anime Review

Mushishi Volume 6

“Living in the darkness and still being able to remember the light – I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all.”

And so the last four stories of Ginko, the travelling Mushi-master, weave their subtle…

• 4th May 2009
Anime Review

Vexille

‘Vexille’ is one of a number of anime being produced with CGI as opposed to conventional cell drawn animation and is a scrumptious example of what exactly can be done with CG animation.…

• 22nd April 2009
Anime Review

xxxHolic Volume 1

“There is no such thing as coincidence. There is only inevitability.”

Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student with a big problem. Spirits – usually unpleasant ones – are attracted to him. They…

• 15th April 2009
Anime Review

Death Note Volume 3

“Human beings are truly disgusting creatures.” Rem (shinigami)

Top student Light Yagami has given up the Death Note and, as a consequence, he no longer remembers that he was Kira, the ‘righteous’…

• 27th March 2009
Anime Review

Bleach Volume 4

Bleach is liked, by the majority of those who like it, I would imagine, for its successful underlying formula (which is equally apparent in Naruto); moving almost haphazardly between scenes …

• 21st March 2009
Anime Review

Black Cat Volume 5

Black Cat’s penultimate volume sees Train and his fellow sweepers make the final confrontation with Creed and the Apostles of the Stars. The upcoming battle becomes more complicated …

• 28th February 2009
Anime Review

Gravitation: A Troubled Past

Love – the one force that simply won’t be denied.

Young singer Shuichi Shindou’s hopes and dreams//aspirations are constantly being raised higher – only to be cruelly dashed. Just as his group…

• 19th February 2009
Anime Review

Naruto: Naruto Unleashed 4:2

Tsunade, anxious over the question of whether to acquiesce to Orochimaru’s bargain or not (and equally torn over whether to become the next Hokage), here becomes centripetal in the early…

• 12th February 2009
Anime Review

Naruto: Naruto Unleashed 4:1

Bringing yet another series of episodes – one arc in the story – to a close, and laying the groundwork for the next, volume 4.1 exhibits the lull between action scenes and storytelling…

• 7th February 2009
Anime Review

Gravitation: A Million Copies!?

Love – the one force that simply won’t be denied.

Shuichi Shindo, the pink-haired vocalist of the up-and-coming band Bad Luck, has fallen in love with Eiri Yuki, the charismatic but cold-hearted…

• 1st February 2009
Anime Review

Death Note Volume 2

When Light Yagami wins a place at a top university, he is surprised to find that the fellow top-scoring student chosen to give the opening address is the same shambling, unkempt young man he noticed…

• 25th January 2009
Anime Review

School Rumble Volume 3

It’s summer break – and time to hit the beach!

Well, I realize that it’s winter over here in the UK and, as I write this review, it’s cold, dreary and grey… but at Yagami High, school’s out and the guys…

• 18th January 2009
Anime Review

Witchblade Volume 5

Of course, you’re unlikely to be reading this with much conviction that you’ll actually by the series if it gets a good review if you haven’t already been convinced by the series, but for …

• 4th January 2009
Anime Review

Witchblade Volume 4

A maternity test handed to Masane at the beginning of this volume reveals that she is not, in fact – as had seemed to be the case, but never firmly stated – Rihoko’s biological…

• 20th December 2008
Anime Review

Hellsing Ultimate Volume 1

This is my first encounter with the Hellsing franchise, but this is actually its third iteration.  It began in manga form, with Kouta Hirano creating the original manga series which debuted in…

• 16th December 2008
Anime Review

Black Cat Volume 4

Black Cat continues to be a game of two halves as it divides its time between the Apostles of the Stars with their plans to surpass Chronos and the more trivial day-to-day adventures of Train and …

• 12th December 2008