Man my finger tips are bleeding from all the code I've typed into this week's Column on Anime and Manga. Father Geek here at our Austin Texas World Geek Headquarters... We're replacing the 100's of yards of fencing that surrounds our wooded North Central Austin Compound sooooooooo I'm going to cut it short and let you get straight into this week's amazing column from ol' Scott... Coolness abounds below...

Anime Spotlight: Cowboy Bebop: Best Sessions

Released by Bandai Entertainment

Few works have burst out with the energy of Cowboy Bebop, a bow to the tradition, with an innovate journey through a genre. In the twilight years of the new wild frontier created after space gates allowed the solar styles to colonized, as corporations, and cops replace the loners, and crime syndicates, four individuals who have aside their pasts to try their top notches skills at making some money in the fading bounty hunter business, and usually failing. The slick, and impulsive, pistol packing Jeet Kun Do practitioner Spike Spiegel, the somber former lawman with a bionic arm Jet Black, and Ed, the free spirit child hacker. It's a torrent of style and ideas, Mexican bar fights, followed by the fugitive shoot-out in the upper atmosphere, mappers of a perpetually meteor riddle earth, a space shuttle that has become the equivalent of a souped up junkyard pickup.

"Best Session" presents the top six episodes in a new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix, with an exclusive DTS Japanese audio track. The episodes include three Director's Choice episode "Asteroid Blues" (session 1), Ballad of the Fallen Angel (Session 5) Wild Horses (session 19), and three Fan Favorites Waltz For Venus (Session 8), Mushroom Samba (Session 17), and Hard Luck Woman (session 24).

Even on a less than impressive sound system, the new audio tracks shine. The spectrum of sound effects from shuttle button clips, to the gun burst all make their presence known.

The selection good mix of comedy, drama, tragedy, what post x-files is referred to as mythology, and stand alones. It is will probably miss a favorite, and a selection may seem a little odd, but is captures most of what was great about the series.

Director Shinchiro Watanabe made selection based on taste, with an eye towards audio (otherwise he say have gone a little odder with "Pierrot Le Fou" (session 20), and "Sympathy for the Devil "sessions 5) "I chose episode 1 with its gun sequences and human interactions; episode 5 for the music being played; and episode 10 for its mecha action."

Clearly, noone can construct a better soundtrack than composer Yoko Yanno. Her pan-genre and origin range is without equal. From jazz, to folk, from ecclesiastic to psychedelic, orchestral to vocal, she has found a perfect place for it all. Few anime soundtracks come close to Cowboy Bebop's, and most of those that do are other Kanno works. "Ballad of Fallen Angels", and "Hard Luck Woman" are some of her best works, with song that are both perfectly used in context, and excellent as works on their own. They seamlessly work with the animation to give a John Woo topping gun battle in the former its operatic feel, and give the later its lingering bittersweet edge.

"Best Sessions" is perfect for Cowboy Bebop fans with high quality audio system, or those who have seen the show on Cartoon Network, and want some of the highlights. There is no reason you could not watch just these three episode, with the exception of the series two-two partners, there are no episodes that don't work on their own, but it definitely a series to own a complete copy. These are some of the most re-watchable episodes of one of anime's most re-watchable series

Manga spotlight: Shonen Jump issue 1

Released by Viz

Of all the new anime/manga that come onto the product over the last couple of month, Shounen Jump has the best chance to make large cultural/commercial splash. It is aimed at a young male demographic, with two already immensely popular series: Dragon Ball Z, and Yu-Gi-Oh. It is hard to find an elementary school without some boy wearing a t-shirt with one of the two series. It them introduces an already eager audience to five other series with a similar formula: a young hero leaving home on a guest to embark on a progressive journey, and meet and join or battle strange individuals (all, but one of the series where later adapted into anime, none of the others have easy access to the type of merchandising force Dragon Ball, or Yu-Gi-OH have).

It is a selection of material that has a considerable amount of similarity within itself, but also both enough more enough variation to maintain interest, and radically different from most other stories on the market.

Jump also doesn't exclude appeal for other and or female audiences. It spends a lot of time on the low end of the intellectual, and emotional spectrum, but it does have its moments of registering high on both, and its can't be beat for fun. Morals about friendship, responsibility and the like might be trite an predictable, but the stories, characters and situations are anything but.

The first monthly issue retails for $4.95, with a little shy of 300 pages, and features chapters of Yu-Gi-Oh, Dragon Ball Z, Sandland, YuYuHakusho, and One Piece.

Surprisingly, given its tie to merchandising craze, the first chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh, is an excellent modern, Grimm's style fairytale, about wish fulfillment, friendship, morality, and as well as well as the ancient and sometimes dark rules behind them.

Dragon Ball Z is the only title that does not start at the series' inception, instead it begins where the monthly issues stopped, the beginning of a new story line. It is cleaning out the remnants of the last story, so isn't perfect. IT fits the new release paradigm, stories that can be picked up anywhere, find the collection if you are interested in what happened before.

As to content, you can take or leave Dragon Ball Z. It is the manga Valhalla, an almost unending fight, where the heroes just keep going back. It's a long (very long), and consistent series, a bit of a silver age super hero epic, with occasional energy infusions with the addition of a new character, or a former villain becoming a hero. It's just about the best at what it is, it's just for the beholder to decide if what it is, is exciting, holds interest, or is ignorable.

Sandland is a short 14 chapter adventure from Akira Toriyama It has Dragon Ball's sense of attitude, action, more relaxed, freed Toriyama back to his early Dragon Ball pre-unending fight tournament strangeness and verve. In the future, pollution, natural disaster, and war has ride the planet of most of its water. A pretty dire situation for humans, and not too pleasant for the demons. In order to find the last cache or water, a sheriff enlists the help of Beelzebub, Prince of Demons, and Thief, an old, dour, and sneaky demon. The illustration makes the series a fast paced and exciting read. A good chase scene is hard to pull of in comics, but Toriyama manages two excellent ones in the opening chapters of Sandland.

The first chapter of YuYu Hakusho lays out some of the series initial concept. Yuske was a punk, and trouble maker, until he died trying to save a young boy from an oncoming car. It looks like he had a hard background, and wasn't even given a fair shake, but he reveled in his position as head thug, and really excelled at it. Now he's dead, his soul is balanced, so Botan, a cute death goddess has to take him to the underworld to see what to do with his unusual case. The opening chapter hints at greater character complexity, and moral decisions than Jump's other offerings.

YuYu Hakusho is the most anime-ish of the series. The boundaries in the library of effects used and anime and manga has been muddied, but in that the visual story telling techniques, and story itself , YuYu Hakusho has many elements more often seen in, or appropriated by anime. Its pacing, rapid changes in body proportions, running, dragging, and weeping, and smacking seem more at home in anime. It's not that they don't work effectively here, just that the series seems tailor made for anime adaptation.

YuYu Hakusho seems more Japanese, and less culture neutral than the other series in the anthology. School culture, and troubled family life is pretty universal, and YuYu Hakusho has a lot of that. Tanuki jokes aren't universal, and it also has a little of that. A cultural footnote might be a little helpful.

One Piece is an infectiously fun pirate tale with Looney Toons, that is going to be an instant favorite with many. In the era of pirate, Monkey D. Luffy grew up in a port town which was used as the home for "Red-Haired Shanks", and his crew, who Luffy idolized. Highlights the unbindable spirit's young life include giving himself a nice scare showing his toughness by putting a knife into his face above his top lift, and eating the Gum-Gum devil fruit, which gave him the ability to stretch his body, but prevents him from learning to swim.

The first chapters, which sees Luffy grow up, and leave home in hopes of becoming the Pirate King manages to be light, and fun, harsh and unflinching at the same time. The dichotomy is best shown in a panel in which a jolly rolley polley pirate in Shank's crew, point blank, puts a bullet through the head of a bandit who was aiming at his captain, while chewing on a fat chicken leg. It's not glib, or consequence free violence, but at the same time, its high spirited, and a fun.

A point of note about Shonen Jump is that it bucks the trend, and translates the sound effects. Translating sound effect, and integrating them into the illustration takes work, and doing it well takes considerable effect. Some of the sound effect translation in YuYu Hakusho is a little too visible, but that is being picky. For the most part Viz does a seamless job translating them in Jump, especially in One Piece and Yu-Gi-Oh. Some work's have intricate art work that integrates the sound effect, that you want to leave untranslated (Samura's Blade of the Immortal being the best example), but more often than not you can mirror the desired effect in a good translation. Viz is pouring a lot of effect into Shonen Jump (also visible in their reduced manga offerings), and it really shows. Studio Proteus is the king of meticulous translation, but Viz and Shonen Jump, do an excellent job.

This Week's Releases

Anime:

• Burn Up Excess - Under the Gun (Vol. 3)
• Inu-Yasha - A Girl's Best Friend (Vol. 2)
• Medabots - The Face of Dr. Meta-Evil (Vol. 6)
• Pokemon - Journey to the Johto League Champions
• Project Arms - Nice New Rattle (Vol. 2)
• Ranma 1/2 Ranma Forever - Rock a Bye Ranma (Vol. 4)
• Sherlock Hound - Case File 6
• Strawberry Eggs I My Me - School Spirit (Vol. 3)
• Yu Yu Hakusho Ghost Files - Rescue Yukina
• Yu Yu Hakusho:Dark Tournament - Dark
• Yu Yu Hakusho:Dark Tournament - Dark

Manga:

• Big O Part 3 #2 (Of 4)
• Dragonball Vol 10 Tp
• Cannon God Exaxxion Stage 1 Tp
• Inu Yasha Part 7 #5 (Of 8)
• Oh My Goddess #93 Traveler (Part 3 Of 5)
• Raijin Comics #2
• Sarai Vol 1 Gn #8
• Video Girl Ai Vol 5 Tp Spinoff

Cannon God Exaxxion is sex, mecha and sci-fi series from Gunsmith Cat's Kenichi Sonoda.

Project Arms is an adventure series about high school students/soldiers enhance by nano-technology from the creator of Spriggan.

Video Girl Ai is a romantic comedy about love triangle complicated by a girl who materialized out of broken VCR.

Evangelion Revival

Evangelion is rising from the grave (or at least disinterest) in Japan. Heralded by an upcoming Second Coming" article in the Japanese version of Newtype, Gainax has announced "Renewal of Evangelion", a DVD re-release of the series, remastered in Dolby 5.1 audio, with new box art for release in 2003. New products to be launched include a second Girl Friend of Steel (or Iron Maiden, depending on your translation preferance) video game, a sound rack with new versions of Zankoku na Tenshi no Thesis" opening and "Fly me to the Moon" ending themes, UFA catchers dolls (super-deformed plush doll for the popular Japanese equilivlent of claw archive marchines", and action figures.

A new page is online at here

Animation Runner Kuromi-chan Licensed

Anime on DVD reports director Akitaro Daichi's Animation Runner Kuromi-chan OAV 1 has been licensed for American release by Central Park Media with a planned June 2003 release date. The currently in production OAV 2 has not been licensed for US release. Kuromi-chan is a wacky sitcom "behind the scenes look" at the inner workings of a small Japanese anime production studio.

ADV Announces Black Lion, and Neo Ranga

ADV has send out press release detailing their plans to release Go Nagai's Black Lion, and the strange, 15 minute episode work Neo Ranga on March 4th.

Black Lion takes Go Nagai's eye for maniacal violence to Japan's 16th century, with a tale of historical warlord Nobunaga Oda, ninja, mystic Buddhist monks, rapid fire machine guns, lasers, and missiles.

Neo Ranga, directed by Jun Kamiya (Blue Seed), follows a trio of hardscrabble sisters who inherit a giant stone god from a remote island.

From the press release: Neo Ranga was widely celebrated on its original Japanese broadcast for the quality of its design and backgrounds, for the title's use of music, and for an intriguing and original plot. U.S. fans have looked forward to the title's release for some time.

Neo Ranga: A God is Risen (SRP $29.98 DVD; $39.98 DVD plus custom art box) is a DVD-only release, containing eight 15-minute episodes. Both English- and Japanese-language versions are included, along with English subtitles. Extras include clean opening and closing animations, the original Neo Ranga trailer, production sketches and ADV Previews.

The Japanese box art for Neo Ranga present its heroines in rather revealing tribal body paint. The box will a reversible cover, with a obscured versions of the characters on wide side, and the original Japanese on the other.

Bandai Begins Fan Support Program

Bandai Entertainment has announced the beginning of its A.ADDICT (or Anime Addict) Program to support anime fan clubs. Anime clubs can receive periodic packages from Bandai including screeners, posters, postcards, promotional flyers, special posters for Anime clubs to use to promote their events (A poster with fill in the blank sections for event date/time/location/etc), and other give away items.

Anime fan clubs interested in participating in the A.Addict program should send the following information to this e-mail address: Fansupport@bandai-ent.com

NAME OF ORGANIZATION:

MAIN CONTACT PERSON:

POSITION:

CLUB MAILING ADDRESS :( Address, City, State, Zip)

EMAIL ADDRESS:

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION: (School, University, Library etc)

CONTACT FOR SPONSORING ORGANIZATION:

LOCATION: (Where the Screening/Event is to be held)

TITLES TO BE SCREENED:

DATES AND TIMES OF SCREENING:

ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE SIZE OF SCREENING:

Char's Counterattack Broadcast delayed

According to Anime News NEtwork Bandai has stated that Cartoon Network postponed the broadcast of Char's Counterattack a week later to 1/4/2003.

Japanese Manga Releases

From Natsume Maya A collection of Masamune Shirow's (Ghost in the Shell) short manga Pile Up was released in Japane by Kodansha on December 6th.

Monthly Champion Red magazine has announced that the new Saint Seiya manga (to commence serialization in the February 2003 issue, to be published 19 December 2002), will be authored by Okada Megumu.

Weekly manga magazine Young Jump has announced that the manga Skyhigh by author Takahashi Tsutomu (who also wrote Ice Blade) will be turned into a live action dorama series to commence broadcast on 17 January 2003 on TV Asahi. Source: ultimatum half edition.

Reign: The Conqueror Release

TOKYOPOP has announced the impending release of its highly acclaimed series Reign: The Conqueror on DVD. Volume 1 of this unedited "Director's Cut" series, which features the first four episodes and a host of exciting extras for fans, will be available February 25th at an MSRP of $29.99. Delivering a 21st Century sci-fi twist on the adventures of Alexander the Great, the series is also scheduled to premiere as part of Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup in early 2003.

Reign: The Conqueror was developed by some of the most creative and influential forces in anime today. The anime features character and concept designs by Peter Chung, (Creator of MTV's Aeon Flux); is produced by Rintaro (Astro Boy, Metropolis) and Masao Murayama (Trigun, Cardcaptor Sakura); and showcases animation by the famed Madhouse studio (Trigun, Vampire Hunter D). Each episode is a visual feast of cutting-edge animation that follows characters along an intricate plotline highlighted by majestic battle sequences.

Domestic Anime Web Sites

Pioneer has opened and Ai Yori Aoshi websites, while Bandaihas opened one for the Love Hina Christmas Special

Anime Online Periodicals and Articles

The December issue of Anime Fringe features articles on Kare Kano, Fruits Basket, Hoshi no Koe, and CLAMP's Wish.

Hoshi no Koe looks to be an interesting title, which has not recieve much notice in the US. The 30 episode sci-fi tale was singlehandedly produced by Makato Shinkai on his Mac.

The December Sequential Tart features articles on Christmas in Japan, Christmas anime, a look at the Nadesico, and anime and manga reviews.

Otaku Aniverse has published an extensive interview with Yuricon and Shoujo-ai Film Fest organizer Kathryn Williams. The interview discusses lesbian anime conventions and film festivals, and continues on to discuss Central Park Media's research into their upcoming American release of the Alien 9 OAV series and manga. http://www.otakuaniverse.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=3&id=1038872389

A Product IG scriptwriter has posted an arcticle about the danger of privated DVD and fansubs.

ADV's Lady Death Update

Comics2Film recently chatted with ADV Films's Andy Orjuela about the progress of the Lady Death animated feature. Orjuela, who serves as producer and art director on the project told them that the movie will complete pre-production by the end of this month.

During the summer Orjuela visited SunMin Image Pictures in Korea where the animation will be done. Some animation work has already been completed and a trailer is being prepped for the beginning of 2003.

"Next year is going to be a pretty big year for this movie," Orjuela said. With the start of 2003 SunMin will begin full-on production of the animation. At this point the voice actors for the film have not been cast.

Orjuela told C2F that the Chaos! Comics bankruptcy has not hampered the production of the movie.

Lady Death, the animated feature, is targeted for a 2003 release.

Jump Over 250,000

According to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun the English Shonen Jump sold over 250,000 copies in its first week.

Irwin Bankruptcy

From Dragon Ball Toys

Irwin Toy's filing for bankruptcy will indeed be a "hiccup" in the production of Dragonball toys, but it should hopefully be a small one.

According to sources at FUNimation, Irwin's bankruptcy is not a reflection of the performance of the DBZ brand. The brand itself continues to be strong in both sales and overall popularity.

FUNimation is already in talks with 4 major toy companies to take up the distribution reins for IF Labs. The company that picks up the distribution for the IF Labs figures will most probably acquire all existing molds, designs, etc. as part of the deal. The transition from Irwin as a distributor to a new company should be fairly seamless from a consumer point of view. The new distributor should be announced within a week.

It is unknown at this time if the new IF Labs distributor will also continue the current Irwin Dragonball lines, or if they will go to a separate company. The rights to those lines and figures (and all associated molds, etc) will probably be subject to Canadian bankruptcy court proceedings. I would speculate that if the new IF Labs distributor chooses not to pursue the Irwin lines, then someone else will. However, two competing companies with the same license would definitely spell trouble for the one or the other.

February Manga Releases

The following manga (comics) be released in the February time frame. For a full list, or to pre-order them visit your local comic shop.

Highlights include the Masamune Shirow back catalogue from Dark Horse, the first volumes of Scryed and Gatekeepers from TOKYOPOP, and the first volume of the manga version of Battle Royale from Viz.

Also of note, is the 250th issue of Comics Journal, which will feature "Neji-shiki," a manga short story by Yoshiharu Tsuge. See here

Dark Horse Comics

Blade Of The Immortal #76: Fall Frost Part 4 (Of 6)

features another of the samurai epic's classic sword battles.

Oh My Goddess! #95: Traveler Part 5 (Of 5)

Astro Boy Volume 13 Tp

In this volume: "Solomon's Jewels"; "Showdown in the Alps"; and "The Lying Robot."

Super Manga Blast! #30

features new entries in 3x3 Eyes, Seraphic Feathrt, Club 9, What's Michael, Shadow Star, and Masamune Shiroow's Appleseed Hypernote.

Seraphic Feather: Target Zone Tp

By Hiroyuki Utatane And Toshiya Takeda

Buried beneath the Moon's surface is an ancient alien starship ready to give up its secrets, and moon base becomes a deadly battleground for possession of the Emblem Seeds, the key to harnessing the craft's incredible power. Ruthless corporate operatives, scientifically augmented government agents, and deadly robots of unknown origin are all drawn in a lethal orbit around the precious seeds. And young paranormal Sunao Oumi, unwittingly pulled into the maelstrom, has become the key player in the game that will decide the future. But although numerous parties are vying to win this violent game, they'd better all watch their step: the ball they're playing with is not of this world.and it's just possible the original owners want it back!

Dark Horse is relisting much of their Masamume Shirow back catalogue including arbooks Intron Depot, Intron Depot 2: Bladesand Intron Depot Ii: Blades Cd-Rom, manga collections Appleseed: The Promethean Challenge Tp (Book One), Appleseed: Prometheus Unbound Tp (Book Two), Appleseed: The Scales Of Prometheus Tp (Book Three), Appleseed: The Promethean Balance Tp (Book Four), Appleseed Databook Pack, Black Magic Tp, Dominion Tp, Ghost In The Shell Tp , Orion 3Rd Edition Tp , as well as the Cyberworld Portfolio, Intron Depot Lunch Box, Masamune Shirow's Morning Star Statue and Masamune Shirow's Requiem Statue

DC Comics

DC Comics will be releasing a hardcover collection of Kia Ayasami's Batman: Child Of Dreams. The 352 page collection will retail for $24.95.

Batman: Child Of Dreams presents famed manga creator and new Uncanny X-Men artist Kia Asamiya's (Silent Moebius, Steam Detectives) uncompromising take on the World's Greatest Detective, first serialized in Japan and now collected in English in one mammoth 352-page hardcover volume! Originally presented over a year-long span in the pages of Kodansha's Magazine Z, CHILD OF DREAMS has been painstakingly adapted by acclaimed mystery novelist Max Allan Collins (ROAD TO PERDITION, BATMAN).

Marvel Comics

Kia Asamiya will be illustrating Uncanny X-men #419.

Comicsone.Com

Crayon Shinchan #3 Gn

The adventures of that mischievous five year old continue in Crayon Shinchan book 3! What is Shinchan's favorite food you ask? Well, in book 3 he samples a wide variety of snacks and foods. From the exotic Natou to gardening seeds, but by far his favorite snack is Oreo Cookies!

Iron Wok Jan! #3 Gn continues manga's answers to Iron Chief, and Red Prowling Devil #3 Gn continues its aerial adventures.

Kung Fu comic collections include Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre #5 Gn (volume 1 will also be re-released), Story Of The Tao #3 Gn and Weapons Of The Gods #1 Gn.

They will also be releasing a 9" Storm Riders Letter Opener

CPM MANGA

Record Of Lodoss War: Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight Book 4 Tp by Ryo Mizuno & Masato Natsumoto

Chronicles Of The Heroic Knight Volume 3, and Record Of Lodoss War: Deedlit's Tale Volume 1 will also be re-released.

Princess Prince Book 1 Gn by Tomoko Taniguchi

"From a place where the stars sleep, shall come the prosperity of your kingdom...but also its misfortune. The children of the sun will be protectors of that prosperity, however, one shall be raised as a child of the moon to deceive the enemy and ease the misfortune" - An Angel's Prophecy. Mourning the death of his beloved wife, acting on a prophecy handed to him by an angel; the King of Gemstone decides to raise one of his twin sons as a girl. Will Princess Lori ever get to be Prince Laurence? Will he ever find true love?

Re-Releases include:

Frontier Line Volume 1 Tp

From the creator of Grey: Digital Target! Six tales of mecha war and redemption. Civil war has broken out on the planet Sodom, and the only way to survive is by using the mechas left behind by a mysterious alien race. Can the two sides find common ground in their humanity or will they annihilate each other?

Martian Successor Nadesico Book 4 Tp

Gutsoon! Entertainment

Gustoon! will be reeasing issue 9-12 of the Raijin comics weekly anythology with Slam Dunk, Guardian Angel, The First Presidentof Japan, City Hunter, Baki the Grappler, Fustof te Noth Star, Revenge of Mouflon, and Bomber Girl.

RGA Magazine features p-to-date news and information about anime, manga, video games, and otaku culture, straight from Japan! Issue #9: "PC Otaku World"; Issue #10: "Anime in Novel Form"; Issue #11: "Cute Anime Girls in Games"; and Issue #12: "Life-Size Figurines."

Fist Of The North Star: The Master Edition Volume 2 Gn

by Hara Tetsuo & Buronson

The legend returns! In a post-apocalyptic nightmare, one man named Kenshiro protects the innocent from evil with the ultimate assassin's fighting style, Hokuto Shinken. This second volume of the master edition features genuine right-to-left sequencing, original Japanese sound effects, large format pages, brand-new translation, and stunning full-color artwork on every page.

I.C. Entertainment

Individual issues:

Amerimanga Volume 1 #3

(an anthology of American manga),

Vampire Yui Volume 5 #6

You & Me Volume 2 #1.

Collections:

Dark Dimension Zero Volume 2: Soul's Salvation Tp

Futaba-Kun Change! Volume 8: Ufo! Unidentified Foreign Origins Tp

You & Me Volume 1: Mii And You, A Room For Two! Tp

Yuu Aimu is a student fresh out of the country, ready to make it on his own in the big city while attending a new school. Problem is, the only lodgings he can afford come with some rather spooky neighbors... and a young female ghost for a roommate!

TOKYOPOP Collection:

Angelic Layer Volume 5 Gn (of 5)

conclude CLAMP's take on Pokemon like series.

Digimon Volume 1 Gn

Gatekeepers Volume 1 Gn

by Keiji Gotoh

Invaders have infiltrated the Earth. Our only hopes of stopping them lies in the hands of "Gatekeepers" like Shun Ukiya, a high school student with psychic powers. He and his fellow A.E.G.I.S team members are the last defense against a relentless alien force.

Initial D Volume 4 Gn (of 20)

continues the street racing series.

Kare Kano Volume 2 Gn (of 15)

by Masami Tsuda

You know that couple that was obviously meant for each other, and everybody knew it, except them? That's Yukino and Soichiro, the two top students in school, who are capable of anything other than a normal relationship. Still, despite all they've been through, it seems they could finally be getting together. But now, the school's token pretty boy, Hideaki, is intent on wedging himself in between them, for reasons they can't begin to imagine.

Kodocha Sana's Stage Volume 6 Gn (of 10)

by Miho Obana; Adapted by Sarah Dyer

The electric on-screen chemistry between Sana and her co-star Naozumi Kamura fuel a false rumor of romance that's printed in a tabloid magazine. Naozumi's loyal fans are so mad about the article that they attack Sana and break her leg. When these rumors reach the schoolyard, all hell breaks loose. It's up to Sana and Hayama to try their best to see eye to eye.

Miracle Girls Volume 8 Pocket Tp

Peach Girl Sophomore Year Volume 1 Tp (9 of 13)

by Miwa Ueda

Momo and her new boyfriend are living it up but Momo's sworn enemy plots to break up the happy couple. Momo is kidnapped and taken hostage by his groupies and discovers things about her new boyfriend that she never knew. However, this only strengthens her resolve to make their relationship work.

Planet Ladder Volume 5 Gn (of 5)

concludes the shoujo series about a girl orphen in a war she can't remember.

Priest Volume 5 Gn

Ragnarok Volume 6 Gn (of 10)

by Myung Jin Lee & Richard A. Knaak

Reality Check Volume 1 Gn

By Tavisha Wolfgarth & Rosearik Rikki

Rebirth Volume 1 Gn

by Kang-Woo Lee

Created by Kang-Woo Lee and first published in Korea in 1998, Rebirth tells the story of Dark Magician Deshwitat Rudbich, a vampire who was sealed in limbo 300 years ago by the Light Magician Kalutika. Resurrected in the present day, Deshwitat now vows to destroy Kalutika. He has the help of a team of spiritual warriors, and is determined to unlock the Light Magic necessary to bring this mad magician down for good.

Scryed Volume 1 Gn

by Yosuke Kuroda & Yasunari Toda

From the script writer of Trigun! Written by Yosuke Kuroda and illustrated by Yasunari TodaWhen a new type of human - Alter-Users - becomes the center of an unexplained phenomenon, an elite squad of soldiers appears to keep the peace... or so it seems. This group, called HOLY, has many hidden motives. and, in this case, what the public doesn't know will hurt them. One just man, Kazuma Torizuna, may be the only one who can stop them!

CineManga release (comics will captures from the video) include Akira Cinemanga Volume 2, Kim Possible Cinemanga Volume 1 Gn, Lizzie Mcguire Cinemanga Volume 1 Gn, and Spy Kids 2 Cinemanga Gn.

VIZ COMICS

Animerica Extra Volume 6 #3 March 2003 includes new chapters of Short Program 2, Fushigi Yugi, Video Girl Ai, the last Chicago, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Marionette Generation, and Banana Fish.

Shonen Jump Volume 1 #3 features new chapters of Dragaon Ball Z, Yu Gi Oh, One Piece, YuYu Hakusho, Naruto, Shaman King, and SandLand.

Individual Issues:

• Viz Kids
• The All-New Tenchi Muyô! Part 2 #5 (1 of 5) Five thousand years ago, Washu knowingly gave life to her own evil twin. Now, after a lengthy nap, her creation is back and ready to rumble! Everyone has a dark side, but is the plucky super genius ready to face the wrath of Black Washu?!
• Bastard!! #15: Empress Part 1 (of 5)
• Dragon Ball Part 6 (#2 of 8)
• Battle Angel Alita: Last Order Part 1 #6
• THE BIG O PART 3 #4 (of 4) by Hajime Yatate & Hitoshi Ariga To the inhabitants of Paradigm, their city is the whole world: outside it, only a few scattered remnants of civilization remain. In one such lonely shack is a chance encounter between four people: Roger Smith, the Negotiator; Angel, the Femme Fatale; Beck, the Master Criminal; and Schwarzwald, the Madman. Will this meeting between enemies end in murder, or can the master negotiator bring the parties to terms?
• Ceres, Celestial Legend Part 5 #1 (Of 4)
• Inu-Yasha Part 7 (#7 pf 8)
• Firefighter!: Daigo Of Fire Company M Volume 2 GN
• Mobile Suit Gundam 0079 Volume 9 Tp
• Project Arms Part 1 #6 (Of 16)
• Ranma 1/2 Part 12 #1 (of 8)
• Silent Möbius: Hell Part 12 #3 (Of 5)
• Vagabond #16
• Zoids: Chaotic Century Volume 13 Gn

Collections:

Battle Royale Volume 1 Gn

by Koushun Takami

Battle Royale is a contemporary Japanese pulp classic now available for the first time in English! Koushun Takami's brutal, high-octane thriller is told in breathless, blow-by- blow fashion. A group of high school students are taken to a small isolated island and forced to fight each other until only one remains alive! If they break the rules a special collar blows their heads off.

The Big O Volume 2 Tp

by Hajime Yatate & Hitoshi Ariga

Roger Smith, negotiator-cum-vigilante foils dark foes in the streets of amnesia-plagued Paradigm City. In this volume, Smith encounters an android girl, a vanishing blonde, a fleet of phantom ships, a mysterious serial killer, and a journalist who delves too deeply into the city's enigmatic past.