Ol' Father Geek here taking just enough of a break from the SXSW Film Fest to post up this week's edition of...

The AICN Anime Report...

by Scott Green

Anime Spotlight: Banner of the Stars Volume 2: The Basroil Unleashed

Released by Bandai Entertainment

Banner of the Stars continues the best space epic that you probably haven't seen. It continues to look at the Abh, a race optimized for life in space through the lenses of their war with the united remains of human controlled space, and the relationship between Abh princess, and now captain Lafiel, and the human duke of a vassal planet, Jinto. As the war heats up, the ship under Lafiel's command is assign to the front line of the Abh strategy.

The first episode diverges from battle preparations as Jinto and Lafiel meet with the villain of the first series' (Crest of the Star) sister in memory of his birthday. It is an episode that raises questions worth pondering what it said about the Abh, and conflict in general. The Abh are one of the most fully realized fictional societies, and this episode presents a new facet to them. On one side it rings a bit "Hilter was a vegetarian who loved animals", on the other it personalized a villain/enemy without excusing, or even explaining them.

Further episodes cut between detailed conference room strategizing, emotional preparation, tense skirmishes, and their aftermaths. A single episode has more interesting creations space-tech ideas than seasons of Star Trek. An example of how the series function is that of an Abh fleets' need for coolant for their engines. Their unorthodox commander considers pillaging a yet unconquered planet to use its water for the purpose. After touching the moral and historical considerations of the action, his staff considers how a space born fleet could take the water. The conclusion is that the constraints of physics and existing technology will not allow it without a year's worth a development. No space-MacGyver-ism, and reverse tachyon cheats.

The only problem with Banner of the Stars is that the meta-timing is off. There's enough war to contemplate without adding a fictional one, and while the series uses war as an instrument to examine the cultures, there is little argument that the series uses it for entertainment as well as edification. It isn't as easy to feel joy over a truly innovative mine deployment in the current state of affairs.

Anime Spotlight: Colorful

Released by ADV Films

It takes some genius to make two hours of animated shorts based on such an incredibly dumb, and shallow theme. Somehow it stretches the fact that it takes men very little provocation to get me to think about sex, into sixteen sets of Liquid Television (MTV's animated show that spawned Aeon Flux, and Beavis and Butthead) style shorts. It's bit like "Itchy and Scratchy" only instead a cat and mouse mutilating each other, its men doing stupid thing after, or in order to see a women's panties, or in some cases a bra.

Colorful is a spectrum of mostly running gags, with a few well placed standalones. The appeal isn't really sexual. It isn't erotic, or misogynistic, it isn't The Man Show. It's situations like a stock clerk who looks down his coworkers jeans to see to underpants, and get caught when she reviews the store's surveillance footage to see a thief, or the familiar high school act of looking up women's skirts from the stairs, or Steve ,the America visiting film student who take a photograph up a doll's skirt.

The stupidity and inanity reach a Zen level that makes Colorful a perfect late night, cult material. It's something that can jut be absorbed rather than chewed.

After a while it just makes sense that a guy would rip his hair out after it prevents him from seeing up a girl's skirt when the window blow. You can't help think back on it and smirk.

The animation, and sound effects are the perfect volume of odd. You can take confidence if the fact that if you are still remembering the sounds that Liquid Television's Elvis Meets The Spider People From Hell made ten years later, the tuned out dialogue effect of Colorful will likewise lodge its way into your brain. The variations between slow deliberate, and fast-cut animation, or realistic, to cartoonish, to stylized design are eye catch, often responsible for the show's humor. It looks like some of the best work of the type outside Gainax's efforts in FLCL and His and Her Circumstances. It's part of the post-Akira/Ghost in the Shell/Evangelion "this is what animation can do". Sci-fi spectacle has been done, human behavior is looks like the new soil that the best stuff is growing out of.

Anime Spotlight: A Little Snow Fairy Sugar Volume 1: Sweet Mischief

Released by Pioneer

A Little Snow Faiy Show is one of those children anime with a young girl, and her magical creature friend. Many of these shows are awful. No appeal for adults, and the only thing they really have to appeal to children is some color shapes moving on the screen. On the other end of the spectrum are shows like "Sugar", which are entertaining, genuinely cute, sweet and humorous, without being saccharine or inane. Card Captor Sakura is probably the best know example another success. It's a fun children's show that older audiences can take pleasure in.

Saga is a sweet, young girl. A constantly moving over-achiever who lives with her grandmother (seems to the be the common anime/fairytale dead parents affliction), in a Miyazaki-esque idyllic Europe community (think Kiki's Delivery Service minus Miyazaki's brilliant edge).

While rushing around between a job, school, and personal projects, she meets Sugar, a Smurf sized seasonal fairy of the apprentice snow variety. In addition to being psychically starved, the cute pink haired creature is attention starved, and almost immediately begins causing problems for Saga. In order to graduate to the next level of season-fairy-dom Sugar must find the undefined "twinkle". So, in addition to having a severe case of Addition Deficit Disorder (which other fairies don't seem to have), she's constantly flitting after anything that shines. Sugar is mostly a nuisance, but since Saga is the only one who can see Sugar, end up helping the creature. Add human friends, fairy peers, and stir.

There is a very workable dynamic between the earnest Saga, and the innocent Sugar, that allows the show to be flexible and believable. The viewer can both empathize with Saga's exasperation at Sugar's antics while being amused rather than annoyed by them themselves.

It's an amusing series, that takes joy in simple things. So much attention was paid to food in the first episode, that it there looked like it was going to be a foodie anime. There are a number of good running gags, including Saga's friend/rival who is always trying to show off some expensive new accessories only be brutally ignored, or the fairies' new found love for waffles or "waffo-s" which becomes their catch phrase.

A little unintentional continuous source of mirth is the awful voice work in used for animal is this series. Other roles are done quite well, but anyone who thinks the Japanese have mastered the art of voice acting should listen to a cat or a crow in "Sugar."

Sugar definitely an enjoyable anime series. It is hard to not to like it, but it probably wouldn't appeal to an adult audience who wasn't looking for something to show younger viewers. The quality of animation and storytelling put many currently televised children animation to shame.

This Week's Releases:

Anime

• Cardcaptor Sakura - Powers Awry (Vol. 14)
• Crying Freeman - Portrait Killer (Vol. 1)
• Dragon Ball Z:Kid Buu - New Beginning
• Gall Force 2: Destruction
• Gall Force 3: Stardust War
• Gall Force Collection
• Gall Force: Eternal Story
• Gto:Showbiz
• Revolutionary Girl Utena - Darkness Beckoning (Vol. 5)
• Rhea Gall Force
• Steel Angel Kurumi - Encore (Vol. 5)
• Sukeban Deka
• Zone Of The Enders (Zoe) - Dolores, I - A Prelude To War (Vol. 3)

Manga

• Angelic Layer Vol 5 Gn (Of 5)
• Big O Part 4 #1 (Of 4)
• Digimon Vol 1 Gn
• Gto Vol 10 Gn (Of 25)
• Legendary Couple Gn #4
• Love Hina Vol 9 Gn (Of 14)
• Miracle Girls Vol 8 Pkt Tp
• Peach Girl Change Of Heart Vol 1 Tp
• Phoenix Vol 2 Tp Dawn
• Planet Ladder Vol 5 Gn (Of 5)
• Priest Vol 5 Gn (Of 9)
• Raijin Comics #14
• Saint Legend Gn #4
• Samurai Legend Gn
• Scryed Vol 1 Gn

Berserk Manga Rights Acquired

Anime News Service reports that Digital Manga and Dark Horse Comics will be partnering to release the Berserk Manga in the US. Anime News Service is associated with Akadot, who is associated with Digital Manga.

Berserk is on the darkest and most engrossing medieval tales that has been told. It's the life of the ill-fated swordman know as Guts who hunts, and has been branded by a malevolent group of beings known as the Hand of God. The anime, which is being released domestically by Media Blasters, adapts volumes 3-13, the of what is now over 24 volumes, and tells of Guts' childhood and time with the ambitious band of mercenaries known as the Hawks. The post anime-events are an often more brutal, and more supernatural confrontation between Guts, country fairies, the church, and the reshaping armies of the world.

Dark Horse Confirmed : With a release scheduled for fall 2003, Dark Horse and Digital Manga will present Berserk as three volumes in a non-westernized format. Each volume will read from right to left and original Japanese sound effects will remain intact.

Cowboy Bebop Movie Video Date?

Anime on DVD is reporting that SunCoast's retails sheets are listing a 6/24 release date and $39.99 price the Cowboy Bebop movie.

Initial D Date?

Animated Bliss is reporting that TOKYOPOP will begin released the street racing Intial D anime in August. The anime series has been held back as TOKYOPOP worked to bring the series to television.

Ninja Scroll TV Info From Urban Visions:

Spanning 13 episodes and written by Yoshiaki Kawajiri, the TV series continues where Kawajiri's award-winning masterpiece left off! Currently in production, the series will begin airing on WOWOW in Japan in April. The series will make its home video debut first in the US this fall, with the release in Japan following in winter.

Sony To Create New Astro Boy TV Series

Could Be Available Next Year

ICv2 reports Sony Pictures Television International is preparing a new 52-episode version of the classic Astro Boy anime series by Osamu Tezuka. The studio plans to keep the same classic anime character design that made the original Astro Boy series so influential in the development of Japanese animation. Produced in 1963, the original black-and-white Astro Boy anime series (Tetsuwan Atom in Japanese) introduced themes and robot characters that have echoed throughout anime history as has the "big eyes, small mouth" character design of Tezuka's classic character. Many Tezuka fans actually prefer the 1980 color remake of the original series, upon which Mr. Tezuka was able to lavish additional resources unavailable in 1963. Unfortunately the 1980 color series will not be available in the U.S. on DVD until after the Astro Boy feature film is released .

Sony is also producing the computer animated Astro Boy feature film, which is now slated for a 2005 release. It is likely that the new Astro Boy TV series will also be largely computer-generated. So far Sony has not released a timetable for the production of the new series, but the company is planning on presenting the new series at the MIP-TV trade show later this year.

Maison Ikkuku on DVD

Rumic World is reporting that Viz will beigin releasing Rumiko Takahashi's (Ranma 1/2, Inu-Yash) 96 episode anime soap opera Maison Kukku on DVD. The first 36 episodes (dubbed and subbed) will be released as three 12 episode mini-boxsets.

First Raijin Collections

Gutsoon! will be releasing the first three collection of material from their Raijin week;y manga antrhology on 6/18. City Hunter Graphic Novel 1, First President of Japan Graphic Novel 1 and Slam Dunk Graphic Novel 1 will retail for $9.95 each.

Animetrax Dissolved

Anime News Network reports that ADV and Right Stuf will be ending teir Animetrax soundtrack partnership. ADV will be starting up their new music label "ADV Music" while Right Stuf will take complete control over the Animetrax label.

Right Stuf now has complete control over the Animetrax line. Currently, all the titles that were announced are now available. There are no new titles at the moment. New acquisitions will be announced at a future day and time. Right Stuf will be the sole distributor of the music label. The website will soon be updated with this information.

New Outlaw Star Put on Hold

Natsume Maya reports Although the illustration on the homepage for Morning Star Studio states "Coming soon! Outlaw Star 2", the studio has posted to its BBS (message 1604 dated 8 March 2003) that the continuation of the Outlaw Star manga by Ito Takehiko, originally planned to be serialized in Shueisha's monthly shonen manga magazine Ultrajump last year, has been indefinitely postponed. Source: ultimatum half edition.

The studio has earlier indicated on its English page that greater sales may be required before production of a sequel to the anime becomes viable.

Outlaw Star was a sci-fi western released around the time of Cowboy Bebop, and Trigun.

Another Manga Artist At Marvel

Marvel has announced a new female target, series called Quest, which was created by J. Torres, with art by Yuji Iwahara (probably best known in the US for the game Koudelka see here for some work).

Manga-credible Marvel editor C. B. Cebulski stated in Wizard 139 "A kind of departure for Marvel. It focuses more on the fantasy aspects of manga. Quest features a Harry Potter like atmosphere of magic and mysticism that we haven't seen in the Marvel Universe before. It's a little bit more fun-based magic, a little bit younger - and the boundaries of reality are pushed a little bit further.""

Upcoming Right Stuf Releases

Right Stuf will be releasing the first volume of KO Beast, entitled "Password to Treasure" on 6/24.

Created and Produced by Satoru Akahori (MAZE TV / MASTER OF MOSQUITON / SABER MARIONETTE J / SORCERER HUNTERS TV) with Director Hiroshi Negi (BURN UP W / TENCHI MUYO MOVIE 1: TENCHI IN LOVE / TENCHI MUYO UNIVERSE TV), and Original Character Designs by Takehiko Ito (OUTLAW STAR).

Yamamoto Yohko, Starship Girl will be re-released on 6/24, with the 6 episode OAV prepriced at $19.98.

From J.C. Staff (the producers of EXCEL SAGA / HIS AND HER CIRCUMSTANCES) and Character Designer Kazuto Nakazawa (TENCHI IN TOKYO / EL HAZARD) comes a trip into the fantastic fun of the future!

A thousand years from now, the great battles between civilizations have been reduced to the shoulders of a handful of chosen champions. When a war is waged, each side picks its representatives, gives them spaceships and the fight is on! Of course if their champion looses, they must admit defeat and give in to the wishes of the other. Very handy, very civilized ... unless you don't happen to have any good fighters...

Terra team has had it tough lately: Ness' "Red Snappers" team has had things their way. Even with technically superior ships, things are bleak for Terra... To make matters worse, they only have three pilots. Despite a concerted effort to recruit girls from the past, the team simply keeps losing! Now they desperately need someone special... someone powerful, capable, and who possess a killer instinct. A pilot of extraordinary skill to crew the new model ship. They need ... Yamamoto Yohko!

Boogiepop Phantom will be re-priced and re-released on 5/27 at $19.98 for each of the four volumes, or $64.98 for the set.

From Studio Mad House (NINJA SCROLL / TRIGUN / VAMPIRE HUNTER D), Director Watanabe Takashi (SLAYERS) and writer Sadayuki Murai (PERFECT BLUE) comes a brilliant masterpiece of psycho-thriller delving into the darkest reaches of the human condition. Boogiepop Phantom is a mind-bending story combining the stylistic nature of SERIAL EXPERIMENTS LAIN with the episodic nature and dark twisting plotlines of Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION.

Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core and now the rumors have begun once more. Boogiepop ... Everyone knows about Boogiepop: meet her one dark night and you are taken. People tell each other the stories and laugh: no one believes that she can possibly exist in this day and age. Still, strange things appear to be going on just and the darkness is taking on many forms. Something is out there. Are you safe?

Upcoming CPM Releases

May anime releases include Descendants of Darkness: Tarot Curse, Patlabor and Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Patlabor: The Mobile Police/The TV Series: Volume 5 (DVD)

From the character designer of Record of Lodoss War!, Noa discovers an underground cavern and is trapped in a monster's lair. She'll need the help of her giant robot, Alphonse, to escape with her life! Contains episodes 19-22.

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Beginning of the End (DVD)

From the Director of Sailor Moon!, Utena must face her most cunning opponent yet - the abusive ex-fiancé of her best friend Anthy. Determined to avenge her friend, Utena fights more desperately than ever before! Contains episodes 24-26.

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Black Rose Saga DVD Collection (DVD)

Utena is about to enter a life beyond her wildest dreams - a world of danger and mystery where her best friend is a trophy bride to any swordfighter who can win her. Armed with a magical sword and ring, Utena undertakes a mission to save her friend. But in this world, treachery is never far behind, and nothing is ever what it seems! Contains episodes 14-26 on 4 DVDs.

Manga

Alien Nine: Bool 1 will be released May 14th.

Alien Nine: Book 1 (GN)

Yuri is totally bummed. She just started 6th grade and was elected to capture and eliminate aliens that are constantly invading the school...a difficult and dangerous job! Even worse, she has to wear a creepy symbiotic alien helmet to get the job done! Story and Art by Hitoshi Tomizawa.

Other upcoming releases for their catalogue include:

Alien 9 will be all on one DVD

Animation Runner Kuromi looks to be one episode per disc, with just the first one listed (runtime 40 minutes)

Cat Soup is planned for a fall release

A DNA2 box set is due in the fall for $120 Gall Force: Earth Chapter appears to be licensed with all 156 minutes worth on two discs due out in the winter of 2004

Hades Project Zeorymer gets a re-release by CPM with a $19.99 price point but still with two volumes.

Humanoid is planned for a winter 2003 release

Iczer 3 is planned for a winter 2003 release as a part of the Authentic Anime line, which means no dub Legend of the Dragon Kings will have two more volumes come out this year

Machine Robo will see 10 episodes released on two separate discs as part of the Authentic Anime line The final arc of Utena has all the covers shown plus a box set, with the final volumes all coming out very fast, series due to end this fall

Spirit Warrior (aka Peacock King apparently) has two volumes due out this year

The morbid, surreal and psychotic OAV Nekojiro-So will be released this fall under the title "Cat Soup."

The GoShogun: Time Etranger motion picture will be re-released to domestic DVD, remastered with new DVD features, later this fall.

The Utena Apocalypse Saga (episodes 27-39) will debut in America beginning this summer. All 4 DVDs in the final Utena story arc will be released as a DVD boxed set this fall.

The Tokyo Babylon DVD will be remastered and re-released with new DVD supplemental features this spring.

Upcoming ADV Releases

Sakura Wars Tv: Opening Night (First Volume Of Long-Awaited Tv Series of the 25 episode TV series), will be released May 27th.

Well known for its enthusiastic genre hopping, including robot combat, musical theatre, romance, a dose of history lesson and more, the Sakura Wars franchise-including video games, OVAs and this television series-has proven an enduring fan favorite.

The Story: It is the 1920s, and Japan is under attack by demonic invaders. The government has designed sturdy, albeit steam-powered, robot armor suits for the impending battle, but only young ladies with the proper combination of virtue and spirit can pilot the robots successfully.

Enter young Sakura, arriving in the Imperial Capital from the countryside to join the Imperial Flower Combat Troop. She has the qualifications to be a fine robot pilot, but she's surprised to learn that this secret Defense Force has a cover story as a musical theatre troupe-and they take their cover jobs very seriously indeed. It's costumes, line readings and robot combat galore, as Sakura struggles to learn the ropes, learn her lines, and do her part to save the nation!

Dai-Guard: The Bottom Line, the sixth and final volume of the corperate giant robot series will be released May 27th.

Neo Ranga: The Right Of Kings (Third Volume Of The Series) will be released May 13th.

Casshan: Robot Hunter (Four Classic Ova Episodes Edited Into Single Feature) Directed by Hiroyuki Fukushima (Speed Racer, Gatchaman) from a screenplay by Fukushima and Yasuomi Umezu (Angel Cop, Megazone 23), ADV's release continues an extraordinary pedigree with stateside production by the legendary Carl Macek (Robotech, Doomed Megalopolis).

The Story: Enslaved by an army of rebellious super-robots originally designed to help civilization avert a complete ecological cataclysm, mankind's only hope is CASSHAN, a legendary hero who wages a solitary war to defeat these NEOROIDS and restore the Earth to its rightful order. Ironically, Casshan's father is the same scientist who engineered the race of super androids now threatening to destroy all of mankind. On a crusade to clear the name of his father, Casshan must sacrifice his own humanity in order to attain the powers he needs to defeat mankind's powerful enemies. But Casshan's power does not come without a price. Haunted by the memories of his murdered mother and forced to deal with a super robot that has absorbed, and now manipulates, the consciousness of his father, Casshan must put aside his own emotions and fight to preserve the survival of the human race. An extraordinary tale of science fantasy and social relevance, CASSHAN is a story of man's best laid plans paving the way to potential destruction. Animation filled with bold action, pure adventure and remarkable depth.

TOKYOPOP Announces/Confirms 13 New Manga Series

• Forbidden Dance
• Confidential Confessions
• Zodiac P.I
• Planets
• Vampire Game
• Baby Birth
• Brigadoon
• Saber Marionette J
• Brain Powered
• FLCL
• NieA_7

Haruhiko Mikimoto's Baby Birth

This is brand-new manga from the creator of Macross ... and it is everything you might imagine - absolutely breathtaking art (is there a more accomplished watercolorist working in manga today?), coupled with a strangely compelling story by Sukehiro Tomita. 1st vol out in September.

Anime-Related Titles

Brigadoon - by Nozomi Watase (creator of Perfect Juliet, currently running in Kadokawa's Ace magazine in Japan); published in 2 volumes in Japan by Kadokawa. 1st TOKYOPOP vol due out in August.

Saber Marionette J - by Akahori Satoru; released as five tankoubon (graphic novels) in Japan by Kadokawa in their Comics Dragon, Jr. line. 1st vol from TOKYOPOP out in July.

Brain Powered - story by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino; art by Yukiru Sugisaki (creator of DNAngel, Candidate for Goddess); published in Japan in 4 volumes by Kadokawa. Due out from TOKYOPOP in June.

FLCL (Furi Kuri) - from GAINAX and Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) comes this mondo-bizarro tale of ... well, we're honestly not sure, although it does involve a big factory on a hill that looks like an iron. 1st vol due from TOKYOPOP in September.

NieA_7 - from the creative team that brought Serial Experiments Lain to life; published in Japan in two volumes by Kadokawa. 1st TOKYOPOP vol due in August.

Shojo Manga

Forbidden Dance - by Hinako Ashihara; published in Japan as Tenshi no Kiss (Angel Kiss) by Shogakukan in 4 volumes. 1st TOKYOPOP vol due in August.

Confidential Confessions - by Reiko Momochi; published in Japan by Kodansha as Memai, Namida, and Tobira. 1st vol from TOKYOPOP out in July.

Zodiac P.I. - by Natsumi Ando; published in Japan by Kodansha as Junikyu de Tsukamaete (Zodiac Detective). 1st vol from TOKYOPOP out in July

Wild Act - by Rie Takada; published in Japan by Shogakukan in 10 volumes. 1st vol from TOKYOPOP out in July.

X-Day - by Tamura Yumi (creator of Basara); orginally published in Japan by Shogakukan. 1st TOKYOPOP vol due in August.

Shonen (Boys) Manga

Planets - by Makoto Yukimura; orginally published by Kodansha in Japan as Planetes. 1st TOKYOPOP vol due in October.

Vampire Game - by JUDAL; published in Japan by Shinshokan in 12 volumes as Kyuketsuyugi. 1st vol from TOKYOPOP in June.

Viz Abandoning Comic Format

Anime News NEtwork the letter column in Viz's Dragon Ball Part Six, No. 2, includes an announcement stating that it was the final issue of Dragon Ball to be issue in monthly comic book format, Viz will only publish the title in collected Graphic Novel. The announcement, presumably written by Viz's Jason Thomas, made no mention of whether or not similar changes will be made to other titles.

Viz only solicited a total of three comics for April and May--The Big O (both months) and Gundam: The Origin (April). See Diamond Distribution's Previews catalog order for April and May.

Anime Game News

From Magic Box

Screen shots and information about Bandai's Naruto for the RPG can been seen here. Their Gundam Seed game can be seen at here.

Images from Banpresto's second Super Robot Taisen Alpha can be seen here. This time the game features the platoon system, in which the platoon organization is united with two or more units. All the units in the platoon can attack the enemy one after another, similar to Bandai's SD Gundam G Generation series. Note that the combine command which allows two or more units to combine into a single unit is removed due to the new systems.

Images and details on Konami's Love Hina Playstation 2 can be seen here

The Dragon Ball Z game known as "Ultimate Battle 22" on March 23rd in the US from Infrogames. Infogrames announced they will release Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 for PSone in North America on March 25, for $19.95. The game was developed and released by Bandai in 1995.

L/R - Licensed By Royalty Licensed by Pioneer Anime on DVD reports Pioneer will be releasing L/R - Licensed By Royalty sometime in 2003

Eva Oddities

From Natsume Maya

In Japanese NewType interview with Evangelion character designer and manga adapter Sadamoto Yoshiyuki. More Evangelion is possible if its creator Anno Hideaki wants it. On the other end of the temporal spectrum, another title original considered for the series was Alshion.

Gainax has announced plans to release "Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku XP Edition" on April 11th. The game will apparently be an expanded re-release of the original Rei Ayanami parenting simulation game released for the PC and Dreamcast last year. Gainax will also release "Shin Seiki Evangelion Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku ~ Ayanami Ikusei Keikaku: Asuka Hokan Keikaku ~" (Neon Genesis Evangelion Ayanami Rearing Project ~ Ayanami Rearing Project: Asuka Complementation Project ~) for the Playstation 2 this spring. The game will add Asuka as a child the player will have to raise and parent. See here

Online Periodicals and Articles

Comic Book Resources has interviewed J. Torres about the new X:Men: Ronin.

Akadot has a good article about the live action TV adaptation of the manga series SkyHigh, a horror anthology where victims are given the choice to forsake the journey to the afterlife for revenge.

The new Anime Fringe features details examinations of romanc anime Ai Yori Aoshi, fantasy Ys, and the manga INVU. Review include All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku Devil Lady, and Fruits Basket .

The March Sequential Tart includes articles of kids' anime, a detailed look at the fifth volume of Dark Angel, and anime and anime reviews.