DVD of the Month - October 2006

Ergo Proxy

Volume 1

It’s tough to pre-judge an anime show based on the names and companies listed in the credits. The larger anime outfits, after all, are kind of like Hollywood studios—they can be working on half a dozen shows at once, so just because they put out one series you like doesn’t automatically mean you’ll think their entire opus of work is brilliant. Still, when the first info on Ergo Proxy came out late last year, you couldn’t help but be at least a little excited.

DVD of the Month - October 2006

Fullmetal Alchemist The Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa

Your patience for sitting through the 51 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist just to be left hanging as to whether or not the Elric brothers would ever be reunited is about to be rewarded. It comes in the form of Conqueror of Shamballa, a full-length movie finale that ties up the loose ends from the TV series and brings the story to a rousing, action-packed and heartrending close.

DVD of the Month - September 2006

Comic Party Revolution

Volume 1

Have you ever been to an anime convention? They’re always in cramped hotels full of weird people, and it’s always 98 degrees and the air conditioner just broke. (Oh my, I can hear the mail streaming in responding to that last sentence. Sorry.) Now imagine that you’re in Japan, attending a similar sort of gathering—except there’s almost half a million people attending. That, in a nutshell, is the biannual Comic Market in Tokyo, and Comic Party Revolution is a romantic comedy (emphasis on “comedy”) about the bold college students who draw manga to sell at Comic Market-style shows.

DVD of the Month - August 2006

Negima

Volume 1

In the real world, if a ten-year-old reported for teacher duty at a prestigious academy like Mahora, it would raise a lot of eyebrows. Not only would it be tough for the students to accept such a situation (how could they be expected to listen to or respect a professor who’s younger than themselves?), but the tabloids would be all over it. In the world of Negima, the students are quick to accept Negi, and the Weekly World News never comes knocking. In fact, the only one who’s suspicious of the bratty Brit is Asuna Kagurazaka, who’s only opposed to his presence because he replaced the teacher she had a huge crush on.

DVD of the Month - July 2006

Speed Grapher

Volume 1

Among all the ways to describe Speed Grapher, the word normal never comes up. In the show’s scarred world, normalcy is a distant and melancholy dream. No, to express the essence of Speed Grapher, you start with words like twisted and depraved and go from there. And that’s the appeal—the show is a plunge into the darkest, foulest depths of human greed, lust and obsession. You don’t watch Speed Grapher; you experience it.

DVD of the Month - June 2006

Strawberry Marshmallow

Volume 1

Whether in Japanese or English, there’s something irresistible about the name Strawberry Marshmallow. Go ahead, say it out loud. (It’s OK, we’ll still be here when you’re done.) Straw-ber-ry marsh-mal-low. I-chi-go mash-i-ma-ro. See? Fun!