This Week in Anime

This is the first in what I hope will be a weekly column talking about upcoming anime releases. Of course, new DVDs are released on Tuesday so this is a column talking about releases on Tuesday, October 7.

Of course, there are many releases each week ... and many of those series are shows that I haven't seen. But if it is a show that I know is popular, I'll make note of its release as well.

I am using Mania.com's release schedule.

Here is what is upcoming this week:

Buso Renkin, Set 2. (Viz Media) I haven't finished watching set one, but it had a pretty good story and I will eventually get around to watching this. From the man who brought us Rurouni Kenshin, Buso Renkin is about an average high school student, Kazuki Muto, who is killed trying to rescue what looks to be an average high school girl. The girl, Tokiko, is actually an alchemic warrior who saves Muto's life by giving him the Kakugane to replace his heart. Of course, as you might guess, Kazuki joins Tokiko in her fight against the Homunculus terrorizing his city. Dub grade: B+. What I've seen of the dub is good ... some of my favorite VAs make an appearance in this one (Patrick Seitz, Spike Spencer, Liam O'Brien, Richard Epcar and more). If you like Shounen action, you'll probably dig this one.


Three different season sets are being released this week - shows all released in single-volume form earlier. From ADV Films, Mezzo TV was a TV series based on a Hentai release in Japan. The TV show is not porn (so don't worry). The three-member DSA will take on any case - as long as they get paid for it. When team member Kurokawa is an assassination target, the group must try to figure out who and why. The TV series is a lot of fun and features some of ADV's best voice talent. Dub Grade: A-. Luci Christian is especially good in the lead role of Mikura Suzuki. She is joined by a stellar supporting cast, including Andy McAvin, Jason Douglas, Sasha Paysinger, Chris Patton, Mike MacRae and Vic Mignogna. If you find this one at Best Buy and are looking for a funny, action packed short series, give this one a try.


Bandai is releasing a show that I had originally started watching on Netflix, but got so hooked on it that I had to buy the final volume the day it came out. Mai-Hime (or My-Hime) is a story about an all-girls academy populated with girls possessing special powers. One of those girls is the main character, Mai Tokiha. She, of course, is unaware of those powers at the beginning of the series but quickly learns she possesses the power as well. What follows is a very compelling series as those with the power quickly learn what they are expected to do with that power. Dub Grade: B+. Ocean Group doesn't produce a large number of dubs, but what they do dub is quality. This is no different. Carol-Anne Day really stands out as the main character Mai. Sometimes it is nice to watch something where you are not immediately familiar with the voices in the show.


FUNimation is releasing another show that I got caught up in - Suzuka . This is one of those, "boy gets dropped into a situation where he is surrounded by girls and one of them treats him bad but seems to like him" stories. They are a dime-a-dozen in anime. But I did like the story, and if you get past the feeling of "it's been done before," I think you can get into this story. Yamato Akitsuki travels to Tokyo to study alone and live with his aunt, who just happens to operate a public bath populated by all girls. He meets Suzuka Asahina, who is the school's top track athlete. The two cross paths early on ... and this leads to all kinds of love-hate fun. Dub Grade: A. Whether you like the story or not, you can't dispute the awesome voice cast that brings this story to life in English. The main characters - Suzuka (Leah Clark), Honoka (Brina Palencia) and Yamato (Todd Haberkorn) are all outstanding. The supporting cast (namely Carrie Savage and Colleen Clinkenbeard as his ... we'll say ... "fun loving" neighbors) are very good as well. Watching the show got me into the manga as well, which is a bit more mature than the anime. But it's not a bad show ... and if you can pick up the whole series for cheap ... it is worth it.


Two other new releases from FUNimation this week that I don't know much about yet ... but are highly spoken of on many message boards. Ghost Hunt (which will be released in a half-season set) and Jyu-Oh-Sei (Complete Series) are shows that FUNimation is giving viewers large amounts of episodes for a reasonable price. I may have to pick these up at some point ... if I do I'll post my review then. FUNimation has been pretty smart about releasing some of its "B" series in large chunks lately. Hopefully this a trend that will continue. They will still be releasing volume-by-volume on their biggest series - they need to make money after all. They also seem to be leading the way in digital delivery of anime as well.

That's all for now. I'll be back soon with more news from the anime world.