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 Jin-Roh
The Wolf Brigade - Special Edition
Written by Mamoru Oshii (the director of the cult favorite Ghost
in the Shell) and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura (a key animator on
Akira), Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade offers a violent but compelling
vision in animation. The story is set in a fictionalized version
of the recent past, when a repressive Japanese government is battling
the Sect, a violent revolutionary organization that uses adolescent
girls they call "Red Riding Hoods" as couriers.
 During
a raid, Capitol Police Constable Kazuki Fuse (pronounced "foo-seh," voice
by Michael Dobson) balks at killing Nanami Agawa (Maggie
Blue O'Hare), one of the Red Riding Hoods. She commits
suicide with a powerful bomb. While Fuse undergoes retraining,
he meets Nanami's older sister, Kei (Moneca Stori), and
initiates an odd romance. Soon both characters are caught
in a web of plots and counterplots that center on the
possibility that Fuse may be a "wolf," a member
of a secret cabal within the Capitol Police.
Jin-Roh is drawn in a comic book style that recalls the work of the
popular graphic novelist and film designer Jean "Moebius" Giraud;
Okiura's skillful cutting and striking imagery transcend the limited
animation. Although anime continues to grow in popularity in America,
it's rare for a Japanese feature to receive even a limited theatrical
release, as this one did: a dark, brooding film of exceptional power,
Jin-Roh deserves to be seen by a large audience.
 Princess
Mononoke
One of our favorite anime epics, Princess Mononoke was created by
Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an
acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character
design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary
steps here.
 Set
in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions
a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology,
embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara
clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent
Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits
he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote,
and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like
monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon
god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest
to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the
midst of human political intrigues as well as the more
crucial battle between man and nature.
 Transformers
- Complete Season 1 Boxed Set
There are robots ... and then there are ROBOTS IN DISGUISE! When
the Transformers was introduced nearly 20 years ago, it popularized
a unique concept - vehicles that kids can change to robots and back
again. For a generation of fans this show served as an introduction
to anime, so we are pleased to see the series come out on DVD.
 At
its heart, the tale of the Transformers is a simple one:
living mechanical beings from the planet Cybertron are
engaged in a civil war, with heroic Autobots warring
against the evil Decepticons. In cartoons, comic books,
and – most importantly – the imaginations of
the fans, the battles are told with action, drama, comedy,
pathos, cunning, tragedy, betrayal, and high-flying adventure.
This special set features all 16 episodes are in chronological
order digitally remastered from original 35mm negative
on 3 discs, plus a special 4th disc which features everything
from Japanese bumpers to highlights from a 2001 Transformers
Convention.
 Vampire
Hunter D
The classic 1985 “goth meets anime” film is now out on
DVD. While the style and film techniques seem somewhat dated, it
is still worth the viewing for anyone interested in a good action
packed gothic thriller. The DVD features both English and Japanese
language soundtracks with optional English subtitles. It also has
a documentary featurette, deleted footage, and an artwork gallery
by Amano among its supplements.
 Vampire
Hunter D takes place in 12090 AD, where werewolves, mutants
and vampire roam the world. The movie stars “D”,
a haunted half-human, half-vampire warrior, wanders the
countryside of a feudalistic future, hunting his own
kind while battling his own evil nature. Like a rogue
samurai, the silent, solitary hero wanders into a small
hamlet terrorized by the all-powerful Count, a monstrous
vampire lord, and his demonic minions from a castle that
casts a long shadow over the countryside. The Count has
claimed the human Doris (who wields a mean cutlass herself)
as his bride. D becomes her protector and–when she's
captured by the Count's shape-shifting minions–her
savior. Designed in slashes and sharp, angular images
and directed with abrupt explosions of lightning-fast
action, Vampire Hunter D is violent and bloody in the
mode of a samurai adventure.
 Hard
Boiled - VHS
Director John Woo has moved into the ranks of the American film world
with hits like Face/Off and Broken Arrow, but few Americans know
about his Hong Kong history. He made over thirty films in Hong Kong,
amongst the best were The Killer and Hard Boiled. Criterion has done
a nice job packaging this title as it includes little gems like trailers
for 11 of Woo's Hong Kong films and even a student film by John Woo.
 Hard
Boiled stars Chow Yun-fat (The Replacement Killers) plays
a take-no-prisoners cop on the trail of the triad, the
Hong Kong Mafia, when his partner is killed during a
gun battle. His guilt propels him into an all-out war
against the gang, including an up-and-coming soldier
in the mob (Tony Leung) who turns out to be an undercover
cop. The two men must come to terms with their allegiance
to the force and their loyalty to each other as they
try to take down the gangsters. A stunning feast of hyperbolic
action sequences (including a climactic sequence in an
entire hospital taken hostage), Hard-Boiled is a rare
treat for fans of the action genre, with sequences as
thrilling and intense as any ever committed to film.
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 Digital
Beauties
by Julius Weidemann
This is the first book in a new series on digital culture focuses
on beauty and cutting-edge computer-generated female characters.
Whereas most books on digital creation concentrate on technique
and include detailed "how-to get started guides",
Digital Beauties is all about exploring the artistic achievements
of today's best designers without a lot of complicated technical
jargon.
 Here
you'll discover a host of digital beauties
from all around the world and a dizzying
array of styles and techniques-moody black-and-white
nudes, surreal portraits, Lara Croft-style
adventure chicks, sleek ultra-futuristic
babes, etc. Both 2D and 3D design are covered,
with an emphasis on the latter; some images
are so stunningly lifelike it's hard to believe
they're 100% computer generated.
 Fruits
by Shoichi Aoki
Fruits is a collection of Tokyo street fashion portraits
from Japan's premier street fanzine of the same name. 'Fruits'
was established in 1994, by photographer Shoichi Aoki, initially
as a project to document the growing explosion in street
fashion within the suburbs of Tokyo. Over the last five years,
the magazine has grown to cult status and is now avidly followed
by thousands of Japanese teenagers who also use the magazine
as an opportunity to check out the latest styles and trends.
 The
clothing that these teens wear are a
mixture of high fashion – Vivienne
Westwood is a keen favorite– and
homemade ensembles which when combined
create a novel, if not hysterical, effect.
This extensive collection of portraits
represents a unique documentation of
the changing face of street fashion throughout
the last decade. Colorful, fascinating
and funny, this is the first time these
cult images have been published outside
Japan.
 My
New York Diary
by Julie Doucet
Yes we know it's not anime, but that doesn't mean Julie Doucet
isn't cool! Among the younger generation of alternative comix
artists, Doucet stands out for her engaging combination of
a cartoonish style and frank realism; her autobiographical
tales are tough and self-effacing, bitchy and sweet, and
all peopled with her rubbery characters with goofy oversized
heads. Her rich comedic style softens the scuzziness of the
endless cockroaches and garbage-strewn sidewalks seem funny
in her heavily littered frames. With her new beau, Julie
guzzles beer by the case, begins to worry about work, and
longs to move closer to the action on the Lower East Side.
As her career takes off (there is a RAW party scene with
a cameo by Art Spiegelman), her lovers career goes nowhere,
and he grows increasingly angry and needy, a pattern that
culminates in a particularly awful scene on the subway.
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 Sushi
3003
Bungalow have a reputation for releasing great music, and this
CD is a good example of their work. Sushi 3003 includes better
known Japanese Pop acts like Kahimi Karie who sings her big
hit "Good Morning World" (which started it's life
as a make-up commercial in Japan), our lontime favorite Pizzicato
Five and pop megastar Cornelius. There are also other bands
which aren’t as well known, but equally wonderful. Offbeat
tracks like "Sweden, Heaven and Hell" by K-Taro is
a nice surprise, bringing a classic Muppets song into the mix.
These songs are fun, and remarkably light-hearted. Quite simply,
the music is relaxing and on the converse, danceable. You won’t
be disappointed.
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