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 Tenchi
Muyo - OVA DVD Boxed Set
If you've seen the Tenchi Muyo TV Series on Cartoon Network, and
are already familiar with the characters, then you'll find this OVA
series worth every penny. If you haven't seen the series and aren't
familiar with the characters, well, you're in for a treat – try
and imagine a bizarre and quirky blend of action/adventure, comedy,
romance, sci-fi, fantasy/magic, and heartfelt emotion along with
quite a few bizarre twists and turns. Combine a wacky storyline (shades
of Urusei Yatsura) with some amazingly deep and interesting characters,
add a dash of insightful writing and you've got a winner of a series.
 Tenchi
Muyo is made up of many multiverses. Rather than following
a single storyline, or even two, each unit is practically
independent of the others. This can seem confusing initially,
but it's the interaction between the characters that
remains consistent and ultimately, really what makes every
part of the Tenchi universe worth watching. The Tenchi
OVA series is by most standards the best of the Tenchi
multiverses. The animation is high quality and the story
compact. The costuming and technology design of the series
is stylistically superior to the rest of the multiverses,
and is among the best of anime in general.
Also highly recommended (once you're familiar with the characters)
is the movie Tenchi
Muyo in Love. This film is so true to the characters and situations
that after seeing this film, you'll fall in love with the series
all over again. And of course, the animation is outstanding in its
quality.
 Cowboy
Bebop –
Complete Sessions Collection
You think you've seen this on Cartoon Network? Well, you haven't
really unless you see it uncut and uncensored on this DVD set. Cowboy
Bebop is simply one of the best things ever made for the small screen.
Considering that this was made as a TV show, the level of detail
is astounding – you'll want to pause and rewatch each and every
frame.
 And
speaking of rewatching each and every frame, you are
urged to watch and rewatch episode 5 "Ballad of
Fallen Angels", which, during a 2 minute sequence
where Spike is thrown out of a window, they managed to
squeeze in more plot than most Hollywood films! And all
without using a word of dialogue! Cowboy Bebop is one
of those rare occurrences in anime where the
art of the filmmaking is of such high caliber that
it ceases to be a "cartoon", it even ceases
to be a TV show – the characters and situations
take on their own life and it becomes so real that it
transcends the medium and becomes it's own genre.
 Mobile
Suit Gundam – The 08th MS Team (DVD)
Much like the original
series, this mini-series takes place in U.C. 0079 – but
while Amuro Ray was battling Char in outer space, another battle
was being fought between the Federation and the Zeon in the jungles
of South America. This 13-part series follows the career of the extremely
idealistic Shiro Amada, a soldier who fights hard, but, won't sacrifice
his hope for peace, even in the face of atrocities committed by both
sides of the conflict. Naturally, this gets him into serious trouble
with his superiors and he's even suspected of being an enemy agent.
The fact that he's in love with a woman from the other side doesn't
help things either.
 On
production value alone, this series is definitely the
highlight of the entire Gundam franchise. The mecha design
is believable and you get to see the gears and hydraulics
that make Gundams work. Of particular note is episode
6, where the entire series just "clicks" into
high gear, with amazing action and sound editing well
above average. Listen to how different the "room
tone" is between the interior of the Mobile Suits
and the Hover Tank, and then of course, that spectacular
ending where the fade out is cued to the frame where
the sun is blocked by the trail of smoke. That kind of
attention to detail is prevalent throughout the series
and makes it the most enjoyable of all the incarnations
of Gundam.
 Star
Blazers: Quest for Iscandar (DVD)
We're off to outer space, we're leaving mother Earth, so save the
human race…. It's a blast from the past! So classic that it
must be seen to be appreciated. Okay, the animation is a little crude
looking compared to the ultra-slick anime of today, but don't be
put off by it – this series has the greatest plot ever put to
the screen. It was in many ways the blueprint for so many films that
followed, both in Japan and in the U.S. (Star Wars, Battlestar
Galactica, etc., all owe their lineage to a sunken
WWII battleship).
 Created
by anime legend Leiji Matsumoto (Harlock, Galaxy
Express), Star Blazers (Uchu Senkan Yamato in Japan)
spawned 3 TV series, 5 movies, a zillion copycats and
next to Mobile Suit Gundam was one of the longest running
anime franchises in Japan. And it all started here with
these simple words: In the year 2199 Earth is under attack
from the mysterious planet Gamilon. Gamilon planet bombs
cover the Earth with radioactivity and as a result, Earth
has one year to live. But, on the planet Iscandar, there
is a machine which can remove the radioactivity. Queen
Starsha offers it to the people of Earth. A team of star
blazers undertake the perilous journey, but, can they
travel 148,000 light years and back in just one Earth
year?
When the show hit the airwaves in America (1979), it created the
first legions of anime fans who continue to hail it to this day.
Make no mistake – the storyline and characters are classic and
memorable. The music and art direction are top notch and (for the
time) above reproach. It was, and remains the most original and revered
anime series of all time. The DVD also has special features like
a complete interactive map of the Star Force's journey which make
this a "must have" for an old time fan.
 Hidden
Fortress (DVD)
Akira Kurosawa isn't just the master of Japanese Cinema, he's one
of the great masters of all cinema, worldwide. His work is up there
with Orson
Welles, Martin
Scorsese, John
Ford, Stanley
Kubrick, Alfred
Hitchcock and the other all-time great directors. His work has
so influenced other filmmakers that many classic films we know and
love pay homage to his work in every other shot.
 This
film, The Hidden Fortress, starring
that Kurosawa staple Toshiro Mifune, was a big influence
on a budding young director named George
Lucas when he sat down and started writing a little
film called Star Wars. But please, don't hold that against
this film, this is so much more than that. Kurosawa's
genius in composing a shot makes every scene an epic
in itself.
While
the VHS version is also available, the Criterion
Collection DVD is an excellent transfer, with plenty
of extras, restored sound, and best of all, the correct
aspect ratio for what is Kurosawa's first cinemascope
(widescreen) films. Film fans rejoice - Akira Kurosawa's
films get the treatment they deserve. Even George Lucas
thinks this is worth having.
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 Instant
Immersion Japanese
Hajimemashite, dozo yoroshiku. It's "Hooked on Phonics" meets "Learn
Japanese". With this 4 CDROM set for all versions of Windows
(i.e., 95 and up), learning Japanese has never been so fun or so
easy! With an intuitive interface and clever graphics you'll be learning
Japanese words and memorizing the proper syntax in no time. Plus
there's an assortment of mini-programs to help you along, such as "Jquicktrans" which
provides a handy Kanji lookup table, so learning the written language
becomes as quick and easy and learning the spoken language.
Make no mistake, there's a learning curve — learning an entirely
different language is no easy task and you'll need to dedicate yourself
to really doing the work. But, at such a low price, you won't find
a better deal for an introduction to Japanese. Although the four
discs don't necessarily offer a linear course to follow, any user
will be able to pick out the pieces they're most interested in to
get a solid introduction to Japanese.
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 Emily:
The Strange
Meet Emily, the peculiar soul with long black hair, a wit of
fire, and a posse of slightly sinister black cats. Emily the
Strange, her first book, captures the quintessential Emily,
featuring her most beloved quips and a host of new ones, i.e "Emily
doesn't break rules, she breaks hearts", (or something
to that effect). If your a fan of Edward
Gorey or listen to too much goth
music then this is the book for you!
 Anarchist,
heroine, survivor, this little girl with
a big personality appeals to the odd child
in us all. One of the best parts of this
book is the unique use of ink - figure/ground
reversal...implied by the cover, much of
the art is silouhette. Another wonderful
feature is the printing...they really made
use of veneer techniques, i.e. if you look
at certain pages at the right angle in the
right light, you can see phantasmagoric typography
, "cat eyes", and other such hidden
treasures.
 Manga!
Manga! : The World of Japanese Comics
This intense study of the development of Manga and
it's influence on Japanese society is still a treat to read
even though this book was first published more than 20 years
ago. Fred Schodt's close relationship with "manganokamisama" Osamu
Tezuka allowed him a unqiue insight into a world where
the comic book is read by everyone, in every walk of life,
with no boundaries between class or status. In short, if you
want to know about how manga (and anime) has become what it
is, this book is a must-read. Schodt's depth of material is
staggering, covering every aspect and genre of manga, and included
are many samples of both male and female
manga (men generally read action/adventure manga, while
women prefer romance manga) and their various sub-genres.
 Asian
Pop Cinema :
Bombay to Tokyo
Please Note: This
book is out of print, but it's well worth buying a used copy!
This is a passionately researched and nicely designed book
which explores the most thrilling popular films from Hong Kong
to China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Southeast
Asia, and India. No genre is left untouched. While the author
Lee Server is clearly well rounded in cinematic history, he
focuses on the action, horror, fantasy, erotic, gangster, and
animated films that have emerged most recently.
 The
author explores films that have often been
overlooked by film critics and he brings
them to light with concise descriptions that
are aided by bright, exciting visuals. In
addition to presenting films to us, the book
also includes some amazing interviews with John
Woo, Tomoso Hosokai, Eddie
Romero, and others which reveal to us
the passion and intelligence that makes these
filmmakers important. Asian Pop Cinema is
a delicious treat for fans of Eastern cinema,
and a splendid introduction for novices in
search of enlightenment.
 101
Un-useless Japanese Inventions: The Art of Chindogu
Author Kenji Kawakami has invented a wide range of silly gadgets
which have a Rube
Goldberg sense of humor with a zen flavor. Some of the
featured chindogu (translated as "an odd or distorted
tool") are Duster Slippers for Cats (for feline assistance
with tedious housework), the Full Body Umbrella (for day-long
all-over dryness), the Fish Face Cover (helps get the fish
cut up with minimum emotional trauma), and the Temporary Ladies'
Room Converter (stake your claim to the facilities). 101 Un-useless
Japanese Inventions displays the above contraptions (along
with many more) all lovingly photographed "in action."
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 Sailor
Moon and The Scouts: Lunarock
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that Sailormoon has
great music. Even the American adaptation had fantastic songs
and inspired
an audio CD. However, that first CD to come out from the
American adaptation of Sailormoon didn't feature any of the Japanese
music.
 This
new CD tailors more to the hardcore anime
fan as it features two Japanese tracks, "Moonlight
Densetsu," (the original Japanese opening
theme song), and "Ai No Senshi" from
Sailor Moon R. Of the five original American
tunes, Sailor Moon (Jennifer Cihi) has another
single, her peppy battle theme "The
Power of Love" (definitely one of the
best on the CD). Two other singles are Sailor
Jupiter's "Daddy's Girl" (a gentle
lament about growing up) and Sailor Mars's
comforting "Nothing at All." The
final two are the three Sailor Scouts' yeah-yeah
trio about boys, "I Want Someone to
Love," and Sailor Moon and Mars's musical
spat, "Who Do You Think You Are?"
Clearly, the producers of Sailormoon are listening to the fan
base by bringing us this new album that includes music from
the original series. If you're a fan of Sailormoon this CD
is a must-have. It's more balanced than the first CD, and gives
you the added bonus of the two Japanese tracks. Who
could ask for anything more?
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