Battle of the Planets (DVD)
This is EASILY the best DVD to come along in years! This AMAZING disc allows you to compare and contrast the ORIGINAL "Gatchaman" episodes with the Americanized adaptions of both "Battle of the Planets" (Sandy Frank Productions) and the later adaption (done by Turner) of "G-Force".

Released by Rhino, who make those great compliation CDs, this DVD is a fanboy dream come true. It allows us the dual role of becoming nostalgic for a great show remembered in childhood (BotP was a big favorite of ours... Until along came Star Blazers!), while at the same time allowing us to become the nit-picky fanboys we are, and see how jarring the inclusion of "7-Zark-7" was and how much of the true plot and action were sacrificed in the name of children's broadcast standards. If you ever watched this show and wondered what the hell that R2-D2 rip-off was doing there, you've got to get this disc and see how it really went. Gatchaman is certainly one the most stellar creations of the Tatsunoko studio, and definitely one that has inspired the legions of animators that followed.

Outlaw Star (Collection 1) DVD
With what may be the best opening song since the original Hokoto No Ken, this series starts off like a rocket and doesn't stop until you get to the Galactic Leyline. The motley crew of title spacecraft is assembled over the first few episodes, and if you've seen Cowboy Bebop, you'll no doubt recognize quite a few of the same voice actors. They do an impressive job of bringing to life the zany characters -- from the troubled, brooding Gene Starwind who's afraid to fly in space, to the hysterical "cat-girl" Aisha Clanclan who seems to have a knack for getting into trouble.

Or perhaps you think you've seen this already because it aired on Cartoon Network? Guess again! This uncut version is rated 13 Up for nudity, sexual situations, profanity, and violence. Yeah, that's right, Melfina's hot-pants and bra were digitally painted on for the American broadcast -- wait'll you see her when she bonds with the ship's navigation system in this version! Overall, the series does a great job of combining the action with a good amount of humor, while at the same time, drawing you nearer and nearer to the mystery of the treasure that they all seek at the leyline.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Spirit Detective (DVD)
Any anime that kills off the main character in the very first epsiode has our vote! Yu Yu Hakusho is a very surprising series, mostly in that we didn't expect it to be as good as it is. As with Dragonball and Dragonball Z, Funimation has a knack for picking a quirky series with interesting characters that help sustain a complex plot along with enough hand-to-hand combat to keep up the level of action.

Yusuke Urameshi turns out to be a very interesting character -- he's definitely got more brains than he's letting on, which is probably why he was given a second chance in life as a spirit detective, rather than just staying dead. But in this first DVD, dead he does stay -- at least for a while. And his guide, Boton, is really cute -- aside from the fact that she's supposed to be the Grim Reaper (hey, maybe death ain't so bad!). Most entertaining is the brainless but indestructable Kuwabara, who can take more damage and keep flying than a B-17. If you like DBZ, you'll go for this as well. It's got action, it's clever, and the characters are a lot of fun.

Dragon Ball Z - Movie Boxed Set (DVD)
This boxed set of films contains the three best of the 13 DBZ movies, uncut, "Dead Zone", "World's Strongest" and "Tree of Might", and is an awesome addition to any DBZ fan's collection.

"Dead Zone": Garlic Junior and his quest to gain immortality while also fufilling his father's dream of transforming the Earth into a world of pure evil. Funniest DBZ movie, and with the most characterization.

"World's Strongest": A mad scientist wants to implant his brain into the world's strongest man (in other words, Goku). However, the scientist is dead, and it's just the brain in a glass jar that continues to survive! (Our pick as best DBZ movie ever!)

"Tree of Might": A Sayian's quest to become the strongest person in the universe with the fruit from the tree of might that only the eternal dragon is allowed to eat from because it gives enormous powers to whom ever eats from it. Saiyan VS Saiyan action!

The Iron Giant (DVD)
This is the finest anime film never made in Japan. It's not cheezy, it's not just for kids, it doesn't preach, and it doesn't have any stupid songs. It's a good, honest movie with a solid script, refreshingly intelligent dialog and likeable characters. You'd have to look far and wide to find a better animated-film made on this side of the planet. A loving attention to detail allows computer animation and traditional cel-work to be smoothly combined in this film, which gives the giant robot of the title a real mechanical feel particularly when he transforms (like a swiss-army knife!).

Regardless, you'll see the familar touches that render this to be essentially "Gigantor The Movie", except that it takes place in the "Cold War Hysteria" of the 1950's where things like "Duck and Cover" were a reality. In fact, the older you are, the more likely you are to get half the jokes in the film!

Overall, the anime influence is apparent, and yet, there's an impressive amount of originality, particularly in the humorous sequences where Hogarth must hide the independent bits-of-'bot that are all scurrying to get back to the head to rebuild the Giant after an unfortunate run-in with a locomotive. This sequence, made all the more hilarious due to the mother (voiced by Jennifer Aniston) and federal agent snooping around, is critical to the overall plot, as you'll see later in the film -- it's not just "thrown-in" for comedy, as is often seen in films like this from other American animation studios. This ability to blend the comedy into the film in a way not usually seen makes this a prime example of how to tell a good story -- it's just really an excellent movie. Watch it once and you'll treasure it forever.