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Samurai Champloo
Shinichiro Watanabe's super-cool follow-up to Cowboy Bebop is a tour-de-force of style and substance, it explodes across the screen with the power of an atomic bomb. Joined at the hip-hop with stunning visuals and lush animation (and a Spike look-alike) is a smashing musical score with contributions by both Japanese and American hip-hop artists.
Champloo is cutting-edge in every way and re-defines the medium and genre as a whole. Together with collaborators Kazuto Nakazawa and Mahiro Maeda, Watanabe has created "the" hot anime series to have, and has again, set the standard by which all other anime shall be judged.
Submarine 707R - The Movie
Based on the manga by Satoru Ozawa, this dual-OVA on a disc is a nail-biter that reminds us heavily of Yamato - the grey and red paint job, the "rusting bucket of bolts" with a clever captain versus the latest and greatest technology, and two mavens of the deep who counter each other's moves with precision.
We were impressed by the very slick CGI, it matches the look of the cel-anime without being distracting, and yet, produces some of the most "wow" moments of the film. This limited edition version is packed with extras, such as a 3D modeling demo, creator interviews and an art gallery.
Popotan - Vanishing House (Vol. 1)
Three friendly but weird young sisters lead a nomadic life as their stately house transports them from one universe to another. (Shades of Sliders?) They make the best of it with their special powers and a red-headed maid who acts like Dorothy from The Big O. No, this isn't The Twilight Zone, it's a series called Popotan.
Studio Shaft and writer Jukki Hanada do to fantasy with Popotan what they did to science fiction with Mahromatic Automatic Maiden. It's warm-hearted fun despite the nudity and scatological jokes. Director Shinchiro Kimura (Sugar, Hand Maid May) brings you a magical, mystery tour. Prepare to leer, prepare to smirk, but most of all, prepare to smile.
Now and Then, Here and There (Complete Collector's Boxed Set)
Very few anime in recent years have focused on the true brutality of war, most anime glorifies battle and the hero comes through unscathed. Not so with this series. Hang on to your seats, this is one ride you don't want to miss. Deep, dark, depressing, and gritty, this powerful and wonderfully crafted series is like falling into a mineshaft of despair.
 While you will no doubt cry your eyes out over this show, it won't leave you suicidally depressed, as with Grave of the Fireflies. Infused within the complex storyline is a morality tale of hope, survival, trust and duty. Ultimately, it is uplifting. We wish more anime were so raw and honest, and this series deserves an honored spot in your collection.
Thunderbirds Megaset
The Japanese are just nuts about Thunderbirds, and it's easy to see why. Very few TV shows have ever fetishised gadgetry the way this one has. The characters take a back seat to the technology, which is the way most anime works as well. But one has to marvel at the technology -- imaginative and stylish, with wonderful Derek Meddings FX work.
Thunderbirds has such long-lasting appeal the Japanese ripped it off as Techoboyagers, which in turn, was dubbed into English as Thunderbirds 2086 by Robert Mandell, who then turned his attentions to Galaxy Rangers. Furthermore, Jonathan Frakes recently directed a live action Thunderbirds Movie. Gerry Anderson Supermarionation is FAB!
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Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (PS2)
A high octane third person action shooter set in a vast gaming world faithful to the original anime TV series. Use the Major's incredible fighting skills and firepower against deadly cyborgs - multiple high-tech firearms, graceful fighting moves, wall-jumping techniques and even thermal camouflage. Gameplay is fluid and beautiful, with moves and combos drawn straight from the anime series and stunning slow-mo graphical presentation of killer moves.
 The machine world is at your disposal here -- jack into security cameras to see enemy positions, control tiny robots to reach areas you can't enter and much more -- The ability to hack into the minds of an enemy's brain and temporarily control them lets players launch devastating attacks from within the enemy ranks and makes for incredibly original gameplay.
Laying waste to an unsuspecting host of opponents by controlling the mind of one of their own kind is an exhilarating experience, and even when they realize and gun their assailant down, the connection simply closes and control reverts to the player's chosen character who remains completely unharmed. Cool!.
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Manga: 60 Years of Japanese Comics
Until now, the only two substantive books about manga as a medium were Frederik L. Schodt's Manga! Manga! and Dreamland Japan. This recently published book is a thoughtful analysis of the manga phenomenon as a whole and covers everything from Osamu Tezuka to current works, and manga's emerging role as a global influence and the major cultural export of Japan.
 The opulently printed artwork and the thoughtful, historically and culturally accurate discussions of the social, aesthetic, and political background of manga make this an important book to own for any anime and manga fan. Get this!
Jimi's Book of Japanese: A Motivating Method to Learn Japanese
Certainly one of the best-looking books of learning Japanese, this amazingly intuitive book makes learning to read, write and pronounce Kana characters something so simplistic, even a young child or older adult can do it!
 You won't be able to put it down, and you'll find that the lessons really stick with you. After all, any book that has monkeys, robots, and assorted other creatures teaching you how to speak Japanese has to be cool -- and this book series certainly is.
The DC Comics Guide to Coloring and Lettering Comics
DC Comics' comprehensive guide to coloring and lettering comics is peppered with examples of creating a mood to a scene with colors, and how one way will differ from another. Using actual comic art panels, the authors use color in a variety of ways within the same art to illustrate their points.
 Authors Mark Chiarello and Todd Klein provide the nuts of bolts of the medium, from the nubs of the pens and the indian ink to tips and tricks of photoshop settings and professional, industry-standard techniques needed to provide dynamic and powerful comic art . If you want to properly ink the noirish hues of the Dark Knight, or paint the steely sheen of the Man of Steel, check this book out.
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Kraftwerk - The Mix
Anybody with a technology, gadget, giant-robot fetish absolutely needs to own this album. The pinnacle of every techo-elite uber-geek, Kraftwerk represents everything we love about being cyberpunk. Although this album is more club-friendly, the remixes are sharp and play well.
 You've probably heard their stuff before as background music, and never known it. You've probably heard homages to their stuff and never realized it. They were light-years ahead of their time and frankly, they still are ahead of everyone else with their funky-electronic sound that's often imitated and never duplicated.
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