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Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Anime Review by Karen Gellender
 Now that Puella Magi Madoka Magica (or Madoka for short) has finished airing, the debate begins: Was Madoka a complete deconstruction of the magical girl genre, leaving an unmistakable mark on the exploits of these pint-sized superheroines, now and forever? Or was it just an innovative magical girl series, refreshingly free of all the filler and predictable conventions magical girl fans have come to expect, but no more than the sum of its parts?
Time will tell, but either way, anyone with even a passing interest in either magical girl shows- actually, strike that, anyone interested in anime PERIOD-needs to watch it pronto; it's well on its way to making that short list of shows that every anime fan worth their salt needs to have seen to keep up appearances. Read More...
Sketchbook ~full color's~
Anime Review by Karen Gellender
 Sketchbook: full colors might just be the most relaxing anime ever made. The pacing is languid-something that will no doubt bore some viewers before it even really gets started- and very little of consequence actually happens in it. However, for viewers with more than a little patience in the mood for a slice of life show, it can be not only charming, but enchanting. Viewers who draw in particular may find themselves wanting to fly into the screen and accompany quiet little Sora on her ongoing quest to recreate the world in her humble sketchbook. Read More...
Fairy Tail
Anime Review by John Martone
 Lions, tigers, and magic guilds oh my! The anime adaptation of Hiro Mashima's similarly named manga, Fairy Tail, takes the viewers into the well worn territory of a magical fantasy shonen series. Probably best known for his work on Rave Master, this is indeed the same creator, but our subject today is considerably more polished.
Almost a statement on tropes, Fairy Tail an the action comedy series that takes place in a fantasy setting, where magic is fairly common, and practitioners seem predisposed to joining guilds of like minded individuals. Read More...
RideBack
Anime Review by Brian Cirulnick
 Rin Ogata had no intention of being a hero, or a terrorist, but somehow, in the space of just 12 episodes, she goes from ballet dancer to the most wanted criminal in Japan to unexpectedly saving the entire country from military totalitarianism. And she does it with just a motorcycle. Well, a motorcycle with *arms*.
And by arms we don't mean weapons, we mean arms with hands attached.
Rideback recalls the halcyon days of Megazone 23 or Mospeada, except that here, the motorcycle doesn't transform into full-fledged mecha, it's more a Segway-Motorcycle-Mecha hybrid. You can ride it like a motorcycle, but most prefer when the wheels are side by side and you are seated higher-up, hence the term "Rideback", it's like riding on someone's back. Read More...
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Soul of Chogokin GX-24M Tetsujin 28 Blue Metallic
 For all you old skool anime collectors, this is a must-have! Tetsujin 28 is also known as "Ironman 28" (or "Gigantor" in the U.S.), and Bandai has applied a brilliant multi-hued metallic paint job to Tetsujin 28, making him gleam like no other toy of its kind. Tetsujin 28 has built-in LED lights in his eyes, stands approximately 7 inches tall, and includes a stand, communicator unit, and a plastic figure of his master, Shotaro (Jimmy Sparks in the U.S.).
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Cosplay in America
Anime Book Review by Brian Cirulnick
 You NEED to buy this book. Seriously.
Photographer/author Ejen Chuang maxed out credit cards to travel to six anime conventions across America to prepare this book. Five months were spent photographing 1,651 cosplayers from coast to coast followed by another six months of editing.
The result is a hard bound coffee table book of cosplayers captured at the conventions. Through these pages one can see the many faces of Americans - of different race, background, and age all united under the love of anime. Read More...
Face Food
Japanese Cooking Book Review by Linda Yau
 In American culture, edible food art has became a phenomenon that is pleasing for the eyes so while some people may feel some sadness about cutting, spooning or forking into these beautiful looking tasty morsels. In Japanese cultures there are reasons why parents of family members would want to make Charabens. This is either for child's social popularity, for the child's appetite, or a way to know what the child is putting in their mouth. Ask a typical Japanese child at lunch time and see if they have the same feelings about gobbling up a Charaben.
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Rin-Ne
Manga Review
by Linda Yau
 Death and reincarnation are aspects well noted within Asian cultures, so as a human life ends, according to Buddhist beliefs they are supposed to be reincarnated. Japan as an island nation has a historic background of adapting foreign culture aspects and merging it with their own culture. Shinigami (Grim Reapers), youkai (demons) and superstition is quite commonly referred in Rin-Ne. So before I go into a discussion similar to how I have experienced a Charles Dunbar's Shinigami and Death Gods convention panel. Just understand that Rumiko Takahashi's latest series is just beginning starting and a word of advice on taking this series slowly. Read More...
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