Angel's Anime Rating Guide

I finally got to see The Man Who Came To Dinner in its entirety... A legendary Broadway tour de force comes to the screen with Monty Woolley's central performance in The Man Who Came to Dinner. And it's a turn well worth immortalizing. All goatish beard, snapping teeth, and plummy-voiced put-downs, Woolley fully inhabits the role of Sheridan Whiteside, a celebrated author and radio celebrity who gets waylaid by a cracked hip during a visit to small-town Ohio. Bossing the helpless homeowners and bewildered staff from his wheelchair, he quickly fills his hosts' house with his projects (including four penguins) and famous visitors (Ann Sheridan as a self-centered diva, Jimmy Durante as a comedian based on Harpo Marx). Bette Davis goes for a quieter role than usual as Whiteside's assistant; she falls for a local newspaperman, drippily played by Richard Travis. They all revolve around the seated figure of Woolley, his hands drumming on his armrests, his teeth bared as tho

Yesterday, I spent some time watching Ruin Explorers ... Get ready for the hottest fantasy adventure of the year and you won't need any magic cards or dungeon dice! The RUIN EXPLORERS are here and they're willing to do just about anything to make a buck! Move over Merlin! Back off Bilbo! When lovely young adventurers Fam and Ihrie take on a dangerous assignment to recover a fabled weapon of unbelievable power, an entire civilization is about to turn over on its foundations! If Fam can just stay focused for more than three seconds and if Ihrie can only get rid of that annoying curse, they might live long enough to squander the fabulous wealth they've been promised! It's a sizzling tale of cryptic conundrums, buried treasure, gorgeous girls in varying states of distress and undress, great prophecies and even bigger profit margins! Make plenty of room on your shelves for RUIN EXPLORERS, or be prepared to become just another relic of the past! Volume 1 If Fam can just

After reading a report on the Anime News Network about a contest to show off our otaku pride, I realized that my comfy little corner of the universe needed a bit of attention... Seven Seas Entertainment, in cooperation with Square Enix, are hosting an "Are You an Otaku?" contest to promote the upcoming American release of Jiro Suzuki's manga series "I, Otaku: Struggle in Akihabara." Entrants are requested to submit two photos revealing the extent of their anime/manga collection. The grand prize winner will receive an original color illustration from artist Jiro Suzuki and ten Seven Seas manga. Runners up will receive a copy of the first "I, Otaku" manga... In the attached image, made up from three photographs, you can see a sample of the VHS collection. I've got about 1,700 VHS tapes stacked on shelves that go floor to ceiling on three and a half walls. I've got about 1,600 DVDs that share shelf space with the VHS tapes. I've also go

Well, I read in the trade papers that Geneon US has decided to cease operations as of September 28, 2007. What does this mean for me? I just developed an interest in Black Lagoon and it looks like any releases beyond this coming Friday (the 28th) are in doubt. The trade papers suggest that there might still be new titles forthcoming into November, but, I have my doubts. I've looked up Geneon's releases (past and upcoming) and found a handful of entries that I might look into before they disappear into the void. Among the soon to be departed: Haibane Renmei , Ergo Proxy , Chobits ... The Haibane, who look like angels with halos and small wings, share a walled town with humans. Both groups are forbidden to leave. Rakka awakens from a portentious dream when she emerges from a huge cocoon as Haibane. She was apparently human once, but can only remember fragments of that existence. She quickly settles into Old Home, a former dormitory where the Haibane live when they're not

I picked up the Freedom DVD hoping that it might play on my DVD player, but, sadly, my player doesn't recognize the disc. So, this particular title will have to sit on the bottom of the pile of unwatched anime. The plain white packaging isn't really any good and at 25 minutes and $40, Freedom is very short and very over-priced, but, the story seemed worth a shot. What a waste... Volume 1 In the 23rd century, mankind has fled earth and emigrated to the moon. The last outpost of civilization is the Lunar Republic of Eden, where the omnipresent Citizens Administration Council grants residents everything they need - except their freedom. His mandatory education complete, 15-year-old Takeru is in a six-month period of freedom while the Council determines his social status. Uneasy about the future, Takeru and friends decide to race their customized Lunar Terrain Vehicle in the ultimate tube race! Volume 2 During routine maintenance on the lunar surface, Takeru finds a stran

I picked up the Blackstar box set today. When his space shuttle is pulled through a black hole, astronaut John Blackstar finds himself crash-landing on the distant planet Sagar. There, he is rescued by the gentle Trobbits, a race small in stature but big in courage. Sagar's inhabitants are threatened by the brutal tyranny of the Overlord, a dark magician who possesses the Powersword, one half of the powerful Powerstar. Blackstar soon gains the other half of the weapon, the Starsword, and allies himself with others - the shape-shifter Klone, the sorceress, Mara, and a dragon named Warlock - to bring freedom and peace to Sagar. I was about 12 years old when Blackstar aired. Blackstar was an influential 1981 cartoon that was Filmation's answer to Thundarr the Barbarian and is considered to be the direct predecessor to He-Man. It imbued sword and sorcery fantasy with science-fiction and it lasted a mere 13 episodes but it's format became the nucleus of the successful Maste

Continuing my trip down memory lane, I've picked up The Secrets of Isis series box set. Oh Mighty Isis! She was Saturday morning's first live-action super-heroine, saving lives and stopping crime in a mini-skirt and go-go boots on The Secrets of Isis! When science teacher Andrea Thomas unearthed a lost treasure on an archaeological dig, she found that the mystical amulet endowed her with the powers given to the ancient Egyptian Queen, Isis! Now granted the powers of animals and the elements, Isis soars as the falcon soared, runs with the speed of gazelles, and commands the elements of the sky and the earth. Although her secret identity is unknown to even her closest friends, fellow teacher Rick Mason, or students Cindy Lee and Renee Carrol, Andrea uses her powers as Isis to stop criminals, save lives, right wrongs, and teach valuable lessons... sometimes with the aid of fellow hero Captain Marvel (Shazam!). Now available on DVD for the first time, the entire two seasons of

This past weekend I went to see The Bourne Ultimatum ... All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. He must travel from Moscow, Paris, Madrid and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne—all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs. I had seen the first two installments and I was sure that the third installment was going to be just as good as the first two. In this installment, Jason comes home to the U.S. and matches wits with agents bent on his capture and destruction. Like the earlier incarnations, this installment features exotic locations, fantastic figh

I was out and about looking for new and wonderful anime and guess what came home with me instead... Working from within a secretive section of Space Academy, a daring soldier of fortune named Jason joins with his friends to combat the sinister forces that conspire to dominate the stars. Jason is aided on his missions by Commanders Carnavin and Stone, computer expert Nicole, strong alien Samantha, eccentric scientist Dr. E.J. Parsafoot, and two robots, Peepo and the portable W1K1. Together they face the evil machinations of Dragos - the self-proclaimed "Master of the Cosmos" - and his alien minions aboard the Dragonship. Believe it or don't... Jason of Star Command was a hit when it aired on Saturday mornings, beginning on January 19, 1978 on CBS. The most expensive children's show on television (at roughly $200,000 per episode), the series utilized sets and props from its predecessor, Space Academy , and featured veterans of Star Trek among its cast, plus special

I've been an anime fan for many years. But, before I was an anime fan, I was a comic book fan. I started out with DC, but, as I got older my tastes in comic books changed and I moved on to Marvel. Eventually, my tastes in comic books would change again and I moved on to independent releases. After a while, I started to lose interest in comic books altogether. I liked certain comic book characters, but, I always seemed to be drawn to series that no one else liked. I struggled to find a series that would hang around long enough to really satisfy me, but, in the end, it was a losing proposition. Finally, when anime in the form we all know and love, exploded onto the scene, I was hooked. My interest in anime started long before I knew what anime was -- with TV shows like Marine Boy , Speed Racer , Battle of the Planets and Starblazers . All of the aforementioned series used to be re-run on local TV stations for many years while I was in my formative years. They were unlike any

I've just picked up Babylon 5: The Lost Tales ... Times change. Dangers remain. 10 years after he became President of the Interstellar Alliance, Sheridan prepares for a fateful Babylon 5 reunion that could prevent Earth's impending doom...if he will also compromise his core principles. Meanwhile, commander Lochley confronts an unexpected interloper on the way station - a being whose presence makes the B5 freeport the crossroads between heaven and hell. In Voices in the Dark, Series creator J. Michael Straczynski reunites with stars Bruce Boxleitner and Tracy Scoggins in two richly imagined stories set after the events of the original series. Richly imagined, too, is Straczynski's vision of the 23rd century (including a dazzling New York City) - a vision made more spectacular via filmmaking technology unavailable during the original series. To start with, thanks to advances in technology, the CG effects are much better. But, aside from a fresh coat of paint, there's n

I've always had a soft spot for vampires. Today, I stopped by one of my favorite haunts and picked up the first four installments of the ten-part Hellsing Ultimate OVA series and the four volumes of the Hellsing TV series... Hellsing (TV) Volume 1 A secret war is brewing in the night - a war in which humanity is only a pawn. The mysterious Hellsing Organization deploys within the shadows to protect ordinary mortals from the undead legions that would prey upon us. Now, as the ghouls and vampires increase in number, they threaten the human police forces forcing the deployment of the Hellsing Organization's ultimate weapon - the rogue vampire, Alucard! After saving Victoria Seras Victoria, a special police operative from death by transforming her into a vampire, Alucard must work with her to fight the undead army - as well as her own newfound hungers! Volume 2 Alucard and the Hellsing Organization face a twofold challenge! A traitor within begins leaking classified i

Recently, I picked up  Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya ... I thought that when I entered high school, my days of believing in aliens, time travelers and ESPers were over. That was, until she introduced herself. Claiming to be interested in only aliens, time travelers, and ESPers, Haruhi Suzumiya was the strangest girl I'd met in a long time... Before I knew what was going on, I'd been dragged into her weird club, and it looks like I'm not the only one who has been drafted into this 'SOS Brigade' of hers, because there are three other students here who don't seem to be so ordinary themselves. Either way, we've all found ourselves caught up in Haruhi's quest to search for all things extraordinary. I've had a chance to look at Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya . The story centers around Haruhi, an energetic and rather eccentric teenage girl who wishes that aliens, people from the future and ESPers really existed. The story is told from the point of view of

Recently, I took the opportunity to watch  Master of Mosquiton ... Life in the 1920's was a great adventure. And for Mosquiton, so was death. Once a terrifying vampire, Mosquiton ends up blood-bound to a seventeen-year-old treasure hunter, Inaho, who's obsessed with the secret of immortality. Inaho decides to drag Mosquiton around the world on a quest for the O-Parts, magic artifacts that can grant immortal life without the unpleasant side effects of vampirism. However, an army of ancient monsters stands in their way, along with Mosquiton's perpetually naked ex-wife of 300 years! I have a soft spot for vampires. So, way back in the misty dawn of time, when AD Vision had the distribution rights (circa 1999) to Master of Mosquiton , I picked up the first of three volumes on VHS right away. But, it sat on my pile of unwatched anime for a good long while. Long enough for distribution rights to change hands. When Master of Mosquiton was re-released on DVD, it was released in