Angel's Anime Rating Guide

I picked up Vampire Knight recently... Volume 1 At prestigious Cross Academy, there are two sessions of classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. As the school's Disciplinary Committee, Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu keep watch over the Day Class students, who are all infatuated with the beautiful, elite Night Class students. As Guardians, Yuki and Zero must also protect the secret of the Night Class - they're all vampires! Volume 2 A new teacher arrives at Cross Academy with a hidden identity and possibly deadly connection to Zero, whose suffering is driving him to desperation. Yuki's feelings are torn between Zero and Kaname, and her determination to help Zero may lead her to betray the one she loves most. Volume 3 Yuki and Zero have their hands full trying to quell the Day Class's enthusiastic pursuit of the Night Class in anticipation of the upcoming dance. In the midst of it all, the Headmaster asks Yuki to show a new transfer student, Maria Kurenai, around ...

I picked up Queen's Blade recently... Series 1 Volume 1 A Single Step In a land where a queen is chosen every few years solely by winning a tournament, there can be no short supply of formidable opponents. For one woman warrior however, an early defeat clearly shows her that she is lacking in experience though she may be bountiful in body. Fortunately, while defeat could spell one's doom, her life is saved by a powerful stranger. But unfortunately for this savior, less-than-pure motives and shrewd family members mean her reward is a prison cell. Her release is prompt when the unseasoned warrior she saved, tired of her current lifestyle of nobility, sets off to prove herself. Volume 2 The Beaten Path After her plummet into the raging waters below, Leina's whereabouts remain a mystery to the direct witnesses of the tragedy. At the same time, Tomoe stumbles upon a pyramid belonging to Menace, an ancient queen with a familiar face serving her. The tide then flows to ...

Many years ago, before Elmo was all the rage on PBS, there were shows like Read All About It! According to Wikipedia ... Read All About It! was a Canadian educational television series produced from 1979 to 1983 by TVOntario that aired during the early to mid 1980s; It also aired in repeats in the 1990s. It starred David Craig Collard as Chris, Lydia Zajc as Lynne, Stacey Arnold as Samantha, and Sean Hewitt as Duneedon, ruler of the galaxy Trialviron. In the second season Michael Dwyer joined the cast as Alex. The main goal of the show was to try and teach viewers about skills such as reading and writing & history in the midst of an entertaining program... Read All About It! focused on Chris who inherited his uncle Derek's coach house after his mysterious disappearance. The show took place in the fictitious town of Herbertville, where Chris and his friends Lynne and Samantha started a newspaper called The Herbertville Chronicle in uncle Derek's coach house. The coach h...

Over the weekend, I saw L5: First City in Space ... Set 100 years in the future, L5: FIRST CITY IN SPACE is a story told in flashback by the first child born in space. The film combines incredible computer-generated imagery, actual footage taken of space expeditions and scientific data to create a compelling vision of how humans may live and travel in our solar system in the next century. I was poking around the dial and came across L5 on the Documentary Channel and decided to add it to the archive. At just under 35 minutes, L5 is fairly short. The story-telling is a bit dry, but, is still reasonably entertaining. The special effects are actually quite good -- it would probably be even better on the big screen. Overall, although L5 exhibits some shortcomings, I was still very pleased with the feature.

I picked up the Daria Complete Series box set recently... The people of Lawndale just don't get Daria Morgendorffer. She's cool with that. See, Daria was born alienated, and now she's just trying to make it through high school with as little human contact as possible. Popularity, friends, activities... whatever. Daria lacks enthusiasm, but she makes up for it with sarcasm. Glenn Eichler, Show Creator, wrote in an insert in the DVD bot set... DEAR BELOVED CONSUMER, Finally, the complete DARIA in an officially sanctioned box set. It's the answer to every diehard fan's dreams. Which, given the makeup of diehard DARIA fandom, means it's an opportunity for them to kick off a raging, decades-long debate over the collection's merits and, by extension, each other's validity as human beings. So let's answer the big question right away 99 percent of the music has been changed, because the cost of licensing the many music bites we used would have made...

I picked up the Michael Shayne Mysteries box set yesterday. Why? Because it spoke to me and said "buy me"... This very welcome box set turns up the heat on one of detective films' cold cases. Created by Brett Halliday, Michael Shayne appeared in 31 books between the 1940s and '70s. He is not as popularly known as other screen shamuses, but he's good company. As portrayed by Lloyd Nolan (best known as curmudgeonly Dr. Chegley on the groundbreaking sitcom Julia), Shayne is not as hard-boiled as Sam Spade or as sage as Charlie Chan. But, as one shady character observes to someone whom Shayne has just pasted, "You know better than to mix with Shayne." He's a working-class mug ("His office is in his hat, his home is in his car," he remarks), usually "down on his luck" and short on cash. As Michael Shayne, Private Detective (1940) opens, the furniture from his office is being repossessed. Still, Shayne has ethics enough to turn down ...

According to AnimeNation ... Iconic illustrator & painter Frank Frazetta passed away yesterday in Fort Myers, Florida, of complications following a stroke. He was 82. Frazetta’s work included comics, movie posters, and well-known cover illustrations for pulp fantasy novel franchises including Conan, Tarzan, and John Carter of Mars. Animation fans may be most familiar with Frazetta’s work through his 1983 film collaboration with animator/director Ralph Bakshi, Fire and Ice . I have Fire and Ice on DVD and Wizards , another Bakshi production, Frazetta's name is invoked as an incantation by the lead character. Recently, I also picked up Frazetta: Painting with Fire ... For the last half century, Frank Frazetta has dominated the world of Fantasy Art with his images of fierce warriors, helpless princesses, and fantastical creatures set in the most lavish landscapes. Journey to a place where up until now, only the privileged have been able to witness the man behind the le...