
07/29/2009
DVD: Anime/Manga: Event Photos:: 0 comments: by Bella Phen and Amanda Rush

Funimation has a pretty new logo (one that doesn’t scream at you!), and Viz has a Bleach movie. What else is headed our way?
Gunslinger Girl - What could be better than little girls with guns? More little girls with guns, naturally. Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino is the follow-up to the beautiful, elegant and utterly Italian series that put big firepower in the hands of little girls turned government hit men by way of robot technology and brainwashing. The trailer will give you chills - luckily, the street date of August eighteenth means we don’t have to wait very long.
Fullmetal Alchemist - Enjoying FMA: Brotherhood? Yeah, so are we! But if your thirst for all things Ed and Al isn’t sated by the dead cool-ness that is Brotherhood, the OVA collection is just around the bend, with a street date of August fourth. It’s mostly a lot of silliness, but Ed and Al are good for that, you know? FMA is one of the cornerstones of anime love, so August fourth should be a holiday. Right?
Darker than Black: Volume Six - Okay, so the show isn’t really over. The genuises behind FMA: Brotherhood are hard at work on a Darker than Black sequel series. But in volume six, this era of the show comes to an end, and we get to learn a lot about the hotness that is Hei, as well as the Syndicate. I’ve already seen this, and though I’ll review it later I can tell you that it is fan-freaking-tastic. Volume six not only caps off the season, but there’s a bonus episode that’s utterly giggle-worthy of Hei’s adoring female audience. Which I am. Oh, Hei. Street date: August eleventh. Hold onto your trench coat.
Romeo x Juliet Part T wo - Will the star-crossed lovers get a happy ending? Will they bow out, as Shakespeare intended? Will they go the route of Gankestuou and have giant robots? Well, probably not the last one, but one thing is for certain - with a love of tossing in Shakespearian play and a version of Romeo and Juliet that turns the play on its head, we probably won’t see this ending coming. Street date: August eleventh.
School Rumble Season One plus OVA Viridian AND Season Two? That’s almost more Schorum than a person can handle! Wacky hijinks, crazy pandas, random pigs, manga, pocky, love, motorcycles - it’s just too much! Schorum is one of the best series around; the voice acting is top-notch, the story is hilarious, and it has a love plot line that is simply addictive! This is an excellent chance to get in on the whole series to date, and it’s something you should do. Yes, you. In the chair, at the computer. You. Street Date: September first, as in, I’ll be first in line.
Origin: Spirits of the Past - It’s the Viridian collection, kids, so if you missed out on Origin, now’s your chance. It’s pretty, oh-so-pretty. It’s also got that whole protect the Earth or the Earth will kick your ass thing going on, and that’s cool too. Street date for this award winning film: September eigth.
Dragonball Season One - You know what’s cool about Dragonball? Everything. Now imagine your pretty orange set of Dragonball Z DVDs with pretty blue Dragonball DVDs to keep them company. It’s a nice picture, isn’t it? Street date on season one: August fifteenth. Need I say more?
Welcome to the NHK Complete Series - This show made it to my top ten of 2008 DVD list - and I meant all DVDs, not just anime. It’s crazy hillarious, crazy fun, and just plain crazy. You’ll get that Purin-Purin song stuck in your head, but you won’t mind. Go crazy August twenty-fifth.
Ghost Hunt Complete Series - It’s got a little bit of comedy, a little bit of love, and a whole lot of ghosts. The Shibuya Psychic Research team go head to head with all manner of supernatural nasties, and things get dicey. Play called it one of the best animes of 2008, and I have to agree. I watched most of this series with my portable DVD player hidden under the covers, and it made for fantastic spooky fun. Street date: September fifteenth.
Nabari No Ou Complete Series Part One - Ninjas, baby! Who doesn’t love ninjas? We like ninjas when they’re at war, when they’re being sneaky, when they’re killing people, and when they’re just hanging out, doing ninja things. This anime has a lot of ninjas - so it must have a lot of cool, right? We’ll find out September twenty-second.
Sgt. Frog Season One, Part One - It looks a little, well, insane. But it’s a big manga hit, so the anime can’t be a bad thing, right? RIGHT?? Invasion date: September twenty-second.
Black Lagoon Complete Series - I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Black Lagoon kicks in the teeth of every other anime. It’s violent, it’s insane, it’s filled with gigantic boobs, guns, and two really creepy twins who made for the most messed-up three episode arc I have ever seen (and I force everyone who comes into my house to watch it. They all thank me, once the PTSD wears off). You don’t know action until you watch Black Lagoon. So watch it September twenty-ninth.
Ergo Proxy Complete Series Viridian Collection - It’s dark, cool, and sexy, and it’s in a box set (which is sexy, all on its own). Need I say more? Okay, how about this: robots, guns, mystery, and the house that brought you Samurai Champloo. Street date: September twenty-ninth.
As for Viz, wasn’t there something about a Bleach movie? That’s right, Bleach: Diamonddust Rebellion lands September eigth, and since it’s Bleach, everyone will be watching. Also coming up in August is Bleach volume nineteen, while volume twenty hits September - the same month that we get L: Change the World. And given how wildly cool the last two Death Note live action movies were, you know you want this one. Another little bit of goodnes? Nana the Complete Series volume one hits September eigth, and rumor has it some of the box sets come with a Nana guitar pick; on September twenty-second, Honey and Clover voume one lands with a lot of love and art.
(Amanda Rush writes Pithy in Pink as well as co-authoring The Illness is Otaku. Follow her on Twitter: @Brokenamanda)