Let’s set something straight: Hollywood will do some damage to this title and there’s no way around that. People will associate the name Akira with what’s out to be a bland and spiritless cash-in. We are not here to discuss that, though. Other sites have already taken up arms to explain why it’ll suck to see it made into a live-action adaptation, but we won’t do that.

We simply want to tell you that you can’t go wrong with Akira as far as anime goes, and that’s basically it. Sure there are several opportunities to make a long winded article on how a live action adaptation of the film wouldn’t work, but you need to be familiar with the original in order to understand why.

Akira is a classic. It has aged very well and it boasts some amazing animation, character design and a trippy soundtrack. It has aged so well that you could dare say that it looks smoother than some recent titles. The styling and themes may seem clichéd and out of place to young Otaku, but there’s a reason for that….this was made in the 80’s baby!

The film was released mid-way through 1988 and it can still put some modern day films to shame. The plot is a bit messy (more on that later) but it’s still good enough to keep your ass on its seat. It also helps that the action is pretty sweet too; having an entire city vanish into oblivion is pretty rad, man.

TETSUUUUOOOO

The storyline followed by the film differs from the manga greatly and yet it manages to reach a similar conclusion. The setting is the same though, so let’s get that set in stone:

The world of Akira is set in alternate universe where a devastating explosion wipes out most of Tokyo on December 6, 1992 (July 16, 1988 for the film). The devastation is chalked up to a nuclear weapon and this in turn serves to kick-start World War III. The story itself takes place nearly 40 years later in Neo-Tokyo, an artificial island built away from the epicenter of destruction, where gang violence and terrorism wreak havoc upon the populace. The bustling metropolis is a crime ridden hell-hole ran by an oppressive and heavy militarized government that faces off against groups of insurgents fighting not only for freedom, but to reveal the truth behind Tokyo’s destruction.

It is here that a gang of teens led by Shotaro Kaneda live their lives, fighting rival gangs on their motorcycles and committing petty crimes for the hell of it. One fateful night, Tetsuo Shima, one of Kaneda’s gang members, and a close friend of his, run into a strange kid while riding the bridge that connects Neo-Tokyo to the old city. This kid displays the features of an old man and makes use of a strange power, causing Tetsuo to crash.
The incident awakens a latent power within him that sets forward the events of the story, as a simple teenager finds himself trusted beyond humanity and into a state of transcendence akin to Godhood.

KANEEEDAAAA

The protagonist of the animated film is Kaneda, who sets out on a quest to find Tetsuo after he’s taken away by the military. He meets up with Kei, a girl siding with the insurgents and one of the key players in the story. It’s through her contacts that Kaneda comes to learn that Tetsuo’s captors have a shady agenda that’s in his best interest to stop. Not only because of his friend, but because he might get a shot with Kei if he succeeds.

So in one hand you have Kaneda, who’s trapped within a conflict that he chose to make his own in order to save his friend, while in the other you find Tetsuo, who has let his newfound powers corrupt him and is using them to his own gain and pleasure. Going as far as to turn on his former friends and putting the whole world on the brink of disaster. For you see, the destruction of Tokyo was no mere accident, but the work of a very powerful child with psychic abilities, just like the one Tetsuo met.

It’s up to Kaneda and Kei to put an end to Tetsuo’s madness before he causes a new tragedy by awakening the dormant Akira, the most powerful of those with the gift and the one behind the incident that started it all.

Sounds nice!

The film gets a tad jumpy as it tries to fit the massive manga (Six volumes with an average of 300 pages each) into two hours, so it has to skip over some plot lines and even characters in its entirety. This is painfully obvious when it comes to the eponymous Akira, who only gets a passing glance in the film as plot device rather than becoming a central character of the story, as he did in the manga.

The story itself is really compressed to the point where after the first hour or so you are still wondering how it’ll end, then the insanity takes over. And you know what? It’s awesome, the climax of the film is a simplified version of the manga’s and yet it feels like it had a fair share of action and enough unique elements going for it as to make it a pleasant surprise for those who read the manga.

This film gets a good recommendation due to its animation, music (and general sound) as well as the character design; the only down-side is that it feels like an overly simplified version of the manga. Some scenes feel as if they had to be shoehorned in to satisfy readers, while others twist the characters around in a such a way that the manga’s followers might be turned off from it.

So, where’s the overall comparison?

This is the first article in a series three (a Trilogy if you will). We will review the manga next and then compare the differences between the two, which is not to say that you skip on one and favor the other. The Akira story is filled with enough elements to create a thought inducing action packed title. We plan to honor that before it’s obliterated in the realm of popular culture by the upcoming Hollywood adaptation.

Details as say, the differences in the plot (specially the ending) will be saved for the third article so hey, hope we write them in quick succession.

Stay tuned for more!

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Strike Witches’ second season has come to a close. Loyal fans of cutesy girl on girl interaction and excessive fan-service would do well to take one good look at the show one last time. At least until it shows up on DVD or Blu-ray and you can get your hands on it legally (we are not saying there are other means, though.)

Wait…What!?

Strike Witches is one of those shows that doesn’t really have much to say but a lot to see. The first season has already made its way into the western world in the form of a fully licensed DVD set. Japan has just gotten out of a long awaited second season, which sadly seems to end in a bleak note for fans both new and old, why? Simply put it’s a wrap that leaves little to say from a third season of the show.

The problem with a fan-service based show such as Strike Witches is that it can only justify the cast’s (sexy) antics for so long. It could be argued that it’s more of a matter of striking when the iron’s hot and keep up the freshness. As of now the second season has passed and the western world can only wait for Funimation Entertainment to get working on the second DVD sets (or well, use the internet I guess.)

Is This It?

One can hardly think so. Shows like this are bound to get a spin-off or extra episodes such as K-ON!! The Strike Witches canon still has a pretty decent deal of characters to draw from and it’s not like the storylines would be hard to adapt from the light novels, so let’s just see where this goes shall we? Until then, prepare for a second season on the war against pants.

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The past two days have brought forth interesting (if not somewhat disappointing) revelations. Fans of the Macross saga can now look forward to a somewhat definitive release date for the new film, as well as some goodies to tag along with it.

Better Late Than Never

This past Sunday, August 15th, Bandai Namco gave followers of its official Twitter account the slip on the new release date for “Sayonara no Tsubasa”. The company followed through with the new release date the next day during the Macross F Girasama Carnival, confirming February 26th as the official release date in Japan.

The film will follow after “Itsuwari no Utahime”, which was released last November. Fans of the Macross universe may also look forward to a new release of musical themes; the compilation is to take the shape of both Blu-ray and DVD sets. Those that are fans of the show but not necessarily of its music can look forward to “Merry Christmas Macross”, an event taking place this December 22th in Tokyo and the 24th in Kobe. Hopefully the event will bring forth several new developments regarding Macross as well as a complete confirmation on the date for the next film.

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Those of you with nothing better to do this summer should go now in search for a newspaper because Ghibli’s Earthsea hit theatres this Friday, and so far it’s going strong. Read on for a list of theatres in case you feel like catching it yourself, and a short review for those who feel like getting the DVD and checking it out.

C’mon, It’s Ghibli!

Studio Ghibli is pretty much like the Pixar of anime (more like Pixar being the Ghibli of CGI) they never screw up and all of their films are memorable blockbusters. They somehow manage to integrate everything that makes an animated film great, art, good story-telling, direction, a strong plot and an amazing cast, all without ever coming short with one of these elements. The final product of studio Ghibli’s films is always great and you don’t even have to be into anime to appreciate it, just as Earthsea has proven with its opening weekend.

Earthsea opened Friday the 13th (yeah, we know) on a very limited release of five theatres located in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and San Francisco. The film managed to draw in around $20,500 on its opening weekend, which may seem a little disappointing considering that the rest of studio Ghibli’s films have raked in truck-full’s of cash even with a limited release. Truth be told, this one may seem like the financial black-sheep. But it’s not bad, oh boy, it’s completely far from that.

The film’s relatively weak (by Ghibli’s standards) opening weekend can be easily attributed to several factors such as having been released deep in the digital era and being available on the internet (not a matter of piracy folks, some very “official” sites have it up) as well as having a widely released DVD. Earthsea comes to us by the hands Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Myizaki, the man responsible for many of studio Ghibli’s greatest films. The question here is, does the apple fall far from the tree? The answer is a simple: no, it doesn’t.

Tales of Earthsea, or Gedo Senki as it’s known in Japanese, is an adaptation of a series of fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. So you can be sure that the film is in line with the likes of Princess Mononoke, having huge mythological creatures and some violence here and there for good measure (the film is the first animated film distributed by Disney to receive a PG-13 rating.)

Those of you living in the cities mentioned above should check the following theaters:

New York (Angelika/Manhattan)

Honolulu (Victoria Ward)

San Francisco (The Kabuki)

Seattle (Harvard Exit)

Los Angeles (The Landmark)

The rest of you should think of going to the DVD store to pick it up and here’s the reason why you should spend your money; Earthsea is from studio Ghibli, so you know it at least deserves a rental but it can be taken as a good movie in its own right as it presents to you an unique yet familiar story. The parallels with Princess Mononoke are plentiful, the styling and feel of Earthsea makes it seem like it would be at home in the same world where the events of Princess Mononoke take place. The visuals are warm and colorful, even when showing off such sights as a stormy sky or a slave market.

The film takes us to a land where pestilence and disease are wreaking havoc amongst the populace, and where bad crops are forcing farmers away from their homes and slavers are running rampant, but there’s more to it than that. The balance of life in the land seems to be breaking as a consequence of direct human interference, so we join Ged, an Archmage traveling the land to find the reason behind it and Arren, a young prince who fled his homeland and wanders alongside Ged to escape from his past, as well as a dark presence that lurks within him.

The plot itself is very basic but it still manages to draw the viewer in, save for a couple of moments where everything comes to a halt and we are taken into some plot exposition. There’s a peculiar point where the main characters become awkward and seem to get out of place with what was previously established about their personalities. But this gets integrated later on in a way that makes sense. In a way, this movie is one of those were you can’t stop watching it halfway through or it’ll seem bland and boring, but once you watch the whole thing and the little bits and pieces come together you can be sure to say “Wow” just as the credits roll.

The English dub manages to be far from cringe-worthy. I would even dare say it’s good, since there are times when it seems like Earthsea was made in English instead of simply dubbed. The voice actors really put some work into it this time around and if you look at the back and see the voice cast you’ll understand why.

Earthsea is good. It may not be the greatest from Ghibli (not that you can judge a film in such a view, since all preferences are subjective) but it sure stands out on its own two legs. The movie has some unresolved plot points that kind of sit there picking at the back of your head, some simply linger too long through the film to be treated quickly and taken out of the story in an awkward fashion, but others just remain sitting there. But at the end of the day this is a decent movie, not exactly action-packed but not too slow, perfect for a date or a calm, lazy day.

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Here we present a review that no true anime site can be without: Rurouni Kenshin, also known as Samurai X, was one of the greatest shows of its time and went to become a timeless classic. Yet there’s a dark side to all of this, a dark side many didn’t get to know…

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Those of you who read the “Manga and Anime A Broken Link” articles saw a reference to this title on the second part of the series. This review will be different because we will forsake the historical background and go straight to the root of the show. If you want some background info then you should check out the article where it was referenced because here you’ll find nothing but the truth about this show.

Samurai X was big. So big, in fact, that it made its way to Cartoon Network and many other channels down in Latin America. The show had a decent Spanish dubbing and the episodes aired with consistency day after day. And if you were between the ages of 12-25 in Latin America during the show’s run and never cared to take a look at it, then you sucked and everyone hated you.

The anime did so many things right that it just came as a surprise to all of its fans to see it fall on its ass and catch on fire. You see, the problem with the anime is that unlike the North American version of Cartoon Network and many other channels, the local ones decided to air its full run and so we saw it crumble and end without much of a real ending.

The Beginning Of Something Great

Samurai X told the tale of Himura Kenshin, a samurai that became a vagabond and a wanderer after the Bakumatsu during which he built up fame as “Hitokiri Battōsai” (referenced all through the anime as “Battōsai the man slayer”) becoming a ruthless killer who murdered hundreds who now haunt his memories. He began traveling the roads of rural Japan during the early Meiji era and served as a metaphor on how the old ways were dying and the way of the samurai came to an end.

Along his journey, he comes in touch with Kamiya Kaoru, a woman and owner of a dojo, who helps Kenshin leave his life as a wanderer behind and serves as an unifying character for the rest of the cast. He also finds Sagara Sanosuke, a brawler and former rebel with a burning hatred of the government, Myōjin Yahiko, a brat who wants to prove himself as a swordsman in Kenshin’s eyes and Takani Megumi, a female doctor rescued from the mafia and brought into the fold of the main characters. There were several more but just naming them would take an entire article in itself.

That was the greatness of Samurai X, it went on to include amazing characters, both heroes and villains that shone with originality and were presented in such a way as to allow all characters to be unique, even most villains had a sympathetic side to them as their personas stood firmly on morally ambiguous grounds, performing acts of pure evil that could easily be justified.

The show followed Kenshin as the ghost from his past came to haunt him, never letting him have a regular life as he fought on with optimism to prove that he could still be redeemed for his sins. This served to open the story to new villains, they would either come to kill Kenshin due to his fame as the manslayer or because he was the only one skilled enough to face them.

The anime was action packed, but it paced things nicely with episodes focusing on characters other that the main cast and it always built up to something epic. It sure had its fair share of crappy filler but it wasn’t enough to kill the show. Then comes the best part: Makoto Shishio, a man who became Kenshin’s replacement as a killer after he ceased fighting. He was the perfect villain in a gallery of villains that included the great Oniwabanshu, he was simply superb.

The entire season where they dealt with Shishio was epic. The battles were massive, thrilling, and brutal. Secrets were revealed and the season concluded in such a high note that to this day whenever you mention Samurai X (at least down here) you’ll get someone to say “Oh dude, remember Shishio!?” and as great as that is it’s soon followed by “Remember all the Christian crap that ruined it?”.

It Hits The Fan

Shishio’s arc was so epic that the people behind the show got ahead of the manga and were forced to meet their production schedule with filler, tons and tons of filler. It got so bad that the stories felt completely forgetful and characters were reintroduced then taken off the show so fast it was as if they were trying to ruin it with weak storylines and crappy humor.

We all thought it couldn’t get worse, until Shogo comes along; a freaking super Christian Samurai and a never before mentioned disciple of Kenshin’s master, a man who completely demolished the entire cast coming out of nowhere with a crappy background and character development tagging all his superb abilities on being a super Christian of sorts.

He came out of nowhere in a response to the show’s decline in good villains and ruined it. They made him so badass that it made Kenshin look like a complete tool but of course he ends up getting his ass whooped and gets taken out of the show. So much for that. Fans were so let down at this point that talking to my friends, with whom I grew up watching every episode, and bringing up the name “Shogo” resulted in a collective flashback of awful, as if we all witnessed a murder and the memories traumatized us.

Enter the Black Knights, a group of villains that seemed to come out of a G.I Joe rejects list, with crappy costumes and even crappier backgrounds…God it was just terrible, like watching a train wreck catch on fire and then have the survivors attacked by bears, which are also on fire.

It may be odd to read a review from a personal stand point, but I went through all of this show just like every other teenager in Latin America and we can all agree on this, avoid the third season like the plague but watch the movies. Seriously…the third season will have you gouging your eyes out in anger.

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Those of you that keep up with the site will remember the announcement made to report on To Love-Ru’s new anime incarnation. You will also remember that the announcement was sketchy enough as to not clarify what form the animation would take. Read on for that.

“A Second Seasons Coming”

It has been confirmed that the newest take on To Love-Ru will be in the form of a TV anime. The animation will take the name of “Motto To Love-Ru” airing during this year’s fall season. So expect to hear news about its development and reception around October (if the release date doesn’t get pushed back).

It’s still largely unknown whether or not the anime will take things from where it left off during its first season, thus animating the many chapters not shown during its original run nor the OVA’s, or if it will go beyond the manga’s open-ended conclusion.

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Are you bored with what conventional anime has to offer? Perhaps it is time to die…or at least to check out the offerings of the gloomy Ai Enma in “Hell Girl” otherwise known as “Jigoku Shōjo: Girl from Hell”. Prepare to see what death is like.

A One Way Ride

Hell Girl is a somewhat unconventional anime for modern times. Its first season was released during the late half of 2005 and ran until early 2006 in Japan. Produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen and licensed by “FUNimation”, this anime proved itself to be enough of a hit on its homeland to bring forth a manga and a short live action adaptation.

Hell Girl follows an episodic formula, in which every episode is a self contained story that links with the overall plot through the actions of the show’s main cast of recurring characters. The eponymous Hell Girl, Ai Enma, is a gloomy and dark girl with a tragic past that now serves as harbinger of vengeance with the aid of her servants; Wanyudo, an old man with a near permanent smile, Hone Onna, a sultry woman with a cynical outlook and a knack for style and Ren Ichimoku, a young looking man who dresses in modern clothing unlike the rest of the gang who dress in classic Japanese garbs (save for when they go “undercover” on the human world, but more on that later). Hell Girl could be said to follow the story of an anti-hero; until we get to know the Shibatas, the single parent and journalist Hajime and his bright young daughter Tsugumi who become the recurring human characters in the show.

Hell Girl consists of three seasons: the first of which has been already released in the west whereas the second is halfway through and should be done by the end of July, while the third season won’t see a DVD release until well later this year.

As I said, the show follows an episodic formula with only the cast to push it forward, but sadly (to some) the human part of the cast is not a constant. You could say that it’s the biggest change in the formula up to the third season where things got a little…different. But, it’s not an unwelcomed change of pace, that’s for sure.

Death Is Unfair

Each episode of Hell Girl starts by introducing us to a character that is in trouble or consumed by a deep grudge. Then, after getting a little look into that character’s life and knowing the story behind the current circumstances we get to see Ai Enma’s modus operandi, a mysterious website that can only be accessed at midnight. There, Ai’s “customers” will write the name of the person they seek her to deliver vengeance upon and she will soon appear in their room and offer them a straw doll, which for those that pay attention to detail will seem oddly familiar.

Once the contract’s conditions have been stated all the person has to do is pull a red string around the doll’s neck, prompting Ai to leave her hellish home and with the aid of her servants, punish the victim and send them off to hell. Of course, this comes with a price, namely that of the other party’s soul but only once they die. Until then, they will bear a dark mark on their chest as part of their contract.

Some people complain that the anime takes the means through which Ai delivers souls onto hell a little lightly, with the motif behind some contracts being petty. But as an episode of the first season showed us, people can be psychotic and having an easy way out will sometimes be their only choice, no matter the cost.

What You Can Expect

The general plot is based around Ai’s past and how she came to be in her position, you could arguably say that the first season is dedicated to the Shibatas and how Hajime’s investigation came to awaken parts of Ai’s past. While the second season deals with how humanity adopts the easiest way out of their problems and how this amounts to nothing…all the while showing us the past of Ai’s servants.

The third season is a bit…different, but not bad by any means. Hell Girl is a very solid work with a nice overarching plot that will cater to those that like to put the pieces together rather than have everything explained to them upfront. The truth is, that most of the time the situations in a given episode will seem unfair, but that’s part of the point. Life can be a b-…ehm, mean lady, and death is the great equalizer. Ai is simply the bridge in between using humanity’s tools to reap from their own hatred (it’s shown how she has worked in the past through such methods as an old mailbox).

The only real complaint about the show is that watching episode after episode gets a bit tiring, seeing how the same formula applies to all of them. There are, however, enough fresh moments that deal with the story and heart of the show to cover this up. So it’s a really good watch if you like your mystery and horror to be blended in with a bit of tragedy and drama.

Hell Girl is, simply put, one hell of a show (Hiyooo!)

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Shojo manga, Black Bird, by Kanoko Sakurakoji, will have volume one released on August 4, 2009. Black Bird is about a teenage girl named, Misao Harada, who can see the magical world that intersects the normal realm. Despite trying to ignore her powers in exchange for a normal, high school life, she is one day attacked by a vicious demon and saved only by friend, Kyo. It appears that Misao’ blood gives power to whatever demon claims her and it seems that Kyo, tending to her wounds with his tongue, is trying to do just that.

On August 11, 2009 Dogs: Bullets & Carnage volume one will be on sale. Written by, Shirow Miwa, Dogs is the story of four main characters who meet through a series of coincidences while trying to survive in post-apocalyptic world of genetic mutations, crime, and violence.

August 18, 2009 will be the release of Ooku: The Inner Chambers, volume one, a manga by, Fumi Yoshinaga. Set in an alternate history of medieval Japan, where men have succumbed to a horrible disease, the country is soon ruled by a matriarchal society, where men are consorts. The shogun, now all women, keep a harem of men and tend to the jobs that they used to be restricted from.

Also on August 18, 2009 will be the release of the Death Note spinoff film, L: Change the World. The film stars, Kenichi Matsuyama as L, from the previous two movies. The story follows the genius detective as he takes on a bio-terrorist group and attempts to save the lives of two children who have nowhere to turn.

September 1, 2009 sees the debut of the manga, Tegami Bachi. Written by Hiroyuki Asada, Tegami Bachi is a story about a land called Amberground, where it is always dark. Lag Seeing works as a Letter Bee, delivering packages to the people of Amberground, traveling through the dangerous wilderness infested with monstrous insects, in order to brighten the hearts of the citizens. He was once a package to be delivered by another Bee, Gauche Suede, and the other messenger was his inspiration to take on the business.

September 9, 2009 will be the release of Bleach the Movie 2: The Diamond Dust Rebellion. When a treasure is stolen and Toshiro Hitsugaya disappears, he becomes a suspect of treason. When the Soul Society decides to find and execute Hitsugaya, Ichigo vows to find and prove him innocent.

With Cartoon Network recently making changes to their programming by no longer licensing content and looking to develop new shows internally, they will not be airing Naruto: Shippuden on television in America. However, the series will begin to sell in America on DVD by September 29, 2009, the first disc with episodes 1 – 4 and the second coming out on October 27, 2009 with episodes 5 – 8. Currently there is no plan for the uncut box sets, as seen for Naruto.

To counteract the news that could upset those fans who are only able to watch Naruto via television, Viz announced that the first feature film of the sequel series, Naruto: Shippuden The Movie, will be released on DVD in America this coming November and that it has apparently, already been dubbed in preparation. Naruto: Shippuden The Movie is about Naruto protecting Shion, a priestess from the Land of Demons who has two abilities, sealing demons and predicting one’s death.

In regards to the 10th anniversary of Naruto, a sixth feature film will be released in Japan on August 1, 2009, called, Naruto Shippuden 3: Inheritors of the Will of Fire. A teaser trailer of the film is available at www.naruto10th.com, featuring such beloved characters as Kakashi, Lee, Neji, Kiba, and Naruto, of course.

There is no release date set for this film in America, nor is there for the second Shippuden film, Naruto Shippuden 2: Bonds, where in order to stop ninjas from Sky Country attacking Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke must team up once again. The previous Naruto films, Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, Legend of Stone Gelel and Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom, have all been released in America.

Naruto, about said character, is a young ninja in training with mysterious secrets surrounding his origin. Naruto must learn teamwork and strength, from his instructors and fellow students, and find the bravery to take every mission in order to protect his home village, even if he must stand against all odds and face death on a regular basis.

The series has had tremendous success in both Japan and America, with its ongoing manga and anime, soundtracks, four OVAs (original video animations), six feature films, two novels, several video games for various platforms, trading card games, endless amounts of action figures, and collectable art books.

Out on June 23, 2009 is Death Note Re-light: Visions of a God, Volume 1. When Ryuk, a God of Death, drops his death note in the human world, Light Yagami, a high school student finds it and with its ability to kill anyone who’s name is written in the book, Light takes justice into his own hands and begins to rid the world of criminals at his own accord.

L, a genius detective, begins to hunt down the killer that the public knows only as, Kira. An animated feature set in the point of view of Ryuk, a bored God of Death who, upon following Light around on his deadly adventure, is now very entertained. Death Note Re-light: Visions of a God runs 130 minutes in length.

Samurai Champloo Complete Collection

Released on June 30, 2009 is Samurai Champloo Complete Collection. Fuu is an adorable young woman in Japan, searching for a samurai who ‘smells of sunflowers.’ Her two comrades are Mugen, a wild and uncontrollable warrior and Jin, a cool and calm samurai. Fuu must search for her missing samurai with no other clues available, while trying to keep Mugen and Jin from killing one another. Samurai Champloo Complete Collection covers the entire show and runs 625 minutes in length.

Bleach Season 3 – Original Uncut

Out on July 7, 2009 is Bleach Season 3, original and uncut. Ichigo is a student with the unique ability to see ghosts and spirits lingering in the human world and this talent leads him to meet Rukia, a God of Death who searches for lost or vengeful spirits. When Ichigo’s family is attacked by a Hollow, the very spirit that Rukia searches for, he is given Rukia’s powers to defeat the intruder. Now unable to take her powers back, Rukia decides to teach Ichigo to become of God of Death in her place. Bleach Season 3 covers episodes 42 through 63 and run 500 minutes in length. Special limited editions come with a collector’s Hollow mask.

Naruto Volume 15

Released on July 21, 2009 is Naruto Volume 15, original and uncut. Naruto Uzumaki, a ninja-in-training wishes to one day be the Hokage of his village. Orphaned and unloved by most, save for one academy instructor, Naruto fights for attention and to prove himself worthy of protecting Konoha. Upon becoming a low level genin, Naruto’s true adventure begins with enemy ninjas from faraway lands, plots against his village and a personal journey to understand the secrets deep within himself. Naruto Volume 15 runs 350 minutes in length.

XXXHolic Complete Collection

Out on July 28, 2009 is XXXHolic Complete Collection. Watanuki is a young man who has been haunted by ghosts and spirits his entire life, a curse of his bloodline. When the demons make Watanuki find his way to the door of Dimensional Witch Yuko, he meets a woman who is willing to help Watanuki free himself of his curse, for a price. Agreeing to work in her shop, Watanuki quickly discovers that those customers entering to fulfill their desires should be careful of the prices they must pay. XXXHolic Complete Collection covers the entire show and runs 600 minutes in length.