It’s the beginning of November so that can only mean one thing: the return of Youmacon. The state’s biggest anime convention is back in Detroit this weekend, and it continues to grow. The main base of operations will be the Renaissance Center again, but dozens of events will also be taking place at Cobo Center, … Continue Reading →
“Someday’s Dreamers” was one of my favorite series of the last decade, and now a sequel, “Someday’s Dreamers II: Sora,” has made its way to these shores thanks to Sentai Filmworks and Section23 Films. It doesn’t have the same charm of the original, which Sentai Filmworks kindly re-released earlier this year, but it’s pleasant enough … Continue Reading →
UPDATE: Added Warner Bros. movies! I don’t usually post a lot about new acquisitions and announcements of upcoming DVD/Blu-rays — mainly because I just get so many of them. But a few have crossed my desk in the last couple days that I feel deserve some special attention because of the awesomeness involved with the … Continue Reading →
I’ll be honest: I went into Funimation’s new “Steins;Gate” with some skepticism after reading the description. It was one of those “um, OK” moments. I almost gave up after the first episode, but I decided to watch the second, then the third, then the fourth, then the fifth — and then I had to come … Continue Reading →
I haven’t done an anime giveaway in a while, so when a package arrived from RightStuf, I figured it was just the thing. Nozomi is re-releasing some popular out-of-print titles, so I thought I’d give away a couple of the attractive sets. So up for grabs is “Boogiepop Phantom: Complete TV Series” and “Martian Successor … Continue Reading →
A shady government lying to the people, forcing blind loyalty and manipulating information? Nope, that could never happen. But it does in “No. 6″ (and, well, lots of places), only in the Sentai Filmworks series debuting Tuesday, it happens in the future and gives us a pretty cool drama. It’s a story of haves and … Continue Reading →
I know they’re out there, but U.S. anime distributors don’t tend to pick up a lot of titles for kids if they’re not fighting series, so Funimation’s “Oblivion Island: Haurka and the Magic Mirror” is a real treat. Brightly colored and sweetly told, “Oblivion Island” is a story about memories of childhood and how important … Continue Reading →
If you haven’t seen it on the main site yet, be sure to check out Detroit News photographer Donna Terek’s “Donna’s Detroit” piece on Midtown’s new Chou Anime. I never thought I’d see it, but Detroit has a real maid cafe patterned after the cafes featuring perky waitresses in maid outfits. I would have expected … Continue Reading →
Part ghost story, part love story and part coming-of-age tale, NIS America’s “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” is a touching drama about a circle of friends who lost their way. The Super Peace Busters split up in childhood after the death of one member of the group, Menma. Now all high school age, … Continue Reading →
“Fractale” starts out quirky, and I like quirky, so I knew I was in for a good show. Funimation’s latest this week opens with a human boy talking to his parents, two alien-looking creatures who, it turns out, are doppels, virtual doppelgangers of his actual parents, who live somewhere else. Clain lives in a world … Continue Reading →