A private matter to uncover a murder stretches into political intrigue and dealings with black magic that crosses the European continent in Le Chevalier D' Eon.

Le Chevalier D' Eon: Complete Box Set
2008 TV Series (24 episodes). Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi. 600 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $69.98. Distributor. Funimation.

Paris, 1742. A coffin carrying the body of Lia de Beaumont floats down the Seine. On it, the word "Psalms" has been written in blood. D' Eon de Beaumont, Lia's brother, then embarks upon a royally-sanctioned quest to unveil the murderer. A seemingly private affair, however, not only transforms into political intrigue that stretches from London to St. Petersburg, but is also fraught with black magic. Subsequently, a mystery ensues that will shake the very foundations of France.

This is why I love anime! Based on the manga of Tow Ubukata, this story is bold, original, and abandons the typical -- and sometimes cliché -- anime world. Set in the court of Louis XV, its historicity -- though slightly adapted -- is intricate. D' Eon rubs shoulders with Madame de Pompadour, the Duc d'Orléans and the Comte de Saint-Germain. Yet fantasy is never far from these historical trappings. Lia, though dead, is an active player in this mini-epic. Her vengeance is exacted through physical possession of her bothers' body. And the spell-casting poets, who wield the prophetic Psalms, can turn anyone into a zombie-like tool in their quest for power. In the end, epic is the buzzword. Artfully blending fantasy and history, Le Chevalier D' Eon interweaves its originality into that delicate time prior to the French Revolution. We're not just solving Lia's murder, or unlocking the mystery of the Psalms, we're watching the momentum of history. Aristocracy, royal legitimacy, dark magic and prophecy combine to produce a French adventure that would make Dumas smile. Trust me. The sword of this anime cuts deep. It's a novel you can't put down.

Welcome to the NHK is a true anime gem, probably the best anime of the 2008. A must-see.

Welcome to the NHK: Season One, Part One and Two
2008 TV Series (24 episodes). Director: Yusuke Yamamoto. Furuhashi. 600 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $59.98 (each). Distributor. Funimation.

Consumed by anxiety, Sato is a college dropout, hiding in his little Tokyo flat. Instead of hitting the bar, chasing girls, or even getting a job, his life is defined by bad takeout, online gaming, and Internet porn. One day, after years of seclusion, he has a paranoid epiphany. His life is the direct result of the NHK, a sinister organization bent on turning humans into useless drones by manipulating television and the media. But what is an anxious misanthrope to do when a cute girl appears, offering to cure him? Or when his parents are forced to cut off his allowance?

Welcome to the NHK is a true anime gem! The world is not apocalyptic. There is no alien threat. Hell, no one even fires a gun. No, all we get is a humorous, self-conscious reflection of something often associated with anime: otaku and hikikomori. Roughly defined as anti-social, anime-loving freaks, otaku is a very pejorative word in Japanese -- not necessarily used playfully as it is here. And hikikomori is a flat out shut-in. Sato is thus our comic lens into the "darker" world of anime, manga, and their computerized cousins (e.g. online gaming and dating sims). What we see is a delicately human tale of a young man coming to terms with adult life in Tokyo. While I'm not a fan of the term "feel-good," this story will leave you with that feeling of satisfaction, like you just finished a great movie. Not surprisingly, this anime is based on a novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. This is more than just anime. This is film.

I cannot recommend this series enough. It is perhaps the best anime I saw during 2008.

Raised on such iconic, westernized giants as G-Force, Voltron and Robotech, James Brusuelas is a literary scholar and freelance writer based out of Orange County in Southern California.