STR.A.IN. has a good payoff, but it comes to quickly for it to be wholly satisfying.

STR.A.IN. Strategic Armored Infantry, The Complete Series
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-13). Director: Tetsuya Watanabe. 312 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $59.98. Distributor. Funimation.

In a universe consumed by war between the Union and the Deague, Sara Werec is chomping at the bit to join the Union and her brother Ralph. Destined to become a Reasoner, a human innately able to pilot the most advanced mech units, Sara might even match her brother's legendary skills. This world, however, is turned upside down when the Deague, lead by Ralph Werec, unexpectedly destroy the military academy. A cadet's dream of flying through the stars instantly transforms into a quest for answers and vengeance.

STR.A.IN. invokes memories of classic mechanized anime like Macross, Orgus and Mobile Suit Gundam. Yet, although the creative genius behind this new mecha is strong, the drama of sister vs. brother is as deep as the trilogy of Star Wars prequels. A fest for the eyes, yes, but the taste is of cardboard. Thoughtful story telling and character development is stifled in favor of bright lights, cute teenagers, and big bangs. Don't get me wrong: STR.A.IN. gets you to the payoff. The reason behind Ralph's betrayal and his confrontation with Sara is unveiled within 13 episodes. A quick payoff indeed! But where's the good foreplay?

Love Hina is a great, sexy Japanese comedy of errors from Ken Akamatsu.

Love Hina, The Complete Series
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-25). Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki. 625 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor. Funimation.

So, why is it good to be a teenage boy in anime? Well, whether you're evading monsters, swords, or just Tokyo traffic on the way to class, you often find yourself surrounded by the girls of anime! Take Keitaro, for example. He joyfully moves into his grandmother's apartment building to work as manager and cram for his college entrance exam. However, grandma neglected to tell him that it was a ladies-only building. Let the titillating hijinks begin?

Love Hina is considered the classic of renowned creator Ken Akamatsu. This is very much a beloved series in Japan. Now, don't let the DVD cover fool you. Much like Maxim magazine, the scantily clad girls will make you hurl your newspaper aside. But there's no hentai here! Love Hina is a classic Japanese romantic comedy. The teenage, hormone driven Keitaro is trying to be the good grandson and student. Yet, innocent lust often lands him in comic, half-naked scenarios. More important, even though temptation lurks in every room, one of these girls may be his long-lost love.

Love and titillation join forces to create a very innocent, sexual comedy of errors. Akamatsu wonderfully taps into the humor intrinsic to pubescent ignorance in the face of lust and love. This is just a great series.

Baccano is an accurately-titled crime-filled romp, stabbing you at all angles.

Baccano, Volume 1
2009 TV Series (episodes 1-4). Director: Tokahiro Omori. 100 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor. Funimation.

The scene is Prohibition-era New York. The streets are flooded with Mafia hit-men, grifters, bootleggers, and poor slobs just trying to scrape up a piece of bread. There's just one problem: this ain't The Godfather. These street urchins can't seem to die! Knifes, guns, fists, it just don't matter. On the streets of this New York, unseen alchemists are peddling an elixir of immortality. Monsters, criminals and mobsters thus collide in this Tommy-gun charged series.

"Baccano" in Italian can be translated as "ruckus." And this is the only way to describe this series. Rather than focus on a tight knit ensemble cast, this list of players and storylines is far too long to mention. Each episode is a collision of intersecting vignettes whose plots are unconnected. If the creators of Baccano wanted to give you the feel of an unpredictable, fast-paced city, then they hit it spot-on. Your senses need to be on high alert, as if you yourself were walking down a nocturnal ally in search of a speakeasy. And although you may get confused, there's only one goal here: you've got to scam for your survival.

This crime-drama tainted with fantasy stabs you from all angles at once. It's classic pulp fiction. If you're up for creative storytelling, gun-wielding mobsters, dames and just plain cool cats, Baccano won't let you down.

Hilariously uncouth and un-PC, Shin Chan is just as topical as South Park and The Daily Show.

Shin Chan, Season 2 Part 1
2009 TV Series (episodes 27-39). Director: Keiichi Hara. 300 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $39.98. Distributor. Funimation.

The world of Shin Chan is a utopian gutter of comic obscenities, fantasy and bathroom humor. Shin may be a five-year old, but age can't stop such antics like switching bodies with his mom, singing a song about his father's alcohol-induced perversions during class, and causing a hilariously awkward situation at home with his mom's back massager -- aptly dubbed the "Vibrating Bastard Shaft." Oh, and let's not forget his idea to become a cholo after stumbling upon some happy pills, nor an utterly foul Star Wars parody that would make The Family Guy and Robot Chicken proud; there is no Death Star here, only the Meth Star.

A sitcom in the vein of South Park, Shin Chan is truly a comic and satiric gem. I love this show! Nothing about it whatsoever is appropriate. In fact, if you're not careful, tears may not be the only thing laughingly ejected from your body. And here we need to applaud the Funimation team. The original series hit Japanese airwaves in the early '90s, and was largely a comedy based on the extent to which pun and innuendo can be mined from Japanese language and phraseology. Obviously this could not be translated for an American audience. So, a remarkably original script was produced, and even the show was re-cut. Consequently, American puns and innuendo consume the life of this uncouth preschooler and his family. And the topical, political satire introduced -- everyone from Bill O'Reilly to Hillary Clinton gets slammed -- makes Shin's comedy as contemporary as The Daily Show.

If you're prone to laugh at poop, politics and body parts, Shin Chan is the man!

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