Bamboo Blade 2

Toraji and his all girls Kendo team are back! And things are getting more serious, if not just plain worse. Toraji is still one step away from loosing his teaching gig. But now the Kendo team is facing a possible, unforeseen suspension, while Tamaki is about to learn the hardest lesson of all: defeat. She may be a flawless swordsman, but there is always more to learn. Victory and employment are within Toraji’s grasp. Can these girls pull it together? Can Tamaki ensure an easy tournament win? Will everyone get their happy ending? 

Naruto 8

With Gaara on the brink of death, only Naruto and Granny Chiyo can combine chakra in the hopes of performing the Reanimation Ninjutsu. Worse still, team Kakashi is missing, well, Kakashi! While he recovers from his use of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Naruto tries to recruit a new member from the village. Nevertheless, the chosen replacement is not necessarily a beloved friend!

Here are the latest anime titles soon to be released by FUNimation.

Honey and Clover

The much beloved Honey and Clover is the story of Takemoto, Mayama, Morita, Hagu, Ayumi and their transition from art school to post graduate, adult life. I say much beloved because this manga and anime series is immensely popular in Japan.  The manga, created by Chica Umino, won the Kodansha Manga Award, and then sparked not only an anime series, but also a live-action feature film and dramatic television show.

Sands of Destruction

Morte is a death-dealing teenage hottie with one thing on her mind: world destruction. Ever since her brother perished in the war between men and beasts, she insists on taking everyone down! And she’s got the proper tool to do it: an explosive orb. The problem is, she needs the destruct code. Enter Kyrie, the wandering cook. This apparently luckless human may hold the key to detonating this circular bomb. And so he and Morte are stuck together on a journey that may or may not end in global annihilation. 

Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment has teamed up with Tezuka Productions to bring Urasawa’s PLUTO to the big screen as a live-action/CG hybrid.

Dragon Box 2

Fresh from a crushing defeat at the hands of the Saiyans, and with Goku still on the injured-reserve list, the rest of our beloved Dragon Ball fighters must rise to the occasion. To acquire the Namekian dragon balls, they must venture to Planet Namek. But the journey itself isn’t necessarily the danger. A powerful new enemy, Freeza, also desires these same dragon balls. A new challenge is about to go down.

Dragon Ball Z Kai

Yes, the evil Saiyans have (re)returned to Earth to satisfy their appetite for destruction. But if Goku, the world’s greatest fighter, has his say, these aliens will be sent home with a foot squarely lodged between their cheeks. Nevertheless, Raditz, the first alien, proves to be tougher than anticipated, forcing Goku into an unlikely alliance with his Earthly rival Piccolo. Together they achieve victory, but pay the ultimate price. Goku not only finds death, but other Saiyans are now on their way. 

Radical Axis

Recently at WonderCon in San Francisco, an overloaded schedule and a few personal misadventures hindered me from meeting the comic team of Scott Fry, Matt Maiellaro, Dave Willis, Craig Hartin, and Todd Redner. Fortunately I managed to catch up with them later (minus Matt Maiellaro) via phone.

Naruto Box Set 14
2009 TV Series (episodes 178-191). Director: Hayato Date. 350 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $49.98. Distributor: Viz Media.

Naruto

Well, one might say that a shadow clone technique has been released. Naruto seems to be everywhere!