Ichi

Ichi is the latest reimagining of the familiar Zatoichi story. Yet, from one glimpse of the box art your assumptions will immediately stumble. The blind swordsman is now a beautiful young woman that trudges the countryside as a poor musician. On this path she searches for her place in the world and the blind sensei that long ago taught her swordplay. However, this journey is obstructed by a town bled by extortionists, their ominous leader, and a failing samurai in need of inspiration. With each step and accurate slash, Ichi will both find what she seeks and what she truly cannot see.

Blood The Last Vampire

Having just watched the mediocre live-action adaptation, it was fortuitous that Manga Entertainment sent me the Blu-Ray release of the original anime film. Studio execs everywhere should sit down with both copies. It’s a good lesson in why standard Hollywood tactics are not necessarily the best means of translating anime to the silver screen.

Corpse Princess

Surprisingly, when Makina Hoshimura was murdered she didn’t actually die. Stuck on earth as a living corpse, she’s now one of the shikabane hime charged with hunting down the evil undead. Armed with two submachine guns and the help of a secret society of Buddhist monks, Makina must kill 108 undead souls in order to gain entry into heaven. 

Blassreiter

In a parallel Germany, a sanguine plague is rapidly transforming humans into Amalgams, deformed beings capable of melding with technology and exploiting it to civilization’s detriment. XAT, a special police unit piloting advanced mecha, is supposedly mankind’s only defense. But Joseph Jobson, an Amalgam himself, rises above his disease to prove that humanity is not yet lost. Only the secret of his blood can save the world. 

Dogs 3

Once again we find a post-apocalyptic world in which violence and crime is circumscribed by deregulated technology and genetic mutation. In Dogs: Bullets & Carnage, life is a quest to find out just what in the hell happened! Enter Heine, Badou, Naoto, and Mihai. An assassin, a gunman, a journalist, and an amnesiac, they’re thrust together by sheer coincidence as they grapple with mysterious pasts and a violent present.

Cross Game

To help celebrate the preview of the Cross Game manga series, Viz is now also streaming the anime version on vizanime.com.

Midnight Sun

On the somnolent roads of her seaside town, Kaoru sings and plays guitar to the dying rhythm of pedestrians and automobiles. Suffering from a rare allergen to UV light, night has become her only day. And despite her artistic talent, she’s never experienced a social life outside her home. But everything transforms when she finds Kouji. This average, wannabe surfer may fly under the radar of most, but his unwitting self is an unexpected sun. 

Guardians of Luna

In an agreement with Cybergraphix Animation, FUNimation is now the official distributor for the Guardians of Luna animated series.

MAX

The inaugural MAX event in Los Angeles is almost here. Set to take place at Club Nokia, I think I can smell the success brewing. Now, if you're still not sure what MAX is, here is a few minutes with the man responsible for it all: Chase Wang.