The Anime Beat

Okay, my blog is being migrated back to the now redesigned Animation World Network website. So, I'm holding off on posts for a few more days. I should be up and running again this weekend. Thanks and sorry for the delay.

2009 TV Series (episodes 1-13). Director: Tsutomo Mizushima. 315 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $59.98. Distributor: Funimation.

In middle school Mihashi was the ace pitcher for the baseball team. So, why did the rest of the squad ostracize him and refuse to hone his skills? He supposedly got the job because his grandfather owned the school. Consequently, Mihashi is a paranoid, nervous wreck that thinks he sucks! The only thing left to do is enroll in a new high school, where the players don’t know how bad he really is.

But is Mihashi a bad pitcher? Or was he just lacking a team?

A former pitcher myself, I remember well long practices, curve balls, knuckle balls, and how to read a batter by where he stands in relation to home plate. And Big Windup is about thing and one thing only: baseball. From the very first episode, Mihashi and his new catcher Abe will walk you through the mechanics of America’s pastime. Everything from how to throw a forker, strike out the clean up hitter, and strategically beat a team with pitches instead of a pitcher is covered in great detail.

2009 TV Series (episodes 1-24). Director: Tsutomo Mizushima. 600 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $69.98. Distributor: Funimation.

Watanuki isn’t your average teenage boy. Spirits have been haunting him since birth; it’s been one disruption after another. But today these meddlesome visions might have actually done some good. They’ve dragged him to the doorstep of Yuko, a mystical witch whose decadence dangerously overshadows the depths of her insight. She’ll quell Watanuki’s visions, if he works in her shop of dreams and wishes.

Yuko offers a very distinct service. But there’s always a price to pay.

Admittedly, I’m not always eager to buy what Clamp is selling. But if you’re not already a diehard fan, xxxHolic will grow on you like a melodious, teenage-angst filled song canvassing an episode of Dawson’s Creek or One Tree Hill. You’ll be covertly humming the chorus for days to come.

2009 TV Series (episodes 1-13). Director: Akira Mano. 315 minutes. DVD, bilingual, $59.98. Distributor: Funimation.

A quiet war still rages on the streets of Italy between the government and a terrorist group known as the FRF. The front lines of this conflict, however, are not filled with the glaring stares of brutish soldiers, but the pig-tailed cuteness of little girls. The tender remnants of former lives, these cybernetic assassins are manipulated by the Social Welfare Agency, a covert anti-terrorist and intelligence outfit. And though killers they may be, they’re still little girls in those awkward stages of growing up.

Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino is the sequel to a highly successful first season. In fact, this series received so much acclaim that it originally aired in the US on the Independent Film Channel.

That's right, I'm giving away free copies!
So, here’s the deal. From now until September 10th I’ll be taking simple email entries. Submit entries (with contact info) to theanimebeat@gmail.com.

Five winners will be selected randomly and notified on September 15.

Alright Naruto fans, get ready to put your jutsu to work. TOMY is due to release two titles that you cannot miss: Naruto Shippuden: Clash of Ninja Revolution 3 (Wii) and Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 (DS).

At this year’s Comic-Con I had a chance to preview these games at the TOMY booth. Let’s just say I’m elated that I scheduled a brief appointment.

Prior to Comic-Con TOMY hooked me up with a copy of Naruto Shippuden: Ninja Council 4 for the DS. Admittedly, I haven’t been much of a fan of the DS system. I never found the small screen and 2D visuals very attractive. As a Naruto fan, however, this title began to alter my opinion of DS gaming.

The Shippuden story arc is set two and half years after the classic Naruto series. Playing an older and stronger Naruto, as he sets out to rescue Gaara from the Akatsuki organization, is more fun than I anticipated. The game follows the Shippuden story arc precisely, thus allowing fans and gamers to live out their own Naruto fantasies. Better still, it’s not just Naruto and his special jutsu lying at your fingertips, but 17 playable characters complete with their own unique jutsu!