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. 

Vandal Hearts

Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment is Konami’s long awaited upgrade to its popular tactical RPG series. Available for Xbox Live® Arcade and PlayStation Network, the story is actually a prequel to the original Vandal Hearts game. Now, as two rival kingdoms position themselves for war, the orphan Tobias Martin, in a bid to defend his homeland, unites his comrades to fight for peace.  But, of course, all is not what it seems! 

20th Century Boys

In 1969, under the secret embrace of wind-blown grass, Kenji and his friends compose the “The Book of Prophecy.” They foretell a future in which they combat a nefarious organization bent on world annihilation. Flash forward: 1997. The influence of a secret cult led by the “Friend” pervades Japan. Suddenly catastrophic events mirroring Kenji’s book occur, and the “Friend” is using a symbol that he created back in the summer of ’69. Worse still, if the book is indeed prophecy, it ends with a virus-spreading robot wreaking havoc on Tokyo! Only Kenji and his friends can unravel this mystery, and make sure the Earth sees the 21^st century.

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. 

Junjo Romantica

On May 4^th 2010, the anime version of Shungiku Nakamura’s best-selling yaoi (boy’s love) manga will be available. This DVD collection contains the entire 12-episode first season, video extras, and a 24-page booklet with character bios and artwork.

Bokurano

Dubbed a “sci-fi manga,” Bokurano initiates the tale of fifteen kids whose lives are altered by a chance meeting. A strange man in a seaside cave invites them to play a cutting-edge video game that pits giant robots against alien invaders. But they have to sign a contract first.  And when the purpose of their agreement is revealed, the game stops being fun.  

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

Essentially a recasting of the original story found in the manga of Hiromu Arakawa, the Elric brothers are back on the journey to find a magical artifact that will heal their bodies. Remember, their first experiment with alchemy, a failed bid to revive their dead mother, left Edward with deformed limbs and Alphonse’s soul permanently inhabiting a suit of armor. 

Nana Box Set 2

Based on the widely popular shojo manga by Ai Yazawa, Nana spirals from the sudden relationship sparked between two young women on a Tokyo bound train. One is a J-punk rocker, whose torn jeans and short skirts are seductively edgy.  For her, the train is pulling into that glorified station of Tokyo’s music scene. The other is far more suburb; her well-ironed seams betray soccer mom dreams. For her, Tokyo is a seemingly perfect boyfriend and that eventual and all-important house. Despite their differences, both share the same name: Nana.

Death Note: R2

It’s no surprise that recent anime pop culture has been Death Note’s bitch. Dan Brown wishes he could write a detective yarn as intelligently intricate and pleasurably discombobulating. The story of the impromptu murderer Light Yagami, a.k.a Kira, his supporting Shinigami Ryuk, the Death Note empowering him to kill by simply writing a name, and his ultimate battle of wits with the genius detective L has consumed the world like Kate and Leo’s Titanic. And even if we didn’t have the edible Misa to accompany this ensemble, Light’s devotee and a Lolita that would have made Nabokov sweat, this story is rather perfect. Who doesn’t love the hunt for a killer, one teeming with anxiety and nearly insolvable riddles? 

J-Pop Center

Viz Cinema, the nation's first theater devoted exclusively to Japanese film and anime. If you're in town, here is the list of events for February.