Avenger chalks up as my least favourite anime that I’ve ever been able to fully sit through. At times I considered why I was watching it, why I was wasting disk space on it, and why I couldn’t bring myself to hit the delete key and empty my recycle bin. Now that I’ve finished it, I still wonder and will never receive an answer, because even after viewing everything it has to offer, I have nothing positive to say about it.

Avenger begins with a bleak outlooking Mars. You soon realize that there are only character archetypes in this series, with each character being identical to several others. You’ve got: the old warriors who talk about destinies that are meant to occur and can be overcome (sentences later they realize that everything they’ve ever done was futile,) a mysterious woman who talks about the fate of the planet, rowdy teens who strike out a living in strange occupations, from Doll Breeder to Barbaroi fighter to farmer, and the nameless townsfolk who seem to have no idea what they’re doing in society and just end up complaining to the featured characters.
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Serial Experiments Lain was a well-known, intricate science fiction mystery that achieved mixed popularity due to the creative yet complex storyline. Fast forward a few years after it finished airing, and the majority of the team returned for Texhnolyze, a post-apocalyptic action and mystery series with twice the length. To put it simply, it achieves so much more and succeeds where Lain fails.

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Detective Conan (名探偵コナン) | Tankouban: 57 Currently | Serialization: May, 1994 to Present in Weekly Shounen Sunday

The thrilling and captivating detective series that has captured the hearts of the people of Japan.

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Have I been on a horror kick lately? I honestly have no idea, but Innocent W was definitely a hit with me!

Chapters:
1. Walpurgis Day
2. Wanted
3. Weirdness
4. Wretch
5. Wag
6. Woman
7. Wizardry

Summary: From Kei Kusunoki, the creator of Sengoku Nights, comes a twisted psychological drama about Makoto, a private eye with an uncanny, almost otherworldly ability to get his man. When he is put on the case of a suspected witch, the trail suddenly takes a dark turn along the fine line that separates the guilty from the innocent.

Age Rating: Tokyopop says 16+. It’s got gore beyond an R-rated movie, so I’ll give you a considerable warning; also, the second image and the linked image in the full post may be considered spoilers.

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sola | Episode 2 - Looking Up at the Blue | Air Date: April 13, 2007

Summary: The confrontation between Matsuri and Tsujidou continues, with Yorito still as witness. The display of supernatural powers from both bewilders him, yet when Matsuri is injured he doesn’t hesitate to rush to her rescue. He takes her back to his home, and upon her recovery tries to ascertain exactly what happened at the church the night before. After attempting to repay his kindess with a heartfelt, home-cooked meal, Matsuri reveals to Yorito that she is not a human, but a centuries-old immortal creature whom Tsujidou referred to as a yaka – a “woe of the night”.

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sola | Episode 1 - The Sky-Colored Umbrella | Air Date: April 6, 2007

Summary: Yorito Morimiya’s two greatest passions, photography and the sky, lead him to meet a mysterious girl one early morning. He attempts to help her shake her money out of a vending machine that swindled her, but she disappears and he misses his chance to capture the perfect sunrise.

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TOKKO’s an interesting title. It’s a horror show featuring a police force, so you have a bit of cop drama in addition to the gore and action. This DVD is brought to America by Manga Entertainment and dubbed by Bang Zoom! Entertainment; you shouldn’t miss out on this disc!

Episodes:
1. Dawn 暁 “awakening”
2. Dream 夢 “a girl appears”
3. Bond 絆 “moments would be lost”
4. Omen 兆 “corpses in the laboratory”
5. Phantom 鬼 “a father, all alone”
Extras:
Japanese Voice Cast Forum
“TOKKO” Theme Song (clean) dB - Nothing
“TOKKO” Close Song (clean) dB - Sherry
Gallery
DVD ROM “TOKKO” Screen Saver
Also on DVD (previews)

Languages: English, Japanese and Spanish audio tracks in 2.0 and 5.1 (Spanish is only in 2.0) with optional English subtitles.
The DVD is rated 18+ due to the obvious gore, but also due to the amount of swearing in the dub.

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And so kicks off a monthly OVA series based on a manga of the same name. How could an OVA named “Murder Princess” kick off without a fast, hard rock song from BACK-ON? Simple answer; it couldn’t.

BACK-ON - Hikari Sasuhou (FK Metal ver.)

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Hayate no Gotoku! (ハヤテのごとく！) | Episode 2 - Nagi Sanzenin’s mansion and a new journey. | Air Date: April 8, 2007

Summary: Hayate finally reawakens in the splendor of the Sanzenin manor, believing wholeheartedly he has been sent to Heaven. He decides to take advantage of the situation, only to encounter Maria in an unforeseen turn of events and have all of his wounds reopen suddenly, rendering him unconscious once again. Her attempts to smooth things out a bit are interrupted by Hayate’s immediate acceptance of Nagi’s offer of the position as her butler, and things only become more confused from there.

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