LAND OF NEW MOVIES

Premiering in April 2008, Macross Frontier is the third television anime series to spin from the popular Macross universe. Produced in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original series with Kawamori Shoji onboard as supervising director, the series is a mixture of 2-D and 3-D animation from studio Satelight which also animated the Macross Zero OVA. Macross F revolves around stunningly fair-featured pilot-in-training Saotome Alto. The aloof teen is in constant friction with his father who disapproves of his flying. Other than that, galactic teen life on Macross F is as normal as ever, between listening to pop idol Sheryl Nome, competing with friend and rival Mikhail, and fulfilling his duties as a member of the S.M.S. Skull Squadron. Alto is called into action to man the new VF-25 aerospace fighter when alien mecha called Vajira begin attacking the Macross fleet.~yesasia~

Muhyo Roji and his assistant are practicing magic Act, dishing do justice when the ghosts and spirits run amok. His most recent allocation of an apartment building haunted by the enter into direct competition with high-strung executor Gory and his scheming servant Ebisu. But this is more than just a friendly competition of magical ability: anyone who expels the ghost is claimed ownership of the current Muhyo office! After the deed is done, Muhyo had some harsh words for Roji, who is again thinking about how they met and where his career is headed next. Roji decides that his next step is to take the Law Examinations Magic and find out exactly what it is capable of, but when the examiner Roji pulled aside for some "re-verification," could it be that their skills do not meet the standards?

Created by Type-Moon founders Nasu Kinoko and illustrator Takeuchi Takashi, The Garden of Sinners (a.k.a. Kara no Kyoukai) started out in 1998 as an internet light novel. The supernatural fantasy attracted a huge online following and eventually made it to print form, selling over 500,000 copies. Set in the same world as Type-Moon's Tsukihime, The Garden of Sinners revolves around the investigation of paranormal incidents by the trio of sorceress and detective agency proprietor Aozaki Tohko, her assistant Kokuto Mikiya, and Ryogi Shiki, a detached teenage girl with the ability to see and kill death.
Starting in 2007, The Garden of Sinners began its life on the big screen as a seven-chapter animated film series with animation by ufotable, the studio behind the Tales of Symphonia OVA. Directed by Obunai Mitsuru, the third chapter, Tsukaku Zanryu, brings the leads closer to the present-day after the second chapter's flashback. Set a month before the events of the first chapter, the film begins with Mikiya's friend Fujino waking up in a bar, surrounded by the body parts of her unfortunate attackers. Shiki takes on the mysterious search for the killer which eventually leads her right back to Fujino and her deadly psychic powers. ~from yesasia~

Buy DVD

In 2010, the Holy Britannia Empire conquers Japan with mecha weapons in order to gain control of the country's abundant supply of energy resource. Japan is renamed Area 11 and Japanese people, called "Elevens", become third-class citizens. On the surface a student at the elite Ashford Academy in Area 11, 17-year-old Britannian Lelouch is actually ruthless freedom fighter Zero, leader of the rebel group Order of Black Knights, and he's determined to bring down the Empire at all costs.

Based on Hino Matsuri's shojo manga, 26-episode anime series Vampire Knight is set in an alternate world where humans and vampires co-exist in volatile peace. Yuki Cross is a guardian at Cross Academy where her job is to watch over the "day class" and "night class" students, helping to protect the identities of the vampire students and the lives of the human students. Yuki shares guardian duties with longtime friend Zero, a vampire hunter who became a vampire himself after getting bitten. Vampire Knight presents the vampire species in a complex and interesting light, introducing a stratified society with strict rules and different classes of vampires. A war between vampires and vampire hunters has been raging for centuries, though kept secret from most humans, and Yuki plays a crucial role in maintaining balance between the human and vampire world at Cross Academy. Her own mysterious origins, however, may throw everything out of balance. Vampire Knight, which began broadcast on TV Tokyo in April 2008, is produced by Studio DEEN, the home of anime favorites like Rurouni Kenshin, You're Under Arrest, and Maison Ikkoku. ~from yesasia~

Just in time for the blockbuster PS3 video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots comes Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinee, a "digital graphic novel" retelling the events from the classic Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The classic story is retold in a bold graphic novel form, utilizing text and voice acting, and limited animation of dynamic artwork from acclaimed Australian artist Ashley Wood. Popular MGS characters like Solid Snake are rendered in Wood's distinctive style, and given voice by the original Japanese voice actors. The text contained in the characters' speech balloons remains in English, allowing for easy understanding of the deep, multi-layered story. ~from yesasia~