Shelf Life

Recycled Air

So here I am, celebrating my birthday above the clouds, flying to an anime convention. Forget the silliness of spending the anniversary of my birth crowded amongst a throng of anime fans. I'm more taken with the fact that outside the window is an ocean of grandeur and beauty, and here I sit staring at the same screen that I stare at every single day. All because this column is horribly behind schedule. I have no one to blame but myself. Well, me, and professors who have decided that leisure time is a é hobby. So here's where I invent another crazy system for Shelf Life to dig myself out of this hole. In the past, I've reviewed titles by release week. Starting now, until that far off day when I fully catch up again, I'll be trying to hit the major releases of each recent week, along with whatever past titles I haven't done yet for another past week. It's like two columns at once! ... In spirit, anyway.

Thanks for all your continued . There's lots of great titles this time around, so let's get started, shall we? Welcome to Shelf Life. Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #1 FUNimation 100 min. 1/? $29.98 02/08/2005 Even after just four episodes, one thing is clear—Wolf's Rain.

Gantz Vol. #1 - Game of Death ADV Films 50 min. 1/? $17.98 02/08/2005 At some point, everyone must come to a fork in Anime Purchases Blvd. Do you buy a fabulous series that will keep your attention welded to the TV screen... or do you balk at paying for a disc that only has two episodes? As your tour guide for today, I hope to steer you towards the first path. Released uncut in all its guts and glory, Geneon 75 min. 7/7 $29.98 12/14/2004 After the sixth volume, I thought that a fabulously heart-pounding ending was inevitable. I was wrong. Despite the grand setup, the finale was nothing more than the fizzle you hear after a firework explodes. After the glorious rush of the preceding battle, Claus and Alvis eventually float back to Norkia, where they share a few silent moments about the things they've learned, and how everything has affected their lives. As nice as the bit of character development is, it kills the momentum that had been building up in the previous discs. Even the final battle against the Guild can't drag the series back to the same speed it was at earlier. It doesn't help that the ending hardly makes sense, and requires quite a few logical stabs in the dark to get to what the series is trying to accomplish in regards to the Exile. The ending is satisfying enough for those who have been following the series up until now, but it's a bit of a let down. Escaflowne.

Get Backers Vol. #4 - Battles With the Past ADV Films 125 min. 4/10 $29.98 02/08/2005 After being separated inside the Limitless Fortress, the team of retrievers and transporters are reunited, but this won't last for long. They're faced with a circular room containing six doors, each leading to a separate corridor. As they split up, they find themselves face to face with figures from their past. Friends and enemies alike are thrown against them in a battle of loyalty, skills, and death. Will they be able to prevail, knowing that all their destinies have already been chosen by Makubex? Packed with stirring fight scenes and plenty of unexpected twists, the episodes carry a lot of momentum that's hard to up. Over the course of these first four volumes, Kiddy Grade, another show starring characters with dark pasts carrying out dangerous missions.

Mezzo Vol. #3 - Shell Three ADV Films 100 min. 3/3 $29.98 02/08/2005 It's been a fun ride so far, but then they stop the cars and pitch you over the guardrails and onto the tracks. As with all of the episodes in the earlier discs, Mezzo continues to pour out an ensemble of fun standalone stories with an extra dash of the supernatural. Whether it's dealing with cursed mummies or hypnotizing cell phone viruses, the DSA has it under control with its fiery cast of . In the last two episodes though, the series makes an effort to bring together a two-parter with a few oh-so-(not)-scandalous plot twists that are snatched out of thin air. It's not the lackluster ending that makes this volume so enjoyable though. It's the chance to compare how much the characters have changed. Over the thirteen episodes, audiences have seen Asami transform from a weakling to a strong killer-in-training. With such an organic, interesting group of characters, it's almost a shame that the series ends so soon, as it feels like it never got the chance to reach its full potential. Still, the series has been a great way to the time, so give it a shot. Mezzo (mĕt'sō) n: A hectic world where business partners are a contract away from pointing a firearm at your back, and the only guaranteed way to save the day is girls with guns. Syn: Pack some heat with Lost Universe a poke.

The Daichis Vol. #1 - Dysfunctional Heroes Geneon 125 min. 1/? $24.98 12/14/2004 Sometimes there are series that are so absurd and so forced that you feel guilty for laughing and even guiltier for enjoying it. Gatchaman for more silly bad-guy-fighting action.

Fighting Spirit Vol. #3 - Test of Endurance Geneon 115 min. 3/? $29.98 12/14/2004 Despite my reluctance to enjoy a show that was so incredibly long, Hikaru no Go? Just be prepared for some supernatural help instead of raw determination and talent.

New Fist of the North Star Vol. #3 - When a Man Carries Sorrow ADV Films 55 min. 3/3 $29.98 12/14/2004 Fans of cheesy action titles, come together and in watching Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer (hint: don't check them out).

Media Blasters 60 min. 1/1 $19.95 12/24/2004 What the hell did I just waste an hour of my life on? This?! Some may argue that G-taste (H title).

Well, that's it for this week. I left out some titles from the week of the February 8, but I'll slip them into the next installment. Thanks for reading!