Nami Koishikawa was just a maid cafe waitress with an extra-curvy body until she met an injured woman in the restaurant’s back-alley. The stranger in a sailor soldier outfit hands Nami an odd pendant with an eyeball on top. Nami doesn’t know what to do with it, but her clumsy nature is going to make sure to change that. Accidently clicking the button, Nami transforms into a sexy sailor soldier. But with great power comes great responsibility, because every Sex Demon in the city can sense Nami’s heightened sex appeal. Based on the hentai manga series Nami SOS! by Chataro and animated by Moonrock comes Sexy Sailor Soldiers from Critical Mass Video. (more…)

Just when Ryo Inasa thought she was free, the island drew her back in. Answering to Hotaruko’s plea, Ryo could not take the final steps to break the stranglehold the island has over her, despite all the atrocities she witnessed during her stay. As the priest had once told her, the residents always come back to the island. Based on the hentai game Hotaruko by Tiger Man Project and animated by the popular studio Green Bunny comes Crimson Climax: Island of Sin, the final volume from Anime 18, to finish off the battle between Hotaruko and Ryo Inasa. (more…)

There is an island where it is said that the red flowers will only bloom with a special sacrifice during ecstasy. Years ago, Ryo Inasa’s mother moved away from the island to escape the dark secrets it held. Her recent passing has given Hotaruko and the island residents an excuse to invite Ryo to the island to learn about her mother’s birthplace. Completely in the dark about the island’s bloody secrets, Ryo Inasa explores the island, but she isn’t ready to see the reason why her mother ran away. Based on the hentai game Hotaruko by Tiger Man Project and animated by the popular studio Green Bunny comes Crimson Climax, the first of two volumes from Anime 18, to welcome the you to the island of sex and blood rituals. (more…)

Ten years after the first AIKa title was released in Japan, Aika Sumeragi has returned with a new mission chronicling her first mission when she was a teenager in AIKa R-16. Having just earned her C-class salvager license, Aika is ready for her first job underwater and has posted advertisements up around the school. However, Eri Shingai, the class 1A rep and Aika’s usual antagonizer in class, is not going to let Aika ruin the school’s rep with silly stunts like this. Yet, Eri does have a need for Aika’s newly-found license. Animated by Studio Fantasia and published by Bandai Visual, AIKa R-16: Virgin Mission 1 is the first of a three-volume OVA series on Region 2 Japan DVD. (more…)

Shotaro Ishinomori’s manga spy series from the late ’60s is making a comeback thanks to Naoyuki Kanno (Kikaider, Cyborg 009). The director/character designer has taken the concept of the original 009-1 series and expanded it to introduce a new generation of fans to Ishinomori’s work. Set 140 years into the Cold War, the Eastern and Western blocs find themselves balancing peace on a razor-thin line while intelligence agencies from both sides do battle in a covert war. Using character designs from the Cyborg 009 series and storylines inspired by the spy movies of the 60’s era, 009-1 (pronounced Zero Zero Nine One) introduces Agent Mylene Hoffman, better known by her codename: 009-1, as the super-secret agent who always gets the job done. 009-1: Volume 1 from ADV Films brings action and intrigue back to the screen as Mylene demonstrates that brains and brawn can come in one beautiful package. (more…)

IGN has posted up the first full episode of the newly acquired ADV Films series 009-1. The episode uses the English dub so you can get a chance to check it out before the DVD is released on June 19th. And make sure to stay tuned for our 009-1: Volume 1 review to be posted soon.

I usually skip advertising sales, but once again something like this can’t be passed up when DVDs are $4 and $5 a pop. RightStuf is having an Bountyful Bargins REMIX sale on select Geneon titles. Follow this link, click on the “Advanced Search” button, checkmark the box next to “Eligible for Geneon Bountiful Bargins REMIX” and change the dropbox next to it to say “Yes”. Your search will bring up 12 pages of titles including Tenchi in Tokyo, Ai Yori Aoshi, Trigun, Gungrave, etc.

• Get 10 Geneon titles for $50 (Use coupon code REMIX10); OR
• Get 25 Geneon titles for $100 (Use coupon code REMIX25)
  Expires: June 27, 2007

You can only order eligible titles in the sale to get this to work (i.e. You will need to place a new order if you want some of the Weekly Special sale titles). Also, you can only order in combinations of 10 or 25. So if you hit 25 and still want more, place the order and make a new cart to reach another 10 or 25. The coupons are reusable so don’t worry.

Originally shown in Japanese theaters before Cardcaptor Sakura the Movie in 1999, the short CLAMP piece based on the manga and animated by Madhouse has been held up in legal woes for many years. With issues of music rights behind it, CLOVER’s short theatrical animation has finally made it to DVD in Japan. The CLAMP title follows Suu, one of several people referred to as a “Clover” by the military. However, Suu is the only four-leaf clover ever found. Clovers are people who are blessed with the ability to manipulate and summon technology. If a four-leaf clover began to care for someone, it’s the same as handing complete control of the world over to that person. From Bandai Visual comes the long-awaited, cyberpunk CLAMP animated tale of CLOVER to Region 2 Japan DVD. (more…)

Taking place shortly before Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer film, Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero explores the the circumstances that ultimately created the monster. Hajime Shiroishi holds the mental capacity of a six-year-old in many ways and his general weak nature made him a magnet for bullies. However, inside the shell of a pathetic person lays a monster of uncontrollable rage. Based on the original manga by Hideo Yamamoto and animation produced by AIC comes Ichi the Killer: Episode Zero from Central Park Media’s U.S. Manga Corps. (more…)

While it’s a tad sparce for the moment, ImaginAsianTV has put together a production blog to follow the progress of their first three anime titles. Nobody’s Boy Remi, Cat’s Eye, and Super Dimensional Century Orguss TV are all currently looking at an 8 volume release for each series. Orguss will also include the English dub for the first 17 episodes originally on the L.A. Hero release in the early ’90s.