Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Magical

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Fiore is a country where a sizable portion of the population has some manner of magical abilities. Due to this, magic is a common and traded commodity amongst the people. those who use magic are referred to as wizards. While their sources of magic may be varied, they all join together in guilds to further their pursuits. One such guild is called Fairy Tail. Fairy Tail’s members are a rather rough and disparate group of wizards, but they are quite powerful.

The story follows Lucy Heartfilia, a fledgling Stellar Spirit wizard who wishes to join the Fairy Tail guild. The meets with a popular, charming, yet vain wizard calling himself “Salamander of Fairy Tail.” She nearly falls under his charm magic but a young man named Natsu Dragneel, who is looking for someone named Igneel, blunders in and breaks the spell. He assumed that the man going as “Salamander” may in fact be Igneel… he wasn’t. Lucy buys Natsu and his cat Happy lunch as thanks. Knowing that she needs to get in Salamander’s good graces, she eventually agrees to join him at a party on his boat.

This party turns out to be a trap to lure women into a slave ship headed to another country. While Lucy attempts to ward off Salamander’s advances, as well as his minions’, Natsu makes a sea-sick entrance to defeat them. Lucy is pulled off the boat by Happy’s wing transformation, but end up in the water when the spell wears off. She then uses her magic to summon Aquarius to beach the fleeing ship. Aquarius, after making a few threats to Lucy, does as she is told and beaches the ship with a tidal wave.

Back on dry land, Natsu recovers and reveals himself the be the true “Salamander of Fairy Tail,” then promptly defeats the impostor. This does, however, destroy large portions of the town and they are forced to flee back to the guild hall. Natsu extends an invitation to join the guild while he, Lucy and Happy run for it. The guild turns out to be a bit more unprofessional and wild than Lucy would have anticipated. She takes a job with Natsu to get away from it all and the remainder of the second episode involves us seeing a bit more of her power, Natsu’s compassion and a little bit of history all around.

This series is pretty funny and the only negative I can see with it would be that if it does not buckle down the main story line early in the season, it will lose out big time. That aside, I’m looking forward to watching this series.

Overall Hook Rating: A

Genres: Action, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural

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NOTE: This series is a new story line in the Darker Than Black world involving some familiar characters and concepts. While you do not have to have seen the previous series, it helps.

Mikhail Pavlichenko and his two children Shion and Suou (twins) are enjoying a family outing to the wilderness of Vladivostok, Russia. As the events of the previous series come to a close a mass meteor shower occurs; a sign that many contractors have died. One of these fragments crashes into Shion and Suou, nearly killing them. Shion does not make it out unscathed and eventually awakens as a contractor himself. His father, having designed the device they use on people who learn about contractors, hides him away from the military.

Years pass and Suou attempts to keep living a normal life. Her father warns her that her brother no longer has emotions, like all contractors, and that he is not to be trusted. He wants her to just stay away from him. Shion spends his days in a hidden room, stuck in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Suou’s friend Tanya suddenly awakens as a contractor and is taken away by the military. Knowing that they will come for her as well, to wipe her memory of her friend, Suou attempts to flee home. It is here that the military attack in an attempt to secure her family for their projects.

Mikhail is killed, Shion reveals that he can walk (using the wheelchair was his remuneration for use of his powers), April (from the previous series) reveals herself as one of Mikhail’s staff and attempts to help the kids escape. It is here Hei makes his grand appearance. Hei, known in the contractor world as the Black Reaper, is tasked with securing the meteor fragment Shion holds. Unfortunately for Suou, Hei confuses her with her brother and a fight to capture her erupts between the CIA, Russian military and unknown parties.

Three additional contractors move in the capture Suou, still confused for Shion. August 7, Mina Hazuki and Genma Shizume set a powerful trap to disable Hei and their fight draws him right into it. Suou gets caught in the blast and her pendant, left to her by her brother, begins to react to the energies. She sees a glimpse into Hei’s memories, right before his star winks out in the sky.

I was a big fan of the original series, and while this one has a bit of a slow start, they really know how to leave the audience hanging on for the next episode. Old favorite characters are back again and some don’t make it past the first few episodes, wink wink. This is definitely one I’ll be catching up on.

Overall Hook Rating: B

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Kakeru and Kukuri Satsuki had been on their own since they were children; their early years were spent at Ayame Orphanage. It was there that Kakeru met Yuka Minase, another orphan who bonded with him. Soon after his life was torn apart due to his older sister’s suicide. This story takes place 5 years later.

Kakeru and Yuka are still close friends; their friendship helping them cope with Kukuri’s suicide. It is important to note that Kakeru’s right eye is always covered by an elaborate eye patch, due to a condition that causes the eye to be a different color than the other. He does not wish to scare people, nor draw attention to himself. Their friends Tadashi Teruya and Kaori Natsuki try to draw them to the mall after school for a sale but Kakeru is not in the mood. While Yuka wants to go, she decides to stick with Kakeru on their walk home. Yuka adoptive parents are very important to her, but do not make an appearance in the series yet. Kakeru eventually caves in and takes her to the mall.

While crossing a bridge, they have their first encounter with the “Red Night.” Red Night is an alternate world that abruptly overlaps their own, drawing them into a hellish red version of their reality. A black moon hangs overhead and strange beasts roam this world. Before the creatures can attack them, they find themselves back in the normal world. Kakeru makes a promise to Yuka to always protect her, just in case this ever happens again.

It is not long before they find themselves drawn into Red Night once more. It is around now when they meet Misuzu Kusakabe, another girl from their school. She is an accomplished swords-woman and protects the two others from attack. Kakeru begins to hallucinate his dead sister when he sees Kukuri Tachibana (the name similarity isn’t a coincidence apparently), another girl from their school. Misuzu lets them know that they too may have hidden power, as they were drawn to the Red Night like the “others.”

While traveling in the Red Night, the group come across a girl trapped in a crystal. She begs to be released but is then surrounded by a group of Black Knights. They threaten the group and warn that they are basically in over their heads. Before their attack lands on Kakeru, the group are back in the normal world. Kakeru decides to research whatever he can to solve this crisis. He sees his sister again in the library and all that is left behind is a note saying that this is all his fault.

There is a good touch of suspense in this series, and the inclusion of the hallucinations related to Kukuri’s suicide add a nice little creep factor. The Black Knights, the nature of the Red Night and Kakeru developing power all creates a solid draw for the series.

Overall Hook Rating: B

You can watch a bit of episode one after the break…

Genres: Action, Fantasy, Occult

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In a world much like our own, around the height of the 19th century, a rather peculiar event happens upon ones’ death. Every memory, every recorded moment of your life encodes to a stone “book”, representative of your soul. A facility was created to house these tomes: the Bantorra Library. There in, every possible “book” is cared for by the Armed Librarians. These librarians must guard the books from those that might abuse them, as well as from the creatures which inhabit the ancient halls below them.

The Armed Librarians enter the series in dramatic fashion, speeding toward a steam ship owned by the Shindeki Church. The church follows a rather brutal hierarchy with those known as the “True Men” on the top. Under them are the “Mock Men”, who serve unconditionally, and give up their lives for the True Men. The lowest rung are called the “Meats”, and have little to no free will left. They are brutally brainwashed and mistreated; frequently being turned into living bombs. It is these bombs that begin throwing themselves at the Librarian’s boat.

The librarians acting leader, Hamutz Meseta, sits on the shore monitoring the group’s progress on their mission to gather information on the church’s activities. She shows on of her psychic powers, that of extended senses, by mentally poking around the boat with invisible threads (the visual representation of her power is that they glow white to the viewers). One Librarian, not realizing the Meats are bombs, is killed trying to rescue a man from the water. The rest make their way on board, slaying the Mock Men left to defend the ship.

After finding a suitable number of clues about the church’s goals, the ship’s cache of gunpowder and bombs explodes and throws the Librarians and Meats into the ocean. One of the Librarians, named Volken McMarney, attempts to save the Meats, but notices they have no will of their own to live, allowing themselves to drown. The Librarians begin tracking down clues which leads one, Mattoalast Barori, into a direct confrontation with three Meats in a mining town. One detonates himself and kills Mattoalast, the other rebels against one of the True Men, Segal, and dies. The remaining Meat continues on his programmed mission, to kill Hamutz Meseta.

There is absolute volumes of information I have left out of this article (the function of the books and shards there of), you just have to watch the series to get the true impact of the events that transpire! Two deaths amongst the Librarians within the first two episodes give us a good feel for the serious nature of the series. There are many levels in the complex social environment that have yet to be unveiled… and I can’t wait to find out. The mix of generally old technology, psychic powers and cults plays out well in these first two episodes. The cool display of Hamutz’s power at the end of episode two leave this as one series to definitely watch.

Overall Hook Rating: A

Check out the stylish opening sequence after the break:

Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Science Fiction

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There exists a technologically advanced city wherein roughly 80% of the populace are developing powers due to the cities highly advanced technology. This facility is named Academy City; its inhabitants are part of the “Brain Development Program” where in psychic powers are developed. To keep order within this city, powerful students are drafted into “Judgment”, as task force who deals with mundane and super-powered crimes.

We meet Kuroko Shirai and her roommate (and crush) Mikoto Misaka dealing with a group of thugs who are pestering a younger student. While Kuroko is an actual member of Judgment, Mikoto is not… yet she is one of the seven most powerful people in the city (we will later find out why her nickname is Railgun). As soon as the punks are dealt with, the girls must return to their middle school to undergo a “System Scan”, which is code for an analysis of their primary abilities, ranked Level 1 through Level 5 (the strongest). Level 0 is reserved for those with no powers.

Kuroko plots to get closer to Mikoto by allowing her cohort at Judgement, Kazari Uiharu, a chance to meet her hero (Mikoto). Kazari’s good friend, Ruiko Saten, also tags along. Ruiko is considered Level 0, having developed no powers as of yet. While the foursome is out they come across a bank robbery in progress. The two Judgment members (Kuroko and Kazari) step into action and begin to control the scene. in the commotion, a boy has wandered into the battle and is taken hostage by one of the robbers. Ruiko grapples him away from the robber and gets a boot in the face for her troubles.

The robber, now empty handed, steals a car and attempts to run down the one girl left standing in the middle of the road… Mikoto. She tells Kuroko that she will handle the situation. As the car bears down on her, she flips a coin into the air. Electricity begins to flow about her body and focuses toward her outstretched hand. As the coin returns in line she flicks it, releasing all the stored power… the Railgun. This pinpoint blast of power upends the car and sends it spiraling through the air. The day is saved!

Into the second episode the mood lightens somewhat to focus on more of the day to day school life, Kuroko’s crush on Mikoto, and other zaniness. The tone of the series took such a sudden shift that it worries me that it might spiral downhill. On the positive side, the concept and the Railgun itself is just epic.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Watch part of episode one after the jump…


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Genres: Action, Magical, Romance

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Imaging having an intense dream of being chased by a maniac with a gun. You are lost, confused, and terrified. Upon waking you realize that, on top of this not actually being a dream, you have also switched genders to enter this death game! All of the details of said game are now explained to you by a stuffed animal with its guts hanging out. Welcome to the life of Natsuru Senou. The boy, who must become a girl to fight for his life.

Natsuru has become a Kampfer (German for “fighter”), who have to be female, and must do battle as such. There has been no explanation for why this is going on (other than the mysterious “Moderators” bidding), so he must learn to fight to survive. His power set is noted as Zauber (German for “magic”), specifically: fire ball casting. The two other power types are Schwert (German for “blade”) and Gewehr (German for “gun”). The first other Kampfer he encounters/fights is Akane Mishima, who is a Gewehr type, and apparently actually on his own team (denoted by the blue bracelet they wear).

She explains to him that there will be two red Kampfer they must battle. Her mascot is a black rabbit; its guts hang out, seppuku style. The first red Kampfer they encounter is Shizuku Sangou, a Schwert type, and is played by their school’s student council president. Her positing on power puts the two blue fighters in a pinch, as she effectively runs the school. Her mascot is an electrocuted cat.

In the end of the second episode the stage it set for the battles to come. Natsuru is transferred to the girls campus by Shizuku so that no questions will be raised about him (as he is male) trespassing, and then she makes him stick in his “girl mode”.

There is an undercurrent of girl-girl romance with Natsuru’s friend Kaede Sakura in both episodes, as she has a crush on the girl-him, and that crushes him. The humor is a bit dark, but still thoroughly funny… I just do not see this making the grade without stooping to the typical yuri harem tricks. Let’s hope it proves me wrong.

Overall Hook Rating: C

Check out a clip after the break…

Genres: Action, Supernatural

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When World War III comes around, Japan again suffers heavy losses. Tokyo, the epicenter of the strike on Japan, is left in ruins. 500 years later the remnant of this nuclear disaster lies like a black spot (and is so named) on the map. This provided the impetus for a new breed of human evolution; the wastelands bred forth a mutated human strain. The mutants possess power (one per person) which far exceeds the natural human limits. This caused them to be shunned by the general human populace as an unneeded creature in the now healing world. They are the Needless.

Humans struck out against those who were seen as the strongest of the Needless. Aruka and Cruz Schild were among the hundreds of rebels that launched an ambush on a convoy carrying the top four Needless, who are owned by the Simeon Corporation. They were the only two that survived, but are soon hunted down by anti-Needless machines called the Testaments. Aruka forces Cruz into the sewers and apparently dies holding off the Testament, effectively covering his escape.

In the sewers Cruz is again saved from the Testament by Adam Blade, a Needless with the power to clone his foes abilities. He destroys the Testament, but in doing so takes heavy damage. Cruz drags him back to the burnt out church that serves as the headquarters for his small group. Here he meets Eve Neuschwanstein, a doppelganger Needless, and Gido the scientist (who REALLY reminds me of Dr. Wiley).

The Simeon’s Needless move out to eradicate this group, as their crossing with the Testaments sent after Cruz has revealed their existence. The series leads action to action with a hard driving rock soundtrack and over the top physical comedy in between serious moments.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Genres: Action, Mystery

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The streets of Shanghai are alive with the sights and sounds of a great festival. Minoru Minorikawa, a journalist, and Maria Osawa, a photographer, have flown in to cover this event. In parallel to their soon-to-become active lives, an assassin drops her target from a rooftop, apparently miles away. A battle between this assassin and a terrorist group know as the “Snakes” rolls onward in a collision course with the other.

Separately, a CIA convoy escorts the captured Snakes leader, Alphard, to a detention facility. Her sister and allies spring her in gouts of flames and blood. Noting that the assassin they have been seeking, named Canaan, has been found in Shanghai. The inner workings of their organization are hinted at, but are never completely spelled out.

As the two stories collide we are shown that Canaan and Maria have met before and are actually good friends. Maria’s pictures, however, get her into trouble with the Snakes. She has uncovered something that undercurrents every aspect of this series, but we are not yet treated to an explanation. A flashback informs us that a terrorist group had spread a bio-toxin of which Maria was the only know survivor (by way of her father’s research toward a vaccine).

The Snakes strike out at Maria and Minoru who are eating at a restaurant after the initial events unfold. Thanks to a REALLY spirited cabbie, the two make a successful escape and are eventually saved by Canaan. The Snakes switch targets and Canaan leads them away. Upon returning to their hotel rooms, Maria and Minoru find their places wrecked and film stolen.

This series has a great opening and a good style; the pace is fast and has action throughout. A minor drawback is the amount of data we are asked to recall as we continue toward a (hopeful) epiphany of the what and why in the story.

Overall Hook Rating: B

Genres: Action, Drama, Romance

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On the continent of Europa the small nation of Gallia finds itself in the middle of a larger conflict. The war started by the Eastern Europan Imperial Alliance and the Atlantic Federation has threatened to consume them as well. An important resource, named Ragnite, stands at the center of the conflict; both sides vie for control of as much Ragnite bearing land as possible.

The story’s first scenes are of the evacuation of Bruhl. The town watch have the responsibility of guarding the citizens as they leave town, in advance of the approaching Imperial forces. At this time, a young man by the name of Welkin Gunther is found making notes in a book near to the evacuation site. A small group of the town’s militia, led by Alicia Melchiott, intercepts Welkin and identifies him as a spy. He is promptly locked away for later questioning.

Ok, I have a BIT of a rant to go off on here, if you wish to skip it, continue on. If you want to read the rant, please click on the warning below:

Welkin escapes his captors and continues to his destination, his family home, to recover his sister and evacuate. Alicia spots him, and after some convincing, accompanies him on this mission. They spot the advanced Imperial scouts in the area and are engaged in a firefight. Upon reaching the house Welkin’s sister, Isara Gunther, leads them to the tank (Edelweiss) that was left behind by her father.

Using this highly advanced tank they manage to escape, hold off the invading forces until the evacuation is complete, and hold out until the rest of the military regulars make it to the town. Unfortunately, the town is surrendered. Our heroes leave with the military as the town burns in the background.

I feel that the rant above (if you took the time to read it) covers my impressions of this adaptation. If you did not read it, all I can say is that the characters are a bit flat with stereotypical behaviors. The headstrong leader, the fight-loathing militia member, the dumb inseparable young boys, etc… none had a strong impact on me, less the negative comments above. I am sure hardcore fans of the game would disagree, but maybe that got to the point faster.

Overall Hook Rating: D

Genres: Action, Historical, Martial Arts, Supernatural

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Japan’s Sengoku Period has spawned many tales. The story of Sanada Yukimura and Date Masamune form the basis for this adaptation of the PS2 title Devil Kings. During this period of time, the daimyo Oda Nobunaga conquered a large portion of Japan. In this retelling, Oda Nobunaga is shown as an evil, near-supernatural entity whose followers are attempting to sway the course of the war surrounding them.

Takeda Shingen has sent his forces to defeat Uesugi Kenshin. He directs this right hand, Sanada Yukimura, to cross a group led by Date Masamune. The battle between Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura consumes the field. Date Masamune, known as the One-Eyed Dragon, wields up to 6 katanas in combat. Sanada Yukimura, known as the Tiger of Kai, wields two spears in his battles. The two part ways without a conclusion due to the intervention of one of Date Masamune’s men.

In the second episode, Takeda Shingen moves on Imagawa Yoshimoto. This leads to another epic battle between the Dragon and Tiger. The prize? Imagawa Yoshimoto’s head on a pike. Oda Nobunaga has other plans, and his minions intercept Imagawa Yoshimoto during his escape. Oda Nobunaga’s final act in the episode is to kill Yoshimoto himself, unseating everyone’s plans.

Not being a history buff, I found nothing lacking in this series’ interpretation. Hard core period-genre fans may take issues with various elements in the story (does anyone else thing Date’s saddle looks like a motorcycle?)

Overall Hook Rating: B