Podcast Episode 241 is a review of the videogame Catherine for Xbox 360. Game directed by Katsura Hashino. Music composed by Shoji Meguro. Developed and published by Atlus. Available on Xbox 360 and PS3. List price: $59.99, Rated Mature 17+

From the back cover:

"Vincent is trapped in a nightmare, facing a choice of marrying his longtime girlfriend Katherine or moving on to the incredible blonde he just woke up next to---named Catherine! The worst part is, if he makes the wrong choice, he could end up dead.

Hang out, drink, send texts, and watch the story unfold through full HD cinematics. Addictive puzzle action has climbing fast and skirting pitfalls! Compete or cooperate with a friend!"

My Grade: A-

Listen to my podcast review below:

Podcast manga review of High School of the Dead volume 1. Story by Daisuke Sato. Art by Shouji Sato. Translated by Christina Dashiell. Originally published in Japan by Fujishobo. Published in US by Yen Press, $13.99, Rated Mature.

From the back cover:

"A mysterious illness is spreading rapidly through the halls of Fujimi High School. In a matter of hours, the campus is transformed from a place of learning into a hive of nightmares, as the infected students collapse and are reborn as flesh-hungry zombies! Only a handful of students escape the initial outbreak — among them Takashi Komuro and his childhood friend, Rei. He manages to protect Rei from the initial onslaught, but how long can Takashi and the other students hope to survive when the whole school – maybe the whole town — is out for their blood?!"

My Grade: A

Listen to my podcast review below:

Podcast manga review of A Certain Scientific Railgun volume 1. Story by Kazuma Kamachi. Art by Motoi Fuyukawa. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by Seven Seas, Rated Teen, $10.99.

From the back cover:

"Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science of religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. The majority of students are enrolled in the city's Power Curriculum Program, where they must learn to master their powers. Out of several million students, only seven are deemed powerful enough to have Level 5 status."

"Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgement, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn't!"

My Grade: A

You can listen to my podcast review below:

You can read a free preview of the manga at: http://www.gomanga.com/mv/index.php?series=railgun

Was originally going to do a manga review but got offtrack talking about Borders liquidation sale disillusionment and the exciting new Jmanga.com website coming next month

Podcast manga review of Cross Game Volume 1 by Mitsuru Adachi. Translated by Ralph Yamada and Lillian Olsen. Originally published in Japan by Shogakukan. Published in US by Viz Shonen Sunday, $19.99, Rated T for Teen.

From the back cover:

"Cross Game is a moving drama that is hearfelt and true, yet in the brilliant hands of manga artist Mitsuru Adachi, delightfully flows with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street and the game of baseball. This poignant coming-of-age story will change your perception of what shonen manga can be.

Three in one! Contains volumes 1,2,and 3 as released in Japan"

My Grade: A+

Listen to the podcast below and also read Chapter 1 of Cross Game at http://media.viz.com/flash/omv/index.php?x=crossgame/omv01

Manga podcast review of Arisa volume 1 by Natsumi Ando. Translated and adapted by Andria Cheng. Originally published by Kodansha in Japan. Published in US by Del Rey, $10.99, rated T Ages 13+.

From the back cover:

"Tsubasa thinks that her pretty and popular twin sister, Arisa, has the perfect life. Everyone at school loves Arisa-- unlike the hot-tempered Tsubasa, whose nickname is the demon princess. But when Arisa attempts suicide, Tsubasa learns that her seemingly perfect sister has been keeping some dark secrets. Now Tsubasa is going undercover at school-- disguised as Arisa-- in search of the truth. But will Arisa's secrets shatter Tsubasa's life too?"

My Grade: A+

My thoughts on the death of Tokypop

Podcast manga review of Lives Volume 1 by Masayuki Taguchi (Battle Royale) Translated by Monica Seya Chin. Adapted by Bryce P. Coleman. Originally published in Japan by Akita Publishing. Published in US by Tokyopop, $13.99, Rated Mature 18+.

From the back cover:

"A freak meteor shower devestates the Kanto region of Japan. Those caught in the blast find themselves mysteriously transported to a strange world where humans transform into cannibalistic beasts who must fight to survive! In this new, violent world, martial arts student Shinman Shingo must resist the urge to kill, and instead forge a path of peace to protect his friends--- and his own humanity."

My Grade: A

Podcast Episode 232: In this episode I comment on the price increases of Tokyopop and Yen Press and the apathy among the manga community about the price hikes.

Among the topics covered: The schizophrenia of Yen Press prices, Tokyopop's rip-off $12.99 books, incest among publishers and bloggers, the lotus eaters of the Anime News Network forum, the current American way of charging more for less, the incompetence of Manga publisher CEOS, overpricing licenses, limited edition anime shoved down our throats.

I've been neglecting my anime viewing for far too long so I just decided this weekend to start working through my backlog of dvds alphabetically. Sadly, I've had some of my dvds for YEARS and have never watched them. I know I'm probably not the only one guilty of this sin. And I really need to watch more online stuff as well.

Well, anyway, this episode I'm going to be looking at Baccano!, an anime based on a light novel series by Ryohgo Narita who also wrote the series that the anime Durarara is based on. Baccano is directed by Takahiro Omori, who also worked on Hell Girl, Gakuen Alice, and and the Durarara anime. The writer and music composer of Baccano seem to work with Omori on most of his shows. Baccano is published by Funimation here in the States and is rated 17+ for violence as far as I can tell.

From the back cover:

"Don't let nobody tell you there's no future in a life of crime, because some rackets can last forever. But we'll get around to all that immortality jazz later. A mafia turf war is raging on the mean streets of the Big Apple, a place where regular joes bounce between backdoor booze joints and the breadline. But this caper ain't about a simple gangland brawl. It's about hoods who can't seem to die proper after catching a bullet or five between the eyes. Sadistic hit-men and the dames they love, mad bombers going boom, monsters going bump and soul sucking alchemists bootlegging an elixir of eternal life."

My Grade: A

Just hit the > symbol below to listen to my review

You can watch the first episode of Baccano! below: